The Dark Imbalance by Sean Williams, Shane Dix Page B

asked in the same thick, unfamiliar accent as before, except that this time the questioner was female. “I take it you are referring to some sort of intelligence- gathering device?”
    “An AI, yes.” Roche nodded. “I was carrying it to Intelligence HQ when I was intercepted by the Dato Bloc. That’s how I ended up on Sciacca’s World in the first place.”
    “This device reasoned that Adoni Cane was one of the enemy?”
    “Yes,” she said. “And everything afterward seemed to confirm it.”
    “How was this device able to do something you yourself were unable to do?”
    “The Box was no ordinary device,” Roche said, remembering to use the past tense. “It was a truly remarkable piece of engineering. It suspected from the very start who Cane was. It even faked the distress call that led to the capsule’s discovery.”
    “So it had access to information which you did not?”
    “Yes, like the command language. But it wasn’t just that. It actually thought better than I did.”
    “Impossible. No AI has yet surpassed a Human intelligence.”
    Roche shrugged. “I told you it was remarkable.”
    “And who built this amazing device?”
    “It was manufactured on Trinity,” said Roche. “They specialize in AIs there.”
    There was a muted whisper. Then Murnane spoke. “We have no record of such a place.”
    “No?” She looked around and out of the corner of her eye caught the gold robes of the Heresiarch. She had forgotten he was there. “Go ask your sources,” she said. “They’ll confirm it exists.”
    Murnane stirred. “What say you, Trezise?”
    Startled first by the familiar name, Roche almost jumped as a familiar voice followed: “We know the place. It’s administered by a High Human we have had some dealings with—an entity calling himself the Crescend.” The man’s voice was flat, emotionless, almost dead. “The AI Roche refers to did indeed come from this place, but as to its other abilities...”
    Salton Trezise, Roche remembered—senior aide to Auberon Chase, head of COE Intelligence. She should’ve guessed someone like him would be here.
    “You are not aware of any facility capable of making Human- superior AIs in COE jurisdiction?” Murnane pressed.
    Trezise’s tone didn’t change as he said: “I’d sooner believe in aliens.”
    Murnane turned back to Roche. “You will understand if we hesitate to accept this aspect of your story without any hard evidence to back it up,” he said. “Unless you could produce this AI for us to examine, perhaps?”
    She didn’t need the tiny prod the Box gave her. “I’m afraid it was destroyed along with Palasian System.”
    “I see.” A sigh carried his words. “Well, the exact manner of your discovery of the enemy is not the issue here. What is important is the fact that you learned of their existence and went seeking more data. What can you tell us about Adoni Cane that we have not already covered?”
    “The Box thought we should check the introns of Cane’s genetic code,” she said. “But I don’t know what for.”
    Murnane nodded as though the suggestion was trivial. “And your young charge here.” He pointed to Maii. “Does she have nothing to contribute to this discussion?”
    
     the girl shot back.
    Murnane raised a hand before Roche could pass the message on. “Simply speak to me,” he said, “as you would to Roche, and a relay will announce the message for all to hear.”
    
    “—words?”
    Roche heard the girl’s voice directly through her own senses and a split second later through the relay, aloud. The relay stood on the far side of Roche; it was disconcerting to hear the girl’s voice coming from two directions almost simultaneously.
    “And appropriate images, where necessary.” Murnane inclined his head in welcome. “Please feel free to share with us any impressions you received regarding the mind of Adoni Cane and