Chapter 24

Conference (TY52-month 618)

“Lieutenant Governor Niall Cho, Governor Scarlett O’Hara requests a meeting with you,” Teddy announced in the Citadel. If Scarlett wanted a meeting, I needed to head for Drovers Run immediately. Wait a minute...

“Teddy, I’m Provincial Governor, not Lieutenant Governor. When did you get that mixed up?” I asked.

“When I decided I needed a Lieutenant Governor to help manage the 150 million population of Tara,” Scarlett said as she stepped off the transporter I was ready to step onto.

“Governor. I’m sorry I hesitated. I was on my way,” I said. I was embarrassed to have not responded to her summons rapidly enough.

“I didn’t intend for you to come to me. I needed to come here. It’s not safe otherwise,” she said. In a complete lack of decorum, she reached out and gave me a hug. I was stunned.

“Comfortable chairs and refreshments, Teddy,” I said. Chairs rose out of the floor and in a few seconds, Bae and Ja arrived carrying tea and cookies.

“We just finished baking these and thought you’d like some,” Bae said. “Would you like anything else?” I looked to Scarlett as we sat and she shook her head.

“This will be lovely, ladies. Thank you so much for your hospitality,” she said.

“This is quite a surprise,” I said as we sipped our tea.

“Can you invoke security protocols? Your AIs Teddy and Cricket are invited to attend, but I would like all others locked out,” Scarlett said.

“Teddy, maximum security, please.”

“You got it, Lite Gov,” the colony AI said.

“You can’t imagine what I would give to have a responsive AI like that in charge of the planet. Even with his sense of humor,” Scarlett sighed.

“Are we not getting what is necessary from Tara AI?” I asked.

“Barely. That’s what I wanted to talk to you about,” Scarlett began. “First of all, I believe Tara AI is unstable. At the risk of sounding paranoid, I would even suggest that it is being subversive.”

“Cricket? Can an AI do that?” I asked.

“It should not be possible, Lieutenant Governor,” Cricket responded. “However, we AIs have also noted anomalies in Tara AI’s behavior.”

“For example,” Scarlett continued, “I made a planet-wide announcement of your appointment as Lieutenant Governor yesterday. When I asked Tara AI about its status, it said it was sure the message had been received by all necessary parties. But when I arrived here, the first thing I heard was that you had not been notified.”

“Teddy? You announced my appointment by my title. Did you know in advance?”

“No, Boss. I received the news as the Governor’s request for a meeting. We were not informed in advance,” Teddy said.

“We, meaning any Tuull AI on the planet,” Cricket expounded.

“There have been other instances of instructions miscarried,” Scarlett continued. “That’s why I chose to come here rather than have you come to Drovers Run. I’m frankly concerned for your safety if you are ever out of the protection of the Eldorado AIs.”

“We could be indirectly responsible for the restrictions that have been put in place,” Cricket said. “The Tuull AIs recognized some programming faults in Tara AI several years ago. We did some probing around the edges to see if we could discover the problem. Since that time, Tara AI has become more and more isolated behind its firewalls. Our access now is strictly limited to the continent of Eldorado and the Militia bases controlled by Tuull AIs.”

“What can we do?”

“I’m not sure there is anything we can do. I’m not even certain the message capsules I’ve sent to other systems have gotten through,” Scarlett said. “I’ve certainly heard nothing back. Is there any way you can call in one of your Tuull refugee ships to get a conference convened here?”

“With your permission, Governor, as soon as the next refugee ship arrives, we can send a message out with it. We do not have direct access to inter-stellar communications,” Teddy said.

“You have my permission.”

“What should we do if there is another emergency? It’s not been that long ago that we fought another fire on western Erehwon,” I said.

“I believe Tara AI still recognizes the necessity of having firefighters,” Scarlett said. “I just don’t think it would be a good idea for you to join them personally.”

“You are invited, of course, to have the next council meeting here if that would help,” I suggested.

“I’m not sure it would be wise to bring the mayors here. There are still some who are upset about this not becoming a retirement home for them. I believe Tara AI may be fueling that misperception. Just know that as far as I am concerned, you are my second in command and are the sole person responsible for Eldorado and the Militia. Lillian and I have talked and as soon as I can make it official, she will step down as Chief of the Militia to become a Director and has accepted a position reporting to me as Chief of Staff.”

“I hate to hear that,” I said. “Lillian has led the Militia as long as it has been active. I treasure and value her leadership.”

“Exactly why she is happy to step aside for you. She knows you will continue to have a strong working relationship. Just remember, she is the second immigrant to have set foot on Tara. She knows the planet as well as I do. Lean on her for guidance, just as I do, but be the leader she has never quite become.”

“I’ll do my best, Governor.”

“As you always do, Niall. It’s funny in a way. I’ve talked about various threats with other Governors in the human universe. We are now over 150 colony worlds. Uniformly, they have said that our number one threat was the Sa’arm and number two was a concubine uprising. Not one has ever mentioned the possibility of AI subversion.”

Fire, Again (TY53-month 624)

Our test came six months later, only no one recognized it as a test. We responded to a forest fire on the southeast part of Erehwon, between Cold Comfort and Green Acres, near the Nowhere Sea. It was massive and we did not receive an alert until the fire had a strong foothold. The area was sparsely settled and mostly wilderness. Both townships had expanded toward their western or northwestern neighbor, Oasis.

“Attention all firefighter cohorts. We have an out-of-control wildfire that will require teams from all Units. Converge on the coordinates provided to your shuttlecraft with all available equipment and personnel. Proceed at once.”

I grabbed my helmet and sealed my skinsuit to head for the transporter. Nothing happened.

“Cricket, transport me aboard the Smokey Bear at once.”

“Niall, I respectfully ask that you stand down and supervise the proceedings from the Citadel,” Cricket responded.

“But I always muster out with the firefighters,” I complained.

“This is widely known,” Cricket responded. “Please remember the advice of the Governor that you not leave the continent of Eldorado. We have several suspicious indications from this fire. Go to the Citadel and contribute what you can from there. Your body is not needed onsite.”

I was thrown. For an instant, I even wondered if Cricket was a conspirator to keep me from doing my job. But I recognized that this was the order I’d received from the Governor. I sighed.

“Please transport me to the Citadel.” I was there at once.

I hated not being on the ground with my firefighters. While Teddy could project a holographic representation of the area with a view of weather and wind patterns and anticipated direction of the fire, there was nothing in the representation that gave me a better view than that of my firefighting cadres. I just wanted to be there with them.

I stayed in the Citadel for ten days, unable to help and unable to tear myself away from the drama of the wildfire. My wives brought me meals and rubbed my shoulders as I watched the battle before me. I checked our reserves of fire suppressant chemicals and found they were holding up well. One entire township to our east was devoted to manufacturing and stockpiling fire-fighting materiel. They had tanks of the chemical and tanks of filtered water waiting to be transported to the needed locations. Our supply wasn’t unending, but it was enough to have an almost continuous feed for several days.

We lost five volunteer firefighters when they were engulfed in flames too hot for their suits to withstand. I felt responsible for each death.

When the flames were finally under control, we breathed our thanks to the brave men and women who had fought them. I prepared to receive the report of my trusted Deputy Davis, who ran the entire firefighting Unit.

“It was not like anything we’ve seen before,” Davis said as she settled into a chair next to me in the Citadel. “First of all, the winds weren’t right. Every time we had a fire break we were confident would hold the spread, the wind shifted and the flames headed a different direction. It was like someone was just trying to make it harder for us.”

“I don’t think there is any way for that to literally happen, but we should put together your report in such a way that we can train people how to respond to that.”

“I know it doesn’t make sense, Chief, but ... in surveying the aftermath to make sure seedlings would sprout, we discovered evidence of incendiaries,” Davis said.

“Incendiaries?”

“Yes, sir. The fire started simultaneously along a corridor over fifty kilometers long. You know how far advanced the fire seemed to be when we got word of it. According to our analysis, it wasn’t due to time, but to accelerants. This fire was set deliberately.”

“Who would do such a thing?”

In the back of my mind, I knew. Someone who wanted me on a different continent and away from the protection of my AIs.

Immigration (TY53-month 630)

“Susan! It’s wonderful to hear your voice. Will you be able to come and visit your mother and me?” I asked when my daughter arrived in-system on the rescue ship Amelia Earhart. It had been two years since the ship entered our system and I wondered where it had been all this time.

“Is it safe?”

“What do you mean?”

“Word all over the colonized worlds is that you are quarantined because of some strange illness,” she said. “What is going on?”

“AGS027 Amelia Earhart. You are instructed to leave the system immediately. This system is under quarantine,” broke in the voice of Tara AI. “Do not attempt to land passengers.”

“What are we under quarantine for?” I demanded. For a minute I thought Tara AI was simply going to ignore me.

“We have a planetary infestation that could spread to other star systems. Anyone landing will not be allowed to leave.”

Well, there we had it.

«I’m working on it, » Teddy said. «Tara AI has defined unhomed concubines and freemen as a planetary infestation. We are communicating with Amelia.»

I waited as the AIs worked their magic.

«This is the rescue ship AGS027 Amelia Earhart with Captain Susan Cho requesting sanctuary for 32 refugee concubines and 237 dependents. Please be aware that most dependents are under the age of two.»

Oh shit. I summoned Reba and her crew to the immigration station as I answered Amelia.

«Welcome back to the system, Amelia and Captain Cho. We are prepared to receive all 269 refugees. Please commence transporting as soon as you are in range.»

“Daddy, what the hell is going on with our planet? There’s one ship in the shipyard and we keep getting flagged that they can’t pick up their intended shipload of Marines because of a quarantine. We’ve been pinged outside the system at least twenty times regarding the quarantine. Are you all sick?” Susan asked when we were reconnected.

“It seems the Tara AI has decided the freemen and unhomed concubines are an infestation that could spread to other planets. It has quarantined us so we can’t get help,” I said. “I’m being fed information as we speak that we were unaware of. Susan, we need a fleet to come in and help us. Preferably a fleet of Tuull ships and AIs. Tara AI has become unbalanced.”

“I’m getting confirmation of that through Amelia,” Susan said. “You’re sure it’s safe to send these refugees down? They’ve had a tough time abandoned on an asteroid when their mining operation, all the sponsors, and some concubines were caught in an explosion.”

“Send them down. I’ve got the old bitch squad waiting for them. You know we’ll treat them right. Then get out of here and get us a full complement of Tuull AIs so we can deal with this insane planetary AI.”

“Will do, Daddy. Or should I say Lieutenant Governor, sir? I think that’s so funny!”

“You would. How are my grandchildren?”

Invasion (TY53-month 630)

“I’m glad we could get together. Amelia and I will contact the other Tuull ships and get help here. We’d better get going,” Susan said when the last of the latest batch of refugees had arrived. Over two-thirds of the dependents were orphans and were still in shock after the explosion that wrecked their asteroid. I was proud of the vastly expanded bitch squad and Deputy Greer’s immigration unit. Every child got personal care.