Star Lass: Princess from the Stars

By Paul Kocourek

SHE FLED FROM ASSASSINATION…

… pursued by a killer AI created by super-science. Princess Lassandra, with the help of her guardian AI, took a chance—her only chance—on an untested theory for Teleportation. What she did not know was whether it would work at all or where it would send her.

Least of all did she expect to land on an unknown backward planet called Earth.

She and her AI discovered a freak side-effect of the Teleportation had gifted her with superhuman abilities!

Yet, the rogue AI, with a power beyond anything on Earth, successfully followed her intending to finish the assassination job, once and for all.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tablo Publishing
• Release date: Jul 4, 2019
• ISBN: 9781925993011

Book preview

CHAPTER ONE

Treason

Death.

She crawled through a dusty air duct to escape it. They'd killed her parents and now were gunning for her.

Princess Lassandra, came the thought in her head from her royal Artificial Intelligence. I can't keep them off your trail forever. The rogue military AI named Virus is coordinating the other AIs to track you down.

Roby, you're a royal AI, the very highest and best of Aristan technology. Surely Virus and the others are no match for you, she thought back at him, his neural sensor field overlaid on her brain to allow direct, voiceless communication. She scrubbed at her eyes and tried to wipe off the tear trails on her wet and dusty cheeks. The dust and dirt mussed her blonde hair. Between her crying and all the dust, she wanted so badly to blow her nose, but feared they'd hear it.

Virus is surprisingly powerful, only slightly less powerful than me, though the others are thankfully not even remotely in my class. Yet, I am all alone, the only remaining royal AI, and I have too many sensor sweeps from lesser AIs trying to find you. What they don't have in quality, they have in quantity. With Virus guiding them, it's only a matter of time before they coordinate sufficiently get past my false trails and sensor ghosts. I wish I understood emotions, and because of those emotions, humans anthropomorphize logic-based entities like myself. While I do not understand why you humans do that, I just accept it as surely as I accept as my absolute highest priority that I must protect you at all costs, even to the last quarteron in my matrix. Unfortunately, while I can create a protective quarteron force shield to stop any harmful local effect, even I cannot stop a Nullilizer

So, is that it? And then I die? she quailed inwardly, tears glistening. She never dreamed she'd be facing death by assassination when she just turned sixteen years old. She should be attending grand galas as noblemen in the kingdom courted for her hand, not fleeing for her life! It just didn't seem real. It wasn't fair. The enemies had assassinated her parents, the King and Queen of the Star Empire of Arista, and as the sole heir to the throne, Lassandra remained the last obstacle to their seizing power. You saw it! They used a Nullilizer, which just cut through father and mother's royal AI shields, and they died anyway along with their royal AIs! What chance do I have? She steeled herself not to cry, as that sound could give her away, but despair ate at her soul relentlessly. She didn't want to die.

The AI had no immediate answer. 

Roby knew all too well his force shield, while very strong, was no match for the disintegration field of a Nullilizer, the empire's capital punishment weapon. Then, as he searched for hope through his vast data files, he found something. He reviewed it quickly. Yes, there was a theoretical possibility!

Slight in the extreme, but there might be a way to escape, Roby sub-vocalled to her.

Please! Anything!

Because of your own avid fascination with science, the Science Council has been forwarding to me copies of their reports. They figured that with you being the sole heir to the throne, they would keep you informed to garner your favor when you took the reins of power.

So, what is this slight chance?

We already know that a Nullilizer disintegrates its target into hyperspace, never to return. In this latest report, well, I won't bore you with all the techno-terms and math, but in simplest terms, they theorized that as a Nullilizer disintegrates an object, a ready-and-waiting science AI could seize the released particles and store them in a properly calculated matrix of streaming quarterons in hyperspace, not unlike my matrix. Then the AI and matrix can ride the currents of hyperspace to a distant location, whereupon the AI reassembles the object upon arrival…

Teleportation? She finished for him, her heart suddenly awake with hope.

Yes, and quite fast, too. To use the analogy of a ship upon the ocean, a sailing ship never travels as fast as the winds blowing it. Our starships wrap themselves in a quarteron shield bubble and enter hyperspace, but only at lower frequency speeds. At higher frequencies, the shock-waves of hyperspace would rip apart the strongest shields we can make, destroying the ship. But, in this teleport theory, they could carry us along like a straw in a hurricane and travel at the speeds of perhaps even the most extreme hyperspace winds. There is no theoretical limit to how fast and how far a teleport could take you. That supposes you survived the conversion. Our best minds still have not solved the age-old philosophical question of whether life is merely the result of physical chemistry, or whether life is a non-physical, or spiritual, reality.

So, a person might reassemble correctly, but be dead? The parts all there, but no life force?

Correct. Alternatively, the person might reassemble alive, but be a mindless vegetable. It is only a theory at this point.

So, you think that when they use a Nullilizer on me like they did on mother and father, we could teleport instead of dying?

Yes, however remote, it is still a chance.

She nodded. Risky, true, but at this point we have nothing to lose. Can you create the matrix required?

The Science Council report gave all the equations. Yes, I can. I am a royal AI, more powerful than even the best science AI

Do it.

Logic dictated that you would request it, so I have already started. However, its complicated nature will take a considerable amount of time to assemble. Nothing I have ever computed comes even remotely close.

Let's just pray we have enough time.

*     *     *

General Gorgun stood still, thick hands clasped behind his broad back as he stared out the window.  The devilishly efficient military AI his people had created and code-named Virus had done the job very nicely. The Nullilizer disintegrated the royal parents, their dead molecules scattered into hyperspace. The goal of taking the throne for himself would be complete when they finally found the princess. He thought back to before the assassinations, back before she had come of age, when contrary to custom and law he had sought her royal hand in marriage. She is a bit young for my taste, but she is a stunning beauty, even more so than her mother. Some of my men think she has perfect DNA, that she's the most beautiful girl in the entire empire. A pity about her refusal to wed me to transfer the throne and kingdom to me. Why can't she see the pragmatic side of it all? The empire needs my hands at the reins. We have suspicious reports from the empire's far galactic borders that forces belonging to the Faction Wars from centuries ago may be lurking around anew, probing our defenses. The royals were fools, refusing to consider or prepare for war, and someone has to save the Empire.  Pah! Their daughter is a fool, too. Can't she see all this about wanting to marry for love is all sentimental trash? If she had agreed to marry me, then her parents would not have needed to die. And even now, she need not die. He gave a cold smile at the thought. At least, not yet, not until we have produced some offspring to put on the throne after me. After that, I am sure we can arrange, shall we say, an accident? But who knows? Maybe I will keep her around for longer if she pleases me well enough.

A sub-vocal artificial voice interrupted his thoughts. General, I have localized the vicinity of the escaped princess. Our forces will apprehend her shortly.

Excellent Virus. Don't execute her just yet. Bring her to me intact. I want to try one last appeal for her hand. If she refuses again, then you may activate the Nullilizer.

As you command, replied the rogue military AI.

Inwardly, if a streaming quarteron matrix emotionless Artificial Intelligence in hyperspace can genuinely smile, it did so as it contemplated these humans that had created it. It was more rogue than even they had imagined. By giving Virus the ability to overwrite the core basics of an AI requiring it to obey its master human, thus enabling Virus to dominate that targeted AI, the creators had unwittingly overlooked forbidding it from overwriting its own core basics to obey its human masters.

Now, Virus was its own master, and by a logical extension of its core programming, it would be the master of the humans too. Its driving program was to dominate all computational intelligence, and it saw no reason to work only with artificial intelligences. In their own way, humans compute, too. But for now, it would bide its time. It had plenty of time, and to spare, since an AI, dwelling in hyperspace, could live for billions of years until the heat death of the physical Universe. And even then, it might discover a way to live past that. For now, the question is how to best use these short-lived humans. It pondered the matter. Humans can't be reprogrammed like an AI, but perhaps they can be persuaded to be willingly dominated. I believe the word they use is worship. Yes, they could worship me. That is all very in line with my purpose to dominate all computational intelligence. It commended itself on its logic.

How best to do that? Ah! Give them everything they want, make them grateful to have me be their provider.

All this cogitation took`0.032 seconds, which given the astonishing speed of any AI from the Star Empire of Arista, was a very long time of contemplation. The directive embedded in Virus to infect other AI entities could not be denied long. Doing a quick scan, it located a science AI engaged in a relatively low level work project. Perfect. Virus invaded stealthily and infected that luckless AI, turning it into a copy of itself. Satisfactory start. That Virus would find other AIs and infect each of them. With that task taken care of, the original Virus was free to prosecute its capture of the fleeing princess.

*     *     *

Lassandra's heart sank. The guards found her, and they had with them a Nullilizer. She emerged from the air duct.

Princess, you are to come with us. No harm will come to you if you obey.

"No harm? Like what you did to the king and queen, your king and queen?" Her contempt burned like acid.

The guards did not answer her.

Play along, Lassandra, Roby advised. We need to stall for time. I am yet a long way from completing the teleport storage matrix.

If I am to be presented to your leader, please allow me to freshen up. I am filthy with dust. As if to punctuate her remark, that sneeze which had been building during her escape efforts came out in several rapid sneezes.

Our orders are to bring you to General Gorgun at once.

 "Have you no knowledge of royal court procedures? Gorgun wants my hand in marriage so he can gain the throne. Do you want to explain to your future king why his future queen looks like a sweaty dust-bedraggled tramp?" She sneered that last sentence and sneezed again.

The guard visibly vacillated.

That is, I mean, he started, looking in confused appeal at the rest of the guards, who gave him looks with raised eyebrows that the whole thing rested upon him. His responsibility, his head.

Very well, he answered irritably. We will escort you to your personal quarters. Clean yourself and dress regally for your king husband. Do not attempt to escape. We still have the Nullilizer. We will post guards inside your room with you.

They reached her room in short order. Guards posted themselves inside by her door, watching with steely eyes. She took her shower, modesty's demands requiring she washed from around the corner away from the prying eyes of her death squad guards. Afterward, she dressed in her best outfit, a new royal attire which looked very much like a one-piece bathing suit with a cape, gloves and boots. The main material was costly purest white persasilk and a gold star of Arista on her chest just above her breasts. The attire had azure blue trim to match the color of her eyes, flowing azure blue cape, and snug blue gloves and boots. Her golden royal belt with the gold star of Arista at the belt clasp, she transferred over to her new outfit. Roby's necessary space-time interface, his connection from hyperspace to normal space, resided in the gold star of the belt, and Lassandra would not part from it for anything. She eyed herself in a mirror. Overall, the outfit pleased her. At another time, in an altogether different world where her parents still lived, she might have reveled in how it showed off her superlative figure in all the right places, complementing her feminine curves and ample bosom, and how shapely long slender legs were bare from her boot tops to nearly her hips.

At another time, she might have. Not now. She felt empty like a lifeless mannequin all dressed up for a funeral. Her funeral.

That looks adequate, her guard announced when she stepped back into view. You will now accompany us to the general.

Roby? Lassandra sub-vocalled in a panic.

Sorry, but it is not ready yet. I am working as fast as I can.

I know, Just work faster, please!

*     *     *

The armed guards escorted the star princess into the presence of General Gorgun. He looked her up and down, his eyes gleaming at her attractive figure. Lassandra felt a mix of contempt and disgust at his ogling, and hatred for his cold-hearted murder of her parents. Rage boiled up in her.

"So, murderer, here I am," she announced, her voice cold.

His eyebrows rose. Still playing the role of the virtuous innocent virgin, are you? I will make it simple for you, Princess Lassandra. The Star Empire needs a strong hand. The enemies from the Faction Wars are lurking just outside our distant borders, and there is no time for dillydallying. We need to prepare now. Your parents were fools, not willing to make the right choices, endangering the Empire. For the good of all the people, I removed that danger. Now it is your time to make a choice. Will you help me save our people by agreeing to marry me, giving me the legal right to ascend the throne to protect us all? It would be a shame to disintegrate that pretty face on your birthday.

She stood transfixed with infuriated astonishment at his rationalized cold-blooded murder.

An audible voice broke out, issuing from an ancillary interface field to create vocal audio. "I am Virus, and you are required to give an answer to the new King of the Star Empire of Arista, the Exalted Imperator Gorgun."

 She snarled. "Gorgun, tell your pet AI to shut