“Yes, good,” the holoimage said. “Now, as to the other matters, here is what we shall do afterward…”
Time passed as the robot and crew repaired what damage they could. Finally, hours later, the holoimage reappeared on the bridge.
“An enemy sensor has located us,” the AI said.
Maddox noticed the holoimage was sharper than ever. It was shorter than he was, with thicker shoulders and thin dangling arms. It wore what looked like a jumpsuit with red tags on the chest, perhaps to symbolize his rank. The holoimage had thick, silvery matted hair and extremely deep-set eyes. The alien was far more humanoid than he’d realized. Why did the control panels have tentacle slots then?
“What are the star cruisers doing exactly?” Maddox asked.
“Heading closer to the red giant,” the holoimage said.
“It’s as I feared. Per Lomax and his brethren are clever. After replaying what happened earlier, they must realize you have an intra-system jump capability. Perhaps they have anticipated our next tactic. I think you must attack this instant before they refine their strategies.”
The holoimage studied him. Maddox could tell because of the greater clarity. The AI must be able to see or sense through the image’s eyes.
“Yes, I understand your reasoning,” the holoimage said. “With my re-linked cores operating together, I have—well, never mind about that. Prepare for jump.”
Through his screen, Maddox informed the others they were about to attack.
A minute later, a terrible whine began from somewhere deep in the ship. The vertigo returned. Maddox felt all the same sensations as last time.
I’m heading back into combat. This is it. Do or die against the New Men.
The quietness of jump felt strange. Then, light and colors flowed into him as before. Sounds and smells overburdened his senses. Maddox slumped onto the deck, panting as drool spilled from his mouth. Then he realized the engines thrummed and the deck vibrated horribly.
“Error, error,” the holoimage said. “We have committed an error.”
“What’s wrong?” Maddox shouted, dragging himself to a sitting position.
“They were ready for us,” the holoimage said. “You were right in believing they anticipated the tactic. We have committed an error. Their rays are burning through the shield. There, one beam has burst through.”
Maddox staggered to the screen as the starship shook. An enemy beam chewed against Victory’s cherry-red hull armor.
“Fire into their guts!” shouted Maddox. “Use the neutron beam. Destroy one of them, at least. Let them know they’ve been in a fight.”
As the starship shook, its purple beam struck an enemy shield. It might have been Maddox’s imagination, but the shimmering held longer than last time. The enemy’s deflector became red as neutron energy blasted against it. Far too slowly, the shield became brown, the color spreading outward. Then, the central area turned black. Finally, the purple neutron beam punched through the shield, smashed hull armor and tore into the star cruiser.
“Breach!” the holoimage shouted.
At first, Maddox thought the AI meant against the enemy.
“Victory has a hull breach,” the holoimage said. “The New Men are destroying my beautiful ship. If only I had my old weapons systems. Then they would have known. Then they—”
On Maddox’s screen, a terrific explosion turned everything stark white. The captain threw his arms before his eyes. When he looked again, he saw expanding debris where an enemy star cruiser had been. Armor, laser fluids, flesh, decking, food concentrates, water, all kinds of material expanded in a mass. Some hit the next star cruiser’s shield, frying into energy, halted from moving farther.
“Hit!” shouted Maddox. “You hit and destroyed one of them. The fight’s not over yet.”
At that precise moment, in a different part of the starship, Lieutenant Noonan caught Doctor Rich’s wink.
The two of them were in a critical AI nexus area. Bulkhead plates lay strewn on the deck. Earlier, Dana had used her implements to attach loosened cables and alien radiant connectives. The AI had shown the doctor specialty tools to work on the parts. Not only listening to the explanations—through Maddox doing the interpreting—the doctor had studied the machine with her critical, professional eye. A so-called “encryption” pad lay in plain sight. The AI had instructed Maddox, who had told the doctor how to use it. Dana had whispered earlier to Valerie that the pad was the central override board to the entire AI system.
Horrible sounds now echoed in the starship. Explosions shook the nexus area and metal crumpled nearby that they couldn’t see.
The wink was Valerie’s prearranged signal to act. The Star Watch lieutenant unlimbered her heavy assault rifle. While wearing her vacc-suit, she leveled the weapon at the nearby robot. It was a squat rounded thing that moved on treads and possessed six mechanical tentacles. It stood a little taller than her and must have weighed three times as much.
“Here goes,” Valerie whispered to herself. She pulled the trigger. Bullets hosed from the assault rifle as the weapon bucked in her hands. The first few shots ricocheted off the robot. What kind of metal did it have, anyway?
Instead of worrying about that, the lieutenant focused on hitting the same surface area. Gritting her teeth, she kept firing.
Doctor Rich swiveled around, leaving what she’d been doing. Instead, she began typing on the encryption pad, her fingers blurring as she attempted to override the ancient computer.
The robot waved its many tentacles. The treads clanked, and the squat machine headed at Dana Rich. It looked as if the robot intended to ram the doctor against a bulkhead.
Inside her helmet, Valerie shouted, moving between the robot and Dana. Kneeling, Valerie ripped out the expended magazine and shoved in another. The robot loomed before her. She held the muzzle centimeters from its skin and let the rifle tremble in her hands. Bullets smashed through dented outer armor. They sparked inside the electrical guts. Yet still the robot’s treads carried it closer.
Then, Valerie released the rifle as she began to roar and rave. Pushing with her feet, she collided with the thing so hard her teeth jarred together with a click. She shoved as her vacc-boots kept moving, straining against the robot. Mechanical tentacles struck her helmet and whipped against her shoulders. Her cries changed to those of pain. A last convulsive effort gave her more strength. She toppled the robot and rolled free of it. With sweat dripping into her eyes, she scrambled to the assault rifle lying on the deck. She jammed in a new magazine. As the robot’s treads spun and the tentacles attempted to right itself, she shoved the muzzle through a torn area. Valerie pulled the trigger, pumping slugs into the undying robot. Finally, smoke billowed from the thing. Flames flickered, and the robot’s efforts weakened until it no longer mattered.
Exhausted, Lieutenant Noonan staggered away from the alien machine, crashing onto her butt as she panted. She didn’t know if they had won or lost, but she sure as heck felt as if she’d done her part.
On the starship’s bridge, the holoimage raged at Captain Maddox. “You traitor! You lied to me. Your people are attempting to gain control over my AI core. I will drop the deflector shield and let both enemy beams strike the ship into oblivion.”
“Wait!” Maddox said. “They aren’t supposed to be doing that. My crew is attacking you?”
“What?” the holoimage asked. “They’re doing this against your orders?”
“Of course,” Maddox said, trying to gain time for whatever the others were attempting. “I have too much respect for you to do anything other than serve you. Strengthen the deflector shield. Use everything you can against the New Men while I stop my team from hurting you.”