The Ascendant Stars - Michael Cobley [27]
‘The day arrived, then the hour. The Advisers moved among them, assuring them of the Godhead’s love, but the seconds ticked away to nothing, they took the poison and they died, down to the last. The Godhead did nothing.’
‘The machine intelligence,’ said the Construct offcam. ‘It clearly witnessed all this but how did it escape the Godhead’s domain?’
Horst was silent, his gaze distant. ‘It told me that after the dying was done, the Advisers stopped, fell to the ground and lay motionless. The Tanenth AI transferred itself to an exploration vessel and departed on a course of semi-random cross-tier jumps that took it far away.
‘It showed me all of this in the simulation and went on to explain its own theory that the Advisers’ collective lapse into inertia had been a sign of the Godhead’s shock and distress at what its creations had done. But in the middle of it I suddenly found myself back in my body and on board the bridge. I had been immobile for a little over five minutes, according to the Ship, but it felt like a day or more. Then the Ship said that another vessel had appeared near the tunnel entrance to the vast cavern, sensors sweeping, then vanished seconds later.
‘The Tanenth machine was in no doubt as to its origins – “It was a Postulate-craft of the Godhead. You have somehow led its servants here. Now you must leave and never seek me out again.” And without warning, the hyperdrive came online and with no input from myself or the Ship AI we jumped. And it was a long jump.’
‘A superior technology.’
‘It took control of the ship as easily as it filled my mind with the history of the Tanenth.’ Horst spread his hands. ‘After that it took us a little while to get our bearings before starting on our way back here.’
The vid faded to black and the wall brightened to its normal pure blankness. The semiorganic turned its expressionless face to the Construct.
‘He was not accompanied by a Rosa this time,’ it said.
‘I offered him one but he declined,’ said the Construct. ‘As he did again before leaving five days ago.’
‘Did you send him off to track down this Tanenth machine again?’
‘Yes,’ the Construct said. ‘And two days ago all communications with Horst and his ship ceased abruptly. I sent an augmented analyser drone to the last known coordinates; it deduced an ambush and capture from the initial micro-evidence, corroborated with microparticle clouds cast off by the use of grappler fields. The drone also detected residual ripple resonance from a recent hyperspace jump, abstracted a likely field signature from it, then dispatched probes to the four nearest enemy bases, one Vor and three Shyntanil. One probe registered a pattern match near a Shyntanil battle group on Tier 57. The probe then sent in a flock of sensormotes to investigate the sole cryptship there and after some hours they detected and verified Horst’s lifesigns.’
‘Now that you know the location of his captivity,’ said the semiorganic, ‘I assume that this is where I enter the picture.’
‘Correct. Once your shell appearance is complete to the last detail you will be leaving for the depths. Your task is to free him and then to aid him in the search for the Godhead.’
‘You remain convinced that it is responsible for both the return of the Vor and the Shyntanil and for the release of the Legion?’
‘Now more than ever. Too many large-scale strategies are proceeding in concert for this to be coincidence.’
The semiorganic inclined its chalky-white head. ‘I would hope to be provided with resources appropriate to the hazards which lie ahead.’
‘Unfortunately the Aggression is fully committed, stretched thin across multiple fronts, to be precise. I will be able to give you the use of a fast tier-scout and a squad of combat drones, and directional data for a course to Tier 23. There you will find this vessel … ’
The Construct indicated the screen. Against the backdrop of a ringed planet hung a large, heavily damaged warship, its prow a sheered-off melted mass, its stern crawling with bots and