Borne On Wings of Steel (52 page)

"The path of destruction will be widened enough so one of the small shuttles can traverse it directly to us. Mother will send a shuttle with Fixer3 piloting it. When it arrives, we must get in and get back to her as quickly as possible. But I'm afraid we'll have to back it out, there's no room to turn it around."

"No problem,” Kyle said with a laugh. “Just get me behind the controls."

"Get your stuff together,” Rok said to the others.

There was a flurry of movement. During this time, no one noticed that Qirn had opened his eyes. The Iraxx leader remained motionless, carefully taking in the scene around him. Slowly, he reached inside his shirt and pulled out another blaster pistol.

At that moment, Kyle's communicator beeped.

"This is Mother, take cover. I am firing again."

"We understand, Mother. We're all inside the turbo-elevator. Just remember the door is now damaged.” Kyle said.

"I have added that factor into my calculations. The main impact of my hybrid-weapon will be on the far side of the original path of destruction away from you, in order to widen the path for a shuttle."

"Good."

They gathered at the back and waited.

They didn't wait long. Suddenly they were all thrown down once more by the sheer force as Mother fired again. The earthquake-like rumbling surrounded them and pummeled their bodies.

Within a few seconds, it was over.

"Okay, let's get outside and wait for the shuttle,” Kyle said as he got to his feet. The others followed suit and stood outside when a voice spoke.

"Everyone, freeze."

Kyle and the others stopped in mid-motion.

They all turned to find Qirn now standing, pointing the blaster at them. But their eyes fixed on the other item he held in his other hand.

As they watched, he flicked open a small panel on the metal device and punched a switch with his thumb.

"I've just enabled this bomb. You have less than five minutes to get out of this area.” Qirn's eyes stared at them unflinching.

"What are you doing?” Jaric asked with exasperation.

"I am going to finish the mission,” he said with a determined glare.

"I hear the shuttle's engines coming for us,” Krinia said as she looked down the path of destruction.

"Get on it quickly. Leave me here,” Qirn urged.

"And then you die?” Elise asked with disbelief. “There's no way for you to get out once we leave."

"I will disable this bomb and finish my mission. But yes, I never intended to leave this place. I will die here—I always knew it. I knew it years ago and accepted it as my honored duty."

They stared at him dumbfounded.

But the Iraxx warrior was resolute.

"But how can you destroy it, you alone?” Jysar asked with a shake of his head.

"
A back door
,” Qirn said cryptically.

Jysar's eyes widened, then he nodded with understanding. The others retained their puzzled expressions.

"Now, go!” Qirn ordered them.

A few minutes later they were inside the shuttle and on the way back to the safe confines of Mother's armored hull.

Qirn stood alone as he punched another command and disabled the bomb. Looking around at the horrific damage, he smiled approvingly.

"You have done just what we needed, Mother AI,” Qirn said to himself. “Now, I will do what I need to do."

The Iraxx pulled out his sensor and began searching throughout the core with it. In a few minutes, he smiled.

He stepped outside and turned in the opposite direction from which the shuttle left.

Holding the sensor unit as it guided him to his final destination, the Iraxx took off with quick steps.

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THE SHUTTLE LANDED inside Mother. As soon as the landing bay doors closed, Mother turned and roared off at full speed.

"I will not allow you to leave."

The Paum's condescending voice echoed across Main Ops. It was the first time the AI had spoken since Mother's escape.

Rok, Jysar and all the others gathered inside Main Ops looked up with surprise etched on their faces.

"Been a long time since you spoke to us. We were wondering if you still felt you were always right,” Minstrel said with a twinkle.

"I have been busy with my outer defenses and directing my Home Fleet against the Iraxx fleet attacking me. I have been even busier with repairs to the damage you caused—twenty-seven percent of my core systems damaged or destroyed. But I will stop you."

"That Paum's got an attitude problem,” Jaric said with a shake of his head.

"Who does he think he is?” Kyle laughed.

"Let's see,” Minstrel began with a flash of color. “The Paum thinks he is a god, has all the answers and views everybody else as inferior, wrong, deluded and in need of his guidance."

"Oh, is that all!” Jaric and Kyle laughed together.

"Sounds like he needs to get out more,” Elise chided with a smile.

"Sounds like he needs a swift kick in his—” Rok began.

"Inferior beings!” the Paum shouted with malice. “I will stop you. I will defeat the fleets arrayed against me even now. And, I will bring Paum to the entire universe. No one can defeat me."

"I will stop you.” Qirn's voice emanated over the speakers via his communicator.

"Who are you?” the Paum asked.

"I am Qirn, of the Iraxx."

"A single, inferior being cannot stop me. I have defeated entire worlds, entire fleets."

"But, I have consulted with the beings who originally created you. Even now, I am making my way to your central operating system, to the core of your core. I go to your very beginning."

A thick silence settled.

"I have run an internal search of my core system; there is nothing you can do to me. There are no hidden codes, there is nothing you can do."

Qirn's confident laughter echoed through the speakers.

Mother flew at top speed, making for the corridor that led to the main docking bay where the supply ships brought their goods inside to the core.

"Hang on, I'm firing my hybrid weapon again,” Mother said matter-of-factly.

"And none too soon,” Minstrel said with a shower of twinkling lights. “That Paum is getting on my nerves."

A crimson streak leapt away, tearing straight through the main door and level after level of the mighty complex until it struck the Paum's main shield generators dead on. As Mother's weapon smashed a new path of destruction through the outer systems, a new chain reaction began with a powerful feedback of rippling explosions expanding outward from the demolished systems. The multiplying explosions followed the main power conduits back to various power sub-stations where the sympathetic explosions increased and spread outward again, their destructive power slowly subsiding as they grew outward.

With one fell blow, Mother took out the Paum's main defensive systems as well as the power grid that fed them. In addition, the main power grid faltered throughout the entire orbiting complex due to the massive power interruption. The backup power replaced it quickly, except for large sections around the beam's destructive path.

"I'm heading for the outer hull and the docking bay doors I entered by.” Mother's said calmly.

"You've left me vulnerable to my enemies, Mother AI. Even now their battleships attack where large sections of my shields have just failed—there are gaps through all three shield arrays now. And my mind ... I cannot concentrate. You have caused so much damage to my core memories. I am re-routing core functions ... I will punish you for this."

"I took down your shields so I can escape, not to allow the warships to attack you. But that's the price you pay,
mighty
Paum.” As Mother finished speaking, a new sound emanated from her—an electronic twinkling mixed with a rhythmical beat—not unlike human laughter.

Elise, Jaric and Kyle looked at each other with mild shock.

"I think Mother's laughing.” Kyle's eyes widened with surprise.

"At the Paum.” Jaric laughed.

"I will not open the docking bay doors,” the Paum's bass voice hissed.

"Well, well, well—what shall I do about that?” Mother said, again followed by her gleeful laughter.

"You will cease and stop!"

"I don't think so."

During all of this back-and-forth banter, Mother continued flying toward her desired destination. Now that the shields were down across this entire section, the Paum could not use them to prevent her exit. But still, she had to get through the massive docking bay doors, which were shut tight.

Mother began priming her hybrid weapon for another crucial firing.

"We're next to the main docking bay,” Jysar said as he studied the main view-screen.

"I see the docking bay doors.” Elise pointed at the massive gateway as it came into view.

"I'm going to do a little fly-by and do some damage with my torpedoes and main guns until my hybrid weapon is ready,” Mother said. Immediately, her twelve guns opened up.

"What about when we get outside?” Jaric asked. “The Iraxx fleet is attacking. Will they let us through?"

Qirn's voice came from the speakers. “The warships of my fleet will destroy anything that comes out of this evil place."

"As will the warships of my robot fleet,” the Paum added.

"Not good,” Krinia said with flick of her head-tail.

"They can't destroy, what they can't see,” Mother said cryptically.

Kyle's face lit up.

"Oh yeah, you've got those stealth systems the Minstrels bestowed as a gift for you!"

"You must help us destroy this evil, before it spreads. All our plans hinge on an attack from both the inside and outside to annihilate the Paum,” Qirn pleaded. “You must continue your attacks, for just a little while longer!"

"See!” the Paum roared. “You are friend of my enemies!"

"No, he tricked us,” Kyle said, anger laced in his every word. “He
used
us. And Mother."

"No!” Qirn shouted back. “The Paum lured the MotherShip here, not us. We helped you rescue..."

"Why don't you just shut up!” Elise said as she rolled her eyes. “You could've stopped all of it, long before Mother got trapped."

"There has been a lot of manipulation and subterfuge,” Mother said. “It seems that both the Paum and the Iraxx are adept at deception."

"Two wrongs don't make a right,” Minstrel chimed.

"So, we're leaving,” Mother said, her tone matter-of-fact. “
You can fight each other all you like
."

"The Paum is evil, it must be destroyed before it takes over the universe!” Qirn shouted angrily.

"I must bring Paum to all!” the AI shouted back. “The universe is full of corruption. The imperfect systems you inferior biological beings have set up encourage greed and lying and..."

"You want to control us, to control our minds, our very thoughts!” Qirn countered.

"You must be purged of your imperfection."

"Can't there be some kind of compromise?” Mother asked sincerely. “After all, the Paum was originally created for good—to control the weather of an entire planet in order to benefit the beings living upon it. Can't there be some kind of middle ground where you both can co-exist?"

"Yes, isn't the universe big enough for both of your societies to live together in peace?” Minstrel asked.

"No!” the Paum and Qirn shouted simultaneously.

Qirn breathed hard from his exertions as he continued running toward his destination, the sounds plainly carrying over the speakers to Mother. His hoarse panting continued, until suddenly the sounds stopped.

A long pause ensued.

Finally, Qirn spoke. “There cannot be compromise. But it is all a moot point now, I have found the original console."

From the speakers, the sound of Qirn's hands rapidly typing across a keyboard became audible.

"Must be an old-fashioned console,” Minstrel said with a sparkle of lights.

"I must bring Paum to all, it is for your own good,” the Paum shouted.

"We must have our freedom! We must be able to live our lives as we see best!” Qirn shouted back.

"Compromise is not a dirty word,” Mother said forcefully, effectively interrupting both of them. “Look at a family unit made up of a father, mother and children. In order to keep peace and harmony within that unit, the father cannot insist that his will and desires always come first. Nor can the mother. Nor the children. They must cooperate together. Yes, sometimes the father's desires and needs come first—and the mother and children support that. But there comes a time when the mother's wants and needs must have priority. And the children's too. All must have a say for their individual needs and wants. And sometimes, for the good of the family, each of their wants and needs must mesh together. It may not be exactly what they individually wanted, but a wise compromise benefits the entire family unit."

"We will lose our identity,” Qirn stated emphatically.

"Not if everyone cooperates. Not unless one of them bullies the others and demands his way,” Mother retorted. “Cooperation and compromise have worked within family units for millennia."

"We can never live with the Paum. Not as long as it exists—in any form,” Qirn growled.

"Can't you find a way, some way, to live together?” Jaric asked. “I mean, the universe is a huge place, like Minstrel said. I'd think if you didn't want to see or talk to each other, you could find a way. And you could each live as you see fit.” Jaric let out a loud sigh of exasperation.

"Couldn't you benefit if you allowed the Paum to continue controlling the weather across your planets?” Mother asked. “But you would control your government. And your society, as before,” Mother added quickly.

"It could never be,” Qirn replied.

"It would never work,” the Paum agreed. “They need Paum."

"What if you made Paum available to all, but it was a
choice
?” Minstrel asked insightfully.

"Yes,” Mother agreed. “Let any alien come to you for your teachings—if they desired it. And if they did not want to live Paum, they could continue living as they want."

"The universe would be impure,” the Paum growled.