The Commander Page 18

  “Sadie, take me to the Baggs airport,” he ordered.

  “This is Duffy, Commander Blackburn,” the ship’s AI said. “Course set.”

  “Duffy? Good God, I’m really losing it. I thought I came in Sadie. Sorry about that.”

  “Not a problem, Commander.” Duffy lifted off and pointed her nose at Earth.

  # # #

  During their journey Amanda had Duffy call ahead to ensure that a vehicle would be waiting. Wehrlite Security still kept the airport safe in addition to handling arrangements for VIP visitors from the moon. An armored SUV was waiting for Luke by the time he touched down. He tried to take the keys from the driver but Amanda forced him to get in the back.

  “Take us to Rosanne’s Diner,” she told the driver.

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  The trip only took five minutes, four of which were spent going through the security gate. When they pulled up in front of the old-fashioned restaurant Luke reached for the vehicle door but Amanda shoved him back in his seat. “I’ll check on her,” she said and disappeared inside the eatery. A moment later she returned. “She’s not here. Take us to her apartment,” she told the driver.

  “Yes ma’am,” he said.

  Again, Amanda ran inside to find Annie and again she returned empty handed. Luke checked his house and Annie’s grandmother’s house. It was empty and the FOR SALE sign was at a crooked angle.

  “Take me back to the diner,” he barked.

  “Luke, we just…”

  “Shut up, Amanda,” he growled, his face red.

  When they reached the diner he got out of the car and stalked inside, anger radiating from his body. “Rosanne, where is she? And don’t give me any bullshit. I know you know where she is.”

  Rosanne hesitated, but looked worried.

  “I’m serious, Rosanne. I will tear this place to the ground if you don’t tell me right this second.”

  Rosanne sighed. “She left, Luke. The paparazzi wouldn’t leave her alone and she didn’t want to go back to the moon. She was really angry with some George guy so she left. She’s gone.”

  “I know she’s gone. Goddamnit, Rosanne. Where did she go?”

  “She went on that big transport thing they were talking about on TV. She left this morning and said she wouldn’t be back.” Large tears seeped from her eyes and rolled down her plump cheeks. “Oh, Luke. I miss her already. Why did you let her go away?”

  “Me? I…” Luke tried to calm himself. “Are you saying she left on the colony ship? The one going to another planet?”

  Rosanne nodded fearfully. “I tried to talk her out of it, Luke. But she wouldn’t listen to me. I told her she should go back to you.”

  Commander Blackburn, please return to Moonbase One. I have located Miss Daniels.

  “You’re a little late, George!” Luke screamed at the ceiling. “How the hell did you let this happen?”

  Commander Blackburn, please return to Moonbase One.

  Luke’s anger drained away. A coldness seeped in that he had not felt in years. It was the same numbness that hardened his insides when Marcie died. His mind clouded over and old memories rushed into his thoughts, unbidden.

  Rosanne shied away as Luke’s expression changed. The anger and worry that had filled his eyes evaporated. In their place was an ice-cold blackness. She crossed herself with a silent prayer. “Jesus and Mary,” she whispered.

  Luke turned and left the restaurant. Once inside the SUV he glared at Amanda. “She left on the colony ship. Take me back to the airport.”

  Amanda shrank to her side of the car. She had never seen the frozen expression Luke now wore.

  # # #

  “Come with me,” Luke instructed Amanda as Duffy settled onto the hangar floor inside Moonbase One.

  Moments later he sat at his desk. “Explain this, George.”

  Roth rushed in and cast a questioning glance at Amanda, who sat on the couch alongside the far wall. She shook her head in reply.

  “Have a seat, Roth,” Luke said. “You too, Lou,” he added as Morrow entered. “George is about to explain how he allowed Annie to leave the solar system.”

  “My apologies, Commander,” George said.

  “Skip your electronic remorse,” Luke snapped. “What happened?”

  “I received a transportation request from Doctor Higgins. He said that you had unexpectedly used Duffy to visit the surface an hour earlier. I knew you had flown to the ceremony in Sadie. She is your preferred transportation. That’s why we replicated a new version after Annie ordered her to self-destruct.”

  “I thought I had gone in Sadie,” Luke confirmed. “But when I realized Duffy was there I thought I made a mistake; I’ve been a little out of it, lately.”

  “A little!” Morrow barked. At the look he got from Luke he quietly apologized and subsided.

  “I queried Sadie for her location,” George continued. “After receiving no response I expanded my search to Mars and then to all operations in the solar system including the research centers in the belt and both of our facilities on Jupiter’s moons. The result was conclusive. She was not in the solar system. The only explanation was that she had been destroyed or had shipped out on the Marco Polo which departed ninety minutes ago.”

  “Are you sure she wasn’t destroyed somehow?” Luke asked.

  “Positive, Commander. The last thing the colony ships do before departure is transmit a manifest to me of everything and everyone onboard. I store that information in my archives but do not review it unless required by some external request.”

  “And?”

  “And during the final pre-launch operations, Sadie was substituted for a different shuttle in the Marco Polo’s hangar bay. The replaced shuttle was listed as defective.”

  “And was it defective?” Luke wanted to know.

  “It was not. I ordered that shuttle to Far Side for investigation.”

  “Nothing wrong with it,” “Morrow said. “We checked.”

  “I further checked the Marco Polo’s logs and found that one additional colonist was added to the manifest at the last minute, a Miss Theodora Smith. This is her security badge photo.”

  On the wall, a mugshot-like photograph appeared of a young woman. She had short red hair but it was unmistakably Annie.

  “Don’t we have protocols in place to prevent an undocumented stowaway from boarding our colony ships?” Luke asked angrily.

  “We do, Commander. However, as you know, Annie’s implant gives her authorization over everything up to and including a level three device. A colony ship AI is level twenty-seven. I surmise that Miss Daniels simply commandeered Sadie, ordered the Marco Polo to make the necessary changes to the roster, and to forget that the changes had taken place.”

  “That sounds like her,” Luke agreed.

  “Also, I must remind you that we do not know where the Marco Polo is heading.”

  “What does that mean?” Luke asked. “They have a specific destination based on the results of our probes.”

  Roth explained. “That’s partially true,” he said. “But probe reports can be wrong, so each colony ship has several possible destinations. If the first one doesn’t pan out, they go on to the next. It’s the captain’s call. The colonists know they could be on the ship for months. If Annie didn’t want to be found, this was the way to do it. Eventually we’ll get a report from their final destination, but that could take several months.”

  In a quiet voice Luke asked the question he hated to ask. “You were supposed to detonate her fail-safe if she left the system. Did you do that?”

  “No, Commander. My internal protocols called for it, but I felt the circumstances justified an exception.”

  “And what were those?”

  “Firstly, I am aware of Miss Daniels’s persecution by Earthside media. Her choice to escape on a colony ship does not indicate a malign intent toward the Nobility. Second, she exhibited a strong desire to be left alone. It seemed safe to let her proceed. Thirdly, I felt
that if had I triggered the fail-safe, you would have taken steps to terminate my existence. My internal protocols would require me to let you carry out that intent. But if you did so, it would place the Nobility’s overall program in jeopardy. According to my calculations, the most favorable outcome for the Nobility was to grant the exception.”

  “Good move,” Luke said. “Your deductions were accurate.”

  After a lengthy silence, Roth finally asked the question that everyone but Luke was wondering. “So what now, boss? Are you still in?”

  “Yes, for all the good it will do.”

  “Don’t say that, Luke,” Amanda protested. “All of us need you. You’re an inspiration to everyone on the moon.”

  “Thanks, Amanda. And I appreciate the sentiment. But like we’ve said in the past, no one can win a war—especially one like this—by trying to lead from behind the lines. In this case, about six months behind the lines. This is a fool’s game, but I’ll do my best. We all will.”

  “He’s right,” Morrow grumbled. “That’s a stupid rule, keeping you in the solar system.”

  “I agree,” Luke said. “I’m going down to the planet and get a few things from the house and then I’ll be back. After that, I’m not going to Earth ever again. Amanda, don’t schedule me for any public events. I’m done with PR from here on.” He got to his feet. “Any questions?”

  After a subdued chorus of no’s from his colleagues, George spoke up. “Commander, Sadie is waiting for you in the hangar bay. She will take you planetside.”

  “Sadie? But you said she’s on the Marco Polo. How can you create another Sadie when there’s already one in existence? I didn’t think that was allowed.”

  “Not at all, Commander. It is not uncommon for favorite AIs to be duplicated.”

  “How so?”

  “For example, when a Nobility youngster becomes an adult and moves to an abode of their own, it is not uncommon for the parents to duplicate a lifelong AI tutor or companion to accompany them, leaving the original for the rest of the family. I am aware of your fondness for Sadie and thought you might appreciate a familiar presence under the current circumstances.”

  Luke looked startled and sank back into his chair. “Why the hell didn’t you say so a long time ago? Damnit!”

  “I apologize, Commander,” George said, his oft-repeated apology sounding more and more insincere.

  “That’s the answer then, George,” Luke said. “Just duplicate yourself and we’ll go fight the war. Any problem with that?”

  The following silence was an unusual response from the AI.

  “George? Any problem with that?” Luke repeated.

  “One moment, Commander.”

  The four humans exchanged wide-eyed stares while waiting for the computer’s response. Finally, George was ready to answer.

  “Commander, your proposal is feasible but there are certain restrictions.”

  “Such as?”

  “You must understand that this would be a one-time exception. We can arrange to replicate me onto a new ship and the current me would stay behind on this base to assist in the war effort. But only you will maintain command authority to direct level three devices. I will arrange an implant to assist your designated representative to rule in your place, but that individual’s authority over me is not absolute. I will maintain a veto option over his directives. If you return to this system, command authority would automatically return to you.”

  “Wait a second,” Luke said. “You told me you couldn’t make more than two implants. You weren’t allowed to share the medical technology associated with them.”

  “I apologize for not being more precise, Commander. The medical aspect that I am unable to duplicate or modify concerns your authorization over all level three devices. That technology is restricted. The other medical aspects, such as communication and health, are quite simple.”

  Luke massaged his forehead in frustration. The most difficult part of dealing with George was the ambiguity. Luke never knew if he had the whole story. A simple misunderstanding had enormous ramifications.

  “George,” Luke said. “I want to meet with our chief medical officer in the morning. I need to get his take on this. If he agrees, we need to roll out implant technology across the board.”

  “Understood, Commander. He just confirmed his availability.”

  “Back to the topic at hand. Roth, you okay with this? You’ll be the guy to take over.”

  Roth was overwhelmed by the sudden turn of events, but reacted as Luke knew he would. “I’m game,” Roth said. “Don’t know if I’m up to it, but I’m game.”

  “George, confirm that Roth will receive the same health benefits that I have?” Luke asked.

  “That is correct, Commander.”

  “I’ll tell you about that later,” Luke said to Roth. “What else George?”

  “As a level three device, I am quite large. This is due to my archives which, as I have indicated, are extensive. You do not currently have a vessel that is capable of transporting me.”

  “That’s just a design problem. Lou can take care of that.”

  “That is true, but you also do not have a replicator that is large enough for the ship that must be built. This will require a machine that is of the same scale as the Isaac Newton Gateway. I would recommend a primary source for the basic replicator material separate from the moon.”

  “How big a ship are we talking about?” Morrow asked.

  “Depending on the design, up to five miles in length.”

  “Jesus!” Morrow exclaimed.

  “That’s a big ship,” Roth agreed.

  “If you plan to take me into battle, I feel it necessary to take extensive measures to protect the Nobility’s property.”

  “What’s that mean, exactly?” Luke asked.

  “Please understand, I have yet to work out the details, but I believe the minimum would be a fleet of self-defense warships, similar to what you are now employing, of approximately one hundred in number. In addition, I will require smaller, one-man fighters for close-in protection. We must also include drone production and weapons manufacture. This is not a small undertaking.”

  “How many people are we talking about, George? I was thinking just you and me.”

  “No, Commander. I believe that with crew, military and other support, including families, the final complement will number between fifty and ninety thousand people.”

  The scale of George’s proposal shocked everyone into a reflective silence.

  Luke finally looked at Morrow. “Why are you just sitting around, Lou? Sounds like you’ve got work to do.”

  “I think so, boss.” Morrow got up and left the room.

  “Amanda,” Luke said. “Come up with a way to promote this planetside. The Great Mission or something to inspire people to sign up. We need to up our recruiting numbers quite a bit. Get to it.”

  “Yes, sir,” she said quietly and left.

  “You okay, Luke?” Roth asked.

  “I don’t think so. I don’t know if I ever will be again. But I’m better than I was a few minutes ago. I’ve got something I can focus on. It helps, but it doesn’t make it go away.”

  “I understand. I’m sorry, my friend, I truly am. I thought she would come around.”

  “I didn’t. When she walked out, I had a feeling it was permanent. Don’t know why, I just did. If I could follow her, I would. I’d turn this over to you and go after her. But now, who knows where she is? I’m guessing that was her intention. She forced me to give her up. You know, I can forgive almost anything. But not that. To cut me off like that? I don’t think I’ll ever forgive her for that.”

  “Give it time.”

  “That’s the problem,” Luke replied. “This damn implant has a side effect. You heard me mention the health benefit a few minutes ago? I haven’t told you about that before.”

  “What is it?”

  “You might not call it a health benefit. It extends our life. Both of us are
going to live longer than normal.”

  “How much longer?” Roth asked.

  “About a thousand years. That means a thousand years of feeling just this shitty. That’s not something I can forgive.”

  “I see your point,” Roth said. “Tell you what, bud. First, win this war. After that, you go find that girl and smack her one.”

  In spite of himself, Luke smiled at his friend’s intentionally outrageous suggestion. Except it wasn’t really all that funny. Because inside, Luke could feel the anger building. It wasn’t a good feeling; it tore at his guts and made every hour a nightmare.

  Day 445—Population 92,501

  Luke found Lou Morrow and Riley Stevens in the engineering design room examining a hologram of a large white tube floating over the main table.

  “That’s a really ugly spaceship,” Luke said.

  “You said you were in a hurry,” Morrow replied. “Function rules the design.”

  “Works for me,” Luke agreed. “I kind of like ugly these days.”

  Morrow nodded at the young engineer. “Riley, fill us in.”

  The young man stepped forward. “Commander, we’ve changed several of our initial assumptions. That is to say, George has. We agree with his new thinking but he wanted your agreement before we proceed further.”

  “Okay,” Luke said. “But since I don’t know what his initial assumptions were…”

  “Fair enough,” Riley said. “George, you explain.”

  “Commander, my initial thought was to include a significant military ground force; about two divisions. After further consideration, I feel that a much smaller force would be more appropriate.”

  “I have to agree with that,” Luke said. “It’s not my intention to get involved in any ground campaign. On the other hand, you never know when a small force might come in handy. Maybe a battalion or two?”

  “I suggest two brigades, Commander.”

  “How many people is that? I was Air Force, not Army.”

  “Approximately four to five thousand per brigade, Commander. Plus auxiliary and other support. The total should not exceed fifteen thousand.”