POD (The Pattern Universe) (25 page)

Outside the ship, the glass ampoules that made it through the ship’s shields had broken against the side of the hull splattered thick grey worms of killer-nanites which even now made headway over the black lacklustre metal of the thick skin. Some spread out to cover large areas, others burrowed deeply. All found much to consume. It would not take long to reach the interior and then things would become interesting.

Pod received warning from the sentinels that had responded to the incursion into the system and knew it was time. It activated Zeke’s implant.

‘They come.’

‘What can you tell me about them?’

‘Just a single ship, probably a Shadow ship.

The sentinels are tracking it, it is out of their missile range, but it is proceeding directly to Earth. They will be here in two hours.’

‘Are we ready?’

‘No, but your world is prepared.’

‘I will send out the alerts.’

Zeke was sitting in the war conference while privately communicating with Pod who hovered close by. It no longer bothered to cloak seeing as the nullifiers would unmask it and then cause a stir. It was soon forgotten in the heat of debate going on in the run up to the first hostile confrontation the world had ever had to consider from an alien entity.

“Gentlemen, we are out of time. The first ship has entered our space and has destroyed our sentinels. It will reach Earth in two hours. I suggest you pass the warning back to your cities to mirror their shields.”

“How do you know that, Mr Callaghan? You have been sat there along with us these past three hours,” said General Cunliffe, another ‘Brit’ that had followed Pennington over from the now defunct NATO. He was not as steadfast, but a good tactician and was going to head up part of the SCC. He was very much a new boy but catching up with Pennington and few others.

Zeke glanced at Cunliffe and pointed to the hovering tear-shaped pod.

“Oh, you two are telepathic?” he asked.

“I have a computer implant that allows me to converse with the AI, General,” Zeke admitted.

“I see, so this AI can tell what is happening in space from here?” the General queried, still a little incredulous.

Pod was still a new and unknown quantity to the staff here who were having a few problems coming to terms with its abilities. They often mistook it for an over-sized personal Orb, none of which were allowed in the room for security reasons.

“Yes, General, the range of the communications it has are not extensive, but relays have been set up deep in space, and these are giving the AI details of time-scale, approach trajectory and size of the invasion,” Zeke confirmed.

“General Pennington, are your Marauders ready?” Zeke asked. He had taken over as chairperson of the military version of the Security Council, being the most experienced and to give balance to the proceedings. Garner and other civilian members were present, but not actively involved, although frequently vocal, which was fine so long as they didn’t actually impede the military decision-making process.

It was standing procedure that, in times of peace, the Space Council would rule, but in times of war or other threat, the military would take over until equilibrium was restored. It was all part of the same ruling authority, but with radically different approaches.

This would be the first time that it had been enacted since the invasion by Fortress. It was now a much larger organisation, making it also more difficult to manage politically.

He nodded at Zeke, “Their capability isn’t brilliant yet, but so long as they stay close to the planet we should manage to rescue them if they get into trouble. We are expecting high casualties until they learn how to fight up there. However, all of them are experienced Air force pilots so have the best chance of any of us. We can only hope they can worry the invading ship enough to keep Earth safe.”

Pennington-Brown had moved up in the hierarchy as the Pan Asian ‘Naval’ Space base had developed. Space Island was now developing more as a commercial hub with less military in evidence. It was becoming much more of an industrial centre based around the space technology and this was sitting extremely well with the Council members many of whom were nervous with a military presence around, having recently progressed from being ruled by such.

The set of the meeting now was serious. They were all on their comms updating their respective countries with the latest news. Zeke imagined alarms going off in every city around the world. Panic, despite the organisation, would be the result and chaos would reign supreme within the hour. Nonetheless, Zeke understood better than any of them that this was just an opening salvo that hadn’t even happened yet.

They waited for further news.

‘Zeke, I need you to return to your ship,’ Pod advised him through the implant.

‘Why? Pod, I’m needed here.’

‘No, Zeke, you will sit here and watch, wait and do nothing. I can do something, but I need your assistance.’

Zeke looked around the room. Pennington was in charge, he knew what he was doing. Pod was right, he could do nothing. He got up and walked around the table to John and Frank and pulling them together into a quick private conference he told them there was something he could do and was taking his ship into space. The argument was swift, but they saw the determination on Zeke’s face and let it slide.

- 20 -

Five minutes later, Zeke was on a sled heading for the ship. He saw other sleds running in the same direction.

He blipped Pod on his interface.

‘What’s going on, Pod? Who are the others?’

‘Lang, Osbourne and Goeth, we need them too,' Pod responded.

‘What are you up to, Pod?’

‘Trying to save Earth, Zeke,’ was all Pod would say leaving Zeke with the feeling that the A.I. was becoming taciturn and independent and he, Zeke, had pushed the buttons to make him like that. He felt a moment of regret until he also realised that the A.I. had become its own person and this was it. He smiled inwardly at the thought of history judging him harshly for not pulling the plug, figuratively speaking, when he should have done.

As Zeke arrived at the ship, Arty was just letting down the gangplank, at Pod’s command, Zeke assumed. That Pod seemed able to get any A.I. to obey him, bothered Zeke a little. He wondered just how good an idea that was and wished that Ossie could get his head around the terrestrial A.I.s enough to provide a little independence in that area.

Zeke’s sled landed close to the ship and he alighted, running up the ramp at the same time as Goeth, both of them slower than Ossie and Lang, the two youngsters. Although Zeke could have run the distance from the Council chamber to the ship quicker, it wouldn’t do to be seen doing so. Pod was already aboard having ported itself across presumably.

He reached the control room with Goeth close on his heels, to find Ossie explaining to Lang the design of the ship from the bottom up. Lang, being almost a clone of Osbourne, was drinking it all in, while Goeth immediately began to ask questions trying to catch up, his eyes glowing with unbridled enthusiasm.

“Arty, head for space, fastest speed, please. Raise seats for everyone so we can buckle in and take instructions from Pod on trajectory and destination. I’m sure he will tell us in good time where we are going,” Zeke commanded the A.I., turning a questioning look in the direction of the now hovering pod.

Goeth’s eyes were as round as saucers, taking in everything he could see. The A.I.’s response made him jump.

“Commander, Pod informs me we are about to proceed by a series of jumps to the asteroid belt. I believe it will not be necessary to sit or buckle in, as you say,” Arty responded affably.

“Arty, please provide visual to destination on the main screen, also show indicative approach of invading vessel and another of Earth as we leave its orbit. I want to keep an eye on what’s happening.”

“It shall be so, Commander.”

Their view suddenly changed from above Space Island to outer space with Earth below them. Then they were in deep space and the only thing visible on the main screen was the moon off to the left. Another thirty seconds and they were outside the asteroid that Pod had named Alpha Station. Then they were inside the hangar.

Goeth, Osbourne and Lang were silent, watching the view-screens which had shown the jumps, the arrival at the asteroid and now, apparently, a hangar inside an asteroid. To say they were speechless would have been an understatement.

Arty opened the hatch and extended the gangplank. They walked out and stood in the vast empty hangar, completely overwhelmed.

“Where are we, Zeke?” asked Ossie quietly, almost afraid someone would hear and come after them.

“This is Alpha Station,” said Zeke. “It’s a near Earth asteroid and it's been equipped with just about everything needed for human survival. In addition, it has the best defences that can be designed by Pod so it should be better able to survive an attack. Beyond that, I know nothing more.”

Pod spoke out loud. “I built this complex while Fortress and Space Island were fighting for supremacy because I knew you would not have the time, or the ability, to complete it once the battle was over, whoever won. I was preparing for whichever of the two sides would be the winner in the contest to take up the fight against the Nubl.”

As if avoiding the argument this statement might bring, Pod quickly moved on to its planned objective.

Agitated, it bobbed up and down as it warned them. “We do not have much time. I am porting us all to the control room,” it said with an urgency that sounded strangled coming through a mechanised voice.

The next second they were all in the concourse of a large room. Lang wondered around while Goeth and Osbourne just looked at Zeke, as if expecting an explanation from him. Zeke just shrugged his shoulders, tipping his eyebrow towards Pod indicating that it was running the show for the moment.

They stood there, bemused by events taking place around them without interaction on their part, as four workstations grew up out of the floor. Now, instead of an empty area they were in the midst of a fully functional control room.

“Gee!” Lang exclaimed. “This is really cool!”

Ossie, also impressed with the working advanced nanite technology they were trying to emulate back on Earth, was suddenly distracted by something out of the corner of his eye. He looked up in time to see an extremely large view-screen appear on the wall that automatically switched itself on as it completed its transformation.

The view showed the expanse of space between Earth and the Moon. They could see green lights winking and a few gold lights spaced at different planes of orbit, some sweeping the heavens, other stationary. There were other view-screens, but this one seemed to command the undivided attention of everyone, except Zeke, who had been in space a while now and wasn’t fazed by it all.

Zeke, who had seen all of this before, took advantage of the silence and spoke to Pod on his implant.

‘Pod, you need to bring me up to speed with what you plan to do here. None of us know what all this equipment is for and we cannot help you if you don’t provide some very fast tuition.’

‘Zeke,’ Pod answered, ’I have built a lot more of the sensors than I have put out across this section of space. I have nanobots building more as we speak, but currently there are another five thousand of them in the storage area away from the living area.’

‘OK, but you had better tell everyone your plan before we go any further, otherwise you will have no time and no help from anyone.’

‘I understand. I see your point and you are right, I was assuming you would all know what to do. I will correct that oversight now.’

Pod moved off so it was further away and bobbed up and down as if nervously attempting to gain everyone’s attention. It began speaking out loud in its tinny mechanised voice.

“I have a report to make,” it hesitated, almost human-like.

“This complex will house thousands of your people. You should bring the scientists and a viable population up here to defend and continue your species until you find a way to defeat the Nubl.”

“Seriously? You want us to move here and leave Earth to get annihilated?” Zeke asked.

Pod bobbed. It was not used to discussion with these humans. It strove to answer.

“I had hoped for more time, but you don’t have it. In one hour and forty of your minutes, the enemy vessel will arrive in Earth orbit. It will consider it imperative to fire on your planet and decimate as much as possible before calling in the rest of its hive.

When this occurs, you will have thousands of ships arriving and you will have no chance of survival. They are relentless and they will not halt their attack until Earth is a sterile rock.”

Goeth piped up, he was suddenly nervous. They had not considered that Earth could be destroyed even before they got into space. “Are you saying the weapons we have developed and the city shields will not withstand their attack?”

“No, probably not, but this is why I have brought you here,” Pod said. “I have developed a weapon based on Ossie’s killer nanites which I placed in the sentinels around your solar system. These attacked the enemy ship as soon as it arrived. “

Pod ran a video and sensor simulation on the view-screen showing them what occurred as the Nubl Shadow-ship entered the solar system. It went on with its explanation as the video showed complimentary data.

“That Nubl ship is now making its way here. However, I am unable to determine how successful the attack was. The nanites were programmed with a lifespan of two hours. That period will expire in approximately one hour and four minutes.”

Lang interjected, “so, when the spaceship arrives here it may be damaged and, therefore, could be attacked successfully, or it might not be and we will be no better off, except we are here and the rest of the world is down there.” He pointed at the view-screen showing the blue, white and brown swirly marble of Earth.

“If we don’t have any chance with our existing weapons, then why are we here?” asked Osbourne, who despite having complete faith in Pod, was also unsure what they were doing on a hollowed out asteroid in the middle of space and a long way from Earth.