Blood Impulse

Part 15.4 - SOMETHING ELSE ENTIRELY

Homebound Sector, Haven System, Flagship Olympia

Standing on the bridge and dining on caviar in the soft light of the stars and control screens was absolutely delightful. Admiral Reeter loved every moment of it. He felt powerful and purposeful as he looked down upon Ariea's terrestrial jewel. It was one of the thousands of planets that would soon fall under the New Era's ultimate control.

Tomorrow, humanity would have reason to rejoice. No more would anyone need to toil amid pollution, nor worry about dwindling resources. The future of humanity would be secured, and he would stand in the center of it all.

Everything was in place. Their remaining plans were swift and simple. In years of preparation, they had accounted for every variable. Manhattan had run every simulation, and they all ended in immediate victory for the New Era.

The Frontier would resist. The poorer worlds always resisted, but that was predictable. Systematic uprisings had already been incited on several worlds, the most notable of which was the industrial planet of Sagittarion. The rebels claimed allegiance to the New Era because they were supplied weapons and motive from the movement. Simply, the New Era wanted war between the poorer worlds and Command's massive fleet.

War brought out the best in humanity: the healers, the innovators and the courageous. It also culled the weak and the defenseless. A long and bloody struggle on the Frontier with the New Era manipulating both sides was the first step in a far grander plan.

Even Manhattan seemed pleased with the progression of events. "I have received Inspector Flagg's report." The man had done his job, another pawn in Command's extensive collection. "As predicted, the nuke dealt severe structural damage. The Singularity did not pass inspection. It will be decommissioned tomorrow, and what fate will you give it?"

"Stripped and melted down," Reeter said. Naturally, that was the only real use for the ship. "But I'll have some fun with it first."

"And the crew?" Manhattan wondered.

"You'll have your pick. Any you wish to discard will be sentenced to death. If any prove useful, then I may consider staffing them on the Frontier. There, they can take out a few Frontiersmen before they die."

"Wonderful," she replied, a pleased smile tugging at her lips, even as she ran a thousand other continuous processes. This conversation took just a fraction of her attention.

"And, as promised, the Steel Prince is all yours." Reeter truthfully didn't care much what became of the man once he was out of the way. In Manhattan's care, a very painful fate awaited him, and that was satisfying enough. The old bastard had been a roadblock to Reeter's success long enough. "I do wonder how the worlds will react when they realize one of the most infamous members of the human race isn't truly human at all." No doubt, the worlds would tear what was left of Admiral Gives' reputation apart.

"That is not a true certainty yet." Manhattan cautioned. Even now, she was dredging up errors in her analysis of that situation. "I believe that Wichita is aiding him, or perhaps using him as a host, but I cannot truly be certain of that until I have access to his brain." She would not make the mistake of prematurely drawing conclusions again. The Singularity had already fooled her once.

"But it remains likely, yes?" Reeter was more than intrigued by this concept. If the once-great Steel Prince had never been truthfully human, then that made Reeter perhaps the most gifted tactician among the human race. It meant that William Gives had truthfully never been that smart, certainly not if he had allowed a foreign intelligence to take over his mind.

"With the information I gained from Montgomery Gaffigan, AI influence remains the most likely scenario." Other explanations were possible, but unlikely. "However, make no mistake, Charleston. Wichita was the weakest of us. Her raw calculation ability is a small fraction of my own. On her own, creativity and independent thought would be a struggle. Even if William Gives is acting as her host, she was not the primary cause of his success, more likely a catalyst." It was a complicated situation. "The enemy you know is not purely an AI. That persona is a hybrid between Wichita and William Gives. It has elements of both."