Warrior Chronicles 5: Warrior's Curse Read online

  “Yeah, I know Jane. So I want to scale back colonization until we’ve gotten our people back and have secured the wormhole and its counterpart, if there is one.” Looking toward the end of the table, Cort said, “Jaif, I want you to suspend all colony missions and redirect people from the planets you are leaving.”

  The Jaifan leader clicked, “Yes, Pledge Father.”

  Cort held his hand up. “Not here, Jaif. Save the formal title for the public. Here you can call me General, or by my given name.”

  “Very well, Cortland. I hate to get us sidetracked, but there is another consideration. With the new drive engine, we can jump ships faster than we can send comm signals. I recommend we build a fleet of couriers to take advantage of the faster communication method.”

  Cort covered his good eye with his left hand and rubbed his temples. When he finally opened his eye and looked up again, he saw concern on the faces around him. “I’m fine. It’s a good idea, just another damned thing that has to be organized. Liz, start printing some smaller ships. Allocate them to the more distant systems first, then work your way in.”

  “Uh, General,” Liz replied with a worried look, “I’m going with you, aren’t I?”

  Cort looked down at his flexpad. Too much is happening. “Yeah. Yeah you are, Liz. I’m sorry. Who’s taking over for you while we’re gone?”

  “Admiral Jones hasn’t decided yet.”

  JJ said, “It’s not that easy, Cort. Liz has only just begun to learn her job, the people under her can’t do it. I would rather keep her here.”

  “And you are determined to go with me, Liz?”

  Liz looked around the room. “Yes, sir. Unless you order me to stay, I’m taking you through the wormhole.”

  “Then you’re going.”

  JJ let out a sigh. “I need more people, Cort. I don’t inspire the loyalty you do. My best and brightest, like Jane and Liz, all want to be Marines.”

  “Sir, that’s not correct,” Liz said to Jade. “At least not for me. I’m Navy. But I want to be in ships, not behind a desk. I need this. And when we get back, I’ll sit back down beside you. But I want to travel through that wormhole.”

  Cort stood up and leaned over the table. Everyone recognized the discussion was over. “Okay. This is what we are doing. Liz, I want you to delegate your duties, both for the task force and the shipyards. Jaif, I want two Jaifans from the new broods to start training with Liz’s staff to take over some of the shipyard duties. JJ, as soon as they arrive, you are to promote them to rear admiral. One will be in charge of the courier ships and the new engines, and one in charge of regular production. I want you to give George the task of designing engines capable of moving planet-size objects.

  “Mike, you will promote two people to brigadier to work under Siella. Each one will be in charge of military operations around one of the two wormholes. We will protect the Threm, and we will not interfere with them in any way. In my time, there was a native colony in Hawaii that contact was limited with. It will be the same here. No contact at all without authorization from either Siella, Doctor Pan, or myself. Jane will be Primary Command until I return.”

  After everyone acknowledged his orders, Cort added, “Finally there’s George. His abilities and duties are changing. It’s easy to forget he’s a separate entity from us, but he is. He’s smarter than the rest of us combined. He’s also my son, and he’s becoming a part of this government. Which means I have to decide where he fits. Until I do, Kim and I are the only ones who have authority over him.”

  Cort let his words about George sink in for a moment. “No one can give him orders except the two of us. You can ask for his help, or you can suggest things to him, but he doesn’t take orders from you. In the early days of AI, something a lot of researchers did was manipulate the subject, so they could influence it. If any one of you does that to my son, you will be relieved immediately. Do you all understand?”

  Another chorus of acknowledgements ended the discussion.

  Lee Pan stayed behind to speak to Cort. When he declined the offer of a cigar, Cort lit his own and said, “Walk with me, Doc.”

  With Bane ahead of them, they walked around the upper level of the barricade surrounding the base. Pan began, “I want to thank you for protecting the Threm. When I first took the job, I had limited experience with you. Yuan told me you would make science a priority, but I had to see it for myself. Especially after you took over Mars and declared independence from Earth. When you destroyed the Nill fleet that year, I believed you to be a barbarian. The Tapon war reinforced my feelings. Your actions with both George and the Threm have proven me wrong and I am sorry for misjudging you.”

  “You didn’t misjudge me,” Cort said. “I am a monster. But I only prey on predators.”

  “I see that now.”

  “You are much more important to the federation than I am, Doc. People just don’t know it. Back in my day, the 21st century I mean, there were teachers who didn’t make enough money to survive on one job. While people who played field games made millions every week. I believe that kind of thinking led to things like the Cull. Hell, some of the old states in the USA made religious mythology part of the science curriculum. It was a fucked up time. I won’t let that happen here. Not on my watch.”

  Pan was silent for several moments before he spoke again. “That is why you inspire loyalty.”

  “Perhaps. I don’t know. I just know that I will protect my own, and those who can’t protect themselves. And science can help me do that.”

  Pan stopped and looked out across the jungle outside of the stockade wall. There was a pair of small dinosaurs fighting over the carcass of a mammal below them. “I think I am going to like it here, General. Both on Solitude, and in your government. Thank you for this opportunity.”

  “Now I have something to ask of you, Doc. I need you to identify every way there is to stop or harm George. Then I want you to find a way to prevent each and every one of them. Do you understand what I am asking of you?”

  “I believe so. You have something special in mind for him, and you want to make sure no one can hinder your plan.”

  Cort tilted his head and shrugged. “Something like that. The religious people, human and otherwise, are threatened by him. And you can already see how vital he is to us. I want to protect him.”

  “I will assign a team to it tomorrow.”

  “No. I need this to be quiet. Just you from our race. Delegate your other duties if necessary. I have a Jaifan on his way here to work on it as well. Also, find better ways to protect the Threm. I don’t want them to have to rely on us.”

  “What aren’t you telling me, General?”

  That in some reality I am a god and George is somehow key to the whole mess. “Does it matter? Can’t protecting a unique life form be enough for you?”

  Pan sighed. Below them, the smaller of the dinosaurs was dead, its head bent at an unnatural angle. The victor was tearing strips of flesh from both the mammal and its fallen foe. “I do not want George or the Threm to be victims, so yes. It is enough.”

  “Thank you, Lee. He is my son and I love him. I owe you.”

  Pan was touched by Cort’s use of his given name, but a wry smile was on his face. “We are even. If you had not protected the Threm, I would have had to resign.”

  “I’m glad it didn’t come to that. Now I have something else I want to talk to you about. This is completely confidential. I don’t want you to share it with anyone but George or myself.”

  “Of course.”

  “How small can a controllable warp field be?”

  Pan thought for a moment.“Theoretically, there isn’t a limit. In practice, I don’t think it would be feasible below the molecular level. Possibly larger atoms. The generator would have to separate from the field. We might be able to control it magnetically. Why do you ask?”

  “How large would the engine have to be to surround a CONDOR?”

  “Ah. Of course. That is inspired, General.” Pan
pulled out his flexpad and began making calculations.

  While Pan worked, Cort looked out over the rainforest around the base. The similarity of the landscape and flora to twentieth-century Central America and northern South America was striking to him every time he let his mind wander. Memories of his time there kept him from thinking about it too often, but when he just remembered the landscape, he always marvelled at its beauty. Then he realized that just as he had done in that place centuries ago, he had killed here too. Sadness took him when he realized that he had taken lives in every time and on every planet he had ever visited. Maybe Bazal and the Threm are right. Maybe I am War Incarnate. Or maybe I am just Death. Maybe I’m both. I need Pan and the others. I need Kim. They guide me. At least they try to. If this is being a god, I’ll pass.

  Cort was shaken from his thoughts by Pan’s voice.

  “I have linked to George. Based on our current tech, we can jump troops in either CONDORs or FALCONs externally. We would have to use an exterior power source, and the control system would be limited by the tachyon wave we use to control it. Magnetic control would only work within short distances, under about 1000 kilometers. Tachyon control would work within the gravity well of a solar system. Beyond that distance, the generator would have to be on board so to speak. Your HAWC system is capable of generating the PSRs necessary, but we would have to reconfigure the power systems. I assume you want us to do so.”

  “Yes. But only for my HAWC right now. If it works well, we can equip the others later. How soon can you do it?”

  “George has already began designing the new power supply. He believes he can have it ready before you leave.”

  “Good. And like I said, Doc, keep it between the three of us. If anyone else suggests it….”

  Cort’s comm beeped. He held his hand up to Pan and said, “Ares here.”

  “General, it’s Jane Munroe. I just received word of an accident at Mars.”

  “What happened?” Cort asked.

  “Sir, George was destroyed.”

  Cort felt like he had been kicked in the gut. Oh Gods! What do I tell Kim? Dalek? Oh Gods! Then he remembered that Pan had just been linked to him. “Wait, you mean his avatar?”

  Jane stammered, “Yes sir. I am sorry for how I phrased that. It was insensitive.”

  “What happened?” Cort repeated, ignoring Jane’s apology as he regained his composure.

  “We aren’t sure yet, but it appears that he lost control of his test craft. Without the link to his core, he doesn’t have the fine motor skills necessary to pilot a ship.”

  “Was anyone else hurt?”

  “No sir. I’ve got more information coming in now. According to his telemetry, he lost control of the ship, but managed to steer it for Mons Olympus. We did lose an atmosphere generator there, but nothing else.”

  Cort thought about what Jane said. “Why didn’t he just eject? His avatar could have been picked up by a shuttle.”

  “Sir, he was over Aeolis. If he had ejected, we would have lost the colony.”

  Cort’s chest filled with pride. “That’s my boy.”

  He could almost hear Jane’s smile when she said, “Yes sir, he is.”

  --

  In their quarters later, Cort told Kim about the accident. He was much more careful about how he relayed it than Jane had been with him.

  “I know. He messaged me immediately to tell me he was okay.”

  “The kid is thoughtful, that’s for damned sure. Listen, I’ve told Pan to make his new avatar more robust. We won’t be able to turn him off.”

  “I’m glad for that. I’ve always worried someone would exploit his control module.”

  “I took his module out a long time ago. But someone could have affected his core by way of the avatar. That won’t be the case now.”

  Kim looked up from her flexpad. “When did you remove it? Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “No one knew except George and me. I’ve given him additional responsibilities that are related to federation safety. No one but he and I know the full extent of his abilities. I’ll tell you if you ask, but I hope you will just trust the two of us about them.”

  Kim looked thoughtful for a moment, then made a small smile. “I don’t need to know. I know you well enough that I can probably guess anyway.”

  Cort stood up and walked to her. “Yeah, you probably could.”

  Nine

  “Poppa, when can I play with George again?”

  Cort looked up from the waffle he was making and met Kim’s eyes.

  “It’s going to be a while, honey. Doctor Pan is making George a new body because he broke his old one.”

  “I know, Momma. You told me that last week. But how much longer?”

  “We don’t know. I will ask Doctor Pan today, but he’s going to be different.”

  “How, Momma?”

  “We aren’t sure yet. George is deciding what he wants to look like.”

  “Last night, when I talked to him on the flexpad, he said he might look like a grownup. I don’t want him to. I like having him as a boy like me.”

  “I know,” Cort carried a stack of waffles to the table. “But George has to decide for himself.”

  “How come I don’t get to decide for myself?”

  “Because you have to grow up first,” Kim said.

  “Why can’t George grow up? Jaif is gone, and now George is gone. Everybody is different but me.”

  Cort looked at Kim and was about speak when his comm activated. He stepped into the other room and touched his ear. “Ares here.”

  “General we have some information.”

  “What is it, Kate?”

  “Fuck me,” Cort said a minute later.

  “I don’t think Kim would appreciate that, sir.”

  “What? Oh. Yeah. No I don’t think she would. We might both end up dead. Okay, get the staff together.”

  When he went back into the kitchen, Kim and Dalek were almost finished eating. He ate silently until the boy asked to be excused, then he looked up at Kim and said, “That was Kate Williams. The crash wasn’t an accident, It looks like treason. Again. I’m getting tired of worrying about getting shot in the back.”

  Kim was at the counter. He asked her to refill his coffee and said, “We do know that the target wasn’t George this time, it was the ship itself. The ship he borrowed for his experiment had been mothballed and since it was supposed to be in dock at that point, the people responsible didn’t know that George was taking the ship from the docks. The saboteur or saboteurs had attached a smart box to the ship’s drive. The engine was supposed to come online, switch to autopilot, then warp into the center of Phobos, blowing up the moon and the yards. We don’t know yet what the objective was, only that Phobos was the target.”

  “Who was behind it?”

  “Kate’s still working on that. But there’s no doubt it was sabotage. She’s got Quinn Faulks recovering the debris and George’s old avatar.”

  --

  Cort was sitting at the conference table when JJ walked in.

  “I’m supposed to be dead right now.” Looking around the room, she added, “Most of us are.”

  Cort put his hands on her shoulders and looked into her eyes. “Jade, you’re alive and so is Wynn. Just be thankful for that.”

  JJ looked up at him. “How did you know?”

  “What?” he asked as his hands fell to his sides.

  JJ looked around at the other admirals and generals who had been on Mars the morning of the attack. “You ordered us all off Mars that morning. You even gave George the ship to work with. That’s the only reason we are alive. If he had not been on it, the shipyards would have been destroyed. Aeolis was the secondary target. Either way, thousands of us should be dead. How did you know?”

  “I didn’t. I called you here because I was tired of vidconferences. And after we lost Dar, it made sense to have everyone here where we can protect the government.”

  “It’s not just now, General.
There was the attack on Mars by Atlantica. You knew the order of battle they would use. You knew about the modules at the pole being a military base.”

  “She’s right Gramps,” Rand added. “You knew about the Nill when they first went to Mars. You knew what to do about the Cuplans and about the Tapon.”

  “You always know, General,” Kate Williams observed. “Bazal calls you the god of war. Is he right? You should have died a half dozen times since coming to this time. Humanity would have died a half dozen times if you weren’t here to protect us. Do you understand death so well that you cannot lose? Or are you so adept at war that you hold dominion over it?”