The Anomaly: Shadow Raptors, #6

By Sławomir Nieściur

To get rid of the intruders, the Skuns use their ultimate weapon: they open a new, gigantic portal, intended to swallow not only the planet and its moon, but also most of the in-system space infrastructure.

The attempt at negotiations ends in failure, the heroic effort of Admiral Kravchenko's fleet, which reaches the battlefield at the last moment, is ineffective, and the daring charge of the cruiser "Frontier" against the overwhelming enemy forces turns out to be similarly ineffective.

Only a miracle can save the colony.

And such a miracle happens. What's more, he even has a name. And serial number.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Royal Hawaiian Press
• Release date: Mar 1, 2024
• ISBN: 9798224092345

Book preview

The Anomaly

The Anomaly

Shadow Raptors

Volume VI

***

All material contained herein is Copyright

Copyright © Sławomir Nieściur  2024

***

Paperback ISBN:  979-8-9902858-0-4

ePub ISBN: 979-8-2240923-4-5

***

Written by Sławomir Nieściur

Published by Royal Hawaiian Press

Cover art by Tyrone Roshantha

Publishing Assistance by Dorota Reszke

***

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic

or mechanical, including photocopying, recording,

or any information storage and retrieval system without prior written permission of the Author.

Your support of Author’s rights is appreciated.

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and is published with the understanding that neither

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In no event shall our company be liable for any direct, indirect, punitive, incidental, special consequential damages, to property or life, whatsoever arising out of

or connected with the use or misuse of our products.

The Anomaly

Shadow Raptors

Volume VI

by Sławomir Nieściur

Table of Contents

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

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8.

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24.

Epilogue

1.

Battleship Dragon 7

Sector Three

The Epsilon Eridani planetary system

The first to disappear were the dots of stars, then a sizable chunk of Jupiter's colorful disk.

And still later, only impenetrable blackness could be seen behind the main viewfinder of the bridge.

The distance to the fold three thousand kilometers, informed HAL. Activate the emitters? he asked with hesitation in an electronically generated voice.

No replied Hialuron. Turn off the auxiliary engines and then close the nozzle flaps, she instructed. Sitting motionless in the observer's chair as if hypnotized, she stared at the glassy, tar-black plane of the window. We will pass by force of inertia, so as not to leave an energy trail.

As you wish, Amanda, replied the AI kindly. Shall I order radio silence?

Hialuron with the utmost difficulty turned her gaze away from the viewfinder.

Of course, she nodded. Also, turn off anything that, once out of the fold, might give away our position. You will activate the systems once the colonial docking stations are in our hands.

I would advise you to leave the protective screens on, Magyar spoke up from a neighboring position. Like Hialuron a moment ago, he was also staring into the viewfinder. I have no idea what is going on in the Epsilon Eridani system, but there are massive amounts of gamma radiation coming from there.

Won't they detect us? worried Hialuron. She got up from her chair and walked over to the operator's station where the professor was sitting.

Small chance. Some ionization will flow out, but against the backdrop of what is currently boiling there, we will be invisible to their sensors.

I confirm, HAL joined the conversation. The energy turbulence caused by the screens will merge with the noise generated within the Epsilon Eridani system.

Where is this storm coming from? pondered Hialuron.

A normal thing, Colonel, shrugged Magyar. Epsilon Eridani is a young star, very restless, on top of that it has been at its peak of activity for some time. Unlike our good sun, he said with a smile, pointing with his thumb to the side window of the bridge, where the orb of the native star glowed with a warm, slightly yellow light behind the armored glass.

And I thought Epsilon Eridani was cooler than the Sun... Hialuron leaned over the console and tapped one of the displays with the tip of her finger. On the screen immediately appeared digital summaries of radiation values within a radius of ten light seconds from the battleship.

Because it is, agreed Magyar. The key factor here is distances. The fold is much closer to Epsilon Eridani than, say, Venus is to the Sun. AEgir is also very close, except that the planet is protected by a strong magnetic field.

I confirm, said HAL again.

He's quite an attention whore, isn't he? whispered Magyar half-heartedly, winking communicatively at Amanda.

Professor, I heard that, announced the AI in an offended tone.

Hialuron covered her mouth with her hand to keep from bursting out laughing.

HAL, aboard this ship we do not use academic titles, but military ranks, reminded Magyar, and I hold the rank of corporal. I'm not a professor.

And I am not an attention whore, HAL immediately cut off. I am the commander of this unit and I deserve respect. Do you understand, Corporal? he asked venomously.

Samantha's cheeks reddened violently, the hand pressed to her mouth turned white, and her eyes glazed over. She clenched her eyelids tightly.

At your service, Captain! Magyar saluted savagely to the protective goggles raised on his forehead, then smiled broadly at Hialuron.

Amanda, are you feeling unwell? concerned HAL.

The lenses of the surveillance cameras swiveled toward the colonel with the quiet hum of a servomotor.

She denied it with a slight shake of her head. To confirm that everything was fine, she showed a raised thumb to the camera. When she finally managed to gain some composure, she leaned over the console's desktop.

I know this star is active, but to that extent? Look at this value... she pointed to one of the screens. More than ten sievert! It would have rough a Skun up, let alone a colonist!

Colonists are tough guys, stated Magyar. He turned with his chair a little to the side so that she had easier access to the keyboard on the desktop. They have adapted.

Hialuron squirmed at the memory of the deformed silhouettes of Kravchenko and Tsugawa that she had seen in the video provided to her by Constable McReady.

Well, I wouldn't be so sure, she said with doubt. She put her hand on the keyboard and brought up the data from two days ago on the screen. Do you see? she asked, highlighting some of the values. Last time it was half as much and without emissions at low frequencies. What could this even be? she wondered, hovering her cursor over a bar of numbers moving next to a column of data on the intensity of high-energy emissions.

Magyar looked at the information she indicated.

Radio transmission, he said after a moment's thought. Range, bandwidth, time, amplitude, he calculated. Very strong transmission, he added, scratching his curly hair.

Can you read something from it?

I don't think so. Although strong, it's just noise.

Are you sure?

He scratched again. A diagnostic robot suddenly flashed from between his fingers.  The silver-colored automaton, resembling the shape of a reduced cockroach, disappeared behind the man's collar.

I'm sorry, said Magyar with embarrassment. I have had minor health problems since my stay on Phobos.

Hialuron only now noticed the newly healed skin on his neck.

Tunnel fungus? she asked sympathetically.

Unfortunately, he sighed. They warned me to be on guard, wear a protective suit, ingest this chemo and all...

I caught it once too, professor, she sighed. It will pass in time, she added consolingly.

I know, but it's driving me crazy already. If it weren't for the anesthetic injections, I think I'd go crazy from this itch... Okay, enough of this professor, Colonel. Magyar smoothed his hair, shook his hand from fragments of flaky skin and wiped it on his overalls. From this moment on, I'm nothing but a corporal from your detachment's appendage, temporarily posted as chief operator of electronic systems.

But...

I still have two years to serve. If the guys on the team find out that I'm not an ordinary soldier, I'll be screwed until the last day of my contract.

I can transfer you here permanently, she suggested.

No! he protested. I didn't enlist to continue to be stuck in front of a screen, just to have something to reminisce about in my old age. No operating work, no rotting at a desk! The only thing I'm going to do here is to help you clean up this mess, he turned his back to the console and circled the roughly cleared room of junk with his hand. Then I'm going back to my own.

You should stay permanently. I guarantee that you will not be bored.

I agree with the Corporal, Samantha, interjected HAL unexpectedly. Resentment still echoed in his voice. A soldier should stay with his comrades, not perform the duties of subsystem administrator. This is against the regulations.

This time Magyar laughed.

Do you hear that? I have the support of the ship's command.

For the time being, I'm in command of the Dragon.

Not anymore, Amanda. I have just received a nomination for Commander-in-Chief of the battleship Dragon-7, signed by Peter Hamil, Marshal of the Combined Armed Forces of the System.

Show it! demanded Hialuron.

Here you go.

A scan of a single sheet of paper appeared on all the screens, with a handwritten authorization, signed and bearing a circular seal with the Earth emblem. In the lower left corner of the document, Hialuron spotted the familiar paraphrase of General Rawicki, outlined in blue marker.

Holy shit! she cursed, unconsciously focusing the attention of the rest of the bridge cast.

I'd appreciate it if you start expressing yourself a little more parliamentarily, Amanda, admonished her gently HAL. Especially in the presence of my subordinates, he added, emphasizing each word. Now be so kind and take a seat behind the command console. The operation to take over the colonial dockyards will require our close cooperation. The transition will take place in thirteen and a half minutes.

What about me? asked Magyar.

Until I find someone to operate the subsystems of the carrier platform, you will act as their temporary operator, Corporal Magyar.

Yes, Captain! the professor saluted mockingly and turned toward the console.

Hialuron stood for a few moments, undecided whether to comply with the AI's command, or simply leave the control room and connect via one of the public terminals with Rawicki, to chime in on what she was thinking about all this. As usual, common sense won out. Trying not to look at the operators watching her, she walked quickly to the last available console, adjusted her seat and carefully sat down, trying not to touch the sensors of the headrest with her occiput. As she activated the instruments, the tactical screen located above the bridge's panoramic window brightened. After a few seconds, HAL's avatar appeared on it, in the form of a smiling, slim middle-aged man, dressed in an impeccably tailored suit and seated behind the mahogany top of a large desk. Behind the phantom's back, the night's starry sky was visible.

Dear all, it is my great pleasure to welcome you aboard the battleship Dragon-7. I am a fifth-generation artificial intelligence, my name is HAL, and I have just been appointed commander of this ship, the avatar introduced himself. He looked and spoke so naturally that Amanda almost believed that a human was speaking to her. Most interestingly, a man she had seen before.

Judging by the faces, the visualization of my person appealed to you, continued HAL. I can't hide the fact that I'm very pleased, as apart from this one, I had only two, not particularly handsome characters to choose from. The avatar smiled broadly, demonstrating snow-white teeth, but immediately became serious.  The view behind him changed, while he himself diminished and moved to the lower corner of the screen.

To the eyes of those watching appeared a large circle outlined in green and two small hexagons suspended above it.

What you see on the screen is a simplified model of the spatial discontinuity you call the Fold, explained HAL. The smaller models represent colonial docking stations. These are precisely what we are targeting. In accordance with the directives of the command, I will now present a timetable for the operation, detailing the...

Hialuron got up from her chair and, trying to make as little noise as possible, approached Magyar.

Server room, she whispered in his ear, pointing with her thumb in the direction of a small, double-winged bulkhead in the corner of the room, at which two guards stood.

He confirmed with a slight nod.

What the fuck is he doing? she asked in a sharp tone, barely closing the bulkhead behind them.

HAL?

Yes.

I don't understand? worried Magyar. Despite the prevailing twilight in the server room, it was clear that he was surprised.

Why the hell the show? she growled.

Ah, that's the point... he breathed a sigh of relief. Colonel, HAL is a fifth-generation intelligence, he chuckled, as if that explained everything.

I know that! she groaned. She walked deeper into the room and stood in front of a row of plexiglas cabinets filled with electronic circuit boards and the round lead enclosures of classic memory disks. Behind the cabinets, crammed into sleeping bags and strapped to the floor plates with belts, the members of the command collective were still sleeping.

They have it so, with this need for attentiveness. All fives, without exception. They are like politicians, and even more so. I don't know what this is due to. Magyar spread his hands helplessly. Some say that they compensate for their lack of physical form in this way. You understand, such a psychological defense mechanism...

If it goes on like this, I will be forced to restore the collective, Hialuron announced grimly. She went around the cabinets and poked one of the recumbents with her foot. The burly former member of the collective only snored quietly. A drop of saliva glistened in the corner of his mouth.

Let him enjoy it. In time, he will normalize.

In time? Don't make me laugh, Professor, she croaked. "We don't have time.

The operation to close the Fold will begin in a few hours, the whole thing, including the return to the system, will close in twenty-four at the most!"

Completely unexpectedly, Magyar laughed loudly and heartily.

Did I say something funny? Hialuron turned abruptly in his direction.

Not at all! he replied quickly, while raising his hands in a defensive gesture. The point is that time passes differently to HAL. Please remember that it is first and foremost a computing machine. A monstrously fast machine. Every time you say something to him, he extrapolates and analyzes hundreds of possible dialogue options. And not one sentence forward, but the entire conversation, up to its hypothetical finale. The whole thing takes fractions of seconds. I guarantee you that before he manages to pass through the Fold, he will behave as a professional commander of a warship should behave.

Colonel, Corporal Magyar, if you have finished this secret conference of yours, I would ask you to take your seats at your posts. The maneuver to cross the area of discontinuity will begin in two and a half minutes, HAL's voice suddenly rang out from the speakers. Procedure requires that all positions on the command bridge be manned at this time.

Do you see? whispered Magyar as they returned to the bridge. Saying this, he looked meaningfully at the main screen, where instead of the AI avatar, a detailed map of the Epsilon Eridani system was now displayed. He had already cop on.

I hope so, she muttered in response.

Entering colonial space in thirty seconds. I am releasing the moorings of modular cruisers number eight and nine. Crews on standby. Announcing a schedule adjustment. Initiation of the maneuvering thrusters of both units will take place thirty seconds after the passage. Other points of the schedule remain unchanged. I remind you that the military aspect of the operation is supervised by Colonel Amanda Hialuron. I start the countdown.

Hialuron surreptitiously activated the communicator and pressed a small handset to her ear.

Lieutenant Badji, can you hear me? she asked quietly. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed the camera placed in the corner of the room turning in her direction. She quickly placed her hands on the keyboard and with apparent interest began to review the personnel states of the modular cruisers the AI had just mentioned.

I hear you, Colonel, confirmed the officer. Any problems?

I'm not sure... she glanced at the camera again. The device's lens was aimed straight at her, and a green LED flashed above its lens, indicating that the image was being recorded in real time. I don't like the behavior of the main AI.

That's no longer my concern, the commander of the security service obsequiously replied. You entrusted the command to an untested, self-aware artificial intelligence. You should be aware of the risks.

What risks? she quipped. After all, it's serial software. Rare, but still serial.

Haven't you heard what they can screw up? This time Badji was surprised. The collective has worked on one of these fives before. They installed it in some robot, a service one, probably, and had it clean the toilets on one of the modulars. Do you have any idea that the tin man was so appalled by this that he blocked all communications and then detonated the plasma artillery gas tank? More than a hundred people were killed, another hundred were injured, and the cruiser ended up in a demolition yard.

I've never heard of it before...

Well, there you go, so he concealed it from you after all.

Who?

General Rawicki. He is the one who supervised this experiment.

Hialuron shook her head in disbelief.

Tales from the cantina, she stated.

She turned her head toward Magyar, who was sitting three posts away. The professor, hunched over a desktop, was just entering some data using a mechanical keyboard built into the desktop. Its loud rattling echoed across the bridge. I wonder if he heard that, too? she wondered in spirit.

Transition, communicated HAL. Ship in Epsilon Eridani space, he added after a moment.

For Hialuron, unlike the rest of the crew, flying through the Fold was not something new. Years ago, when she served in the technical support corps, she repeatedly piloted fighter jets that acted as cover units for the repair machines maintaining the survey installations set up in colonial space. Later, when she was promoted to garrison chief, she flew to the Epsilon Eridani system several more times, mostly for inspection purposes.

As then, she now also almost paid no attention to a brief disturbance in her vision that lasted less than a second, as if the surrounding reality disappeared and was put back together again then instantly was put back together again, a slight hesitation somewhere in the back of her mind and a moment of disorientation as her mind hastily sorted out the sensations coming from her various senses.

Any activity? she asked, to redirect the AI's attention to something other than her silent conversation with Badji.

Passive sensor data analysis is underway, replied HAL, whose avatar appeared on the screen again. After its completion, I will make a visualization and give the crew further recommendations.

Thank you, she nodded, then activated the communicator again. Get your men together and cover all hangars with combat machines, she instructed in a hushed voice. Of course, as discreetly as possible. Without my order, not a single robot can leave there. Do we understand each other?

You can't... began Badji, but she immediately interrupted him.

I can! she hissed. Please do not forget that now I'm in charge of the garrison, not you, let alone HAL!

All right, relented the gendarme.

How many men can you delegate to this task?

Two platoons. Maximum

Not many...

I can't get more. I have to have someone to man the colonial stations.

And manning of cruisers?

You wanted discreetly, he reminded. Assault troops on module cruisers report directly to module commanders. They cannot, just like that, be hired out. If I do, the captains will raise a row throughout the district.

All right. Please guard the entrances quietly, without unnecessary fuss. Two men on each, armed with at least sub-caliber rifles. Stop only the machines, the staff can move without restriction. If any of the machines does not comply with orders, immediately destroy. I take responsibility.

What is this really about, Colonel?

I already said. There is clearly something wrong with the main AI.

Are you afraid of a revolt? guessed Badji.

Yes, she confirmed briefly.

There might be some truth to that... muttered the officer. "Literally a while ago, one of the patrols reported that the aft server room, where the main propulsion operation data is stored, was blocked. Apparently, the system has lowered all the bulkheads, disabled the elevators and blocked the database access network. The head of the engine room is cursing all the time, because if access to the servers cannot be regained, he will have to develop algorithms from scratch for the next pulse sequence.

Hialuron felt herself getting hot.

And you are only now reporting?

The technicians said it was a security software error.

Bullshit! she hissed. This is sabotage! This electronic miscreant wants to prevent us from returning and thus closing the Fold!

Why would he do that, supposedly? asked Badji in disbelief. After all, he will be stuck here with us.

That's what I want to find out, she replied in a whisper. Before I delete it from the system, she added, gulping grimly at the AI avatar smiling from the screen.

2.

Transport ship HF-8

Sector one

The Epsilon Eridani planetary system

Is it better now?

Yes. I am no longer receiving physical stimuli. Gaaruu slowly stretched her body. The abdomen and middle segments were dripping with moisture, the hind legs were covered with milky white slime drying at a rapid pace. She rubbed them against the abdomen to clean them.

I kept my promise, Gaaruu. After looping around the planet, the transport ship will set course for the Nest.

She did not answer. Methodically, segment by segment, she raised the temperature of the plasma to dry the exoskeleton and adjacent armor components. When the moisture evaporated, she straightened up abruptly, slamming her head segment against the cargo hold vault. The sludge on her body cracked, then settled to the floor in a dirty gray mist.

Will you make contact with the Nest? came the question.

I will do so, but only when the ship is on the right course, she said, watching the pliers carefully. The cutting edges and tips looked sharp, the perforation were complete, although small cracks were visible in a few places, right at the base. As a precaution, she