(23)
In the cavernous TVS Maintenance Depot below, the first four Cerulean Knights arrive minutes after the incident to take up silent defensive positions at cardinal points around the inert heavy warrior.
Seven more Knights arrive shortly afterward, each pausing for a reverent moment beneath the high prow of the Centurion before taking up a position in the phalanx.
Their pilots slowly begin to exit the Knights in confusion and talk quietly among themselves while comparing notes about their sudden recall to the depot.
The appearance of General McCready of Orbital accompanied by Colonel Sawyer, the depot base commander with an armed security detail brings all the pilots to their feet as they salute their senior officers.
“What is the meaning of this?” Colonel Sawyer asked the closest pilot. “Why have you all come here and surrounded this machine?”
“Um, begging your pardon, Sir, but we were hoping you could tell us. All we know for sure is that we were all recalled to the depot at about the same time. The orders appeared genuine arriving through the secure directive channels but no reason for the recall was given to any of us. Our Knights took up this defensive posture of their own accord. Why
are we here, Sir?”
“An incident investigation has been started but we don’t have any answers yet, Captain...” Colonel Sawyer prompted.
“Lawson Sir, and my Knight, L2CSY8.”
“Very good, Captain. The reason we are here today is to determine what happened in the incident involving this Centurion.”
“Incident, Sir?” the young Captain began but movement behind him in the phalanx of close-ranked Cerulean Knights caught his attention.
With a whine of engines, two of the Knights in the protective barrier surrounding the Centurion pulled slowly forward to form a corridor between them just wide enough for a man to walk through.
Against the wishes of Colonel Sawyer, the General decided then and there to approach the Centurion alone.
“Centurion, do you recognize my authority?” the General called out.
“Yes, Sir. Your identity is verified as General Michael McCready, the commanding officer of the TVS Orbital weapons platform. It’s good to see you again, Sir. If my pilot, Colonel Temple, is available, we have much to discuss,” related the heavy warrior.
Before the General could reply, his TVS communicator announced the receipt of two urgent messages in quick succession. The first was a notification that video had been recovered from a single undamaged observation camera located barely two hundred meters away from the Centurion at the time of the incident. The second, from the doctor was a request for assistance because Colonel Temple was awake and apparently agitated to the point of threatening physical harm to the hospital staff who made any attempt to restrain her.
“My apologies, D4MNC8,” the General replied touching the communicator in his ear. “I just received word that your pilot has regained consciousness and is threatening to kill anyone that attempts to prevent her from reaching you,” the General related with obvious reluctance.
“Pilot identification confirmed,” the Centurion replied with a very human sounding chuckle.
“What happened here today, D4MNC8?” the General asked without preamble. “People were injured.”
“Sir, the power upgrade procedure required my AI core to be off-line with no sensory input whatsoever. I have no memory of the procedure, but records indicate a difficulty was encountered on restart.”
“What sort of difficulty?” the General asked curiously.
“I don’t know for certain, Sir, but judging from the changes made at my platform configuration level, I suspect it was a safety interlock issue related to the new drive sled design. I’m quite certain the T9, Martin Lennox, could provide us with a detailed overview if he is available.”
“The lead technician, Martin Lennox was one of the injured in the incident following your upgrade, D4MNC8,” the General related soberly.
“I see..., that is most unfortunate. It is imperative then that I speak with Colonel Temple immediately, Sir,” the Centurion concluded.
“Give me one good reason, Centurion. Give me a single good reason why I should consider allowing any further contact between my people and a machine suspected of causing physical harm to a human being,” the General stated with finality.
The Centurion’s response was interrupted as the doors of the personnel elevator opened on the TVS depot maintenance floor and the cut-off end of a pitched argument was plainly heard in an authoritative female voice.
“..., and as I have already stated, Doctor, I do not require any additional medical treatment. You may escort me there if you wish, but you will not prevent me from reaching my Centurion,” Colonel Temple stated emphatically as she made her way across the maintenance floor trailing the hapless physician, two nurses and a porter.
“I’ve been expecting you, Colonel,” the General called out as he stood to be heard over the commotion. “I believe you owe me a detailed disclosure statement for several anomalous items that have recently been brought to my attention.”
Colonel Temple halted mid-stride when she heard the General’s voice and replied, “Anomalous items, Sir?”
“Yes, Colonel. Of particular interest to me is a self-assembling logic engine contained within a fail-safe virtual environment. Then there is the matter of a performance level far exceeding the known limits of the Centurion operating platform. Should I continue?”
“No, Sir,” Colonel Temple replied looking down in resignation. “If I may though, could I start from the beginning; it would better serve to explain some of our actions.”
“I am depending on it. Shall we retire then to the comfort and security of your Centurion’s cabin for the ‘long’ version of the story, Colonel?”
“Yes, Sir,” the Colonel replied submissively.
Young Captain Lawson saluted sharply as Colonel Temple passed where he stood close beside his Knight but was surprised when his commanding officer suddenly stopped to turn and stare at him with wide eyes.
“Bobby!?” she whispered in sudden recognition. “I never dreamed I’d see you again. Are you a pilot?”
“I..., Mom?” he whispered back in shock and disbelief. “Is it really you? I don’t understand, Dad told me you had been killed in a border skirmish years ago; he showed me pictures of...”
“Didn’t happen, Bobby, he lied. Look, I messed up bad but that’s over now and I’ll find a way to make up for it somehow. Bobby, I have to go now because I’m in hot water and I may be up for a court-martial for what I’ve done. The most important thing you need to know is that your mother is still very much alive and well. Oh, and you have a half-sister who is a pilot too, a Captain Elizabeth Temple, maybe you’ve already heard of her?”
The General cleared his throat impatiently from the open door of the Centurion, “Colonel?”
“Wait, what? A pilot? My
half-sister is Elizabeth Temple? No! Not, Lizzy Temple! Oh, no!” Bobby cried as Colonel Temple glanced back over her shoulder uncertainly at Bobby’s unexpected reaction before she reluctantly turned to follow the General into the pilot’s cabin of the Centurion.
~~~~~~~~~~~ To be Continued ~~~~~~~~~~~
