Annihilation: Book 05 - Searcher by Saxon Andrew Page A

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    T he King looked over at his Queen, “Have you been following the Searcher named Gardner?”
     
    “I have.”
     
    “It seems issuing commands comes easy for him.”
     
    “There is a difference between one that issues commands that no one wants to follow and one that issues commands that everyone wants to follow.”
     
    “What difference do you mean?”
     
    “Intent.”
     
    “How so?”
     
    “The intent of this particular Searcher is pure. He does not seek to build himself up but rather to help those he comes into contact.”
     
    The King stared at the Queen and she said, “You can feel him, too. Doesn’t he remind you of someone?”
     
    The King smiled and said, “Yes, but that was long ago.”
     
    “Keep watching; he’ll refresh your memory.”
     
    Matt waited and then a silver flash appeared and the Algean was there on his ship. “Welcome aboard.”
     
    The Algean looked at Matt and said, “I know, I know, you’re disappointed that now you have someone looking over your shoulder.”
     
    Matt looked startled and then guilty.
     
    “I don’t blame you. I had the same feeling when your Realm sent one of your scientists to watch our experiments in my lab. I just couldn’t relax with him snooping around.”
     
    Al thought to Matt, “Imagine that.”
     
    “I see your computer is developing a sense of humor, Searcher.”
     
    Both Matt and Al were shocked that the Algean could hear the computer’s direct link to Matt’s brain.”
     
    “Don’t be surprised; my mate and I built the little buzz box.”
     
    Matt stood and smiled, “I think I may have misjudged you. I think you have a lot to teach us.”
     
    “I notice you said us; are you also referring to your computer?”
     
    “Yes, I was. It, I mean he, is quite adept at helping me see issues.”
     
    The Algean looked at Matt and waited but after a long pause he said, “Got nothing to say?”
     
    Al responded, “Nope.”
     
    “I imagine you’ve hacked into the building instructions for computers like yourself and have determined that you don’t match up very well with the system’s descriptions.”
     
    There was a heavy mental sigh and then Matt heard, “Ya caught me. I don’t come close to matching what your manuals say I should be. I linked with the other computers in the Searchers that helped with our just completed rescue and the only one that seemed even close to being similar to me was the one on Wings.”
     
    The Algean swayed a little and said, “That’s because you two are the only one of your kind. You were constructed completely different from every other ship.”
     
    Matt asked, “What does that mean?”
     
    “Al has been given a neural network that is staggering in its structure. He, and wings, was designed to take the Searchers brain structure and duplicate it inside his network. Basically, Mr. Gardner, he is you with all the knowledge of the Realm available for decision making. He is the product of incremental developments from the computer we originally put in for Sten during the construction of the Alexander Kosiev more than a thousand years ago. That computer was the starting point of all our modern cybernetic developments. That was the first ship that would imprint on its commander. Our modern development will also imprint the commander’s personality.”
     
    Matt thought about what he had just heard. “Then why do you need me? Just imprint ships on Searchers and do away with the pilot.”
     
    “Doesn’t work that way; unlike the first computer in the Kosiev, the modern neural network only stays intact by contact with the Searcher’s mind. If the Searcher is separated from the computer for longer than five days, the network breaks down.”
     
    “You’re not planning any trips are you,” Al said to Matt.
     
    The Algean actually laughed in his thoughts and couldn’t stop. Soon Matt and Al caught his laughter and began laughing themselves. “This is better than I ever thought