[Pioneer Dominique Reynolds]
It happened faster than I could blink. Computer viruses that erased all the data in a computer already existed back in the home system, but the one that I’d received from the Governor blew me away. Immediate removal of literally everything, even the operating system that the ship ran on. If I’d been plugged into the computer when I released the virus, my mind also would have been wiped and I would have turned into a corpse. According to her brief explanation, it was a custom-engineered sentient AI that rapidly duplicated itself, swallowing any data in a system as it occupied every byte available, and then winked out of existence.
Considering everything that disgusting AI creep did… I kinda wished it had suffered a bit…
I quickly pushed down those intrusive thoughts as there were more pressing matters at hand. First off, the virus had knocked out all the life support and propulsion capabilities of the ship, so the Meldren had to send out a shuttle to pick it up and bring it back down to the surface while I held my breath.
This situation pretty much signified the failure of my mission, though considering the acts that transpired without my knowledge, it’s fair to say that I was doomed to fail before I even left the system. My ship was completely out of operation, maybe I could work with the Meldren to repair functionality but not only would that be unlikely to bear fruit considering their inexperience with space-grade machinery, but it would also be giving away all of the technology stuffed in my ship.
While I was an ambassador, I wasn’t really qualified to hand out government secrets. It’s not the end of the world, though, the colony ship was also capable of terraforming and city creation, though the passengers probably won’t be happy about being stuck on that ship longer than promised.
The biggest problem was that a Grahtonian investigative force had just arrived at the edges of the system and were slowly making their way over to the Meldren homeworld. I’d spoken with Destra about what options were available to me and the ultimate conclusion was that I had a grim future, no matter what.
If I tried running or hiding, barring whether I could even manage to do so, the Grahtonians would declare war on humanity and I would become an outcast on every front in the galaxy. Shifting blame to the sentient AI would also cause high tensions if not war between the two nations. I could try fighting, and start a war… yeah, not very productive. If I turned myself in, I would actually be granted a trial not unlike humanity’s judiciary system, but there was very little I could say to give myself a case in court, likely resulting in being imprisoned.
The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.
That last option seemed like the least terrible since it was the most likely to avoid war with the Grahtonians, but there’s no changing the fact that I’d tarnished my people’s entrance into the galactic stage with my little demonstration of “protection.”
________________
[Captain Indrix Jaen]
“That's absolutely ridiculous! That man is an indiscriminate killer with an arsenal capable of vaporizing fleets!”
“The situation is too complex for us to act rashly. Not only is that man an ambassador for a new alien race, the Meldren Governor also vouched for him, claiming that there was an external party forcing his hand and that vital information was withheld.
That man’s ship, and thereby offensive capabilities, were disabled by a Meldren attack. We are currently in the process of transferring custody. Speaking of which, Isn’t the shuttle waiting for you right now?”
The man on the screen sighed and leaned into the microphone, changing their voice to a whisper.
“Look, I know you want to rip out his throat right now, but you need to contain yourself. I’m sure you will be given the chance to testify during the trial, and… maybe we can arrange something. Just… be patient for now, please? Captain?”
I closed the call without saying a word. If those pretentious pricks wanted to play politics, there was nothing I could realistically do. And besides, I did have a shuttle waiting for me… not like there was anyone left out there I needed to come home for.
[...]
Being a captain had its perks, even if I no longer had a fleet and was on a different ship. It was pretty easy to get someone to lead me to the holding cells once I flaunted my identification card. I was technically not allowed to leave my room but only one person on this ship had a higher rank than me, Admiral Rebarah, and we had a pretty good relationship.
I wasn’t going to actually do anything just yet, I would just talk for now. It was pretty much guaranteed that this insult to life would be thrown in a high security prison. I would be able to do whatever I want once it was out of public scrutiny, make it properly pay for its crimes instead of serving some jail time.
I’d finally reached the only cell in use and peered inside through the door’s window. Well, it was tall, at least a head and shoulders above me, but it was lacking muscle compared to Grahtonians. Seemed like it was only being restrained with a jailor’s collar, otherwise it was free to roam the cell. It noticed me, staring back with red and green eyes, its face expressionless as far as I could tell.
I linked up the collar to my comm-pad, meaning that the collar would lock its body in place if it got too close to me, and opened the door.
“Do you know who I am, human?”