Universal Jungle- Dark AI Read online

  Universal Jungle

  Dark AI

  M.Q. ABDULLAH

  Copyright © 2019 Lorekings LLC

  All rights reserved.

  ISBN-13: 978-0-9988924-3-6

  CHapter 1 operation enfant terrible

  500 HOURS TO HEMLOCK

  command corps

  vice commander

  malcom masters

  Battlestar nefertiti

  “Those who do not study history are doomed to repeat it.”

  How many men had to battle evils born of ignorance and folly? Commander Masters wondered. Too many. Such theories and thoughts were moot now. He didn’t have time for philosophy and essay. He would write poems and haikus when he returned to Nubia.

  Masters’ focus shifted to the looming conflict. He stood in the command-in-control center, CIC, of the NBS-11 Queen Class Battlestar Nefertiti, the largest star in the Nubian Starfleet in both length and total mass. Masters admired the spacers’ efficiency in the CIC as they prepared for conflict. Masters, once a front-line soldier pumped full of augmentations, stood like a mountain. Well over six and half feet tall, he towered over all but the spacer, which were born on low-gravity worlds. Light reflected off his mocha-colored bald head and face. A black helmet tucked under his right arm matched the skin-tight black uniform.

  Ten minutes remained before the Nefertiti entered normal space from the wormhole. Klaxons blared, warning everyone of combat conditions. Atmosphere was removed to prevent fires and explosive decompression, and gravity systems suspended in all but vital areas. Power diverted to weapons and shielding from systems deemed unimportant for combat.

  Masters sat down, his black helmet hissing as it pressurized. The floor opened around the white metallic console, enclosing the sides in metal and top in in glass. A milky nanite mixture filled the console around the commander. He leaned back in the chair to connect to the local network and life support. Computer systems performed digital handshakes between his helmet, the computing unit connected to his brain, and the starship computer.

  Seconds later, Masters stood on a virtual CIC, a larger replica. The real-world atmosphere powered down, moving into holding tanks. Manipulation of the environment was one of the strengths of virtual fighting. The starship cooled. It took a minute for his brain to adjust and accept the new environment, which reanimated his mocha skin, brown eyes, and bald head. He wore the black battle dress uniform, BDU, of the command corps. Various screens hovered around him, only visible to him. The presets were designed to provide the information he would need to conduct warfare. A large display dominated the front of the room with tactical information.

  Captain Lamar was much smaller than Masters. He flanked the Commanders along with the star’s Executive Officer, Rohindo, also much smaller than the Lord Commander with short black hair and lighter skin. Much like Lamar, Rohindo was a capable spacer and officer. As each officer barked orders to the crew, Masters fought his urges to micromanage the captain and the XO. Trusting your captains and crews on the verge of combat was a mark of a commander.

  Lamar settled into command. “Captain, how is the crew?” asked Masters.

  “Commander, I haven’t heard one person complain about chow in a day.”

  “That nervous? They will perform fine. You have a good crew. One of the best in the human sphere.”

  “Thank you, Commander. That means a lot coming from you. I know you would not tell me that just to do so.”

  Masters nodded agreeably. He left the Nubian system early to fight for the United Planet of Humanity forces. Decades of service to greater humanity sent Masters across the human sphere to fight pirates, syndicates, evil corporations, terrorist groups, AI, and hostile aliens. He fought in space, in orbit, and on the ground. Now one of the most decorated warriors, Masters commanded the military from his home system, upgraded to the standard set of the United Planets of Humanity. In the future, he planned for the Nubian system to possess the most powerful system defense force in the human sphere. This engagement was the first step in that process. “May Nubia bless the souls of those already lost. Nubia guide the souls of those to come,” he chanted.

  “Nubia, bring us home,” chanted the rest of the crew.

  The bridge drive navigation officer stepped up. “Ten seconds to breach!”

  The CIC tensed for emergence into the CA-112 system. The cockpit display of the CIC was an eerie grey, the monotone color of bridge space. Many theories existed on why it was grey and not black or pure white. Masters didn’t have time to ponder the science. He intently watched the grey matter being pushed away by the force of time and space. A ring of expanding energy formed the hole needed for the starship to emerge. It exited from bridge to normal space once again. Seconds after the star exited the event horizon, it closed behind the massive starship.

  Finally, they arrived in the CA-112 system.

  Masters turned to his combat display, praying to Nubia they didn’t bridge into danger – like they had in previous missions, one inside a minefield, another in the middle of enemy formations. Sensors raced to create an accurate picture of local space. The display populated information about the system. Every second, new light reached the sensors, providing a view of the situation.

  “Sensors, did everyone make it?” asked Masters.

  “We have received verification that all stars made it into the system,” said the sensor officer. “Minimum bridge shake. Ten minutes to reform constellations and clusters. No local traffic sir.”

  Masters breathed a sigh of relief. None of his starships lost wormhole integrity and fell out of the ER bridge. He studied the display while elements continued to populate. A G-class star slightly smaller than Sol powered the system and its four planets. The second and third planets were earth-sized in the goldilocks zone. The first and fourth were gas giants, each with seventy or more moons.

  The commander was nervous that the AI already found a way off-world to one of many moons — or left the system entirely. Socrates, the rogue AI, was developing rapidly. Predictive models showed Socrates would have total control of the system in seven hundred earth hours. Two hundred hours had passed since the assessment. Once alerted to the rebellion by the planetary AI, Socrates contacted the Nubian Defense force for help. It was the only force that could reach CA-112b, Syracuse, in time to save the people. That mission was secondary to the containment and destruction of the AI threat.

  Masters stepped up. “System sitrep. Do humans or the AI own the system?”

  “Sir, system control is still unknown. We are getting a lot of distress calls mixed in with hostile attacks from viruses and worms,” responded the sensor operator. “It is hard to determine where they are coming from. We are processing and categorizing. It is going to take time. Estimated time is fifteen minutes.”

  “Commander, it is a testament to the Nubian Defense Force that our shake was so small. We are becoming a beacon for the outer rim worlds and a testament on what can be done without the aid of the core systems,” said the captain.

  “Indeed. Let’s not pat ourselves on the back yet. We need to stay focused on the conflict.”

  “Of course. I merely speak of the ability to control what we can. We can’t control the enemy, but we can control how this fleet performs. Our stars are ready, sir.”

  “Yes, we are. Captain Lamar, yes we are. It is impossible to win battles without proper preparations. Soldiers fight wars. Well trained soldiers win wars.”

  “Sir, we have a lot of transmissions from CA-112b,” said the operations commander. “I’m reading above-average transmissions from the starships and spaceships in orbit to the planet. The garrison space force appears engaged with itself. We are piecing together many transmissions discussing l
oss of control. The orbital debris is consistent with spaceship destruction; we are identifying it. We will perform models to reach a better understanding of the conflict. Estimates are that we can have that picture with 90 percent certainty in less than an hour.

  “Initial estimate is that the space force garrison commander initiated Omega protocols. They could have destroyed the spaceships not under her command. They destroyed the ER Gate for certain. We cannot identify what side is controlled by Socrates and what side by humans.”

  “Thank you,” said Masters.

  “Sir, we should treat all craft as hostile. That information is seven hours old as the light flies. We have no idea what the situation is around the planet is now. If one star can be takeover by Socrates. They all can be taken over,” said Captain Lamar.

  “Agreed. It is time to deploy the taskforces. Coms conference in the taskforce commanders.”

  Seconds later, the coms officer informed Masters the conference was ready. His body was transferred into a pristine environment, where he stood at the end of a table. Commanders of the various taskforces sat on the other side. “Nubians, we have arrived in the Colonization Authority system 112. Our worst fears are confirmed,” he began. “The planetary AI Socrates has become conscious and hostile. Our intimal reports display fighting in orbit and on the planet. We do not know either current situation, but we will assume that the AI has taken control and is exterminating all humans in the system. The commander has activated omega protocols. Unknown if they were able to contain the threat to the planet. If so, the AI will have begun to create spacecraft to leave the system.

  “I have seen it before. We are in a race against time. On my mark we will begin the countdown to Hemlock. Mark. We now have five hundred hours to contain and destroy the threat before we glass the planet, unless we do this right. Glassing the planet might not stop the threat. We aim to stop it and then end its ability to function. If it escapes, it will threaten this entire Echo region. That includes Nubia. Work hard, work smart. We don’t want to bring this bug home with us. We also do not want the AI to dig so deep into the planet we cannot destroy it. Only to reemerge a hundred years from now with a spacetilla of hostile AI controlled starships.

  Masters paused to ensure his commanders remained fully attentive. “Taskforce Alpha, Bravo, and Charlie, take up positions at your respective bridge points. Charlie start your breaking maneuver and take position here at bridge point Charlie. Alpha and Bravo you will perform a micro bridge to Alpha and Bravo bridge locations in system in mark 5 minutes. Good hunting. I need you to drop from the conference and get your taskforce ready for the micro bridge.”

  "Sir, what are the rules of engagement?” asked the Bravo taskforce commander.

  “Order any craft to power down,” replied Masters. “If they do not power down, take out their engines. If you cannot cripple the craft before it reaches the bridge zones, take them out. Nothing leaves this system without Nubian permission. Turn away any craft entering the system. Escort them back to the bridge locations — under your boot if needed. Military craft must get permission from me before they come down the gravity well. Relay coms threw our QEN. If they refuse, then protect your task forces. Don’t get into a fight you can’t win. If they come down the gravity well, we will deal with them. Nefertiti can take on any star in the Human Sphere.

  “Make no mistake. Opportunists will make a play. The last thing we want is for us to save civilians from the planet, only to hand them over to a disguised pirate clan, slaver, or syndicate. We are going to make sure those people don’t go from one hell to another. Nubia, light the way.”

  “Nubia, bring us home,” said the commanders as they dropped from the conference.

  The speed of light dictated the next phase. The CA-112 system was a young system, years behind in military and commercial infrastructure. Most importantly, it lacked the quantum entanglement networks in more developed systems. Those systems allowed FTL communications. Faster Than Light. The expeditionary force boasted this technology, while the garrison force did not have such capability. They could not react to the expeditionary force until the light reached Syracuse. That gave the Nubians a little over seven hours to position forces before detection.

  “Taskforce Hammer and India will continue at .2C to the planet,” said Masters. “At twenty percent the speed of light, we will reach the planet in roughly forty hours. That leaves taskforce Zulu. Use your jump drives and attack before the light of this incursion reaches the planet. Begin breaking maneuvers at mark thirty minutes and begin the attack at mark six hours and fifty minutes. It will take seven hours for our light to reach the planet. Jumping into orbit before our light reaches will allow maximum information collection. Good hunting Quasar Hakim.”

  “Sir, we will make Nubia proud. What are our rules of engagement?”

  “Send a warning to all stars upon arrival. Order them to shut down propulsion and weapons or they will be fired on. Destroy any star that fires on you. If you jump into a hot battle, that might not work. Use best judgement on who to fire on. Do not jeopardize our stars. Assume the other stars are hostile. Secure orbit and wait for Hammer and India to arrive before any boarding actions.”

  “What about ground targets?” asked Hakim, his facial expression frozen, unmoving. He was able to lead the vanguard against the rogue AI. Every decision he made would put lives in danger or take life itself. He remained stone-faced, as though he and Masters were discussing the weather or a sports score.

  Masters rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “If fired on, fire back. Do not destroy the Starport if you can help it. If you are not fired on, do not fire on the surface.”

  “What about hostile incursion attempts via tight beam or other means?”

  Masters placed his arms behind his back, reflecting on the calm demeanor of Hakim. “Consider that a threat on the same level as active fire. We do not know how strong Socrates is yet. Close all active EM ports and communicate via QEN.”

  That raised Hakim’s eyebrows. “What about people? Like escape pods and such.”

  “Leave them until we get to you. The Comet Corps will take care of boarding actions and recovery of life pods. They will then head to the planet for decontamination. No one is to recover an escape pod or send help to any damaged star. Socrates will try every trick in the book. It will play on your emotions. Do not let it.”

  “Understood sir,” said Hakim, out of questions, now confident he could respond to any situation that would occur.

  “Any more questions? You are dismissed,” said Masters.

  The remaining commanders disappeared. Masters stood again in the CIC. On the main display, Taskforce Charlie turned the starships around to face the bridge location and fired main engines. Starships in Taskforce Charlie flipped around and pointed engines toward the sun at the center of the system. Engines fired at maximum thrust. They shed velocity toward the gravity well of system at maximum g-force. In time, the taskforce would slow and return to guard the bridge lane. They would also escort the massive transport starships arriving in thirty hours from Nubia. Alpha and Bravo taskforces vectored to the other bridge regions in the system. Seconds later, they both activated bridge drives and disappeared — then popped up in the new location.

  The flagstar of Operation Enfant Terrible was only partially selected for the computing power packed into the Battlestar. Nefertiti was also able to process the terabytes of information. Time dilation and perspective of the forces demanded it. Each starship of the attack force formed a direct quantum link to the Battlestar to avoid light lag. Quantum communication, ten thousand times faster than light, allowed for real time communication.

  It would take another four hours before the Nefertiti would see the light from task force Alpha. In sixteen hours, the same would occur for Bravo. Both taskforces kept sending data back to the Nefertiti to be collated and time-stamped to provide real-time information. It matched the time with other observable events in the system.

  “Sir, all taskforce
s starships accounted for,” reported Captain Lamar. “No bridge shake and no fallen stars. Taskforces are now breaking to holding positions. No enemy detected at either location. Currently all bridge lanes cleared of traffic. Time dilation in marked and collation continues. All stars broadcasting in the clear over the QEN.”

  “So far so good. If the AI didn’t get a child out before we arrived its like we can contain this monster here,” said the XO.

  “Agreed. How many of the one hundred million we will be able to save?” asked Masters.

  “How high will the butchers bill be to do it? A price is always paid,” replied the Captain.

  Masters nodded, a solemn weight in his eyes. “Yes, it is, and we are going to have to pay for all humanity. We didn’t create this problem, but I will be damned if Socrates gets one bug out of the system. We won’t tolerate such an action. Coms, I want to send a message system wide all channels.”

  The com officer worked the controls and readied to send. “Sir, your channel in 5…4….3….”

  Masters began the transmission. “To the people of the Colonization Authority Planet 112b, known locally as Syracuse, help is on the way. An expeditionary force from the Nubian system is arriving. We have the means to rescue you. Our number one priority is to get you off the planet and to safety. I understand that most of you are fighting for your lives and those of your loved ones. I ask you to hold a little longer until we arrive. Do not despair. Help is on the way. Your struggle is not in vein. Hold on and hold out. Nubia will light the way.”

  “That will help,” said the Captain.

  “Hope is the most powerful weapon in the human arsenal. Let’s hope it wins out over the desperation of the AI.”

  Chapter 2 first strike

  493 hours to hemlock

  Nubian space command

  quasar noah hakim

  strikecarrier shaka zulu