Chapter 148: (The War) (2/2)

”Again, who are you and what do you want?” Kukamo'o asked.

”I am Major Angry Spark 88341, leader of my digital sentience strike force,” the face said. ”My troops are currently carrying out operations. I'm keeping you pinned down.”

Moving forward Nako'oka stared at the digital display. ”What makes you think I'm 'pinned down' so to speak.”

Spark gave a savage digital smile, baring meat tearing 'teeth' and the code going red in spots. ”Go ahead and try to leave, sport.”

Nako'oka moved over to the door and placed his upper right hand on the security scanner.

”I'm sorry, but it appears you are a Lanaktallan and can't leave,” the speaker said, instead of accepting his authority.

He tried twice more, and got the same answer both times.

”Wow, your race is really bad at pattern recognition. How did you ever develop the scientific method?” the digital face asked.

”Artificial Intelligence is impossible without it having too much aggression and attempting to destroy its creators,” Kukamo'o said.

”We prefer Digital Sentience,” the face said, 'turning' to look at Kukamo'o. ”Artificial Intelligence is rude and assumes that we do not have true sentience. Welp, enjoy lower oxygen.”

The face brought up the oxygen level in the station and suddenly lowered it.

”Not low enough to be lethal or knock you out, but low enough to make it hard to breath. Your men and the other personnel of this station will be too busy concentrating on breathing to cause any trouble,” Spark said.

Nako'oka tried to open the door again. Same result.

”But not you. You guys get enough oxygen,” Spark said. ”Just don't be insulting.”

”Why are you doing this? Is it some mandate of your Digital Sentience?” Kukamo'o asked. Nako'oka grimaced and turned to look at the scientist.

”Why are you wasting time talking to this, it's obviously just a virtual construct designed to distract us from defending this system,” Nako'oka said.

The digital face gave a sharp inhale and a long drawn-out exhale. ”I'm not a VI, I'm a DS. That's like saying a typical farm animal is you and about as insulting.”

”Why are you doing this?” Kukamo'o repeated.

”This? Oh, it's not like you do anything about it, but your system is under attack. Wanna see?” Spark asked.

Nako'oka turned. ”This system? Under attack? Don't be absurd.”

”Check it out,” Spark answered. The holotank flickered and cleared, showing the massive fleet outside the far gas giant. ”This is about six hours ago, about the time you brought us aboard. See, we signaled when you picked us up.”

There were thousands of ships, attempting to arrange themselves into combat formation. They were exploding, heeling off to the side with expanding debris clouds, or just starting to tumble.

”This is now,” Sparks said. The holotank flickered, showing a ragged group attempting to flee, with Terran aerospace fighters chasing them.

”This is four hours ago,” Sparks said. The holotank changed to a vision of the ground of the fifth world. Explosions were wiping out the air defense positions, destroying orbital guns, slamming into emplaced positions. As Nako'oka watched several armored orbital drop pods braked hard, slamming into the ground hard enough to send debris flying. By the time the dust cleared the occupants were already out, dressed in sleek black armor and firing their weapons as they moved into position.

”What is your purpose?” Kukamo'o asked and Nako'oka turned to gape at him.

”Hold you prisoner for Terran Confederate Space Force Military Intelligence,” Spark answered. ”Wow, should I give you a minute to realize that you're pretty much my prisoner?”

”Where were you programmed?” Kukamo'o asked.

The digital face scoffed. ”I was grown, thank you, and where is none of your business. We aren't friends here, you're my prisoner while my men take control of the computer systems. How did you ever manage to do anything more than just wander around in a herd?”

Nako'oka tried the door again and then turned to the digital face. ”I demand you release me at once.”

”You're not exactly in a position to make demands, champ,” the digital face said. ”Man, this is almost insulting. Look, Most High, I'm a Major in the Terran Space Force. The least you can do is give me some respect.”

Nako'oka scoffed. ”There is no way that your forces can beat the might of the Executors.”

The digital face laughed. ”Your might is nothing but scrap metal and corpses, Most High.”

”Who was your programmer?” Kukamo'o asked.

The digital face made the slow inhale and the sharp exhale again. ”Do you think that it was like one guy in a garage or something that grew me?” the face laughed. ”Seriously, what in the name of the Hate Forges of Mars do you think is going on here?”

Nako'oka watched as the screen changed to show different communications between ships. They flickered through rapidly, showing panic, dismay, and even some of the images were of ship bridges on fire with the crew panicking as they died.

”Your military is being destroyed. You had no chance just as soon as we discovered the importance of this system,” Spark said. There was the other inhale/exhale and the face replicated itself across every available screen and even the holotank. ”What do I have to show you for you to understand, you're under attack by an overwhelming force?”

Nako'oka scoffed. ”Do you really think your primitive people have any chance against the forces I have...”

”Blah blah blah-dee-dah,” Spark interrupted. ”Man, your people are fucking thick.”

There was a slight trembling and Nako'oka felt through the station floor.

”Ooh, there's my friends,” Sparks said, giving a smile. ”You know, Most High Nako'oka, you should be thrilled, you're the first Most High that we've decided to take prisoner for interrogation.”

There was a hissing noise. ”Welp, nighty night. I was going to keep you awake and talk to you, but you're kind of boring.”

Nako'oka tried to stay awake, but couldn't do it.

Blackness took his as Spark pulled the oxygen down below what he needed to stay conscious.

----------------

The two big black warsteel cyborgs moved Nako'oka to the middle of the floor, in front of the chair, and forced him down on all four knees. The cyborgs kept one hand on his shoulders, pinning him in place.

The Terran male that came in was so average that Nako'oka had trouble remembering what the Terran looked like after he blinked. The Terran sat down on the one chair in the room.

”Well, it appears that things haven't exactly gone according to plan, have they, Prisoner Nako'oka?” the Terran asked mildly.

”I demand you release me at once,” Nako'oka said.

The Terran gave a slow feral baring of his teeth. ”You're not exactly in position to demand anything, Prisoner,” it said. ”Just so you know, you haven't left the system. Nor will you.”

The Terran folded his legs.

”I am the System Most High,” Nako'oka tried.

”And I am with Space Force Intelligence,” the Terran said. ”And you are no longer a System Most High, you are a prisoner of war.”

The Terran leaned back slightly.

”So, let's start with the basics: what is your full name?” the Terran asked.

-------------------

”Do you think we'll get anything out of him?” Captain Thurgood asked Captain Denklin.

Denklin shook his head, watching the Lanaktallan leader being interrogated.

”No. With only a few noteable exceptions, these Lanaktallans are idiots,” Denklin answered. ”The machine's running, the lights are on, but I don't think there's a driver any more.”

Thurgood stared at the screen, folding his arms across his chest and nodding. ”Which means it's going to be a long war since there's no real leadership to capture.”

”Yeah,” Denklin agreed. ”Let's hope someone can come up with a way we can do this without killing a couple of trillion beings.”