Stephen Berry - The AI War

"You transferred aboard off Terra, Commander. You have been condescending, petulant, lazy and certainly insensitive. That will change. Clear?"

"Sir…"

"Is that clear, Commander T'Lan?"

"Yes, sir."

"You are heir to a rich and powerful dynasty, Commander. Although of combat age the last two years of the war, you were medically deferred for…" His eyes searched the screen. "What is 'severe melancholia,' Commander?"

"Sir, it is a condition of dysfunctional depression occasioned-"

"Never mind. You were directly commissioned and assigned as this expedition's Alien Artifacts Officer over many others far older and far better qualified than you. To date, you've shown yourself unworthy of the trust reposed in you by Fleet and Confederation." And the enormous bribes it must have taken to get you here, he added silently. "That will change, won't it?"

"Yes, sir."

"The watch preceding your duty-time for the next four weeks will be spent as part of a team, replacing some of the older hullside sensor clusters. It is tiring, tedious work. It can be dangerous if you don't cooperate with your teammate. Space"-he jerked his thumb over his shoulder- "forgives nothing."

"Yes, sir."

"I hope for your sake and ours, Commander T'Lan, that your attitude and performance change. Quickly."

"I assure the commodore-"

"Don't assure me. Show me. Dismissed."

D'Trelna touched the commlink as the door hissed shut. "L'Wrona," he said.

The captain's face appeared in the scan. "Did you chew on him, J'Quel?" he asked with a smile.

The commodore nodded. "Surprised me and took it well. Who knows? There may be hope."

"And you?"

"A sharp homily to S'Til-tempering anger with reason. She didn't protest the detail."

"Does she know who her teammate will be?"

"She will secondwatch, when they suit up."

"I'd like to see that." They both chuckled.

"We're about to make the final jump," said L'Wrona.

"Ominous."

"You know what I mean."

"Fine. Sound briefing call as soon as we jump and we'll give them the happy news."

"How far from home, any idea?" asked Zahava.

"Over three hundred light-years," said John. High atop Implacable, they had the small observation dome to themselves. Outside, the hull swept past them, a mile to the bridge, another mile back to engines, half a mile to either side: a gray expanse of battlesteel broken by weapons turrets and instrument pods.

"Earth's not even a point of light anymore," he said. The stars were few and scattered in this part of the galaxy. The brightest object was a swirling red nebula, thousands of light-years away across the interstellar rift.

"One month," said Zahava, "and I've had it with the majesty of space."

On Terra, they'd been an odd couple: John, a slim, blue-eyed WASP; Zahava, a petite, olive-skinned Israeli. On Implacable, no one looked twice at them. The crew was from twenty-three different worlds, each with its own very distinct gene pool.

"Sorry we came?" he asked, putting his hand atop hers on the padded handrail.

"You will be," said a third voice: a woman's, a familiar voice.

They whirled, drawing their blasters.

The blonde stood opposite them, wearing a red jumpsuit, long silken hair soft-burnished by the starlight.

"How…?" said John, staring beyond the S'Cotar. Outside was the reassuring shimmer of the shield.

"With us since… when?" said Zahava.

Both blasters were leveled at the Other's stomach.

"Long time," said the S'Cotar, gaze shifting between the two. "Since the Lake of Dreams."

"You're one of the crew," said John. His finger tightened around the trigger.

The blonde pointed at him. "You fire one of those cannons in here, Harrison, and that laser-bonded ion stream will deflect off the armorglass until its potential's spent. You two will look like you've been through one of your quaint food processors. And I'll have left." The elegant fingers snapped. "Like that. Teleportation's a wonderful gift."

"We'll find you, green slime," said Zahava. "D'Trelna will-"

"Yes, yes, I know," said the transmute wearily. "D'Trelna will take the ship apart. Probably with his bare hands. Not to mention Colonel R'Gal."

"Who?" said Zahava.

"Oh, I'm sure you'll meet," said the S'Cotar. "The three of you are… implacable."

"Why've you exposed yourself?" said John.

"It's imperative," said the biofab. "You've far worse to contend with here than slimy green bugs." The blonde was replaced by a green, six foot insectoid. It stood erect on four thin legs. Twin antennae grew above its bulbous eyes, two tentacles from its shoulders. The spectacle lasted only a second, then the blonde reappeared.

"Am I a bug dreaming that I'm a woman, or a woman, dreaming that I'm a-"

"What's so damned imperative, bug?" said Zahava.

"Commander T'Lan," said the S'Cotar urgently. "Watch him. He endangers everything you're trying to prevent, everything I'm trying to accomplish."

"Explain," said John.

The S'Cotar's head shook. "You wouldn't believe me. And I'll be missed in a moment. But don't let T'Lan out of your sight once we reach our coordinates."

' 'He's just a jerk kid,'' said John. "A K'Ronarin preppy.''

"Harrison," said the S'Cotar intently, "it costs you nothing to watch T'Lan, much if you don't."

A chime sounded three times. "Stand by for jump," warned computer. "Stand by for jump."

"Luck," said the S'Cotar, and was gone.

"Trust him… it?" said Zahava.

The S'Cotar reappeared. "Oh. Congratulations on your marriage," it said, then vanished again.

The final warning sounded, six chimes repeating three times. "I need a drink," said John as they grabbed the handrail.

Outside, the stars changed. Implacable had moved ninety-seven light-years.

Zahava swallowed hard. "I think my stomach's back on Rigel or wherever that was. Are we going to tell D'Trelna about Big Green?"

"How do we know D'Trelna isn't Big Green?"

"Shit." She looked stricken. "Who can we trust?"

"You and me, chum. Unless, of course, it can project two illusions at once. After all, we were both at the Lake of Dreams." They eyed each other warily, then burst into laughter.

"They should make more bugs like you," said John, kissing her.

"Was that as good as the real Zahava?" she asked a moment later. "Better," he said.

"Pig," she said as their communicators chirped. "Briefing call," came K'Raoda's voice. "All designated personnel report for mission briefing, deck four, briefing room seven." The message repeated.

"Here's where they tell us what we already know," said Zahava as they clambered down the duralloy ladder to deck one.

"Rumor has it we're going into the galaxy's Bight of Benin."

"The what?"

"Pestilential West Africa slavers' port." He chanted in a passable baritone as they walked:

"The Bight of Benin, The Bight of Benin, Few come out, though many go in."

"What are we going to do about the S'Cotar?" she asked as they reached the lift.

"Easy," said John, pressing the call tab. "We find him, have an engaging chat and kill him."

The briefing room-Implacable's smallest-was full: fifty-eight officers. John Harrison and Zahava Tal stood in front of the red-cushioned traq-wood chairs. Conversation stopped as D'Trelna and L'Wrona entered and walked down the center aisle and up to the podium. "Sit, sit," said the commodore, waving them to their chairs. "You'll note," he said as the noise died, "that we've been in Quadrant Blue Nine for some time and are still alive. We're now proceeding to mission coordinates furnished by Pocsym."

"The Trel Cache," said Zahava.

"No," said D'Trelna, "not the Trel Cache."

L'Wrona broke the stunned silence. "We're to rendezvous with the first in a series of remote navigation markers placed by Imperial Survey, just before the Fall. We give it the access code furnished by Pocsym, it gives a new set of jump coordinates."