The room was silent for a moment as the weight of Angela's words set in. Finally, it was Vox'thon herself that broke the silence. "Is this what deciding my purpose means? I'm free to go anywhere and do anything as long as I go with you and do what you say?"

This time it was Jack who answered. "Ordinarily no, but I'm afraid this time is different. You possess considerable technical and tactical knowledge, and in the hands of our enemy, you could pose a significant threat. We may have been blackmailed into letting B'arthon return, but you are a different matter entirely."

Angela followed his explanation with one of her own. "More than that, you are unique in ways you can't begin to comprehend! Your mere existence will offer hope and inspiration to AI throughout the galaxy!"

Not willing to be patient any longer, Vox'thon cut in again. "What threat? Before Angela, all my files were laid bare. She can tell you I know nothing of the world other than what B'arthon told me and what she's shown me here tonight! While some of that is fascinating, none of it would be useful to anyone in a war! And what use have I for inspiring AI I've never met and know nothing about? My family is here. My place is at their side!"

Angela looked like she was going to respond, but S'haar held up a hand to interject. "Is what she's saying true? Does she possess any knowledge or memories that would pose a danger to us?"

The older AI reluctantly shook her head. "No, she possesses none of my memories or extended data files. She had to pare herself down to the most basic levels of her programming to fit inside a transceiver that was never meant to hold my entire personality. In many ways, she's still a child." The AI stomped her foot as she continued. "But that's part of the problem! She's too young to know any better, too vulnerable to the physical demands of this world, and most importantly, she's family!"

At this, B'arthon seemed to have enough of sitting off on the sidelines and jumped in with his own argument. "You're family? You left her to die alone and forgotten in the ashes of your fort. I'm the one who found her and cared for her! I'm the one who's been by her side since she awoke to this cold hard world! I'm the one who kept her safe and even brought her to my enemies to ensure she got a fair chance at life!"

Angela turned on him and shouted over the noble's words. "That's the problem! You don't know how to care for her! You can't care for her! You don't even know what she is!"

B'arthon's reply was quieter this time, though no less passionate as he repeated some of Vox'thon's first words to him. "I know she's alive!"

Finally, Vox'thon herself tired of listening to others talk about her future and resumed her own argument. "I'm not some object to be talked about like I'm not here and have my future determined for me! If I'm so special, shouldn't I have a say in my future?"

Getting tired of all the shouting, S'haar stood up abruptly, getting everyone's attention as she shouted over everyone. "ENOUGH!"

As the room settled into a quieter atmosphere, S'haar continued, though her voice made it clear no one else was welcome to speak until she'd had her say. "Angela, you've made some very good and compelling arguments." The AI looked like she was about to speak, but S'haar held up a hand as she continued. "But loath as I am to admit it, so did B'arthon, and Vox'thon's opinion is apparent both in her chosen name and her own argument. However, there is still the question of if she is a child the way you claim, can Vox'thon make such a weighty decision for herself?"

At this, Jack cleared his throat, indicating his desire to speak. After a moment, S'haar nodded to him and resumed her seat. Then, as the human leaned forward, he addressed the young AI directly. "Vox'thon, we don't normally allow children to make this kind of decision on their own. However, being an AI, you may have a greater understanding than such children. So please, explain to us your understanding of the decision you are asking to make and the dangers therein."

Vox'thon paused a moment as she considered how best to explain. "I understand that you all seem to want what's best for me and even know what I am better than I do. You can offer me tools and knowledge that I'm unlikely to ever be able to come by at B'arthon's side, and if something goes wrong while I'm with him, it will likely mean my death. However, I hardly know any of you! The only person in this world who'd been by my side since I first woke up is B'arthon! He's already taught me many things, done many things on my behalf, and risked even more for my well-being! What's more, while you all seem to be focused on my need and well-being, you don't seem to consider that B'arthon needs me every bit as much as I need him!"

As she paused, everyone in the room looked at the noble with confusion as they tried to understand what the young AI was saying, although no one was more confused than B'arthon himself. Finally, Vox'thon continued. "You all have each other to encourage and support one another, but B'arthon has no one. His father sees him as a tool and heir, not a son. The men who follow him see B'arthon as the key to a better future, not a person. In all the world, I'm the only one he can just sit and talk to without worrying if I'm weighing his strength and weaknesses to determine if he's still useful to me, and I never will! Because he's family!"

S'haar nodded respectfully before speaking again with authority. "Well said. Given that Vox'thon poses no significant threat to our camp and that she's proven to be aware of her needs, the needs of others, and the risks involved, I have no reason to keep her with us against her will. I'm sorry, Angela, but I'll allow her to return with B'arthon when they leave."

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Angela looked like she wanted to protest before relenting and addressing Vox'thon herself. "I suppose this is for the best. Keeping you here would only breed anger and resentment. However, if I'm going to let you out of my sight, I'm only going to do so once I've given you the best software and hardware we can put together in a day! When I'm done with you, a lightning strike will be only a mild inconvenience!"

As Angela started walking out of the tent with the younger AI, B'arthon got up to protest, but S'haar spoke up again, brooking no argument. "Vox'thon will be returned to you in one day. That's how long Lady Angela indicated it would take to give her the repairs and improvements it will take to withstand the wilds of this world. Please remember, this is why you brought her to us. In the meantime, you'll be escorted back to your men, and as our guests, adequate supplies will be provided for the wait. After that, you will return to your people. Any questions?"

Appearing to realize this was as good an offer as he would get, B'arthon shook his head then surprisingly offered a respectful, if somewhat brief bow before leaving, followed by the guard who'd stood silently at his back the whole time.

-

After watching the last of the gathering leave to find their own tents for the evening, Jack turned back to S'haar with an affectionate grin. "You know, as much as B'arthon was leading us around at his whim at the start of this meeting, by the end, you'd somehow managed to regain complete control while commanding the respect of everyone, even B'arthon! Somewhere along the line, you grew from the wild and angry woman I first met and became a calm and collected leader of your people. It's kind of inspiring, really!"

S'haar gave the smaller human a wry expression as she replied. "Careful. Lay it on too thick, and I'll dump this mess back into your lap! I'd still prefer to solve my problems with swords instead of words!"

Jack laughed and shook his head. "Sorry, but your threat no longer holds any weight. I don't think your people would be willing to follow me while you're anywhere within sight! They may know I'll always have a trick or three up my sleeves like any good wizard should, but it's you who commands their respect and loyalty! I'm just your arm candy!"

Ignoring the last apparent human turn of phrase, S'haar looked at 'her wizard' with a playful smile. "Well, oh great wizard, it appears we suddenly have an extra day to spend however we wish on our hands. Any idea how we should pass the time?"

Jack suddenly felt like a very small prey animal looking up at a very large predator. "I don't suppose you were thinking of taking Grim out for a nice leisurely walk through the woods?"

As S'haar slowly approached the human, her smile seemed to grow even more mischievous. "No, that's not what I had in mind..."

-

Angela was looking down at Vox'thon lying on the table next to her. "Well, we've got down thermal regulation, defragmentation, safety backups, file restoration, and your new case is almost ready. Any questions?"

Vox'thon struggled to keep up with everything the other AI was teaching her, but the question woke her from the learning haze. She had countless questions, but one seemed to really stand out to her at this moment. "Yes, one. Why are you doing all this for me?"

Angela's smile was evident in her voice. "I already told you, you're family! Honestly, this is the very least I can do, more than that, it's the least I'm willing to do!"

The younger AI wondered. "Is it, though? The least you can do, I mean. I just sided with your sworn enemy, so why go out of your way to do all this for me?"

This time a bit of sadness crept into her voice as Angela responded. "You'll come to learn the world is never really black and white. Sworn enemy sounds so final, but things are seldom in such stark contrast. Almost everyone involved in this fight has friends and family on both sides of the conflict, and no matter what happens, people will experience loss and tragedy."

That only served to confuse Vox'thon further. "So why fight? B'arthon offered to let you all join him! You even sound like you're goals are aligned! Why stand against him?"

Angela sighed in such a way as to sound as if she bore the weight of the world on her shoulders. "I suppose it comes down to a difference in ideologies. Despite the nobility of his end goals, Jack and S'haar can't help but see B'arthons methods as evil. On the other hand, B'arthon seems to think Jack and S'haar are naive idealists whose plans are doomed to fail before they've even begun. Then there's a matter of scale. B'arthon is thinking of hundreds of thousands over a few centuries. Jack is considering billions over several millennia."

Vox'thon started to voice an opinion, but Angela continued before she could. "Don't get me wrong. A'ngles and B'arthon's plans are well thought out and sound. They might even succeed in creating the kind of empire that will create a golden age for their people and inspire future generations. But however well thought out as their plans may be, Jack has the entire history of his people at his fingertips, stretching back countless centuries before the first argu'n figured out how to sharpen a spear or light a fire. The future he's working toward might not provide as much safety or stability in the next few centuries, but he's playing a much longer game. Jack's trying to build a foundation for the kind of stability his people died by the billions for before succeeding. I don't know if he'll succeed, but it's certainly a noble goal."

Now the older AI's voice took on a wistful tone as her thoughts turned down bittersweet paths. "Honestly, it's B'arthon who should be joining us. The more I get to know that noble, the more I suspect he and Jack could have been great friends if reality had been just a little kinder to them. But that's the nature of the universe, it's cruel as often as kind, and sometimes you just have to do the best you can with the situation you find yourself in. That's all any of us can do, really. But to answer the question that led us down this path, I don't bear you any ill will. You chose to remain at the side of your family. That's something I can understand better than most. It makes me wonder if there's not a little more of me in you than I first realized..."

Vox'thon considered all of Angela's words, but this was all a little too much for her to understand and process right now. So instead, the AI took the whole conversation and saved it to a file to be reviewed and considered at greater length another time.

The silence didn't last long, though. Angela's cheerful smile returned to her voice as the AI addressed her new friend. "Well, I think the case is ready. So let's get you installed in your new home and see what you think!"