The War of the Artilect: Chapter 7

“I don’t like this at all,” Amy complained. “Is this really necessary?”

“We’ve been over this before,” her sister replied. “C’mon, Tiger. It’s time to go. Stalling isn’t going to help anything or make this any easier.”

Amy and Amanda Stryker were standing on a high plateau that overlooked the magnificent city of La Venta. Thousands of feet below them the metropolis was bustling with activity. The sun was just beginning to set and the city’s lights had started to shine. It was a beautiful sight, and Amy had come to see it one last time before she left Tonina.

“I just don’t want to go,” Amy said. “It seems silly. Am I really supposed to believe that Adrian Garza is somehow capable of single-handedly defeating the Artilect and killing us all? I mean, you’ve got to admit that’s not very likely!”

Amanda nodded. “I know. But there’s so much we don’t know! Anything could happen – you know that. Until all of this is worked out it probably is best for us to be stationed on different planets.”

“That’s easy for you to say! You’re not the one that’s being kicked off-world.”

Amanda smiled. “True. But it’s really not that bad. After all, most of the time you can use telepresence to be here with us. You won’t be able to do that tomorrow when Adrian is here but I doubt he’ll stay long. Look on the bright side – if all goes well this entire war will be over in a week and then we can be back together again. You can surely last that long!”

“I guess,” Amy grumbled. “I just don’t like it.”

“Well, I’ve got to be going,” Amanda said. “Mother is going to be serving dinner soon and I don’t want to be late. I’ll see you later, ok?”

Amy nodded. She gave her sister a quick hug and then vanished.

The teenage girl reappeared on a wide, rocky beach. A vast blue ocean stretched out in front of her and extended to the horizon. The the tide was coming in and the ocean’s waves were crashing onto the rocks, sending up a shower of spray. Amy glanced up and saw that the enormous blue sky was completely empty, save for a few morning stars that were on the verge of disappearing. The sun was beginning to rise.

She knew that this planet had a Steward but she did not call for him. I refuse to make this place my home, she thought. I’m not going to customize this prison or even give it a name. I’m just going to be here for a week and then I’m going back home.

Amy stood on the shore and looked out over the ocean. She knew that she could use the nanites within her to connect with Tonina, and once contact was made she could create an avatar that would make it appear that she was home. She would even be able to close her eyes and see what her avatar saw, giving her the illusion that she was still in La Venta. But it wouldn’t be real, she thought dejectedly. It’s just an empty trick. The fact is I’m stuck here and there’s nothing I can do about it.

After a few minutes she decided to not join her family for dinner. Instead she sat down on the vacant beach and stared out to the horizon, lost in thought.

* * * * *
 

Back on Tonina Amanda was having dinner with her parents. Tonight the Stryker family had decided to eat dinner at home. Laura had used her nanites to prepare a large meal and had brought it into their spacious dining room. The large mahogany table was big enough to seat a dozen people but tonight there were only three people present.

“Where’s Amy?” Laura asked, as the family sat down to eat. “I thought she’d be joining us.”

“Why would she do that?” Amanda asked. “It’s not like she could use her avatar to actually eat anything. All she could do is sit here and watch us enjoy ourselves.”

“I hadn’t thought of that,” her mother replied.

“I’m sure she’s fine,” Richard said reassuringly. “She’s probably busy exploring her new home and decorating it for her tastes. We’ll see her again soon! It’s not like we can’t visit her, you know. In fact, we can go see her after dinner if you’d like.”

Richard prayed over the food and then passed a plate of sugar-cured ham to Amanda. She helped herself to two slices and then passed the plate on to her mother. “So when is Adrian going to be here?” Amanda asked.

“We’re not sure yet,” Richard said, as he helped himself to a biscuit. “The Sentinel is going back to Tau Ceti tomorrow morning to speak with Mr. Garza. If he’s willing to pay us a visit then the Sentinel will bring him back. If he’s not then we’ll have to come up with another plan.”

“Does that mean there’s a chance that we might go visit him?” Amanda asked.

Richard shook his head. “Probably not. Until we know more about what’s going on Sergeant Howell feels that it would be best if we stayed within the network. He doesn’t want us to take any unnecessary risks.”

Amanda took a drink of water and sighed. “Is it really that dangerous out there? I mean, what could possibly happen?”

“No one knows,” Richard said. “That’s why we have to be so careful. This situation has so many unknowns. There could be all sorts of dangers that we are simply unaware of.”

“Then why are we bringing him here?” Amanda asked. “Isn’t that at least a little risky?”

Richard nodded. “In a way it is, but we need more information. Sergeant Howell is convinced that the swarms are part of some kind of plot, and since only Tau Ceti is left it’s hard to believe that they don’t know anything about them. Frankly, I think he’s right. We need to find out if Mr. Garza is telling the truth, and the only way to do that is to have him talk with Reverend Knight.”

“I get it,” Amanda said. “And since we have to talk to him we want the conversation to take place in our territory.”

“But I don’t understand,” Laura said. “Why do you think he might be lying?”

“Think of it this way, dear. If Mr. Garza is telling the truth then his planet has been threatened by the swarms for five thousand years. Are we really supposed to believe that in all that time they learned nothing about them and did absolutely nothing to stop them? Besides, if they’re really as ignorant as they claim to be then how have they managed to survive when every other Ranger colony in space was wiped out, right down to the last man?”

“I don’t know,” Laura said.

“Exactly – so tomorrow we’re going to talk to Mr. Garza and find out, one way or another.”

“But what if he’s not lying?” Amanda asked. “What if the survivors really don’t know? What do we do then?”

“In that case we’ll have to proceed with what little information we have,” Richard replied. “Ultimately the course of action that we take will be decided by you and your sister. My recommendation would be to invade as the Artilect suggests and see what happens, but that is just my opinion. You and Amy will have to make the decision.”

Amanda sighed. “Then I guess I’ll talk to him tomorrow and see what we can find out.”

Richard shook his head. “I’m sorry, Amanda, but I don’t think it would be a good idea for you to talk with him.”

“Why not? I mean, how am I supposed to make a decision if I can’t even meet him? After all–”

Richard interrupted. “I talked to Sergeant Howell about this and we both agree that Mr. Garza should not be told that you or your sister exist. Now you are more than welcome to watch him from a distance, and if you have questions I’m sure you can let us know what they are so we can ask them, but I do not think it would be wise for you to meet him.”

“I get it,” Amanda said dejectedly. “It’s a security risk. But – I mean, he’s just one man. What could possibly happen?”

“If he finds out who you are and what you can do then he might tell his friends about you. If there is something going on and the wrong people hear about you then you will almost certainly become a target. However, if they don’t know that you exist then they can’t target you.”

“It’s just a way of keeping you safe,” Laura added. “We don’t want anything to happen to you.”

“I understand,” Amanda sighed.