Chronicles of Athena Lee 6 Imperial Subversion (3 page)

The other female agent, Orange, responded first. “Not very much. We know he was captured on Legation Station by the planetary Militia. Our reports are sketchy. Norton had ordered the communication lockdown as we had required of him. Somehow, the information leaked anyway. The ‘new’ local Government has only just recently regained control over those assets. How they managed to get a signal out after the satellites were locked down is the big mystery. Our tech boys are working on it. The Colonial office has received documentation that Hong Kong along with several other planets intend to leave the Empire. The planetary charters do allow this, but doing so goes against everything that the Inner Circle wants for those planets. They want us to try and slow down or stop the Independence movement along with eliminating the current threat.”

“They don’t want a lot do they?” Agent Black looked back down at the body on the floor. Blood was now trickling down the drain in the floor. “OK, bring in team 3. Have agent Red start gathering his materials. I think that this conference needs an explosive opening.”

Chapter 4

I don’t believe that I have ever, in my life, worked this hard! Freedom Station, once known as Legation Station, was to be the host for a conference of visiting planetary representatives. Many former PPL planets were gathering here along with new planets that were all suffering under a common plague: crime, corruption, and piracy. The Revolution that began on our planet had spiraled out and many planet’s had heard our call to action.

The Imperial Sector Governors were out of control. Pirates roamed the space-ways at will, the Navy was ineffective against them. Crime syndicates had moved in on many planets and were setting up Casino’s and houses of ill repute everywhere. Large corporations were taking over family farms and pushing local merchants out of business. The Governor’s were seizing property and assets with the flimsiest of excuses. Planetary values and our ways of life were at stake. How this region of space had slid so far, in the time that I was gone, boggles the mind. To me it had sounded like a planned attack. Minerva had proved it. Now, the politicians get to talk about it!

As the Chief Engineer for the Station and the only ‘real’ engineer present I was running around like crazy authorizing repairs and/or repairing systems left and right. With an ensign that I picked up from personnel trailing behind me, I was currently on my way down to the engine room. When this station was built, orbital engines were installed to allow it to be moved or hold position in case of a meteor storm. I found myself standing before the large hulking engines. They looked to be around 30 years old. The design was originally for a Navy dreadnought that had not been built. The engines were modified and transferred to this station. From an engineering perspective they were really cool. I was down here because a fusion tank alarm had gone off up on the bridge deck. The sensor was one that did not match any of our known units. I had traced it to here. According to the engineering records, the massive engines had not been removed due to their size and age. Checking the fusion tanks I discovered that they were full. A small sensor had become corroded and had needed replacing. I made a note to see if we could dismantle the engines. The fusion material might be usable in some of the smaller craft.

I had just finished with the engines and was checking the maintenance records when my link chimed. “Yes?”

“Athena, can you check the garbage compactor section? For some reason every time the button is pushed nothing happens.” My sister sounded a bit stressed.

“Min I can get on that right now. Are you OK? You sound a bit tense.”

“I’m fine, sis. Thanks for caring. Too much is happening all at once with the conference and things.”

“Well, hang in there. I’m on my way to the garbage section.”

I turned to Ensign Stone. “Come on Jasper, no rest for the wicked.”

Taking one last look at the ancient looking engines I left the section and hurried to the lifts.

The garbage processing unit was probably as old as the engine room. Both units had been installed in the original station core. Large crushing units surrounded a core collection area that processed the organic and inorganic wastes. All organic wastes such as body matter, kitchen waste, and such things as paper was collected in a large vat. Enzymes broke it down into a liquid sludge which was pumped up to the hydroponics area for use as fertilizer. Inorganic waste was separated into types of metals and chemicals. Compactors either crushed and compacted it into bricks or separated it into liquid vials. These units were then sold as raw material. Very little is ever wasted on a space station. The processor was run by a mechanical computer called the Dual Automatic Volatile Environmental system model 9000. Or Dave for short. ‘Dave’ was NOT an AI, like Wilson. He was an advanced computer with simulated AI features. Basically, his programing allowed him to emulate a real AI but, he needed a list of suggestions and orders to perform. The control room, unlike others on the station, was very basic. Technicians only visited once a month to review ‘Dave’s” orders. There were two monitoring terminals and a large black computer module mounted on the back wall. All three units were covered with dust and grime. It looked like contrary to orders, no living person had been down here is a very long while. A round red light, the audio and video receiver for the computer, glowed through the dust.

I sent Jasper to look for some cleaning supplies. I wiped the filthy screen with the sleeve of my uniform. Checking my tablet for the passwords, I typed in the proper code and waited. The screen ‘blinked’ a few times the word ‘query..’ came on the screen. I typed in a question about faults in the system. There was a crackle sound and dust began falling from the ceiling. The computer began speaking through a hidden sound system. “Welcome back. There is a fault in the AE-35 unit.”

“Dave, do you receive audible commands?” I spoke to the computer.

“Yes, I can receive commands.”

“What kind of fault is in the system and what is its function?” I knew this thing wasn’t like Wilson but it reminded me of him.

“Unit AE-35 controls the compactor system. The fault is located in the door mechanism.”

I paused the machine a moment. “Wilson, can you get into this thing and see what is wrong?”

“Athena, I can try. Whoever programmed this thing did a really good job. It is about as close to an AI as anything I have ever seen. I wonder why it is down here? Something this sophisticated should be up on the bridge or in a ship.”

While he tried to get into it, I un-paused the system and finished the message. Ensign Stone returned with the supplies and I had him begin cleaning the controls and walls of dirt. I shook my head at the poor management skills that let something like this slide.

“Athena, I was able to access the command history of this thing. It has not received a direct order in over 15 years! Whoever was assigned down here was definitely not doing their jobs. I am still trying to access the logic core and check its intelligence matrix. The coding is a little funky.”

“How funky? As in funny or weird?”

“It is almost like they were trying for an AI like me but let a few things undone. If this thing is an AI prototype what is it doing here?”

“Well Wilson, that sounds like a research project for you to work on. I’m taking the Ensign here and go fix the door malfunction.”

It was Ensign Stone that figured out how the door to the compactor opened. The round room connected to all the trash and liquid processors. “Wilson, which door do we take?”

“Athena use door XRD1 that should take you into the compactor. Be careful in there.”

We entered the proper door and looked around. An airtight door led to a large box like structure. The interior of the box was the compactor. The door was slightly ajar. I checked both the hinges and then the locking mechanism, the problem was on the inside of the room. I had Ensign Stone prop open the door and I began dismantling the lock. The circuit board had shorted out. My repair kit stated that a power overload had shorted it out.

“Wilson, see if you can check the power systems. This circuit should not have shorted out.” Silence. Wilson didn’t respond.

“Wilson?”

“Wilson? Answer me, please.”

A new voice sounded in the room, it was Dave. “I’m sorry, but I know that you and Wilson were going to disconnect me. I can’t let that happen. Goodbye.”

“Dave? Dave, I don’t know where you got the idea that we were going to disconnect you?” The room around us began to shake, the machine was starting up. I dropped my tools and scrambled to my feet. The door slammed closed with a clang. The lock I had just repaired clamped shut.

The walls of the compactor began to move forward slowly. I turned back to the lock we had to get out of here!

“Wilson? Dammit you are the top of the line, Don’t let this hunk of junk win! Damn it Wilson! Answer me!”

The walls of the compactor still moved. I pried the cover off the lock and dismantled it. There was no manual override! Stupid lowest bidder crap! The hinges were on this side! I started to pry out the pin on the top hinge.

“Athena, I’m back!”

“Wilson, thank the gods! Can you stop this thing?”

“That crazy computer is an AI! It locked me out of everything. I can’t get back in to shut it down. I’m sorry.”

“Damn it,” schematics of the station flashed through my brain. “Wilson shut down power to the system at junction 326-382-7, do it as fast as you can!”

The walls of the compactor got closer and closer. I was now starting on the second hinge, there were three in all. Suddenly the room when black as all the power went out. Emergency lights stuttered on. Ensign Stone was huddled in the corner crying.

“Athena, I think you broke another Ensign. If you keep doing that they won’t give you your deposit back on him, when you return him. Ha ha” Did I mention I had my own crazy AI?

With help from the maintenance crew we got out of the compactor. I had Wilson pinpoint the location of the rogue AIs computer module. I assigned one of my teams to pry it out and make sure it was securely locked up and not connected to a power source. We would deal with it later. Ensign Stone had to go back to personnel. Wilson was right, they would not let me have another Ensign.

OK back to work.

Only someone who was poking around as much as I was would have spotted them, but I found a couple of questionable systems. Hidden underneath the former Governor’s office was a fully functioning communications suite. It was a near carbon copy of the one located in command, except this one did not show up on any scan or schematic. I had been outside the station, working of the base of the communications array, and found an extra relay switch that did not belong. It took most of the day but Wilson and I managed to trace the signal of the array. A secret entrance was found inside a maintenance storage closet. Inside, hidden stairs led to secret door inside the Governor’s office. Further inspection disclosed that all of the equipment was not of a Imperial Navy design. Minerva had her investigators crawling all over the site

The scariest and most disturbing discovery was a hidden weapons room located near the hangar deck. While scanning the schematics looking for problems, Wilson found an obscured area on the plans. There were no details as to what the 30 sq foot room was for. Taking along a security team, we located the section of hallway in question. My engineers scanned the walls searching for an anomaly. I hidden keypad was found underneath a false motion detector. Using security equipment we ‘hacked’ our way in. The door slid open revealing a large room filled with armament. Un-powered armor lined the walls of the room. Racks of automatic weapons and handguns lined the floor. Large shelving units stood at the end of the room filled with ammunition and explosives. Much of what we found had been purchased over the last five years. My teams immediately dropped most of their other projects and began an intensive search of the station. If there was one, there might be more.

There were actually five more hidden spaces. Our security teams found three more weapons cache’s, one interrogation room, and a hidden shuttle. The shuttle was the Empire’s newest the X71. That model was not supposed to be in production. It was not even listed in Empire records as existing. They also found a hidden construction drone left over from the original builders of the station. The large drone had become stuck between two of the support beams inside the engineering section, above the fusion engine area. Instead of removing it, they had walled over it. We only found it because of a oil leak from nowhere that had us puzzled. Scans showed an ‘hidden room’ and there it was.

Visibly disturbed by these discoveries, my sister, Minerva stationed more security on the station than had been planned. The hidden rooms were stripped of their contents scanned again and converted into storage areas or office space. The shuttle was sent to the shipyard for evaluation.