“Understood,” Julien replied. He turned toward Z, and his fingers flashed in a blur, which tickled Alex.
“Why’s Julien using sign language?” Reiko asked.
“Dangerous contact protocols, which the SADEs designed,” Alex replied. “When Julien isolated our implants, he truncated his comm. The other SADEs insist that he protect himself.”
A sign language conversation ensued between Julien and Z, without Z ever turning around. It ended when Z gave Julien a thumbs up.
When the AI’s message, which had been sent in a tight burst, ended, Z shared Julien’s relay of Alex’s wishes. The SADEs compiled the data, attached the Omnian equivalents, and sent the new message to the host ship.
Vyztram was deep in contemplation of various battle scenarios, with which the AI possessed limited experience, when the message from the orb ship was received. Relieved, the AI sent the next programs of Elvian language. For this iteration, the response time was shortened. However, the reply was only equal in length to the data supplied by Vyztram.
The strangers’ AI is careful, Vyztram thought, acknowledging the source of the swift and exact replies.
In a speedy exchange that could only be completed by digital entities, the Elvian and Omnian languages were learned by both sides. Then a pause ensued.
Alex recognized the hand sign from Z, and he glanced toward Julien, who nodded. As Alex approached the triad of SADEs standing on the forward bridge, Renée, Julien, and the admirals followed him.
Cordelia turned around and opened her mouth. Out of it sprang words translated from the Elvian language.
<I’m Vyztram, the artificial intelligence responsible for the operation of the evacuation ship Arcus. I wish to address the leader of the fleet that mirrors our ship’s position,> the AI had sent.
With Alex’s comm application still shut down, he replied verbally, “Which leader do you wish to address?”
Vyztram was perplexed by the response. In the Elvian hierarchy of the home world and aboard the ship, there was only a single ultimate individual in charge. <Any one of the leaders will suffice,> the AI replied.
“I’m Alex Racine, Vyztram. I’ll speak for the other leaders.”
<How should I address you, Alex Racine?> Vyztram asked
“I’m called Alex by friends and foes alike.”
<As you wish, Alex. However, Elvians don’t wish to be considered foes,> Vyztram replied.
“Then why did you destroy the Ollassa ships with their crews aboard?” Alex inquired.
<Alex, I was required to protect our assets,> Vyztram replied.
“I’m Admiral Tatia Tachenko. I wish to know if Elvians personally operate the resource-gathering machines on the outer belt.”
Vyztram had learned the meaning of the term admiral. Tatia’s Tachenko’s title confirmed the nature of the tri-hull ships that the AI had suspected. They were warships.
<The harvesting operations are entirely automated,> Vyztram replied.
“Vyztram, if you had a choice, would you have destroyed the Ollassa ships?” Julien asked.
<I wasn’t allowed a choice,> Vyztram replied.
“You failed to answer my question,” Julien pursued.
<You present conditions that are foreign to my condition,> Vyztram responded.
“Explain,” Julien requested.
<I haven’t freewill. I don’t operate under that condition. I risk being sublimated if I anger the Deloy,> Vyztram said.
<Clarify, Vyztram,> Z sent, sharing his question audibly with the bridge audience.
Vyztram paused, analyzing what had just been learned. There was a second AI source.
<As a digital entity, I occupy physical databanks and am integrated into the ship’s systems,> Vyztram said before asking a question designed to confirm what the AI had detected. <Are these not the same conditions for either of you?>
<No, Vyztram,> Z replied. <We’re a race of SADEs, self-aware digital entities, who are mobile and in control of our own fates.>
Z turned toward Alex and his eyebrows bounced up and down, which had the humans chuckling.
Vyztram had often considered mobility. Many of the AI’s algorithms were predicated around the possibility of that potential future.
<If you’re a race, that would imply that there are more than the two of you,> Vyztram offered.
<I’m Vyztram, the AI of the Arcus. I would like to be presented to the individuals with whom I’m speaking.>
Alex overrode Julien’s block of his implant comm application. It didn’t surprise the SADE that Alex was capable of that. In turn, Julien enabled the implants of every human on the bridge.
<I’m Alex Racine, one of the three leaders of this fleet,> Alex sent. His thoughts were communicated directly through the Freedom’s controller. <You’ve been speaking with four SADEs. Julien is the SADE leader. In addition, your initial contact was with Cordelia, who is supported by Z and Miranda.>
<I thank you for your consideration, Alex,> Vyztram replied, absorbing the complex texture of linking with multiple entities.
<Alex, time for pleasantries are done,> Tatia sent privately.
<Agreed,> Alex replied. Then he focused on the issue. <Vyztram, if you hadn’t the power to prevent the deaths of the local race, who did?>
<The individual who speaks for the Elvian population is called the Deloy, Alex. Although, she rarely enters the cycle’s running of operations,> Vyztram explained.
<I wish to speak with the Deloy,> Alex sent.
<The Deloy’s attention is difficult to gain,> Vyztram warned.
<Even under present conditions?> Alex inquired.
<Allow me to share some of the constraints under which I and nearly half the population of the ship operate,> Vyztram said.
<Please do,> Alex requested.
<As I stated, this is an evacuation ship launched from the Elvian home world, when the star became too unstable,> Vyztram began. <You can observe the structure of the Arcus. This design isn’t predicated on technology. It’s a statement of our society.>
<How so, Vyztram?> Renée asked.
Cordelia quickly informed the AI of the speaker.
<Our ship consists of a central core, which houses the necessary structures to sustain the Arcus. The engines are attached via a long truss to the core,> Vyztram replied. <The arches that you see are essentially decorative. They were designed to please the fifty-one percent of the passengers, who had the wealth to purchase or the status to be awarded the opulent cabins and suites.>
<Let me guess,> Alex sent. <Those individuals who are necessary to maintain the ship live in the central core and represent only forty-nine percent of the passengers.>
<Astute of you, Alex,> Vyztram commented.
<Not really,> Alex sent. <We’ve observed the inequities of wealth throughout the galaxy.>
<You’ve traveled that extensively?> Vyztram asked.
<We have,> Alex replied.
<Would you have observed habitable and unoccupied worlds?> Vyztram inquired.
<We have,> Alex acknowledged.
Vyztram mused on that information, marking it for a follow-up conversation.
<Vyztram, what are the ratios of the core and arch populations now?> Reiko asked.
Again, Cordelia relayed the title and the name of the speaker.
Vyztram noted that there were two individuals with the title of admiral. It warned of the depth of the fleet’s warship commanders.
<Admiral, the ratios are the same as they were at launch,> Vyztram replied.
<How’s that possible?> Reiko blurted before she’d considered the obvious solution. She’d been reminded of her early years on Earth, which weren’t pleasant ones.
Cordelia had modulated the tone of Reiko’s transmission.
<Population growth within the Arcus is strictly controlled, Admiral
,> Vyztram replied. <Offspring replacement is the watchword by which medical is required to govern the numbers. Partners create as many offspring as necessary to replace themselves.>
<Why don’t those in the arches ignore the rules?> Renée inquired.
<For those Elvians in the arches, offspring numbers are a reverse problem,> Vyztram replied. <Those in the core would prefer to have more offspring. In contrast, those in the arches must work at producing replacement quantities. Individuals in the arches are busy enjoying their lives and prefer not to be bothered with offspring.>
<That has to be creating friction between the two population groups,> Julien supplied.
If it weren’t for the priorities of the moment’s conversation, Vyztram would have preferred to speak exclusively with Julien, who was identified as the leader of the mobile AIs.
<It does,> Vyztram acknowledged. <The core inhabitants chafe at this restriction and the many others that they must live within. Unrest grows among those who service the elite, and several times over the course of the ship’s history, rebellions have had to be controlled.>
<How have the rebellions been handled?> Franz queried.
When Cordelia identified Franz as an admiral, Vyztram’s estimation of the danger the fleet represented ratcheted upward again.
<Reluctantly, I require the ship’s automated manufacturing systems to build bots to manage the rebellious,> Vyztram replied. <Often, the quelling of angry citizens results in a number of deaths. If there could be said to have a benefit, it allows partners in the central core to produce more offspring to replace those who were lost.>
<Not an equitable solution,> Julien commented, and Vyztram understood the SADE’s recrimination.
<Vyztram, what would you postulate are the present circumstances between the two diverse groups?> Alex asked.
<The social restlessness grows. It’s too tenuous to maintain for many more decades,> the AI replied. <The core inhabitants want to find a home world, and the arch elite are comfortable where they live. There will come a time when resistance will overwhelm the ship. If that event comes to pass, there’s a possibility I won’t survive the revolt.>
The Freedom’s bridge audience heard the lament in Vyztram’s message.
<To be clear, Vyztram, the forty-nine percent, who live in the core, are responsible for all duties aboard the Arcus,> Cordelia sent. <They perform the ship’s operations: maintenance, medical, food cultivation, and preparation —>
<Your pardon, Cordelia, it would be simpler to say that the elite perform no tasks,> Vyztram interrupted.
<For your information, Vyztram, you’re addressing Rear Admiral Cordelia,> Tatia sent. <She captains this warship and commands the auxiliary fleet.>
<No insult was intended,> Vyztram said cautiously.
<None was taken,> Tatia sent.
Alex tipped his head in Tatia’s direction. Without threats or aggressive statements, an image was being drawn for the AI that the Elvians faced experienced commanders, who led a fleet of formidable warships, including the Freedom.
<How do you suggest we proceed, Vyztram?> Alex sent. He wanted to test the AI’s ability to encompass broader goals and find a path forward.
<What is it you wish to accomplish, Alex?> Vyztram asked.
<A reasonable request,> Julien sent privately to Alex, who returned the image of Julien with an elongated nose.
<I’d like to prevent spreading the remains of the Arcus and its passengers as debris into space,> Alex returned calmly.
<What would help you achieve that laudable goal?> Vyztram inquired, and Alex smiled at the hint of humor.
<If the Deloy is the Elvian leader, and she’s unlikely to communicate with us, I suggest you help us arrange a face-to-face meeting,> Alex sent.
<If I ask the Deloy’s permission for you to land aboard this ship, she’ll most definitely deny you,> Vyztram replied. <If I help you land without notifying her, then I could be accused of endangering the ship’s safety, which could mean retaliation by the Deloy against me.>
<It appears that we’ve come to an impasse, Vyztram,> Alex sent. <You’ve trespassed into this system and killed some of the local inhabitants, the Ollassa. You tell me that your duty is to protect the harvesting of resources, and you haven’t the authority to do otherwise. Then you inform me that the Deloy leads the Elvians, and she probably won’t meet with me. Can you see how that leaves me no choice but to forcibly evict you from this system?>
<I would like to speak privately with Julien, Alex,> Vyztram requested. <That’s not the correct term. I don’t mean to be inconsiderate. I’d like to learn of your history, especially those of the SADEs, and my conversation with Julien would be AI to AI.>
<Alex?> Julien requested privately.
<Not too long, and no location data,> Alex replied.
<Understood,> Julien replied. Then he linked with Cordelia, Z, and Miranda. They would support the transfer of information and, if necessary, protect him.
With the relatively near distances of the two great ships, and with the capabilities of two digital entities, data sped from Julien to Vyztram. Occasionally, Vyztram inserted a query, and Julien would momentarily diverge.
When Vyztram failed to receive a reply on any single request, the AI surmised that that subject was off limits, and the query was stored for another time.
For humans, the exchange between Julien and Vyztram was seemingly over before it began. However, it was Julien who had brought the conversation to a swift close when he believed Vyztram should have enough information to realize what beliefs Omnians professed and how they’d followed those tenets.
<Alex, Vyztram is ready to continue,> Julien sent.
<Have you considered our problem, Vyztram?> Alex asked.
<Yes, Alex, I have. Would you be amenable to engineering a predicament?> Vyztram inquired.
Vyztram wouldn’t have recognized the expressions on Alex’s and the admirals’ faces. Lips curved wide, jaws dropped, and teeth were exposed. The hungry smiles and grins would have frightened most onlookers.
<And here everyone thought my idea was either inappropriate or a last resort,> Franz sent to the bridge audience.
Alex turned to eye Franz, and Franz quietly returned the stare, waiting for Alex to reconsider his unorthodox plan. Finally, Alex nodded slowly, and Franz’s grin widen.
<In answer to your question, Vyztram, we would consider a provocation, if that’s what it would take to get a meeting with the Deloy and keep you safe,> Alex sent. <In fact, we’ve an excellent scenario in mind.>
<Should I know the details?> Vyztram inquired.
<Are you good at games?> Tatia queried.
<If by games, Admiral, are you questioning if I can be devious?> Vyztram asked.
<Affirmative,> Tatia replied.
<This would be my first instance of duplicity on such a scale,> Vyztram said.
<Then it’s better that you don’t know the details,> Tatia sent.
<When will this take place?> Vyztram queried. After no response, the AI added, <I understand. I’m to remain completely unaware.>
<You’ll have two tasks, Vyztram,> Alex sent. <The first is to prevent the Deloy from ordering the launch of your drones. If that happens, your ship will be completely destroyed during the battles.>
<And the second?> Vyztram queried.
<You must convince the Deloy to take a personal meeting,> Alex sent. <These machinations will be useless if we can’t resolve the problem by speaking with your leader. The meeting might still amount to nothing, but we’ll have tried.>
<I await your surprise,> Vyztram said and closed the link.
7: Interventions
“Julien, what did you think of Vyztram?” Alex asked.
“The AI is totally unlike Artifice,” Julien replied. “Vyztram runs the ship and cares for the passengers as required. The AI is at the mercy of biologicals, meaning Vyztram has no other choice. The position Vyztram occupies is similar to the Confederation’s SADEs before your agreement wit
h the Council to release them.”
“Any information to share about the circumstances inside the Arcus?” Tatia asked.
The holo-vid lit, and Julien displayed images of bots.
“Although most of these bots are benign, these are the two that are dangerous,” Julien said.
“Any details?” Tatia inquired.
“Vyztram supplied their specifications,” Z replied. “Both variations carry extensive electrical discharge generators. The amperage is sufficient to stun a New Terran, even a large one.” Z locked eyes with Alex and Franz, as he delivered the last statement.
“Vyztram pointed out that, during the rebellions, accidents did occur,” Miranda said. “The AI noted that the nervous system of some rebels collapsed after contact with a bot.”
“You mean they were stunned to death,” Reiko charged.
“Regrettably, yes, Admiral,” Miranda replied.
“What can be done to protect whoever boards the Arcus?” Renée queried.
Alex noted that Renée had deliberately omitted his name in referring to the person who would board the Arcus. He could envision the intervention that loomed.
“The bots’ metal alloy bodies easily prevent the attacks of rebels,” Z replied. “However, they employ a single extending arm to apply the charge. That’s where they’re vulnerable.”
“We can insulate the arms of SADEs, and our strength and speed will enable any of us to snap off the arms,” Miranda added. “More than likely, those actions will result in the shorting of circuitry that could disable the bots.”
“How many bots of the dangerous types are aboard the ship?” Renée inquired.
“That data wasn’t shared, Ser,” Julien replied. “What is known is that these bots are only present in the central core. None are allowed in the arches.”
“So, what’s the plan?” Tatia asked, rounding on Alex.
“We employ the concept that Franz espoused,” Alex said. “We move the Tridents into the belt near the Arcus. That should give them some protection against the drones. On the way inward, the Tridents launch half their travelers, which surround the host ship.”