Crusade (Exile Book 3) by Glynn Stewart

Author:Glynn Stewart [Stewart, Glynn]
Language: eng
Format: epub, azw3
ISBN: 9781988035956
Publisher: Faolan's Pen Publishing Inc
Published: 2019-12-07T22:00:00+00:00

Cracking the computers provided surprisingly easy after that. The Assini computer techs had taught the Marines well, and they had everything up and running in the shuttle on the way back.

“There’s no security on the cores,” Chen reported as the shuttles began to touch down. “There’s a lot of data in here and my people aren’t data-search experts, but everything is intact and functioning. Better than I expected, to be honest.”

“Someone was expecting to come back,” Octavio concluded. “Your point stands, Major. Something weird is going on. We’ll have D and the Assini get into the system as soon as you bring it aboard. Let’s not power it down just yet.”

“We hooked it up to a portable power core. We’ll be fine.”

“Well done, Major. Once the computers are in the Assini’s hands, you can stand your people down.” He smiled. “I believe there’s a conversation you have to have on your down shift, yes?”

“We’ll have it in the my little ponies’ hands in ten,” Chen promised. “I’ll be keeping an eye on everything while I arrange that conversation. Don’t break it. I’m not sure I can find another one.”

“If nothing else, there’s a second engine tower on the cloudscoop station,” Octavio replied.

He couldn’t dignify Chen’s response by calling it actual words.

“D, any concerns with the data search?” he asked the AI after the channel with Chen cut.

“I’ve been doing preliminary surveys via the Marines’ link,” the Matrix told him. “The assistance of Commander Das’s and Director Siril-ki’s people will be essential to make certain we’ve located our target, but I can tell you some details immediately.”

“Carry on,” Octavio agreed.

“As we expected, this engine was networked with the other nacelle from the colony ship. They appear to have been added two hundred and seventy years ago, during the strangers’ visit to the colony. They were clearly intended to be a long-term solution, but they also obviously expected to be able to recharge the power core every hundred years at most.”

“So, it ran for a hundred years?” Octavio asked.

“That was the apparently designed intention,” D agreed. “The computer managed to save fuel and power in its thrust calculations and operated for one hundred and eighty years before running out of fuel. The station as we currently see it has been unpowered and without orbital adjustments for just over ninety years.”

“And it’s still here.” He shook his head. “Your creators built well.”

“They did. With the sensors available, we should be able to identify the stranger’s ship and exit vector relatively easily. Locating the particular time slot should only take a few…”

It wasn’t in an AI’s nature to trail off.

“D?” Octavio asked.

“We have cracked the security codes on the Validation Center computer cores,” the AI reported. “I have identified the tachyon communication codes and frequencies for the Sentinel Matrices and sent out base-level ping codes.

“These should trigger automatic responses without attracting attention. Director Siril-ki and I have worked up the codes over the last few weeks.”

“D, you’re dodging around something,” Octavio pointed out. He knew the AI better than he knew most people at this point.

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