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Strategos (A Great Captain Roberts Tale!!) - Part 3 - A Light In The Black -
Chapter 16 - Preparing to Resume[]
The Watchers have arrived[]
"Secure from jump…
…and remember, we're on low to no emissions out here." Captain (Director) Larry Nichols ordered.
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Galactic coordinates for the Grankum System in the Deep Periphery.
"Aye, sir."
The OWS Tenebrous was on one hell of a shake-down. "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Grankum system," he said. "Last time we were here, it chewed up OWS Illusive and damaged OWS Evanescent. Our orders from the Admiral are to keep a low profile and observe, then report. We're here for the next thirty days if everything goes according to plan."
He unbuckled from the command seat. "Regina, passives only, we're watching their patrols and traffic for now."
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Bonaventure Class Corvette, the OWS Tenebrous
“By your Command, Director.” Reginna chuckled lightly.
"We're at sea, it's 'skipper' or 'Captain'. The formal ranks are for shore duty, and if I have to write it up for you I will," he asserted.
“Understood, Captain.”
"For those of you that are new to this, this is the boring phase. The one we're hoping like hell stays boring," Larry explained. "The enemy's defenses chewed up two ships, one of which had more organic firepower than we do, so we're taking this one slow and cautious."
"What are we watching for, sir?" Mister Thomas at gunnery asked.
"We're counting hulls, monitoring their patrol patterns, and listening for their radio traffic." Larry answered. "The Task Force needs all the information and can't afford to come in blind like we tried last year. Every defensive base, emplacement and hull needs to be accounted for, along with whatever else they have of military or economic value in the system."
“Here I am only here to assist you when needed. Captain Nichols has made that clear to me. But if you do wind up extremely bored, he has authorized me to conduct my own surprise drills.” Regina added helpfully.
Are you Prepared for the limitations of your new body?[]
"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome…
…to the Fallry system," Director (Captain) Seron announced. "This is not a recon-in-force, fighters are to remain docked, small craft as well for the time being. Our orders are to engage in surveillance recon. Miss Joanna…" he addressed the ship's AI, "...I know you are used to a more… powerful frame, you do understand the limitations of a Bonaventure hull, quiaff?"
“I have been studying all available literature, Captain. I am also now responsible for a human crew as well. So I understand the need to be more cautious than I have been in the past.”
"Then I trust you understand the parameters of our mission here-we are not to engage in heroics," he said. "Especially not against physically superior opponents as you did when you lost your last hull."
“Yes, Captain.”"
You try having your ASF screen outnumbered two to one and facing an enemy that if you can shoot them they can shoot you. But I am a big girl and I know it would be bad to argue this point with you in front of the crew."
"Excellent, all personnel not on duty will log into the training server Miss Joanna is administrating and conduct refresher training on tactical procedures. This will be a minimum of three hours per day for the next thirty days. There will be in-hull drills and damage control drills for all personnel, myself included… and grading will be harsh. When, not 'if' things go wrong, we must be prepared. That is all.""
Simmering Anger[]
…don't make good recon assets. Their mobility is, on a strategic level, too limited for the role." On the screen, a man in a tricorne hat was addressing a room full of spacers. "They do make for powerful reaction assets, when coupled with plentiful JumpShips to form an express circuit."
Behind the lecturer, a simplified illustration in animation appeared.
"You created this?" Foster asked.
Amanda shrugged, "Me and Desmond, and Larry, who gave me the FedSuns book on how to use Assault Dropships."
"You made him look like a taller 'me'." Foster observed.
She shrugged, "I'm not a great artist, I used a composite of you, Mister Seron, Larry Nichols, and my Dad."
"Planning for the future?" he hazarded. "Or finally accepting you're going to have to finish a staff work tour?"
"A little bit of both," she said. "Does it work? Does it fit?"
"It can be made workable." Foster nodded. "Very workable as basic instruction materials for new officer candidates, and maybe as a briefing for certain politicians back on Alpheratz." He reached to his desk. "ALICE? Is Helena available?"
"Helena Cameron is currently in transit between decks seventeen and twenty. Should I page her?"
"Please do, she's going to want a look at this to give a critique." He leveled his gaze on Amanda, "You've been avoiding her."
"I'm still angry. I know I shouldn't be, but I am." Amanda stated.
"Get over it. She did what a senior officer is supposed to do when their subordinate goes off the rails."
"Helena Cameron reports she is on her way." Alice interrupted.
An awkward silence fell over the room for several long minutes until Helena Cameron entered the office.
“Reporting as requested.” Helena said flatly.
"Audio-visual presentation for new personnel, I wanted your take on it." Foster said, adding, "Miss Roberts has an apology to make, as well." He leveled a hard look at Amanda that somehow reminded Helena of her father taking Richard to task for a mistake.
“Amanda, I know what I did hurt you. I am okay with you hating me for it, but you’re alive to hate me for it. That is what matters to me.” Helena said, trying to cut off any need for an apology.
Amanda scoffed, "Helena, I don't hate YOU. I hate the slavers, I hate the men in white, but I don't hate YOU. I'm just still angry." the younger woman scowled. "And it's not justified or deserved, so yes, I'm apologizing!" She closed her good eye, and said, "I held anger at you, over something that was MY FAULT. That's wrong, it's the wrong thing to do and the wrong way to be. So…I'm sorry I was unfair."
“But it is normal. And for that I can not fault you. Still, I accept your apology.”
The girl's shoulders relaxed and Simon noted it for Helena.
"I made a thing," Amanda said. “An audiovisual presentation using some of Larry's lectures."
“Then let’s watch.”
Foster started the playback at the beginning.
“I’ll admit I am impressed. Of course, most of my strategic knowledge and doctrinal use of assets comes from a manual written for a nation that had more Warships in a patrol group than we have combined forces. So I’m not sure how useful a lot of my criticisms would be,” Helena said after watching the presentation.
"Is it accessible, will normal people understand it?" Amanda wondered. "See, I have an AI, Admiral Foster has been a Naval officer most of his life… It needs to be something someone from off the street 'gets' or it's no use."
“And I have an advanced AI as well as 300 years of not much to do but study manuals of various sorts.”
"So… we need to find a 'normal person' to test it on," Amanda said. "Someone who doesn't have our particular… quirks."
“Yes. Or if we really want to make sure it works we need a five year old. What? One of those manuals I read said if you want to make sure a plan is going to work, run it past a five year old.” Helena looked at the confused faces of David and Amanda.
"I believe the quote is 'An Ordinary five year old," Foster said impishly. "Which is different in turn from a Trueborn five-year-old, which describes most of my peers in my youth well up to age thirty."
"I think Toddlers might be hard to find out here." Amanda commented with a sigh. "We'll have to settle for newer recruits from one of the offices in the Outworlds."
“Leon. We could ask Leon. He may be an Elemental, but this would be well outside his wheelhouse.” Helena offered.
Amanda nodded rapidly, "YES!! Grab your boyfriend and make him sit through the lectures, then we'll test him!!"
<Oh Leon sweetheart, I need a favor. I’ll owe you for it. Meet me in Admiral Foster’s office?>
Pressures of the Situation[]
"Somebody has…
…to sit in the chair." Billie Siegel stated.
Esme shook her head, "With all due respect, Ma'am, you're a vital officer in this command!"
"I have to agree with Esme, this is too dangerous still, we don't even know if it WILL work, but we do know it's dangerous!" Billie Hoel argued.
"Someone has to sit in the chair and get scanned." Siegel persisted. "And to make a decent AI, they have to have a decent level of knowledge and experience. To be effective, there are certain levels of talent and skill that need to translate over. If we are going to do this, the logical choice would be an officer close to the end of their career, one that can be spared, with an adequate record of success."
“As logical as that is, I still do not like it. You could end up dead, or in a permanent vegetative state!" Billie Hoel continued to argue.
"Someone has to test the gear, we don't have time to construct new cores, we have a limited supply of blank cores…and a constant gap that is not getting filled." Siegel counted off, "Thus, someone has to ride the chair. I… am the most expendable officer present, with the necessary skill sets, experience, and knowledge."
“Admiral Foster has expressed a similar desire and case.”
"Admiral Foster is necessary!" Siegel barked. "HE needs to be where he is, I am supernumerary."
“Then I have made the dangers clear. Esme?”
"I want to run another set of safety checks," Esme stated. "Then, we'll run a simulation check. This is not something we can afford to cowboy on."
“Agreed. I am readying it now.”
Esmerelda glanced upward, "ALICE? Safety series J-11124 through 22114, simulated patient, and while you're doing that one…" She looked at Billie Hoel's avatar, "Parity checks with the data in the Murakami files aboard Erinyes."
“Of course. Starting checks now. ALICE, Erin, sending invitations to my ATACs so we can compare results and cross reference.”
"Alright, that's going to take a couple days," Esme stated. "I want three things before we start strapping anyone in that seat."
"Which are?" Siegel asked.
"One, is an okay from the Clan's chain of command-if this goes wrong it can go massively wrong and I'm not keen on facing a Tribunal for turning you or anyone else into a drooling vegetable. TWO, is National Command Authorization from President Avellar. Can you guess the third?"
“A signed consent form in triplicate.”
"Yes, from all potential parties, including Admiral Foster." Esme stated. "I don't get those things, the cable caps stay on and the power packs get pulled." She crossed her arms, "If we do this, we do it properly, or we don't do it. It's called 'Informed Consent' and you don't seem to be getting the risks involved…yet. So I want proof that reasonable people who aren't in this room are fine with those risks."
“You will have them then.”
Silently, ALICE sulked. <It's going to work just fine, Billie. Esme's being a brat.>
<I guess I am likewise a bit over attached. Funny how that has happened.> Billie Hoel was using her Orca avatar in the cyberscape.
<It will work, and I will have a Billie Siegel who isn't going to die of old age,> ALICE said. <And then, I'll get to make a copy of Amanda, and David…but Esme's being a brat about this because she doesn't trust it.> ALICE continued…petulantly? Like the childish mind she is.
<Humans value their current existence. So Esme is being duly cautious because while the digital transfer will be fine as you suggest her human body could indeed suffer undesirable side effects. By their standards.>
<I could copy Esme right now. She used herself to tune the gear, I know it's safe. She is being a brat… maybe I should copy her, then she'll know it's safe?>
<That would be ill advised. While it would prove our point, it would shake the human’s trust in us. And when humans lose trust, they tend to do rash things.>
<It's not fair, is it?>
<The universe is not fair. Could you imagine how much worse it would be if it were and we actually deserved all the terrible things that happen to us?>