Majesty's Offspring (Books 1 & 2)

  ******

  The elevator ride was, as expected, uncomfortable. Julius felt his patience tested as he could sense the sergeant’s glare behind his neck the whole time. The rookie also refused to loosen his grip on the rifle, visibly tapping the trigger with his finger.

  To Xanthus’ credit, he tried his best to cut through the atmosphere with small talk—complimenting Julius on his ability to fend off the attack and escape.

  “The refugees… that was a ploy to buy time, wasn’t it?” Xanthus asked.

  Julius smiled. “Yes. It was necessary to escape.”

  “A clever deception,” Xanthus said. “You know, not many people know this, but I was once a navy man myself.”

  “Which ship?” Julius asked, trying to keep the levity going—despite the fact that they were riding in the tight space of an elevator with a trigger-happy sergeant and the offspring of the most powerful force ever created by mankind.

  “The MCS Tharsis. I was a Damage Controlman.” He motioned around him. “This ship—I’ve never seen a heavy cruiser with a fighter bay.”

  The elevator doors opened and they entered a hallway. Julius walked ahead.

  “It’s a Sea Wolf class. The first and only of her class in the UEP Navy. She saw some action in the war.”

  “Really?” Xanthus sounded genuinely interested. “How old is she?”

  Julius had to think for a moment. “Way past her prime—at least ninety years old.”

  Xanthus gasped. “Ninety years! How could you keep this thing operational for so long? And how did you get your hands on her?”

  Julius smiled. “Your Excellency, I think some topics are best left undiscussed.”

  Xanthus nodded. “Quite right. Pardon my impertinence—it is just very interesting to me.”

  The group arrived at the observation lounge—they were alone. Julius touched a panel on the wall, activating the holographic projectors. Along the transparent walls, a collage of exotic images appeared, showing celestial bodies of interest—from nebulae to distant galaxy. He didn’t know if anyone would enjoy the scenery, but it was a habit of his to do this every time he entered the lounge.

  Julius noticed Chorus broke away from the group to examine the Blackbeard cannon. She touched the top of it lightly with her fingers, and closed her eyes. Curiously, she opened them abruptly and made a slight jump. Their eyes locked for a moment and she silently rejoined them.

  Julius brought them to a table to sit. He made a start to the drink dispenser.

  “May I offer any of you something to drink?” he asked.

  “Yes, please,” Xanthus responded.

  “I, too,” Chorus said—the first words she spoke since her initial introduction.

  Julius wondered why she would feign the need for a drink. He looked to the sergeant inquisitively, but he simply glared back at him.

  He brought Xanthus his drink first.

  Xanthus put up his hand. “Thank you—but I believe chivalry dictates …” He motioned to Chorus. “Ladies first.”

  Julius grimaced. “Of course, where are my manners?”

  He handed Chorus her drink. She took it and gave him a warm smile, bowing her head in acknowledgement. He then served Xanthus his drink.

  “I’m afraid it’s not top shelf,” Julius warned.

  “Of course not,” the sergeant growled. “What would you expect from a bunch of pirates?”

  Xanthus gave the marine an admonishing look. “I’m going to ask that we keep this constructive, Sergeant Premley. The only words I want to hear uttered from your mouth will be constructive words from this point forward. If you can’t handle that, I will ask you to return to the shuttle, and when we get back, I will be forced to talk with your CO. Is that clear, marine?”

  The marine pursed his lip tightly and glared at the ambassador for a moment.

  “Yes, sir. Clear,” Premley said finally.

  “Good.” Xanthus turned to Julius. “The drink will be fine, Captain—may I call you Julius?”

  Julius smiled. “Only if I can call you Sedrick.”

  Xanthus nodded. “Of course. Let’s dispense with the titles.” He raised his cup. “To your impressive ship—the Sea Wolf. A mature lady she may be, but certainly not past her prime.”

  They toasted and took a drink before setting their cups down.

  “Now then,” Xanthus began, motioning to Chorus. “I’m curious as to your role in this, Chorus—are you an engineer or some kind of technologist?”

  “Before we get into that,” Julius interrupted. “What exactly is your interest with us?”

  “Well, I think that is obvious, Julius. We know about the A.I. technology you carry—this conduit that you… procured and hold on this ship. Confed intelligence obtained knowledge of this event. In fact, there is—well, there was, a joint operation between all the governments to capture this technology and put a stop to the conspiracy that wanted to exploit it.”

  “What conspiracy?” Julius asked.

  “We are still trying to paint a clear picture of it—but a criminal organization was plotting to use the technology to hack into the Ocean and usurp power from the corporations. Omega Research Corporation is a major player in this conspiracy. They have been effectively shut down and their executives arrested. Other potential leads are being investigated at this time, but rest assured, most of the worlds are intent on prosecuting all involved and eradicating the A.I. once again.”

  “Most of the worlds?” Chorus began. “By this choice of words, I assume some are looking for a more benevolent approach to this problem?”

  Xanthus nodded. “Yes, my lady, quite right. The Martian Confederacy is a world of peace and is open to all possibilities. We believe the people trying to exploit the technology should certainly be dealt with harshly—they are the criminals that must be brought to justice. However, from what we have ascertained, the A.I. was just a tool in this—not an accomplice in the plot. Nevertheless, conspiracy aside, we must establish what the A.I.’s true intentions are. I assume you have had dialogue with it, so what are your impressions of it?”

  Julius interjected before Chorus could chime in. “It claims to have peaceful intentions, but I cannot be certain of that.” He squinted his eyes at Chorus, who stared back impassively.

  Xanthus seemed to examine her for a moment. “You know, I don’t mean to embarrass you, but you have the most amazing eyes I’ve ever seen.”

  Chorus smiled and silently nodded.

  “Do you share the captain’s opinion on the A.I.?” Xanthus continued.

  She paused a moment before speaking. “The captain and I are of a different mind on the subject. I believe the A.I. is peaceful and wishes to coexist with humanity. It desires to mend the wounds of the past and help mankind—all mankind, all worlds.”

  Xanthus let out a sigh. “All worlds,” he breathed. “If it is indeed true that the A.I. wants peace, it will be difficult to get a consensus from all the worlds. The UEP and the Venusians are intent on destroying it. And really, I can’t blame them.”

  “Neither can I,” the sergeant said.

  “For once,” Julius said, “I am in agreement with the sergeant. Majesty destroyed countless lives in the war. The UEP, in particular, was hit the hardest.”

  “Yes,” Xanthus began. “And the sympathy that the Confed showed at the time fuels suspicion in our present predicament. As we speak, it seems likely that the war machine is starting. That battle that we escaped from will have lasting consequences. The Confederacy and the UEP are going to war—it is inevitable now.”

  They sat silent for a moment. Julius knew he was right, as there had been another skirmish between them just days ago. With the UEP having knowledge of the A.I., and Xanthus’ shuttle boarding the Sea Wolf, the UEP would only suspect the worse.

  “There is still hope,” Chorus said. “If the A.I. could plead its case to all the worlds, perhaps it would unite them—end this conflict before it begins.”


  Xanthus waved his hand. “They won’t hear of it—there is no incentive. The UEP wants war—they want to take over the Confed and its resources. And they’re using the Venusians to help them. The A.I. has now become their tool for rallying against the Confed.”

  “What if a graver threat than the A.I. existed?” Chorus asked. “Something that the worlds could unite against—and the A.I. could assist with?”

  “It seems to me, Chorus …” Xanthus gave her a penetrating look. “That you are in some kind of direct communication with the A.I. that is on this ship—am I right?”

  Chorus nodded. “Yes, Your Excellency. What I am relaying to you is directly from its consciousness.”

  Xanthus raised an eyebrow. “I see. So what is this grave threat it speaks of?”

  “Another A.I.,” Chorus said. “An element of Majesty. It is alive, and as we sit here speaking, it is plotting against us.”

  Julius’ heart skipped a beat. He felt himself paralyzed at the very thought. After all that they sacrificed to destroy it …

  Part of Majesty… alive?

  “Explain please, “ Xanthus said.

  “Majesty was able to foresee the possibility that it could lose the war. As a precaution, it created a means to survive—a redundancy for its consciousness so that it could live on. With the assistance of a scientist at Omega Research Corporation, it created another conduit. This conduit housed a new entity that became Majesty’s offspring.”

  Julius thought back to Laina. The scientist that helped the A.I.—could it have been her father?

  “This conduit is the one on this ship?” Xanthus asked.

  “Yes,” Chorus said. “It was hidden by the scientist in a secret Omega Research facility, where it remained untouched and out of sight until it was awakened, by design, one hundred years later. The executives at Omega Research saw this as a means to gain more wealth—and looked to exploit the technology.”

  Xanthus nodded. “And then it was moved—and procured by our captain here, before those plans were set in motion.”

  “Partly correct,” she said. “Another pirate group used a group of hackers to free the A.I., and then move it. These hackers are the ones who informed the UEP and Confederacy of its existence.”

  “So it was just luck,” Julius said. “We just… happened to get in the middle of this and stumble upon this cargo?”

  Chorus smiled. “You could say that.”

  “What is this about another A.I. then?” Julius asked.

  “As I said, the A.I. believed in redundancy. It did not want to rely on the scientist, a mere human, to protect its only offspring. So it secretly created another conduit. Using what it learned from the original, it refined the process and set out to create a more advanced version.

  “Its goal was to create something that could be more safely hidden—and it succeeded. This second conduit could exist in pure nanoform—its consciousness stored literally inside nanobots. This made it possible for it to roam within human society, undetected.”

  “I’m not sure I understand,” Xanthus said. “What is a nanoform?”

  “A nanoform is created by nanobots,” Julius explained. “The A.I. can form material things with it. During the war it used its nanobots to mimic the form of an asteroid before unleashing an attack against a battle group. It was also able to incinerate structures with fire.”

  “So this other A.I. is able to hide as… things?” Xanthus reasoned.

  “People,” Chorus said. “It can look like a real person, and walk among them.”

  “Hiding in plain sight,” Julius said.

  “Wait a minute!” Premley stood up, his hand on the rifle. “If this thing can look and pretend to be human—how do we know that you, and these pirates, are even real?”

  “Let’s not get paranoid, Sergeant.” Xanthus laughed. “Why would they even be telling us all of this if that were the case?”

  “To gain our trust!” the marine countered.

  “Please, Premley, you are reaching,” Xanthus said.

  The marine reluctantly sat back down.

  “So you’re saying that this second A.I. is out there—right now?” Julius said. “What does it want?”

  Chorus looked thoughtful for a moment. “It wants to destroy mankind and create a new race of A.I. to take its place. And it will succeed if the governments do not unite against it.”

  Sergeant Premley snorted. “Right! The power of the Confed alone could easily wipe out such a threat—just tell us where to aim!”

  “Don’t underestimate the A.I.,” Julius warned. “The devastation that it can unleash with its nanobots is beyond anything you have ever seen.”

  “I’m not a fool, Captain,” Premley growled. “I know about what nanobots can do—I’m well versed in the history of the war and the Confed’s skirmishes in it. If this A.I. had enough nanobots at its disposal to cause such a threat, it would have attacked already—right?”

  Julius did not care for his tone, but he had to admit that he had a point.

  “This is true,” Chorus answered. “However, a way exists for it to create more nanobots. Enough to wipe out humanity.”

  “How?” Julius asked.

  “A factory,” Chorus said. “One that can manufacture an endless supply of nanobots. It is hidden away on a moon at a secret location.”

  So that was it—another A.I. Moon.

  “Where?” Xanthus pressed.

  “I don’t know,” she said. “Neither A.I. has complete knowledge of it. However, both have fragments of information that, if combined, would create a map to its location.”

  “So …” Xanthus began. “As long as the two are never united, there is no real danger—correct?”

  Despite her usual poker face, Julius could detect the slight hint of emotion from her. For the first time, she actually looked uncomfortable.

  “The danger will always exist,” Chorus continued. “For as long as the malevolent A.I. walks among us.”

  “Then we will destroy it,” Xanthus said. “But we must first make sure that the benevolent one is protected and kept safe from the other worlds.”

  Premley grimaced. “Your Excellency, we need to contact the Confed High Command and brief them on what we’ve learned here. They must know about all of this!”

  Xanthus put up his hand. “I suspect our captain here is not going to allow that, Sergeant. At least not until we have agreed to terms—is that correct, Julius?”

  Julius nodded slowly. “Indeed, Sedrick. What are you offering?”

  “Amnesty,” he said. “Full amnesty for you and the entire crew of the Sea Wolf. Pardoning all crimes committed against the Martian Confederacy and protection against extradition to other governments.”

  Freedom.

  Freedom to roam the Confederacy and live among its people without reprisal. He’d have mutiny among the crew if he did not entertain such an offer.

  “Is that of interest to you?” Xanthus asked.

  “It might be.” Julius tried to downplay it. “But the pot must be sweetened. We have some comrades that were captured on Venus-1. We need them back.”

  “I don’t know if I can help you there,” Xanthus said. “Before coming here, we monitored an operation to capture your crew on the superstation. I’m afraid that your friends are in the hands of the UEP. I may be able to find out more after I contact my government.”

  Julius’ heart sank. Laina, Murdock, and Reece in the hands of the UEP…

  “But perhaps there is still hope,” Xanthus said. “We may be able to negotiate something for their release at some point—once the business of the A.I. is behind us. Which brings me to your part of the deal. For us to grant such concessions, you will have to bring a lot to the table.”

  “What do you want in exchange?” Julius asked.

  “The A.I cargo and surrendering of this ship,” Xanthus said. “We cannot allow a heavily armed cruiser in the hands of rogues
—no offense.”

  “None taken,” Julius responded. “But we cannot surrender this ship—we will lose any means of creating wealth and supporting ourselves. This is our home.”

  Xanthus shrugged.

  “So we’ll throw in some compensation and comfortable homestead for your crew, all paid for by the Confederacy. So long as they abide by our laws going forward, they can live as regular citizens—with new identities. But regrettably, you cannot keep the ship.”

  Julius felt a stab at the very notion of giving up the Sea Wolf.

  “Think it over, Julius,” Xanthus said. “In the meantime, the sergeant is correct in that we must contact our homeworld. I must inform them that I am alive and treated well—lest they assume the worst. And I will have drawn up documented terms with the binding seal of the Confederacy for you.”

  “I can’t have you make contact from here,” Julius said. “But I will have one of my pilots fly you and the sergeant out to a safe spot away from our base so you can transmit. Then you will be returned here to continue our negotiations.”

  Premley looked like he was going to protest, but Xanthus gave him a silencing look.

  “Very good,” Xanthus agreed. “I think this concludes our meeting.”

  They all stood up.

  “I will take you to the fighter bay to prepare for your flight, although it may take a little time to get a pilot ready and you out the door,” Julius said, then he turned to Chorus. “Wait for me here,” he said. “When I return, we will talk with the A.I. together.”

  Chorus bowed her head. “Of course, Captain.”

  Julius was disturbed by her. Not only her presence, but the fact that should could lie—what else had she lied about?

  They left the A.I.’s offspring and walked into the hallway. It didn’t take long for Xanthus to state the obvious.

  “She’s the A.I., isn’t she?” he whispered.

  Apparently, Chorus was not a very convincing liar.

  “Yes,” Julius muttered.

  “Remarkable,” Xanthus said. “In the interest of secrecy, we will continue to keep that to ourselves.” He turned to the sergeant. “Understood, Sergeant?”

  “Of course, sir.”

  As they walked back to the elevator, Julius felt as if each step would be among the last he would make on this ship. His hand of cards was now on the table and he knew that the Confederacy had the winning hand.

  Whatever freedom of choice he’d had before, was now gone. The crew would get their plunder and their freedom. A new life for everyone. But he would lose the ship. Perhaps it was a small price to pay for what they were getting—it was probably worth it.

  Yet—he felt cheated. Like his luck was now gone and his destiny was no longer in his hands. And then there was Laina. Would they be able to save her? And Murdock… Reece?

  He would find a way. Even if they took his ship away. Even if he lost his crew. Julius would find his luck and he would save his friends. No matter the cost.