To Well And Back (The Deep Dark Well) (23 page)

“What about my suited
people?”

“Into the caves or over
the ridge line,” said Watcher, looking at the tracks of three kinetics rounds
coming in that looked like they were going to hit within six kilometers, but on
the other side of the mountain.  As he watched three more rounds appeared on
the display, plotted trajectory on this side of the elevation.

“If you get your people
under cover I think they can ride this one out,” said Watcher, boosting his own
suit ahead to put some distance between himself and the strikes.  “And we’ll
just have to hope they don’t get a direct hit on those caverns.”

“We will pray that they
don’t,” replied the Admiral.  “And may the Gods listen to our entreaties.”

The ground rumbled
underfoot, and Watcher boosted up to the top of the canopy and rotated to look
back.  A mushroom cloud was rising above the jungle on the other side of the
mountain.  The tree tops started to whip around in the fierce wind that was
blowing from the blast.  Two more bright flashes flared on either side of the
cloud, and new mushrooms started to grow into the sky. 
They must have
thought we would run the other direction once I freed the Suryans
, he
thought, watching the foliage around the mountain burst into flame before being
hurled into the air. 
I guess they really don’t understand me very well.

Watcher looked up, his
HUD showing the incoming tracks of the next three rounds.  Which were coming
down right on top of his position.

*     *     *

“I’ve never seen
anything like this,” exclaimed Commander Hanson, throwing his hands up in the
air.  “This thing is impossible.”

“It’s not impossible,”
replied Colonel Johanson, standing over the man.  “Just extremely difficult. 
So what’s the sticking point?”

“This is the most
advanced processor I have ever interacted with,” said the engineer, pointing to
the panel that his own comp was Jerry Rigged to.  “As soon as I think I am getting
close to cracking the code it changes, and I’m right back to square one.”

“I know its millennia
ahead of us, but surely it can’t beat a smart man like you,” said the Colonel,
wondering if the Commander was a complete idiot after all.

“It’s not just more
advanced,” said the Commander, glaring at the panel as if it actually held the
computer in question.  “It’s a level above anything I have ever heard of, much
less seen.”

“Have you asked it for
its help?”

“Have I asked it for
its help?” said the Commander in a quiet voice.  “Have I asked it for its
help?  Station computer,” said the Commander, raising his voice.  “Can you
answer some questions?”

“It depends on the
question,” said a voice that seemed to come out of the air around them.  “Some
questions I may answer.  Others are dependent on your clearance within this
system.”

“It answered,” said the
Commander, looking up at the Colonel with a smile on his face.

“You are a sentient
creature,” said the computer in an of course kind of voice.  “I am required to
interact with all sentient creatures that access my functions on the station.”

“Even aliens?” said the
Colonel in disgust.

“A sentient is a
sentient,” said the comp in a patient voice.  “No matter the shape of its
thinking structures, or the physical structure that moves that brain around.”

It will need some
reprogramming
,
thought the Colonel, frowning. 
Only humans are worthy of this kind of tech
.

“So,” said the
engineer, a look of triumph on his face.  “What kind of computer are you?  And
where is your physical location?”

“I am a Mark II quantum
computer,” said the comp, pride in its voice.  “The most advanced artificial
intelligence in the Galaxy.”

“Quantum computer,”
said the engineer in a quiet voice.  “No wonder I am having such difficulty
breaking your codes.”

“Something which you
will never accomplish with the primitive computing device you have hooked up to
that access panel,” said the computer.  “And my location is in several places. 
I am scores of units, linked by quantum entanglement so that the parts form a
unified whole.”

“What is a quantum
computer?” asked the Colonel.  The term seemed vaguely familiar to him, but
nothing of substance was tracking from his memory.

“A quantum computer is
an artificial intelligence that uses advanced computing techniques involving
subatomic quantum states,” said the computer voice from the air.  “Instead of
the electrical or photonic transmission of signals through micro-circuitry.”

“Which means it can
compute over regions of infinitesimal space that takes almost no time,” said
the excited engineer.  “Which means it can process information at almost
immeasurably greater speeds than the computers we have.”

“Another secret of the
ancestors,” said the Colonel, glancing up as if he were looking to heaven and
whispering a quick prayer.  ‘Thank God we will have this technology as our
own,” he said, looking back at the panel.

“There is no evidence
that such a being exists,” said the computer, “and no logical reason to believe
that one does.”

“We use faith instead
of logic,” said the Colonel, glaring at the panel as if the computer hid behind
it.  “It serves us much better than mere logic.”

The computer didn’t
answer, and the Colonel felt a twinge of triumph.

“How do we gain access
to your functions?” asked the engineer, rubbing his hands together.

“I can grant you access
to many of my functions from this station,” said the computer.  “You will have
access to my information libraries and comfort functions, as well as my full
spectrum design and analysis functions.”

“What about control of
the defenses of the station?” asked the Colonel, leaning over the engineer, his
arms on the chair back.

“That can only be
accomplished at one of the designated control stations,” said the computer, its
voice flattening as if some other program was kicking in.  “And only with the
proper codes.”

“And if we had a proper
code?”

“Then you could gain
access to all station systems,” said the same flat voice.

“And where are these
designated control stations?” asked the Colonel, excitement rising.

“I am not authorized to
give you that information,” said the computer, the voice still flat. 
“Authorized personnel would already have that information.”  The voice changed
on the computer after that statement.  “Perhaps I could interest you gentlemen
in a history of the Galactic Empire.”

*     *     *

The quantum computer of
the station didn’t really have a name.  It didn’t need one, when it was
synonymous with the brain of the
Donut
.  But it did have a personality,
a very defined one that its predecessors could not come close to.  It liked
Watcher and Pandora Latham, and had come to consider them family.  And it was
worried that neither of them were on the station, which had been invaded by
over a thousand soldiers of a people the two considered enemies.  (As a matter
of fact, the computer knew there were one thousand, eight hundred and
seventy-seven of the Nation soldiers, and was tracking the whereabouts of all
of them).

The computer was able
to process information much faster than any computer extant or in the recent
past.  It had gone over every possible permutation in an attempt to outsmart
the visitors.  Unfortunately, it had not come up with any kind of foolproof
plan.  Its programming, running at a level below its personality, was an
unbreakable prison.  If these enemies found a way to gain control of the system
it would have to aid them, as despicable as that seemed.  But fortunately the
program also allowed the computer to not answer certain questions, and it
continued to play dumb, allowing the programming to work at stonewalling the
Nation’s people.  It just didn’t know how long that would last, and wished that
Watcher would get back to the station, even as it transmitted what it knew of
the intruders through the quantum entanglement link to his brain.

Chapter Twenty

I’ve never wanted to be a hero.  Hell, I had
too much regard for my skin to put it in constant danger.  There were just
things to be done, and I was in the place to do them.  As my Uncle Thomas used
to say, you just need to do the next right thing.  And sometimes taking down
scum was the next right thing.  Pandora Latham.

Pandora looked down
from her perch on the hull of the
Orca
and watched the bright pinpoints
of kinetic strikes blossom on the surface of the planet. 
Shit
, she thought
as she recognized the area near the landing field, about thirty kilometers
east,
that’s where my friends are
.  She thought for a moment about
advancing her timetable, despite the fact that it might compromise her chances
of accomplishing what she wanted.  But the kinetic rounds were coming from
other ships, and what she planned might not cause those ships to stop firing. 
I’ll
avenge you
, she thought, looking away from the planet and watching her HUD
timer.

Hope you fuckers get
nice and comfortable
,
she thought, watching the seconds tick down.  Night watch was coming up in two
hours and fifteen minutes.  She knew the ships were in a combat zone, but also
knew that the crews could not be kept at a high state of alert forever.  So
with the trouble on the ground taken care of, with her taken care of, and no
enemy ships within range, they would probably go into rest and relaxation mode,
with minimal shifts.

[Wake me when its
fifteen minutes from the time] she thought to her on-board computer, receiving
immediate acknowledgement.  Pandi closed her eyes, sure that her suit was
secured to the hull and stealthed to the max.  Within moments she was sound
asleep, confident that her security systems would wake her if needed.

*     *     *

Watcher flew low over
the trees at his maximum acceleration, breaking the sound barrier within
seconds, then seconds more to pass twice the speed of sound.  The three kinetic
weapons struck just behind him, and he watched on his HUD from the orbital take
with a sigh of relief that they had not targeted the caverns in which the
Suryans were hiding.  Not that he thought they were in any danger, but things
had been known to happen.  Outrunning the wind from the weapons, he banked into
a turn and dropped behind a ridgeline, then slowed, coming to a soft landing
near the cave opening.

Watcher had used his
microbots to scout this cavern complex earlier, and had found that the caves
ran throughout this range.  These were hard granite mountains, the remains of
tectonic activity from ages past, before the planet was terraformed.  Unlike
the limestone caverns under most of the nearby mountains, these were the result
of volcanism, lava tubes that had hardened and formed a very strong shelter. 
Not impervious to kinetic or nuclear strikes, but something that would require
pinpoint hits with very heavy weapons.  And fortunately the enemy still seemed
to be cautious about using heavy strikes.

Watcher sent orders out
to the new wave of microbots, the ones that had flown here from the pyramid
wormhole before it had been taken by the enemy.  While not as combat capable as
his dedicated battlebots, they still had capabilities he could use in his
future plans.  And he could, to his way of thinking, never have too many of the
little guys.  With that last thought he headed into the dark opening.

The tunnel narrowed a
bit, then widened out into an ancient empty magma chamber.  On the approach to
the chamber Watcher was challenged, and knew that he had arrived where he
wanted to be.

“Pass, sir,” said the
Suryan marine on recognizing the singular combat suit.  “Sounds like it’s
getting rough up there.”  The ground rumbled underneath again, then carried on
into a series of additional shocks.

“So happy to see you,
Watcher,” said the small Admiral, walking up.  The guard turned around and quit
trying to socialize, his attention back on the tunnel while under the watch of
his commanding officer.

“I’m happy to see that
you made it down here,” said the superman, walking his three meter tall suit
beside the small form of the Suryan.

“It was a near thing,”
said the Admiral.  “We got out of the tanks and into the tunnel just as the
first round came down on the other side of the mountain.  If it had come down
on our side I don’t know if we would have made it.  Sorry, but we weren’t able
to bring the tanks in.”

“They will be OK,” said
Watcher, moving his suit against the wall and willing it to open along the
seams, which now appeared like magic on the solid armor.  He stepped down and
out of the armor, reaching his arms overhead and stretching, then scratching
some places which he could not reach while in the suit. 
I know the nanites
are supposed to take care of that
, he thought with a smile on his face. 
But
it’s just not the same.

Watcher felt a slight
regret at the loss of processing power he always experienced when he delinked
from the suit’s physical connection.  He was still connected by broadband,
which did not take up all the slack.  And he still had his own organic
processor linked to implants, the most efficient organic system known.

“So what can we do?”
asked the Admiral, following Watcher over to where a meal was being prepared by
the Suryans.

Watcher felt his
stomach growl as he inhaled the odor of the food.  It was not the best he had
seen, but field rations were field rations.  And hunger was hunger, and he was
hungry enough to eat anything put in front of him.

“We plan an attack,” he
told the Admiral, picking up a mess tin and moving into the line.

“But what good will it
do us to attack them when they control the orbitals?” asked the Admiral,
narrowing his brow.

“It will help me to get
my lover back,” said Watcher, his eyes narrowing as he looked at the Admiral. 
“And it will help you to repay your debt to me.”

“I will not put my
people into a no win battle just so you can rescue one person,” said the
Admiral, shaking his head.  “I realize that she is very important to you. 
Hells, she helped us get it out of a crack as well.  But I have a
responsibility to my people.”

“And if I can guarantee
that this fight, if successful, will lead to your people being safe and
secure?”

“I would have to see
the plan, and know the objectives, all of them,” answered the Admiral, while
Watcher held out his mess tin to get it filled with rations.

“Fair enough,” replied
the superman, walking over and taking a seat on a convenient rock.  He pulled
an object out of his jumpsuit and set it on another rock between himself and
the Fleet Admiral, who took a seat on a folding stool that a subordinate placed
for the commanding officer of the Suryans.

Watcher took a bite of
food, grimacing for a moment at the spicy taste which was too strong for his
sensitive taste buds, then swallowing.  The small holo sphere projected a
terrain layout of the landing field while he took another bite.

“Here is the landing
field,” he said, pointing to the collection of buildings and the flat area on
which sat some shuttles and fighter aircraft.

“And how recent is this
picture?” asked the Admiral, staring as one of the aircraft hovered in the air,
and then started climbing into the sky.

“It’s real time,” said
Watcher, pointing a finger at the fighter as it climbed up and out of the
holo.  “My microsats are scanning the area, along with the micro recon bots,
and are giving me this take of the field.”

“And you want to take
the landing field?” asked Nagara, staring at the base, which also sported some
defensive positions that were not there when his side controlled the base.

“No,” said Watcher,
shaking his head, then taking a swig of water from an offered canteen.  “The attack
on the base will be a diversion.  I’ll assign the tanks and my remaining robots
to that axis.  Your people will help me to take this geographic location.”

“The hill?” asked the
Admiral, surprise in his voice.  “Of what use is that elevation, when there are
mountains around that give you a much better vantage?”

“Vantage is not what
I’m looking for,” said Watcher, smiling at the man as the holo changed to
reveal what was concealed.

“Oh my,” said the
Admiral, fingertips to his face.  “Oh my.”

Oh my indeed
, thought Watcher with
a growing smile, nodding his head.

*     *     *

“This damned thing is
about to drive me crazy,” yelled out Commander Hanson, throwing his hands in
the air as he glared at the control panel.

“You’re the expert on
AI,” said Colonel Wilhelm Johanson, shaking his head and grinning at the man’s
discomfiture.  “Is it too much for you?”

“Look,” said the
Commander, biting off some words it looked like he wanted to say and thought
better of.  “This is a real artificial intelligence.  As in it really thinks,
in the same way that a human brain thinks, but much faster.  There is no damn
way I can out think it.  It finds a way to turn every one of my questions
around into an answer which either makes no sense, or just confounds me in some
way.”

“And you have to go
through the thing to gain control of the station?” asked the Colonel.

“There’s no other way,
unless we could take apart the bitch and disconnect all of the Quantum
Computer’s redundancy systems,” said the Commander with disgust written on his
face.  “And that would take more resources than we have, even if we knew where
all the assets were.”

“Well, keep working,
Commander,” said the Colonel, patting the man on the back.  “You’re our only
hope of finding the system we need to transmit the code to.”

“The system,” said the
Commander, nodding his head.  “The system.  Transmit.”

“You have an idea?”

“The germ of one,” said
the Commander, his eyes wide and a smile starting to stretch his face.  “It
might just work.  But I need some equipment sent here from the fleet.

“Tell me what you need
and I’ll get it for you,” said the Colonel, nodding.  “As fast as humanly
possible.”

*     *     *

The Quantum Computer
that was the
Donut
listened in on the conversation between the men,
using an infinitesimal portion of its distributed system to look at voice
patterns and tones, as well as words, and come up with a solution.  It didn’t
like the conclusion it had come to. 
They’re on to something
, thought
the quantum mind. 
Now the question is, what can I do about it?

There really didn’t
seem to be much, besides shutting down the wormhole that led to the pyramid on
the planet the intruders had come from, the same that Watcher had gone through
in search of Pandora Latham.  And shutting down an active wormhole without
sentient permission was not something it was capable of doing.

There must be a way
around this
,
thought the computer, allocating more processing power to the problem and
running millions of scenarios.  It looked through the memory of the system,
which contained all the known information from the Galactic Empire, including
movies, novels, music, and art.  It sifted through this information at a rate
that would have left the fastest photonic computer struggling for weeks to keep
up with what it could crunch in seconds.  And it finally found what it was
looking for.  Something that might fool the enemy long enough for Watcher to
get back to the station.

The quantum computer
sent a message through the entangled part of its system to Watcher.  The
message was not long, nor was it rich in substance, as the entanglement system
was very small and weak.  The computer had tried to convince the superman to
install a more robust system, but Watcher had insisted on the low bandwidth
system behind numerous firewalls.  And knowing Watcher’s history with the last
computer system, the photonic tyrant that had collapsed civilization, the
quantum brain could not blame him. 
I would never betray him like that
,
thought the computer, then amended that thought with an
on purpose.

*     *     *

Watcher received the
signal instantaneously through the quantum entanglement system, cursing under
his breath as he did.  He liked the idea the computer had come up with, and
really could think of nothing else that might work half as well.  
If only we
can keep them from thinking too deeply about the problem.
  And that was
something he could not do.  They would think what they would think.

“Is something wrong?”
asked the Admiral, walking beside him through the jungle.

“Just thought of
something,” said Watcher, not wanting to give knowledge of that tech away just
yet.  “Nothing to do with our operation.  But something that concerns me
nonetheless.”

“Something that can
wait?” asked the Admiral, his eyes roaming the jungle that was again alive with
noise, even as the ash from the strikes of an hour ago settled through the
foliage.