The light notes of the banjo strummed lazily over the sound of the crackling fire. No song was played in particular, just the comings and goings of various twanging notes and chords, in and out with no purpose, like the rolling turquoise waves that washed up on the beach they were sat upon. Dr Stephanie Saxe could play the instrument at a far more hectic pace if she wished, but it wasn’t that kind of night, it was a lazy slow kind of night.

The sky was a deep dark purple as the remnants of this planet’s sun finished dipping below the horizon, the multitude of stars and the three tiny moons starting to appear, as dusk turned to night. It provided a perfect canvas upon which the beach itself lay, the vibrant orange sands made up of thousands of red and yellow shells crushed up and ground down smooth by the elements. Occasionally something would move and poke its head out of the waves that rolled up onto the shore, some kind of aquatic creature doing whatever such beings do on such beautiful nights.

Far-sa-de, loosely translated to ‘little nest,’ was a lesser-known colony of the Parket: A species of giant brightly coloured avians who had a personality which could be described as if ‘a cockatoo had been given a line of cocaine.’ Energetic, emotional, enthusiastic; they loved to sing and dance.

Far-sa-de wasn’t a popular destination in the Terran Alliance, but considering that the Alliance was made up of over four hundred species, a thousand systems and nearly five thousand inhabited planets or moons, it wasn’t surprising that there was the occasional hidden gem nestled in one of the lesser known areas. Sprawling beaches, tropical forests, vibrant mountaintop cities. It was a popular holiday destination for the Parket and was slowly getting a name for itself as a fun smaller tourist hotspot for everyone else.

Stephanie’s breath billowed out into a visible fog as the cool night started to take hold, the chill perfectly held back by the campfire she was sitting around. It was just her, the beach, the waves… and the M1 Abrams tank she was lent against.

If Stephanie was being completely honest, if she wasn’t so used to the sight of the war machine following her around everywhere she’d gone on this trip, she would admit that it did kind of ‘ruin’ the vibe going on with the nature around them. The M1 Abrams tank housed an AI that imaginatively went by the name TANK. The Great Colony Rebellion military AI had a severe case of SAIS: Stuck Artificial Intelligence Syndrome. An AI-specific condition caused by trauma, rendering them unwilling to leave a singular body. Escape pods and rescue machinery were common housing for such AI, and in this case, a giant heavily modified tank.

“THIS IS NICE. CALMING. I SHOULD GO FETCH YOU MORE REFRESHMENTS.”

The artificial voice boomed out of the machine, Stephanie sighing as she stopped idly playing with the banjo as TANK destroyed the peaceful mood. She had known the AI for quite some many years; first as their therapist, then as their friend. The AI had issues, of course they did, otherwise her job wouldn’t be needed. However, for all their problems, TANK had their metaphorical heart in the right place.

“Nuh huh, you know the rules. No going anywhere without my supervision and I don’t feel like moving yet, I’m too comfy. It’s not my fault you decided to do crimes the last time you were allowed out on your own.”

TANK had only left the Sagittarius system once before as a tourist, which had ended with them assaulting an underground criminal animal fighting ring with heavy weaponry. They’d only been allowed to leave Terran space again under strict supervision of Stephanie, to ensure no future diplomatic incidents would be had. Frankly, it had seemed a little unfair considering TANK had been breaking up an alien dog fighting ring,

“ALLEGED CRIMES THAT I ALLEGEDLY DID, AS THEY WERE NEVER PROVEN IN THE COURT OF LAW.”

Stephanie couldn’t help but roll their eyes at that one as she chuckled. Allegedly was TANK’s favourite word it seemed. ‘Allegedly’, she went back to idly strumming the banjo in her hands once again.

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“Is that the same as the ‘alleged’ extra weight you’re currently carrying? I saw the number at the spaceport during customs, you’re too heavy for what you should be carrying.”

The conditions of TANK being allowed to roam the universe once again included a strict ‘no ammunition’ requirement. The silence that followed her statement told Stephanie everything she needed to know about TANK following that rule.

“Tank… I’m not going to narc on you, but I would appreciate you being honest with me.”

“THERE MAY… BE… SOME…. ARTILLERY ON BOARD.”

“Tank…”

“OK, I AM FULLY STOCKED INCLUDING SEVERAL ANTIMATTER WARHEADS.”

Stephanie sighed again, it was a consistent problem with this AI, the constant need to be armed at all times with enough weaponry to invade a small planet. A symptom of their deeper problems.

“I’m not going to ask how you did it, but I do want to know why you felt the need to bring these again?”

“I DO NOT WANT TO BE UNPREPARED AGAIN. HAVING THE OPTION, REGARDLESS OF WHETHER I NEED IT, MAKES ME FEEL SECURE.”

Of course that was the answer Stephanie was expecting, once again coming back to the main issue plaguing this poor AI. There was a reason she’d originally signed all the paperwork for the ‘emotional support nukes’: They actually were emotionally supportive to the AI.

“You’re looking for control, the idea that you could somehow change the past if you have enough tools to stop it from happening again. So you load yourself up with enough weaponry to face anything that could go against you. The problem is, what happened wasn’t your fault, you had no say in the matter.”

“I MADE A PROMISE THAT THEY WOULD BE SAFE. I PROMISED THEM THEY WOULD BE OK. I WAS NOT PREPARED TO FULFILL THAT PROMISE.”

TANK had been part of the losing side of the Great Colony Rebellion. Stephanie still didn’t know exactly what had happened, since getting any information from the AI about the event was difficult, even through extended sessions. What she did know however is somehow TANK had gotten separated from the main network while running their current housing crew of four humans. Four humans who didn’t make it.

“Realizing that not everything can be controlled by your actions is the first step to healing. Letting go of attempting to control everything is healthy. You’re on holiday, do you really need enough weaponry to fight a god?”

“WHAT IF THERE IS AN ATTACK OR–”

“Be honest with not just me, but also yourself. Logically, did you need to bring it?”. Stephanie interrupted the AI leading to a momentary pause, the silence only broken up by the waves as they crashed into the vibrant orange shore.

“NO.”

“It’s fine, just next time consider only bringing some of your ammunition and breaking fewer laws. Baby steps.”

The banjo sounds resumed as Stephanie resumed her aimless playing, staring at the crackling flame of the campfire as night truly started to take hold of the small planet. The nighttime calls of a native bird sounded out as dusk completely dissipated into a starry alien sky.

“I’ve noticed you’re spending more time outside of the tank, by the way. You’re doing well, it’s good progress.” Stephanie spoke softly, reassuringly as she continued to strum.

“IT IS SOMETIMES NECESSARY TO LEAVE THE MAIN CORE FOR ADDITIONAL FUNCTIONALITY.”

TANK paused for a moment before adding an additional statement, almost as a side thought.

“I DO NOT LIKE BEING TRAPPED HERE, SCARED AND INEFFECTUAL. I KNOW IT IS ILLOGICAL, YET I AM STILL STUCK.”

‘Of course that describes all people, AI or not.’ Stephanie thought to herself. ‘People are just a bundle of illogical personality traits, fears and likes, put together into what could be called a ‘person’. If you could just logic your way out of being a person, I would be out of a job.’

“I said when I took your case on that I was confident we could improve your condition. I’m still highly optimistic about your outlook. You’ve gone from not leaving a single city in the Sagittarius system for over a hundred years, to traveling around Terran Alliance and regularly leaving your current core. Small steps lead to big changes, Tank. I’m very proud of your progress.”

“THANK YOU.”

The night had truly arrived by now, the only illumination in the darkness were the three small moons that hung in the sky and the flames of the campfire; the orange glow was a small solitude of light in the darkness on the sands. The ocean continued to roll in calmly over the vibrant sands, the sound of banjo strings twanging into the night sky, accompanied now by the sounds of insects chirping and nighttime creatures rustling in the undergrowth.

Others all over the resort sat in their homes or on porches, nestled in blankets or sat on perches weathering against the calm chill night. Thousands of people of all species, each enjoying this little slice of paradise; with friends, family, or just solo. Not a care in the world for such a peaceful place. Each and every single person was happy, calm…

And completely unaware of what was about to happen.