The Chronicles of Henry Harper

by Jacen Aster

  “Why bother with a step-down device? This unit should never be active longer than a spike situation. The stress test was well beyond any realistic scenario.”

  “That's likely what the designers thought too, when they didn’t add the step-down component to the design in the first place. However, it is far better to have the extra component in the event something does cause such a long duration spike. Malfunctions, battle damage, or even emergency cross-wiring to boost another system, could all result in prolonged saturation. When this shield relay went down, so did half the systems in this section. Much better to over engineer the relay and not have that possible failure point.”

  “I see. It is becoming clear to me why Mr. Amaril wanted you here. Your approach is far more pragmatic and long-sighted than that of the scientists.”

  “Er...thanks? I think?”

  “It is merely an observation, rather than being intended to carry positive or negative connotations.” Valkyrie hesitated before adding, “I do believe it will likely be beneficial to the long-term operation of the ship, however, and hope that this fact will continue to see the ship in operation past its test flights.”

  Henry chuckled. “Getting attached to the ship, Val?”

  “I was always attached to the ship, Mr. Harper. Literally. I am hard wired into it. It would pose considerable difficulties to remove me from this ship. It is considerably more likely that they would simply choose to replace me instead. Particularly given that I was made specifically for this ship due to Mr. Amaril’s whimsy. I do not believe the Aoreli like me, and even human captains would likely not prefer a war-spirit modeled VIM on their ship.”

  Henry wanted to wince but tried covering it with a grin. “I can see where that might be a concern, but I'm sure you won't be so readily discarded. Rana said your programming was incredible, right?”

  Valkyrie tilted her head to the side in contemplation. “I suppose that is true, and it might see me moved if they can't crack what makes my programming special. You don't need to comfort me, however, Mr. Harper. I am just a program. I would like to be active for longer than the test period, but it matters little in the end.”

  They had moved on from the shield generators while they spoke and as they reached Henry's quarters, he bid her a good night. Valkyrie's projection winked out of existence and Henry continued to stare at the spot she had occupied for some moments longer. She would like to continue? There was something about that conversation that seemed a bit off to Henry.

  ♦♦♦♦♦♦♦

  “So, Rana!”

  Rana jumped, nearly toppling out of her seat as Henry appeared from nowhere and slid onto the bench across from her. As he placed his mess tray down with a soft thump, Rana tried to slow her heartbeat down to something approaching normal.

  “Holy shit, Henry! Don't sneak up on a girl like that.”

  Henry chuckled and gestured to her portable. His voice was dry as he told her, “I was hardly sneaking. You were just too engrossed in your work to notice me. Which is why, I might add, that no one sits with you.”

  Rana grimaced. “Is that why? I thought I was super-scary or something.”

  “Oh you are. That's the other reason.”

  Rana gave an exasperated sigh. “What do you want, Henry? Or are you just here to make fun of me?”

  “Nope. That's just a bonus.” Ignoring her impressive pout-snarl, he continued, “Actually, I had a question. Do advanced VIMs like Valkyrie have enough self-preservation to be afraid of deactivation?”

  Rana just stared at him for several long moments. She finally replied in a voice that said he might as well be asking if space was cold. “Of course not, Henry. That would be really stupid.” Hesitating a moment, she added, “Well, there are entertainment models like that, I think. Games and such that want you to be emotionally invested so you come back for more. But with ship systems? There's no chance. It wouldn't be safe. No ship VIM has that sort of programming.”

  “Not even Valkyrie?”

  “No, not even Valkyrie. There's nothing like that in her code. It would be doubly stupid in her case since she, and the rest of the ship, are prototypes. Really, the Chimera is little more than a testbed for shiny new toys. They’re awesomely useful toys on a killer testbed, but still just an experiment. One likely to be stripped down for analysis eventually.” She frowned and asked, “What brought this on anyway?”

  Henry waved her off. “Just something Val said that made me think. She said she'd like it if the ship stayed active after the tests were done.”

  Rana gave a short nod before responding. “Ah, I can see where that might make you question. It's probably just her coding to preserve the ship, though. Her advanced interaction algorithms likely chose to express that as a desire in a casual conversation. That's what you get when you add personality programs to a tool, I suppose. Most ship VIMs are just dry information and automation programs. Adding a personality overlay onto that is likely to produce some odd results from time to time. Don't worry, Henry. I've been over her code a hundred times. There's nothing like that in there.”

  “I thought you didn't understand the code? Not all of it anyway.”

  Rana tisked and sighed. “I can see how you'd interpret what I said that way, but no. I understand all the code in its various bits and pieces. It's just trying to map how it all interacts that's crazy.”

  “Oh, I see. I think. Well, more or less anyway. Thanks, Rana. See you at the senior staff meeting in fifteen.” Henry walked off, grinning as he heard her starting to panic behind him. She'd obviously forgotten the meeting...again.

  ♦♦♦♦♦♦♦

  Henry sighed as Valkyrie silently handed him the last piece of the console he was repairing. Struggling, not with the easy repair, but with his companion's silence, he was about to give in when the object of his frustration surprised him by speaking up.

  “Henry, I have a question for you.”

  Voice muffled by the panel he was neck deep in, the surprise in Henry's was only just audible. “Sure, Val. What is it?”

  “Why do you talk to me so much?”

  Startled, Henry slid out from under the console and looked up at Val. After a short hesitation, he spoke. “I talk to everyone I work with. Why wouldn't I talk to you? Surely everyone does?”

  “The other engineers talk to me Henry, but only to issue commands. Only you, and more recently Rana, talk to me about extraneous things.”

  “Oh? Does it bother you?”

  “No! It is simply an anomaly I wish to understand.”

  “Well, that's it though, isn't it? You want to understand.”

  “I do not follow your meaning. Of course I want to understand. I was programmed to learn.”

  Henry slid back under the console, tightening down the new component he had just installed as he thought. A few minutes passed and Henry finished with the repair. Sliding back out, he began re-securing the housing and finally addressed her again. “I suppose the difference stems from the type of crew on board. Most of those here are build specialists. They've seen very little time aboard active ships.”

  “How does that make a difference?”

  Finishing up, Henry wiped his hands on a rag but didn't stand. Instead, he swiveled to face Valkyrie properly. “I'm sure you remember when I told you I talked to my plasma conduits all the time, right? Well, this is a sort of an extension to that. Most veterans of service on active ships know that each ship, and even every individual part of said ship, has an individual personality. In your case, while you may technically be a program, you have a very complete, even evolving, personality. Even up to and including a desire and ability to learn. From that perspective, you're far more like another human crewman than a plasma conduit. Combine that with a willingness to anthropomorphize the inanimate, and it translates to treating you like crew rather than a tool. The build specialists, on the other hand, never deal with a specific part or ship long enough to build that psychological rapport, that predisposition for believing the
ir ships and equipment are alive. To them, you are no different, no more alive, than a wrench or screwdriver. Perhaps more accurately, no different than the VIMs in dozens of games and entertainment suites. Just one with a more advanced set of skills. As such, they treat you as a tool more than anything else.”

  “I see, or rather I hear what you are saying. I am not certain that I understand it, however.”

  “I don't think I can explain it any better than that, Val. Maybe ask Rana?”

  ♦♦♦♦♦♦♦

  Rana flopped down inelegantly across from Henry as he ate his lunch. “That was seriously odd.”

  “Er…what was odd, exactly?”

  “Valkyrie just asked me why I treat her differently than the engineers do. I mean, it was harmless, but pretty extraneous, nothing to do with what we were working on. Or with any of the ship’s systems, really.”

  “She did the same with me. I tried to answer as best I could but referred her to you when she didn't quite seem to grasp it.” Henry paused a moment to let her process that. “Just another behavior manifesting from her advanced programming, you think? Like when I asked you about her wanting the ship to continue service after the test flights?”

  She hesitated for a few moments. “I suppose that’s probably it. I guess that weird way Jack had her kinda self-build her personality matrix means she had to be made more curious about everything in general, rather than just the ship.”

  She frowned in thought, nodded her head at her own solution, then stole Henry's milk.

  “Hey!”

  ♦♦♦♦♦♦♦

  The weeks passed by quickly, and the Chimera was launched to begin testing. A week into the tests, Henry palmed the door control for the starboard docking bay. Avarian had called in a problem of some sort, asking for Henry to come himself. When Henry entered, he frowned. Several members of the skeleton crew were running drills on the bay’s equipment. Ah, it looked like several of them were having trouble with some of the gear, not surprising given that it was a hodgepodge of Aoreli and human tech. With a sinking feeling that he was about to be roped into becoming a teacher, Henry approached Avarian, who was off to one side, watching them struggle.

  “So, Captain, what's the issue?” Mentally, he crossed his fingers, hoping something was just broken.

  There was no warning.

  Just as Avarian opened his mouth to answer, the ship lurched and the armored airlock doors exploded into the dock. Henry was blown backwards, slamming into the opposite bulkhead. Dazed, he saw, as if in slow motion, Avarian get pierced through the shoulder by a jagged piece of metal, a meter long at least.

  Alarms blared belatedly to life, klaxons careening an alien, Aoreli, emergency alert. Emergency fields slammed into place, stopping the outpouring of precious air almost before it began. Henry staggered to his feet and stumbled to Avarian, finding him unconscious but alive. Making a snap decision as the ship rocked again, he ripped out the shrapnel and muscled Avarian over his shoulder. Other crew were scrambling now to get out of the damaged section, but one paused and grabbed Avarian's other arm. Splitting the weight of the bulky Captain between them, they pushed through the security doors. They were the last ones out and the door slammed closed behind them.

  A medic, probably the only one on the ship at that point, skidded into the bulkhead as he raced around the corner. He zeroed in on the captain and started shouting orders. Henry was quickly pushed aside as the medic went to work. Free of the injured captain, he turned and darted to another door, palmed the release, then cursed as it failed to open. The light above the door glowed red, indicating the corridor beyond was open to space. He stood still a moment before cursing again and punching the bulkhead. That section was the only quick way to the maintenance bays and engineering. Continuing to mutter ever more inventive curses, he spun on his heel and bolted for the bridge instead. He could at least find out what was going on and run some of the systems from there. He just prayed that those on duty in engineering, or nearer by than he was, could handle whatever happened on that end.

  Flicking his comm on, he snapped out, “Harper to the bridge. What the hell is going on?”

  Surprisingly, it was Andra who answered. “Henry? Get up here! We're under attack!”

  Henry resolved to learn more curses as he pushed even harder, reaching the bridge in under a minute. The ship shook as what he now guessed was a missile detonated against the shields. Henry burst onto the bridge to a scene of total panic. Ruien and Rana were arm deep in the weapons console. Its flashing lights indicated they were still in test mode. The science team was in the middle of a test when they were attacked, apparently. Yeah, that figured. Also explained why Andra was on the comms. She normally wouldn't have been anywhere near the bridge. Ossiri was in the command chair shouting panicky-voiced orders to Andra at the comm panel. The moment he saw Henry, he wilted in relief. “Henry. Thank God! Take over!”

  Startled, Henry snapped out, “Me?”

  Andra piped up, “Jack made you second in command after Avarian. Something about you always pulling a win out of nowhere. Honestly, I wasn't really listening. With the project secrecy, I didn't think anything could happen. Take over until the captain gets here.”

  “He's not coming. He was wounded in the first attack.”

  “Then just plain take over!” She stepped away from the comm console with a motion of disgust. “Someone warned them about the new comm systems. We're jammed but good. So, what now?” Her voice was calm, but her ever collected demeanor was clearly fraying at the edges. Her voice pitch rising slightly with her question.

  Henry walked, half dazed, over to the command station and fell into the chair. Another missile slipped past the automated point defense and slammed into the shields, shaking the whole ship as they did their best to dissipate the kinetic energy.

  Forcing himself to take a deep breath, Henry asked in a voice of forced calm, “Status?”

  “Shields are at forty percent and falling. Point defense is mostly online, but all other armaments were down for testing. Ruien and Rana said at least fifteen minutes.”

  “Twenty!” shouted Ruien, from under the weapons console.

  Andra flinched. “Damn, twenty.” An edge of panic was creeping into Andra's voice as she mustered herself to continue. “They hit the sublight engines first, from ambush, before the shields could come up. They got hit hard. We have maybe fifteen percent movement, plus maneuvering thrust.”

  Henry sagged. Andra looked even more panicked, seeming to lose her nerve entirely when he didn't provide an instant solution. Fear beating out the calm in her voice, she asked him, “Maybe we should...consider surrendering?” The hesitation was nearly as thick in her voice as the fear, but before Henry could remind her that surrender was a terrible idea with unknown pirates, a new voice spoke up.

  Andra jumped and whirled, finding Valkyrie’s form right behind her. “That would be unwise. Statistically, pirate crews almost never leave anyone alive to identify them, and it is even less likely in our case, given that they are stealing something of extreme value from not one, but two species. Even if they did keep you alive, you would likely suffer imprisonment and be forced to use your knowledge of the ship's systems...and possibly worse things.”

  Andra paled at the reminder and Ossiri whimpered, but Henry just stared at Valkyrie. She should not be here. Could not be here. Her program was specifically barred from the bridge during combat. Was the ship so badly damaged? Or…. A dozen suspicions resurfaced in Henry’s mind as he pieced ideas and facts together at lightning speed.

  Henry lurched to his feet, drawing the attention of all. With an air of complete calm, he stared Valkyrie down for a moment before snapping to Andra, “Andra! Are all frequencies jammed or just the FTL channels?”

  Unnerved and startled by his change in demeanor, she stared confusedly at Henry as she answered. “Just the FTL bands. They have to talk to each other after all...but I thought that surrender—”

  Henry exploded into
motion, somehow still radiating calm as he covered the ground to the empty tactical station in a few rapid strides. “We aren't surrendering!” Henry threw over his shoulder, face excited. He paused and added, “At least, I hope not.”

  Before his latter comment could sink in, he barked a command, “Andra! Load up the comms for remote port system control. We are going to hijack those ships out from under them!”

  Already halfway to the comm panel, Andra stopped and simply stared. Dead silence struck the bridge as all present fixed their gaze on the crazy person suddenly in their midst. A crazy person that was ignoring them as he physically ripped an access panel from the tactical station and began rewiring its innards.

  It was Rana who spoke into the silence, voice faint but still carrying in the sudden stillness of the bridge. “The remote port systems?” She seemed to struggle with what she had just said. “Henry, that will never work. Their firewalls will completely shut us out in mid-battle. They can't be that sloppy to have forgotten something so basic.”

  Henry's grin turned shark-like as he popped back over the console. Facing her, his expression sent a shiver down her spine. “That's why we're gonna hack our way in.” Turning to Andra, he waved her to the comm console. “Andra? If you would?”

  Andra moved robotically, bringing up the requested systems as Rana tried to get over her sudden case of sputtering. Tone completely incredulous, she finally managed to bite out, “Henry! That's impossible! No one! I repeat no one, can hack a ship's firewall in battle! It takes hours to hack even a civy setup, and those are likely military models out there. They will scramble to new settings every few seconds. We can't hack that!”

  Henry smirked roguishly at her as he rapidly tapped commands with one hand...and slowly pointed to Valkyrie with the other. “We can't, no. But she can.”

  A strangled sound wrestled its way out of Rana. “Valkyrie! Have you lost your mind? She isn't set up for that. No VIM is set up for that! Hacking something as complex as a ship's firewalls requires too much decision making for an automated system. It'd get bogged down, or stuck in loops, or any number of other disasters.”