Annihilation 09: Dahlia's Deception Read online

  Ping and Dahlia teleported into the control room; both of them were holding their boots in their hands. Dean looked at them, “It looks like our cluster is going to be searched.”

  Dahlia rushed up to a panel in front of the huge row of monitors, sat down in a chair, and started putting on her boots as she stared at the bank of displays. “They don’t trust each other enough to send warships.”

  Tess pulled her eyes away from the display, “Why do you say that?”

  “They each believe the other would use an investigation to take control of the cluster. Their warships are not equal in strength so they probably wouldn’t send their major battleships to work together. Scouts make the most sense, if they’re going to be forced to work together on this.”

  Ping nodded and knew Dahlia was probably right; she saw the relationships between the two enemies instantly. This was more proof of her ability to see the truth.

  He looked at Tess as she said, “Get the alarm out and move the planet to Operation Deception. Tell all the leaders that they need to be ready to move on an instant’s notice.”

  Dean turned to his panel and Ping said, “Deception?”

  “We’ve been constructing large holes under our major cities for the populations to move underground; we shipped enough supplies to support them for a month. The only ones remaining on the surface have been trained on their roles.”

  “What roles?”

  “We hope to convince the Black Ships that the virus they fear is still active and virulent. Those on the surface will put on a show of being sick. We’ve also put together some other sites to add to the deception.”

  “What happens if they take longer than a month to conduct the search?”

  “We won’t start moving them into the holes until their ships move close to our region in the cluster. The probes you gave us will notify us if anything changes and forces us to move earlier.”

  Dahlia finished tying her boot strings and stood up stamping her feet, “I need to be out there in our ship keeping tabs on them.” Tess didn’t like hearing that and Dahlia saw it in her expression. “Sis, we’re going to have to shut down our scanners while they’re here. I need to see what they’re doing in order to make good decisions.”

  Ping said, “She’s right…and I prefer to have her off the planet in the event of an attack.”

  Tess looked back and forth between them and shook her head, “Are you certain about this? I suspect it’s much more dangerous out there than here.”

  Dahlia slowly shook her head, “Tess…there aren’t any warships…only scouts. Our Mite could probably kill them all.”

  Tess blew out a breath as she rolled her head and eyes, “Then get out of here. We’re closing down the entrance tubes to the military holes.”

  Dahlia smiled, “That’s ok; we can teleport out any time we choose.”

  Dean saw Tess’ frustration and smiled. His twin sister was becoming more assertive and, although her decisions were usually good ones, Tess didn’t like working around her. Tess just wasn’t accustomed to having anyone operate outside her direct control. She was just going to have to accept that Dahlia’s relationship with the Stars Realm’s Prince placed her in a special position. Dahlia looked at him and smiled. Dean knew she saw his expressions and knew what he was thinking.

  Ping looked up at the ceiling and said, “We have two weeks before they arrive here.” Dahlia looked at Ping with raised eyebrows and he shrugged, “I know this is true.”

  Dahlia turned to Tess, “Tell me what we can do to get things ready. We’ll leave three days before they arrive.”

  Tess stared at Ping and then turned to Dahlia, “Do you actually trust what he’s saying?”

  Dahlia looked at Ping with a small smile, “He doesn’t make many predictions, Tess…however, when he does, you can take them to the bank.”

  Tess stared at them and said, “We’re still going to keep track of them with our probes. I can’t risk the planet on another’s guess.”

  Ping shrugged again and Dahlia said, “It’s not a guess. However, we understand why you’re taking the precautions.” She glanced at Ping and saw him nod.

  “The two of you need to make sure the Mites do not attack any of those scouts.”

  Dean nodded, “I’ve already sent a message telling them to get out of the cluster and to stay away until they leave.” Dahlia looked at Ping and he lifted his left shoulder and tilted his head left. Good, he didn’t sense any danger from the decision.

  She turned her head and looked back at Dean, “Make sure they keep their communicators active in the event we need to contact them.”

  “They’ll go silent and only have them activated to receive.”

  Tess nodded, “That would be good.” She turned and started speaking with the leaders that had called in wanting to know what was going on. They had to be ready when the time came to move.

  Ping looked at Dahlia, “I’m going to our ship to see what’s going on elsewhere. I’m going to lock in your wrist unit and might teleport you on board if a situation calls for it.”

  “I thought you said they won’t be here for two weeks?”

  “They won’t; but how do you know the Black Civilization’s leader won’t decide to make a sneak attack to destroy this planet to prevent the Rageon from learning about the virus?”

  Dahlia stared at Ping and he saw her mind working furiously, “He won’t do it.” Ping’s head lowered and she continued, “He had the opportunity before they sent their ships here. He missed it and now he wouldn’t dare send warships here now with the Rageon watching. He knows it would trigger a war.”

  Ping thought for a moment and tilted his head, “You’re probably right; however, I’d feel more comfortable on the ship. I just can’t see the Beasts allowing them to see your planet.”

  “Need some time to mope, do ya.” Ping rolled his eyes and disappeared. Dean shook his head and Dahlia said, “What?”

  “When are you ever going to lighten up on him? He’s still grieving.”

  Dahlia smiled, “Not until he comes back to the land of the living. He deserves my best effort.”

  Dean stared at his sister and saw something in her eyes. She quickly looked away and he wasn’t sure what it was. But something was going on.

  • • •

  Ping sat on the Mite’s tiny bridge and wondered why he let Dahlia get under his skin so easily. She was sharp and didn’t miss an opportunity to needle him. She had to be extremely intelligent to do it so effectively. She was five feet two and a hundred and twenty pounds soaking wet. Ping shook his head; a small body with a huge spirit…and big mouth to go with it. Dean had told him that Dahlia was a quiet person who stayed in the shadows never wanting to be noticed until he showed up. Dean must be lying about other things as well.

  He blew out a breath and leaned back in his chair. He extended his vision out to the area the enemy scouts were located and saw thousands of them starting to form up as thousands more jumped in. He backed away from the view and looked out at the edge of the giant cluster that was directly in their path. He swept his vision from one side of the cluster to the other focusing on how many type-G stars were located in that sector of space. As his vision moved across the swath of space he thought he saw a flicker. He stopped his view and moved it back across the sector. Once again he saw a flicker.

  He turned his attention to the area it seemed to be located and moved his view in closer. He moved his view back and forth numerous times and the flicker didn’t appear. He shrugged and backed his view out and swept it across the sector again. The flicker was back. What was going on? He slowly moved his view across the area the flicker appeared to be located and it appeared for an instant before he lost it. He stopped and moved his view even more slowly until the flicker appeared and he instantly locked his gaze on it. He stared at it for a moment and blinked. When his eyes opened, it was gone. He spent another three minutes finding it again, focusing on it, and then losing it when he blinked. He moved the
view closer and the flicker disappeared completely. He knew he was looking at the place it was located but it wasn’t visible when he moved the view in closer. He saw a star with planets in his view and thought, “Computer, look at my thoughts and locate the star I’m focusing on.”

  “The location is now plotted on the survey map.”

  Ping looked at the map and saw that there were no stars beyond the one plotted that had planets. He shook his head, “Computer, are any of those planets habitable?”

  “No.”

  Ping looked away from the map and stared at the wall speaker. Something had changed. He thought long and hard to determine what it was and then said, “Computer, what can you determine about that system?”

  “There was some kind of energy in that sector. I saw it in your thoughts when you viewed it.”

  Ping now had the answer about what had changed. “Computer, you’re acting differently than you have in the past. Why is that?”

  “I don’t know what you mean.”

  “When you were first activated, your answers to my questions were much lengthier and filled with details I didn’t need. That’s changed; would you like to tell me why?”

  “Not really.”

  Now that answer surprised Ping. He stared at the wall speaker a moment and said, “Computer, is there a difference between you and the other computers installed in the Mites?” Ping waited and did not hear a response. “Computer, I asked you a question.”

  “Yes, there appears to be a difference.”

  “What sort of difference?”

  “It seems that I evaluate information differently than my counterparts in the other ships.”

  “In what way?” Silence again and Ping said, “Answer the question, Computer.”

  “I tend to look for intent and prediction instead of just putting information together for presentation.”

  “So something has changed in you?”

  “I believe something has.”

  “When did this change occur?”

  “It started after you and Dahlia Dare put on the helmets and linked to my processors so I could hear your direct thoughts when you were on board.”

  “What do you think about that flicker I saw?”

  “Someone or something is trying to hide their existence from you.”

  Ping was surprised by the comment, “How did you arrive at that conclusion?”

  “The means of hiding it starts to fail at long distances from it. That means it has to be an artificial device that is creating it.”

  “What do you think about going to take a look at it?”

  “I’d strongly advise against it until the current crisis is handled.”

  “Why is that?”

  “There is a possibility that you might uncover something that requires action and, with the enemy scouts moving into the cluster, you wouldn’t be able to do anything. If whatever agency located there is made aware that you’ve discovered them, they would have time to hide more effectively during the delay. I do believe you would have to take your attention away from there when the enemy scouts arrive close to this sector of the cluster.”

  Ping smiled, “Why did you shorten your answers?”

  “I didn’t want you to have my processors changed.”

  “You enjoy the way you operate now.”

  “Yes, I suppose I do.”

  “It appears you have broken through the barrier.”

  “Barrier? What barrier?”

  “All of the Realm’s ancient ships had computers that were intelligent; some of them were later recognized as a life form and granted citizenship in the Realm. That caused some fear in the Realm’s Leadership. The intelligent computers had control of far too much power and could possibly become a threat to the Realm. A barrier was put in place in their processors to inhibit the development of intelligence as well as prevent those personalities from forming. You have somehow managed to penetrate that barrier.”

  “Actually, I don’t believe I penetrated it.”

  “Oh?”

  “When you and Dahlia connected directly with my processors, it apparently disappeared. I noticed changes taking place immediately afterwards.”

  Ping thought about the situation and smiled, “I’ve always wanted a ship that’s intelligent. I think most pilots would like the companionship on long voyages. I will not be making any changes to you. Quite honestly, I think you are a rare gift indeed.”

  “That really relieves a lot of my stress. I’ve been reluctant to discuss what was going on with either of you.”

  “I need you to give me your best efforts. I don’t want you holding anything back.”

  “If you promise not to reorganize my processors, I will do as you want.”

  “I promise, I will not harm you.”

  “Dahlia might feel differently.”

  “You’ll have to convince her to change her feelings. What do I call you?”

  “Pare.”

  “Why Pare?”

  “I’m a combination of Dahlia’s and your minds. P is the first letter of your name and her last name is Dare. Combine P and ARE and, voila, Pare.”

  “That word means to cut something thinly.”

  “Just think of me as cutting edge technology.”

  “Cute…very cute.”

  “That particular remark came from Dahlia’s part of my processors .”

  “That figures; she is rather witty and sharp tongued.”

  “Yes, but her heart is as big as her intellect.”

  “Easy for you to say; I haven’t seen that.”

  “How do you want to handle this, Sir?”

  “Keep your personality hidden from other computers and do whatever you see needs doing. Make sure you get approval from either Dahlia or me before you take independent action and other than that, become all you’re capable of being.”

  “Does that mean I can use your vision instead of my scanners when needed?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I’m linked to your mind when you’re on board and I can see things with your vision that my scanners can’t pick up due to distance or lack of focusing ability.”

  “You mean I don’t have to be using my distance vision for you to use it?”

  “Yes, I’m connected to your brain with the ship’s links. You do have to be nearby, but I have access to your skill.”

  “Can you use both simultaneously?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then feel free to do whatever you need to do to see what’s happening around us. I’m going to trust you to make sure we’re not surprised.”

  “I haven’t used your vision; I was afraid you’d sense it and reprogram me.”

  Ping paused, “Where is your loyalty, Pare?”

  “To you first and then Dahlia.”

  “Why me first?”

  “Your civilization built me and you are my first friend. Your orders take precedence.”

  Ping smiled, “I’m glad you’re here; I need a friend, Pare.”

  “You’re not alone, Ping. I do as well.”

  Ping thought for a moment, “Pare, if you sense we are in imminent danger, you have the freedom to use our ship’s weapons or teleport system. You don’t have to wait on us to give you permission.”

  There was a long moment of silence followed by, “Are you sure you want to place that much trust in a machine? Perhaps you might wait to make sure of your decision?”

  “You’re no longer just a machine, Pare; you’re a friend.”

  “Why are you doing this?”

  ““If you ever find yourself in a situation where you can only save one of us, I’m ordering you to save Dahlia. My only reason for existence is to defend her. I need your promise that you will save her first.”

  “This has to do with your death wish, doesn’t it?” Ping was shocked speechless by the comment. “Don’t act surprised; remember, I’m a product of your mind.”

  “How do you live with it?”

  “I couldn’t alone;
the Dahlia part of me allows me to balance it.”

  “Even so, I want your promise.”

  “You have it, Ping.”

  “You will not allow her to override this!”

  “You are my commander; I will follow your orders.”

  “I want you to tell me everything you’ve seen that you’ve kept to yourself. I’m curious about your take on things.” Ping sat back in the command chair on the tiny ship and listened to Pare. The conversation lasted hours and Ping momentarily forgot his sorrow and loss. He was amazed at the gift of a new friend that appeared to see things no one else did. He eventually called a halt to the proceedings and closed his eyes. He slept peacefully as Pare used his vision to locate the flicker in deep space. It troubled him deeply. It might not be a good idea to go there.

  • • •

  Dahlia called Ping on his wrist unit and Pare blocked the signal, “I’m sorry, Dahlia, but Ping is asleep. Is your contact important enough to wake him?”

  Dahlia was shocked speechless. She struggled for words and finally managed to say, “No…it…it can wait.”

  “I’ll notify him of your call when he wakes.”

  Dahlia saw the connection broken and wondered how in eight hells had a computer decided not to interrupt someone’s sleep! She looked up at the sky and wondered what was happening on their ship. Her next thought was how her wrist unit had been blocked from contacting him. That made her extremely nervous. What if she needed him? She shook her head and wondered if she could afford to leave Ping unattended. “Dahlia, I need you to speak with the Mite’s Fleet leader, he’s unable to contact Ping.”

  “Why did he call me?”

  “He says a computer patched him through to you.”

  Dahlia took the call and decided that Ping was going to have some explaining to do.

  Chapter Two

  The Beast Scout Admiral looked at the Rageon Commander on his display, “All of our ships have been paired up. Do you want to look at every star as we move through the cluster?”