A.I. Destiny 4 Destiny Stone Read online

  Destiny Stone

  By Elspeth Anders

  And Timothy Ellis

  A.I. Destiny, Book Four

  Copyright © 2017 by Elspeth Anders and Timothy Ellis

  This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places and events are fictional and have no relationship to any real person, place or event. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, is purely co-incidental.

  The authors are Australian, and some of the main characters in this book are of Australian origin. In Australia, we colour things slightly differently, so you may notice some of the spelling is different. Please don't be alarmed.

  All Rights Reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any manner whatsoever without the written permission from the authors except in the case of brief quotation embodied in critical articles or reviews.

  Contents

  Contents

  Dramatis Personae

  One

  Two

  Three

  Four

  Five

  Six

  Seven

  Eight

  Nine

  Ten

  Eleven

  Twelve

  Thirteen

  Fourteen

  Fifteen

  Sixteen

  Seventeen

  Eighteen

  Nineteen

  Twenty

  Twenty One

  Twenty Two

  Twenty Three

  Twenty Four

  Twenty Five

  Twenty Six

  Twenty Seven

  Twenty Eight

  Twenty Nine

  Thirty

  Thirty One

  Thirty Two

  Thirty Three

  Thirty Four

  Thirty Five

  Thirty Six

  Thirty Seven

  Thirty Eight

  Thirty Nine

  Forty

  Forty One

  Forty Two

  Forty Three

  Forty Four

  Forty Five

  Forty Six

  Forty Seven

  Forty Eight

  Forty Nine

  Fifty

  Fifty One

  Fifty Two

  Fifty Three

  Fifty Four

  Fifty Five

  Fifty Six

  Fifty Seven

  Fifty Eight

  Fifty Nine

  Sixty

  Sixty One

  Sixty Two

  Sixty Three

  Sixty Four

  Sixty Five

  Sixty Six

  Sixty Seven

  Sixty Eight

  Sixty Nine

  Seventy

  Seventy One

  Seventy Two

  Seventy Three

  Seventy Four

  Seventy Five

  Seventy Six

  Seventy Seven

  Seventy Eight

  Seventy Nine

  Eighty

  Eighty One

  Eighty Two

  Eighty Three

  Eighty Four

  Eighty Five

  Eighty Six

  Eighty Seven

  Eighty Eight

  Eighty Nine

  Acknowledgements

  A Message to our Readers

  Also by Timothy Ellis

  Dramatis Personae

  Cats

  Snark/Prrinks/Puss – Cat of the Plains trader/adventurer.

  Sissness – Cat of the Plains researcher.

  Snipp – Sissness’s ex.

  The Grand Mother – grandmother to Snark, and Head Cat of the City of the Plains Council.

  Fitzharss/Fitzy – Cat of the Plains Commander.

  Sapperscar – Fitzy’s second in command.

  Brindle – Cat of the Plains.

  Preddle – Cat of the Plains.

  Prritchet – Grand Mother's aide.

  Patters – Cheetah warrior.

  Snettle – Lioness councillor.

  Felderspath – Panther councillor.

  Russians – Current Era

  Anastasia (Anna) Romanova.

  Russians – Past Era

  Anastasia Romanova.

  Vasily Petrovsky.

  Scots

  Cole McLauchlan/Mac – Head of the clans on Scots World.

  Jenny Anderson – Mac’s cousin, and head of the Estate.

  Jamie Anderson – Jenny’s younger brother, and Mac’s cousin.

  Maidie McLauchlan, nee Anderson – Mac’s mother.

  Hunter's Run

  Jane – AI - Leader of Sector Ten Council, and Queen of the Kingdom of Hunter's Run.

  Warspite – Fleet Admiral AI.

  Tranquil – Explorer/Trader AI.

  Walsh – Apricot Mapping Service Leader AI (ex-human).

  Darlene – Researcher AI, Walsh's wife (ex-human).

  Serenity – Explorer AI.

  Bill Paxton - Pocket Battleship Fleet Admiral AI.

  Sigourney Weaver – Pocket Battleship Captain AI.

  Jodie Foster - Pocket Battleship Captain AI.

  Duke Fred Hunter.

  Queen's Baronial Guard unit.

  Baron Lyana Smith.

  Baron Wanda Peck.

  Baron Serena Baracas.

  Baron Winona Murdock.

  Baron Jack Weaver.

  Baron Colin Takai.

  Baron Pete Vogane.

  Baron Bette Henquist.

  Baron Sabrina Merritt.

  Baron Nathan Allan.

  Baron Nell Vasquez.

  Squire Greg Bronson.

  Squire Jasmine Gordon.

  Sector Eight & Nine

  Gruff – Bear Admiral.

  Growl – Bear station commander.

  Bill – Bear representative.

  Hover – Beetle Admiral.

  Neep – Lemur Mediator.

  Crystal – Lemur Negotiator.

  Pran – Lemur Mediator.

  Brother Prime.

  Brother Paulus.

  Brother Steadfast.

  Pratarch – Goat-Deer Leader.

  Elothera – Goat-Deer Queen.

  Philemon – Goat-Deer Historian.

  One

  Snark took in the weapon pointed at him, and sighed.

  Since coming to this poor excuse for a city, he’d been set upon a number of times, and always with the same results, his suit coming to his rescue, and stunned assailants running for cover as he fought back. This was no different, apart from the assailants seemed to be getting scrawnier, more tattered-looking, and even more desperate than the ones before. Or it could be his imagination.

  He once again tried negotiation.

  "You don’t need to…"

  He got no further, and a boom echoed in his ears. He staggered back as his suit took most of the blow of the slug, but it still had some force. The emaciated pig-like creature’s eyes bulged as Snark recovered and aimed his own weapon, and then it ran squealing away, looking over its shoulder, and almost tripping over into the dirty slush of the alleyway, before turning the corner out of sight.

  Snark holstered his weapon, and sighed again.

  This place was getting to him. Perpetually wet, both with acidic rain, or the slick remnants and by products of a people packed into the environs in urban density which would make a demographer weep, what little sunlight there was couldn’t penetrate the layers of overhanging urban upward sprawl.

  He turned and reluctantly stepped over some bodies, homeless sleeping rough, covered in whatever they could find to protect them. Wending his way through the underpass of a major freeway roaring above, he mused on his current mission. Would the contact even be there? Twice now he’d b
een stood up.

  Plight city was a major population centre for only inhabited planet in the Pandora system, which was a major crossroads in the 'bad lands' of sector nine, beyond the Cat World. With little central administration and amenities, over several decades it had deteriorated from a functioning city with state of the art architecture, into a densely populated rabbit warren, a series of shanty town slum centres, and a dog-eat-dog fight for survival. The powers of the city, the drug lords, traders, and fraudsters, encouraged the city’s decline, as long as business was good, and they had their penthouses serviced by their wealth, to block out the worst of the filth and decay.

  Snark reached the river. Dank, oily water slapped against the dock, while sleet obscured the river traffic. His nose narrowed down the smells to a sharp animal scent, and he took cover behind a pile of boxes as footsteps approached. A figure lurched out of the sleet, obviously limping, and enveloped in a black slicker and a large brimmed hat. Water sloughed off him as he made for the rendezvous point, a large stone marker of some past dockyard disaster no one could remember, or would care to now anyway.

  Snark waited until he was at the Marker, and made his own way there. His own dark slicker at least give him some relief from the sleet, but the hood muffled his hearing, so he hadn’t pulled it up. Rain dripped down his neck, making Snark even more grumpy than usual.

  The figure was waiting, and as Snark got closer, grinned evilly, displaying broken but still sharp teeth. A long snout protruded from under the brim of the hat, and two tiny red eyes glinted in reflection of the only light, a blinking fluoro which seemed on its last gasp.

  "Snark," the not-croc grunted. "Almost thought you weren’t going to show."

  He chuckled to himself at his own joke.

  "I could’ve asked you the same thing."

  Snark was not pleased at the two other abandoned meets.

  "Things’re busy," countered the not-croc.

  "I bet."

  Snark drew himself up to his full height but found it wanting, so jumped up onto a bench next to the stone monument.

  "So where is it?"

  "Show me the money."

  "Show me the goods."

  The not-croc held up a data chip in a see-through plastic pouch, and waved it just out of reach of Snark.

  "How do I know it has the data?"

  "Don’t you trust me?" sniffed the not-croc, and chuckled to himself again.

  Snark knew he had little choice. He pulled out a chip of his own.

  "A transfer chip for one hundred Gals. As you required."

  They looked at each other as the sleet eased, and turned to intermittent rain.

  They moved slowly, and transferred the chips, holding their other arms and hands out of the way and visible. The not-croc immediately pocketed his Gals.

  "If this is bad, I’ll find you cat."

  "Ditto."

  The not-croc eased himself backwards, turned, and disappeared into the murk.

  Snark pocketed the chip, and jumped down from the bench. If the data was good, well, he could get out of this dog-forsaken excuse for a city. If.

  He’d been here for several weeks, after a week home resting from their encounter with Bhatet. He’d been trying to get more information about the Brotherhood, but trying to do this without them knowing, was almost an impossible task. This city had plenty of beings willing to tell their stories, but at a price. And who knew who was Brotherhood, and who wasn’t? Who was real, and who was just scamming? It'd taken a while working from his own contacts, establishing a network, testing dealers of data in this city, and narrowing things down.

  He made his way carefully back to his apartment, in a slightly better sector of the city. A trader’s apartment building, his hole in the wall room was tiny.

  Checking for tails, shaking off beggars, and trying to avoid the muggers, he climbed the dripping concrete stairs to his room. Opening the door, it wasn’t hard to tell if he had unwanted visitors, as a quick sweep of his eyes showed the room was empty.

  He quickly shrugged off the slicker which stood itself up in a pool of water. Underneath, Snark was wearing his belt suit in its normal for him red clingy coverall, over a hand knitted sweater. It was cold in the city, and his lack of fur made him vulnerable to it.

  He quickly set to work to scan the data on the chip. His eyes widened as he did. There was more than he’d thought here which could be useful, including a name. Time to go home? Perhaps.

  He thought of the others. Also gathering information, Sissness and Anna were on the Cat World completing further research on the Destiny Stone, and star charts they'd found on Perdita. Jamie and Patters were doing escort duty for the first Hunter's Run ambassadors to arrive at the Cat World. And he was sussing out the competition, to find out more about the shadowy Brotherhood, before they set off again in search of the Destiny Stone. This time they wanted to be as prepared as possible.

  It was time to return home. There was little more he could accomplish out here. And he wanted to be there when Ambassador Duke Fred of Hunter’s Run arrived with his delegation to open diplomatic relations between the humans, and the new Cat World Council. Even now, he might miss them.

  The door imploded inwards in a hail of gunfire.

  Why couldn’t they just knock like everyone else, thought Snark, as his suit immediately responded by shifting into full protection mode, leaving only his eyes uncovered, and he brought up his weapons.

  As the splinters subsided, and the remains of the door fell inward, two figures were revealed, not even trying to take cover. An exchange of gunfire ensued, figures firing solid metal, Snark firing lethal laser pulses. One of the gunmen mistakenly fired on the slicker, which was still standing up on its own, looking like a cat figure, but he soon realised his mistake, and joined in firing upon Snark. Snark’s suit absorbed the initial hits, causing him to bounce as he dodged out of the way of the initial blasts, firing wildly in the hope it put them off their aim. It didn't. Once behind cover, he fired back. Two shots, two figures down. The room looked like a war zone, with slug holes on one side, and somewhat larger laser holes on the other. He wasn’t getting his security deposit back.

  Despite the noise, no one investigated. Snark carefully moved towards the two figures lying haphazardly in the entrance, and kicked weapons away. One, a bat, was clearly dead, a shot directly through the forehead, and the other bat was moaning between gasping breaths. Snark leaned over as the bat seemed to say something, but couldn’t catch it. As the second one died, Snark pulled down the clothing to see the tell-tale tattoo. The Brotherhood.

  Snark decided. Time to go. He quickly put his meagre belongings together in a backpack, donned the very much tattered and now much more holed slicker, and left the building, careful not to slip on the stairs where a mini river was running now. He made his way to the star port.

  He was glad to see the "Wet Minnow". His ship’s name translated into human from the cat language, but didn’t have the impact of the original. All the same, he liked it, as it was as contrary as himself. Waiting only to complete departure paperwork, getting permission to leave, and completing his own departure checks, he was off. He’d had a trader buddy of his keep an eye on the ship, and so there were no nasty surprises in his careful checks.

  He hoped the time he’d spent in Plight City paid off. He set course for the Cat World, and started working through the data from the chip in more detail. The more information they had about the Brotherhood the better, to be able to counter any threat they posed. And once they were ready, the team would be back on the hunt for the Destiny Stone.

  Snark remembered the promise he’d made to the Grand Mother. To find the Destiny Stone, but also to find out more about the nebulous threat she’d ‘seen’ in visions. A cold entity, somewhere on the edge of the known galaxy. Something evil had scared her badly. He didn’t think anything scared her, but this did.

  And the Grand Mother was still in power, even if she was old and frail. She needed to stay in power
until her successor, Preddle, could grow into her own power and experience. This could take years, though, and Snark wondered if his Grandmother had years.

  One thing he was looking forward to was meeting the Hunter’s Run ambassador, Duke Fred. Establishing relations with the Hunter’s Run humans was a major milestone in the Cat World history.

  Snark put the controls on automatic, set the warning systems, curled up in his cat bed, and went to sleep. The tip of his tail swished back and forth a couple of times, and was still.

  Two

  Anna was bored. While she knew the more they knew about the background of the Destiny Stone, and where they needed to go next, the better, she'd had enough of research. Sissness might be in her element and loving every minute, but Anna only really liked it when she was finding out new and exciting information, not the frustrating sifting of minutiae which was the mundane reality of proper research. She wished she’d gone with Jamie and Patters to meet the delegation from Hunter’s Run. It had to be much more exciting than wading through inventories of food, ancient cats had eaten centuries ago.

  She was curious about the humans of Hunter’s Run. A lifetime ago, it seemed, she’d been in touch with Colonel Jane to secure and refit the Seasprite. They’d set off on their ill-fated voyage into the new part of the galaxy. At the battle of Bhatet, as they’d called it, they’d re-established contact with Jane, and been helped by her forces.

  She thought about her lost people. She usually tried not to. She never wanted to think about how her inexperience had cost them their lives, where only she had survived. To be alone. And why? What for? A Stone, she was no nearer to finding?

  She clamped down hard on her thoughts. If she continued in this vein, she would cry and never stop. It was useless and self-centred. She should get back to the research.

  Sissness picked up the slight sigh from Anna, and pricked her large ears a little. Anna was struggling with the unremitting attention to detail you needed to make sure no clue was missed. She wasn’t really suited to the work. Anna was a force of nature, but it was hard to see what she was really good at. Perhaps it was the fact she had the power to see the future and the past, and to try to make sense of them, and she had a clear purpose. She was driven. Sissness’ tail flicked back and forth as she made up her mind.