Traitor

Jason’s ship, along with most of the battleships and carriers, moored at the huge space dock. It was just one of seven around the planet and large as the ships were, they were dwarfed by the enormity of the dock. Jason had never seen such a colossal structure. The docks supplied and serviced tens of thousands of ships mothballed in orbit around the planet or parked in groups nearby. Warehouses covered the surface of the planet. The warehouses were filled with every weapon and shuttle produced in the Empire. The defenses around the planet were formidable. Multiple layers of space-based armament platforms bristled with missiles and cannon and an active fleet, protected the planet. Each reserve fleet supply planet had its own fleet protecting it and two further reserve fleets patrolled between the planets.

“James, you mentioned previously that you can show us around. I’m really keen to see what you have. I’ve got some ideas about what I’m looking for, but am always open for inspiration. I’ve noticed that the simulations have hardly changed over thousands of years and few new concepts have been introduced for ages. The weapons got better but no radical new ideas?

“My thinking is that if the enemy has been studying the Empire we need some new ideas and concepts or they will know exactly what to expect,” said Jason thoughtfully.

“I can’t agree with you more. It has been a concern of many.

Jason, I’m sure you and your good ladies would love to see what we have in those warehouses. I’m constantly on the search for new ideas. Your great grandfather was very creative in inventing weapons and I miss him a lot.

“I suggest we have a tour of the facilities. I suspect that most of you will be inspired by something unexpected and I have specific weapons systems in mind that I’d like to show you. I’m also sure you’ve things that would be on your imaginary wish list,” said Morgan grinning widely and rubbing his hands together.

“I’ve also contacted our cousin Bertie Kargo, Jason, and he’s setting up a meeting with the Empress. He said he was due to talk to her about some new courses they were setting up in conjunction with the University, and needed to talk to her about it in any case. He was very curious about you, and wanted to know what was going on and how you were, Jason. He said that he was very worried about your great grandfather and had been told he was too ill to visit. He said he pushed hard, but he was fobbed off.

“I said to him that all would be revealed and he would know a lot more after the meeting with the Empress.

“He was a well-regarded general, Jason, and a fine man. He’s now a professor at the War College and specializes in Gunship and Tank Warfare. He fought in both Mob wars and was regarded as a fine officer and gentleman. I’ve worked with him on several occasions. I’d regard him as highly trustworthy.”

Gen. Morgan James flew Jason, the General Officers, and their staff to the surface.

“There’s a lot of interesting and esoteric equipment that has been stored here that has never been used. Generals and admirals commissioned equipment to be researched and built and then moved on. It was forgotten about. Many systems were never implemented as the original protagonist moved on and quite often implementation was resisted strongly by others.

“It’s all kept in perfect order. No one prior you and your group has been interested in looking at what we have. I’ve never conducted a tour for anyone on this facility above the rank of Captain in the Navy or Colonel in the military.

“I’ll be very surprised if you don’t find something that interests you. You can take as much of anything that appeals to you as you like. The more effective and better supplied we are, the better. What you can also do is order more supplies later and we can ship them. If you look to your left, you can see at least a thousand of our biggest logistic cargo transporters. There’s so much here that will otherwise just sit unused. I’ve five such planets under my command, so don’t be shy.

“The Empire will mobilize the reserve fleets when The Mob attacks. I can hide your acquisitions easily, if needed, but I doubt that it’ll be needed. They will be begging for our help and supply won’t be an issue. The boneyard is a repository of equipment for forces to prepare for diverse conflicts. I hope you find unexpected and irresistible temptation so that I can clear some space. There’s enough equipment here to supply fifty fleets, and keep them in the field for a hundred years. The space dock can prepare five fleets per week for action. I’m preparing my staff for a fast response to The Mob and I’d suggest you load your fleet to capacity.

“The Empire will be ready earlier than The Mob expects. I’m doing the same on the other planets.

“In peacetime, the Navy shrinks to a shadow of its wartime self, but even so many fleets are active. The Empire is massive. There are large active fleets that protect planets and won’t be able to be used. Other fleets patrol to keep the Empire safe from pirates and serve as a first reaction force. My concern is how quickly the Empire will react and I’ll do all I can to get things going. I’m sure internal sabotage will be active.”

“I suspect that the Empress won’t be easily swayed,” said Adm. Peter Kane. “She has to be inordinately careful in how she’s seen to act, particularly as her views on the Patriarch are so well known, as are his about her. It can’t be seen as payback by her.

“I’d suggest you tell her of your trip first and the activities of the priests and then I’ll tell her what happened to my son and then we warn her in the bleakest of terms about the impending attacks. We tell her the problems, but don’t lead her by the nose to any solutions. Let her steam about it first.

“Let her cogitate about the impending problems, or you risk her biting your head off. I’m scared to death of that woman. I heard her take one of the intelligence staff, a colonel if I’m not mistaken, apart piece by piece after an economic analysis of the industrial capacity of the Norvast. She’s a renowned economist, and lectures at the University.

“Jason, the Norvast control a remote Empire that they call a conglomerate in our galaxy. We trade with them, and have had some conflict over a border. They are a prickly people. At the time in question the situation was very tense and it was looking like a major conflict was coming.

“The Empress took her analysis apart line by line and showed how she was underestimating the enemy’s capacity. The Empress then went to the holograms and showed how her economic appraisal fitted with the observations made on ten enemy planets. We sat there with our mouths open.

“She then said her house relied on economic intelligence, and she had been exposed to it her whole life, but she wouldn’t tolerate garbage. She said competitor analysis is much the same as the analysis of the enemy and techniques were well known. She had been asked to attend because of concerns that the enemy were being underestimated. In this case the concerns were warranted.

“Then she said to the Colonel that the work was sloppy and would have endangered the lives of others and said she should reconsider her career,” said Peter Kane.

They sat in silence for a few moments after hearing Adm. Kane’s experience of the Empress.

Jason, do you know what you are looking for?” Morgan James asked.

“Morgan, do you have a very large mechanized vehicle that a man or an AI can direct? It would look like a very big mechanical man, and be heavily armed. The ones in stories and games on Earth, have a concept of such a mechanical warrior where they’re directed by a soldier who climbs up to sit in the head. They are like a walking tank. Secondly do you have soldiers that are AI driven?” Jason asked.

“Yes, we do have both of those systems. Neither was ever used. You may be able to fit all the ones we have into your fleet. Your fleet has a lot of unused space, even when fully armed and supplied. You will have over forty percent reserve space with the existing fleet. The Empire builds big ships, and carries a big stick. You have many logistics supply ships which are armed and more lightly armored freighters in reserve which will have fifty percent spare space unless you take some other stuff with you. As I said before, if necessary I can give you as many more supply ships as you need. You may be getting my message, please take as much as you can. There’s an overabundance here for the size of the conflict the Empire will be facing. There are more of those military freighters floating around this planet than anyone will ever need. There’s enough here for fifty merchant fleets. If there’s anything here that you like that was commissioned to be built and has never been used you can take my entire supply.

Morgan and his group were all dressed in heavy armor as James had recommended, for reasons that he said would become clear later. The ground facilities where they landed extended for many city blocks and consisted of offices and computer facilities. The buildings were all built five floors high. Defensive missiles and cannon could be seen prominently displayed throughout the area on roofs and at some intersections. Drones continuously vacuumed the roads for dust and humanoid and insect like drones and AIs could be seen moving about everywhere. Many people waved at Morgan and the group. He introduced far too many people to them for Jason to ever recall. Small open transports moved constantly between facilities transporting men and machines. Jason saw several very large transports carry unidentifiable variously shaped and covered pieces of equipment or large crates.

“I’ll take you to see the AI Marines first,” said James excitedly, “they were a brilliant idea of your great grandfather that no one has implemented. They have amazing functional capacity and can work in environments that humans can’t tolerate, even with armor. I can’t understand why they have not been used when we use them in every area of the fleet except as soldiers and naval personnel.”

Gen. James took them to a breathtakingly massive warehouse.

“This warehouse is like nearly a million others of the same size on this planet. Now you can get an idea of how the Empire operates,” said Morgan He pressed a button on his pad and two doors, almost as high as the warehouse opened to show thousands upon thousands of armored soldiers standing forty rows deep in the front near the door. They looked like soldiers standing while asleep. Jason could see boxes and boxes piled into rows, fifty boxes high, that extended into the distance behind them.

“These are my pride and joy. They are magnificent, powerful, and intelligent and have never been commissioned or even used as far as I know. They were your great grandfather’s project towards the end of the second Mob war. The current military are painfully conservative. If it’s not in the simulations they’re not seen to be useful. No one has defined how it should be used, proved it and put it in the simulations. It’s their loss and your gain. No one wants to risk an error and making a fool of themselves. The military is slow to change in the Empire, except during longer wars. They tend to try new things if they’re not doing well. I think this war will be over in weeks, regardless of which way it goes. People are used to doing the same for thousands of years. They crave novelty but won’t risk it in work situations.”

Morgan turned one on using his pad. Jason watched it quickly awaken.

“All systems checked and validated. Sensor scan confirms Archduke Kargo in command. AI B77 KLX reporting,” said the AI. “My Lord Kargo, what is your command or to whom do you delegate command?”

“Report to me. State your current available weaponry and alternative loads that you can accept.”

The AI marine went through a long list of weaponry. Jason recognized much of it. It then listed optional weapons loads. Jason looked quizzically at Linda.

“They have impressive weaponry but I struggle to see their use and value when we have so many troops who are well armed, and armored” she answered.

“Morgan, I can clearly see the problem. The simulations on the ship, throughout the fleet and in the war colleges don’t include AIs. They don’t see potential use if no one else has demonstrated it. If I had talked of mines no one would have adopted them. Now Patton has included my techniques in simulations and will promulgate them after the war and then they will be commonplace. If we use the AIs and they were included in demonstrable ways, people would think of them. Linda I’ll change your mind in twenty-seconds,” said Jason confidently.

“Never!” Linda said with a grin on her face, looking at Jason impudently and mischievously. “I’m an old conservative and will never try anything new!”

“AI…Specify your reaction time, relative to species within the Empire and your operational specifications.”

“My reaction time to fire a weapon is one-thousandth of the fastest species in the Empire. My weapons rate of fire is seventy-five percent faster than the fastest species in the Empire. I’m impervious to telepathic attack. I’ve telepathic capacity and telepathic attack capability. I can operate indefinitely in space. I can operate on planets of high temperature. I can operate in radioactive environments. I can fly in space for limited distances.”

“I have a series of questions for you. Please answer in the order of the questions. What operational advantages do you have relative to humans? What environments can you operate where humans cannot? I’d also like to know what kind of combat you were designed for, as well as your limitations,” Jason asked.

“I can operate continuously for fifteen years, day and night without refueling. I can fly independently from the ship to the ground, and also limited distances in space, as I said before. I’ll be ready for combat and can even commence combat before landing. I can operate satisfactorily in a vacuum and up to the melting point of the metals of my construction. I can survive both heavy weapons and more sustained weapons fire directed against me for between ten and a hundred times that for an armored person. I can continue to fight when severely damaged. My intelligence level is that of an AI on a destroyer. I can act as a battlefield AI for ten thousand troops and equipment while continuing to operate fulfilling other functions. Fifteen of us clustered can operate as a war AI and assist in the control of up to fifty-million troops, via battle AIs. We can do the same for an admiral and integrate with ship AIs. I can relate to a human as a team member and as a friend. This training was provided by our King, the great-grandfather of the Archduke, together with the family. Many of us lived with the Kargo family for some years. For reasons that disturb us, the remaining group with the older Archduke Ex-King have been deactivated on the estate.

“I can fulfill a series of objectives independently without further instruction. I’ve the capacity to analyze changed battlefield contingencies rapidly and act as a battle AI for squads and specially tasked human troops.

“We are designed to be front-line shock troops. We can reduce troop casualties. We were designed to substitute for troops as the Empire population reduced. We were designed to have the firepower of an armored shuttle, but below a tank. Each of us has the same firepower as twenty Marines.

“We are silent in operation and are designed to work with Marines. The AI unit is highly protected, but can be readily removed by an appropriate technician with sufficient security clearance and placed in a spare unit. We have inbuilt microbot and nanobot capacity for self-repair. We are designed to function in full use for a minimum of 1000 years. All parts are interchangeable and replaceable if major repairs are required. We augment the function of Marines.”

Jason was deep in thought. Everyone looked at him. The AI marine waited for the next question.

“Morgan these AI Marines are absolutely fantastic. How many do you have,” asked Jason. He would use them regardless of anyone else’s opinion. They were an army unto themselves.

“There are ten thousand in this facility for immediate use and deployment. The ones out of the boxes will help prepare the rest for shipment along with the logistics AIs. There are twenty million stored in boxes. I’ve another twenty or thirty million on one or other of the planets under my control. There may even be more, I’ve not looked elsewhere.

“Jason, when he says fly, it does not convey the true situation. They can fly to a ship in orbit at the same speed as a shuttle.

“There are twenty-thousand readily available in quick exit crates in each of five facilities. I’ll ship the reminder to the ships as cargo. The larger crates are designed as assault craft and can be deployed from any ship. I’ll give you the launch systems. They are very much like fighter launch systems but use cargo doors.

“You have the capacity to independently activate any of the AI Marines from here using the activated marine in front of you. I’m amazed that he recognized you so quickly and fully identified you. They communicated with each other and anything one learns they all know instantly. Any other AI marine has the same capacity. Only one needs to be activated per ship to activate the remainder. Place your hand in this position on his neck and he will identify your palm print or fingerprint.

“The attack crates are reusable. The AI Marines or Battle AIs can self-pack into their crates, which can be returned to the ships or transported elsewhere. We deploy and return our own marines using similar methods, but fewer marines per box than AI marines.”

“AI, can you tell me if there any operational roles,” asked Jason of the AI, “that you wouldn’t undertake or couldn’t undertake?”

“We can’t fight against the Empire unless certain stringent conditions are met. These conditions include an illegitimate coup d’état or an insurrection that occurs within the Empire. We have strict criteria as to what constitutes an insurrection.”

“Are you allowed to become part of the forces of a duchy, and more specifically act to return legitimate control of this duchy to its rightful owner?”

“I’m aware of this question in relation to your holdings. Your great-grandfather or it may be your great-great-grandfather was involved our design. We are connected and learn in our suspended state. We connect to the Empire at all times. We keep informed about events in the Empire. We won’t be used by illegitimate parties. We have political analytic tools as part of our recognized sentient status.

“This is the first planet of the Empire that you have landed upon, and we welcome you. We see ourselves as children of your great-grandfather. We hoped that your grandfather or his progeny would return. You look remarkably like he did. His illness triggered your return. We are sad to hear that he’s ill. His misbegotten nephew is in control of the estates. He was certainly not the best contender. We’ll be happy to serve you.”

“We are arming our fleet to bring the villain and traitor, the archpriest Papa Zora, to justice and to free his hostages,” Jason said. “The Mob also intends to attack somewhere between five and seven industrial planets within the Empire. It’s likely our fleet will be requested to assist the Empire.

All of these issues will have to take priority over my mission to help my great grandfather. I’ll take back the family estate at the soonest opportunity. I’ll authorize the ship to provide you with the evidence on Papa Zora, so that you can make your decision on the evidence that we have collected. As of now, you are authorized to communicate freely with the Ship AI.”

Jason heard Ship ask if Jason gave permission to provide the assembled information on the Patriarch. Jason assented.

After scarcely a pause the AI marine began to speak. “My Lord we would be honored to join your military and assist in the removal of that scourge from the face of the planet! We are horrified to learn of the poisons used in the Empire and the activities of the Patriarch.”

“Linda I’d like to take this first lot of AI Marines onto our ship and pack the crated ones into the attack carriers. I’ve a strong feeling that they will be able to play an essential role in the future. I’d also like two platoons of them on each ship to join the intelligence groups. I want two of them to be on every planning group. They will add a different perspective and can help plan themselves into roles where they have strengths. Different types of intelligence working together will be helpful. They will add to our efforts and I welcome their input. I’d like two per admiral, per general, and for myself, to join our bodyguards. Their reaction times are invaluable. They will learn from us and we’ll learn from them. Five of the Battle/Marine AIs will become part of our general officer planning group.

He called Col. Phoebe Harris over.

“Phoebe, I want you to listen to this.

“AI can you pilot and operate weapons on fighters, tanks, and gunships?”

“We are trained fully in all space and land combat roles. We fully integrate with all weapons systems including fighters, tanks, gunships, and shuttles. We can fly them all and operate all systems. Our reaction times will provide your forces significant advantages.”

“Excellent,” said Jason, “Phoebe, please put them in with your planners and let’s get them into fighters and other ships and get them going. They, like us, need to feel useful. I think we’ll all get some surprises.”

“They will help us understand their advantages and disadvantages and get a perspective of their limitations. They can help reprogram the simulations to take the new weapons that we’ll acquire into consideration.

“We have a powerful force to achieve our objectives. I want to be over prepared and risk our assets as little as is possible.

“Morgan can we see what else is available? I want to minimize death and injury amongst our troops. These AIs also need a purpose and a direction, they shouldn’t be sitting in boxes or standing deactivated in a shed. They need to feel that they can make their mark on the Empire and show what they can achieve. So far, the AIs that I’ve met have been extraordinarily impressive and will make a profound contribution to the running of the ships and in the communication and control aspects for each and every marine and soldier. My instincts are prompting me strongly. Let me have this and perhaps a few other small indulgences. Half a million tons of my small indulgence is nothing in the scheme of things,” said Jason smiling and looking at them all, “now, Morgan the illustrious, let’s move on to your next surprise. AI activate and bring along fifty of your group to be part of the general officers and my group of guards and help us evaluate the weapons we see. I’d like one of you at my side.”

They stood and watched fifty Battle AIs activate and run to collect their weapons from a crate along the side of the hanger. They passed themselves and their armament through a small room.

“It removes every speck of dirt, lubricates, and services them and the weapons in seconds,” said Morgan James. “I will send all their service equipment along with them to the ships. They will set it all up themselves.”

“Morgan, I hate to see them idle. I will talk to Porquenta and ask him if he can use the ones we don’t take with us. I don’t see we need twenty million for Nirvana, but for the next stages I think they will be invaluable. How about we take five million with us, but let’s get the rest ready for action,” Jason said pensively, then turned to Morgan as he stood communicating for a few minutes through his implant.

“I’ve had a communication from Bertie to say we are speaking to him and the Empress, tomorrow morning, oh-seven-hundred our time, and fifteen-hundred their time. He said he caught up with the Empress after a faculty meeting and was able to tell her she was going to speak to you, me, Peter Kane, and a few others. He said she was as curious as he was. He said she was looking a little smug but also strangely excited. She said to him, ‘What a strange group he’s found for himself so quickly, and in the middle of nowhere! He’s just like the King was. They find critical people of importance where none exist. I don’t know how they do it. I promise you, you will hear a strange tale tomorrow. No matter what you think it might be it’ll be a lot more. It was a good decision!’ She then laughed and was off at high speed. He says she walks faster than some people run and does ten times as much as most people do in the same time. He also said she was less scary than usual. He was only fearful, not terrified,” Morgan said laughing, “I’m pleased to hear your aunt seemed to be cheerful. She has been pretty nice to me over time and was great when I was a child. I really liked her. I’ve never thought of her as a fearsome person. If you are intelligent she will love you. I always did well academically and she was proud of what I did and my sporting and military achievements. Don’t let anyone put you off with Alana stories. I think she’s great and I love her dearly.

“Alright, we will ship five million, and we will get thirty-five million prepared for fast deployment on cargo ships. I reckon fifteen million for us later and twenty million to go to Porquenta. They can guard facilities on the planets and provide an excellent pool of labor to get him started.”

Jason communicated with Porquenta who welcomed the Marine AI’s.

“Jason, I can use them all in the short term. I will need more transport shuttles to move them around if that can be considered at some future time?” Porquenta said.

They traveled three kilometers to a warehouse that was taller than most of the others around it. It was tightly sealed and protected from the elements. This planet was very dry and had been chosen because of its ideal conditions for the storage of armaments. The facilities were sealed and all dust was removed from the air to further increase storage longevity.

Morgan James opened the doors and switched on the lights. They saw large mechanical warriors, five meters tall in the front. Further back there were even bigger ones between seven and eight meters tall. They were all heavily armored and looked dangerous.

“Jason, my boy these are your toys! They are fantastic and totally unused. Can you believe they have been sitting here for a thousand years, at least? Not one single visitor wanted to try one! They are fantastic fun. I use one daily for transport and my wife uses hers for shopping.

“I’d suggest that all of you take one for a ride. Climb up the ladder and seat yourself. The mechanical warrior will switch itself on. The controls are the same as a gunship. It can fly as needed,” James suggested. They all climbed the ladders including the fifty guards and one hundred additional AIs that now accompanied them on the instructions of Morgan James. The ladders retracted after them as they climbed into the machines. They activated in seconds after Jason put his hand on the pad and went through the identification sequence that triggered the whole group.

“Walk outside and when you have the space to do so, run and jump. The weapons systems are inactive while they’re in storage. They can fly as they are, so enjoy the flying. I’d suggest that you don’t fly above the roof of the tallest hangers or you will be shot down. Please be careful. I shall reprogram the security and will let you know when you can fly freely while you are on the planet and even to the ships and back. They can identify themselves to the security system, I’m giving them broader permissions.

“Over the next few days while the ships are being loaded and refitted I’d suggest that you organize some training. It’ll keep your troops active and engaged. We have a huge urban scenario that we have built. You can practice attacking and defending. I’ve built several challenging simulations that include the marine AIs and the mechanical warriors. I’ll send them to the ship. It’ll keep thousands of troops busy for days as they hunt each other.”

Jason was exhilarated. He connected directly to the Mech using his unique systems and became one with it. The controls were familiar. He rapidly acclimated. He ran and dodged around the others. He requested specifications of the mechanical warrior from the AI. The weapons were the equivalent of a heavy tank. They included offensive and defensive missile systems.

He could easily walk, run, jump, or even crawl. He began to fly when Morgan James informed him they had security clearance and found he had similar maneuverability capacities to fighter aircraft in flight. The Mech Warriors as he called them could also be attached to the outside of a ship for close up defense and be an instant fighter force without a need for launch from within the ship. They would have made a very big difference during the pirate attack! They could work in a multiplicity of environments protecting the person inside from a vacuum or from otherwise unacceptable temperatures. Jason very reluctantly opened the visor and hatch and climbed down. He enjoyed playing in the huge mechanical warrior and was reluctant to leave it.

“Morgan, what were these Mech Warriors called?” asked Jason.

“They were called ‘Human Tanks’ and that’s the level of capacity that they have. The smaller ones are the equivalent of a twenty-person armored carrier and shuttle tank. The larger ones have the equivalent armament of a full-scale battle tank. They are very well armored.

“They were built at the end of the last Mob war. They were never deployed. They were prepared for large-scale ground warfare. The Armed Forces have not been exposed to any of the newer technologies, not even much AI upgrade, or power upgrades on ships. Weapons increased their power by an order of magnitude as did shields.

The whole group were exhilarated by the experience of flying in the Mech Warriors.

“How many of these do you have, James?” Jason asked. “They are exactly like some of the size that I played with in a game as a child and I can see a multitude of roles they can play.”

“There are four hundred thousand of the smaller ones and two hundred thousand of the larger ones on this planet. I’ve a few million more elsewhere which we can use, later. It’ll take too long to extract them from other facilities to get them here in time. We can send them to you if they appeal to you. We don’t need much for Nirvana, but when we encounter The Mob it’s a different story. It’s going to be ground war and it’ll be testing time for your new stuff. You’ve space for a lot more if you find them useful.”

“I’ll create a simulation to include the scenario you will encounter on Nirvana using your new AI Marines and the so called Mech Warriors human tanks renamed,” said Morgan James.

“Climb back in your Mechs, and follow me,” Morgan instructed, “the more you use them the better you will be in their use. We have places to go and things to see.”

They followed closely behind him to a hanger. James opened the enormous door. They saw row after row of the biggest, baddest, ugliest, and most formidable looking ships. They were the size of frigates.

“These are armed assault shuttles that were designed at the same time as were the marine AIs and Mechs. They were constructed to carry five hundred Marines and soldiers, one hundred small Mechs, fifty large Mechs and five hundred Marine AIs.

“If the soldier aboard the Mech is incapacitated the Mech itself has limited medical pod capacity. It can continue to operate independently or be controlled externally by a marine AI. It has a slightly smaller inbuilt AI than a Marine AI. Your Grandpa was intending to upgrade the AIs, to let them operate most of the time independently and also provide protection for officers close to the front. Even now it can continue to fulfill its objectives if it stabilizes the soldier onboard. The bigger Mech has advanced resuscitation and medical capabilities that could maintain life even under extreme conditions. It has the capacity to apply stasis as needed and it has a very advanced AI.

“The large assault carrier is heavily armed was built to take strongly fortified positions. The carrier itself is heavily armed and shielded and carries considerable offensive and defensive capacity. It has an advanced AI that can function independently particularly if the pilots were injured or if otherwise occupied. I’ve eight hundred of these assault craft available for your use. If the Empire has not missed them in well over a thousand years, so they’re not going to miss them now. I’ve two thousand more distributed elsewhere which I’m mobilizing for your use. They are essential to any army with half a brain and that’s why I’m insisting not asking. I can also ‘liberate’ ten thousand more from other facilities, but we should hold off on that ’til the war begins in earnest. We then do the whole lot and the war will almost be over before the Generals and Admirals will realize what they have missed. It’ll give me such pleasure to go to the War college with a new generation of unique simulations. The Empire needs a super shake up.

“I think I’ll send some of this stuff to Porquenta for him to look at. I had some discussions with him and he’s a maniac when it comes to his interest in anything to do with strategy and weapons systems,” Jason said.

“Jason I don’t know if you know your great-grandfather has a capable Navy and a well-trained military force. It worries me if your idiot cousin has them under his control.

“I have just had a call to return to the office.” Morgan said urgently.

They quickly returned to his office and conference facility. They were met at the door by one of the marine AIs. “My Lord, please come in. We have detected illegal communications from this facility. They were tracked to this clerk who we have under arrest. The communication was blocked and intercepted. He was identified by voiceprint comparison. He attempted to warn Papa Zora that we were at the facility. The second communication was sent to the Empire to warn of an incursion into Fort Sentinel. It wouldn’t have been a success due to the block you have on the planet, but he tried to communicate and is a traitor.”

The clerk was terrified by the huge creature in front of him. Jason called the dogs to attend in demon hound form.

“Speak before I allow the dogs to crush you bones,” Jason heard himself speak and heard the eerie terrifying voice with some amazement. He telepathically filled the clerk with terror. Little was necessary as he was terrified by the dogs and Jason’s demeanor and voice left him quaking.

“My Lord, I was forced to send these communications by the major who is in his office and is being interrogated. He’s a spy for Papa Zora. His son is being held hostage as is my son.”

“Hold this man. Interrogate him and incarcerate him,” Jason said then followed the second Marine AI into the office of logistics major.

“My Lord, I admit that I’ve done wrong. I was too weak to resist Papa Zora. It’s my only son and my only child. I love him so much, and if anything happens to him my wife will fall apart. I was forced to supply armament to The Mob. I was able to divert the oldest and most redundant equipment to them. I’ll take any punishment that I deserve.”

Morgan James arranged for the clerk and major to be incarcerated and held in stasis until after the impending conflict. Jason suggested they be sent with recovered families to Porquenta.

Jason was elated that the marine AIs had proven themselves so quickly. He praised them effusively.

He knew they needed to move quickly on Nirvana before information was leaked to Papa Zora. He knew that it was a matter of time before their existence would be known and the enemy warned. They had been very lucky so far, but their luck would not hold out forever.

They were a completely unexpected powerful force that had come out of nowhere, beaten their enemies, captured their enemy’s assets and had grown and reacted rapidly. He believed that he had also been fortunate in meeting Morgan James and Peter Kane, both of whom had many years of experience and could mentor them all. Jason felt calm and confident that soon the advantage would pass to them. So far he felt he was on a treadmill reacting to the enemy.

Jason trusted and believed in both Admiral Peter Kane, and the General - his distant cousin - Morgan James. They both knew the Empire, were well-connected, and had enormous military experience. He knew he would have worthwhile tasks for them to do, in time. They needed to become part of his inner circle of influence. Morgan James was underutilized, managing boneyards. Peter Kane had indicated to Jason that he needed a new challenge. Jason was happy to have them on his team. He had important jobs in mind for both of them. First, he needed to think about his aunt, and get her on his side. Then it was time to complete the preparations for Nirvana and the capture of the traitor Patriarch.