Stephen Berry - The AI War

"All shuttles are berthed, all combat cars secured," reported K'Lal, the third officer.

"Atmospheric fighters approaching," said A'Tir, pointing at the telltale to her left. A phalanx of lavender crosses were moving across her left telltale. K'Tran read the intercept projection, then took the captain's chair.

"Upshield, upship," he ordered. "Stand by all batteries, A'Tir, but don't jettison camouflage."

"Lifting ship," said A'Tir, engaging n-gravs.

The cruiser rose silently, S'Takport shrinking on the screen. "Coming within range of port defenses," said K'Lal. "They're waiting for us with all shields up."

"Detonate series one blastpaks," ordered K'Tran.

A circle of small, mushroom-shaped clouds sprouted around the port as preplanted charges atomized fifteen missile and fusion batteries.

"Give me forward tacscan, A'Tir," said K'Tran.

She entered a command, fingers flying over her keyboard. The green hills of S'Tak vanished from the main screen, replaced by a tri-dee tacscan of surrounding space. A profusion of green blips were moving out from the luminous white orb representing S'Tak. Farther out, beyond the third of the system's five planets, three red blips were coming in-headed for S'Tak much faster than the green blips were leaving it.

Computer had flagged Victory Day yellow. It lay closest to the planet, moving toward the green blips.

"We spooked lots of traffic," said A'Tir. "Looks like every ship insystem's heading for jump point, trying to get clear of any fighting."

K'Tran nodded. "Let's join up. Plot for jump point, but keep our speed that of a respectable old agro freighter." He turned to K'Lal. "What's the civilian commtalk?"

"Confusion. Questions directed at those Fleet units. Wild rumors." The young corsair smiled. "According to the latest, S'Tak was just taken by a S'Cotar nest."

K'Tran shook his head. "How did those idiots win the war?"

"Add our voice to the confusion, K'Lal."

"Task force commander is calling Planetary Defense Command," said A'Tir, head slightly cocked as she listened to the thin, distant voices in her earjack. "Current sector PDC code, which we have."

"Asking for an update and our description?"

"Yes. Time for series two?"

He nodded. "We don't want our description out till after we jump."

She entered a second remote firing command and pushed Execute.

"Shut up!" snapped Commodore A'Wal.

The Planetary Guard officer shut up, face reddening.

"I don't care about your pissy little port, Major," said A'Wal. He leaned forward in the flag chair, thrusting his large, squarish face into the pickup. "I care about K'Tran. Tacscan shows ships everywhere. Some are headed for jump point, some for your sister planet, some for those two moons.

"K'Tran's ship is undoubtedly camouflaged. I need a complete description to distinguish it from the merchanters. You will provide that description, Major. Now." He leaned back in the flag chair, waiting. Around him, the dreadnought's bridge bustled with activity.

"Yes, sir." The major looked down at something outside the pickup. "We'll transmit a complete recording of the corsair and the raid."

"You couldn't shoot them, but you took their picture?" said A'Wal, incredulous.

The major nodded miserably.

"Send it over," sighed the commodore. He looked at J'San. "Captain, give the-officer-on five channel a new datacom freq-"

The screen with the major on it went blank. As A'Wal watched, a line of text flashed onto the bottom: CARRIER FAILURE.

"J'San," said the commodore, "I've lost that idiot. Get her back, please." The captain ignored him, intent on a readout. "We're receiving a satellite scan of S'Takport, Commodore," she said. "Coming up on main screen."

A'Wal looked up. S'Takport's control spire was now a scattered pile of burning debris. Nearby, across a shattered access road, a huge crater smoldered, almost obscured by a layer of thick, black smoke.

"Planetary Defense Command and Guard Headquarters," said J'San.

"He must have infiltrated their security and blastpaked it, maybe months ago," said A'Wal. "Then blew it up with his usual exquisite timing."

No one asked who he was.

"Well, the slime's not out of this yet," said A'Wal. "Let's see if we can flush him."

"All-ships order from task force commander," said A'Tir. "All ships to rendezvous with task force for inspection."

"Fine." K'Tran glanced at the plot. "Make for the rendezvous. We should be one of the first there."

"They're scattering like m'arka hens!" said Captain J'San, staring at the screen. All but a few ships were fleeing the task force, heading outsystem at max. "Why? There's only one corsair."

A'Wal ran a tired hand over his eyes. "I should have remembered. This is a drugger system-always has been. They grow and refine heavy duty stuff down on S'Tak, then jump it out all over the Confederation. Climate and location are ideal. Small garrison-not enough to control it."

"All of those ships are druggers?" said J'San, looking at the screen.

A'Wal nodded. "Probably all have at least some contraband, stashed with regular cargo. Retails at three, four hundred credits a shot in some combine slum.

"Divide the task force, Captain. Intercept as many as possible."

"What about the ships coming to rendezvous?"

"Proof of innocence," said the commodore. "Let's get after the others-we may get lucky."

"There they go," said K'Tran, watching the tacscan. The three Fleet ships were scattering, headed out on complex intercept vectors.

"Rendezvous and inspection order cancelled," said K'Lal.

K'Tran stood, stretching. "Well done, all. K'Lal, make for jump point. Ploddingly."

'"Acknowledged."

'"A'Tir, my quarters now-let's see what's on this." He held up the commwand B'Rol had given him. Together, they left the bridge.

Clearing jump point, Admiral S'Gan watched as the system-wide tacscan came up on the board. It looked like a training exercise: three Fleet vessels busily pursuing a score of slower moving craft. "Get me Commodore A'Wal."

She interrupted his report. "K'Tran is one of the law-abiding ships now moving toward jump point, Commodore." She'd been watching the screen as A'Wal spoke. "There are eleven of them. We are eight. Priority blue plot those ships nearest your force. Once you've determined intercept vectors, order each of those vessels to rendezvous with one of our ships."

A'Wal saw it. "And whichever one runs…"

"Is the corsair."

"He can jump at any time, though."

S'Gan shook her head. "He won't. He'll go for optimum. I know K'Tran well." Before the war, for about two years, K'Tran had been one of S'Gan's captains-her best captain.

"I should have seen it," said A'Wal.

S'Gan allowed herself a bit of compassion. "Don't blame yourself, H'Lor. K'Tran's one of the finest tacticians to ever graduate from the Academy. Hell, he fought far inside S'Cotar space for seven years-and prospered. He thinks three moves ahead of everyone else."

"By all reports, a very competent commander," said A'Wal stiffly.

"Yes. Now let's go kill him."

K'Tran gave a low whistle. "The Trel Cache."

"Pre-Fall myth, isn't it?" said A'Tir.

"Pre-Fall," nodded K'Tran. He leaned back in his chair, fingertips pressed thoughtfully together. "The Trel were the masters of much of this galaxy, perhaps a million years ago. They had it all, A'Tir-hyperdrive, interstellar matter transmission, limited psi powers." He tapped the screen. "At least according to Imperial survey, as faithfully recorded by Poesym. And Implacable's going in after it."

"How many jumps?"

He called up another part of the specs. Reading it, he shook his head. "Our client couldn't get the last two jump sets. We're to folllow her from the last known position."