Polity Agent

Blegg considered that. The plan had been to keep the artefact aboard the Hourne so it could quickly be moved to different locations in the event of war. Such a repository of valuable information must be protected. However, the survival of the Polity might depend on being able to locate Jain nodes. He did not need to confer. He replied, ‘It will be done. You have my word, and that is good.’

‘I know—it’s the word of a ruler,’ the gabbleduck replied cryptically.

The construct drifted down from its claw, turning as it came. Blegg kept utterly still as it hovered before him, and as it drifted towards his forehead and penetrated. ‘The Jain used U-space, yet their destructive technology does not. It was made by their AIs, which were based on the Jain themselves as yours are on you, before those AIs transcended their erstwhile masters and left them to kill each other. Why they left the U-space option out is a question best addressed to those same AIs, wherever they might be.’

It was a pattern in his mind, seven, eight dimensional: something beyond what he could encompass, but at least recognizable as a U-space signature. With a sudden flush of excitement Blegg realized what he saw: a Jain node as viewed via underspace.

The gabbleduck peered down at him. ‘This is what you came for?’

‘It is.’

It nodded slowly. ‘You never get them all—there’re always some overlooked, to start the process all over again. There is only one way to win.’

‘And what is that?’ Blegg asked, wondering what the quickest way out of this realm might be.

‘You cease to be what the Jain hated.’

Blegg turned away.

Never.

Was that what the Atheter did? Hatred of the futility of intelligent life and technical civilizations…

Were the gabbleducks all that remained of the Atheter when they made their fateful decision to cease to be the intelligent citizens of a technical civilization? Blegg doubted that, else why did this thing, this Atheter AI, want to be taken to where remained those animalistic descendants, the gabbleducks? It was all a mystery that would have to wait for another time, since Blegg had more pressing concerns. He turned away, felt the ground sliding out from underneath him, and saw a black wall descend.

Hiatus.

Blegg stepped out of the VR booth, blinked and looked around him. The staff on the observation deck peered at him warily. Gazing through the screens, he observed that the artefact seemed to have settled back to its previous state.

‘Hourne,’ he said, ‘are you back?’

The AI replied, ‘The artefact has disconnected itself from me, but may reconnect at any time.’

‘Do you have that U-space signature?’

‘I do—it was transmitted to me at the same time as you received it in VR.’

‘You saw all that, then?’

‘I did.’

‘Interesting… about the gabbleducks. Do you believe it?’

‘If it is not actually the truth, it seems a strange and pointless lie to tell.’

— retroact 5 -

‘There was not much resistance, then,’ Atheter observed.

‘Sporadic,’ Blegg replied. ‘Mostly crushed by human fighters bright enough to realize the AI rulers were better at governing than any previous human rulers.’

He turned to another card, saw them laid out all around him like gravestones.

Blegg ran down the seemingly endless corridor, while klaxons shrieked and warning lights flashed. Grieg told him the terrorists were ex Matthew Corporation employees who obtained the planar explosives from a mercenary group who decided on retirement under the new regime and were now selling off their assets. That had been a relief, since from the beginning of the investigation ECS intelligence believed them to have obtained fissile materials. But planar explosives could still do plenty of damage if detonated somewhere critical.

‘Left turn at the end here, second door on your left,’ Earth Central informed him.

Somewhere critical seemed to be snuggled up against the Amaranth Station reactor, or so Draben told the interrogators. Halting by the door Blegg waited a moment.

‘Nothing connected to the door,’ EC assured him.

He opened the door and entered, scanning the room. The reactor cube, five yards on each side, sat in the middle of the room amidst a tangle of cooling pipes and heavy power cables. Control consoles lined one wall, and gratings had been pulled up from the floor when this place was searched earlier.

‘The detonator is solid-state, activated by timer and gravity switch.’