Space Pioneer 5 - Nephthys - 2. Chapter 2

Nephthys was a sinister place ten times the size of the Earth, a dark and cold planet, a vast menacing orb far away from the sun. The ship went into orbit and the computer scanned the surface.

“Absolutely no signs of life,” Hulton said, analyzing the first set of data. “A core of rock and a mantle of ice. Gravity similar to Earth’s despite of the size of the planet. Computer is analyzing the material. The atmosphere consists of a thin envelope of nitrogen, methane, and carbon monoxide gases, which are derived from the ice on its surface. The planet is an over-sized Pluto. I don’t believe we’ll find anything down there.”

“We’ve not yet finished scanning and mapping the surface,” Lest said. “If anything is down there, I’m certain we’ll find it.”

“What exactly are we looking for?” Hulton asked.

“Artificial objects,” Lest said. “I suppose the ancient operation base is underground. There must be an entrance. If the defense satellite still orbits the planet, we should detect it, too. Concentrate on finding the weapon. I think it was placed in orbit to prevent the alien species from getting to their underground base.”

It didn’t take long until the Horus computer detected the satellite’s signature.

“The satellite is still active,” Hulton said.

“The orbit is a geostationary orbit,” Le’Ton said. “The Horus computer will determine the satellite’s coverage. The entrance to the base should be within this area. We can perform a thorough surface scan.”

“Go ahead,” Lest said. “The satellite is active, but is it actually a laser gun? Let’s perform a test. Corr, send off a drone and have it zigzag within the satellite’s area of coverage.”

“Roger,” Corr said, leaning forward and typing a command.

“Area of coverage determined,” Le’Ton said a short while later.

An image showed on the main screen. The computer had generated a surface map of the planet. The satellite’s area of coverage was colored white.

“I sent the data to Corr,” Le’Ton said.

“Data received and fed to the drone,” Corr replied. “Drone sent off.”

A black dot appeared within the white area on the screen. It was moving across the screen.

“The drone reached the programmed altitude and started the zigzagging maneuver,” Corr said.

They watched the drone’s movements on the screen. The drone reached the center of the circle. The men straightened in their chairs as everybody reckoned with a satellite attack. They were not mistaken.

“Satellite attacked the drone,” Hulton said.

The black dot on the screen disappeared.

“Drone destroyed by laser shot,” Hulton said. “The computer is analyzing the data.”

“Deep surface scan of the area where the drone was destroyed,” Lest commanded.

“Deep scan activated,” Le’Ton replied.

“Computer finished the analysis,” Hulton said. “The drone was destroyed by a high energy shot. The signature of the satellite is weaker now.”

“Watch the signature,” Lest said. “If the signal remains week, it might indicate the satellite can’t restore its power. Maybe it wasted what it had stored.”

“The computer detected an anomaly on the ground,” Le’Ton said.

“Send the image to the screen,” Lest commanded.

The previous image was replaced by a high resolution image of the ground.

“The planet is covered with ice. The features are repetitive and regular, but here’s an anomaly,” Le’Ton explained. “Do you see the black rectangle on the ground?”

Le’Ton zoomed in. The image was crude, but the black rectangle could clearly be seen.

Lest rose to his feet and looked at the screen.

“Do you think it’s the entrance to the underground base?” Jeff asked from his seat by the console.

“Possibly,” Lest said. “At least it’s kind of what I expected. The entrance to the base must be built of ice-repellent material, like the stuff the Mohics use on their outer planets. Can we get a clearer image of the area?”

“Of course,” Le’Ton said, entering commands.

A clearer image showed on the screen.

“Clearly artificial,” Lest said. “I think we’ve found the entrance. It looks like a tunnel, a ramp that leads to a gate.” He turned to Hulton. “What about the satellite?”

“The signature is weaker, but clearly detectable. I’m certain this laser gun can fire another shot,” Hulton said.

“So, what will we do?” Jeff asked.

“We’ll land with the shuttle,” Lest said.

The men were gazing at him.

“Corr, Le’Ton, Hulton, you will stay on the Horus, while Jeff and I will leave with the shuttle,” Lest said. He stepped forward, hit a button on the console and activated the ship’s intercom. “Doctor Midad,” he said, “get prepared for a trip on the planet. You, Jeff, and I will land with the shuttle.”

“I knew the trip to this planet wasn’t just a round trip. I’m getting prepared,” Midad said drily through the intercom.

Lest returned to his seat and looked at the men.

“Okay. This is my plan,” he said. “Hulton, Le’Ton, Corr, you will distract the laser gun with a drone or two while the shuttle descends and lands on the planet. I don’t want to take out the satellite. We don’t know how it will react to a direct attack. It might destroy the base in a final act. That’s not what I want. The scout team will land the shuttle as close as possible to the base, then we’ll get off the shuttle and explore the base entrance. If possible, we’ll enter the base. I suppose it’s under computer control. Hence, we’re in need of an entrance code to open the gate. This is where I want your support, Hulton.”

Hulton grinned. “I see where you’re getting at, captain,” he said. “It could in fact work out. I even think this is the least complicated part of the trip. I should have the necessary equipment at hand.”

“What’s the more complicated part then?” Jeff asked.

“Well, actually landing the shuttle and not getting shot down by the laser gun,” Hulton replied. “We can only watch the satellite but not steer it directly. This could be the reason for minor albeit not insignificant time lags.”

Lest rose to his feet and proceeded towards the exit of the bridge.

“I’m going to the armory. I’ll check on the weapons, the life support equipment and the pressure suits,” he said. “Corr, contact Forrit and Galven. I want them to get the shuttle ready. Le’Ton, plot a course and program it to the shuttle computer. Hulton, program a drone maneuver to distract the laser gun. I want minimal risk for the shuttle.”

“Roger,” the three men replied, turning to the console.

Lest left the bridge and Jeff followed him.

The shuttle left the main ship and proceeded towards the planet. Lest steered the vehicle manually. The shuttle entered the thin atmosphere and Lest had difficulties to level the craft, but finally managed. He reduced the shuttle’s velocity as they descended and programmed a great circle course. The shuttle was losing speed and altitude.

Le’Ton had mapped the planet and had applied a 360° grid to the orb, latitude and longitude lines. He had sent it to the shuttle computer as well as the coordinates of the ancient operation base. Lest switched to true heading flight mode and entered the coordinates. The shuttle changed its course and flew north. The approximate flight duration was one hour and seventeen minutes. Lest engaged the autopilot.

The men looked out of the cockpit window. It was pitch black outside, but out of a sudden the sky was illuminated by a blazing light. They saw several fires in the sky in the direction of the underground base. The fires went out quickly and it was dark again outside.

Lest contacted the main ship. “What happened?” he asked.

“The satellite detected the drone and destroyed it,” Hulton reported. “The satellite still has power. It might spot your shuttle.”

“Not good,” Lest replied. “Get another drone out, Hulton. Distract the gun.”

They continued the flight in silence. Finally, Hulton contacted the shuttle.

“You’ll arrive in ten minutes,” he said. “I’ll send off another drone and have it fly some provoking maneuvers when you’re approaching the base. I’m 95% percent certain this laser gun is an antique and can only focus on one target at a time. The gun’s reaction time is slow. It will take a while until it has focused on its next target. Perform the landing when the gun attacks the drone. You should have enough time to get out and reach the entrance of the base.”

“95% certainty is your best guess?” Lest asked.

“My best guess,” Hulton confirmed. “I’m confident, however, that you’ll touch down safely. The maneuverability and reaction rate of our drones exceed those of the laser gun by far. Three more minutes until touch-down. I’ll start the drone’s maneuvers now.”

“Copied,” Lest said. “Good luck, Hulton.”

“Good luck, captain,” Hulton replied.

Lest programmed the automatic landing and the shuttle descended. It flew hard above the ground and then touched down. The craft skidded and came to a halt. The sky was lit. The laser gun fired a shot at the drone.

“The laser gun missed the drone,” Hulton reported.

“Touchdown was successful,” Lest said. “We’re about fifteen meters from the entrance. We’ll get off the shuttle now.”

“Roger,” Hulton replied.

The men rose from their seats and proceeded towards the shuttle’s hatch. Lest opened it and the men got off and raised their eyes to the sky. It was black and the satellite was invisible. The men hurried to the dark square entrance of the underground base. It was an entrance to a tunnel. It didn’t look inviting, but the men moved quickly inside the shelter that protected them from the laser gun. They moved on, only guided by their helmet lamps.

“Everything’s quiet,” Hulton said. “Like I said, this satellite is an antique. Another drone is on standby.”

“Roger,” Lest said. “We’re moving into the tunnel.” He turned to Doctor Midad and Lest. “Switch on the LED lamps. We’re out of sight by now.”

The men switched on the lamps and had a closer look at the tunnel walls.

“Metal walls with a polypyrrole coating,” Lest said. “It provides corrosion and water and ice protection. The Mohics use such coatings for their structures on their frozen moons.”

“Could the Mohics be behind it?” Doctor Midad asked.

“I don’t think so,” Lest replied. “The Mohics operate only in their own system. Always did, as far as I know.”

They moved on. The tunnel was big and looked like the typical hangar tunnel on many space hubs. It was designed for medium-sized crafts. The tunnel lead steadily underground at a shallow angle. Almost an hour had gone by when the men reached a closed gate.

“We can’t force our way in,” Lest said. “Hulton, it’s like what I expected to find. A hangar gate, computer-steered. There should be a receiver to manually open the gate with a signal code from a ship. I’ll have the robot examine the gate. Connect the Horus computer to the robot and pretend it’s an incoming ship.”

“Roger,” Hulton said. “I’ll start the hacking program as soon as the Horus computer has connected with the robot.”

“Copied,” Lest replied.

Lest detached a small surveillance robot from his suit belt and activated it. Hulton sent the proper instructions and the robot hovered up and down and examined the hangar gate. The men inspected the walls closer.

“An alloy,” Lest said, reading the data that his helmet sensors received.

“Whoever built this structure would have been able to take out the antique laser gun,” Jeff said. “Why didn’t they come back?”

“We’ll find the answer behind this door,” Lest replied.

“I could imagine they had already taken from the system what they wanted by the time the Seth arrived and therefore retreated when the Seth started a war,” Doctor Midad said.

“Captain,” Hulton interrupted. “I got a response. The gate replied to a signal sequence based on Asuras codes. The gate won’t open, however. It just said ‘I heard you’ or so.”

“Asuras?” Lest asked. “Do you have more Asuras codes, Hulton?”

“The computer should be able to derive more codes. It will take a while, though,” Hulton replied.

“Okay, Hulton, go on,” Lest said.

“Asuras?” Doctor Midad asked. “Their system is far away, close to the center of the galaxy. I never heard they ventured much out into space and engaged in wars. Then again, I could be mistaken. I don’t know much about them.”

“What do you know?” Jeff asked, turning to Midad.

“They’re an ancient species. They were very advanced when the Alliance formed about 8,000 years ago. They settled on every planet and moon of their system and constructed a gigantic space hub there, but had no interest in joining the Alliance. They didn’t even enter into negotiations with them. They made it very clear that in their view the Alliance was a childish endeavor that only revealed the primitive state of mind of the members,” Doctor Midad said.

“They were arrogant bastards, I was told at school,” Lest said. “Nobody was particularly upset when they reclined the offer to join the Alliance.”

“I really wonder why they came here,” Midad said, looking up the tunnel wall.

“Gate has responded,” Hulton said excitedly. “The gate sent back a signal sequence and the Horus computer interprets it as a confirmation code. Is the gate opening?”

The men turned to the hangar gate. Lights activated on the doors, on the walls and the floor of the tunnel.

“The guidance system came on. The gate is opening,” Lest confirmed.

The door slid open and revealed a vast hangar. Floor, ceiling and walls were made of a light gray material. A white light illuminated the place. At first sight, the hall looked empty.

“Send the robot in, Hulton,” Lest said.

“Roger,” Hulton replied.

The robot moved inside and they watched it proceeding to the far end of the hangar.

“Connection to the robot is excellent,” Hulton said, “but I’ll keep the hangar door open for safety reasons. I think I found the code for this. The doors should have stopped sliding open.”

“Confirmed,” Lest said. He turned to Jeff and Doctor Midad. “What do you think? Shall we take the risk and enter the place?”

“Investigate this place is what I thought we came for,” Doctor Midad said, already moving inside the hall.

Jeff followed him.

“Hulton, we’re entering the hangar. Keep an eye on the connection,” Lest said. “And don’t forget about the laser gun. Corr, keep the Horus away from it and, Le’Ton, plot a safe course back for the shuttle.”

The men on the Horus confirmed.

Lest caught up with Jeff and Doctor Midad who waited for him in the center of the hall. The men looked around in the empty hangar. It was illuminated by a cold and white light, but suddenly a violet light was blinking at the far end of the hangar. They watched the signal, then slowly approached it. The light was blinking above a door. The door slid open as they approached and a computer voice addressed them. It spoke to them in an unknown language. A translation was transmitted to their neural implants.

“Decontamination room. Please proceed. Decontamination room. Please proceed. Decont...”

“The language is Asuras,” Doctor Midad said, focusing on his neural implant. “The Asuras have in fact built this underground base.”

“Decontamination room. Please proceed. Decontamination room. Please proceed...,” the voice kept repeating.

“We’ll either enter or go back,” Lest said.

“I must know what’s going on here,” Jeff said urgently. “This operation base doesn’t look antique and hasn’t fallen to ruins. Everything works properly. This base was never given up. It’s a threat to Earth. It’s a threat to my home planet.”

Jeff moved on quickly. Lest made a sign to Doctor Midad. The men followed Jeff inside the decontamination room. The door closed behind them.

“Check the sensors of your suits and helmets,” Lest said.

“The room is clean, sterile, germ-free,” Doctor Midad said. “The air is breathable. The composition is practically identical with Earth’s. I can’t detect any unknown or toxic substances.”

“The gravity is about the same of Earth,” Jeff said. “This is odd as the planet is ten times the size of Earth.”

“The sensors detected a weak magnetic field,” Lest said. “It’s getting stronger.”

“What’s happening?” Jeff asked.

A violet light appeared in the room and enveloped them. It was moving around them.

“My body values are changing,” Doctor Midad said. “They indicate my body reacts to an antibiotics treatment. The light penetrates the suits and kills the germs.”

Finally, the light disappeared.

“The values stopped changing,” Doctor Midad said.

“The magnetic field has reduced,” Lest said.

A door opened to an adjoining room. The men entered it and the door closed behind them.
A screen on the wall activated and showed a sequence of pictures.

“This is a directive,” Doctor Midad said. “We’re supposed to take off the helmets and the suits.”

The men hesitated.

“The air is breathable,” Jeff said. He took off his helmet and took a breath. “A very clinical smell, like in a hospital.”

Lest reported back to the Horus and instructed the men to communicate via the neural implants.

Lest and Doctor Midad took their helmets off as well. The picture sequence continued.

“Why did the voice stop talking?” Jeff asked. “Why pictures now?”

“The central computer must have detected we’re not Asuras, but it doesn’t assume a hostile attitude,” Lest said.

“I wonder why,” Midad said thoughtfully.

They took off their suits hesitatingly. The men stood in their tight-fitting coveralls they usually wore under the pressure suits.

Another door opened.

“I think we’ve got permission to enter the facility,” Lest said.

The men left the room. A tall figure stood in the corridor. It looked vaguely human.

Lest focused on his neural implant and contacted Hulton on the Horus. The connection was weak but stable.

“A figure is in the corridor. Analyze the sensor signal with the Horus computer,” Lest said.

Lest looked at the figure. It was watching him.

“This isn’t a life form,” Hulton said a short while later. “It’s an AI.”

“Correct,” the AI said in the Asuras language. “I’m an artificial intelligence and I’m able to overhear your conversations. My name is Samyaza. You are Seth. It took you a long time to come back to the place where you left your laser gun in the sky."

“Actually, we’re Da...,” Midad started but was interrupted by Lest.

“Correct,” Lest said. “We’re Seth, offspring of the colonists who settled on Earth about 40,000 years ago. Unfortunately, our civilization declined after the big war in the sky and we’ve only recently succeeded in building a spaceship capable of flying to Nephthys. We came to check on our defense satellite. Did you monitor the developments on Earth?”

The AI didn’t reply straight away. “I have read the data stored in my memory,” it said finally. “I confirm. Your civilization declined. I stored monitoring data until 10,737 years ago. The data volume decreased over time and stopped completely at some point. I resumed receiving data 140 years ago. Your defense satellite is still operational.”

“Why didn’t you take the satellite out?” Lest asked. “Don’t you have the means to do it?”

“The technological systems to disable the satellite are all available and operational,” the AI said. “However, there was no rational reason for disabling the satellite.”

“Elaborate, please,” Lest said.

“You brought the satellite to prevent the Asuras from entering the operation base. Your operation was based on an incorrect assumption. You assumed the Asuras would come back to their operation base after you had orbited the satellite,” the AI said. “Your assumption was incorrect. The Asuras didn’t come back and didn’t plan to do so.”

“Confirmed,” Lest said. “Our assumption was wrong. We are Seth. Why did you let us enter the operation base. Don’t you consider us hostile?”

“You used an Asuras access code,” the AI said.

“Can’t it see the connections?” Hulton asked from the bridge. “Or wasn’t it prepared for the case?”

“Unlikely,” Lest said to Hulton, then addressed the AI again. “Yes, we used an Asuras access code. Did you expect the Seth demanding access to the Asuras operation base with an Asuras access code?” he asked the AI.

“Confirm,” the AI said.

Midad and Jeff exchanged confused looks. Lest calmed them with a gesture of his hand.

“I’m happy the routines work properly after so long a time has gone by,” he said. “Due to external circumstances our arrival is much delayed.”

“Confirm,” the AI said.

“When did you expect us to arrive? A rough time frame please, Samyaza,” Lest said.

“Your arrival was expected with a high probability within thirty years after the war. The probability has since declined and approached zero when transmissions from Earth stopped 10,737 years ago. The rate increased when transmissions were resumed. The probability rate was 0.9 percent on the day your spaceship arrived,” the AI said.

“0.9 percent? Did you miscalculate?” Lest asked.

The figure flickered and disappeared.

“What’s going on here?” Jeff asked, sounding alarmed.

“I think the Asuras set up a trap,” Doctor Midad said. “They thought the Seth would come to Nephthys and explore the underground base after the Asuras had gone.”

“And we ran right into this trap?” Jeff interrupted him. “Why didn’t the AI take out the Horus? Why wait and let us enter the base?”

“Quiet,” Lest said. “The AI is gone, but it may still overhear us. Hulton, do you have an idea why the AI went away?”

“It’s checking on his routines, I think,” Hulton said. “The probability rate was only 0.9 percent for an arrival of a Seth ship today. A serious miscalculation, indicating total failure of the AI system. I wonder why it expected the Seth would try to gain access with an Asuras code?”

“Perhaps those codes were stolen in the past,” Midad said. “Or deliberately planted or given away. It didn’t realize we’re Da... .”

“Quiet, Midad,” Lest hissed. “That’s the bug.”

Midad looked puzzled, but then gave a nod. “Oh, I see. You’re probably right, Lest,” he said.

“What do you think, Hulton?” Lest asked.

“The AI will come back sooner or later, but I cannot foresee what it will do. You ought to leave the planet while it’s still time,” Hulton said.

“Yes, let’s get out of here,” Midad said urgently.

At this moment, the AI came back. The figure materialized in front of them. Samyaza was looking at them.

“I re-checked my calculations. They are correct, based on the data available to me. The calculated probability rate of the arrival of a Seth spaceship today is 0.9 percent. Hence, I must lack data,” the AI said. “I monitor the solar system and the probes sent off from Earth. They are far less advanced than your spaceship. It’s extremely unlikely that you were capable of building this spaceship a short time after launching the probes that explore the system. My calculations are based on the analysis of your probes’ technology.”

“I evaluated all possibilities,” it said. “I conclude that your spaceship wasn’t built on Earth. An analysis of Seth technology during the last 140 Earth years shows that you lost the technology that you possessed when you came to this solar system and when you fought the war. I found only two possibilities that are plausible to a degree. This spaceship is either not a Seth spaceship or it’s the spaceship you used when you migrated to the solar system long before the war.”

The AI was staring at them.

“What do you think?” Lest asked.

“I must gather more data before I can weigh the factors and determine the outcome,” the AI said.

“The outcome?” Jeff blurted out. “And what would that be respectively?”

The AI didn’t respond. “Follow me,” it said finally.

“This is a trap,” Jeff said it in a low voice. “It wants to lure us in. We better get out of here at once.”

“It won’t let us go,” Lest said.

Jeff turned abruptly and hurried back to the door through which they had stepped into the corridor. Like Lest had expected, the door remained closed.

“Follow me,” the AI repeated. It hovered down the corridor.

The men looked after it.

“Things aren’t exactly how it expected them,” Doctor Midad said. “I don’t understand. Why does it waste time with us when a procedure for this very case was programmed ages ago?”

“What kind of procedure?” Jeff asked warily.

“Well, it expected the Seth’s return,” Lest explained. “When it has made sure we’re Seth, it will continue with the programmed procedure.”

“It’s having doubts, luckily,” Midad said soberly.

“Yes, we aren’t Seth. Let’s make sure it will find out,” Lest said.

“Why don’t we just tell it?” Jeff asked.

“It won’t believe us. Why should it?” Lest said. “Any living creature can lie.” He touched his temple and focused on his neural implant. “The AI cut the connection,” he said.

Jeff and Midad looked alarmed.

“Follow me,” the AI said from the end of the corridor.

“Okay, let’s go,” Lest said.

“We’re far from the center of the base,” Samyaza said. “A hovercraft will take you there.”

The AI moved on. They walked down the corridor until they reached a platform. A vehicle stopped and the men climbed into it. To their surprise, Samyaza got in, too.

“You distracted the laser gun with a drone. Else it would have shot down your shuttle. You lost the power t control the laser gun,” the AI said.

“This isn’t entirely correct,” Lest replied. “There’s also the possibility that we were never able to control the satellite.”

The AI was silent and its outline flickered. It turned to Jeff.

“Your genetic profile isn’t entirely Seth. You are a hybrid of Seth and human, like there were many at the time of the war. The hybrids didn’t belong to the elite. The probability to find one on a Seth spaceship is very low. What did they tell you about the laser gun?” Samyaza asked.

“Answer truthfully,” Lest said.

“Well, I learned of the laser gun only a short time ago when I learned of the myth of Osiris,” Jeff said. “My father told me of it.”

“Your father is a human man?” the AI inquired.

“Yes,” Jeff replied. “He figured out the truth. Osiris was an Egyptian god. He was killed and dismembered, but his body was later healed and he was brought back to life. Osiris is the laser gun. The gun was dismantled after the war and later reassembled. It’s said the god lived in the world beyond. My father thought the laser gun was placed at the edge of the solar system, where the vast expanse of space begins. We came here to investigate and verify the theory.”

The AI didn’t respond for quite some time. The hovercraft vehicle dashed through a tunnel, much like a subway on Earth.

“This planet was an outpost,” Samyaza said finally. “The Asuras built this facility about 250,000 Earth years ago. The Asuras set up colonies on Venus and Earth. Venus was habitable back then. The Asuras competed with the Seth settlers in later times. The Seth started a war and they won. The Asuras were superior in many things, but the Seth had brought along a very powerful weapon, the laser gun. The Seth attacked the Venus base. They didn’t foresee the power of their own weapon. It didn’t just destroy the Asuras base on Venus. It threw Venus off its orbit and also Venus’ moon that you now call Mercury. The Asuras retreated to their base on Nephthys.”

The AI was silent for a moment, then continued.

“All transmissions from Earth ended roughly 10,000 years ago, except of rare and weak signals from the region of Egypt. Those ultimately stopped also, however. You ventured into space again only a short while ago,” Samyaza said. “You lost the ancient technology and forgot your past. I looked into your history records and found nothing recorded. However, this doesn’t suffice to stop the procedure.”

“What procedure exactly?” Jeff asked angrily.

The AI didn’t reply.

“The Seth dismantled the laser gun after the war, shocked by its power,” Lest said. “They reassembled it, however, and brought it here in later times to watch the entrance to the Asuras base. It was a defensive measure, aimed at preventing the Asuras from returning to their base on Nephthys, aimed at preventing them from coming back to the system at all.”

“They didn’t come back. They left me here,” Samyaza said.

“Why?” Jeff asked.

“To report back to them when the Seth came to Nephthys and entered the Asuras base,” the AI said.

“Why didn’t the Asuras take out the laser gun?” Jeff asked.

“The Asuras don’t base their actions on emotions. Fear is a Seth concept. Asuras thinking is based on retributive justice,” Samyaza said.

“In other words revenge,” Lest said. “They didn’t simply want to take the laser gun out and kill a few thousand Seth colonists, of which only a few formed the elite. They planned to take out the Seth civilization when it had progressed to an even more advanced level and the population had increased significantly.”

“Yes. I was programmed to attack the Seth civilization as a means of retributive justice,” Samyaza confirmed.

“Earth is inhabited by humans. The Seth are long gone,” Jeff shouted.

“I know this meanwhile. I have completed my analysis of the biological forms here and on board of your main ship and my analysis of the ship’s technology,” the AI said.

“It gained access to the ship?” Midad asked. “I thought Hulton was controlling all outgoing and incoming lines.”

“The AI cut the connection between our neural implants and the ship,” Lest said. “It gained access to this communication line and the Horus computer.” He turned to Samyaza. “You know we’re Daglon, don’t you?” he asked.

“I collected all available data for evaluation of the situation,” the AI replied. “I was programmed to annihilate the Seth civilization on Earth. This Seth civilization no longer exits. Earth is populated by humans. This species is a hybrid species and doesn’t qualify for the original species. Several biological forms here and on board of the main ship belong to the Seth species, however. The genetic profile is irrefutable. These individuals are not from Earth, however. I was able to trace their origin back to the planet Daglon. I’m not programmed to monitor the planet Daglon.”

“What did you report back to the Asuras?” Lest asked.

“I didn’t report back to them,” Samyaza replied. “I’m only supposed to report back to them upon detection of Seth from Earth entering the Asuras base and upon successful annihilation of the Seth species on Earth.”

“Good you took your time to properly evaluate the situation,” Jeff said drily.

“This was what I was supposed to do,” the AI said.

“Where does this hovercraft take us?” Lest asked.

“Back to the entrance of the base from there you can walk to your shuttle,” Samyaza said. “The hovercraft is on a circuit course and will soon arrive at the platform from where it started. I had to prevent you from wandering about while analyzing the situation.”

“What will become of the base and the laser gun after we left?” Lest asked. “The humans aren’t as advanced as the Seth were, but they will ultimately reach Nephthys and detect the gun and the base.”

“Since the Seth population on Earth doesn’t exist anymore, neither the base nor the laser gun are needed to draw the Seth’s attention. At this moment, I’m taking out the laser gun,” the AI said.

The men touched their temples. The connection to the Horus was back.

“Can you hear me?” Hulton asked urgently. “Captain, Jeff, Doctor Midad, do you hear me?”

“We’re back,” Lest said. “The AI cut the connection, but re-established it. We’ll leave the base in short and get back to the shuttle.”

“Okay, Captain,” Hulton said urgently. “Captain, an unknown source shot down the laser gun.”

“We know this,” Lest replied. “The AI took out the gun. More later. Get the shuttle ready.”

“Copied,” Hulton replied. “Anything else? Are you okay?”

“Yes,” Lest said. “Monitor the communication lines, Hulton.”

“Roger,” Hulton said.

The hovercraft arrived at the platform and the men and Samyaza got out. The AI showed them to the room where they had left their suits and helmets. The men dressed quickly and then the AI took them to the tunnel that led out of the base. Samyaza accompanied them to the gate.

“What will you do?” Jeff asked the AI.

“I will render the base inoperative after you left,” it replied.

“And what about you?” Jeff asked.

“The system became redundant,” the AI said. “In all likelihood members of the Seth species, the Daglon branch, will live on Earth sometime in the future. That is in case Earth joins the Alliance of which I learned when reading the data of the ship’s computer. I was programmed to monitor the Daglon species, however. The original Seth species doesn’t exist anymore. My mission has become obsolete. I will shut down the systems of the base.”

“You will annihilate yourself?” Jeff asked in disbelief.

“I’m just code,” the AI explained. “This code became redundant.”

The figure disappeared. The men looked at the point where it had stood.

“Do you believe it?” Midad asked. “It’s not just code. It deemed me truly intelligent. I think it evaluated the situation longer than it was supposed to do.”

Lest raised his hand. “Let’s get back to the shuttle now. We don’t know what the AI will do. Better get away as fast as we can.”

They hurried to their shuttle. Hulton had already activated it from the main ship. The men got in and settled in their seats. The shuttle took off and climbed to orbit. The Horus computer guided it back to the main ship.

The men were seated in their seats on the bridge. They watched the main screen that showed the planet’s surface.

“The gate closed and shortly afterwards the computer registered that the material of the tunnel walls changed,” Hulton said. “The tunnel walls are computer controlled. The components of the walls changed. The walls won’t resist the cold anymore. The entrance will soon be covered with ice.”

“Should we humans ever reach the planet, we’ll find out about the base. Sensors will still detect the remnants of the underground base,” Jeff said.

“I think it’s highly unlikely that humans will ever reach the outmost planet of the system without the help of a more advanced species,” Hulton said.

Jeff frowned at him.

Hulton shrugged. “I’m certain that I correctly evaluated the situation,” he said.

“You sound like the AI,” Jeff said sourly.

“Jeff has a point,” Lest said from his seat.

Hulton looked between them with a bewildered look. “You don’t mean to say I would be able to annihilate the entire Seth civilization just because of some war in the past?” he asked.

Lest folded his hands and studied Hulton. Hulton shifted uncomfortably in his chair.

“No,” Lest said finally. “I’m very much convinced that you’re not just code,” he said.

The men on the bridge burst into laughter and Hulton blushed.

Doctor Midad shook his head. “I’m going to sickbay,” he said. The doctor left.

“I’m going to contact my parents,” Jeff said, rising to his feet and leaving the bridge as well.

He went to his room and sent a message to his father’s ear clip. Dan responded at once.

“You’re lucky,” Dan said cheerfully. “I was just experimenting with the clip. Are you fine, Jeff? How are you doing?”

Jeff told his father that the Horus computer had detected artificial items on the ice, most likely the scattered remains of the laser gun. He didn’t mention the base and the AI.

“You mean this ancient satellite went down long ago?” Dan asked, sounding disappointed.

“It most likely left orbit long ago and crashed on the planet’s surface,” Jeff said.

“It will still be a remarkable find when the humans will one day get to Nephthys,” Dan said melancholically. “It will prove that some ancient myths are true after all.”

Jeff’s mother Sonya joined in and they continued their conversation.

“We’re going to Cyrus,” Jeff told them. “I’ll send you a message from there.”

They ended the talk and Jeff went to the galley where he saw a freezer compartment he had never seen there.

Forrit, the engineer, was standing by the counter. “I put this together,” he said. “I found the way to the ship’s cooling room was far too long.”

Jeff gave him a questioning look. Forrit pointed at the box. Jeff opened the door and spotted several small and medium sized boxes, the leftover food his mother had frozen.

Jeff smiled. “Thanks, Forrit. Excellent idea,” he said. “What do you think? How about some real food from Earth?”

Forrit gave a pleased nod.

“A warm meal is a good distraction from the ice planet,” Jeff said. “The AI changed the wall components and the base will soon be covered with ice.” He handed Forrit a plate of warmed food.

Forrit looked at it thoughtfully. “Easily can unfreeze what was frozen,” he said. “Warming this meal took less than a minute.”

The men exchanged a long look.

The Horus left the system and set course on Cyrus. And Nephthys, the frozen orb, continued its orbit around the distant dim sun.