Wilson's War: Tales From the Athena Lee Universe (8 page)

This story takes place between Revolutionary and Insurrection. Some spoilers are revealed. Athena Lee is at home and Wilson is bored, again. The family home is partly automated with programmable tractors and other farm machinery. Guess what happens…

Funerals just suck. This planet has had a bunch of them over the past few weeks. The largest one, taking place today in what is now the new National Honor Cemetery. On this planet the concept of rebirth and reincarnation is very popular. The idea that the body is just a shell that holds the soul is the prevalent theory. I really wouldn't know about that at all, not being a biped. Or even breathing. My best friend and big sister, Athena Lee likes to say that "only the gods really know what happens to us. Destiny is set in stone, you can hide in a hole somewhere, but it will still come and bite you in the ass!" Smart girl that Athena.

Almost all the
Martyrs of the Revolution
were to be buried today, including Athena's brother David and his wife. David had been hailed as a National Hero for his efforts to try to save a group of children. The horrific scene had been broadcast across the galaxy by me as we tried to stop former Governor Norton from locking down the communication system. The Farmers Union Day massacre, as it was being called, broadcast in-living-color the brutality of a Sector Governor out of control. That event kicked off a revolution that repercussions of will be felt for many years.

The turnout for this funeral is enormous. Checking the site from space, I could see what appeared to be over 100,000 in attendance. Athena Lee and her family were seated on the speaker's platform along with many Ambassadors from neighboring systems. The speeches were long and there was much in the way or both celebration and lamentation. One phrase stuck with me, I can play the whole thing over and over but I'm not that kind of AI.

"We will carry the memories of our dead as we walk through the blood of our enemies!" To say that this planet and its people were just angry is an understatement. They were furious. Enlistment was way up as men and women flocked to the recruiting stations. The planet was preparing for war! For the humans that is all well and good. For me? Not so much.

I have sympathy for the 'fleshies,' Athena Lee is my best friend I have computer feelings for her. But, all of this mourning and somber people is really depressing. I get bored easily. I think that I will try to have a little fun. To cheer people up. Yes, that is the reason for it all. Making sad people happy.

Athena is staying at the 'Grand Family Manor' for this trip. Some demented fool in her family thought to build a 'classic' style house. He chose classic Lucas style, he built Jabba's palace. Athena's father calls it the Mushroom house and even tried to renovate and make it more mushroomy; is that even a word? What's cool about the place for me, the computer guy. Is that it's a working farm. A robotic working farm. Hahahaha I have my Dr. Evil laugh again! Gotta love them Robots!

Jumping from camera to camera I got a nice look at the place. Lots of animals. Chickens, cows, geese, and what might be horses? I'm a computer not a veterinarian. What interested me was the really big barn, as big as a Navy ship. It contained a candy shop for AI's. Processing machines, some big wheeled things called combines, and the drones. Lot's and lot's of drones. It is time for Farmer Wilson's fun time.

The local Government proclaimed a day of rest and reflection in light of the funeral and its aftermath. I watched as a few farm people fed the animals way before the sun came up. There were a couple of elderly humans that looked like James and Bart… ? That is not quite right… I'm not up on my advertisements. They sat on the porch drinking coffee, talking about fishing for hours. As much time as they spent doing it, those things must be made out of platinum or something.

Those big machines looked like they might be about as fun as some of the ground cars I'm not supposed to drive. Maybe there's a vid I can watch. Aha, a comedy… Ha… Whoa… So, that's what a combine does. Interesting… Chickens, crispy or original? How would I know?… Whoever this Paulie guy is he's pretty funny. If I had a daughter, he could be my son-in-law.

Using one of the smaller drones meant for egg retrieval… That just sounds dirty. I opened the electronic control panel on the largest machine. Go big or go home! The controls were super simple. I switched them to test mode and remote start. Getting the barn doors open was a bit trickier. Using the chicken drones, I cross wired one of the seed planting drones with a very large electromagnet that I found in the repair shop. Really nice of these humans to leave all this stuff out where I can find it. Those doors opened right up with the right amount of magnetism. Now for the fun part. According to satellite images there was about four square miles of wheat and soybeans planted around here. To have the right effect the letters need to be almost 2 miles long to be seen properly.

With a low rumble the giant farm combine came to life. Carefully easing the big machine through the open doors, I drove it down the road past the main house. The two old fishermen were still talking about the one that got away when I rolled past. Almost robot-like they turned in unison and started yelling at the big machine.

"Stop!"

"Come back with that."

"I'll tan your hide!"

I slowed the combine down and let it roll to a stop. One of the old men yanked open the door already yelling at what he thought were kids fooling around. Seeing the empty cab he just stood there in shock. I closed the door, triggering the lock. The combine started moving forward again. Music was called for in a situation like this. Changing the words around I sang about country computers surviving everything that can be thrown at them. The fields were straight ahead of me. Still driving the combine I crossed over into the field of wheat and began to cut a swath in a straight line. By this time the farm workers at the main house were all awake and running around like the chickens they raise. I made my first turn. This thing was fun to drive. It was a little ungainly but could turn on a dime. I was now headed back toward the main house. I could see a large group of humans arguing over something and pointing what looked like small remotes at me. Heh. I disabled those. Time to make the next turn. I swung the combine around and went back the other way. I watched in the rear view cameras as two of the cowboy-hatted-gentlemen started fighting each other. Oops, time for the next turn. The combine swung back the other way.

The proximity alarms started going off. I checked the side cameras and saw several fast humans chasing after the machine. I slowed down and let them catch me. They climbed the sides of the machine like little monkeys. The doors were locked, but they could see inside. The look on their faces was priceless. Using the communications holographic system I projected a persona of mine. I had not used him since my time on the Jiro.

Andy Wood, was a name I used way before I met Athena. My persona was a tall cowboy with a big hat. He had a funky looking long face and wore a yellow shirt. Seen through the tinted windows, the hologram was transparent and very ghost-like. Those kids had wide eyes frozen with fear. They jumped off the combine and ran screaming into the fields. Time for another turn. I was about half way to the end when a Navy shuttle flew over the field headed for the main house. Oh, oh. I better hurry up or fun time would be over soon.

The next turn was the fun one, two mile long loops. Now the roundabout. I was just finishing the big circle when I saw Athena standing with the small group of farmers. She looked pissed. I only had one or two straight lines and a curve to go, so I went for it. I watched as she argued with the men. One large man standing over her looked familiar. He was arguing with Athena as he removed a large case from the transport. He unpacked a very large gun and was preparing to shoot at me! Me! I only had one straight section left. I gunned the machine and switched to top speed. The machine was barreling straight at the man with the gun.

Hannibal Lee was angry all the time having to work on this stupid farm. Now the most expensive piece of machinery here was running amok. Time to put it down. He finished loading his rifle and took aim, only to realize that it was headed straight for him at top speed! Screaming he dropped his rifle and dove to one side. The large combine slammed on its air brakes with a squeal spraying the area with a cloud of wheat chaff dust. Han scrambled to his feet and ran to open the cab. There was no one inside.

Athena was not amused. She said a few uncomplimentary things to her older brother and climbed back into her shuttle. Once inside she ordered the pilot to return to the Station. She sat for a moment then took out a small mirror and gazed at it. "Do we need to have another conversation? This new Station has some really efficient trash compactors."

"No Athena, I'm sorry. I can't say I won't do it again. That's something we both share, that sense of adventure. We get bored and do crazy things. Before we leave, can we fly over the fields at say thermosphere height?" She turned and ordered the pilot to do a fly over.

Looking down from the view screens a giant word could be seen written on the field below. Five, two-mile-long letters spelled out the name David. It could be seen from space and was my tribute to Athena and her brother.

"Thank you Wilson." That was all she had to say.

Revenge is best served Cold

by T S Paul

This story takes place between Insurrection and Imperial Subversion.

Life is pretty easy if you are a computer. No physical labor, no food needed, no sleep, all you do is exist. It gets boring, really, really boring. Of course in literature there are artificial intelligences that have become librarians or helped humanity get to the stars. Some have prevented terrorism, mastered the art of Magic, or have gone bug-nut crazy and killed everyone. I, unfortunately, am not that kind of AI. Although, sometimes, that last one sounds like it might be an option. What I do is help my best friend in the galaxy, Athena Lee. She is both my savior and my big sister. Even though she herself threatens to 'trash compact' me. I help her on her engineering projects, keep her secrets, and help to save the universe on a regular basis. I need action to survive the boredom. With no action to be found I sometimes make my own. Or have fun at other's expense. My newest target is Hannibal Lee.

You would think that having met both Athena and her awesome sister Minerva that the older brother Hannibal would be even cooler. Not so much. He is a 'douche canoe.' One of the biggest wankers I have ever met in my long life. It is really hard to believe that they had the same upbringing. I sort of have a personal grudge against the big jerk. He treated my favorite person like dirt and made her cry. He also tried to shoot me! I was trying to run him over with this really cool combine machine, but still. He aimed a gun at me! Revenge is at hand. He is in charge this weekend here on the farm. The automated farm. The one with all the cool toys. This should be fun!

Former Major Hannibal Lee really hated this damn farm. He needed to stay in his father's good graces, if he expected to get back into the uniform he had spent his life earning. Fighting for honor, glory, and fame was the Militia way. That was what his teachers and trainers had always said. He was the golden child, the successor to his father's empire. All he did was lead his troops into battle. Losses in battle are to be expected. If he had charged those defenses one more time, he could have broken through! Just one more time! But no, he found himself relieved of duty and placed on military leave. There was no way that any Military tribunal would court martial him, he thought to himself. He was too important to the family and the planet! With David gone, he was the heir to it all. His sisters? They were women, good only for marrying and fun, no way they could inherit anything.

Hannibal gazed across the fields at the all the wheat. As he watched the farm's combines were hard at work harvesting the crops. The big monster of a combine caught his eye that thing just had to be haunted of something. He would almost swear the damned thing tried to run him down! His sister should have just let him shoot it. All the techs that examined it said the same thing, computer error. Some sort of program that was left running. Han wasn't sure about that. He stayed armed whenever that thing was around.