The Pattern Ship (The Pattern Universe) (19 page)

“Yes!” from Garner as he accepted the valid argument and was reassured as far as it went.

“So, we need to meld a non-political group from all nations with a sufficient presence to provide a balance between democratic and military background and use that to forge a new Space Council.”

“Mmmh! Yes, that sounds workable, provided that it was a one man, one vote type of situation. It would by necessity be a one vote per country to begin with, I suspect, although this might not be a fair distribution of power where more advanced countries are putting up the majority of the workforce or finance to develop the technology.”

“We have already thought of that,“ prompted Zeke. “The raw materials would be provided by Ship’s facilities for mining asteroids and the initial patterns also provided until we created sufficient momentum to design and manufacture.

Then we are looking at workforce mainly and the financing would come out of the funding bank we set up initially to secure a foothold for Zirkos’ people on Earth. There is considerable money in that available for our use,” he offered.

“So, you wouldn’t require investment from countries or organisations then?” Garner seemed surprised. Zeke nodded agreeably .

“Yes, but honestly if we tried to go that route, would we not get the USA demanding a bigger slice of the action, then China and Russian and Europe demanding proportional voting too.

The last thing we want is a lobbying system that emulates the political system we already have and that so many object to as it lines the pockets of the rich and powerful.” Zeke responded knowing full well that it would be as he had described.

Garner looked askance at Zeke

“Careful, Zeke I’m part of that system. A lot of what you want the Space Council to be, is going to require the involvement of those very structures you criticise,” he waggled his finger for good measure in a friendly warning.

Zeke wasn’t having that and responded.

“We will avoid that route altogether if we can. This has to be seen to be not in any corporate group pockets. That means keeping it out of that ‘system’ as you call it. We could do it without any of you purely by providing a platform, the financing and the materials and inviting people to join us. It wouldn't take long to steal the best brains from all of the countries on the planet and set them up as a completely independent identity.”

“Hmmh!” Garner grunted.

He didn’t seem to pleased at that prospect, but that was the stick, the carrot was getting voluntary involvement from all the governments, or at least all of those prepared to commit to such a project.

“Okay!” He said, not sounding at all committed to his answer. “ If I agree to get involved, I want a fairly decent position within the new set-up. I won’t work for no recognition, the USA has to be prominent in any organisation that deals with global aspirations.”

“Frank,” Zeke assured. “We were actually hoping you would be its President.”

His eyes brightened at that. “Ah, then that’s settled, let's get it all going as soon as my Presidency is over, that will give me something to kick dust into the new President's eyes with... hehehehe!” He chuckled at the prospect of a surge in popularity.

***

Ferris called the meeting to order. He had some specific things he needed to accomplish, the first was that he required access to the over-ride codes to the city systems, specifically Washington. However, he couldn’t broadcast the fact.

“Osbourne, you are dealing with replication of the Shields for cities, how are the updates coming along?” He queried.

“Well Sir, we have responded as requested by the Secretary of State and prioritised them and the list has been passed along. You should have a copy of them in your in-box.”

“Good, We are planning on some exercises over the next few months to test their ability to respond to emergencies from external sources and its anticipated that there will be a high degree of failure rate in response times,“ Ferris offered up. “How do you feel they will react to such an incident, Osbourne?”

“Er, I think they might struggle with the technology, Sir. They have been advised its a straight forward on/off switch and have not been trained in anything that might preclude that. Are you suggesting that attacks might be forthcoming sir, all of our data suggests...”

“No Osbourne, I’m not suggesting anything, but the President has insisted that I personally take full responsibility for the effectiveness of our Shield systems so, I’m going to make sure my ass is covered in one hundred percent cast iron and copper plate.”

“Yes, but the shields aren’t likely to fail, Sir, we have tested them to the destruction of everything around them and they haven’t failed, ever, Sir.”

“Osbourne, it may surprise you to know I do read your reports, and everyone else’s here,” he swept his eyes hawkishly around the table

“However, there needs to be contingency planning and from my ad-hoc site visits I have been extremely disturbed at what I have seen. I intend to make some corrections to the back-up and ensure that there are justifiable reasons for purpose trained engineers and additional back-up power sources.

So far my advice has been largely ignored. I intend to correct that oversight.”

“How do you intend to achieve that Sir? Being as they only have to switch them on.”

“I intend to make the shields fail simulating a power fail and they will then be then advised accordingly and told to have the screens set back up via an alternate source within 30 minutes or face annihilation, simulated of course.”

“But, to do that you would need the shield over-ride codes. They are only to be given to the SofS or the President, Sir.”

“Osbourne, does the buck stop with the President if the shields fail, or with me. If its me do you want to be the one to stand there and tell me you were sorry, but you were under instructions. Instructions I might add that I actually wrote and gave to you when we set this whole operation up?” Ferris glowered at him.

He was pleased to see Osbourne shrinking from the exposure he felt was being directed towards him.

“I guess... I mean I understand Sir, I can have these made available....” he tried to utter.

He was interrupted by Ferris who pretended acceptance and impatience.

“Make it so, Osbourne, I expect the complete list in my in box no later than end of business today,” He ordered.

Ferris quickly moved onto the next order of business leaving Osbourne mouthing to himself like a fish out of water. Which in terms of what had just occurred was exactly what he was.

The last order of business was the development of the Tractor Beam weapon. They had all seen Zeke’s working and whilst he wouldn’t divulge how he managed it, they nonetheless had enough knowledge between them to ascertain a large portion of the functionality.

A fact that was not lost on Zeke who allowed them sufficient playtime with his to ensure they could technically understand the nature of its design. They didn’t resent the fact that Zeke wouldn’t just give them plans because they knew that to actually build them, they would need to understand the process.

They had just got to the point where they could build a prototype, but had no idea how to adjust the aim from needle to hammer. They had instead just decided to have it set as a needle gun and were in the process of tooling up to produce them in very small quantities.

“How soon before you can supply a hundred off for testing and marketing?” Ferris demanded. The engineering scientists were all gathered in a huddle so he addressed them as a block not bothering to single any one of them out.

“We are about two weeks away from having a manufacturing process, after that another three weeks to tool up and get the workers trained. It’s a fairly technical process,” bleated a small mousy man wearing John Lennon blue tinted glasses.

“I need them in a month, see what you can do to get the process speeded up, let me have one hundred working models before the next meeting,” he instructed. He needed them quickly, the plans he had fermenting were coming along nicely.

With his objectives achieved, he sat quietly smiling while the meeting finished and drew to a close. His skin itched and his head ached behind his eyes. He would need another transfusion soon. Still, it was worth it, the team working on the Ferrazine had discovered some startling properties that he hadn’t passed upstairs yet. He intended them to be a surprise when the time came.

Osbourne looked at Ferris out the corner of his eye. He wasn’t stupid, only timid. He knew Ferris wasn’t above board, he had heard the rumours going around for months now. Ever since Jannson had disappeared there was something afoot. He needed to get a message out somehow and he had an idea how.

- 18 -

The black smudge of the Shadow Ship drew swiftly past the thirteenth planet. The sensor display showed it to be mainly land, liquid methane, little atmosphere to speak of. The spore of a Nonnie had drawn them here. A garbled signal given off by the remains of its antenna could leak like that.

Arthere hawked aggressively at an underling. The command which had been directed at the sensor operator sent the poor creature into panicked reaction. Its Avientel coloured skin glowed a crimson red in alarm as it fought with the controls to try and focus on the trail of the Nonnie. It hawked back to the Commander arching its shoulders in submission, pointing desperately at the display.

The Commander skewed her vision slightly to one side as her beaky features moved to allow it an uninterrupted view of the forward panel. A small circle oscillated in the blackness on the edge of the view screen.

“THERE!” she flung out her clawed hand which extended seemingly by sinew alone from the end of her bony arm, the jewelled finger pointing to its intended target.

“Proceed to close with the fugitive,” she commanded.

“Avien Arthere, as you command,” screeched the pilot who set about finely adjusting levers and dials on its control panel.

As it did the vacillating circle moved until it became centred on the screen which began to grow as they gained on it. Flying through the darkness of open space the Shadow Ship ate up the distance and was soon within range of the stricken vessel.

It wasn’t much of an affair, the Nonnie ship. Little more than the gathered wreckage from a dozen different ships cobbled together to give sanctuary and transit through space. The unfortunate Nonite, an outcast from a destroyed clan, was not fair game. It carried no weapons, there was little point. You could not defend against a Nubl Shadow Ship, especially with the hive link, you would be set upon by thousands of Nubl in a matter of minutes.

The Nonnie could be seen sitting in its open cockpit, its upper body and head pockmarked from small meteor strikes. It looked directly into the view-screen defiant to the last, as it awaited its inevitable obliteration.

Arthere opened a link to his Queen.
‘Avien Oneness, I’m honoured if you will observe the demise of another outcast so it can be seen that I, Arthere, have yet again cleared our domains of useless garbage from our inferior cousins
’ he thought through the link that was exclusive between his Queen and her clones.

‘Proceed Arthere, your thoroughness is observed and recorded. Ensure no trace of the Nonite remains to be analysed.’
The Queen whispered to him alone. She herself would broadcast the execution to the others.

‘It will be so my Queen’

“Proceed with elimination of the Nonite. Now.” Arthere commanded.

Immediately beams of illumination cut through the short distance of space, melting the evading ship piece by piece until all that remained were several molten blobs. Of the Nonite, there was nothing remaining.

The Weapons Operator changed the settings on one of the dials then pressed a button that was flashing. A wide red beam blasted through the nose of the Black Shadow. As it hit the remains of the other ship, the blobs of metals and alloys disappeared in an explosive percussion of dust. The beam went out, its job done.

All that remained were a few minute traces, as the ship swept through where the Nonite had been. They swirled and dispersed with the passing of the Shadow.

Arthere was pleased. That was the tenth Nonite they had eliminated this voyage. It was not greatness, but the opportunities for greatness were limited unless they discovered a biological sentience that needed eradicating. Then when he summoned the Hive to assist, he would become senior Avien, and ultimately, given her honoured blessing, Avien’Ta the one closest to his Queen.

He ordered them to proceed to the next solar system and as they prepared for the jump he crooned his pleasure. His small crew flashed with glowing colours of deep blues and greens in response to his vocal approval.

***

The Avien Queen pondered her current predicament while absently tapping her bejewelled claw against her prominent beak. Her eyes, iridescent black and gold diamonds gleaming with inner fire just stared off into the distance as her mind travelled. Ignoring the attentions of her inner combine, she allowed her thoughts to seek out the eight hundred thousand drones and as one, she sensed their mood.

There had been fewer sporting opportunities for her Hive of late. As a result there was increased dissatisfaction among her clones. Athere alone among them excelled, he would make a good ‘Ta for her, she decided.

She dwelt upon the recent lack of challenges and contemplated the unthinkable, a blood-letting, a war; Hasseel. The word hissed off her tongue before she could halt it, her clones nearby heard the challenge and their feathers preened in response. Their attention now firmly rooted to the emotive mental aura of their Queen.

Her pulse raced at the thought of a Nubl challenge, inadvertently sending a ripple through her hive. She sensed the drones pace quicken in response. The Queen smiled inwardly knowing they would be more productive as a result of that little boost.

Declaring ‘Hasseel’ on another hive was risky. If she continued to do nothing she would appear weak, and worse, her drones would begin to aggress against each other to relieve their boredom and there would be fatalities. The sickness would grow until her Hive weakened, perhaps even destroyed itself. It had always been thus.