Chapter 19: Meeting 'The One'

Jason passed out in bed a little later. He was completely knocked out. While he slept his two companions went about their own tasks, working with dedicated AIs that helped them plan, coordinate others, and disseminate information and commands.

He woke an hour later and joined Linda and Andrea.

“What’s happening, and what are those AIs?” he asked.

“Jason, we commissioned the battle AIs some months ago. We fetched them from Mars after we took the planet. They were in secure storage. They are excellent AIs, supplied by the priests and are the latest Empire technology. We use them to plan then our teams meet after the planning meetings to break up their individual tasks and work with the AIs. Our officers are given a dedicated expandable AI when promoted to be a captain and they keep it for their career.

“The AIs are part of all meetings and specialize in all the necessary tasks that related to the preparation for war, including training, the evaluation of logistical requirements, the planning of the detail of the management and the coordination of orders for the troops in engagements, but they required that final decisions were made by people. They can evaluate the percentage chance of a variety of choices that include everything from how the ship was loaded, to a variety of choices about how an attack should be undertaken, and the choices that could be made depending on the level of resistance. They are used much as you’ve utilized Patton,” said Linda.

“The battle AIs relieved the planners of most of the hack work and because they could be aware of so much simultaneously, they’re of enormous advantage in assisting an Admiral or a General with communication and control during a battle. They are a triumph of tens of thousands of years of design input and refinement. They are masters of the presentation of emerging data both before and during battle.

“AIs have been around for a very long time and are sentient beings. This recognition has enormously improved the evolving relationship between people and AIs. The symbiotic relationship was recognized and a considerable number of rules were developed to ensure smooth relationships, but they also formed friendships with the people they worked with that lasted for thousands of years. The ship is an advanced AI that controls sensors and fire systems in battle, assisted by an advanced naval battle AI that each Admiral cultivates throughout their career. The ship AI was grown together with the ship and was highly integrated with it. In the same way, a General or Admiral is allocated an upgradable AI at an appropriate time, and this AI continued with them and developed along with the General,” said Linda.

“The same occurs with an Admiral, but the system is different. An Admiral is attached to a flagship, and the AI works in tandem with the ship AI. A general commanding a war theater, would have the use of a super ordinate AI called a War command AI, to assist his or her AI and coordinate the command structures right down to individual soldiers. Linda has brought two of them on board for her own use, but commissioned only one, leaving the other in reserve,” said Andrea. “My AI links into a large dedicated section of Ship.”

“An AI of a very much simpler ilk is part of the armor system of each soldier and integrates as required with communication, shuttles, artillery, missile and cannon systems, and every mode of transport on the ship and on the ground or in the air.

“As are all systems that use computer technology, the levels of security for the systems are highly advanced. Jason, it’s vital that we attack these systems in battle,” said Linda

“A large corps of IT people is necessary to be able to provide ways to infiltrate and take over systems. That in many ways oversimplified their activities. They themselves are provided with extremely advanced AIs dedicated to their tasks. They work closely with communications groups who undertake parallel tasks. Each specialty is too complex for an individual and even within the group there’s substantial sub-specialization.”

Jason, Linda, and Andrea returned to bed a few hours later. In the morning, they attended the gym together and did the group exercises, did some individual weights, used individual muscle development machines, and then rejoined Jason and his group for martial arts.

Lucia Pablo was not in the least intimidated when Jason asked if Linda and Andrea could temporarily join his group and be evaluated for appropriate placement. They did their forms together and he discovered that both Andrea and Linda readily kept up and appeared to know the movements perfectly. Their movements were fluent and graceful and a pleasure to watch. Lucia allocated sparring partners to them to assess their levels of competency. They were then asked if they had crystals and about their specific trans-dimensional powers. Both were quite impressive and aggressive fighters, very quick and agile with well-developed balance. They were both very athletic women. They needed practice but were very capable.

Linda was tested first with the martial arts strike board. Jason thought that it was amazing that the same idea of a board that they had used on Earth had survived tens of thousands of years in the Empire.

Lucia indicated when she was ready and told Linda to have first strike. Linda stood back and moved her right arm in front of her. The plank was seen to warp and crack.

“That technique is called gravitational warp. An intense gravitational force could be created at a point with enormous power over a highly localized area,” Lucia told them.

Linda then set it on fire. This was called cremation. A local highly intense temperature increase was invoked and led to the object catching on fire and disintegrating.

“This is the extent of the offensive powers that I’ve had time to discover, but I can create a short-term shield against offense.”

Andrea went next and demonstrated that she could throw fireballs and change her personal time which made her able to move extraordinary quickly. She could also transport herself from place to place moving about five yards each time.

Jason realized that he had not had the opportunity to ask Winston about his other skills and in particular what defenses he had against powers like cremation and warp.

‘Jason, you can easily defend against all of that. You are going to have to spend some time learning about your offensive and defensive capacity. I’m not sure when you will do it, as there’s so much to do, and so little time. I’d suggest you eat and return to your stateroom where I’ll teach you an important meditation. You will be facing many hurdles and this is a useful tool to consider choices at a deeper level and provide also valuable rest quickly. It has many other benefits, too,’ said Winston earnestly.