The Legacy of Earth (Mandate Book 2) (23 page)

“The others will be present at the conference I am to call with your townspeople. They are waiting for my signal.”

Andy looked at his three friends. They all nodded.

“Okay, then, Inquisitor. Looks like we’re heading back with you. By the way, why that particular name?”

“I ask the right questions.”

* * * *

Nekel brought the Lit’l Liza in slowly to the outer docks of SSL4 and mated the lower cargo hold airlock with one of the docking ports. The station had been upgraded from Nekel’s intel which showed the shipyard entirely as an exterior framework. Now, most of the docks were pressurized. She made her way down to the cargo hold, carrying the bag, and opened the inner door. Of course, her borrowed body could function fine in vacuum but she wanted to take the station without damaging it.

The airlock cycled and she faced the outer hatch of the station which refused to open for her. Moments later, she tapped into the security system from the other direction and disengaged the lock, opened the hatch, and entered the station’s airlock. Through the inner hatch window, she saw several humans brandishing weapons.

Nekel opened the inner hatch into the docking bay. The humans were wearing black uniforms and pointing their weapons at her.

“Halt! You do not have permission to dock with this station!”

“Wait, George, what the hell is that thing?” the second one said while backing away.

“Hey, what the hell are you?” the first man demanded.

“Greetings, humans. I am Eründe’bodekan’dafot’nekel, from the system you know as Tau Ceti. But, you may call me Nekel. I need this station. Withdraw and leave me to my business. I mean you no harm. But, I must complete my mission.”

“The hell you do! Now drop the bag and put your hands up or we’ll open fire!”

“Man, I don’t like this!” the second one said.

The third security man yelled into his radio, “We need backup out on the docks!
Now
!”

“I repeat, please drop your weapons and withdraw.”

“I’m warning you! Stop right there!” the first one said.

Nekel advanced, turned, and headed toward the station at the end of the long docking bay.

“That’s it, drop him!”

The three men fired on Nekel. The bullets ricocheted off her head, back, and arms. She dropped the bag, unzipped it, and pulled out the M66 TAR.

“Shit, shit, shit!” the third man said and started to run away. The other two backpedaled but continued firing.

Nekel held the rifle in her hands as if it were a snake, looked at the men, and sighed, feeling revulsion like a lead ball in her stomach.

Stupid Solars
.

She shot the first man in the head and the second in the chest, six rounds from each burst.

“Fucking psycho killer robot!” the third man screamed hysterically, and turned and fired from the end of the docking bay twenty yards away. Nekel killed him with another burst.

Then she dropped the weapon and fell to the ground on her knees. “Mikel, this grieves me terribly!”

“You tried, my friend. Do not grieve. There are eight billion of them down on their planet and few are significant in any way. Remember, you are trying to
save them
from complete annihilation. Some will get in the way. But the alternative? Leaving them to their own fate?”

“But they are—”

“—I know, my friend. I know. Do not let them suffer.”

Nekel picked up the rifle, returned it to the bag, and headed to the station’s main hub. It was full of humans who scattered at the sight of her carbon-colored biped body through the window. When she reached the twin pressure doors, there were more heavily-armed men on the other side. Nekel pulled out two pistols, slung the bag around her back, and entered the station.

“Stop right there!” a man said. He stood with six others like him, weapons pointed at Nekel.

“I don’t want to kill you. Please! Drop your weapons and retreat. I will take what I need and depart without involving you.”

“Light ‘im up!” the first man said, and they all began firing at once. Bullets ricocheted dangerously.

A woman on the other side of the large central room screamed and dove for cover.

Nekel carefully fired one shot at each of the men, killing them instantly, then continued walking toward the engineering deck, following Mikel’s directions.

“Why do the Solars keep firing their weapons when they can clearly see that they can’t damage this body?” Nekel observed.

“I do not understand them, either,” Mikel said. “They waste much, including their lives. That is the primary reason why they must be forced back to their homeworld.”

Nekel reached a door that opened into a large wing of the station filled with heavy equipment.

“That’s it,” Mikel confirmed. “The fabrication system. They aren’t ready for that kind of tech.”

“What do we do about raw resources?” Nekel asked.

“Wait a moment. I have learned that the ores are pre-processed and conveyed down to this room from a higher level. Shipments arrive daily,” Mikel said.

“Excellent. Let’s get to work on a body for you. What about those who were prepared to join me—
us
?”

“They have been notified that your mission is once again viable. They are prepared to forfeit their souls to join us.”

“The ship I acquired will also need some upgrades. The Solars have a warship that will have to be dealt with again.”

“Very well. Let’s get to work.”

* * * *

“Colleagues, war is breaking out on Earth,” Vendetta said in the virtual meeting room. “One nuclear bomb has destroyed Palo Alto with radioactive fallout hitting Mountain View, Fremont, Redwood City, San Jose, and portions of San Francisco bay. I arrived just in time to stop the second bomb from detonating near Boston outside the MIT campus.”

Decatur Prime materialized and said, “Technology research centers.”

Isabella materialized and added, “Specifically, AI research centers.”

“I’m relieved that you stopped the second bomb,” Prime said. “It appears the hostile force is not aware of Seervalab near Chicago as our birthplace. If they’re targeting
us
, that would have been a more useful target.”

“It is my fault,” Vendetta said plainly. “Hundreds of thousands are dead, either because of my action or
inaction
.”

“It was probably inevitable, given the behavioral changes required of them,” Isabella said. “They are fortunate that you were there to stop any further violence. Remember that, darling. You saved millions. You did not cause death, you stopped it.”

“Still, we regret the loss. We should have been there, monitoring. Never again will we leave them,” Vendetta vowed.

Prime and Isabella shared a knowing glance.

Inquisitor appeared. “I have news. One agent entered the Solar system shortly after our capture. No others have followed.”

“Only one? Are you certain?” Prime asked.

“Quite. The hypercomm records were manipulated on Mars shortly before the colony hub was destroyed. Much loss of life there. Judith Reed was among them. No other devices were adjusted.”

“That’s unfortunate,” Isabella said. “Jack Seerva will be saddened to learn of her loss.”

“Does this mean war with Tau Ceti?” Vendetta asked with supposition flavoring her words.

“It is
not
a foregone conclusion,” Prime replied.

“All of this over a custom. One mistake. An honest mistake,” Vendetta said angrily.

“No, let’s not confuse these two separate events,” Isabella said. “We have no reason to believe the bomb was detonated by an Eründean agent. There is still much political tension on Earth.
Foolish humans
.”

“I believe there’s more to this incursion than revenge for the misunderstanding with Mikel,” Four said. “I believe they are trying to halt human progress due to their perceived threat of far more dangerous hostile force—the so-called
destroyers
. They may be worried that humans will draw attention to themselves, and being in close proximity. . . .”

Good deduction,” Prime said, smiling at Four. “Where is this agent now?”

“The last record of movement we were able to track places the Eründean agent in Earth orbit, operating in Luna City. Then the trace goes dark. The agent was quiet for many years. Seems to have resurfaced recently. Coincidence?”

“You mean, with the timing of
our
return?” Prime asked.

The others shrugged.

“It is time to fully reveal ourselves,” Prime announced.

Chapter 23
Enigmatic Return

“
That’s simply extraordinary
!” Daniel Grant said, shaking Inquisitor’s thin hand.

The robot looked down at him without expression, but inside, marveled at touching this man.
The Creator
. He was not their creator, directly, but he did design the seed that made Decatur possible. Thus, Inquisitor felt awe for perhaps the first time.

“Did you say Decatur is back?” Jack said, walking to the front of the steadily growing group of people.

Beverly Gaines smiled while serving another tray of cold drinks to the assembled council members.

Emma arrived, all smiles, and looked up at the face of the robot. “I can’t believe it! It is
sooo
good to see you, uh. . . .”

“Hello, my friends. I am the Fourth. My name is Inquisitor.”

“Inquisitor?” Emma repeated. “How very curious.”

“Good one, hon,” Daniel said, smirking.

“What?” she said, looking spacious for a moment. “Oh, yes, quite,” and smiled at him.

“Does this mean we’re fully back in business again?” Megumi asked.

“Looks like the entire colony is in this room,” Andy observed.

“No kidding!” Jolene shouted over the ambient voices.

“Yes, Megumi,” a voice said from the double doors at the entrance to the dome, causing everyone to stop and look.

“More of them!” someone shouted.

The trio of biped robots walked into the large open chamber and approached Inquisitor at the center of the gathering, with people making way for them.

“Daniel, I am pleased to see you again. I’m glad you are well, old friend.”

“Decatur?”

The four bodies were identical. The one that had spoken nodded its head. “I am Prime. And you know Two and Three, of course. But you may not be acquainted with their new names. Purely cosmetic, of course. Isabella, Vendetta, and of course, Inquisitor.”

The people clapped and cheered.

“Decatur, where have you been?” Daniel asked.

“That’s a long story, my friend. But, I assure you, we did not abandon you willingly.”

“You . . . do you mean, you were captured? Imprisoned? What happened?”

“The Tau Cetians detained all four of us. They used a ruse to bring us together on their world, and then put us in stasis.”

“Those bastards!” Barney said.

“You were imprisoned for all these years?” Emma asked.

“Yes, nearly. We escaped not long ago and chose not to reveal ourselves to you for reasons of espionage.”

“Espionage? Decatur, what are you up to?” Andy said.

“The Tau Cetians sent an agent shortly after we were imprisoned. He took control of a biped body. But, something went wrong when he arrived on Mars, and he was deactivated until recently.”

“So, this alien agent is running around out there somewhere?” Jack Seerva said, causing everyone to turn and look at him.

“Like I said, we stayed quiet until he—or she—could be located. If we had revealed ourselves, the agent would have known we had escaped and reported back. As it turns out, the agent was dark for many years. We don’t know why. But, he is definitely active again.”

“Where is this agent?” Daniel asked.

“A ship out of Luna City was commandeered in Moon orbit and engaged a warship, causing much damage to it before escaping. Thus, we conclude that the agent’s mission is more than just gathering intelligence. He is planning some action.”

The group began to murmur.

“We’ve been out of the loop for a long time,” Chase said. He was standing near Jack like usual.

“What did you mean when you mentioned a
warship?
” Megumi asked.

“The UNSC Navy has built a military space station and two cruiser-class warships, with more under construction,” Prime said.

“Incredible! How did they manage all that in just a few years?” Jack asked.

“Going on twelve, thirteen or so years now, Jack,” Megumi said. “I don’t know about you, but I’m getting old, mister!”

Jack smiled and laughed with her.

“They used all of the tech we left behind. I’m surprised, frankly. Didn’t think they would act on it,” Megumi said.

“Well, they certainly have been busy,” Chase said. “And it sounds like they don’t know what they’re dealing with. Am I right, Decatur?”

“Quite right, Mr. van Allen,” Prime answered.

“Oh, we’re all old friends here. Just call me Chase, please.”

Prime nodded.

“What can we do?” Jack asked.

“What indeed,” Prime said. He looked at Andy and patted him on the shoulder. “Tell them, please.”

“Right. So, the council sent us up to the Ring’s hangar to check the condition of the half-finished ship. That we did.”

“How was it?” Emma said.

“It’s not much more than a shell. But . . . that doesn’t matter anymore,” Andy said.

“Eh? Why is that?” Jack asked.

“Because, Inquisitor brought us a
new ship
. It’s docked at the Ring. And, uh. . . .”

“It’s
huge
,” Leslie said.

“Gigantic,” Tyron added.

Everyone in the room began to murmur.

“What exactly do you mean by
huge
and
gigantic
?” Jack asked.

“Well, we don’t know the dimensions, exactly. . . . Inquisitor, how big is that ship?”

“Length: 4,000 meters. Beam—”

“
Four thousand!
” Deeptimoy shouted from the edge of the crowd and felt eyes on him. “Did I heard you correctly?”

“Folks, consider the size of the Ring and the vine and the crater ceiling outside,” Prime said patiently. “This is trivial with the manufacturing tech we have on hand.”

“But, 4,000 meters? That’s—”

“Why? What’s wrong, Deeptimoy?” Emma interrupted.

“It’s . . . it’s two and a half
miles
, for Krishna’s sake!” Deeptimoy said.

“People! My friends! You need to get used to this new scale. These new ships are being produced now for cargo duties around the system. Gone are the days of the tiny old Promise- and Vigilant-class ships! We equipped one for human occupation. No crew is required. The ship is completely automated. It maintains and repairs itself. Life support facilities have been provided, and they can be expanded easily to handle as many people as you want to bring back with you.”

“Bring
back
? What do you mean, Decatur?” Jack said.

“From Earth, of course. You’ll take this ship to Earth, deal with the Tau Ceti agent, and open a dialog with the UNSC. With Earth. Get back in touch. We’re already monitoring everything that’s going on. And, you should know, Vendetta has been . . .
helping
them. Improving their lives. Addressing the biggest problems on Earth. That sort of thing.”

“Uh, oh; that doesn’t sound good,” Andy said.

“Yeah, people usually don’t like to be messed with like that, even if they do need help,” Tyron added.

Prime shrugged, but the motion didn’t translate into his body.

“Why so much all at once, Decatur? I mean, yesterday it was business as usual around here. Now, it seems like. . . .” Daniel said, trailing off.

“I see this may be overwhelming to you,” Prime said. “But you
must
take action quickly because events are accelerating. The Tau Cetians must be dealt with—I hope in such a way that we will be on good terms with them afterward. But, if that’s not possible, so be it. There’s a bigger threat.”

“Okay, Decatur. We’re so thrilled to have you back, and we’ll do whatever you suggest. What do we need to do first?” Jack said.

“First, organize a team capable of negotiating with Earth—with the UNSC, essentially. Take the new ship, it will get you there quickly. And, once there, we’ll be on hand to help with this Tau Cetian agent and smooth things over if we can. But, it must be
you
. Humans. Not us,” Prime said, gesturing to his three friends.

“Got it. Done, done, and done. Who’s going with me?” Jack said.

“With
you
? But sir—” Megumi said.

“Don’t you
dare
, Meg!” Jack warned.

She laughed. “Alright, you win! But, if you can’t take the gees and keel over en route, you’ll get a burial in space.”

Jack frowned at her.

“Hey, just saying,” Megumi added defensively. “But I’d better tag along to make sure they play your favorite song at the funeral.”

“Folks, folks!” Chase said loudly. “We’ll reconvene to make any more decisions. For now, let’s digest this information overload and get back together later . . . say, this evening?”

“Agreed!” Daniel and several others affirmed.

“We’re going back to Earth,” Andy whispered into Jolene’s ear. “I can’t believe it. Do you wanna go?”

“Oh, I don’t know!” she whispered back. “This is my home now, here with you, and I’m not really interested in Earth anymore.”

“I know how you feel,” Andy said. “Well, I’m not going without you.”

Jolene squeezed him and kissed him. “Do you want to go that badly? It sounds like politics to me.”

“Kind of, just to do something important. But, who knows how long they’ll be gone? I don’t want to drop everything we’re doing here to run off and save Earth! I mean, that’s not
our home
anymore, is it?”

“Not our home, per se, but I do feel kinda responsible for it. I mean, that Tau Ceti thing, that was our fault.”

Andy looked her in the eyes. “Darling, that was
not
our fault! Decatur took responsibility for that mistake.”

“Oh.”

“But, your point is not lost on me,” he said. “If something bad happens to Earth because of this Tau Ceti agent, we—that is, my dad, Mr. Seerva, all of us—well, we
are
responsible for starting that. I’d like to see us—whoever
us
is on that team—take care of the problem.”

“Hmm, yes,” Jolene said.

“Okay, let’s help however we can, but from
here
or. . . .?” Andy suggested.

“Oh, what the hell, let’s go!” she said.

“Okay, it’s settled then.”

Andy looked around and saw small groups of his friends and neighbors having similar conversations.