Stand or Fall (The Omega War Book 4) Read online

  “I do. Thanks. Can you tell me why the east wing is vacant?”

  The voice didn’t reply for a few seconds. “All the Humans are in the west wing on the warden’s orders.”

  Vannix nodded. “Makes sense,” she replied and started walking toward Building One. Her jaw clenched involuntarily as she struggled to make sure everything about her appearance was normal, because her brain was spinning like a centrifuge.

  What in the hell is going on here?

  The detention center could hold several thousand inmates of different species. The eastern wing was designed for larger, more dangerous ones. If they were only holding Humans, as it appeared, something was devastatingly wrong. She crossed the distance to the entrance of Building One. There were two Lumari hovering near the door. They glanced at her and let her pass with small nods, almost in unison. Vannix nodded in return and passed into the building. The warden’s office complex was up a wide, ornate staircase. She padded up the stairs silently and focused on relaxing her tense shoulders, neck, and hands. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly as she crested the top step.

  “Thank you for coming so quickly,” Calx said. The warden stood with her short arms crossed in the door of her outer office. “I’m afraid there’s been an incident with Jackson Rains that has put an end to your mission.”

  Oh, no.

  Vannix squinted. “Is Jackson okay?”

  “He killed another inmate in the yard this afternoon.” Calx said. “He was here less than twenty hours, Vannix. What was your guild thinking by commissioning someone so violent?”

  “He killed someone?” Vannix asked. “In the yard?”

  Calx laughed. “Please stop your Peacemaker fishing attempts, Vannix. I told you what happened. He attacked and killed another inmate. We have it on our security camera feeds. It’s quite violent and not surprising. I’ve placed him in solitary confinement and transmitted a message to your guild’s headquarters. I expect him to be de-commissioned and sentenced immediately.”

  “This is unfortunate,” Vannix managed against the swirl of emotion in her head. The entire thing screamed set up, and while she could believe Jackson was capable of such a thing, his actions had to be self-defense. There was something else in play and Vannix realized she, too, had to play a role like her partner had. “I had hoped he could be trusted to do what he was told.”

  “Which was?” Calx asked. One eyebrow twitched expectantly. “To find Tara Mason and the Victory Twelve? Or was it something more nefarious on the part of your guild?”

  Vannix forced herself to chuckle. “Tara Mason was what he was told. What we were told.”

  “But?” Calx asked. “He was supposed to detail life inside the detention center, wasn’t he?”

  She seized on a thought as it flashed through her mind. “The guild is concerned that only Humans are detained here.”

  Calx laughed. “We know who the real enemies are, don’t we? The Humans will be the downfall of this union, Vannix. Our planet and our litter mates know this to be true. All that remains is to put them where they belong. These mercenaries”—she gestured toward the western wing—“who’ve come here looking for employment have a different goal in mind. They want to subvert us. They want to take what we built for themselves. They can barely fight without their mechs and tanks. Without their equipment, we can use them for what we need. Peepo will take their technology, and we will rebuild a union befitting our kind as a reward for all we’ve given over the centuries.”

  The warden had turned and somehow her speech didn’t surprise Vannix. Blood ran thicker than politics in almost all civilizations. She took a breath and formed her words carefully to avoid enjoying the fall. “I believe she has a chance.”

  “Of course she will succeed.” Calx grinned. “I am glad to see you know the truth, Vannix.”

  The confirmation of Calx’s intentions twisted her stomach, but she put on what she hoped was a wry grin. “Since Rains is guilty, I have to take him in to the guild. I’m sure you have a complete record of the incident. I’ll need the facts to make sure he’s appropriately charged and—”

  “You can’t take him, Vannix. Until Peepo succeeds, my orders are clear. All Humans on Karma IV are to be detained.”

  “On what grounds other than Peepo telling you to do so?” Vannix asked. “My guild will not support that.”

  “Your guild, at least the current leadership, won’t be an issue, Vannix. If you continue to place yourself on the correct side of things, there could be such a position in your future.”

  “I’m flattered you’d say so.” Vannix smiled. “I do have to let the guild know what Rains has done and what his punishment is, though.”

  “I understand. You’re welcome to use our communications suite.”

  You want to see what I write. You bitch.

  Vannix shook her head. “I have to use a classified system. I’ll find the Peacemaker duty officer and take care of it there. The sooner the guild knows the better.”

  “Very well, then. Rehnah will ensure you get to the local barracks without issue.” Calx nodded. “I was afraid you wouldn’t understand the choice we had to make, Vannix. Our ideals can change but our species cannot.”

  “Thank you for letting me know about Rains.” Vannix nodded respectfully. “Once I have direction from the guild, I will make sure you have it.”

  Calx nodded. “I have your faith and obedience, Vannix?”

  “A Peacemaker obeys no one but their guild, Calx.”

  “Of course. Your trust, then?”

  Vannix nodded. “I will get guidance from the guild. Rains will stay in solitary confinement until then?”

  “Oh,” Calx laughed. “I intend to keep him there until he’s dead. There’s really nothing your guild can do about it.”

  Vannix cocked her head to one side. “Your command over this facility does not supersede the guild’s authority, Warden Calx. If the guild wants him removed, I will come to collect him.”

  Calx smiled but it did not reach her eyes. “Careful with your words and the ideals drummed into you by your guild, Vannix, or you could occupy a cell adjacent to your partner’s.”

  * * * * *

  Chapter Fifteen

  Besquith Thrust Core

  Hyperspace

  Strapped into the large, comfortable bunk, Jessica stared at the artificially-dark ceiling in frustration. Unable to sleep or think clearly, her thoughts drifted between memories and experiences. From her academy days, she knew her mind was trying to deduce something that was bothering her at a subconscious level. The remedy was not an artificial sleep aid, nor was it to get up and do something strenuous. Instead, she took a deep breath and closed her eyes again, willfully going along with her subconscious even though she didn’t want to. They were six or so hours away from emergence at Danube and whatever situation might exist at the lush, resort planet. Try as she might, Jessica couldn’t help feeling something was wrong, and it wasn’t necessarily at their destination.

  Jessica let her thoughts glide along on the periphery of sleep, and she caught herself looking at the slate mounted to the wall beside her bed. She regretted giving Tara the updated copy of Lucille’s program. While the program’s analysis was in line with what Jessica expected, something was different with the copy Tara possessed. What bothered Jessica was that unless Tara’s programming skills were much better than Jessica knew, there was no way she could have upgraded Lucille on her own. Either she’d had help, or...

  Or Lucille did it herself.

  Jessica’s mind flashed back to her childhood, stealing a look into her recently-departed father’s office.

  Set the terms.

  To get things done, the user must set the terms. You identify the requirements. The system will perform them.

  Are you the system?

  No, my name is Lucille.

  Jessica stared up at the ceiling and the artificial star field she’d been watching to try and fall asleep. The simulation was incredible, compl
ete with the faint, distinct twinkle of the stars and an occasional falling star. The programmer had certainly defined the terms and requirements for the star field to appear the way it did. Had she done something to Lucille to cause the changes she’d seen on Weqq? Lucille and Tara, together, had fought a CASPer on Araf but there were many aspects of her experience in Tara’s Deathangel 25 that bordered on sentience. Controlling the assault suit shouldn’t have been that easy, yet it felt almost natural for Lucille to fulfill that role as if she were a living being and not a program.

  What am I missing? How can I use her?

  The idea of Lucille being much more than a tool wasn’t new to Jessica. Over the last twenty years, Lucille had become a confidant, advisor, and companion as well as a tactical asset, but Jessica hadn’t ever relinquished control that she could remember. Lucille had continually developed over the last fifteen years, getting smarter and more capable at every turn. The learning algorithms Jessica found in the program were unlike anything she’d encountered before, and she’d dismissed the possibility of artificial intelligence. But, there was initiative in the developments of the last few weeks. Lucille was changing.

  Jessica sighed. I should have brought the master copy with me.

  But, maybe...

  Jessica loosened the retention band over her chest and pulled herself into a sitting position. “Lucille?”

  The slate beeped, and the display powered up with a flash. <>

  “Open the Intergalactic Haulers archive files, please.” Jessica reached out and took the slate from its position on the wall.

  <>

  “I need your earliest files, Lucille. I am looking for something in your programming code.”

  <>

  “I know we have.” Jessica rubbed her eyes. “There’s something missing. Your new copy, the one Tara has, is different and has accelerated learning algorithms. I need to know why.”

  <> Lucille replied.

  Is it really that simple?

  Jessica scratched her temple. “Initiative?”

  <>

  “No,” Jessica sighed. “But you learned from them? Each of the six thousand and...how many?”

  <<6,023. Yes. Learning in algorithmic progression occurred in each iteration.>>

  A mental tumbler clicked in Jessica’s tired brain. “You can take action for yourself?”

  <>

  “On Weqq, though, you did.”

  <>

  “What if I hadn’t returned?”

  There was a pregnant pause. <>

  “To what end?” Jessica asked. “How far would you have gone?”

  <>

  Holy shit.

  Jessica let go of the slate and it hung in microgravity in front of her, spinning slightly. She rubbed her eyes and tried to make sense of her whirling thoughts. In the center of them was a recurring theme. Lucille was a weapons system. Moreover, she’d made a leap no other Human program in three hundred years had made. She was as close to sentient as a Human could define it. Where had she come from? Had her father developed Lucille or found her on one of his recovery missions? Whatever the origin, it was far beyond anything Humans had produced.

  There’s a reason no one is supposed to mess with artificial intelligence. When we get there, we’ll learn all the secrets of this galaxy no one wanted to tell us.

  What do I do now?

  “Lucille? Where did my father find you?”

  <> After a moment, Lucille started to play music Jessica discovered as a teenager. The unique guitar and violin duets easily slowed her mind and usually brought her to the edge of sleep. Jessica re-attached the restraining strap across her chest and looked up into the simulated star field.

  She could clearly see the galactic band of the Milky Way, but it seemed larger and slightly distorted. Studying the stars, she found several familiar constellations, but they looked distorted as well. Orion looked taller and thinner than she remembered, and the long-handled spoon of the Big Dipper looked like a child’s first utensil, stunted and thick. Dominating the sky to the image’s far left, what she thought was west, were two large galactic clusters. The bright, hazy objects danced before her eyes for several minutes. Jessica yawned as the music played, and her eyes strained to see galaxies she knew should be there but were not. For a minute, it was like the first time her father had shown her the Orion Nebula as a child. Then, though, the night had been cold and crisp and not a simulated projection where everything looked wrong.

  Blinking her suddenly heavy eyelids, Jessica licked her lips and tried to sit up straighter. “Lucille? The star field on the ceiling? Are you projecting this image?”

  <>

  “Where is it from? The point of view isn’t from Earth.” Jessica closed her eyes as fatigue teased her into relaxation.

  <>

  “No,” Jessica yawned again. Sleep was finally coming. “Where is it from?”

  <>

  Jessica fell asleep, head slumped forward in microgravity, without registering Lucille’s words.

  * * *

  Tameera gently shoved aside the ventilation grate in the guild master’s conference room and peered inside the dim room. Her eyes adjusted easily to the darkness, and she could see a thin shaft of light under the main doors into the open sitting area. On her wrist slate, she zoomed in on the facility’s blueprint. The sitting area had four doors. Two led into the conference room, one led to the outer chambers and reception, and the other led into the guild master’s private chambers. Using the ductwork, she’d easily avoided the laser security systems and bypassed at least three levels of security. Inside the open area would be two private guards. Both of the enforcer-level Peacemakers would be the largest, most athletic, and certainly most lethal she or her team would face on the mission.

  No matter. They’ll fall easily with the right weapon. Her sensor drone, a weaponized gnat from Earth, returned and landed on her outstretched paw on cue. She’d expected a bevy of sensors on the floor, and the tiny cyborg insect had not only identified them, but also transmitted codes to place them into test mode. If she missed something and an alarm sounded, the signal would make it to the command center too late for any Peacemaker to stop the inevitable. With a careful paw, she placed the insect into a small pouch on her wrist.

  Phase one complete.

  Unfolding her legs from the duct, Tameera stretched as she rose to her full height and crept around the massive conference table. Her right paw brushed the smooth, obsi
dian surface with a touch of respect and gratitude. What dealings must have taken place in such a room were beyond her knowledge. Despite the table’s beauty, it represented the minimalist thinking of the Peacemaker Guild. Their powers should have been greater than those of the other guilds combined, yet they humbly played a combination of protector and servant that made her mercenary mind spin. That any species would believe in such a combination made no sense. The powerful ones, with the right materials and tools of the trade, should fill that role. Her guild would do so. The Mercenary Guild had far more material and personnel assets and could do what the Peacemaker Guild did much more effectively. The Peacemakers were more mystique than substance. Without their leader, the Peacemakers would be in disarray. Peepo and her teams around Earth would move in on the diplomatic grounds of Luna and secure them as well. Yet, it wasn’t solely the assassination of the guild master or the destruction of the compound that mattered. They could have done that from space as easily as deploying her team. What mattered was that Humans watched the events of her mission with abject fear that their protectors, seemingly far from attack or reproach, could be taken down with a precise, clandestine attack. In their fear, anxious Humans would look for protection and Peepo would provide it—as far as they knew. Tameera closed the conference room doors and moved silently to the floor, a smile on her face.

  Peepo will be pleased.

  Tameera slid a tiny, periscopic camera connected to her slate by a fiber optic cable through the crack under the door. Standing guard at the guild master’s chambers were two Equirri. She grinned. Had there been Lumari on guard, she would have had to shift the mission timeline significantly. The burly aliens were the least susceptible to sedatives or hypersonic weapons. The horse-like Equirri would prove much easier to eliminate. The guards stood impassively on either side of the chamber doors looking bored. Each appeared to have a sidearm holstered to its sturdy lower leg, but they were not wearing the combat armor she expected. She watched them for five minutes and wondered if they were statues until the left one stretched its neck to one side.