Read The Pattern Ship (The Pattern Universe) for Free Online Page A

using the Dematz thrust for short journeys, to the next location.
    When it fulfilled all of the requirements for the ship build, excepting the materials in the human, it notified the Maker of its intention to start building. Receiving immediate confirmation to proceed, it D-jumped to the cavern and re-materialised hovering two hundred feet above the shelf.
    Both sides of the shelf were covered with various sized stacks of freshly refined materials. There was an expanse of empty ground beneath it, where it had deliberately left sufficient space to hold the ship it was going to build.
    One further modification was required. It de-materialised a hollowed-out section of the shelf to the exact curvature and depth of the new ship. It would allow the A.I. to keep the craft stable while it concentrated on the construction.
    It now pulled up the pattern for the T-Ship incorporating its Maker’s latest modifications to the Dematz thrust excluding the A.I. build specification. It then proceeded to transmute large portions of materials into the alien alloys and metals which by their specific molecular structure provided all the strength and versatility incorporated into all previous ships.
    A day later in the planet’s terms, it had achieved stage one completion. The A.I. began using the new D-field, the term it had given to the use of the Dematz thrust when being used locally for construction while its tractor fields grabbed the materials, moulding the shapes required.
    When finer work was needed, the A.I. released millions of nanobots to weld the sections together at molecular level.
    At one point it was holding forty two sections together using the tractor fields. All of its on-board processors were being utilised giving Zirkos momentary pause for thought as the Pod’s circuitry ran hot, running the risk of a total meltdown. The peak soon passed and Zirkos stopped monitoring as the A.I. balanced the ongoing workload.
    Progress continued to move at a phenomenal pace so that within a further twenty four hours, the ship’s hull was standing in its cradle.
    When finished the ship would be a seamless composite incorporating all of the internal requirements excepting any further additions requested by the Maker.
    ***
    Sixty minutes after Zeke had exited the building completely undetected, avoiding all CCTV cameras, possible witnesses, especially late night dog walkers, he was safely ensconced in his digs, the rewards of his endeavour laid on the floor around him.
    Now, with the time to consider the nights’ strange and painful events he pondered the amazing light curtain he had been attacked by. He had no doubt he had been attacked by it even if he didn’t know how, or why.
    Somehow, the beam had reacted with his plate. What it had just done to him, he had no inkling, except for the impressive hangover it left him with when he woke up. He nursed his head, hand automatically feeling out the seam of the metal plate where it joined his skull. Not for the first time wishing he could pry it off and have blessed relief.
    Zeke thought that whoever had decided to smelt and fashion the piece of meteor into a replacement for his smashed skull would have been much better off using a cut out section from an old jerry can.
    He wasn’t up on the capabilities of current technology, but he was pretty sure there was nothing that could create that visual effect, let alone make it sonically vibrate like that.
    Whatever it was that had hit him, he was going to to do his level best to avoid letting it doing so again, with a passion.
    It did cross his mind that its attention was somewhat personal, that it had appeared directly in front of him, followed him, then deliberately scanned him. That was worrying. A directed beam aimed at him? He wondered about the Scientists, had they tracked him down?
    He decided he wanted some serious time to think before having to wrestle with that little gem, so shoved the matter to the back of his mind until he could better