Ensign Lake passed an order to Sergeant Riley to download all the sensor records before he purged the suit's computer memory. He had no intention of purging the memory, that was just silly, but he did start on the download.
While the armorer interrogated the armors for sensor records he inadvertently tripped a failsafe in Jethro's armor. The armor came off the stand and started to thrash about, yanking the USB cables out. Riley fell back on his ass, ducking as the thing swung about. Ox caught a blow but managed to throw the suit off balance. It fell, then dropped to all fours and rushed the hatch door. It slammed into it then rebounded. It looked at the door, cocked it's head and then slapped at the hatch control panel. Before the Tauren could act the hatch had opened and the suit was gone.
“What the hell just happened?” Riley asked, looking wide eyed at the Tauren.
“No idea,” the Tauren rumbled. He'd been distracted by reading some of the e-mails between Riff, Gwen and himself. Now he regretted his inattention.
“Let security know,” Riley said, getting to his feet. “Security!” he snarled, opening an implant channel.
“I'll do one better, I'm calling Sergeant Jethro,” Ox said.
Jethro was nearby when he got the call. He had an uneasy feeling, like he wasn't himself. He wasn't sure why, now this. “Say that again?” he said slowly just as he heard a clatter and then someone squeal. He moved forward. He was nearby, on the same deck at least. He rounded the corner and then paused. The suit was there on all fours, scanning a female rating. “Hey!” Jethro called. The suit paused with its claws out to the woman then turned its head to him.
“Yeah. Me. What are you doing?” he demanded. He saw security MP's rushing to the scene. He waved them back. They skidded to a halt and then stared in confusion. Jethro sent them a text to get the girl out of there and secure the area. The Corporal in charge nodded. He grabbed the woman by the arm and moved her out.
“Firefly!” Jethro called, looking at the suit. He sent out an emergency e-mail to the AI and then hit repeat multiple times as he slowly moved towards the suit.
“I wouldn't do that Sergeant,” the other MP said.
“Fortunately you aren't me,” Jethro said. He snapped his fingers when the suit turned to look at the human. “Hey, hey, over here, on me,” he said. “Someone want to get Commander Firefly's attention here?” he asked conversationally, moving closer to the suit cautiously. He wasn't sure what was going on and didn't like not knowing.
“Why don't you settle down now and go back to the morgue. I don't know what's going on, but we can figure it out,” Jethro said.
Suddenly the armor lunged forward, pinning him by its bulk to the bulkhead behind him. He gasped, feeling the weight. His arms were pinned at his sides. “No!” he said as the MP reached for his weapon. “No weapons!” he said. “It's a suit!” he said. The head turned to the MP then back to Jethro. Jethro could see the red slit glowing with eyes. He could just make out a shape there, a feline shape made out of streams of data.
“What the hell?” he asked softly. The armor shifted its arms to pin Jethro's arms to his sides and then ran a DNA scan. He felt the scanner running over him as well as the claws stabbing into his wrists. He yowled in pain and looked down to see blood dripping. Anxiety ripped through him, if it did enough damage his cloak! His skin was his life!
The suit paused, then he felt something cool touching his wrists. “What are you doing?” he demanded. “Stand down!” He realized it was an AI, an AI that might not be sane.
There was a shifting there, primitive. Another cat yowled back, this one with a hint of longing in it. “Tobias?” a voice said in his consciousness. Emotions and images rushed through him, making him dizzy.
“No, Jethro,” Jethro replied, looking into the plastic eyes. He fought the vertigo he had to stay conscious. He wasn't sure if it was the blood loss or what the suit was feeding him. “Jethro.” He could feel anger, some sort of primal rage alien to him. He wasn't angry, just confused. He realized he wasn't the only one, the AI was as well. “Tobias was my ancestor. I am his descendant. He pictured Tobias then fumbled around and found the recording Tobias had left behind. He had downloaded it. He played it once more.
The suit reared back, then stared intently into his eyes as the video played.
When the video finished Jethro cleared his throat. “I'm Sergeant Jethro McClintock of the Anvil cat clan. Federation Recon and Raider Marine.” He hit his IFF and watched the suit slowly relax. After a moment it let go of him and then settled onto its haunches, staring up at him. There was a mew, then it looked away and back the way it had come.
“What? What's going on? Can't you people handle things when I'm having my down time?” Firefly finally said, coming into the corridor and sounding quite pissed. The AI avatar looked at the suit and then the Sergeant. “Oh,” he said simply.
Jethro felt data, encrypted data flow from the AI and into his suit. The suit settled further, acting as it if was mourning for a brief moment.
“It looks like a cat,” an MP whispered. Jethro looked up and then waved the curious MP's off. He saw Ox and Riley watching behind an MP and cocked his head at them. Riley shrugged helplessly. Hands up. Jethro scowled, ears flat. He'd get to the bottom of what was going on soon enough.
“It's okay now Sergeant. You can take it back to the morgue,” Firefly finally said. The suit stood on all fours and lashed its tail expectantly, cocking it's head at the Sergeant.
“Care to share? Or are you going to tell me this is all classified?” Jethro growled.
The suit cocked it's head at him for a long moment then turned and looked at the ship AI. More information flowed through the link. Jethro finally realized he could sense it because some of the information was coming from him. That shook him for a moment.
“I'm sorry Sergeant, yes classified,” the AI replied.
“I think I've figured out enough,” Jethro said quietly. “There is, or was, an inactive hidden computer network in the suit, most likely in the nano layers we couldn't figure out. That's why it healed itself after my little dive on Agnosta.”
“I can't say.”
“No, but I also figured out that the things in my back, along my spine, and in my thighs and head are organic computers. Passed on by my ancestors, generation after generation like royal jelly. Synthetic biology. It all makes sense now. That's why only I can use the suit. It's linked to those computers. It's why they hurt like hell right now isn't it? Why I can sense data coming from the suit to me and to you. We're linked.”
“I can't say Sergeant.”
“I know, it's classified. Damn, it's a nanite based system, similar to Proteus I bet. It booted during combat, not all the simulated combat. It probably booted when I was in danger during the fall too, but that didn't last long enough for it to remain awake, or it didn't care.”
“I can't say.”
“What woke it... the hit I took,” Jethro mused. “I remember, in combat, I was about to take a fatal hit and suddenly the shields came up and I was moving. Or at least the suit was on its own.” He paused for a long moment, ears flicking as thoughts aligned. “That threat must have awakened it. And I'm betting since I was in combat in the suit for what? Three days? Yeah, that probably got the AI's attention. What I don't get is why didn't it do all this then?”
“You were in combat,” Firefly said.
“And you can't say,” Jethro said, flicking his ears in humor. “The suit didn't want the distraction. Or the AI in the suit and in me didn't want to distract me, the colloid from combat.”
“It is...”
“Classified. Yeah, you said that already. I'm guessing even with the data, it's a primitive, not a dumb AI but not a smart AI either. It requires a gestalt with its user to become fully aware. That's why it linked with me,” Jethro said, holding up his wrists. There were no wounds. “Nanites again, either from the suit or in me now. It repaired the damage from the claws,” he said simply.
“Get the armor back
to the morgue. Sergeant Riley, Do not use or attempt to access the suit again without clearing it with me. If anyone countermands that order, refer them to me,” Firefly said, turning to the armorer.
“Yes sir.”
“Dismissed.”
...*...*...*...*...
Once Firefly was sorted out material was diverted to other projects. Mairi towed in the wreckage from the battle. Crews of space suited cutters surveyed each piece of wreckage. Once they had gotten what intel they wanted they cut out what could be reused and then the rest went into the molecular recyclers.
Mairi worked with a pair of Firefly Warhawks to tow two of the disabled frigates in. The two captured frigates both had skeleton crews.
Crews were also on the captured Corvettes, however one was docked in the drydock undergoing a rebuild as well as a tear down by the intel team. They wanted to know exactly where each part came from, and any weaknesses of the craft.
Skeleton crews were on both captured tin cans, both ships were little more than hulks. The crews thought of them as platforms, their drives, weapons, and reactors had been disabled or destroyed in the fighting. Each had about a dozen people on them. For now they were training aides for the thousands of volunteers. Work crews from Firefly were sent over to guide the volunteers in surveying and repairing what they could.
Cutlass was the most damaged, there was a great deal of doubt from Commander Logan, Firefly, and Chief Chowler about the ship ever being repaired. It was dropped to the lowest priority so they could concentrate their efforts on repairing ships that had a chance of seeing space once more.
Epilogue
Fuentes arrived two and a half weeks after the battle. “That was quick,” Mayweather quipped, getting the call from the jump point.
“Yeah well, we got tipped off something was up here,” Captain Vargess replied over the tachyon link. He related story of Mariah's Mischief, the admiral's care pack and orders to get a ship to Antigua ASAP, and then how he'd been dispatched with Hecate to Agnosta. He missed Lieandra by a few days but they had left a copy of the message with Major Forth while they had stocked up and then rode to the rescue. Hecate was left behind to guard the back door.
He told them about other messages from Irons. How he planned to make long jump to B100omega system.
Mayweather and Janice whistled in appreciation. “Think he can pull it off? That's a mighty long jump!”
“If anyone can, it's the admiral. I wouldn't put anything out of his reach.”
“True, he'd just build a taller ladder,” Shelby Logan quipped.
“What was that?”
“Nothin, skipper.”
“I thought so.”
...*...*...*...*...
Antigua had its moratorium and the Constitution and war bill were passed by a landslide. Elated reporters covered the celebrations from various angles. Marines and Naval personnel on liberty or guarding the prisoners were mobbed by well wishers.
The system of Antigua had officially joined the reborn Federation under governor Randall, the third planet to have done so. Jeff Randall had seemingly found his place, rising to the occasion to direct the relief effort of the beleaguered cities of his planet as well as the station while also putting in his support in joining the Federation.
The next morning thousands of volunteers flooded the spaceports and station, all out to join navy and rebuild the shipyard and station. The Warners rode the crest of enthusiasm, doing their best to guide it. They sent some recruits to go to Agnosta on Firefly and the freighters. They would be dropped off at the academy along with delegates to negotiate the Federation treaty. Firefly was stuffed with people once more.
...*...*...*...*...
The orbital fortress project went into production at the B 459 c jump point. It would be at least a year before they towed a large enough rock to the jump point. First they had to select a proper sized one. They had narrowed the field to three, each over six kilometers in diameter. It would take a long time to get each to the jump point, and even longer to bore out the interior. But in the meantime they began making the tons of equipment needed to fit the asteroid out.
...*...*...*...*...
“Sir,” Jethro said when Firefly finally responded to his chat request.
“What is it now Sergeant,” the AI asked, sounding annoyed.
“I'd like to request a name change.”
“Oh?”
“My IFF states that my last name is 'of the Anvil cat clan. That isn't completely accurate.”
“And let me guess, you want it to reflect your family name of McClintock?” The AI asked. “Do you have any idea the paperwork involved? Not to mention resetting your IFF?”
Jethro stood at attention. Finally he flicked his ears. “Sir, I wouldn't do it if it wasn't important. I wouldn't ask if I knew it was, if I knew you knew it was. We're working to take back our heritage, well, this one is mine sir.”
“The suit put you up to this?” the AI asked, eying him.
“No sir. Well, not that I know of. I've been having weird dreams lately but...”
“Stop,” the AI said, hand up. “Classified.”
“Okay.”
“Okay.”
“Okay sir?”
“Okay. Get me the paperwork. The proper paperwork. I'll run it past the Captain's yeoman and then we'll file it with the chain of command and then go from there.”
“Thank you sir,” Jethro said, feeling immensely better. He felt something, another presence within him. It purred.
...*...*...*...*...
Another month passed and Hecate arrived to swap places with Firefly who was directed home. Intel they gathered warned them of another Horathian fleet that was about to attack Pyrax from the B101a jump point. It was commanded by a Rear Admiral Javier Rico. They had little to go on besides that however.
Hecate's Captain informed Firefly that another frigate had been completed with material from the admiral's care package. Wendigo was now guarding Agnosta. An orbital fortress was currently being constructed in the system as well.
Hecate's Captain reported no sign of the two Horathian corvettes in Triang. They had stripped the satellites, the automated devices had reported two small vessels moving in company and crossing the outer edge of the system from the direction of the Antigua jump point to the Senka jump point.
Hecate brought in classified word that Irons had sent a couple of ships with components through from Gaston. Irons reported he was going to jump to the other side of the sector, a dangerous feat. If all went as planned he'd emerge in Beta 100 omega sometime in the next four months and would be moving on to who knows where after that.... but only if he survived any possible pirates there.
...*...*...*...*...
They were leaving behind nearly a hundred people, naval personnel and Marines to set up recruiting stations on the planet and man the orbital industry and ships. Each of the captured ships had a minimum skeleton crew of regular naval personnel to stiffen the Antiguan volunteers who were being trained on the job. That included four Antiguan volunteers who had been given implants by doctor Standish as well as downloads and sleep teaching while acting as midshipman on Firefly for the past several months. It was not nearly enough training of course, but it was something until they could get more people in to replace them.
“They need proper training,” Firefly grumbled. The AI was clearly not happy about leaving them behind. He had worked with Ensign Tr'j'ck to train the new recruits. On the Captain's authority the four midshipman they had had on hand had been frocked to the permanent position of Ensign. All were now scattered amongst the captured ships, manning their posts.
“This is starting to be a lot like the Xeno War,” the AI sighed. “Rushed training, rushed repairs. I don't like it.”
“I don't either,” Shelby said, shaking her head. “We did get our repairs sorted out. We're good to go. We are also fully stocked. We do need fuel though. We've got three quarters. I'd like to see us closer to topped off before we make the ru
n back to Pyrax. We are running right?”
“Yes,” the Captain said netting her fingers together. She turned to the AI. “Do you have any... specific problems with the recruits?”
“No, no specific problems beyond their lack of preparation and training.”
“We don't have the time to train them further, and they're needed here, we can't take them with us. Besides, but them staying here we took on four new replacements here. Doctor Standish is working on information implants on them now. All your midshipman have them right?” the AI nodded.
“So, we'll do the best we can with what we've got. We'll run them through the ringer on the way home, then drop them off and let them finish their education in Pyrax.”
“I still don't like it.”
“We don't have to like it, we've just got to deal with it the best we can. I know you're protective of the kids. I don't blame you. They're cute puppies. Unfortunately, this is a cruel universe, we've got to grow up sometime. Sometimes they grow up faster than we'd like. They'll deal with it or resign.”
“True.”
“Think about it, who would man their posts while they were gone? You? Do you want to transfer to an AI core here and remain as senior officer?” she asked.
“No, I'm a ship AI. I'll stick to what I am. Thank you though Captain.”
“It wasn't a serious offer, but okay. Moving on, we've got a lot of work ahead of us before we jump...”
...*...*...*...*...
Governor Randall wasn't happy about their leaving.
“I'm sorry sir, but orders are orders. It's tough, but there's another pirate fleet.”
“I just wish you didn't have to go.”
“It is what it is. We have to get to Pyrax now another fleet is on the way,” Mayweather explained to him. Grudgingly he nodded in agreement.
“Fine. Tell your commanding officer I want Firefly or a larger ship here on station. Hell two of them. A squadron. We'll get it done, we'll pay for it. Never again. Never ever again can we let this happen,” he said, shaking his head. It wasn't the personal loss that kept him up, it was being so wrong about something so critical yet simple. Binary solution set, you either defended yourself or you bent over and the pirates had their way. Live free or die. Hell of a choice, but the only thing he could say was he was sorry and he'd damn well keep it from happening again. It wouldn't make up for the hell he saw in the eyes of his people who had lost someone, or been raped, or knew someone who'd been raped or tortured, but it was a start. “Hell a fleet if we can swing it,” he said, voice rough.
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