Seraph’s Gambit- Episode 35
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Squee
“You almost got us killed, you traitorous drone!”
Squee stepped into the mess hall after returning from harvesting the derelict for parts. Serene stood pointing a finger directly at Mesu’s face. The drone tilted his head to the right, and his glowing eyes dimmed briefly as if blinking. Odd, he thought, he had assumed the drone had been programmed by Echanics, but blinking was a very human gesture.
“I did no such thing. The drone ships self-destruct sequence triggered as a result of Olivia’s attempt to bypass the boot sequence. When she accessed unauthorized commands, the drone’s security measures went into effect.”
“Try and blame me. Typical AI.” Olivia fumed, “Without me accessing those sensors, we never would have found Vlasa and Serene.”
“With the passive sensors from the drone, I calculate a 57% chance we would have located them before their life support failed, and their fragile biological bodies succumbed to a lack of oxygen.” Mesu said, “There was no need to murder a perfectly innocent AI to rescue them.”
“You can’t murder something that is not alive.” Serene countered.
“I am most certainly alive,” Mesu said, his voice turning indignant, which was a jarring change from his usual very cheery tone.
“By some definitions of what constitutes ‘alive’, both Mesu and the drone-ship are indeed alive,” Vlasa added.
Serene turned a pointed glare at him, “Big surprise, the half-robot defends the other robots.”
“That’s enough,” Ariana said, interrupting the discussion, “We got our people back, safe and sound. That is all that matters right now. Squee is back, so let’s figure out where we stand.”
All eyes in the room turned to stare at Squee, who still stood in the doorway. He entered the room and proceeded to the largest seat, the only one capable of supporting his bulk, and sat down. It gave an uncomfortable groan.
“What were you able to salvage from the remains of the derelict, Squee?” Ariana asked
“Not much,” Squee said, hanging his head, “The explosion shredded the exterior hull so I am afraid to report that we have no replacement sensor components. Likewise, their environmental system was destroyed.”
“So, we’re still half blind and one bad day away from suffocating,” Noah noted.
“Indeed. However, the central reactor was well protected. I believe I found everything Vlasa requested. Along with some additional shield projectors they had in storage.”
“Excellent. With those, I should be able to finish the upgrades to the reactors.” Vlasa said with a smile, “Maybe even further upgrade the shields, depending on what Squee found.”
“But no parts for the sensors, oxygen or FTL.” Ariana said, her shoulders slumping, “We might be better protected if we get into another fight, but we still can’t repair the damage we’ve suffered. Now, about that hack Mesu found on our FTL system?”
“I was able to find it, and it is indeed integrated with the FTL systems.” Vlasa said, drawing everyone’s attention, “But in a most distressing twist of fate, the jury-rigged repairs the captain made while I was incapacitated, almost completely bypassed it. It can access data, but it can not control the FTL.”
“See, I can make proper repairs sometimes.”
“Ari, I think he’s saying the opposite,” Javi said.
“Precisely. The non-standard nature of the repairs prevented the hack from gaining control of the FTL.” Vlasa said deliberately.
“You mean the Captain screwed up and we got lucky.” Noah grinned.
Ariana cast a glare at Noah, which just caused him to smile more.
“I think the more important question is, who put it there in the first place?” Serene said, slowly turning her gaze to each member of the crew.
“I think that would be obvious.” Squee said, “You or your compatriots while you had control of the ship.”
“You caught me.” Serene said holding her hands out, “We captured your ship and then decided to install a drone hack onboard so someone else could steal it from us. And we also did it incompetently, as the FTL was already damaged when we came onboard.”
“Hey, why aren’t you locked up?” Noah asked.
“That is a very good question.” Serene said, and then turned her gaze to Squee, “It really says something about your captain’s competence to let someone like me roam free.”
“Let’s not start casting suspicion around,” Ariana commanded. “We’ve had slavers and pirates aboard. Any of them could have installed it. Or it could have been ported aboard during our fight with the LFD fleet. As for you, Serene, you’re free to return to being locked up anytime you want. You helped us out, so I’m inclined to give you a chance, but I’m not committed to that decision.”
Serene just smiled, and Ariana continued, “The actual question is what do we do about it?”
“We remove it. What other option is there?” Olivia asked.
“We leave it installed.” Vlasa said, “If LFD thinks they can track us, we might be able to use that to our advantage. We might also be able to use it to hack them back.”
“That’s crazy!” Olivia said. “We can’t leave a drone AI attached to the ship.”
“A hack is not a true AI. It needs to be controlled by another AI.”
“Like doctor death over there? He could access it and take control of the ship at any point.”
Squee glanced at Mesu who appeared completely oblivious that Olivia had directed her comments at him. The medical drone sat in the corner of the room motionless. The rest of the group devolved into everyone talking over everyone else.
Finally, Ariana regained control of the conversation, “Can the LFD use it to track us? Is that how the drone found us?”
“No, the hacks are local devices. At most, they can only communicate a few light years, like most ships. The long-distance communication the drones had during the war is something the LFD has not figured out” Javi countered.
“So, it’s a coincidence it showed up here? Two different drones happening on to us in the middle of nowhere?” Olivia asked.
“Maybe. The fact that it was two different drones, makes it less likely we are being tracked continuously.” Javi said, “It’s possible it might have been close enough to pick up the signal. Such as that thing I thought I sensed in the nebula. Or some LFD spy on M-21 reported our presence and the drone was searching for us.”
“That seems likely. It seems Gerald has dealings with the LFD.” Noah admitted, “I saw one of his flags on the first ship we captured.”
Ariana frowned and didn’t say anything for a moment. She finally turned to Serene, “Care to elaborate on that?”
“I could, but anything I said would all be fabrications. Gerald didn’t consult me on his dealings.”
“Fair enough. Now, can we remove it safely?” Ariana asked Vlasa.
“Maybe. But it would be very risky. While it does not have direct control, it is well integrated. Removing it might end up damaging the FTL. Which is not something we want to do out here.” Vlasa explained, “We would be well served to find a functional shipyard. It would make our other repairs easier as well.”
Squee hesitated. He had debated this idea for some time. Now he could avoid it no longer, “I may have a solution for that.”
Everyone turned their attention to him, and he felt uncomfortable. Not looking up, he said, “We are not far from Rokma space. My people will help.”
“We don’t have any money, Squee,” Ariana said, reluctantly.
“That will not matter. I…I have some influence with the government.”
“What, are you like a prince or something?” Noah asked.
“Certainly not. We Rokma do not believe in something so archaic as royalty.” Squee said indignantly, “I am Caleek.”
When everyone starred back at him blankly, he sighed, “The closest term in the universal language is shaman.”
“You’re a priest?” Olivia asked with a giggle.
“No, I do not preach the words of our faith. I convey the will of the Gods.”
“I don’t see the difference,” Noah said, with a shrug of his shoulders.
“No one expects you to understand, dear,” Serene said, patting Noah on the shoulder.
Ignoring them, Ariana leaned in close to Squee and said quietly, “Are you sure your people can help? After what happened with the PUG patrol ship, I’m not itching to approach any authority figures until Triask. I know you seemed reluctant to return home when we picked you up.”
“Yes, that was before I knew about the importance of your quest. It is no accident I found you at this time. I am meant to help you.”
Ariana shifted uncomfortably, but nodded, “All right, Olivia, set course for Rokma space.”
Continue to Episode 36
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