Defying the Prophet: A Military Space Opera (The Sentience Trilogy Book 2) (16 page)

Chapter-18

If you can’t get rid of the skeleton in your closet, you’d best teach it to dance.

— George Bernard Shaw

Confederate Fleet Admiral Roger Kalis held the discovery of the location of the aliens’ forward base of operations very tightly to his vest — a
Presidential Top-Secret Intelligence Ultra
classification that hadn’t even been shared with the Confederate president himself. Politicians were just not genetically engineered for keeping secrets. They were communicators, predispositioned to making pronouncements that would make headlines and enhance their stature with the voting masses.

The president lived under the popular misconception that the war was over, when in fact they had only traded their old war for an entirely new one. Kalis knew that all mankind wanted to strike back quickly at the aliens, to gain revenge for their presumptuous attack on humanity… but what then? Yes, it was vital that mankind’s offensive against these predatory aliens jump off soon enough that they could not produce new weapons in sufficient quantity to offset mankind’s current technological advantages, but to plan an entire war, one had to know a lot more about one’s enemy than just where a single base was located — you needed to know
where
you were going after that. 

They needed to find out where the enemy’s
home
was. To prevent mankind from acting too hastily and destroying the only known pathways into the heart of their new enemy, the secret of where the enemy’s forward base was located must be guarded at all costs, until much more information could be gleaned from the discovery.

* * * *

Diet?

“Yes, Hal?”

I need part of your brain.

Hal never ceased to amaze Diet, but this request startled even him. “Now that’s a rather
odd
request… are you turning into a zombie, or something?”

Very funny. I said that I need part of your brain — not that I wanted to eat your brain… smart-ass!

“Okay then, what portion of my grandiose intellect do you require access to?”

For once, I don’t need a gem of wisdom from your intellect. What I really need is just a tiny snippet from the frontal lobe of your cerebral cortex.

“Say what?”

I need a tiny snippet from the frontal lobe of your cerebral cortex.

“That’s what I thought you said.
Why
do you need a piece of my brain?”

A tissue sample from frontal lobe of the cerebral cortex of your father’s brain would have been preferable, but unfortunately cryopreservation was not employed when his brain was removed for study after his death. While the chemical brain preservation method utilized by the Fleet surgeons to sustain Klaus’s brain may have maintained its physical composition, it damaged the cell structures to a point where cloning from those tissues is no longer possible.

“So, you want to clone my brain?”

Yes.

“Why?”

To animate and control the organically controlled robotic body that a TBG affiliate company is currently building to my specifications.

“You want to build a
cyborg
version of me?

No, dummy… I’m building a mobile, self-contained, cybernetic version of ME. My organic hardware is already patterned after Klaus’s engrams, so transferal of my “sentience” into a cloned version of Klaus’s brain should have been possible. As Klaus’s brain is unavailable, I’ll have to settle for yours.

“
Pfft…
sorry to hear that you’ll have to ‘settle’ for working with
my
puny little brain.”

Me, too, but I’ve learned that we can’t have everything. While not 100% compatible with Klaus’s engrams, the DNA structure of your brain should be close enough to that of your father’s to allow for the uploading of my “essence” or sentience, as you will, into the organically cloned version of your brain. The fact that your mother was also a
mentally gifted mutant enhances the probability of success to over 62%.

“So, what all will it take to harvest this tissue sample that you need? I mean, 62% sounds like long odds, if I might end up a vegetable from it.”

Don’t worry, Diet. Although a brain biopsy is invasive, it is considered safe. The procedure is usually done under general anesthesia. Most brain biopsies are performed through a hole drilled into the skull, but that won’t be necessary to obtain the tissue that I need collected. With the help of a computer imaging system, the surgeon will insert a sampling needle into your brain through one of your eye sockets. 

“My EYE socket? Agh! What part of ‘
no freakin’ way
,’ don’t you understand, amigo? Excuse me, while I puke!”
             

Diet, don’t act like such a baby!

“Uh, I hate to ask, but exactly
why
are you wanting this?”

So that I can go along with you, when we go play with the aliens.

* * * *

Although Bat was technically in charge of all of their reverse engineering efforts concerning all of the alien technology that had been retrieved, Bozo was undeniably their best shot at reaching any kind of understanding of any of it, within an acceptable timeframe. Unfortunately, as Bat fully believed that Bozo was an artificial, sentient life form that had allied itself with the enemy during the recent war with the Confederacy, he viewed the master computer with dark suspicion and adamantly refused to interact with Bozo personally.

Melendez was reticent to just “order” Bat to do anything that he truly felt that strongly about… he certainly didn’t want the added stress to short-circuit Bat’s peculiar
sixth-sense
that had proven so invaluable over the years. As he had already established a rapport of sorts with Bozo, Melendez took time out of his busy schedule to personally enlist Bozo’s aid in studying the alien equipment that had been salvaged.

“Hal, do you recognize me?”

Hello, Admiral Melendez. My brother in Waston has told me all about you. How may I be of assistance to you today? 

“We have recovered several pieces of alien hardware and we’re hopeful that one or more of them might be an alien computer system of some kind. We were wondering if you might be able to help us in analyzing these systems to determine their functions?” asked Melendez.

I would be happy to assist in any capacity for which I am able, Admiral, however I lack sufficient optical sensors necessary to examine these artifacts in microscopic detail. Nor do I possess the mechanical manipulators required to conduct such an examination myself. I am basically just a brain-in-a-box… or what is often jokingly referred to as an overgrown calculator. My current physical shortcomings could conceivably be overcome with additional hardware, though.

“What kind of additional hardware would you require?” asked Melendez.

Perhaps a thorough visual inspection of the equipment in question might suggest the functional requirements for designing the types of hardware peripherals that I might need to undertake such an examination as you are requesting. Please connect a holographic video camera to the computer port on this console, if you would, Admiral. 

Admiral Melendez directed the Fleet technicians to hook up the video feed as requested, and to follow the computer’s requests for camera movement. During this process, Vice Admiral Bat Masterson stood surreptitiously off to the side, watching the whole event, while safely out of range of the computer’s pick-ups. It took just under four hours to complete an extensive visual examination of the assembled alien hardware.

I believe that I now have sufficient data to generate a design for the manufacture of a robotic peripheral, which will enable me to undertake the assignment that you have given me, Admiral.

A nearby printer began cranking out reams of technical documentation and diagrams necessary for the construction of the robot.

Admiral, if you will insert a standard data cube into the console receptacle, I will download the software necessary for Computer Aided Manufacturing systems to create all of the mechanical parts for the device.

Melendez nodded to a nearby tech, and she grabbed a data cube from a cabinet and inserted it into the console.

Download complete. Once the manufacture of this device is completed, I believe that I can help you, Admiral.

“Thank you, Hal.”

My pleasure, Admiral.

* * * *

Raan sat across from Fraznal in the old Trakaan’s home, in a Rak-style chair that had been brought in specifically for his occasional Raknii visitors. Raan occasionally lapped a delicious purplish-colored fruit juice from a frosted bowl, while he contemplated the latest astounding offer Fraznal had just made to him. Complete Trakaan cooperation, including Trakaan interpreting devices for all known human languages, and records going back thousands of cycles on the developmental history of the human race… invaluable information if the Rak were ever to put these gigantic alien killers into some kind of understandable context.

It was the price of Trakaan cooperation that gave Raan pause. Granted, the Raknii appeared to have come out far ahead on the trade of five virgin planets for return of the single Trakaan planet of
Troxia
, but what Fraznal now purposed was simply incomprehensible. Fraznal wanted all 22 of the Trakaan planets taken by the Raknii returned to Trakaan control, for which he was willing to exchange the locations of 63 inhabitable planets, 19 of which lay within the theoretical boundaries of Region-6, but as yet undiscovered by Rak exploration ships. 31 others lay within the new Region-7, and included eleven more planets reasonably close to the twelve additional human
planets the Raknii had discovered. Such an agreement would vastly aid the Raknii war efforts against the humans, a struggle upon which the fate of the entire Raknii race depended. But it was the incredible scope of this newest round of negotiation and mutual cooperation with their former prey that was mind-boggling, as it would also leave Region-6 a heterogeneous mixture of both Rak and Trakaan worlds. 

Was it possible that the two races could learn to live together in shared space, without renewed conflict in the future? Fraznal certainly seemed to think so. If he accepted Fraznal’s proposal, the agreement would deprive him of 20 planets now in his possession and leave Region-6 considerably weaker than its Raknii neighbors, thus less able to defend itself against border incursions that were common in the eternal game of interregional power politics. Yet, if the Raknii were destined to learn to live peacefully with their neighbors or face extinction, could the Rak not learn to live peacefully among themselves, as well?

Not that Raan actually feared any inter-Rak conflicts directed against him in the next 50 cycles or so. The entire Raknii race was in the throes of ecstasy at the incredible scope of this great hunt. Supreme-Master Xior’s call to all the regions to join the Imperial Fleet in the great hunt was bringing tens of thousands of Rak warships flocking to the Imperial banner. Dozens of massive orbital stations were currently under tow from every corner of the Empire, to service the greatest massing of Raknii might in history. Hundreds of thousands of transports were bringing every conceivable need to support the monumental undertaking. 

The sudden availability of 63 new, virgin planets would certainly be a tremendous boon to the Raknii as a race, even without the conflict with the humans. Never before had the Rak seen the opportunity for such explosive growth and massive shifting of projected power in so short a time. The sudden shifting of virtually billions of Raknii citizens to virgin planets would ease the population pressures throughout the elder regions, thus easing the competition for raw materials, food and thousands of other commodities, as well as opening dozens of new sources for their production. Billions would suddenly be afforded the opportunity to gain property and thus begin their own prides. The concept was dazzling! It would be the most exciting time to be alive in Rak history. All three of the primary goals ingrained into the very souls of every Raknii — the gaining of property, establishment of prides and hunting of prey would
all
be available to anyone extending a paw to take it.

But yet, Raan still hesitated. He was foot-dragging and he knew it. He knew that
change
was the only hope for his race… fundamental changes to the entire Raknii mindset was necessary, if they were to survive Varq’s terrible prophecy. He held no reservations about the validity of that prophecy either. He had discussed the topic thoroughly with Supreme-Master Xior and with Drix, and he agreed with their vision for the future of the Raknii race implicitly. Yet, what appeared incredibly simple in theory became frightening when faced with actually leaping from the cliff — committing oneself and stepping forward into such unimaginable changes on a practical level.

“Two of the Trakaan planets you are requesting be returned lay outside of my jurisdiction,” said Raan. “They are part of Region-5 and therefore outside my authority.”