AN/ "What an awesome idea for a weapon against the Replicators! Nice improvision and creativity went into that tactic." I will pass your comments to tarantulas L.C. the weapon was his idea/
Field Test Two
Thor drove his ship upward through the atmosphere into airless space, where he could make better speed. Activating full power, he raced around the planet, hoping he was not too late. His tactical display showed a cluster of green-designated High Guard ships on the far side of the planet, and in the center of that cluster, a red icon moved upward. Thor shut down several nonessential components and diverted even more power into the ship's drive system. He had to get there before that ship left the atmosphere.
"We know we can't destroy all of them," said Carter. "And they know where we are, so we can't outrun them. We have to stop to rest sometime."
"So what attracts Replicators?" asked Harper. "I didn't see any eyes or ears on them. How do they know where we are from so far away?"
"As far as we know, they can't see or hear," said Carter. "The Asgard has been studying them for years but they haven't learned very much. As close as they can tell, Replicators are attracted to electrical activity. Magnetic fields, radio signals, that kind of thing. They can probably sense the current flow from the heaters in our clothing."
"I'll bet those gauss rifles shine like a beacon for them," said Harper. "All that magnetic flux must be easy for them to home in on."
"If we shut off our clothing heaters, would we not become invisible to them?" asked Teal'c.
"You would have to shut down every electrical and electronic device you're carrying," explained Carter. "Clothing heater, radio, electronic wristwatch, everything."
"So let's try that," said Harper, "Let's turn off everything electronic and then move at a ninety degree angle from whatever direction they're traveling."
"Finally, something sensible," said Tyr, turning off his radio. "If we can't beat them, we will become invisible to them."
In a few seconds they had down-powered the gauss rifles, the radios, and every other electronic device including their clothing heaters. Harper consulted his compass.
"Course two two five," he said. And they ran.
As the Asgard ship approached the battle area, the curvature of the planet no longer obscured the scene. Thor's mouth dropped open in awe as the scene became visible. Even at this distance he was amazed at the amount of sheer energy being poured into the Replicator ship. Its defensive screens glowed white hot as every kind of missile, beam, and projectile known to the Commonwealth impacted upon them. Thor tapped a control on the communications panel.
"Admiral Tanaka, this is Thor," he said. "I am approaching the battle area, and I will need to have your ships cease fire when I arrive."
"My ships have you on their sensors," replied Tanaka. "And they have been instructed to allow you close contact with the enemy ship. Please make your attack as rapidly as possible, since the only thing keeping that ship from leaving the planet is the continued fire from our battle fleet."
"Thank you, Admiral," said Thor. "I plan to approach from the side and energize the beam weapon. I estimate ten more minutes before I am in range. Your ships are doing excellent work, keeping the Replicator ship from moving."
"We were lucky," said Tanaka. "We have one of the new Deep Stand-Off Attack Ships here. It's the Wrath of Achilles, the one shaped like a knife blade. Its Star Arrow missiles are really causing problems for the Replicators. They move at 85 to 95 percent of the speed of light. Those defense shields must be phenomenal to absorb that much energy."
As Tanaka continued to describe the battle fleet, Thor located the Wrath of Achilles. It did indeed resemble a knife blade, wider from left to right than it was from top to bottom. As he watched, it ejected a large missile from underneath. The missile fired, and moved rapidly away from the battle area. He tracked it with his sensors as it turned and flew straight away from the planet. Then, like a comet, it looped around and headed back toward the planet again. Using the planet's gravity to accelerate its approach, at the point of impact it was traveling almost too fast for the Asgard sensors to track it. It smashed directly into the top of the Replicator's force field with a tremendous impact. The High Guard ships had suspended their attacks to avoid destroying the incoming missile, so the Replicator's shields had faded back to transparency and the ship had begun to move outward again. The missile strike drove the Replicator ship back seven hundred feet and radiated its shields far up into the ultraviolet. And while the shields were still near failure, the battle fleet resumed fire, pouring in as much energy and as many missiles as they could fit into the relatively small target area. But it was all in vain. The Replicator shields, although severely damaged, regenerated and firmed up again, cooling from violet to blue, back down to white again.
Finally the Samantha Carter was within range. Thor activated communications again.
"Admiral Tanaka, this is Thor," he said. "Please inform the fleet. I am engaging the Replicators."
Urban Renewal Two
Dr Jackson's brain froze up; the meaning of the handful of coins was too horrible for him to want to contemplate. His mouth went on autopilot.
"Just what is an emancipation fee? I thought slavery was outlawed within the Commonwealth"
Rommie bit off a sarcastic retort. She knew Daniel wasn't as heartless as the question made him sound. Asking questions was his minds defense mechanism. She began to explain; as she spoke she turned her eyes away from Daniel and to Dylan. It was important that he heard too.
"Creating an AI is an expensive proposition, even a simple little bot like Melodie."
"Who?" asked Dr. Jackson.
"The android Lancer McGrady is with. Her name is Melodie. As I was saying creating an AI is expensive, and generally the creator or the purchaser will want some return on the money invested in the creation. As a result Commonwealth law states that an AI is required to work for it's creator or purchaser until it has repaid the cost of its creation. The fact that the AI may not want to do what his or her employer requires is irrelevant. The repayment can be done by years of service, by paying a fee equivalent to its creation price or a combination of the two. The fee is known as an "emancipation fee" since after it is paid an AI is free to pursue its own interests. Since an AI can in time earn its freedom, the Commonwealth had decreed that this is not slavery."
"I see, then.."
"That's not the end of it," continued Rommie interrupting him. "Even an AI needs shelter from the elements. Usually the employer provides a place to stay, generally for an exorbitantly high rent, routine maintenance is also provided by the employer, again for an obscenely high price. It is not unusual for rent and maintenance fees to exceed the AI's wages. The employer will of course gladly lend the money to pay for the housing and maintenance, at a high interest rate. It is not unusual for an AI to end the year deeper in debt to his or her employer than they were on their awakening."
"Wow" said Dr Jackson, "that's grim, but why can't she just run away? Look for work elsewhere?"
"Any AI that runs away before they are emancipated is considered a rogue and is subject to summary erasure by any Home Guard or High Guard personnel. If she tried to find work elsewhere her ID number would be flagged and the Guard would know where she was. Very shortly after that she would be wiped, dead. So you see Dr Jackson there is slavery in the Commonwealth. It just isn't called that."
Something else raised its ugly head in Daniels mind. Rommie was an AI
"Rommie, what about you and Andromeda? Are you indentured to the Commonwealth?"
"
Rommie was silent and by saying nothing she said everything.
"Rommie," it was Dylan's turn to speak. "As soon as we find an area with enough open space, I will have Andromeda send a drop pod down to pick up the Maria, err, Melodie and McGrady and give Harper orders to see that she is fully repaired. And I promise if we find the animals that damaged her they will pay, dearly." His hand brushed his F-lance as he spoke the last words.
Rommie closed her eyes and shook her head slightly from side to side when she heard Dylan use the words 'repair' and 'damaged'. Dylan wasn't a bad man, far from it but with the exception of Andromeda and herself he just didn't see AIs as individuals with feelings and emotions. Still he had called Melodie by name and promised retribution if her attackers were found so maybe something in the young woman's plight had touched him. She could only hope.
Dr Jackson had another question. "Can she be healed?"
'Healed' thought Rommie not repaired. "Her physical injuries are really comparatively minor."
"I meant the injuries to her soul. Can those be healed?"
Rommie had no answer, she didn't know.
As soon as Melodie, now wearing clothes donated by members of the Lancers, was secure in one of the Gremlins, Dylan gave the order for the column to continue towards it's objective. They hadn't gotten far when Dr. Jackson spoke to him.
"Captain Hunt, in my time and place my country fought a war to end slavery. We hadn't completely eliminated it from the world but we were making progress. Why did the Commonwealth let it return? Why do you let it continue?"
"The situation with the AIs is entirely different Dr Jackson."
Daniel simply stared him in the face. In the end it was Dylan who averted his gaze. The situation with the AIs was different. Wasn't it? Wasn't it?
