09.431.M39

The longest 7 months of this new existence were spent waiting for the ships to finish refitting and for Magos Delta to install the Mechanicums to all 3 vessels. The crews were all subjected to some level of Hypno-Indoctrination and implanted mental directives just as skitarii are.

There was a little bit of grumbling about the implants and mental directives. However all of the changes were generally kept to a minimum. We weren’t creating lobotomized, unthinking, uncaring murder drones.

Most of the upgrades were required to better process and handle the strain of data inflow-outflows. There were of course some reinforced loyalty directives. Yet after already having gone through the Hypno-Indoctrination process it really wasn’t that big of a deal.

It was mostly a reinforcement process. There were a few ‘hard’ limits implemented but people still came out who they were before going in.

We were even able to appropriate a small contingent of skitarii for each vessel. It’s not a lot but it’s still enough to have them assist with guarding the more critical areas. The additional security is nice. Some of those less familiar with the Cult were a bit skittish at first. Skitarii are great guards though.

After a while it can be easy to let them fade into the background. With the whole barely moving, not making sounds, communicating without vocalizing. If you focus on them too much I guess it can be a bit creepy. Murderbots on permanent overwatch.

As a bonus our Cult representatives were pleased that we were showing such concern for the safety of our ships. So much so that we were requesting the best caretakers in the Imperium. The Cult itself!

My parents expressed quite a few concerns about the neural load of trying to captain a ship this way. As it’s not uncommon for even successfully bonded Scions and Princeps to die from excessive load or through repeated use and strain.

However, Magos Delta mirrored the collected data from my Knight’s Throne Mechanicum to ensure that I wouldn’t be subjected to higher levels of neural load.

With the additional safeguards of having what are effectively moderati further reducing the required neural load I wasn’t concerned.

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The experience isn’t quite that of piloting a knight. I don’t have the true experience of “becoming the ship” like you would a knight or a titan.

Perhaps a good analogy would be feeling with your bare hands compared to wearing latex gloves. Still aware of everything but the sensitivity has been dulled.

If I bring my focus on something I can pull my awareness through that layer but it keeps me from being overwhelmed by every detail of every system simultaneously.

It is however significantly more intense than simply connecting to a regular command throne of a ship. Not unpleasant, just a lot. There are so many sensors, systems, sub systems, subsystems of subsystems to be aware of.

Trying to convey all the sensations and how the information is conveyed is difficult. If your knee hurts you don’t know exactly what’s wrong with it just that it hurts. At the upper level of operation it’s sort of like that. I feel the sensations of the ship through my entire body.

I’m not immediately flooded with every sensor readout the ship has. It’s all been compartmentalized and collapsed sort of like a ‘filing system’. My body and immediate sensations and information is more like an operating dashboard.

If I need to, all the information is still there. I can push through the buffers that the inclusion of the moderati create. So if my ‘knee’ hurts. I’m immediately given a much more generic feeling of general readiness.

I can push through and pull up the most miniscule of sensor data to find out directly what is wrong.

With all kinds of supplementary data in regards to repair time. Projected regained efficiency. Etc. etc. It’s a lot. If I was forced to endure that for the entire ship I would last maybe a couple seconds before my brain boiled.

If many members of our dynasty had reservations about indoctrination and cybernetics, they’ve been squashed. Our consistent performance in drills and exercises have significantly outperformed those who haven’t gone through the process.

We’ve outperformed not just on an individual ship level but across our unit. Our reaction and synchronization with each other is unprecedented. (At least for our dynasty, the Cult is likely better)

This is a fantastic development but I do make sure to point out to father and Magos Delta the possible vulnerabilities. This level of information sharing and coordination requires the ability to consistently have a strong data link between ships.

If we were to fight a foe with extensive EWAR or long range teleportation capabilities we would have to restrict our use of this tactic.

Delta agrees that it would be best to shore up defenses against this vulnerability before it becomes a problem.

We also make sure to perform drills and exercises without using the capability to ensure we’re ready for that eventuality. It doesn’t really impact the performance of ships on an individual basis but it does reduce our level of cooperation.

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