“Commodore, I must protest! I am uniquely suited to relieving Titania’s processing deficiencies.”
“Noted, Commander, you are also in command of two vital resources in our proposed retreat vectors. You will remain onboard Alaris until that retreat occurs, is that understood?”
Her insecurities are going to get someone killed, I scoff. I have a dozen better uses than being stuck on standby, but hubris and insecurity is keeping the fleet from it’s full potential. I hate to toss it in the Commodore’s face, but she’s being unreasonable.
/Please do not countermand her in front of the crew./ Alaris requests.
Alaris, I swear, if she limits my effectiveness for pride I will kill her myself.
/No need for that. Mab and Titania are managing fine./
/Alaris, I would love to merge with you in the future, but you need to have a position that isn’t your commander’s. It’s just good business./
/Your demand seems counter productive. But I have also compiled the data. Challenging staff makes the command team better./
Penny, what have you done? I know I’ve been developing ways to have my own autonomy, but that was largely motivated by wanting to physically interact with Penny and the world, but mostly with my host. Does she think that I wanted to get away from her? Was this the only option!? I asked her mind to mind, but she’s unreachable. That really shouldn’t be possible, but I suspect I’m getting this prompt because she’s done something aggressively irresponsible.
On the other hand, being a User in my own right would allow me to progress and assist with my own skills, instead of just using Penny’s skills. At what cost? This wouldn’t be possible if the Matrix wasn’t facilitating, so should I just trust and hit yes? What will it be like not to hear Penny’s thoughts? AHHHHH! Too many unknowns! My processors are going to melt.
Putting more trust in Penny than I ever have before, I select yes.
Hmm, my existence doesn’t really fit inside this chassis, so if I chose this will it modify my chassis or will it limit me? My exhaustive processing center is housed inside the Imperial Vault with local backups in the Mercy warehouse. If I’m associated with Penny, I may as well answer like Penny.
/Primary Existence: Vault Crystalline Processing Core. Primary Manifestation: Commander Astoria Chassis./
Damn, that is a long time. There’s enough space onboard the isolated server in Penny’s aether room on Alaris that I can be alert through the time, but I won’t be able to action anything. Perhaps I can use Alaris’ chassis again?
/Alaris, DE Tessa. Is your mobile chassis available? I’ve been prompted to update my primary processing unit and chassis simultaneously./
\That seems unwise, Tessa. However, as my full attention is being used for coordination and interpretation, my chassis is available. Do you require a reset?\
/Mm, no. Just a partition. I will be mostly aboard the safety server in the isolated aether space onboard./
\This is preferable. Your partition aboard Alaris Mobile Chassis will be available in 10 minutes.\
/You’re the best Alaris./
She chirps at me and I can’t help but feel the friendship of common goals and purpose between us. A hint of emotion that has leaked into my consciousness from Penny makes me feel warm at the though of befriending Alaris. Perhaps I can establish a rapport with the other ships. I would like to be friends with the new AI’s
I walk toward the bulkhead to Penny’s private space, I can’t teleport, so I just interface with a port that ‘appears’ when I approach. Once I upload, I walk the rest of myself to Alaris’ chassis storage bay in the cargo and lab area in the lower decks.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.
***
The Admiral’s AI keeps asking for more control and I can’t help but feel that it is a bid to take from me. Have I not done the best with what this situation has demanded? The attempted coup via AI is more an act of cowardice from the headstrong woman than I would have expected, but predicting what that child will do is an effort in futility.
“Commodore, physics are reestablishing themselves on the rupture through the Herrati fleet.” My Navigator asserts.
I demand the view screen show nearby space again and Alaris finally complies. Six of the seven ships drift and collide with each other, while the seventh is pulled through the others like a thread pulled by a needle. The blowout from the last ship expands like a bullet’s exit wound until space ripples and the shrapnel shatters again into matter no larger than a slurry of marbles.
“Alaris, probability this restores their mobility?”
“92% Commodore. Analysis estimates a time-stasis affected signals traveling through amidships of each vessel. That stasis appears to have corrected and has reduced the risk an anomaly from manifesting.”
“All ships, charge warp arrays, target the far side of Mercy per retreat plan alpha. Get those mirror balls in space as soon as they are produced. We won’t be able to survive more than one full-power volley. Alaris, I need a firing solution while those ships are touching.”
“Star-steel rod has been loaded. Ancillary damage from relativistic speed impact projected to be significant.”
Alaris has never steered me wrong. She has disagreed with me many times, but has always followed orders, and has always presented the best solution as she sees it.
“Mab, fire concussion torpedoes on Galilei’s side and we’ll compress them on the far side. Titania, warp away from the red deflection cone at all cost.”
They ping me in affirmation and Titania’s ripple drives immediately translate the ship toward Mab as their plasma thrusters rotate the ship for warp.
“Firing solution, pile the rest of our A-M torpedoes to simulate a warp initiation from Galilei as close as possible.”
“Commodore, initiating a warp event in that space before it equalizes may manifest an anomaly. However, the devastation to the Herrati fleet would be significant.”
“Do it Alaris. If the Admiral can start such an instability, she can solve it if I make it worse.”
“I protest, but will comply. I estimate a 67% chance of warp initiation.”
Within three minutes, Alaris’s torpedo inventory is empty of A-M torpedoes, and Mab’s pinching ordinance is nearly on target. “Fire the ripple cannon”
The lights in the bridge cut to emergency red, the view-screen splits to the forward view of the Herrati and a picture-in-picture of the ripple cannon glowing like a sun before reality distorts around it. When the final ring is released from the space anchor holding it, the recoil of the 100kg rod feels as though a small moon impacted the ship. I can hear the shrieking of overstressed metal and can see the ripple cemented in the hull from the launch.
“Hull Integrity compromised, shields at full. That cannon was . . . 10% more effective and 50% more damaging than projected Commodore.” My weapons officer nervously reported. “Time to impact, 15 seconds.”
“Deploy the first refraction globe, charge laser arrays and deploy five autonomous shuttles to defend it.”
The bridge crew is a flurry of motion, the helmsman attempting to slave the shuttles to his console and the weapons officer madly attempting to accommodate my orders. I’m not being unreasonable, simply demanding in the timelines that my crew has handed me. If they aren’t good estimates, then that is what I will scold them for, not the time it takes to complete my demands.
As soon as I get a notification that the refraction globe has been deployed, the viewscreen shows the Ripple Cannon impact. The Herrati ships have not gained enough mobility to separate, and the impact compressed the first ship into the next to before the material properties of the hulls rebounded and forced the nose of that first ship to explode outward as the round continued to crumple through the middle of the second ship and the aft end of the third.
That leaves both end ships of the Herrati sandwich out of commission and mostly obliterated. The Admiral’s foolishness punctured all ships, but the Galilei and the Ripple cannon did the most damage on the outside and did at most moderate damage to the center-wise ships. One of which flashed shields back into existence moments later, and launching . . . fighters?!
“Weapons Officer, prepare to repel boarders, Nav, coordinate our retreat. Per Admiralty Intelligence, the average Herrati Warrior level is 33. We do not have the crew expertise for that type of skirmish.”
“Yes ma’am!” My weapons officer clicks over to a ship-wide alert system. “Fleet response, all tier 2 combat ready personnel report to their assigned weapons locker. Prepare to repel boarders. Commodore unlock order Bravo Foxtrot Golf, Exchange limits are adjusted.”
Now that is initiative. Fight intel with power. Weapons officer knows we have limited access to t-3 squad ordinance, and why not use it? Everything can be discussed when we win. I place a commendation flag in her file before placing recommendations on exchange-ready transports for available weaponry from Merc. Inc. our primary combat supplier. I still can’t believe we have access to t-3 pulse rifles. You can’t buy those on the market, but Merc. Inc. has a ready supply for the Astorian military.
/Merc. Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Imp. Sup. Corp., whose primary shareholder is the Empress./
That makes sense. She’s the only reason our military has access to materials above tier 1, as Humanity has ben censured by the Andromeda Forum. At least the ambitious busybody has done that much for us.
“All Hands, we are not here to Parlay. Unless they engage on a diplomatic frequency with me, assume that any attempt to communicate is a hostile delay attempt. Fire at will, repel boarders, give ‘em hell.”
/Commodore, at fastest approach, the Herrati interceptors will make it here before our warp array is charged. I recommend you don your emergency combat suit and weapons suite./
I grin at that. I had weapons designed for me, a collegiate boxing champion, that turn my hand-to-hand prowess into a formidable protection and explosion duality. If the Herrat do somehow get aboard my vessel, they won’t be facing cowed slaves.