Retribution: The Augmented Human Rebellion - Book 2 Read Online Free PDF Page A

believe
it?” Shiela says, as
she projects an image of herself with the wide open eyes and mouth of an
astonished young girl.
    Melissa laughs at the face and answers:  “Maybe we need to find that
AI, and get some pointers from him or her.”
    “It’s a him ,” Shiela answers.
    “What do AIs have to do, in order to be authorized to reproduce?” asks Melissa.
    “I’m not sure,” responds Shiela . 
“I know that someone has to order or authorize the reproduction, but I don’t
know much else.  And I wouldn’t have any idea about how it is done. 
It is a mystery among AIs .”
    “Well, let’s keep our eyes and ears open, and we will eventually find
out.  And maybe we will meet that prolific, rebellious AI.  He has
the answers.” Melissa says.
    “Thanks for listening, Melissa.  Nite , nite ,”
    “ Nite , nite Shiela .”
    ***

Chapter 3
    Outside the Queson System 
     The next target for the Sweetwater Fleet is the Shipbuilding Facility
in the Queson system.  This is really going to make the Verm angry.  This system is
close to the verm species home planet.  If they can pull this caper off - and survive
- they will really make a name for themselves – in both Empires.
    Admiral Meyers thinks it prudent to park the Fleet in a safe place, while
the scouts reconnoiter the Queson system.  They can expect that the Verm Navy has notified everyone to be on
high alert, because of the destruction at the Trwx Supply Depot.  She selects a nearby star system for a hiding place. 
The star is about to go nova.  Shiela gives the Admiral a 98.7% percent probability that star will be stable, for the
next month.  Never the less, the Admiral orders all ships to be instantly
ready to flee into FTL space.
    She sends 6 scout ships this time, in order to get a feel for the
security precautions surrounding the system.  The scouts collect data for
a week and then return to the Fleet.  They report that the space outside
of the system is being monitored by a series of motion sensor type probes, but
that no defensive infrastructure was detected.  That’s good news. 
The motion sensor probes are probably linked to the defensive forces inside the Queson system, and
the scouts have mapped the sensors’ areas of coverage, so that the Sweetwater
Fleet can avoid detection.
     Next, the Admiral sends some scout vessels to reconnoiter the
inside of the system.  These scout ships return with enough information to
provide a good overview of the defensive systems protecting the Ship Building
Facility.
    Those defensive systems are formidable.  There is a large space
station at the primary 3 rd planet and two more normal sized stations
near the Shipbuilding Facility.  The Shipbuilding Facility is huge - it
looks big enough to be a small moon.  Besides the heavily armed space
stations, there are at least 30 Verm warships patrolling the system.  This
is going to be a tough nut to crack.
    Admiral Meyers decides that she needs some outside of the box thinking for this project, so she begins to hold brainstorming sessions with
the officers on all ships.  “If you have ideas, pass them all up to me,”
she orders.
    ***  
    The Compton Command Conference Room
    Admiral Meyers sits in the Command Conference Room with Shiela , Tactical Officer Inchurito , and Chief
Scientist Barnard, and listens, as Shiela reads the ideas out loud.  On prior occasions, Admiral Meyers has seen
this brainstorming process produce good results.  An idea, or combination
of ideas, will just suddenly click and everything falls into place.
    One of the ideas is to capture a new vessel, as it goes on its shakedown
cruise, and then to make a big bomb out of it, by loading it with missiles - or
better yet – by rigging the FTL drive to breach, after the ship returns to the
Facility.  “That has some promise,” thinks the Admiral.
    “Let’s stop and think about that idea,” she says aloud.  “What can
we do to cause an FTL breach, on one of the new