AMP The Core (7 page)

A zoomed-in tactical display of the fleet then appeared before me. A tracing line drew repeated patterns through the fleet until a set of forty-two ships was identified through a single straight line. The Defender continued to accelerate. Thirty seconds after liftoff, we were aligned for a strike on the Bulgar fleet. The visual of Molov and its sun was stunning on the display as we swirled out from it and circled back around.

The Bulgar fleet continued to show on the tactical display as we came in perfect alignment with the forty-two ships in question. In an instant, I felt a slight rumble as we passed through the ships to the other side. The Defender then began another wide arc as it turned to align itself for another pass. The forty-two Bulgar ships now showed as red Xs on the tactical display.

I spoke. "How did we do that? How is the ship not visible?"

The ship responded as a new orientation of the Bulgar fleet showed on the tactical display. The targeting lines crisscrossed the ships until a new alignment of thirty-one ships appeared. The Defender moved to position itself for another run.

The ship’s computer replied, "The destructive power of the Defender comes from the firing of tungsten rounds from four coil cannons mounted within her structure. While traveling faster than the speed of light, the round enters the target, sweeping away material with it as it proceeds. The void created causes the surrounding material to implode before it explodes. The Defender has a sodium-covered skin. The spin of the electrons within sodium atoms is brought to a halt through the application of an extremely high-magnetic field. The lack of electron spin allows the Defender to pass through material objects."

The computer continued, "The same phenomenon allows objects to also pass through the Defender. Material is absorbed into the sodium skin, passes around the hull of the ship, and is then expelled on the other side, in the exact formation as when it entered. All known wavelengths of light and radio frequency travel through and around the Defender as if the ship was not there."

I spoke. "Wow, we could sure make use of this technology for our fight with the Durians."

I looked at the display and noted the ship’s speed as being five times the speed of light. "How fast can this ship go? What is its maximum speed?"

The computer replied as another thirty-one Bulgar ships turned into red Xs on the display, "The Defender is propelled by a black hole drive system. The BHD rings on the front, rear, and all sides of the ship are used to propel the ship in the direction of the active rings. The maximum speed of the BHD is unknown. The drive will continue to accelerate the ship so long as sufficient power is supplied."

I spoke. "So, if power is applied to the BHD, the ship will just keep going faster and faster?"

The computer replied, "The statement your question implies is correct."

I looked around the cabin and then back at the display. "What kind of gravity or inertial dampening system does the Defender have?"

The computer answered, "The sodium skin isolates the interior of the ship from all known forces, including those of gravity and inertia. As with material objects, those forces are absorbed by the skin, passed around its exterior, and expelled on the other side. An artificial gravity system is located in the ship’s flooring."

I continued, "The power source—is that the glowing box in the back?"

The computer replied, "The cesium fusion reactor provides power to the Defender and her systems. The model-four reactor can provide a continuous power output of 1.21 terajoules."

I held up my hand. "Wait. Did you say terajoules?"

The computer then flipped the tactical display to an image of the Bulgar fleet as it turned to leave. The Bulgars had no defense against the single Defender and her advanced but unusual technology.

The computer answered, "The constant power output of the cesium fusion reactor is 1.21 terajoules."

I shook my head. "Wait. You are telling me that your little cesium reactor back there has more power output than our Grid?"

The computer responded, "I do not have reference to any Grid. Please restate your question."

I again looked up at the display and was again taken aback as we gently set down again in the center of the field of debris on Molov.

I asked, "Is the interior of this ship the deep black because of the sodium skin?"

The computer flipped up a new display. "To select interior lighting features, press the holo-buttons on the display in front of you."

I reached forward and pressed the button marked Visual. The deep black interior quickly turned into the view from the outside of the ship. The visual rays of light were allowed to pass through the ship’s outer skin to its interior skin. I was suddenly sitting in one of four chairs, bolted to a steel grating that was suspended about a half meter in the air.

I reacted with "Aw, now that is just awesome! Does this ship come with a manual?"

The computer replied, "The Defender has complete maintenance manuals and user guides with tutorials. Select the question-mark symbol in the top right corner of the display to initiate a query about any of the ship’s systems and requirements."

As I reached up towards the question-mark symbol, I felt like a kid on the Grid who had just been given his first ion blaster. I pressed the question-mark symbol and then continued next with the Systems symbol in the bottom left of the display. The remainder of my day was spent browsing through the operation of the ship’s systems and their capabilities.

I woke up, slumped over in the chair in the Defender cabin. For three days straight, I had gone from one system to another and watched in fascination as the tutorials gave a complete and thorough explanation of how everything worked.

As I rubbed the sleep from my eyes, I spoke. "Sarah, can you interface to the systems in my helmet?"

The computer replied, "A radio frequency link is possible; data transfer rates will be limited."

I nodded. "OK, Sarah, connect to my helmet computer, scan my retina for access, then retrieve the star maps for this region of the galaxy."

Several seconds passed, and the computer again replied, "Star maps have been accessed and integrated into previously mapped systems."

I clicked on the nav display as I spoke. "Identify a route to the Gonta Tresha system and provide an estimate of time for travel to there in this Defender."

Star maps appeared on the holo-display, with a line drawn directly from Molov to Tresha. The calculated trip time was three hours, seven minutes, twelve seconds.

I remarked. "Three hours! Is that correct? From here to Tresha in three hours?"

The computer replied, "Three hours, seven minutes, twelve seconds."

I smiled. "Computer, set the nav course to Tresha and begin the journey as soon as is possible!"

A giant red X appeared on the holo-display. "I am sorry, the programming on this ship will not allow it to travel beyond the vicinity of the Molov system. An agreement was reached with the Meggak people to remain here as their protector."

I argued with the computer for an hour before I gave up on my quest. "OK, OK, how about this. Can we travel to the Defiant fleet that landed at the coordinates I am entering in?"

The computer replied, "A course has been laid in to the specified coordinates."

I rocked in my chair in frustration as I threw up my hands. "Well, let’s go! Take me to the Defiant fleet!"

The Defender quickly lifted off, and only a handful of seconds later, we were hovering over what had once been my great fleet. The Suppressor lay on its side, burned out and full of holes. Each of the cargo bays had been obliterated by heavy ion cannon fire from the edge of the Molov system. The Bulgars had done their dirty deed. Our short battle had been in response to the Bulgar bombardment of the Defiant fleet.

I threw my hands up in the air and brought them down behind my neck. "Aw, this, this is just bad. I can’t repair those things, and you won’t let us fly out of this system. Wait, Sarah, can you scan this cargo bay?"

The computer replied as I pointed at the image of the Suppressor on the display, "Scanning. Complete."

I pressed the holo-button over the scan results and was soon delving through the information that had been supplied. Frig’s lab, along with the generators and wormhole antennae, was a complete wreck. The Bulgar bombardment had been thorough.

I sat back in my chair in a huff over what to do. "Sarah, how good is your little robot at repairing things?"

The computer displayed an image of the Kurtz-designed maintenance bot. "The maintenance bot can perform a variety of duties. Those duties include ship repair and maintenance."

I spoke. "Can the bot repair the ship that we just scanned?"

The computer replied, "Yes, the damaged vessel in the scans can be restored by the bot to flight condition in three years, twelve days, four hours, and thirty-two minutes. Materials for parts replication are available from the surrounding landscape."

I shook my head. "Three years. Big good that does me. I might be the last Human alive by that time. Sarah, you said ‘parts replication.' How exactly is that done?"

The holo-display showed a machine design. "The replicator design can be constructed by the bot in four hours, eight minutes."

I threw up my hands. "Well, build us a replicator. Wait, can the replicator build more bots that can build more replicators?"

The computer replied, "Yes."

I raised one hand as my jaw dropped open. "Yes? Well, get started, then! How many bots and replicators can be built in the next four days?"

The display updated with the approximate counts. "Just over six thousand! Well, crap! Get started! Sarah, how long would it take to repair the Suppressor to flight worthy with the number of bots and replicators on the display?"

The computer replied, "Scanning the surrounding debris for resources. Complete. The bots and replicators as described on the display would take approximately ninety days, eight hours, seven minutes to complete the requested task."

I sat forward. "Sarah, what is the optimum time for constructing bots and replicators to repair the ship I landed in? It is located approximately four hundred kilometers from here, in the bottom of a lake."

For a moment, I began to get motion sickness as the imagery that surrounded me spun quickly and then fell behind the Defender. Ten seconds later, we were stopped over the frozen lake where I had crash-landed. A scan was performed, and the results showed on the holo-display several seconds later.

The computer replied, "Three days, four hours, seventeen minutes."

I nodded. "OK, let’s do that instead. Sarah, initiate the optimal repairs of the Swift."

Again I felt a queasiness in my stomach as the Defender spun and shot back over the debris field where it had initially broadcast its signal from. After it landed, the maintenance bot stepped out onto the bare ground and immediately sprinted to the closest pile of debris. I watched in fascination as it picked, chopped, bent, and sorted the materials required to build a replicator. The speed at which the bot worked in coordination with the Defender’s scanner was astonishing. Four short hours after the process had begun, the first replicator machine was operational.

I continued to watch in fascination as the bot gathered materials and the replicator spit out parts. Fifty-six minutes after the replicator had begun, the bot began to assemble the first of many bots to come. Seven minutes later, the newly assembled bot began to perform the tasks needed for completing the build of the next replicator.

The bots worked through the night and into the next day. By the end of the second day, the makings of a small ship with a hoist hanging beneath it were taking shape. On the morning of the third day, the small ship lifted off. Half an hour later, it returned with a still-dripping Swift. The bots immediately scrambled over the Swift, peeling back damaged materials and pulling out her guts for repairs.

I had the sudden realization that I had not eaten in two days. The rations from the Meggaks had run out.

I spoke. "Sarah, how did you eat on your long journeys? I don’t see any kitchen or supplies here."

The computer responded, "The occupants of this vessel made use of nutrition packs connected to the BGS suits that they wore."

I clicked the Help button and was soon going through a tutorial on the Bio-Gel Sustenance suit. Two such suits hung in the back of the Defender. The construction of the suit was one size fits all. I peeled off my battle suit and pulled on the BGS. Following the tutorial, I connected a small hose to the ship and soon had the funky feeling of warm gel filling the suit around me. A nutrition pack was picked from the ship’s stores and fastened to the belt on the front of the suit.

I then asked the computer a specific question. "I don’t get it, Sarah; how does the nutrition pack feed me?"

The computer replied as it showed explanatory diagrams, "The BGS nutrition is absorbed through the skin."

I looked at the diagram. "What is a filter pack and do I need one?"

The diagrams changed. "The filter pack removes waste product from the bio-gel."

I squinted one eye as I looked at the display. "What waste product?"

The computer continued, "Waste product consists of dead skin, body hair, skin oils, sweat, finger- and toenails, urine, and feces."

I sat back. "Wait, what? Feces! What feces?"

The computer replied, "The BGS suit is capable of being worn continuously. The nutrition pack provides sustenance, the filter pack removes waste, and the power pack provides suit and auxiliary power."

I raised my hand. "OK, well, my battle suit provides environmental needs as well as defensive protections. What do I get with a BGS?"

The computer switched displays to show other capabilities of the BGS. "The BGS provides a complete environment to its wearer: food, oxygen, temperature, and radiation and physical material impact. The sodium skin on the BGS provides protection similar to that of the skin on the Defender, only limited by the power supplied. As a secondary defense, the BGS allows the wearer to go invisible; all energy forms as well as physical objects will pass through to the other side. Switching the sodium skin to active will allow the wearer to walk through walls. Switching the active skin off returns the wearer to a normal environment."

I stepped outside and then enabled the sodium skin. Right before my eyes, my arms, legs, and torso disappeared. My smile turned into a broad grin. I turned the active skin off and walked the five steps over to the nearest replicator. I reactivated the skin and reached my invisible hand out to touch the side of the replicator. I was in shock as my hand passed through the side of the machine. I withdrew my hand.

As I looked up and down at the replicator, I again began to grin. "OK, Grange. Let’s see how walking through this thing works."

I moved my legs, but I did not move forward. It was as if I was floating in the air. I turned the active skin off and stumbled, as my feet were now awkwardly positioned.

When I had regained my composure, I turned the active skin on and repeated my attempt to move forward. Again, I could feel my legs attempting to walk me forward, but no movement was had. This time I positioned my feet before turning off the active skin.

I walked back into the Defender and sat down in front of the console. "Sarah, how is one supposed to move when the active skin is turned on?"

The computer replied, "The active skin removes all inertial and physical traits of acceleration or deceleration. In order to move while the sodium skin is active, the wearer must first be in motion or make use of the built-in BHD. So long as the skin is active, the wearer will continue moving at the speed and in the direction from which the skin was activated."

I stood and walked back out of the replicator. "OK, Grange. Now we see what it is like to pass through an object."

I took a step and then activated the sodium skin. To my delight, I floated effortlessly towards the large metallic replicator. As I grew closer, I outstretched my arms. They entered the machine without so much as a feeling of contact. I then heard a loud sound.

Gong!

Twenty minutes later, I awoke a thousand meters away from the Defender. I was upside down and in a slow rotation about four meters off the ground. I waited until I had the correct orientation and then turned off the active skin. I dropped to the ground on top of a pile of debris. A large knot protruded from my forehead. I felt like a complete idiot as I realized that I had not been wearing the active helmet.

My body had attempted to pass through the machine, while my head slammed hard into the broad metallic side plating. I walked back to the ship, gently rubbing the bulge on my forehead.

Once back inside the Defender, I pulled on the BGS helmet and walked back outside to again attempt my fly through. After stepping forward and activating the BGS skin, I found myself floating effortlessly through the material that made up the replicator. It was a three-dimensional experience that I would never forget.

For the next hour, I attempted a number of other fly throughs, with the final one leaving me stuck in the ground at shoulder depth. Only after any number of well-timed wiggles was I able to get enough motion going to propel me upwards and out of the trap that I had gotten myself into.

As the bots continued their work, I returned to the Defender’s computer to continue my research. I stumbled upon a section listed as DNA Updates. Out of curiosity, I selected the section and was rewarded with diagrams, charts, and tables of a bio-enhancement that was available through an injection. IQ points increased by 10 percent, longevity tripled, and strength and stamina would be increased as well.

I took a moment to ask the next question. "Sarah, how do I get this DNA injection?"

The computer replied, "A sample of your blood must be drawn to construct the proper DNA sequencing for your body. Instruct the replicators to draw this sample and to begin the biosynthesis process for the serum as described here. Once injected, the serum will take approximately fifteen days to begin lengthening the DNA strands of all newly created cells. The first effects can be seen and felt within thirty days after."

I nodded my head and pressed the buttons to queue up the process. It would begin immediately after the completion of the Swift’s updates.

At the end of the day, the bots and replicators had stopped working. I stepped aboard the Swift and was amazed at how she looked nearly identical to how she had before taking the beating the Bulgars had given her. I sat in the pilot’s chair and flipped the switch to power on the ion generator. The Swift’s console came to life.

I pressed the button to close the rear hatch and then began a full diagnostic of her systems. One by one, the systems returned a green symbol indicating their readiness to be used. I enabled the engines and took her for a spin in the Molov atmosphere. All systems seemed to be functioning perfectly.

I returned to where the Defender was parked and landed the Swift next to her. I emerged, again with a smile on my face. As I stepped up into the cabin of the Defender, the little gears in my head began to turn.

I sat in my usual chair. "Sarah, is it possible to refit the Swift with a cesium fusion reactor?"

The display screen flipped to a diagram of the internals of the Swift. A figure began to be sketched on the display that included measurements and materials. Five minutes later, a chime sounded and the screen said, "Design Complete."

The computer responded, "Yes."

I nodded my head. "Can the Swift be optimized for power, speed, defense, weapons, computer systems, and any other system designs that are available on the Defender? And if so, how long would it take for the bots and replicators to make it happen?"