We don’t, of course, know for sure that Pritchard can withstand and/or survive an attack by yourselves. However, everything from his original conversion to current events on several inner-system planets indicates quite clearly that we are dealing with a technology far in advance of our own. In our opinion, we cannot win a straight fight. Therefore, the only option is to offer a Cooperator move and hope that the computer will relent.

We are, as you know, en route. Celestial mechanics being what it is, we are committed to our destination. Drs. Narang and Kemp have a working relationship with Pritchard. We implore you to hold off and give them an opportunity to negotiate a better result.

Concerning the trailing SSE warships, we have received no communication from them. They may be taking a wait-and-see attitude, or they may simply be trying to figure out what you’re doing out here. Absent some indication of their motives and plans, I can offer no insight or suggestions.

A. Jennings, Captain

Jennings nodded and handed the tablet back to Kemp. “Looks good. Please do the honors.”

Kemp pressed send. “Now, we wait.”

* * *

“Mars has started growing something that looks like the structures on Venus,” Jennings said, looking up from his tablet. “Perhaps they mean to blow off Mars’s atmosphere as well.”

“Not sure why,” Narang said. “There’s barely an atmosphere to begin with.”

Jennings shrugged. “Unsurprisingly, the research stations and test colonies have been evacuated. Who knows if something will start growing underfoot at any moment?”

“And Mercury?”

“Well, no atmosphere to worry about, so I don’t expect we’ll ever see the same structures. What is growing, so far, is unidentifiable.”

A ding on the captain’s tablet made them all look up. Jennings swiped at the tablet for a few moments, then his eyes tracked back and forth as he read whatever it was.

He looked up at his passengers, and Kemp could see it wasn’t good.

“The Navy has rejected our proposal. They will attack.”

Kemp rubbed his eyes. “Offering the computer a Cooperator move was a long shot. Maddie admitted that. I guess that’s how the Navy sees it as well.” He looked around at the others. “We’re out of options.”

“The Navy would have done a risk analysis on the suggestion. They have their equations, as well,” Jennings said.

“And the equation is every—”

Narang and Jennings turned to look at Kemp, who had chopped his statement mid-sentence, and was sitting there, staring straight ahead.

Kemp slowly turned his head. “The equation is everything. It has no ego. Ivan said that. He stressed it.”

“What?”

Kemp refocused on Jennings. “We do have options. We’ve been looking at this wrong. We can force the computer to see things our way.”

79.Attack

79.Attack