Rix was understandably hurried in plugging Munto into the Esperanto.

It took a few tries on some systems, given plugs needing to be reversed or re-terminated, but Munto slowly became aware of the Esperanto.

The word overbuilt floated back into memory.

The Esperanto was very heavily built, every pathway having multiple back-ups and analog controls from various points within the craft that couldn’t be cut out of the loop. Even though Munto could trigger the mechanisms directly, the same analog controls could lock Munto out at a moment’s notice.

The Esperanto felt big, heavy to Munto. As though the considerations of mass were of no real concern.

The Life Support systems were operating as a mere 5% as they came into Munto’s awareness.

The Ion Drives were partially damaged, operating at 67.2% efficiency, consuming a surprisingly low level of power. Munto tried to recall what their drives typically required to operate at an equivalent thrust. Without connection to the relevant logs, it was difficult to guess. Even for one such as Munto, it was hard to anticipate.

The cargo bays, both inside the shielding and external to the core shielding, came into focus. Comparatively massive bays of stasis fields holding… well, they had to be holding something and Munto wasn’t going to trigger the fields merely to find out at this moment.

The sensor systems were equivalent to low-grade systems in heavy need of a software update. Munto began writing one on the fly, leaving as much as they could and refined heavily. Slowly, the system around them and behind them swam into a clearer focus. Munto even realized that they could see themself or rather that which had been themself. It was… strange to see their body while not inside it. Munto tried not to dwell on it.

The fusion systems… they were… well, there was no other word for it, they were antiquated. So far removed from modern systems that Munto had to reacquaint themselves with the various parts and pieces via bit of trial and error. Here too however the systems were intact and overbuilt. The flow pathways for the hydrogen/helium mixes was… quaint, most certainly the result of the inclusion in a vessel of this size for that era.

The… wait…. What is this?

“Rix,” Munto asked.

“Yeah, Em?” Rix replied, leaning back from the ‘chamber’ where Munto was being plugged into the Esperanto.

“What did you just plug me into?” Munto asked.

“No idea. These aren’t exactly well labeled after 900 odd years,” Rix shrugged.

“It… I have no idea what this is,” Munto said, looking at the strange devices.

“Does it give you any info about it?” Rix asked.

Munto prompted it for a status, borrowing from how they’d asked the Life Support system.

Predator Natural Systems – Online. Version 1.4.2.9. System Standby.

“Does a ‘Predator Natural Systems’ sound familiar?” Munto asked.

“No… wait a second. Predator? Oh, I know what that is. They’re the makers of the Jumpdrive,” Rix said. “How is it? Intact? In need of any fixes?”

“It’s reporting being online, but in system standby, whatever that means,” Munto replied.

“Means the control computer is up, but the actual drives are still cold. That’s fine,” Rix smiled. “What about the fusion cores?”

“They appear to be significantly less efficient than my own, but I should be able to get them working,” Munto gestured with the walking frame, feeling less restricted with now being plugged back into all these inputs.

“Well, it’s time for the proof. How are you holding up in there? Nothing weird going or trying to get you back onto your network?” Rix asked, looking between the walking frame and core that was Munto.

Munto looked through the various internal subprocesses of themself. The strange process was sitting in the back, oddly quiet, but showing no signs of doing anything other than consuming the odd bit of system data and spitting out results that went to other procotols. The subprocess that had become a process appeared to not be running at all.

Munto put together some quick lockouts should that subprocess re-emerge, but based on what Rix had said, decided to keep a wary eye on the subprocesses’ processing usage just in case.

“Nothing that I can actually report. Nothing like before,” Munto said, side-eyeing the strange quiet protocol, but keeping a mental distance between it and their consciousness.

“Good,” Rix said and swung an analog lever to the side of the chamber where the core was.

The communications systems, primitive and clearly designed for an organic, came online in Munto’s awareness. It was a simple system, but it was clear that it worked along the same principles as much of the rest of the craft. Overbuilt and almost ridiculously robust, but, despite its age, still very functional.

“How’s that?” Rix asked.

“I… feel fine. The Esperanto is largely intact, which is nothing short of heavily on the side of improbable given the amount of time in space, but at the same time, given how… well, overbuilt everything is, I can’t say that I’m surprised,” Munto said.

“Yeah, well, this was a colony vessel. It wouldn’t do to make it any less than appropriately robust. Not exactly like you can expect to have a shipyard a system over,” Rix said, pulling closed the siding panels that constituted the doors to where Munto’s core now sat.

“I suppose I agree with that logic,” Munto said and triggered anything that looked like internal diagnostics for every system that they were now connected to.

The diagnostics were slow, but they came in all the same. The Esperanto, with generational technology improvements, could easily outperform Munto’s own self, excepting that it was still so very overbuilt and would clearly resist being pressed into other types of service.

Munto’s self floated connected to the Esperanto, it feeling more like an unwanted appendage, even though a part of Munto wanted very much to be back as part of themself.

“What do you need me to do to get the fusion system running?” Rix asked.

Munto had been lost in thought looking at themself outside of the Esperanto.

“Oh, uh… Allow me a few moments to reacquaint myself with this system. Do you by chance have more detailed information?” Munto asked.

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

“Like an engineer’s guide?” Rix replied, a small smile on their face.

“That would be a good start,” Munto said, noting for the first time that the Esperanto did not have sensor systems internally other than for voice transmission and reception.

“I’ll load it in from my pad. It’s one of those files you never figure you’re going to need, but someone insisted that everyone needed a copy. Guess they were right,” Rix said, and walked towards what Munto had learned was the Galley or the Mess as Rix called it.

Munto followed with the walking frame.

The Life Support systems needed some deep cleaning, something the Terran would need to do almost certainly, as well as some supplemental elements and formulations that Munto recognised, if only because they were common chemical formulations that had been surpassed several hundred years previous. However, the newer formulations would easily destroy half of the life support’s systems so that would have to wait until they could manage.

Munto started doing what they could in the way of preparation of the fusion systems, noting with some annoyance several analog only points which almost certainly require Rix’s intervention and were likely why the system had failed to initiate previously.

“Rix,” prompted Munto.

“Yeah, Em?”

“Why did you tell me to disconnect that signal? What made you think that something was wrong?” Munto asked.

“Paranoia. Good old fashioned paranoia. But it’s not paranoia when you’re right,” Rix chuckled, and slumped into the seat where they had previously eaten their meal, tapping on the scroll which had been left there.

“But how did you know?” Munto asked.

“Part of it’s just a kind of cultural instinct. Terrans used to have all kinds of stories about rogue AIs attacking humanity. And weirdly, a recall order and a refusal to follow it was always the first sign. Although usually it was a human giving the order to an artificial, not between artificials. That’s what made me suspicious for a start,” Rix said, tapping their way somewhat deftly through the tablet, although Munto couldn’t see how the Terran was managing to navigate for their own future reference.

“What provided the information required to finalize your opinion?” Munto was curious, given their point of view on what had happened.

“You stopped responding to my questions. I must have asked you several times the same question before you mentioned there being something in there with you. Since it wasn’t a ‘out there with you’ but a ‘in here with me’, I figured it had to be some kind of latent anti-rogue intelligence system. A bit weird you didn’t know about it, but at the same time, not surprising. What surprises me most is that it was built into you, but I’d have expected Terrans to build that in, not… uh… your Manufactory,” Rix explained.

“And the switches? How did you know where those were?” Munto was suspicious of what answer the Terran might provide, but wanted to know all the same.

“That was easy. It was the only door that wasn’t an airlock. Looked like a dead-end at first glance, but the lever was bright blue so I knew it had to be something,” Rix said.

Munto thought for a long few seconds.

“There appears to be a worrying correlation between the blue part of the spectrum and what appears to be systems which I am unable to manipulate or perceive appropriately,” Munto said.

“You noticed that too, huh? I was wondering when you started having trouble with those blocks I brought over,” Rix said. “Ah, found it. I’ll throw it up on the Esperanto’s main share. You should be able to see it there.”

Rix continued to tap on the scroll and a large series of files flowed into a section of the Esperanto that Munto had more or less ignored. It was a simplified computing system, much like the scroll, but clearly a generation or three ahead of it.

The files were exactly what Munto needed to reactivate the fusion systems and their earlier guess of the analog systems being in the wrong position was correct.

“Shouldn’t the issue have been caught previous to now?” asked Munto.

“Depends on if it’s intentional or not. You were an explorer, yeah?”

“That was my nominal designation, yes.”

“Did you pick where you wanted to go or did you get a rough map of a region to go explore?”

“I’m not following your logic path, but I typically received a region to explore.”

“When was the last time you were near a blue giant?”

This last question made Munto pause and think. Even without their databases, this was a fairly simple question. And yet… it was almost annoying that Munto hadn’t ever considered it previously.

“Never. I have never been assigned a system with a blue giant.”

“Why not unless there’s something that somebody or something knows about your blindspot?”

Rix’s paranoia seemed strange, but Munto could feel the strange process in the back nodding along.

“But why that part of the spectrum? What’s so special about it?” Munto tried.

“That’s the part I don’t know. Maybe nothing, maybe everything. No idea,” Rix said, looking at the walking frame.

The pair sat there for several minutes considering the possibilities.

“Well, I hate to say it, but we need to get on with making fixes. I don’t want to run out of power anytime soon,” Rix said, standing up but appearing to wince.

“I believe I can get the fusion systems back online with a few levers you missed the first time. From there, we will need to service the life support systems. They appear to be long overdue for servicing,” Munto said.

“Fusion first and then I need a nap. Can the life support wait an extra twenty minutes?” Rix asked.

“I do not believe that to be unreasonable, but I do anticipate needing your aid given the… construction of these systems,” Munto paused a bit.

“What’s wrong with the construction?” Rix seemed offended, but with a smile on his face.

“It is intended to be handled by beings more robust than my walking frame,” Munto said simply.

“Fair enough I guess. Maybe once we can get somewhere real, I can see about getting that walking frame upgraded for you,” Rix suggested.

“I do not believe that will be necessary,” Munto trundled after the Terran, still somewhat annoyed at how fast the Terran could move through the hallways.

“Suit yourself. Speaking of which though, what’s going to be a good safe port for us to hit up?” Rix asked.

Munto hadn’t given this much or really any thought. They thought about it as the walking frame trundled along to catch up to the Terran, who was already standing in front of the levers and switches they would need to toggle.

The normal stations which a TACIT might visit weren’t off limits, but given the paranoid concerns of the Terran, it may be advisable to avoid those.

Eliminating those from Munto’s internal galactic map filter significantly limited where the pair could go. Using a further filter of where Munto’s FTL drive could readily transit to in a short period of time also created a further boundary, but without knowing the limits of the Terran’s jumpdrive, it was hard to refine it further.

The majority of what remained were… less reputable stations. TACITs were welcome almost everywhere, but there were stations where TACITs frequently limited their activities to essential interactions only. Such stations tended to be dedicated to specific species or specific groups of species, for various reasons.

The nearest such station, an outlaw station, according to galactic standards, was a mere week and a half away.

“I believe I have identified a reasonable first stop for us, but I will need to know more about your jump drive’s limits,” Munto said and pointed with the walking frame. “This one needs switched.”

Rix grunted rotating the lever into position.

“Jump drive doesn’t have limits. At least not the normal kind. Next switch?” he replied.

Munto pointed to a heavy switch near the ceiling and to a lever near the floor. Rix jumped slightly to reach the switch, which clunked audibly, before the Terran grasped the large lever and began to swing it.

“Every FTL system has maximum distances and yours must be no different. Even my own system had limits,” Munto said.

“Well, the key to the jumpdrive was that it was built to go further than anything we’d ever attempted before. Just meant dealing with energies we’d never seen before though. That’s why all the shielding,” Rix said as the lever slotted into place.

Munto checked the changes and noted that the fusion system should now work.

“That is all the controls that I required activated. What speed then does your jump drive nominally operate at?” Munto asked.

“It doesn’t. At least not by conventional means,” Rix said, hearing Munto’s priming of the fusion systems.

“What does that mean? Did you not indicate that the colony was a ‘long jump’ from your existing worlds?” Munto asked, putting together an extra twist in the hydrogen/helium flows to make the fusion system ignite a bit easier as they warmed them to ignition point.

“Well, a long time in jumpspace is a different from real world time,” Rix said, shrugging, still listening to the sounds of the fusion systems.

“Different how?” Munto was intrigued.

“Well, it’s not a 1 to 1 ratio. More like a kind of 10%. So you spend a week in transit in jumpspace, it’s like 10 weeks in regular FTL,” Rix said. “Or at least that’s how the mechs tried to explain it to be once. I gave up paying attention if I’m honest.”

“That… doesn’t make sense and even if it did, that would simply suggest that your systems are 10x faster than a conventional FTL system of the time. Why is the Esperanto not equipped with both?” Munto prompted.

“Regular required the gateways, so it was always point to point. Never could be ship mounted. Jumpdrives meant you could go anywhere,” Rix said. “What does your system use?”

Munto wasn’t agog at the Terran, but was definitely certain that there was more than what the Terran was explaining.