The Lost Fleet: Into the Darkness Read online

  “What about the Command AI?”

  “The Command AI and a few of their science AIs will be going,” Jeremy responded. “They may be needed as the power generating stations will in many ways resemble a smaller version of their capacitor stations. You will be in overall command of the defenses here at Gaia in my absence. Admiral Cleeteus will be your second.” Admiral Cleeteus was the Alton admiral.

  “If the Simulins are traveling regularly between galaxies, they could have a substantial presence around this black hole,” warned Susan with worry in her eyes. “It may not be possible to launch the probe.”

  “It’s possible,” admitted Jeremy. “That’s why we’re taking every precaution we can to prevent detection.”

  “The Warrior’s Pride will keep the Avenger safe,” boasted Grayseth, slapping Jeremy on the back. “We will destroy these Simulins!”

  Jeremy winced from the force of the blow and only shook his head at his large furry clan brother. He was used to the bear hugs and the hefty slaps on the back from his Carethian friends. It was their way of showing their concern and friendship.

  -

  Kelsey, Katie, and Angela were down on Gaia doing some shopping. There were currently two cities on the planet and three military bases. The city they were in was the largest with nearly ten thousand humans living in it as well as a few Altons and Carethians. They had gone into a clothing store to see what the locals had to offer.

  “These fabrics are amazing,” said Katie as she examined several bolts of cloth. She looked over at the store clerk. “How are these made?”

  “We’ve been setting up a number of small automated factories that can produce many consumer items,” the young woman explained. “Between the four fleet repair ships and the mobile shipyard we had sufficient production capacity to make the parts for the factories. Once the initial factories were finished, we used them to construct more. While we don’t have everything that’s available back in the Federation, we’re making great strides getting there.”

  “What did you used to do before coming down to Gaia?” asked Kelsey, feeling curious.

  “I was a fighter pilot,” the young woman replied with a friendly smile. “I fell in love with a wonderful man and we decided to come down to Gaia to begin our lives together.”

  Kelsey nodded in understanding. Being cut off from home, many members of the crews in orbit were pairing up and coming down to the surface to live. She couldn’t blame them; she might have done the same thing in their situation.

  “Have you seen our beach resorts?” asked Angela excitedly. “I took Brace there last week and he really loved it.”

  “Not yet,” Kelsey replied.

  Jeremy had told her about the resorts. They’d been set up to give the crews a place to relax and spend some quality leave time. It had been difficult to pry Jeremy away from his duties even for a few hours, as he was intent on making Gaia as safe as possible. They did spend most of their evenings together, either in her quarters on the Distant Horizon or in Jeremy’s on the Avenger.

  She looked over at Katie. “How’s Kevin’s supply of hamburgers holding out?”’

  Katie laughed and her light green eyes shifted to Kelsey. “I’m rationing him,” she said with a grin. “There’s enough for several years if I can keep him from eating them at every meal.”

  “I’m sure you can think of some way to distract him,” Kelsey said mischievously.

  Katie blushed and nodded. “These last few months have been great; I’m just worried about what’ll happen when the Simulins eventually find us.”

  “Admiral Strong will protect us,” the young clerk said confidently. “He’s building a powerful defensive grid above the planet to keep us safe.”

  “I’m sure he will,” Kelsey replied with a reassuring nod.

  However, she wasn’t so confident. Every day more people were opting to come down to the planet, and they were becoming more dependent on the AI ships for protection. Even though Jeremy had spent a considerable amount of time explaining to her how the AIs were now a valuable part of their alliance, she still didn’t feel comfortable being so close to so many AI spheres. Mikow had spoken with Kurene and later reassured Kelsey that everything was okay. She had told Kelsey there was nothing to fear from the AIs.

  Kelsey was also deeply concerned about the upcoming mission to the black hole in the center of this galaxy. Andram had assured her that with the new modification to the ship’s stealth shield, the Simulins wouldn’t be able to detect them. Kelsey wasn’t so sure. There was still a lot about the Simulins’ technology they knew very little about.

  “Let’s go find a restaurant,” Angela suggested. “There are several good ones close by and it’ll be nice to eat somewhere besides the ship’s mess hall.”

  “Sounds like a plan,” answered Katie, fully in agreement.

  “Lead the way,” Kelsey said, gesturing for Angela to head toward the door. “I am feeling rather hungry.”

  “Shopping,” Angela said, grinning. “It always makes me hungry.”

  -

  Jeremy returned to the Avenger and was met by Ariel as soon as he stepped into the Command Center. He was surprised she hadn’t greeted him as soon as his shuttle landed in the flight bay.

  “Update designs are nearly complete,” the dark haired AI reported with a smile. “It’s great to have Clarissa here to help.”

  “We’re all glad she’s here as well as the others,” Jeremy responded. It had been a huge relief for all of them when the Distant Horizon was finally brought safely to Gaia.

  “We’ll have the plans finished in another few hours and then sent over to the Alton science vessels for verification.”

  Jeremy walked over to his command chair and sat down with Ariel going to his left and taking her customary position. “What’s the current fleet status?”

  “The battleship Deneb is reporting power fluctuations with their hyperdrive and Commander Ashall has requested several Alton specialists to assist with correcting the problem,” reported Commander Malen from where she was standing near Communications. “Admiral Cleeteus is in the process of sending a team over. Everything else is normal. How was your meeting?”

  “I think Daelthon was aggravated about me taking three of his repair bays and the AI docking station. He understands the reason why, but I’m playing hell with his ship upgrade schedules.”

  “Did you tour the new battlecruiser?”

  “No, not this time, though its well on its way to being completed.”

  A commotion at the hatch drew Jeremy’s attention and he saw Kevin come in. Kevin had stopped to speak briefly with the Marine guard standing in the outside corridor.

  “I hear we’re going to visit another black hole,” Kevin said as he walked over to his sensor console, taking a quick look to satisfy himself everything was still normal.

  “Maybe,” Jeremy answered.

  Kevin was his best friend, and they’d been together from the very beginning. Jeremy hadn’t said anything to Kevin about going to the black hole, so he strongly suspected the information came from Ariel. She made it a habit to keep all five of them informed of what was going on that might affect them. Secrets were impossible to keep around the overly protective AI.

  “We’re in the process of creating a possible mission profile to deploy one of the Alton communication drones back to our galaxy.”

  “Finally!” said Kevin, his eyes lighting up with excitement. “Maybe if we can inform them we’re still alive and the Distant Horizon made it they can figure out some way to rescue us.”

  Jeremy let out a deep sigh of regret. “I don’t think that’s going to be possible, not as large as the Simulin presence is in this galaxy. I’ve spoken to Andram and the other Alton scientists on the Distant Horizon. There’s just no way the Simulins will allow us to build the energy capacitor stations and other equipment necessary to create a stable spatial vortex, which can send us back home. It would take years to complete such a project and we would
have to defend it against the Simulins the entire time. All it would take would be a few well placed antimatter missiles to destroy whatever we build.”

  “We have a good world here,” Commander Malen said, gesturing toward a viewscreen, which showed the planet beneath them. “Our defenses are nearly complete and I think we have to accept that Gaia is our new home.”

  Jeremy nodded. He’d already accepted that fact. “We need to send a message home to warn the Federation about the Simulin threat. I would also like to allow our people to send a farewell message to their families and loved ones back in our galaxy. This may be their only opportunity to do so.”

  “What about the AIs?” asked Kevin. He still didn’t trust the machine people, but he knew Jeremy felt comfortable they would not betray his trust.

  “I’m meeting with the Command AI as well as with Kurene and Mikow,” Jeremy said. Kurene and Mikow were their top computer and AI specialists. “We need to decide what to do about the Master Codex the AIs possess as well as whether we want to create more AIs. As our crews go down to the planet, our fleet grows weaker. We’re becoming more dependent every day on them providing protection for Gaia.”

  “We have also designed a new AI ship which will be much more combat capable than their current models,” Ariel added. “We can increase their combat efficiency and weapon systems by nearly two hundred percent.”

  “Much like the new battlecruiser Daelthon is building,” pointed out Commander Malen.

  Kevin was silent for a long moment and then let out a heavy sigh. “Do we have any other choice than to trust the AIs with our protection?”

  “No,” Jeremy responded. “If Gaia is going to truly be our new home, we need the AIs and what they can do for us.”

  I’m just glad there are so many Alton scientists on the Distant Horizon,” Kevin said, folding his arms across his chest. “I feel more comfortable knowing we have people who can keep an eye on the AIs. Katie says Mikow is a computer genius and the AIs could never fool her.”

  “Since the Command AI agreed to become part of our alliance they have fulfilled every demand I have made of them,” Jeremy responded. “I think we’ve reached the point where they can be trusted.” He also knew the AIs seemed to really enjoy working with the Altons.

  “I agree,” said Ariel, placing her hands on her hips. She looked over at Kevin. “I’m constantly running simulations based on their actions and I’m confident we no longer have anything to fear from the AIs.”

  “The Command AI, Andram, Shilum, Kurene, and Mikow are all coming over here to the Avenger for the meeting,” Jeremy informed them. “We have a lot of work to get done over the next few months and the sooner we get started, the better.”

  “The Command AI will agree to be a part of the expedition,” Ariel announced. “Since Kurene informed the AIs what the Simulins did as far as reprogramming the Master Codex, the AIs have been even more cooperative than before. They now recognize their war against the organic races of our galaxy was wrong and their initial Alton programming contained no such command. I don’t believe we’ll ever have anything to fear from the AIs again. I also believe it would be quite safe to begin creating more of them to crew additional warships.”

  “More AIs,” muttered Kevin, shaking his head doubtfully. After what happened in the home galaxy, Kevin wasn’t sure he would ever be able to trust the AIs. “Do we know just how many there are aboard their ships?”

  “You may be surprised,” replied Ariel, walking over to stand next to Kevin. Her holographic imagers allowed her to move about the ship just as a normal human would. “There are 470 AI spheres and each has a crew complement of between sixty to seventy AIs.”

  “That’s all?” Kevin said in surprise, his eyes widening. “I thought there would be hundreds at least on each ship.”

  “It’s not necessary,” Ariel replied. “Their ships are highly automated and the AIs don’t need rest like humans or other organics. It’s rather easy for them to run diagnostics on any ship problems.”

  “There are just over thirty thousand AIs in their fleet,” Jeremy said, grinning at Kevin and his obvious discomfort. He’d known the actual numbers from the very beginning.

  “So many,” Kevin said slowly. “I guess I worry that if we allow more to be created, someday they’ll outnumber us.”

  “There’s nothing to fear about that,” Jeremy responded. “One of the stipulations we’ll make of the AIs if we decide to create more is that they can’t come down to the surface of Gaia.”

  “The Command AI and the others have arrived,” Ariel announced. “I’m having them brought to the main briefing room. I’ve already prepared it for the meeting.”

  “Thanks, Ariel,” Jeremy responded. There were several matters he wanted to speak to this group about. Some he had been delaying to allow for Kurene and Mikow to delve deeper into the AI programming. Today would be decision day for several of them.

  -

  Jeremy entered the briefing room seeing the others were already there waiting. He was surprised to see an additional AI next to the Command AI. The AIs used antigravity repellers, which allowed them to float six inches above the deck. Both AIs were cubicle shaped with six tentacles and a glowing globe of energy about the size of a basketball, which served as a head.

  “I’ve brought one of my science AIs to this meeting,” the Command AI said, seeing Jeremy come into the conference room. “Its designation is Z14-E63-D38.”

  “I call him Zed,” commented Kurene, the tall white haired female Alton. “It’s much easier than memorizing these long strings of numbers.”

  “I will respond to Zed,” the science AI confirmed in its mechanical voice.

  Jeremy nodded and sat down at the head of the conference table. “I have several things I want to discuss today.” Jeremy looked over at Kurene. “What’s the current status on removing all traces of the Simulin changes to the Master Codex?”

  “It’s done,” answered Kurene, glancing over at the Command AI. “With Zed’s assistance we have made sure all AIs in the fleet have had those commands purged from their systems.”

  “We deeply regret what was done to us and how it affected our behavior for all these years,” said the Command AI in an apologetic voice. “In order to ensure no more tampering has been done to the Master Codex I have given Kurene permission to inspect all AI programming. Nothing will be restricted from her viewing or investigation.”

  “I have assured the Command AI I won’t make any changes without permission,” added Kurene, leaning forward with a serious look upon her face. “I will be assembling a team of qualified Altons to help study the programming. We’re talking about millions of lines of computer code.”

  “We can do much of it with our own computers,” Mikow volunteered. “Once I’ve set up a program on what type of changes we’re looking for, the process of examining the AI Codex will go rapidly. We should be able to complete our preliminary study in six to eight weeks.”

  Jeremy leaned back and took a deep breath. “Is it feasible to begin creating new AIs?”

  The room became silent as everyone focused their attention intently on Jeremy. This was not a question they’d been expecting.

  “Why would you want to create more of our kind?” asked the Command AI, the ball of energy above his cube growing brighter and slightly larger. “After what we have done to your people I would have thought you would desire just the opposite.”

  Jeremy gazed at the Command AI. Each time he met with the mechanical construct it seemed as if the AI was becoming more human in its actions and in what it said. “As you know from what we’ve learned from the crew of the Distant Horizon, there is very little chance of our ever returning to our galaxy. Gaia will, in all probability, become the new home to our people. For the next few years, we’ll be able to maintain our fleet, but as more crewmembers opt to go down to the surface, it will become increasingly difficult to maintain our current fleet numbers.”

  “You want to turn more of o
ur defense over to the AIs,” said Andram in understanding. “That’s why you’re considering creating more.”

  “It would please us to serve in that role,” answered the Command AI. “It is the least we can do after the terrible crimes we committed in the home galaxy.”

  “We’re also redesigning our own ships for smaller crews and have designed a new AI vessel which will be much more suitable for defending the planet,” Jeremy added.

  “The new battlecruiser in the construction bay on the Clan Protector,” reported Ariel as she popped into existence just behind Jeremy. “The Gaia will be able to operate with a crew of less than five hundred. The normal crew complement of such a vessel is close to three thousand including the Marines.”

  “This is all very interesting,” commented Kurene, her eyes focusing on Jeremy. “After we have finished studying the rest of the programming in the master Codex I don’t see any reason which would prevent us from creating more AIs.”

  “Very well,” Jeremy said, satisfied with her answer. “If no one objects, then once the study is complete and we’re all satisfied with the results, we may indeed begin creating more AIs to aid in our defense.”

  “What about the trip to the black hole in the center of this galaxy?” asked Andram.

  “The black hole might not be necessary,” Shilum commented. Shilum was an expert in hyperspace and dimensional studies. “We have a design for a small capacitor station which can be powered by a Fusion Five reactor. We just need a strong gravitational source to anchor the vortex generators so we can open up a stable spatial vortex back in our own galaxy.”

  “How strong of a gravitational force?” asked Andram with interest.

  Shilum told him the figures and Andram leaned back in his chair in thought.

  “How soon before the vortex generators and capacitor stations can be ready?” asked Jeremy. He wanted to get a timetable set up as soon as possible. He had a strange feeling it was imperative to get this information back to the Federation as soon as possible.

  “The vortex generators are finished,” Andram replied. “They were done over a month ago as we expected you would want to deploy one of the probes. The Fusion Five capacitor stations are going to take longer as it takes a while to build the reactors. We’ll need four of them to power the vortex ring. We should have them finished in six weeks.”