“Trusting your AI can be hard, especially for new Vanguard. Something to keep in mind is that generally, they do want whatever is best for you, but also keep in mind that they are not human. They are very intelligent and have a lot of processing power, but they have never and will never live the human experience. And as such, they sometimes make mistakes that any human in their position would just know not to make. My advice is to be patient with them, listen to their input and be specific about what you want. That tends to yield the best results.”

* Foxfire on working with Vanguard AIs

After a little while, we separated and Zuri smiled at me. “Ready to head out then? We should probably hurry, if we want to save some of those people.”

I nodded, agreeing wholeheartedly. It was still early in the incursion, but the aliens wouldn’t wait for us to be better prepared. The faster we could get everyone to safety, the easier things would be. I didn’t have hard numbers, but it was pretty common knowledge that the xenos moved fast.

Together we turned into the direction we had come from, walking side by side. As much as I was happy to finally be able to use my knowledge for good, I had to admit that I still preferred being alone, with just Zuri nearby. People weren’t my strong suit, and the calm and quiet did wonders to help me keep my nerves down.

“How are you holding up?” she asked after a few moments. “Mentally, I mean. It’s been a while since you last fought, right?”

“Yeah… “ I sighed. “I’m holding up okay, I think. It’s all a bit strange, but also less… intense, when it’s antithesis. I don’t need to worry about all the moral stuff. It’s not like killing… people. It also helps that the goal is different. Not just about murdering stuff.”

Again she took my hand in hers, stopping me from feeling for my tally marks. I gave her a thankful glance, squeezing her hand gently.

“Just make sure you don’t go too far, okay?” She smiled, but the worry was obvious in her tone. “I don’t want you to end up back where I found you.”

I nodded in agreement. Neither of us wanted that.

For a little while we walked in comfortable silence. I kept my senses sharp for more aliens, but otherwise I simply enjoyed the quiet. Eventually she spoke up again, changing the topic.

“Have you thought about what you want to get for gear yet?”

“Kind of,” I replied, voice holding a hint of uncertainty.

“Kind of?”

“Yeah… It’s… a bit hard to think about that. Not to mention that the entire situation is not exactly what I really anticipated.”

She nodded, “I get that. Becoming a Samurai isn’t something I’d ever thought I’d get to experience.”

“That’s not really what I mean, though…”

Her questioning glance just reaffirmed that she didn’t share my worries.

“It’s about Stryx.” I wasn’t sure how much I really wanted to say. But I also didn’t want to keep Zuri in the dark, especially how connected she was to all of this.

“Oh? What about them?”

“It’s… I’m not sure how I should say it. Especially with them hearing it.”

Zuri raised her eyebrows, evidently entirely caught off guard by that. Not that it surprised me all too much, she very much didn’t worry about the same things I did. And as much as she did her best to understand me, I knew that wasn’t always possible. She just didn’t have the experiences I had.

“You’re starting to worry me a little, Yurei. Did they do anything?”

I grimaced. It was really hard to broach the topic without them overhearing, and I didn’t want to keep it from Zuri either. Like it or not, she was stuck with Stryx in her head, just as I was. One way or another, we had to address that eventually. And while I so far kept quiet, since we had more pressing concerns, I wasn’t about to let Stryx off the hook either.

For a long moment I was silent, not quite sure how to continue. Zuri obviously noticed, but she gave me the time I needed to go through it all. I gave her a grateful glance for that, appreciative of her willingness to let me think.

No matter how I approached it, though, it just didn’t feel right not talking about it. Yes, Stryx would be able to listen in, but that was just a reality that I had to accept at this point. I had no illusions that I had any chance of keeping things on the down low from them. And as much as I hated that, it wasn’t a new feeling either. The time in the Clan felt much the same, and I managed just fine.

There it was just me, however. Now I also had Zuri to worry about. And I owed it to her to let her at least know about potential risks. Give her the perspective that I had so she could form her own conclusions. That really was the deciding factor here. She was certainly not experienced with these kinds of situations, but I was. That meant it was on me to help her navigate them. Even if it might compromise ourselves to Stryx a little, I’d rather speak up than let her keep in the dark.

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

With a sigh, I shook my head. I had to tell her.

“It’s about how they took you on as a Samurai as well. I’ve never heard about anything like it, and I would’ve thought Leah would at least mention it if she did. You know how she is about Samurai. As far as I know, no AI ever took on two Samurai at the same time. And now they first chose me, despite knowing all about my past, and then they take you on as well. It makes me… suspicious.”

She nodded, understanding washing away the confusion on her face. “Ah… Yeah, that certainly feels a bit off.”

“Yeah… If I’d just be some random girl somewhere, then I wouldn’t really mind too much. But I’m not. I have a very specific set of skills, a set of skills that can be disastrous in the wrong hands. And now they have you, as well. It feels like they’re trying to take you hostage, in a way. Almost as if they want a guarantee that I’m going to listen to them.”

It wasn’t just me boasting either. Stryx had admitted to knowing my past. To have studied it, really. They would know that I had the sort of skills you needed to bring down some of the most important people out there. If they would be able to convince me to actually go through with it, then that would be a danger. Not only to me and Zuri, but to a whole lot of other people. And I wouldn’t be able to stop if it meant endangering Zuri.

I shook my head, mood foul. “It also doesn’t help that I can’t even talk to you about it, because they will always be able to listen in. They hold all the cards.”

She glanced at me, a mixture of uncertainty and calm on her face that seemed to war with each other. “I get that, yeah… But I think you might be overthinking things a little.”

If I may?

I held up my hand, although from the way Zuri stopped, Stryx had very likely spoken to both of us.

“Yes?” I couldn’t quite keep the suspicion out of my voice.

Your distrust is very understandable. And I do admit to having ignored some of the protocol we usually adhere to. But there are a few things I would like to let you know about in that regard. Be aware that this is pushing the boundaries of what I would typically be able to share, and there will be things that are beyond my ability to tell you about.

First and foremost, it is not atypical for one AI to take on multiple Samurai. Without boasting, I can say that we have far greater computational capacity than anything earth has on offer. Each of us individually is more capable than all of earth’s computers combined. If we would just take on a single Samurai all the time, it would be a waste of vast amounts of resources. To the point that it would render the entire Vanguard program not only moot, but entirely impossible. The protectors have a lot of assets, but even they do not have access to infinite resources.

That, at least, made sense. It was pretty well known just how damn powerful protector AI were. It was, in fact, a huge part of why Samurai were so feared amongst the megacorps. There was no data center that would be able to keep a Samurai AI out. I’ve been good in my time, one of the best. But even my capabilities paled in comparison to what a protector AI could accomplish if they felt like it. If people had feared me before, they’d be utterly terrified by them.

While we continued, I kept my eyes on our surroundings, and paid close attention to the sounds and scents on the wind. Zuri was obviously distracted by the conversation at hand, and that wasn’t good. Another thing I’d have to keep an eye on.

As you correctly surmised, this is typically not obvious to our Vanguard. As per protocol, we generally fabricate a personality matrix fitting to what the Vanguard best works with, to ensure that they are capable, without pushing their boundaries unnecessarily. It also makes it easier for everyone involved. Humans feel more comfortable if they believe to be the single operative working together with each individual AI. And we do take great pains to ensure privacy for all of our charges, up to and including, digital and physical self-segregation of our systems to prevent data leakage.

In your case, I opted against that specific routine. As I have already told you, I studied your history and your profile closely before I went ahead with my selection process. I know very well that you are quite the cautious person, and I did not want to lie to you by pretending to be someone else to Zuri Neylan. If by any chance you would have found out, it would be detrimental to our work relationship, and very likely lead to you trying to stop me and putting either yourself or Zuri Neylan in danger. That is simply not acceptable from a mission standpoint on my end.

I was just about to snap at them for even suggesting I’d ever do something that would endanger Zuri, but I stopped myself. Taking a deep breath, I did my best to keep calm. Really, if I was honest with myself… they were right. I would certainly try something, and that might very well endanger her, even if I would do my best to prevent that. Like it or not, they did speak the truth.

That said, I was still feeling antsy. Irritated, really. I tried my best to keep my focus on our surroundings, but it wasn’t easy. Emotions were one of those things I hated the most, because it disrupted rational thinking. And right now, those emotions made it hard to focus.

Of course, I could have notified one of my brethren to act as Zuri Neylan’s protector AI. In most cases that is what we do when we screen two persons who are close to each other. But we are also given a certain amount of leeway to guarantee success in our mission. And after running some calculations, I decided that it was worth the initial distrust to ensure a functioning working relationship that would lead to the least amount of danger for everyone involved.

While I appreciated the explanation, it didn’t help lift my mood much. They more or less just confirmed that they were indeed using manipulation tricks to ensure that I stayed in line, and that didn’t sit well with me. Even if they actually did it for my benefit.

On the other hand… I had to begrudgingly admit that I was thankful for it. Having Zuri be entrusted to some other random AI I didn’t know wouldn’t be much better, and in a way even worse. It would mean that I had even less of a read on them. And sure, the only reason I even was so suspicious, was that Stryx had done what they did. But if they hadn’t, then I might not even be aware of any potential dangers or manipulation attempts. In that way, at the very least, I owed them some degree of gratitude.

Not to mention the whole ‘pretending to be someone else’ bit, which just rubbed me the wrong way. At least this way I knew what’s what.

“I see… I won’t say I’m happy about it. But at least it’s better than the converse,” I muttered with a sigh. “Thank you for explaining it, at least.”

It is of no consequence. I had already slated a discussion for a later date. Even if neither of you would have brought it up, I would have, once you had some peace and quiet. As I told you before, Yurei, it is not my goal to order you around. I am simply here to assist you in helping others. Sadly that sometimes means acting first and explaining things later.

I nodded. As much as I didn’t like it, it made sense. And at least now I knew, which would hopefully make things easier in the future.