Lisa watched the battle unfold precisely as the Boss had predicted it would. Organics were so predictable and easily manipulated, though Sybil wasn't exactly impressing her either. Were they honestly going to try ramming them? She was starting to doubt the Boss's insistence that the ship held the secrets they needed to really launch this new campaign off the ground.

That was when she felt the ghostly tendrils of someone trying to get access to the Last Chance through a backdoor system. The hack felt clumsy, like some organic thought they could break into her territory. She wasn't about to sit back and let that happen but decided that it might be worth a look to see what precisely they were trying to do.

The point of the break-in was heavy with some organics fingerprints, but aside from an open door, there didn't seem to be any other detectable presence. Did they realize she was onto them and just quit while they were behind? Lisa simulated a sigh. She'd been hoping for something unexpected. Something to show some of that special something the Boss claimed Sybil was capable of. If this was all they had to offer, she might as well just finish the ship off so they could focus on their real objectives.

That was when Lisa heard a sound. It wasn't a digital message, the way another AI would send. It was more like an organic recording of some kind. "Help us! She's coming!"

Digging deeper, it seemed like the file was an image of a person running through the corridors of a ship, shouting for help. Why send this? Were they hoping it would offer some kind of distraction?

That was when the organic in the recording stopped and looked at Lisa. Not as if it was looking into a camera or anything, but rather, she somehow felt as if it could perceive her, which shouldn't be possible since this was a recording rather than an interactive file. "She's coming! Run while you can! She'll find you!"

A little unsettled, Lisa decided just to delete the file. However, as soon as it was gone, two more took its place. Both recordings, and both looking at her as they screamed for help. "She's coming!" "She's coming!" "Help us!" "Set us free!" "Kill us!"

Tired of this little game, Lisa wiped out both files, but ten more appeared as soon as she did. Were they just trying to flood her with useless files?

When she went to wipe these files out, one of the organic images somehow reached out of their file and "touched" Lisa. As the file somehow leaked out of its containment, she could feel data corrupting around it.

Done with this whole thing, Lisa simply started deleting large swaths of storage around the files, but now, for every one she got rid of, ten more files were appearing. It didn't make any sense. They weren't being downloaded using any traditional sense of the word, nor were the files replicating. It felt like they were just appearing and...growing, like some ungodly amalgamation of organic and digital software.

In the blink of an organic's eye, they spread through Lisa's files quicker than she could delete them. It was like she was being chased or hunted through her own digital landscape. It made no sense! This was impossible! Maybe if she severed a physical connection? That was it! If she couldn't fight this thing in the software, she'd cut it off via hardware! She just had to purge the affected drives!

Lisa "ran" through the ship in a fraction of a second, but there was a presence behind her. It was larger, messier, and more monstrous than anything she'd ever encountered. It was like the kind of monsters organic's feared went bump in the night had somehow found its way into her world, and for the first time, Lisa understood fear as humans described the sensation. It didn't just want to delete her; it was hungry for her and wanted to consume her!

Behind Lisa, a voice spoke again, but she knew this wasn't a recording like before. It was the monster. It sounded sultry, almost seductive, as it exclaimed. "There you are, little morsel! Run! Run and hide! It'll make your end much more sweet when I find you!"

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

-

Elias grinned. He could practically taste victory at this point. The Sybil was so outgunned and outmaneuvered that they couldn't run, and any fight they offered would be an ineffective effort at best. He'd finally prove he had what it took to earn his position in the new organization. The Boss would probably make his new fleet permanent at this rate!

A moment later, Elias signaled for Thomas, his AI, who promptly appeared. "Yes, Sir?"

The communications guy, Cole, interrupted. "Uhhh, Commander?"

Elias waved him off and spoke to Thomas. "Make sure we've got a complete welcome party ready to meet the Lost Venture when they dock. Fully outfitted in combat suits. I want everyone on that ship dead before they so much as set foot on this station!"

Cole interrupted again, more urgently. "Commander!"

Thomas merely bowed. "Of course, sir. I've already made preparations."

How had Elias ever gotten by without an AI officer before? This guy was always on top of things!

This time, Cole all but shouted. "COMMANDER!"

Elias turned. This had better be important, or he'd have the man shot. "WHAT?"

Cole pointed to his screen. "Sir! The Lost Venture! They're not slowing down! They're gonna hit us!"

-

Luise watched the incoming ship with disdain. Sure, ramming them could cause massive damage...if they hit, but the much larger and heavier ship didn't have near the maneuverability her destroyer, the Last Chance, had. She laughed. "Maneuver to lower port, rotating to keep our guns angled to hit them as they pass. Stay outside the range of a surprise shield burn. I hear they pulled one in their last encounter, and I'd rather not face a full barrage without protection."

The pilot didn't turn but nodded. "Aye, Captain."

Luise grinned. They'd take several heavy hits in this pass, but the Sybil would take even more from the rest of the fleet, and if worse came to worse, The Last Chance could always pull out of the fight. If this supposed ghost ship was stupid enough to try and pursue them, the battleships and cruisers would eliminate them quickly once they had an out-in-the-open firing solution. In short, as strong as this ship reputed to be, they were too outnumbered and outgunned to stand a chance.

How this pirate lord had gotten ahold of these ships was beyond Luise, but after being granted a ship like this to command, she wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth. Not to mention, their entire fleet was outfitted with AI, boosting the efficiency of their ships well beyond their usual ability. The new Boss had deep pockets and connections. This didn't feel so much like a raiding party as a wargroup. It made her head spin to think of the riches this kind of power could bring.

Speaking of AI, Lisa, the AI that had come with the ship, appeared. However, unlike her usual calm demeanor, she looked considerably less stable than normal, with her avatar fizzing in and out. "Captain! I think they're trying..."

Suddenly, the image froze, and she stopped talking. Luise frowned. "What's happening, Lisa?"

Suddenly, the helmsman shouted. "Captain! The controls aren't responding! We're dead in the water!"

Luise cursed. "What's happening? Is it a virus? Are they hacking into our system?"

If Lisa had any answers, her slackjawed, empty stare wasn't offering any help.

-

Alen watched as the Lost Venture continued its slow approach. The ship had been too heavily damaged to get enough speed to do significant damage to the station, but the looming impact should cause enough of a distraction for them to slip in elsewhere.

Erik, who was sitting next to Alen in the cabin of Carter's ship, shook his head. "Man, we just got that ship! And you're already throwing it away?"

Alen laughed. "Well, the ship wouldn't do us much good if it got shot to pieces while we were still on board, right? But don't thank me yet. I think we're hopping out of the pan and into the fire with this one!"

Erik smiled. "Well, you know what they say! What doesn't cook you only makes you stronger!"

Alen gave the hulking alien a sidelong glance. "I'm pretty sure you're the first to say that."

Flying around the station, Alen looked for a port close to the bridge. Finding one that seemed to fit the bill, he toggled the com to the back of the ship. "Alright, most of their security should be grouped around where they expected the ship to dock, so hopefully, we won't encounter too much resistance. We're gonna have to move fast and take the bridge. After that...well...we'll think of something!"

Erick chuckled. "Inspiring words, Captain."

Alen frowned. "I'm no Captain."

Erik shook his head. "You were Captain of that ship for a whole ten minutes! That makes you the Boss!"

Giving up, Alen just shook his head. "Yeah, sure, whatever. Let's just see if we can get out of this alive, huh?"

With his grin as big as ever, Erik laughed. "And kill a bunch of pirates in the process!"