Sentinel of Colchis

By A.C. Ryals

Helios is dying. His body is fighting off the medical nanites that are meant to keep him alive. That's a problem for Sentinel, the AI who swore to prevent Athenian kings from becoming tyrants. As indifferent as he is to humans, he has to live up to his promise and sees Helios as his answer. His plan? Save the dying prince using abnormal nanites from a hybrid woman, but that's just the first step.

King Kronos must die.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Dec 20, 2019
• ISBN: 9781794821965

Book preview

Sentinel of Colchis

Sentinel of Colchis

A.C. Ryals

Copyright

Copyright © 2019 by AC Ryals

All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review or scholarly journal.

First Printing: 2019

ISBN 978-1-79482-196-5

Cover by Phillip Ryals

Prologue

The plan wasn’t fully formed but he didn’t have a lot of choice. Long abandoned, the bunker under one of the last remaining mushroom forests was buzzing with activity that autumn night. General Khaos was the picture of impatient tension as he sat in his chair in the drab gray shelter lit only by holographic display screens known simply as HDs. He rested his chin on his fist as he watched his people prepare their attack. They’d all hoped it wouldn’t come to this.

The religious majority had voted in a theocratic president and a theocratic congress only a few months earlier. Now, against all reason, President Janus had ordered that the secularists of the country convert or be killed. Thankfully, the religion of the people forbade military service. The secular army would protect their nation, secularists and religious alike, as they were sworn to do.

For this mission, an army was superfluous. Khaos only needed experts; people who could break into the president’s control of defense systems. Unfortunately, time was short. Arrests had been made and the people were panicking. Though he wasn’t entirely prepared to launch a coup, he had no choice but to do it now. Every drop of blood that was spilled by the madman elected president would be on Khaos’s conscience if he didn’t act now.

Khaos’s first move was to call the neighboring nation of Sparta. He hoped he’d have their support. They were secularists and had gone through great pains over the years to help keep Athenia stable; even helping to facilitate fair elections. However, if the Spartans thought a coup would destabilize the country, they might work against it to prevent a civil war and the resulting refugee crisis. They had their own borders to consider.

More recently, the Spartans had become enemies. Athenia and Atlantis had fought the Spartans after they annihilated Olympia. Khaos had earned his commission as general in that war.

When his assistant Ares, son of Othello, got the Spartan president on the line, Khaos felt his heart racing. He tried to control his breathing as he spoke over his comm, a thought-controlled device tattooed behind his ear. He spoke out loud instead of transmitting thoughts he had trouble controlling. He might be a general but, with stakes this high, his anxiety was breaking through his veneer of calm confidence.

Madam President, thank you for taking my call, Khaos said, leaning back in his chair, and swiveling nervously from side to side.

How may Sparta be of service, general? President Jeffords asked. She spoke with professional detachment. Spartans never liked talking to Athenians these days.

You’ve heard about the executive order signed by the president today? Khaos tried not to sound too eager. But the tremor in his voice betrayed him.

Yes, and it’s unlikely to be challenged in Congress. How are the secularists holding up? Are they going to cave to theocratic demands? There was a note of genuine concern in her voice. Good.

Some might. But there will always be those who don’t. I’m one of them. Madam President, the army is ready to act to protect the people, decisively. I know the most religious towns are near the northern border. We have no intention of striking any of them. But we do intend to take control of Wolfhaven. When the capital falls, the rest of the country will fall in line.

You hope. The skepticism nearly dripped through the comm.

Khaos persisted. He needed Spartan support. They have no choice. They’re outgunned. We’ll grant them religious liberty, but we won’t allow the killing of innocent people. I’d like your support to ease the transition.

There’s no other way? Legal action? She was trying to worm out of helping, but that meant she felt the need to help. She was caving in. Just another nudge and he’d have her.

The courts are stacked with theocrats. This is the only way. Spartans hated theocrats. President Jeffords hadn’t even called to congratulate President Janus on his win of the election. The icy silence spoke volumes.

How can we help?

Use your defensive satellites to protect our bunker until it’s over. The president has control of satellites and drones for now. Until we take control, we’re exposed. His excitement was betrayed by the rapid pace of his speech.

We have your back, general. But be warned, unless we catch your satellites off guard, we may not have much of a chance.

That was all he could ask for. He not only had the blessing of the Spartans but material help. Even if the Spartans didn’t come through for them, at least they wouldn’t interfere.

He didn’t bother calling the Atlanteans. Their satellites were no match for Athenian technology, and they were smitten by the president who vowed free trade. 

He turned his chair to look at his targets on the wall-size display behind him. The general ran his fingers through his blonde hair and his dark phthalo green eyes fixed on the president in the center of the screen while leading members of the administration and congress appeared in boxes all around him. Once Khaos had control of the satellites, he could bring the theocracy to an end.

He only needed help from one more source.

It’s go time. Bring Sentinel online, he commanded.

Sentinel was the AI that had piloted the Odyssey. He’d been updated a few times, but he was the same AI. The Odyssey had landed in what was now Athenian territory and the Athenians had preserved him. He was the only reason the people of Colchis had been able to advance. Athenia owed all its advancements to him. If anyone could take over the president’s systems, it was Sentinel.

What is it? Sentinel asked, his voice rumbling through the room from every speaker. I thought I explained clearly that I wanted to rest.

Y-You did, sir, Khaos responded. There’s an emergency. See the file labeled ‘executive orders’ in the…

I’ve read it. What do you want? The AI wasn’t known for his personable behavior.

We want to take down the theocracy and replace it with monarchy until such time that… Sentinel didn’t let him finish.

What do you want from me? Sentinel grumbled. His annoyance with being awakened was deeper than Khaos had expected.

Give us control of the weapons satellites and scouts, Khaos said succinctly, hoping to please the AI with brevity.

No.

That’s not the answer he was hoping for. He’d underestimated the irritation the AI would feel. What’s the alternative?

I will take control for a limited strike. I choose the targets. It will be a federal monarchy where the existing local governments remain in place. I will stay online until full democracy is restored. I will intervene only to prevent tyranny. Do you agree to my terms?

Handing over control of the most powerful weapons they had to an angry computer wasn’t ideal. There was a backup plan.

I don’t think we can accept those terms as stated. You would be the true monarch, Khaos replied.

As you wish, Sentinel growled.

Ok everyone, plan B is a go, Khaos announced. He kept Sentinel on the line, just in case.

Yes, sir, was the response from the collective of soldiers around him.

They launched a cyber-attack from within the defense department’s network to break into scout and satellite control. They had limited control already, but the president had to approve any strikes. Their job was to bypass his approval.

The general watched the live feeds for signs that someone was onto them. They only had seconds. As he feared, everyone he was watching stopped what they were doing and went to their various consoles. They’d received an alert of a security breach. Security personnel flooded into the president’s office.

General, they’re tracking us, sir, Lt. Cassiopeia said without looking away from her screen. They’ll have us in five seconds.

We’re not getting through, sir, Sgt. Ares said. We need six minutes, at least.

They have us. They’re enacting countermeasures. Satellites in motion, sir, Cassiopeia announced. And then after a pause, Spartans are firing... Automatic defenses are holding. No joy, sir.

That quickly, plan B had failed. They could be fired upon in seconds. Khaos took a breath. I agree to your terms, Sentinel, he said.

Acquiring access, Sentinel responded. Acquired…targeting…firing.

Khaos watched his display as the screens turned white. It was no malfunction. Photonic weapons had been fired via satellite. The light faded, and he saw the destruction through the clearing smoke. Everything in the path of the beams had been incinerated. There was no sign of human bodies. Everything within the neat circles, including the ceilings and floors, was gone.

General Khaos, you are the King of Athenia for the sake of the people. Never forget that I am watching, Sentinel said.

A list of Sentinel’s targets appeared on the screen. There were hundreds. Beyond the president and congress, there were chiefs of police, priests, and everyone in power with theocratic leanings. Sentinel’s attack was far wider in scope than the general would have ever considered, but it was done.

Chapter 1

Kevin Eastman, talent agent by day and procurer of illicit goods by night, hid from his wife in his basement sanctuary. He was a Spartan through and through. He was tall, broad-shouldered, and had red hair with blue eyes just like every other Spartan. It was the curse of living on a planet with what amounted to gene puddles rather than gene pools.

He was hiding from his wife because, as a talent agent, he was often around very beautiful people. When he gave those beautiful people illicit substances, they became very thankful. When they were thankful, they got affectionate. And when a beautiful model got affectionate toward Kevin in front of cameras and Kevin’s wife saw the pictures, he hid in his basement.

There were treasures in the basement. He was a smuggler in his youth, working with his father. They would travel to the towns of Northern Athenia where the priests forbade technology ever since an AI killed their beloved president generations earlier. He and his father brought in comms and other small conveniences like incinerators that could get rid of the trash, human waste, or even, gods forbid, a human.

He fell in love with an Athenian girl, but that felt like a lifetime ago. She disappeared, he hoped not a victim to one of his incinerators.

He pulled a box from a shelf and looked at the tiny electrical gadgets inside. Most modern technology used photonic circuits. Electrical circuits could inadvertently cause magnetism. Magnets could be deadly. They confused medical nanites, which all humans were born with. The original nanites didn’t have iron in them at all, but they adapted once the colonists reached Colchis. That meant killing someone was as simple as placing a magnet on their person without them knowing. To his shame, Kevin had made some devices that could do just that. He used electromagnets that could be turned on remotely.

He didn’t want to think about the people he’d helped to kill in his youth. Most of them were Athenians, abusive ones like priests and elders. He tried to tell himself that whoever it was had it coming, but he knew that wasn’t true. Not always, at least.

As he held the box of electrical gadgets, he began to get a headache. He dropped the box and stepped back, even though they were all shut off. At least they should be.

That’s when he heard the voice. Not over his comm but rumbling through his head.

Kevin, this is Sentinel, I have a job for you.

He knew Sentinel by name only. He rarely spoke. It was an honor, in fact, to speak to him. Despite the honor, Kevin maintained his cool. What job? How are you speaking to me?

Your nanites are unusual. They let me communicate with you in a more private manner than comms. The job is to put a remote electromagnet in a medallion fit for the Athenian king. Attach it to a chain and he will wear it over his heart.

He had no love for the tyrant king of Athenia and would kill him for free, but he felt the need to negotiate a little. Regicide? What’s in it for me? Kevin asked.

I can help you find your hybrid daughter.

Daughter? Korina had my child? Is she healthy? Hybrids, in general, were short-lived and pathetic creatures. The idea of having one as his daughter made him feel guilt more than anything.

Korina is dead, but the hybrid is healthy. Do we have a deal?

Yes, Kevin responded, too quickly for his own liking.

The medallion is to be taken to Blue Mound, Athenia. You tell the people it’s dangerous for anyone but a king to wear. Say it’s magic. Sell it and let it stay there. The rest is up to someone else.

~

Helios, Crown Prince of Athenia, stared through