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The bridge of the Kali was dark and foreboding. Thorne had been down for almost five minutes before some unknown internal mechanism had reanimated him and he’d immediately begun the task of resuscitating the Kali. After following the android on his tasks for a few minutes Renwick and Kish had made their way through the vessel to the command bridge.
Deep blue emergency lights were the only illumination on the vast bridge of the Kali. Renwick had managed to stabilize the environmental systems while Kish was tending to Mischa and Reya in the safe room. He turned his attention now to the main view display, seeing if he could get a reading on the emitter station. The display crackled and then popped into focus, showing the station ominously still, dark and black, and dead as space itself. It was a sight that gave him some comfort, knowing that for now at least, the Void was no longer expanding for the first time in more than three centuries.
Kish came back on the bridge with Mischa in tow. “Reya is still in the auto-medic. I think she’s doing better, but it’s hard to tell,” Kish said.
“Thanks for the update,” said Renwick. He was concerned about his wife, but the comment was all he could manage under the circumstances. He nodded to Mischa as she came onto the bridge. “Nice to see you again Lieutenant Cain.”
“Nice to be out of there, sir,” she said.
“Please take the NAV station,” he replied.
“Will do,” she said, and took her seat.
Renwick turned to Kish. “I’ll need you on the weapons station,” he said. Kish pondered this a moment, arms crossed.
“I can probably pipe a sub-display for the engineering panels through to the weapons console,” he said.
“Do it. I doubt we have much time before that Soloth fleet gets here,” said Renwick. The lights on the bridge flickered for a moment at this, then came on full again.
“You have forty-seven minutes before the advanced elements of the invasion fleet arrive,” said a familiar voice, echoing through the bridge. Renwick looked around. There was no one there.
“Who-“ he started. The voice interrupted him again.
“There’s no time for niceties, Senator. Look to your main display,” said the voice. On the main display an image of Amanda was displayed in three dimensions. It spoke to him. “Thorne has reactivated me as a functional artificial intelligence for the Kali,” she said. “I wish I could be there with you in full form, but this will have to do for now.”
“We can use the help,” said Renwick. The image of Amanda nodded.
“I am currently re-firing all of the Kali’s main systems. You will have them operational in a short time. I am also making more systems available to you than before,” she said.
“Weapons, I hope?” Renwick said. The image actually smiled.
“Oh yes,” she said. “Torpedoes, multiple flak cannon batteries, a full compliment.”
“Holy Ghost!” said Kish. “Sir, she’s not kidding! We have forty flak batteries, and a hundred torpedoes!”
“Good,” said Renwick. He turned his attention back to Amanda.
“I have also recalled the other two Void Ships,” she said. “They will have the same compliment of weapons available as you do, and you will be able to use them in a full tactical formation. They’re automated, and I’ve tied them into your main console, where you can dictate their actions.” Renwick looked and saw a full display of military options for the two additional Void Ships come up on the main tactical board.
“But I’m not a military tactician!” he said to Amanda.
“Well, luckily, I am,” said a voice from behind him. Renwick whipped around and once again came face to face with the Kali’s former captain.
“Tanitha Yan at your service, Senator,” she said.
“What the hell?” he said. He looked slightly down on her, like she was smaller than before.
“I had the androids on one of the other ships modify a body, download her persona into it, and send her over,” said Amanda’s voice from behind him. “I thought you might need her.”
“That’s true enough,” said Renwick. Yan stepped up and surveyed the board. She touched the icons of the other two Void Ships and moved them to new locations.
“We’ll need to triangulate on the tunnel, concentrate our fire on the incoming Soloth ships,” she said. Renwick stepped up to the board.
“That’s what I figured,” he said, then drew new lines across the display with his index finger. “But with the scoop ships they’ll be able to make tunnel branches from the main line, split their forces and overwhelm us.”
“That would be my plan,” Yan said, then cleared Renwick’s lines from the display. “We’ll have to counter it. One of the Void Ships will have to be constantly re-filling the mainline with void material, to keep their larger ships like the cruisers out of the fray as long as possible. That will be this one here, the Devi,” she said, pointing to the one furthest from the station. “The Balrama will defend the station with us.”
“I think you have things well in hand,” said the Amanda AI. “If you’ll excuse me, there are other things I need to attend to.”
“Of course,” said Renwick. “Thank you Amanda.” With that the AI image disappeared. Renwick turned to Yan.
“I’m glad you’re back,” he said. He leaned in to kiss her but she pulled back.
“Not now, Senator,” she said, but then she smiled. “Besides, they haven’t have time to make all of my ‘equipment’ operational yet.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” he said. Then they both turned back to the board.
“Forty-two minutes to contact,” came Amanda’s disembodied voice over the main com.
“Right now we have work to do,” Yan said, then started punching in commands to the console.
#
AT THE THIRTY MINUTE mark the Devi started filling the normal-space tunnel with void material. The Balrama and the Kali had all their weapons charged and ready to go. Kish reported that all the systems aboard the Kali had returned to full functionality. After the Devi completed its patching of Void space Yan ordered the two automated Void Ships into a defensive formation around the emitter station. Now all they had left to do was wait.
“If it looks like we’re going to fail then we have no choice, we can’t let the station fall into Soloth hands,” Yan said at the twenty minute mark.
“Agreed,” said Renwick. “We’ll have to hold back enough torpedoes to take out the station.”
Yan shook her head. “Torpedoes won’t do it, I’m afraid,” she said. “I’ve ordered the Balrama to self-destruct on my order. We’ll have about five minutes to clear the area. When she goes up it will clear an area half an AU across.”
Renwick nodded. “If that’s our only option,” he said.
“It is,” she replied, never taking her eyes from her board. She was fixated on the task at hand.
“I didn’t expect to see you again, so soon at least,” he said to her.
“Renwick-“ she started. He held up his hand to her.
“Hear me out,” he said, and held up the finger drive. “I have your stored persona, as up to date as it can be. Do you want it?”
“Yes,” she said, and held out her hand. He handed it to her and she put it in a pocket in her uniform. “When this is over I’ll look forward to the update. But right now I need to focus on the battle.”
Renwick sighed. “I have to warn you, you may not like everything on the drive,” he said. Now it was her turn to sigh.
“You found my body, didn’t you? On the station, I mean,” she said.
“Yes.”
“Did I die heroically?”
A grim look came across his face. “Yes,” he said.
“Then I’m satisfied,” she said. “Like it or not, Renwick, this is the only life I have left. I want to live it for as long as possible. And right now that depends on beating that Soloth fleet.” With that she walked off, ostensibly to check on Mischa Cain’s station, but Renwick knew better.
“Eighteen minutes to contact,” came Amanda’s voice.
Renwick sighed heavily.
#
AT THE TWO MINUTE MARK the activity began.
“I’m detecting scoop energy signatures,” called out Kish from the engineering station. With Yan aboard Renwick had taken over the weapons console, sending the engineer back to his regular station. “Multiple contacts. They’ve split their forces as we expected. Breakthrough to normal space at any time.”
“They’ll come with HuK’s and destroyers first,” said Yan. “Their scoop ships are small, so expect multiple contact points.”
“Got it,” said Renwick, already targeting multiple energy points with torpedoes. “I’m ready when you are.”
“Wait for my order,” said Yan. Renwick nodded. The energy signatures on his display suddenly multiplied exponentially.
“I’ve got dozens of new energy points forming!” he called to Yan. “Maybe as many as a hundred. I can’t target them all!”
“Stay calm,” said Yan. “They’re likely punching through multiple points just to confuse us, so don’t get confused. Stay focused and don’t fire until you have actual contacts.”
“Affirmative,” said Renwick, trying to stay as calm inside as he was portraying himself on the outside.
“Tracking contacts now,” said Mischa Cain. “Cruiser and heavy cruiser displacement! They have entered normal space.”
“Concentrate on the heavy ships first, and fire!” ordered Yan.
“Firing all flak cannon batteries! Targeting cruisers with atomic torpedoes!” said Renwick excitedly, unable to hide his emotions any longer.
“There’s too many cruisers,” said Yan calmly, looking at her tactical console. “Hold your torpedo fire, Mr. Renwick. Flak cannon only. And I’m withdrawing the Devi,” she said.
“That will open up the main tunnel for the rest of their fleet,” said Renwick.
“I’m aware of that, Senator,” Yan said back, with emphasis on his non-military rank. “But I can’t risk losing her out in the open like that against those cruisers.” Renwick watched as the automated Void Ship pulled back and took up a defensive position near the emitter station. “I’m deactivating her emitters and bringing her weapons online. I’ll handle her from here.” That was fine with Renwick, he had all he could handle with the Kali’s weapons.
Ten minutes into the battle and the Soloth fleet had taken light damage, but they were making steady progress towards the emitter station. The Kali and her sister ships were mostly untouched, and holding back most of their torpedoes.
“Now counting thirty-four cruisers of various displacements in the battle zone,” said Mischa. “Multiple energy signatures near the main tunnel portal, Captain. Breakthrough is imminent in three minutes.”
“And when they break through that tunnel wall everything they’ve got will be in play,” said Yan. “Destroyers, frigates, HuK’s, you name it. It’s a good tactic. We expected the lighter ships first. They came with the heavy stuff instead. Now when they break through it will the Death of a Thousand Cuts.”
“Or a thousand stings,” said Renwick.
Yan’s clenched fist went to her hip. “Give me a report, Mr. Kish,” she said.
“Shields and screens holding, sir,” he said. “The cruisers are keeping their distance.”
“Waiting for the breakthrough,” said Renwick. “They don’t have to engage at torpedo range. Hanging back like this they can take our flak cannon fire all day long.”
“Thanks for the tactical update, Senator,” snapped Yan. Renwick turned to her.
“If we don’t take those cruisers out, or shore up that tunnel portal, we’re doomed,” he said. “We have to move the Void Ships closer. If the Kali and the Balrama move to torpedo range of those cruisers then the Devi can reinforce the tunnel and buy us some time.”
“So suddenly now you’re a tactician again? To what end, Senator? We can only engage so many cruisers without risking ourselves, and our goal is to defend the station, remember? They’ll eventually free up some cruisers and take out the station. And without the station, it will take us a millennia to clear the Known Cosmos,” she said.
“Do we have another option?” he asked.
“Breakthrough at the tunnel in two minutes,” reported Mischa Cain.
Yan stared hard at Renwick. “Let’s find out,” she said.
“Amanda,” Yan called out.
The Amanda AI appeared on the main display.
“Here, captain,” she said, or rather, her disembodied transparent head said.
“Do we have any more weapons options?” said Yan.
“None that I am authorized to release to you,” said Amanda.
“So that means yes,” said Yan. “Amanda, I demand that you release all additional weapons to me.”
“I cannot do that, Captain Yan,” said Amanda. “My programmers explicitly forbid me from releasing certain technologies to Successor races, based on their likelihood of being abused.”
Yan swiped her hand across the command console. Renwick’s weapons display and every other display on the bridge went blank.
“Weapons are down!” said Renwick.
“Navigation is out!” shouted Mischa. Kish came running over from his station.
“What just happened? The engines are down!” he said.
“And they’ll stay down,” said Yan.
“You have one minute, thirty seconds to the breakthrough,” said Amanda, her imaginary face placid and unmoved.
“And I’d guess you have about two minutes beyond that before this ship and your precious station are destroyed. Now what would your programmers think of that?” Yan said to Amanda.
“All emotional outbursts and tactics have been accounted for in my programming. There is no scenario that you can present to me that I haven’t already anticipated,” Amanda said.
“Fine,” said Yan. “Then that’s what will be.” She turned her back to Amanda and crossed her arms.
“Yan-“ started Renwick, taking a step towards her. She held up her hand to him. He stopped.
“No,” she said.
Amanda’s face remained placid.
“Suicide is against most moral laws of your kind, and humans have a built in survival instinct that is stronger than almost any other drive they have,” said Amanda, as if quoting an encyclopedia. Yan turned back to Amanda.
“I am not human anymore, remember? And if you want to test my resolve, you’ll find out in about a minute,” she said.
“One minute eight seconds,” said Amanda. Yan turned away again. After ten seconds the Amanda AI looked to Renwick.
“Is she really capable of allowing this ship and the station to be destroyed?” she asked him. Renwick shrugged.
“I’m afraid I don’t know her well enough to answer that,” he said, then he took a calculated risk and also turned his back on Amanda. Ten more seconds of silence dragged on like an eternity.
“Very well,” said Amanda, relenting. “There is one other weapon system I can make available.”
Yan snapped around. “What is it?” she said.
“An anti-graviton field.”
“Anti-graviton?” said Renwick, “You mean-“
“The field separates matter at the sub-atomic level by nullifying all of the effects of gravity within the field’s range,” said Amanda.
“What’s the range?” asked Yan.
“Twenty kilometers from the station.”
“It’s on the station?” asked Renwick. “Is the system operational?”
“Yes,” said Amanda. “But I will not make it available for your use as an aggressive weapon. Only to defend the station.”
Renwick came and stood next to Yan, who quickly activated the command console again. She punched in some tactical calculations with blinding android speed. “If we move the automated Void Ships to take on the cruisers, we can close to firing range, release our torpedoes, and then come about and take on the destroyers and HuK’s at the tunnel with our flak cannons.” She looked up to Amanda. “And you’ll agree to take out anything that gets within twenty kilometers of the station?”
“Yes,” said Amanda.
“That’s well outside torpedo range. They’ll have to get within ten kilometers to launch,” she said, her voice trailing off. Then: “Agreed,” she said. “Stations everyone!” Amanda’s image vanished.
“Wait,” said Renwick. “A weapon like this, that can dissolve a person at the sub-molecular level-“
“Save your conscience for another day, Senator. We have a battle to win,” said Yan.
“I am in command of this mission, captain, not you,” he reminded her. She glared at him.
“Forty seconds,” said Amanda in her disembodied voice.
“Then command it, Senator. Do we have another choice?” Yan said. Renwick looked around the bridge at Yan, Mischa, Kish, and he thought of Reya, helpless in the auto-medic.
“No,” he conceded. “Let’s do this.”