Mothership

by Tony Chandler

Overview

In the midst of Galactic War a new life-form is born--an AI starship. But with all its weapons and sophisticated programming, the sentient starship is not equipped for its greatest challenge--that of becoming the mother to the last three children of humanity. The deadly T'kaan soon begin the hunt again after they discover that the human race is not quite extinct. As Mother faces these impossible odds, she discovers that deep inside her massive memory systems she holds another treasure--a knowledgebase that contains all the science, lore, wisdom and art of the human race since the beginning of time. Now Mother must fight not only to save humanity from extinction, but also from being forgotten by the rest of the universe...

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781786957870
Publisher:	Double Dragon
Publication date:	08/04/2022
Pages:	458
Product dimensions:	5.06(w) x 7.81(h) x 1.14(d)

Read an Excerpt

Chapter One

The human race was no more.

The warship grappled with the enormity of this harsh fact as its sensors continued to display the expanding debris field that had once been humanity. It searched its massive knowledgebase for some kind of reference, some kind of indication, as to what action it should perform now, now that its creators were no more. But life was still new to the ship and in the end it simply logged the time and place of the historic event.

The 'M' ship turned to leave.

Its dark hull shimmered and then took on a glowing, reddish outline, backlighted by the nearby star. Its unique profile-shaped like a manta ray but without a tail-gleamed against the stygian darkness of space.

Within milliseconds of its maneuver, the ship discerned that there was one last duty she could perform for the extinct race: a brief, final message that had arrived unexpectedly from the midst of the glowing destruction.

Inside her silent corridors three children hid from the dangerous universe outside. They were the last three members of the human race and the message concerned them.

The ship would provide for their needs. Her holds were well stocked with the supplements humans needed to survive. She would also protect them from the T'kaan. This, of course, was her primary programming: To search out and destroy the T'kaan ships of war. She was most proficient in this task, for she had never been defeated. Yes, she would protect the children until they reached maturity. Then they could... The ship pondered the next logical succession. Well, she would have time to search her massive knowledgebase to determine what the mostoptimum course would be when the children reached adulthood.

The warship leaped with a flash into hyperspace.

Weeks passed as the ship sailed through the emptiness of space and she soon found that the small humans did not adhere to logical actions. They puzzled her immensely.

But the warship wondered most of all when the children began calling her 'Mother.'

Copyright © 2002 by Anthony Wages