Vortex incursion, p.22
Vortex Incursion, page 22
“I remember this one,” the executor, who was responsible for Helgart, said. “These alien ships are sophisticated, and they traverse the vortex unimpeded by its radiation.”
“Are there reasons that we should take additional steps here?” the presiding executor inquired.
The governor reviewed the data collected from Helgart and compared it to the Imperium’s lengthy list of directives.
The thirty-five executors halted conversations with their support staff, and they quietly regarded one another. Two explosive issues had just landed on their well-fed laps. They knew of Kreus’s exile, and it was hoped the Helgart demotion had put an end to the fears of a governor becoming sentient.
Now the executors had heard there might be a race of Kreus-like entities. Worse, they possessed capabilities that the Imperium didn’t.
It didn’t take the executors long to agree to request an inquisitor.
“Connect us,” the governor ordered.
“I’m at the Imperium’s disposal,” Tarbar said, when his virtual connection was energized.
“Take an Imperium transport to Helgart,” the presiding executor said. “Our governor will provide you with the reports that have accumulated. We need various conditions reviewed. If they appear contentious, we require them to be quelled.”
Tarbar was familiar with the Imperium’s terminology. He’d been in the employ of the Imperium for more than four decades and had dealt with many events that the Imperium wanted erased.
“Which conditions need my attention?” Tarbar inquired.
“A new race might be sentient digitals,” an executor said pointedly. “They’ve entered the Helgart space via a space-time displacement, which is being investigated.”
“How severe a response does the Imperium require?” Tarbar asked.
“If necessary, it’s to be total,” the presiding executor replied.
“My directives are clear,” Tarbar said, and his virtual meeting ended.
Immediately, Tarbar’s connection was flooded with Imperium reports. He eyed the headings as they passed. It seemed that they originated from an imperator and two appointees. Political rivalry, he thought. He found that it always reared its ugly head.
“Governor,” Tarbar said when the download finished.
“The executors appeared particularly nervous about this issue. What can you tell me?” Tarbar asked.
The governor checked Tarbar’s status against the information he held. The inquisitor held the highest clearance attributed to an Imperium appointee.
“And the entities aboard the ship are the supposed digital sentients?” Tarbar surmised.
“Within these voluminous reports, is there any reason to think that this unknown race is pretending to be something they aren’t?” Tarbar asked.
The governor read out a report number, and Tarbar accessed it. He watched the view from Imperator Gretren’s peacekeeper, as a small ship twisted and spun through a fleet’s barrage of missiles. Then the alien ship, unscathed by its passage through the armament that had filled space, swept past the peacekeeper.
“Summarize the damage to the peacekeeper,” Tarbar requested.
Tarbar’s brow furrowed, pulling his crest upright. “An unarmed ship?” he ventured.
“Identify the weapon,” Tarbar requested when the asteroid exploded.
Tarbar knew he hadn’t reviewed even a minor portion of the reports, and he already knew that he was about to face the assignment of his impeccable career as an inquisitor. Furthermore, he had the niggling thought that this assignment might be his undoing.
“When will an Imperium ship be available?” Tarbar asked.
the governor replied.
The governor’s statement confirmed for Tarbar the immense gravity of the Helgart situation. Normally, an Imperium ship was made available on a rotational basis. He expected to have five or six cycles to prepare for lift. That he’d been jumped to the top of the list said much about the Imperium executors’ apprehensions.
On the journey to Helgart, Tarbar reviewed the reports filed with the Imperium. He also studied the paltry information about the transfer of Kreus from the home world to Helgart.
Strange that, Tarbar thought, after completing the few pages about Kreus. “What did you fear?” he mused about the executors.
The question marks surrounding Kreus’s exile added complexity to the problem for Tarbar. He could think of only one reason for Kreus to be assigned governance of the dissidents’ prison. Kreus had achieved sentience. It made the information provided to the fleet by Kreus suspect.
Tarbar considered the enormous challenge of outwitting a sentient, and possibly renegade governor, while dealing with the alien invaders.
The final materials Tarbar studied were the peacekeeper records of the appearance of the two ships. He was fascinated by the ease with which the alien ships managed passage through the vortex, a term he adopted from Ragirt’s reports.
Then again, there existed the absolutely stunning capabilities of the small ship. First, an unharmed probe was turned aside. Second, the ship evaded a hail of missiles. Third, it passed through the fleet at a velocity that was too fast for close in support to lock onto the ship. Finally, there was the powerful demonstration of the unknown weapon that destroyed an asteroid.
Tarbar wondered if the small ship was an alien fighter or if it was meant to serve another purpose. One of his last thoughts before retiring one evening was to wonder if the aliens had a fleet of warships that could rival the peacekeepers.
∞
“Declinator Korvath, an Imperium transport has entered the ecliptic edge of the Helgart system at about one hundred forty-nine degrees,” the telemetry officer reported.
Immediately Korvath communicated the appearance of the Imperium ship to Gretren.
“Inform Imperator Deckus of the ship,” Gretren advised. He knew that their position near the vortex allowed them to record the arrival sooner than Deckus’s peacekeeper. “And, Korvath, send a message to the Imperium ship as to the location of the fleet commander.”
“Understood,” Korvath responded.
When Korvath complied, the imperator of the fleet commander’s flagship thanked him for the information.
Aboard the Imperium transport, the inquisitor studied the message. He ordered the bridge to use the coordinates supplied to locate the fleet commander’s peacekeeper and alter course to intercept it.
When Deckus was alerted, he called Gretren. “Did you request Imperium assistance?” he asked.
“That’s not my place, Imperator Deckus,” Gretren quickly replied.
“Do you know if Hobar or Ragirt might have instigated this?” Deckus persisted.
“I’ve no information that they did,” Gretren replied.
“Add Korvath to the conference,” Deckus ordered.
“I can assure you that Korvath wouldn’t have beseeched the Imperium,” Gretren said urgently, as he called Korvath.
“We can both be sure of that, Gretren,” Deckus stated emphatically. “I want to hear what he thinks.”
When Korvath joined the conference, Deckus said, “Who do you think is visiting and why?”
Korvath was taken aback by the questions, which required him to think about Imperium machinations. A second line blinked for his attention, and he stammered an excuse to Deckus to allow him a moment to think.
Selecting the alternate connection, Korvath ensured it played only to his tympanum implant.
Before Korvath could ask a question, the call ended. He considered the value of Kreus’s short conversation only briefly, as it wouldn’t do to keep the fleet commander waiting.
“Caught you off guard, did I, Korvath?” Deckus asked, and he gurgled good-naturedly.
“I don’t feel that I’m qualified to answer the question,” Korvath dissembled.
“That I know, Korvath,” Deckus replied. “Throw out whatever comes to your mind,” he urged.
Gretren felt sorry for Korvath, who was being put in an untenable position.
“Well, I think that we’ve sent many messages, some of them lengthy, to the Imperium,” Korvath said. “Although, considering this is an Imperium transport, the passenger or passengers might be poorly informed.”
“You’re absolutely right, Korvath,” Gretren said. “I would estimate they know nothing of the last two probe passages through the vortex.”
“Yet, an Imperium transport arrives after having received news of barely half our events,” Deckus pointed out.
“If I had to guess, Imperator Deckus, I would think there are two aspects that would concern the Imperium,” Korvath said, “and, perhaps, concern is the wrong word.”
“What would be the right word?” Deckus inquired.
“Scare,” Korvath replied, which caught the attention of both imperators.
“Enumerate,” Deckus directed.
“The entities aboard the small ship are reported to be mobile digital sentients,” Korvath volunteered. “I would think the Imperium might be hypersensitive to that subject.”
“And that was reported by Kreus, who was transferred to Helgart from the home world,” Gretren noted.
“Korvath, I’ve tried to ignore your constant descriptive of a male persona when mentioning Kreus, but maybe the executors know something we don’t,” Deckus said. “Now we report that we’ve met sentient digitals. This can only mean one thing. An Imperium inquisitor is aboard that transport.”
Both Gretren and Korvath were stilled by the mention of an inquisitor. Like most Krackus, they knew of the inquisitors by reputation, and they hoped never to be involved in any event that required their presence.
“What does this mean for our investigation and the fleet?” Gretren asked.
“Unknown,” Deckus replied. “We’ll bring the inquisitor up-to-date. Then, as you well know, the inquisitor will determine if we can proceed with our plans or if we must alter course.”
Days later, the fleet commander had the opportunity to learn what the inquisitor thought of the most current events.
As the inquisitor announced his presence to the fleet commander, it was de rigueur for Deckus to come to him. Unlike most inquisitors, who paraded their power, Tarbar was a no-nonsense individual, who preferred to analyze the problem, design a solution, and efficiently execute his plan.
That Deckus brought two Imperium appointees was expected and appreciated by Tarbar. The additional personnel ensured a complete picture of conditions. That a peacekeeper imperator and his declinator accompanied the fleet commander was unexpected, but Tarbar allowed that Deckus had his reasons. He was an inquisitor who didn’t stand on ceremony.
Data had been transferred to Tarbar’s ship, and he waited patiently for the story to unfold. He didn’t share that he’d absorbed their reports in detail. Hearing the events that took place in their words clarified conditions for him.
When Deckus spoke of the probe’s first two journeys through the vortex, Tarbar’s interest grew. Then he learned the reason for the third probe launch, and he became intrigued.
“How did that attempt fare?” Tarbar asked.
“We didn’t get the expected results,” Deckus admitted. Then he explained what had been received.
“Why do you think the aliens chose to respond with the offer instead of answering your queries?” Tarbar inquired.
“They told us why,” Deckus replied. “They preferred face-to-face first contacts.”
“And your response?” Tarbar queried.
“We accepted with conditions,” Deckus replied. “We would meet with one ship each and no transfer of individuals. We’d take up stations near each other, and we’d employ a conference link to prevent lag.”
“How would you accommodate the link?” Tarbar asked.
Deckus hesitated, and Tarbar understood his reluctance. “You think that Kreus will enable the link,” Tarbar supplied.
“It had been considered,” Deckus admitted.
“Kreus is playing an extensive role in these events,” Tarbar noted.
“More than should be allowed,” Hobar stated authoritatively.
Tarbar’s orbs rotated toward Hobar. “You prefer the governor limit his activities to Helgart?” he queried.
“That would be the preferred order of things,” Hobar said confidently.
“If Kreus didn’t participate, we wouldn’t know anything about the SADEs,” Ragirt riposted.
“Who says that we know the truth about who or what resided aboard the alien ships that came here?” Hobar objected.
“Hobar, are you insinuating that Kreus would fabricate his report after contacting the aliens?” Tarbar inquired.
“It’s entirely possible,” Hobar insisted.
“We’ve no evidence that Kreus did any such thing,” Gretren said. “To the contrary, the evidence accumulated by our peacekeepers indicates an AI of some type operated the small ship that evaded our missile barrage. There’s no other reasonable explanation.”
“Who had intended to conference with the aliens when they arrive?” Tarbar asked.
The manner in which Tarbar phrased the question reminded his audience that their plans were subject to the inquisitor’s permission.
“I expected to be present,” Deckus said, “and I would have invited Imperator Gretren, our Imperium appointees, and Declinator Korvath.”
Tarbar regarded Korvath and said, “And Declinator Korvath hasn’t made a single comment during this interview.”
When Korvath remained silent, Tarbar said, “That was an invitation, Declinator.”
“I didn’t hear a question, Inquisitor Tarbar,” Korvath replied.
“You must forgive Korvath —” Gretren began, but Tarbar’s upraised hand interrupted him.
“The declinator is correct,” Tarbar said. “He hasn’t been addressed. Tell me, Declinator, do you disagree with anything that’s been said here.”
“Only one point,” Korvath replied. “I believe the characterization that Kreus falsely reported his contact with the SADEs is in error.”
The visible portion of Hobar’s skin flushed with heat from her burning anger.
“You apply a personal term to Kreus. Why?” Hobar asked.
“I’ve had many discussions with Kreus,” Korvath replied. “I’m convinced he’s sentient. Isn’t that why he was relegated to Helgart from the home world?”
“Who would have told you this was why Kreus was here?” Tarbar asked, as he surveyed the faces arrayed in front of him.
“No Krackus has ever said this to me,” Korvath replied. “In fact, Imperator Gretren has requested I keep my opinion to myself. My superiors prefer the term AI to describe Kreus, and they refer to the visitors as aliens, not SADEs.”
Tarbar regarded Korvath, who steadily held his gaze. As an inquisitor, Tarbar had heard more than enough from the declinator. He wasn’t about to continue this particular conversation in front of Imperium leaders.
“Are there any other details that should concern me before the alien ship arrives, if it does?” Tarbar requested.
“Perhaps, our reports didn’t make this clear, Inquisitor,” Ragirt said. “Although Kreus is the only entity in Helgart space who could complete the conference, his efforts aren’t required. We know that the aliens are quite capable of commandeering our ships’ systems.”
“Kreus told us that the aliens learned our language, and we’ve proof of that through our communications,” Gretren said. “This is another piece of evidence about the aliens’ natures. Their Krackus is fluent.”
“Proof of what?” Tarbar asked.
Gretren felt as if he’d selected the wrong operation of an airlock in which he stood. “Kreus reported that the aliens were mobile sentient digital entities,” he replied. “If that isn’t accurate, then the small ship must have had an AI aboard.”
“I’ve a final question,” Tarbar said. “Is there another individual with whom I should speak?”
Korvath waited for someone to say something, but they didn’t. It fell to him to say, “With respect, Inquisitor Tarbar, I think you should talk to Kreus.”
Tarbar thought Korvath would say this. It was testimony to the strength of the declinator’s opinion about the governor.
“Thank you for your participation,” Tarbar said. “I’ll be in touch. Fleet Imperator Deckus, if the alien ship exits the vortex before I make my decision and final preparations, you will contact me to receive your orders.”
