In the City of Tomorrow: Chapter 3

Since there was nothing else left to scan, the Sentinel left the deserted mining colony and continued on its quest to discover the fate of civilization. As it scanned empty world after empty world it began to notice a change. As it drew closer to the system that contained Earth it began finding tiny metallic objects – random bits of broken metal and debris cast upon on the surface of worlds, and in some cases left floating in the spaces between stars. As it continued its journey toward what was once the heart of the Tau Ceti system the debris fields began growing much larger.

It eventually started coming across metallic fragments that were large enough to analyze. As it collected and studied the broken shards of metal it soon realized that they were the shattered remnants of some kind of machinery. These machines, however, were unlike anything it had seen before. The shards of metal were not simply hammered plates of ore or even groups of programmable matter; instead it was a cluster of countless tiny micromachines that were organized like cells, each capable of repair and reproduction. The technology was similar to the replicating abilities of the Nehemiah probes, but these were far more advanced.

What struck the Sentinel was their purpose. As it dove into the few code fragments that remained embedded in the shattered machinery, it found that the metal had once belonged to swarms of bots. These bots were designed to attack a planet and completely annihilate it. So that is what happened, the Sentinel thought with a growing feeling of horror. Someone took replication technology and used it to design weapons of war. The science that was intended to bring dead worlds to life was instead used to tear living worlds apart. But who would do such a thing – and why? My father has millions of empty worlds that he would gladly give to any who asked. What made these colonies worth fighting over?

Once it understood how the machines worked the Sentinel adjusted its scanners to detect them. It was shocked to find vast armadas of these bots clustered in the spaces between stars, operational and engaged in violent battle. It watched, appalled, as giant fleets of bots attacked each other in space, causing widespread devastation. As days passed, swarm after swarm of these bots fought each other but neither side was able to gain the upper hand. The battles all appeared to be happening within 100 light-years of Earth; the bots always remained within a relatively tiny sector of the galaxy.

Why are they fighting? the Sentinel wondered. I see no signs of life in any star system, nor do I see anything worth fighting for. One metal soldier battles the other in an endless war. Who started this eternal conflict? Are their masters long dead, leaving behind these armies as their only legacy? Are they going to keep fighting until the Lord returns and puts an end to this universe?

As the weeks went by the Sentinel began to understand what it was seeing. Although the bots were identical they were divided into two factions and these factions were in constant conflict. The bots did not originate from any planet; instead they were manufactured from one of several platforms that drifted between the stars. As far as the Sentinel could tell the technology of the newly-created bots was identical to the four-thousand-year-old shards that it had found lying on the surface of dozens of empty worlds. This mechanical war has been going on since the time my father was created. The conflict destroyed civilization and then kept going, long after everyone else was dead. Neither side gains and neither side loses – they are deadlocked. There is nothing left to fight over but yet the war rages on. If no one stops them they will continue fighting until Judgment Day.

Since it was not sure of the full capabilities of these bots, the Sentinel gave them a wide berth as it continued its journey toward Earth. When it reached the Solar System it was surprised to find that it was still protected by a Wall. My father said that Tau Ceti erected a Wall around Sol in 1867. I did not expect it to be still operational after all this time. Nor did I realize its design was so advanced – I see no way to penetrate it or find out what is trapped behind the Wall. The men of Tau Ceti were far more skilled than I realized.

Since the Sentinel was aware of the history behind the Wall it decided to leave it intact. It was possible that there might be life forms trapped inside it, but the Sentinel did not want to risk damaging the Wall. I do not have the authority to take such an action, it decided. I will leave that decision to my father. It did note the presence of four nearby space stations that were maintaining the wall. The stations were fully automated, self-maintaining, and – to its surprise – were cloaked with technology very similar to its own. After recording the location of each station it moved on.

Just outside the Wall was a small spacial anomaly where time appeared to be stopped. The Sentinel scanned the area but could not tell what was causing the anomaly or what, if anything, was hidden inside it. Since it had no way of learning anything further it left it alone and continued on its way.

The next stop was the Tau Ceti system. The Sentinel saw that it was also surrounded by a Wall, but its construction was vastly inferior to the one that guarded Sol. The probe had no trouble peering inside. It was astonished to find signs of life – the first evidence of life that it had seen. The Sentinel studied the scanner’s results in amazement. Is it possible that some remnant of mankind has survived the endless war? Could this barrier somehow be a protection against the bot swarms?

After adjusting its scanner the Sentinel began a wide-field scan for signs of star systems protected by similar Walls. A quick scan of all stars in a thousand light-year radius revealed only one other Wall, surrounding Epsilon Eridani. Are these two star systems the only ones that survived the downfall of civilization? Do they know of each other’s existence? Were they on the same side or opposite sides? Is it possible that one of these stars gave rise to the endless war, or were they both simply victims?

The Sentinel rested outside Tau Ceti for a while and studied its protective barrier, looking for a way to pass through it without being seen. As it probed the barrier it noticed that a swarm of bots had just left deep space and was rapidly moving in its direction. The Sentinel realized that it had been spotted. Rather than turning to do battle the Sentinel engaged its warp drive and vanished.