Burnt Ice (22 page)

The next morning Fritz checked in
from the lander to say that they were a couple of hours out from the last comet.
It appeared to have a fair percentage of coal-like materials, together with a
large iron piece, and hard ice as well. He calculated that the mass was more
than sufficient for
Basalt’s
needs.

Marko returned to the medical
suite to see the two units apart. He put on the spectacles and spoke with
Ernst, who advised him that everything went smoothly and that the midi unit was
almost ready to initiate itself. Marko sat waiting, speaking with Ernst about
Fossas and their most interesting physiology. After some time the midi slowly
came to life, first checking all its systems, then turning to view them both.

‘Hello, Marko. And greetings,
Ernst, my part self. This is an excellent chassis, Marko. I am perfectly at
home in this space. What was once your midi is a wonderfully ordered, potent
machine. I can now see why they are so difficult to obtain. I
can
see
how we can make me better, though. Of course, as you are both aware, I am no
longer Ernst. I believe that the name Topaz is more appropriate. The connotations
of the name hold a considerable appeal to me. I note also that it is Professor Ernst’s
favorite gemstone and that he holds one of the better known collections.’

Just then Jan walked back into
the medical suite.

‘Topaz. Elegant name. OK, so we
now must ascertain if you are stable, Topaz. Ernst, are you able to monitor
Topaz?’

‘Yes, Marko.’

‘Jan, could you please isolate
Ernst from Topaz to carry out your 17J5AI tests on Ernst?’

‘Topaz, please power down. Please
be aware I have in my hand the 17J killer. If you do not allow the tests I
shall destroy you immediately. I have to know whether you are friend or foe.’

‘I am your friend, Marko. It is
just that I am now aware of what you have made me, but I understand your
concern. I am now powering down to a zero activity state. You will have to
physically switch me on. Hopefully, we will talk soon.’

With that, the entity that was
Topaz did power itself fully off. Over the next few hours Jan satisfied herself
that no retro-transference had occurred and that Ernst was intact and OK. She
brought him back online, then all three worked on the Topaz unit. Marko wished
he could have made the changes with Fritz’s help. Then he grimaced and shook
his head, knowing that Fritz could be loose with his talk, which was why he had
not involved him.

‘Captain Longbow, if you are
able, could you see us in medical?’ Jan said through the comms unit. ‘We need
to confer over the nanote results.’

When the captain arrived they
filled him in on what they had done. He nodded, then fixed Marko with a hard
look.

‘Well, it’s very unusual but not
unknown for a midi, when taken to the next level, to choose its own name. They
are barely sub-AI anyway. Normally it doesn’t take a great amount to lift them
up. After all, you have melded one of the most eminent surgeons in the
Administration into it, so I’m not surprised that the sub-AI reacted that way
when it was brought up to full sentient Augmented Intelligence. I would say,
Marko, that you should have expected an AI with an attitude. I did. What do the
tests show? High-quality parameters, but with an IQ that is off the scale. Hmm,
you’re going to have to watch it, mate. Could go rogue on you. You have the AI
killer hardwired in now? Yeah. Well, happy testing. I would say that you may
have something very beautiful on your hands, or a unit that will want to do
whatever it wants to do. Remove the AG control from it and also isolate any
construction capability until you’re certain of what you have. Now, Jan. You’re
with us for a while. Are there targets on board for you?’

‘No, captain. The assignments
were taken care of by the octopoids.’

‘OK. You are a real asset to the
team. When we return, will you transfer permanently to us? May not be quite as
exciting as your intelligence position, but it will be a good one, none the
less.’

‘Yes, I’ll transfer. I like being
with you guys. It was a lonely existence before and I’ve already put my papers
in as over thirty standard years is long enough. In fact I have grown tired of
killing people just so that my commanders could play games with their tanked
minds and alter their attitudes. It is a sick game, one I am very good at, but
having seen the effects on families ... Your work is much cleaner and, for the
first time in a very long time, I am relaxed and unafraid.’

The captain looked at Jan for a
long moment before nodding. ‘I know. I adjusted those papers and had you
transferred to me. So you are aware of what we are, Jan?’

‘Yes, sir. I am. You are an
Engineering Intelligence and Procurement Unit. One of only twenty-eight such
units currently in operation. Collectively, and as individuals, you have been
very successful and could all retire comfortably, at any time. I am also aware,
Marko, that you have created many ACEs, and that your creatures are all able to
report back to you. I am also aware that Fritz is a result of a reportedly
failed Administration experiment to purposely grow military analysts of
genius-plus-level intelligence. He is unique among the experimental analysts,
in that he is the only one who could be classified as completely sane — and he’s
a relatively good communicator.’

Jan breathed deeply and exchanged
a tight little smile with Marko. ‘Harry.’ she said, ‘is hiding within this
unit. I suspect that I know his real identity. And there are a great number of
Gjomvik Corporations that would pay dearly for the information and know-how he
possesses. One day, over a beer, I am going to swap a little story with him. I
know that he has always wondered who helped him destroy a monitor on a stoney
battlefield, a long time ago. I know who that individual is.

‘You, captain, are the only real
enigma. No one can understand why you are here. You are a brilliant engineer
and had a very good life mapped out for you by your family, so why the military?
But having said that, I will very happily serve under you. And one other thing
does fascinate me — how do all of you have such high security clearances? Just
what else have you been up to?’

‘Maybe one day, Jan, I’ll fill
you in. Actually, you’ll learn pretty much all you need — and want — to know
simply by asking. You’re one of us now. OK. Get this Topaz sorted and both of
you find out as much as you can about our guests. They really are enigmas. I
have been spending a great deal of time researching them both. They are known
far and wide as a legendary doctor and her engineer companion. Stephine and Veg
are in a lot of stories and have popped up on remote planets over a very long
time. They never look the same, either. Actually, they are classified as a myth
and should not exist — but here they are. Learn as much as you can about them.
See you at dinner.’

Jan and Marko worked on Topaz
until dinnertime. Marko went through every electromechanical part of it,
looking for changes, as the thing was capable of creating new neural pathways,
just like any other brain. Jan and Ernst went through all the programs and
subroutines. They had a meal with the others, then worked late into the night.
The conclusion was that the unit was OK. Superbly intelligent, with a staggering
knowledge base, but not mad or bad. They left Topaz switched off, placed it on
a sled and took it to isolation in engineering. Marko told Lotus that the midi
had sustained damage during one of the nanote experiments, but would be OK
after extensive repairs. Lotus, being her usual self, offered assistance. Marko
thanked her, saying she would be the first asked if they needed help.

~ * ~

Three

‘Sergeant,
wake up. We have an emergency. Fritz and the monitor are in trouble. Suit up
and take a skua to the comet.’

‘On my way, Lotus.’

Marko leapt out of bed and
sprinted naked up to his combat container, which Lotus had opened for him.
Minutes later he took the high-speed elevator down to the hangar and clambered
up into the skua, all preflights completed.

‘On board the skua, Lotus. Please
open the rear hangar door. Do we know the nature of the emergency?’

‘Yes,’ answered the captain. ‘The
monitor, formerly known as Sirius, has been destroyed by an outgassing on the
comet. It is unknown why she was on the comet’s surface. Harry will accompany
you. We will be two hours behind you. Locate and retrieve the remains. Fritz
and the Lotus proxy are OK. They’re already searching for the body, but the
lander also sustained damage and is low on fuel.’

‘OK, boss. But how the hell are
we going to get off this bus in a hurry when under way? The rear doors will not
be useable with the chemical rocket exhaust. We need at least one more serious
tunnel. Just a thought.’

‘Marko, you are two minutes ahead
of me.’ Harry’s voice came through the comms link. ‘I will squirt some more
fuel into this skua. It’s carrying a belly tank so I can refuel you if needed.
Lotus will upload the search pattern to you for the monitor’s remains. How long
do we search, guys?’

‘It is imperative that we
retrieve the remains,’ Lotus said. ‘Failure to do so will create serious
problems with the Games Board on our eventual return to base. We search for as
long as it takes. The biological parts are the most valuable in proving that we
did not intentionally kill the monitor. Based on all the info, I’ve narrowed
down the search area to a corridor about five hundred metres wide and
stretching two hundred eighty kilometres, by the time you arrive. My proxy
recorded the incident. This will make it a lot easier to calculate the
trajectory.’

‘Understood, Lotus. Marko, I’m on
your six.’

~ * ~

Twelve
hours later, far out from the comet, Marko found the pathetic bundle of flesh
and bone with machine remains attached. He gently grasped what was left of
Sirius with the two waldos and pulled them close, cradling her against the
forward hull of the skua. There was some clothing still present around her
shoulders and most of the shattered helmet clung to her skull. A small part of
her mechanics were still attached to her spine. Her beautiful face was smashed
beyond recognition and he could see the wrecked underlying bone structure of
her face and jaw.

‘Guys,’ Marko said. ‘I’ve found
her. Skull appears mostly intact. I believe that the Soul Saver is still here.
She has sustained huge damage. Is there any point in searching for her chassis?’

‘Can you ascertain whether the
Soul Saver is actually present?’

‘Stand by.’

He ramped up the magnification on
the side screen in the cockpit. Using a waldo, he grasped her skull. He
activated a separate control which rolled the fine hand into play on the other
waldo, gently pulling the remains of the helmet away. Using a diamond-bladed
finger on the waldo hand, he gently pulled apart the hair and scalp and probed
into the skull material, popping open the tiny bone cover plate. Looking
inside, he could see the ceramic disc still adhered to the skull in a
chain-linked diamond casing. He further increased the magnification, then
deployed a hair-fine probe from another finger, placed it into a tiny jack
point and fired a small signal into the disc. The screen displayed the identity
of the Soul Saver and its status. He flashed the information to the ship.

‘Got it?’

‘Affirmative, Marko,’ said Lotus.
‘My thanks. That was not a pleasant task for anyone. Return at your leisure as
I have completed my investigation excepting final cause of death.’

He had plenty of fuel on board
and was not in the mood to loiter, so he powered up the skua for a serious burn
and headed back to
Basalt.
Some time later he rounded the hulking mass
of the main comet, then flew up the ice tunnel and into
Basalt’s
rear
hangar, powering down as the cradle reached up and locked the skua in place.
After closing off his checklists he clambered out and went to the front of the
craft. One of his fellows had thoughtfully left a body bag close by. After
putting the remains in it, he could carry Sirius, with some dignity, back to
the medical suite. Given the amount of hardware still present she was
surprisingly light.