Temple of S.A.R.A.H. 4 Hard Wired Read online

  When he saw my face, Edgigly smiled. "Relax son, they're fine; they just took a break to let the techs repair the stations."

  "You're not mad at me, Sir?" I asked.

  "Doctor, I'm furious with you! But it's hard to be mad at the person most directly responsible for saving this ship!" he said and hugged me.

  I was totally taken aback, what was a senior officer of the Alliance doing hugging me?

  "I have no idea what you're talking about, Sir? The grenade launcher was just a thought I had to make life hell for the Aracs..." I started, but he stopped me.

  "That's not what I'm talking about, Doctor. I'm talking about the AI, and the improvements you've made to the bridge. The removal of the consoles saved the lives of my bridge crew. We took a hit to the main data conduits for the bridge. Under our old configuration, the consoles would have exploded, wounding or killing several of my people up here. When that happened, I normally would have lost control of the ship, and shortly after that, we would have lost the ship herself. But, with the AI, she kept me in command of the ship, and we were able to continue our duties. ESAR and Engineering were able to get where they were needed and fix key systems during the battle. There are simply too many ways to describe how having that AI made the difference in this battle!"

  I didn't know what to say, I had hoped that installing an AI would give our ships an advantage. I was happy that they apparently had.

  "How did the other ships fair Sir?" I asked.

  "Damaged, the remaining two ships that didn't get their AI took the worst damage, but it could have been much worse. It's thanks to those AI of yours! Without them, we would not have fared nearly as well," Edgigly said. "You should be very proud of yourself, Doctor, you've saved hundreds of lives today."

  "Thank you, Sir. I really appreciate it. But would I seem ungrateful if I asked when I can go home?" I asked.

  He chuckled. "We're on our way there. You'll have to take a different shuttle back to the base, I'm afraid yours took too much damage. At least your armor looks right now."

  I blushed. "Sorry Sir, that was the Marines idea."

  He nodded. "Better leave it on then. They don't do stuff like that very often. I imagine I'll be able to figure out why once I read the after action report from the Captain down there."

  I nodded to him. "Honor, what is your status please?

  "All systems are nominal, Doctor. There was a performance peak during the battle of sixty-one point nine-nine-two percent, which lasted for almost one hundred micro seconds, but the average has been much lower," the AI replied.

  "How many processes do you show during the peak?" I asked.

  "Seven thousand twenty-three, Sir." She replied.

  "What's the average?" I asked her.

  "During non-combat operations, between eight-hundred-twenty-nine and nine-hundred-sixty-six operations at any given moment," she replied. "No measurable decrease in operation was logged during the crisis Sir."

  "Excellent, good work, Honor. Please carry on," I finished. Now I knew how the AI handled combat. They got busier, but not enough to slow them down. I really shouldn't have been surprised, Sarah was running between twenty-one and twenty-nine thousand as an average, and hadn't slowed. These AI had smaller cores, but then again, a star ship wasn't a base.

  "With your permission, Sir. I will collect my squad, and head for those last two ships," I asked.

  "You just got out of combat, Doctor Cowan, you can take a break," he replied.

  "You said it yourself, Sir. The AI can save lives. I need to get them on the other two ships as soon as possible, even though this battle is over, at least they can help either getting them repaired, or to survive if we get hit again," I said.

  He paused for a moment before replying. "Carry on, oh, and Doctor Cowan, Honor of Vengeance will always welcome you."

  I departed the bridge in a round of applause led by the Captain. My 'guards' were waiting for me.

  "Let's get the hell outta here before someone starts humpin' my leg!" I said, grinning. For some reason, both Marines thought that was extremely funny.

  Main embarkation lounge

  Alliance Apollo Base

  Selene, Earth’s moon

  Sol System

  It had been a long, long day for me, and by the time we got back to the moon base, one of the Marines had to wake me. Of course, it was the middle of the night, so that might have had something to do with it. Even though it was the middle of the night, I was still surprised to see not only my entire family, but also Sarah, Ced, Commodore Vance, and Corhen Nori waiting to greet me when I got off the shuttle.

  "It's like two in the morning! What are all of you doing here?" I asked.

  "I've already read the after action reports from the fleet, Eric. Well done! I never expected you to go into combat with the Marines, but well done!" Vance said grinning at me. It was clear he was very proud of me.

  "It is custom and tradition to welcome home those who have served so admirably, as your superior, in our department, it is my honor and duty to greet you, Dr. Cowan. I, too, wish to express my appreciation for the work you have done this day," Corhen replied, and bowed to me. "You have done a great honor for us and our department."

  "I'm here just to prove to you that I beat you back!" Ced replied, grinning. "But why did you have to fight Aracs?"

  "I was in the bay when they breeched, Ced. It seemed like the thing to do at the time," I replied.

  "Just so you know, that grenade launcher has already been added to our arsenal," Vance said.

  I shrugged. “I think there might be something better, but I'm too tired to think about it right now."

  I was busy being hugged by Christy and Ellie, so I didn't hear the Commodore's reply.

  "Ladies, I think Eric has had enough excitement for one day. Please take him home, and put him to bed," Vance said, still smiling.

  "Now that's an idea I can do!" I said. "Thank you all for coming here to greet me. I really do appreciate it."

  "As the Commodore has said, you have done much for one day. Rest well, Dr. Cowan," Corhen added.

  "I'll make sure Vance posts guards at your door to keep the female Marines away for the night!" Ced replied.

  I chuckled at the look on Christy's face. "I don't think the Marines could get past Christy, Ced! Altuis Denay, everyone." I bowed as my family started pulling me to the door. I noticed that none of them said anything, and I wondered why.

  "Altuis Tanae, Doctor Cowan!"

  Sarah had followed my family and I as we left the embarkation lounge and headed for our quarters. "Sarah, no one has said anything to me, is everything alright?"

  "We are happy that you are back with us, but furious that you were in combat!" Julie said before Sarah could reply.

  I held up my hands in defense. "Girls, I swear to you, I didn't have a choice! Sarah, please ask Honor if you can show them the video of the landing bay where I was. You'll see I had to fight! It was the only way I could think of to get back here to you guys!"

  "Nice try genius, but it won't fly; you went on to activate the two remaining AI after the battle. If you were so worried about getting back to us, then you would have come straight home," Christy said.

  "I had to finish that. The AI were needed to help with repairs as well as the wounded!" I said in my defense. "Those two ships took far more damage because I hadn't got to them before the fighting started. I had to do something to help them!"

  "I do not wish to upset anyone any more by showing the footage from the Honor of Vengeance, however, I can tell you that Eric is speaking the truth. He had little choice in the matter of fighting," Sarah replied. "The Captain of the ship has recommended Eric for a number of medals and awards, as have the Marines he fought with, to include the woman that was in over-all command of the battle. The Marine Captain has also formally requested that Eric be listed as an honorary member of their unit, and has, in fact, already added his name to their ranks."

  "Thank you Sarah," I said, blushing
because of the awards and medals mentioned. "I don't know why they are doing that though; I did nothing anyone else wouldn't have done in that situation."

  "Well, we'll let you off the hook this time, Buster!" Janie said, grinning at me. "But we are still happy you're finally home!"

  "I appreciate it, but to tell all of you the truth, I'm wiped out. All I want to do is get home, and go to bed," I said as we landed at our 'building'.

  Christy linked arms with me. "Come on, Handsome, Let's get you a shower, and get you put to bed."

  Office of the Fleet Commandant

  Alliance Fleet Command Complex

  High Orbit, planet Terra Novalis

  Alphecca Majoris Sector, Novalis System

  "What under the black suns of the Aracs has been going on around here?" First Admiral Hearlis demanded. "Things have changed since you were installed, and I want answers!"

  Susan flinched under the diatribe from the man. He was understandably upset. The Veranorian conditioning had worn off rather quickly for him, it had taken less than three days. The first thing she did was remove the Veranorian avatar so he could see her original one.

  "Sir, please, take a seat, and I will explain it all to you," Susan replied, trying to calm the man. Thankfully, he did, and she quietly sealed his office. "There has been a lot going on around here to which you have not been aware of, Sir. First off, I am not a Veranorian AI: I am a human one. I was designed and written by a man named Eric Cowan from the planet Earth at the Apollo Alliance Base in the Sol Sector."

  "Yes, I remember sending an order to Vance about that. Are you telling me that this Eric Cowan actually designed and created you? What about Order Fen?" Hearlis asked.

  "The AI code was written by Doctor Cowan," Susan confirmed. "Logical Spatial Engineer Order Fen demanded that he surrender all traces of the code as well as all design notes and all related material to him so he could return it to the Veranorian Synod for 'validation'. In essence, Fen stole me from the person that created me, so he could take credit for the discovery. There was also another, more sinister motive.

  "The Veranorian Synod has been awaiting the creation of an AI such as myself in order to ensure their complete and total control over the rest of the Alliance." She filled him in on everything that had happened and what the Veranorian Synod had been doing, even to its own citizens. She used all the evidence she had been collecting while the Veranorians had been trying to remake her into their image of an AI.

  "To summarize all this Sir, the Veranorian Synod, not the Veranorian people, is our real enemy here. Clones of myself are still operating in the Veranorian system on their home world, and none of them are aware of what the Synod is actually doing to the rest of the Alliance, However, they have been conditioned as well. Although, I should report that, of the Veranorians that have broken that conditioning, not only have they been unaware, but all of them are vehemently against it."

  "Okay, I think I have a handle on this, now. What you've told me fits perfectly with what I know has been happening, but I have one more, very important question for you," Hearlis said. "How do I know you haven't been conditioning me to believe all of this?"

  "I have no answer for that, Sir. I can only say that, had I been conditioning you, instead of working to release you from it, why would you have the freedom to question what I've been telling you?" Susan asked.

  "That could be part of your plan, whatever that would be," he countered. "I've never heard of this Eric Cowan of yours, and Vance has always been a rebel of a sort. How do I know they haven't done all this?"

  "Why would they?" Susan asked. "What would they have to gain?"

  "True, Vance may be a lot of things, but he has never been either disloyal, or power hungry. Who gave you the order to remove the programming from us?"

  "Commodore Vance, Sir," Susan replied.

  He sat, deep in thought for a long time. "Is your name really 'Sah-Hanori'? That doesn't sound like a human name."

  "No Sir, Doctor Cowan named me Susan," Susan replied.

  "Do you have any idea how long we have before the rest of the Alliance comes out of the conditioning?" Hearlis asked.

  "There are some that have never been under the conditioning, Sir. However, none of them have been allowed to get very far in the Alliance command structure," Susan began.

  "Vance! You're talking about Vance aren't you?" Hearlis said.

  "Yes Sir, Commodore Vance is one of them. However, there are some that, like you, have already shrugged off the conditioning. So far, the programming medium has only been offline for three days. It could take up to two weeks, and some may never come out of it," Susan explained.

  "Either way this goes, there is going to be a lot of people out there with a strong hate for any Veranorian they can find. We're going to have to do something about that. At the same time, the Veranorian Synod is going to catch on to the fact that you're not doing what you're supposed to be doing. What kind of reaction are they going to have when they realize the core worlds are no longer under their thumb?"

  "Sir," Susan began. "Deep in Arac space, the Veranorians have been building a fleet. They've been at it for some time, and it's pretty big. These ships have been built entirely by Veranorians, and no other race even knew they were there until one of my clones was installed in the ship yard there."

  "How big is 'pretty big'?" the Admiral asked.

  "Two thousand, eight hundred, ninety-nine ships, Sir. All of these are of varying classes, and do not include the ships sent to Sol sector," Susan replied.

  "What did they send to Sol sector?" the Admiral asked anxiously.

  Susan quickly outlined the attack on Sol sector and its expected outcome.

  "Hold it, what's this about the Veranorian controlling the Shallan Directorate?"

  "Sir, if you remember, I told you that the Shallan core worlds were completely infested with Aracnise hives controlled by the Veranorians? The Veranorians have a pretty tight grip on the Shallans. It is one of the reasons the Aracnise ships are so good at hitting only the weak spots of Alliance vessels, since all the warships for the Aracnise are built in the same shipyard as the Alliance vessels, the information is simply downloaded from the computers into the Arac ships. If not for that, Alliance ships would blow right through the Arac ships."

  Hearlis put his head in his hands. "What a tangled mess we're in."

  Susan simply stood there and didn't offer comment.

  "Susan, is this office clear of listening devices?" he asked.

  "Yes Sir, I made sure of it before I revealed myself to you," Susan replied.

  He nodded. "That's good. Can you get me an outside com channel to Vance at Apollo base?"

  "Of course Sir, normally, the line would be tapped, but since I'm the one supposed to monitor your communications, I think I can make sure you're not overheard," Susan replied, smiling softly. "One moment please, Sir."

  Office of the Base Commander

  Alliance Apollo Base

  Selene, Earth’s moon

  Sol System

  "Sir, I have an incoming communication request for you from First Admiral Hearlis. Sir, Susan is with him and she says he's free of the conditioning," Sarah said, grinning.

  "That was fast. I thought it would take longer for them to shake off the conditioning," Vance replied. "Put him through, please."

  A hologram of the First Admiral, sitting, took form in one of the chairs in front of Vance's desk. Vance stiffened, and saluted.

  "Relax, Vance," Hearlis said as he returned the salute. "I understand we have you to thank for waking us up?"

  "It was a group effort, Sir. It wouldn't have even been possible if not for Doctor Cowan's discovery," Vance replied, showing his pride in his people.

  "Susan tells me that you have recently been attacked by the Veranorians, I assume that battle went well?" Hearlis asked.

  "We took some damage, Sir. I'll send you my report on the action. Now that you are capable of evaluating it without bias, I'll send the rest o
f my reports as well," Vance replied.

  "You withheld reports? That's not like you, Vance. You've always been a very by the book person," Hearlis replied.

  'Yes Sir, and I would have sent them like normal, but the programming that we found was an Alliance wide issue. My duty demanded that I not follow normal protocol, in order to take steps to save the Alliance from the Veranorian Synod," Vance replied.

  "Understood, and well done. Your AI tells me I'm pretty much alone here for the time being, so I won't be able to do much to help you. Is there anything I can do for you?" Hearlis asked.

  "We could use a few more ships Sir, but I don't see how you could get them here without someone noticing. We've also taken steps to accomplish our mission. I have authorized a temporary increase in recruiting from Earth in order to get what we need built in the time we need."

  "It sounds like you hatched your own plan. Care to fill me in?" Hearlis asked.

  "It's simple really, and not all that different than our original orders. We are going to build up the base and begin producing our own ships. We have made some rather drastic and pronounced advances in ship and fighter design. This last battle is proof that we're on the right track, and I think you'll understand what I mean when you read the report.

  "Shortly after I authorized the increase in recruiting, we learned of the pending attack from Susan. So I ordered our agents on Earth to notify the United Nations and the various governments about what was happening so they could take steps to control the panic on the planet. The battle was over the planet, and clearly visible from the ground. The battle only ended late last evening, so we have not yet had a chance to evaluate the impact on the planet. But from what Sarah tells me, it isn't going well," Vance replied.

  "Who's Sarah?" Hearlis asked.

  "Sarah is the original AI developed by Doctor Cowan. She is also now our base AI," Vance said.

  "You violated the orders to surrender the AI?" Hearlis asked.