Gridlinked

'Perhaps they just did not realize a laser carbine would not hurt it,' said Cento.

Cormac eyed the android for a moment. 'No, I think they understood the situation perfectly. I also think we're focusing on the wrong thing. The weapon they used is not the issue. What we have to ask is why did they tear the roof off that AGC?'

'To give themselves a greater field of fire,' said Cento.

'No again, on that. They only had one target.'

It was Thorn who gave the required answer. 'So the Maker could see them,' he said.

'Right,' said Cormac. 'I think we're starting to get somewhere now. Those dracomen were here to get to the Maker. To get it defensive.' He looked at Thorn. 'Just like that thing in the tunnel… maybe.' Thorn looked away from him. 'I think their one purpose is that. Maybe they had another purpose, should I cease to become Dragon's best bet for killing the Maker. I guess we won't know that now.'

'We know Dragon tells lies,' said Thorn.

'Yes, but what we don't know is how many, nor how deep they are. Now, Thorn, the Maker stunned you,

Cento and Aiden. It used a different form of energy for you than for them. Aiden said it used just enough to knock him out. You said it was about stun three that hit you, which is incidentally the maximum safe limit used by ES for crowd control. It was specific, therefore it ascertained what you could take, and was careful not to kill you. Does that strike you as the action of a psychopath?'

'No, but…'

Cormac turned to Cento. 'Would a near speed of light collision kill that creature?'

'Yes, very likely.'

'Aiden, are you through yet?'

'Samarkand II and Blegg are ready, Chaline is a few minutes away.'

'Have you Viridian there?'

'Yes.'

'Ask it where the Maker went.'

There was a brief conversation, and then Aiden turned back from the console. 'Viridian said it moved about two hundred kilometres directly east, then went down into a system of caves there. The Thuriot caverns, before the Thuriot mountains… Hold on, the sergeant just said there was an AGC circling at the edge of detection range just men.'

'One thing at a time,' said Cormac. 'He knows what to do.' He scratched at his head and stared at the wall for a moment. Then he said, 'I want Pelter and this killer android off my back now. This is too critical. I think we'll head east for about a hundred and fifty kilometres, and find a suitable place to put down again.'

'Another trap?' asked Thorn.

'Perhaps. We'll see.'

'Chaline's online now,' said Aiden.

Cormac stood up, walked to the front of the carrier and took the seat next to him. Thorn looked at Mika questioningly. She shrugged and said, 'If he doesn't want to tell us, he won't.'

Thorn said, 'One minute he says the Maker isn't a killer. The next minute he says he knows how to kill it. He's an opaque chap at times.'

'He knows what he is doing,' said Cento.

'I didn't suggest otherwise.'

The three of them moved up front to listen.

'Chaline,' said Cormac. 'Is the stage-two runcible through yet?'

'It is, and it would have been set up in another ten hours if I wasn't up here on this damned ship, and if there were no other interruptions.'

Cormac grinned. 'I'm afraid there might be. Tell me, how long would it take for you to relocate the stage-one runcible?'

'What? What the hell do you want—'

'Take it as a metaphorical question for now.'

Chaline calmed down. 'Depends where you want it. The biggest time-eater is laying the's-con cables.'

'How about if you just use a microwave emitter?'

'That would be quicker, I suppose. How far away would you want it?'

'About five hundred kilometres away from all other installations.'

'Why would you want to do that?'

'Just answer the question, please.'

'OK, about thirty hours, if all available staff are on it.'

'Could the AI run it from the new installation?'

'Of course I could,' replied the voice of a bored aristocrat.

'Right, Blegg, if we bring the Maker out after us through the stage-one runcible, having destroyed the buffers after our transmission, it would likely be killed.'

Blegg said, 'Y'want Dragon to know this, of course. It should be kept informed…'

Cormac smiled and shook his head. How the hell had he known? 'Of course,' he said, 'and it is our prerogative to do this. It must be punished for the deaths of those on Samarkand.'

'I see. You have already encountered this Maker?'

'Yes, and I want to be there to see it destroyed. I know remote detonators could—'

Chaline interrupted. 'Are you out of your minds? Destroy another runcible?'

Blegg's voice was as smooth as a snake. 'If that is what it takes, then that is what will be done. Y'understand?'

Cormac wondered if Chaline could smell the garlic on his breath and see the flecks of gold in his eyes.

'Right,' said Chaline tighdy.

Blegg had a mandate from Earth Central. He could be argued with - but it was a poindess exercise.

'Will you arrange all that, then? I want a proton weapon left in the containment sphere. You'll have to turn off any proscription device in the sphere for that. I also want a fast AGC beside the runcible, with a covered walkway leading to it. Put three coldsuits in it as well.'

'We'll contact y'when everything is ready. Dragon will be told.'

'Good, after you make contact with us, we'll be flushing the Maker out with the CTDs. That's all.' Cormac rested his fingers on his bottom lip and stared at the console until the transmission was broken. 'Dragon probably heard every word of that,' he said. 'It put a lock on the information concerning the arrival of its dracomen on Samarkand, so it has access to the grid, and I think its tracking down of this Maker to Samarkand confirms that. It will, accordingly, discover all that has happened here. Very little information will escape it.'

'Are you going to tell us what you're up to?' asked Thorn.

'I haven't quite got it all sorted myself. I am, as Blegg might say, giving myself leeway for subterfuge. I'm afraid you'll have to be content with that for now. What you heard then is all you need to know.' He centred his attention on Aiden. 'Aiden, I want you to open a channel from my comunit to Viridian. Preferably through underspace, coded and random scrambled.'

Aiden nodded. They all waited for Cormac to say more.

Thorn became impatient. 'Now?' he prompted.

'Now? Well, I haven't eaten since yesterday and I'm hungry. I suggest we eat before heading out. Pelter needs to be dealt with. I can't have an imponderable like him about while I'm dealing with… other things.'

27

Politics (An excerpt): Everybody knows that we are living in a meritocracy and that those in charge are not human. Everybody knows that AIs are running the show. Who would trust a human planetary governor? Who would trust humans with controlling the vast spread of human migration and trade? Certainly not other humans. As that sublime AI, which is referred to as 'Earth Central', once put it, 'Humans: fast machines that serve the purpose of slow genes.' Most right-thinking people would agree that we are not to be trusted with our own destiny and are glad things are the way they are. Our history should be a salutary lesson held at the forefronts of our minds when we consider these matters. Nowadays you do not see such bloody resolution to events as was seen in the past. I mean, you don't see the machines killing each other, do you?

From How It Is by Gordon

The magnetic rails lifted the shuttle from the bay floor, just like AG.

'That's it,' said Tull over the intercom. 'Now you just ease it straight out. You'll be going out opposite to the station's rotation, so you should have no problem. Obviously, once you're out, you'll fall away at one-quarter G.'