Chapter 4 - Outpost Repairs II_Aetherias Ascent

UGT: Unknown

Location: Unknown yellow dwarf system

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[ Cooling systems sucessfully repaired. ]

I let out a sight full of relief. "Finally. I really thought it was over when you told me that there were no reserves of helium-3 and helium-4 on the ship. You coud have just told me that there were a bunch of indirect reserves left as the end products of our cold fusion reactors! Instead I nearly had a heart attack because of you!"

[ This unit has already updated inheritor priorities. The last 32 mentions are therefore of no further relevance. This unit recommends iheritor to focus on more productive thought processes. ]

"As an AI, you should now that multitasking is a thing!"

[ This units data memories contain knowledge about multitasking. This unit informs inheritor that the ability to multitask is severely limited in biological beings. ]

"Whatever, you sassy piece of trash. What`s next on my list?"

[ Show full list of primary objectives? ]

[ Y/N ]

"Wait, why would you want to show me a full list again? Whatever, yes, please do it. But please add an ETA to everything"

[ 1. Camouflage shield rapidly destabilising. ]

[ ETA until collapse: 01:14:23:19 ]

[ 2. Water harvesting plant dysfunctioning. ]

[ ETA until inheritors body starts failing without water: 2:01:25:51 ]

[ 3. Heating systems offline. ]

[ ETA until temperature falls below inheritors bodily acceptance level: 2:13:29:03 ]

[ 4. No fuel rods left for fusion reactors. ]

[ ETA until cold fusion reactor breakdown: 362:13:24:12 ]

[ 5. Two hypershield generators overloaded ]

[ ETA until critical failiure: 4:09:21:54 ]

[ 6. Food synthesisation plant offline. ]

[ ETA until inheritors body starts failing without food: 6:04:02:45 ]

[ 7. Oxygen recycling plant offline. ]

[ ETA until oxygen level falls below 18%: 27:343:23:12:59 ]

[ 8. Four hypershield generators offline. ]

[ ETA: none ]

[ 9. Leak in water tank. ]

[ ETA: none ]

[ 10. Gasket plates strongly damaged. ]

[ ETA: none ]

[ 11. Three cold fusion reactors are offline. (CURRENTLY IRREVERSIBLE) ]

[ ETA: none ]

[ 12. Twelvefold staggered hypershield generator offline. (CURRENTLY IRREVERSIBLE) ]

[ ETA: none ]

[ This unit detected a total of 12 primary objectives that are to be accomplished. ]

"Okay, wait. Aso, why are you prioritising the fuel rods for our cold fusion reactors this much?"

[ Energy demand must not exceed energy production. ]

"Yeah, that does make pretty much sense. So my next mission is the restabilisation of the camouflage shield?"

[ Path to camouflage shield reactor highlighted. ]

[ ETA: 19:12 ]

"Guess that`s an answer as well. Aso, what can you tell me about the camouflage shield?"

[ The camouflage shield is a remnant of the aetherian plasmatic ascent era, where plasma was used for nearly everything on spaceships. The camouflage shield creates multiple stable plasma layers with varying densities. Every plasma layer is able to absorb another type of bandwiths or broadband waves. Together they are able to render an object invisible. The aetherian camouflage shield is technologically advanced enough, that it can be fused with other types of ship shielding, making aetherian ships downright invisible if shields of the (DATA LOST) type are fielded. ]

"Aso, a question. Is our camouflage shield fused with our normal shields or is this unknown type of shields needed to achieve that?"

[ Currently the hypershields are fused with the camouflage shield. Due to incomplete compability of shields, instability in hypershields and instability in camouflage shield, cloaking of ASO-17309 is only partly invisible for sensors. Strongly damaged gasket plates are unable to support camouflage shield. ASO-17309 is theretically detectable by foreign sensors. ]

"Wait, so you are telling me that all these ships fightng it out around us actually could detect us?!"

[ Currently ASO-17309 is buried inside a mountain range that stops foreign sensors from detecting ASO-17309. This protection will fall once the mountain range above ASO-17309 crumbles and becomes detectable by foreign sensors one again. ]

"Right, the crumbling mountain range threatening to destroy, as well as reveal us. Completely forgot about that. Funny that one of the greatest threats to our current survival is the same thing that protected us from detection for what most likely amounts to centuries. Anyway, tell me, what`s even going on around us right now?"

[ The forces of the Federation and the Association have clashed repeatedly since the beginning of the battle. Intercepted reports indicate that they are fighting for control of the third planet. After initial successes by the Federation forces, the situation has stabilised and turned into a war of attrition, with neither side able to advance. ]

"Oh, okay. Who do you think will win?"

[ As of now, the only possible long-term outcome of the battle is a victory of the Federation forces. Association battle tacics indicate arrival of reinforcements in the near future. Should reinforcements arrive in sufficient strength, most of the Federation forces will be worn down and destroyed, before they are able to flee. ]

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"Huh. Do we have the current fleet composition of both sides?"

[ Due to lack of data, only aetherian ship classes can be used for comparison. Be informed that aetherian ships will still be more advanced than Federation or Association counterparts. Show comparison? ]

[ Y/N ]

"Yes, go on please."

[ Federation forces fleet composition (Aetherian Empire ship sizes used): ]

[ 2x Corvette ]

[ 5x Cutter/Corvette Hyprids ]

[ 11x Cutter ]

[ 22x Patrolship ]

[ Total ship count: 40 ships ]

[ Association forces fleet composition (Aetherian Empire ship sizes used): ]

[ 1x Corvette ]

[ 3x Cutter/Corvette hybrids ]

[ 10x Cutter ]

[ 1x Cutter (mercenaries) ]

[ 6x Patrolships ]

[ 4x Patrolships (mercenaries) ]

[ Total ship count: 25 ships) ]

"Let me guess, the Association is technologically more advanced than the Federation`s. Otherwise the Federation would have overwhelmed the Association already. Well, another option is incompetence but if this was the case, the Association would have most likely won already."

[ Inheritor is correct. While both sides seem to have antimatter weaponry, only a tenth of the Federation forces offensive firepower makes use antimatter. Meanwhile, a third of the Association forces offensive fire power makes use of antimatter. ]

"So they only have limited antimatter reservs. That`s interesting. Say, what would our weaponry look like, if the outpost would be fully operational?"

[ Show ASO-17309 pre-decline armements? ]

[ Y/N ]

"Please do."

[ ASO-17309 pre-decline armements: ]

[ 240x PDC-L Gamma Lasers ]

[ 240x PDC-K Stromfire Autocannon ]

[ 120x PDC-E Electromagnetic Mass-Deflector ]

[ 90x Matter-Desintegration-Beam (Desintegrators) ]

[ 160x Gauss-Antimatter-Cannon (Deception name: Railguns) ]

[ 150x Whirlwind-Antimatter-Missiles (Whirlwinds) ]

[ 90x Enemy-Energy-Siphon (Siphons) ]

[ 10x Electromagnetic-Diasarmament-Beam (ECM-Beam) ]

"Ehm... Aso, this outpost was a deathtrap for everything coming near it, you know that, right?"

[ ASO-17309 armements were insufficient to aetherian standards. ]

"INSUFFICIENT?! You actually dare to call that INSUFFICIENT?! HOW DID ALL THESE WEAPONS EVEN FIT INSIDE THIS OUTPOST?!"

[ Aetherian Empire weaponry is very compact. With the discovery of the (DATA LOST) portals in the last few years of the Aetherian Empire, it even became possible to fill up the entire spaceship with weaponry, instead of only the outer hull. Pre-decline armements of ASO-17309 were outdated by nearly 1,600 years and therefore no longer fulfil the standard of the ASF. ]

"Actually, that`s a good point. Can you give me a rundown what all these acronyms mean, including those on my hoodie and trousers?"

[ AE = Aetherian Empire ]

[ ASF = Aetherian Space Fleet / Ship Affiliation ]

[ AF = Aetherian Fleet ]

[ ASO = Aetherian Space Outpost ]

[ ASS = Aetherian Space Station ]

[ AMS = Aetherian Mining Station ]

[ ASST = Aetherian Space Security Troops / Aetherian Space Army ]

"Okay, that`s more acronyms than I expected, but good to know nonetheless, I guess."

[ Destination reached. ]

[ Local terminal jumpstarted. ]

"Oh? Well, time to repair the camouflage shield reactor I guess. What do we have here?" I... had no idea what I was looking at. I did know that all I had to do was to direct more energy towards the reactor, as well as additional cooling. But the terminal had no options like that. "Aso, are you allowed to help me out here? What am I supposed to do?"

[ Inheritor needs to use Inheritor-Protocal override to allow manual acess to camouflage shield reactor. To restabilise camouflage shield reactor, changes have to be made on the reactor itself. ]

"Wait, are you kidding me?! Is that even safe?!"

[ Chance of inheritor death or dangerous injury are only 8.7%. Inheritor is advised to restabilise campuflage shield reactor. ]

"Fine, whatever." I said, internally sighing. It really didn`t make much sense do argue with Aso. While I would love to punch the person wo programmed him and his "Inheritor-Protocol", I did believe that in his own way, he tried to support me as much as he could. And I already had much worse odds today than these measly 8.7% chance of death.Therefore, before I could question my own sanity any more than I already did, I just pressed the confirmation button to open physical acess to the camouflage shield reactor. Afterwards, I just butchered the operator code, knowning exactly that I had no chance at all to guess it in one try.

[ Operator Code wrong. ]

[ Acess rejected. ]

[ WARNING! ]

[ INTRUDER DETECTED! ]

[ Outpost reactivates automatic defensive measures! ]

[ Inheritor-Protocol #2-A override! ]

[ Operator rights accepted. ]

[ Physical acess to camouflage shield reactor granted. ]

"While I would love to hit the person behind the Inheritor-Protocol, it can be quite useful in some cases." I said to myself while starting to go towards the true camouflage shield reactor. "Aso, do you know who was behind the Inheritor-Protocol? Or even better, tell me what the Inheritor-Protocols actually are?"

[ The Inheritor-Protocols where invented by the late aetherian emperor (DATA LOST) and were completely implemented by (DATA LOST). ]

[ The Inheritor-Protocols are a multitude of orders, privileges and directives with the task of protecing the (DATA LOST) of the (DATA LOST). They are a show of authority to every (DATA LOST) still (DATA LOST) in the (DATA LOST). (DATA LOST) (DATA LOST) ( DATA LOST) (DATA LOS-) ]

[ ERROR! ]

[ No viable data memories found! ]

"Wow... That was worth nearly nothing. I only know that they were created by the emperor of the Aetherian Empire, that they are a show of authority and that they are supposed to protect me.Wait, Aso! Please tell me the Inheritor-Protocols themselves aren`t damaged! Or any protocols for that matter!"

[ Processing... ]

"Aso? Everything alright?"

[ Processing... ]

"Aso, fucking answer me damnit!"

[ Processing... ]

"Aso, that was an order, backed by the Inheritor-Protocols!"

[ Processing... ]

[ Proces- ]

[ Inheritor-Protocol #2-A override! ]

[ This unit managed to regain full operational capabilities. ]

"What even was that, Aso? You really worried me there for a moment"

[ This unit redirected all of its processing power towards analysing this units action protocols for problems. ]

[ No problems in any action protocols detected. ]

[ This unit was unable to decipher and analyse Inheritor-Protocol. ]

"So, you trying to find out if the Inheritor-Protocol still worked put you into this processing queue? I thought for a super AI like you, it would be impossible to take this long to analyse something!"

[ Destination reached. ]

"Understood, but please tell me, how long do you think it would take for you to completely analyse the Inheritor-Protocol?"

[ Destination reached. ]

"Aso, Im serious. This is a question I need you to answer. I won`t let you just evade a question this time."

[ Destination reached. ]

[ This unit remmonds stabilisation of camouflage shield generator. ]

"Aso, answer my question!"

[ This unit would prefer to not answer inheritors question. ]

"Aso... please just do it. Don`t force me to use the Inheritor-Protocol to make you answer."

[ It is impossile for this unit to analyse Inheritor-Protocol, as interlectual level of this unit is to low to understand used coding. ]

Wait... I got the feeling I may have been underestimating Aso`s intelligence. He didn`t seem to fake his "emotions" if you can call it that. He did hesistate to tell me that he had shortcomings. And for the first time, Aso actually said he "preferred" something. Yeah... Maybe I should start treating Aso more like a person and less like a computer. He did call himself an artificial intelligence after all... "Aso, let`s change the topic. Let`s just repair this outpost and be done with it. We still have much work to do."

Chapter 4 - Outpost Repairs II

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