Such a ludicrous name, she thought.
One thing she was shocked to find was that she had unlimited access to local law enforcement databases, a feat she attributed to Achilles' network infiltration tools. She studied these logs tirelessly, looking for traffic patterns and personnel files. What she was able to deduce during their preparations was that many known members of the gang had a frequent haunt, The Bloody Fang, a dilapidated space station from the early mining forays into the system. It had been taken over and transformed into a general cesspit of sleeze and debauchery, although the main attraction was a fighting ring at the center of the station. The toughest members of rival gangs would solve their differences by fighting to the death using antiquated melee weapons, while onlookers would place bets, drink, and spend their money at the other establishments located aboard the station.
She decided she would compile every bit of data she could before presenting her information on The Bloody Fang and worked diligently to create a clear and concise picture. If they were going to hunt down an enemy that outnumbered and outgunned them several times over, they had to be smart about it.
While sitting in her quarters munching on a bowl of dried seaweed chips and poring over all the information she could get her hands on, her door buzzed.
“Come in,” she said without prying her eyes from the various PCDs she had laid out on her small personal table.
The door slid upward and Liliana Ito entered.
“Captain Ito!” Rachel said, surprised. “Please, come in. What can I help you with?”
“I'm just trying to get my bearings here,” she responded. “After you all explained what had happened, I'm having a hard time trying to understand why you would risk your lives to avenge the death of my people. Especially considering the long odds.”
Rachel let out a gentle laugh. “I don't know, they may look stacked against us – but once you get to know Alistair a bit, you'll start to doubt everything you thought you knew about a fair fight.”
“Yes, he's certainly.. anomalous.” Lili came in and sat on the metal chair facing Rachel's crowded work table, opposite her. It was obvious to Rachel that she was still uncomfortable aboard The Ubik, both because of the circumstances as well as the crew. She was out of her element and Rachel assumed she felt vulnerable.
“We're all allies of circumstance. Everybody on this ship is here because they want to be, yourself included. Serendipity brought us together and now we're trying to make the most of it. Are you having hard time settling in, figuring out where you should be?”
Lili had only been conscious aboard The Ubik for two days now, so Rachel understood why she'd feel that way.
“When I was a captain in the Republic Navy, I always had something to do. Positions to fill, forms to fill out, stations to examine, crew to train. A typical day for me had 30 hours of work to do, and only 24 hours to do it. And I had to sleep some time.”
Rachel laughed and nodded. She felt the same way at her shelter.
“But here, everybody just does what they want to do, or what they think needs done. There's no order to it, but it's still not just chaos.”
“Achilles helps with quite a bit of that. Alistair gives him full run of the ship while the rest of us learn to act like we know what we're doing.”
“Achilles – the AI? He has access to all ship systems? That's so illegal I don't even know where to start.” Lili was shocked. AIs had notoriously strict regulations in the Republic.
“I felt the same way at first. It's not that it's illegal that bothered me – it's the danger involved. But then I realized by coming on board with people I had sworn to keep safe, I was putting my life in Alistair's hands. He not only trusts Achilles completely, he sees him as his closest friend. It's strange, I know, but Achilles has grown a personality. He's helped Melanie come to terms with what she's been through, not as a therapist – as a friend. He's been practicing telling lewd jokes to Stewart. I'll occasionally hear full conversations between the ship and Alistair. And if I didn't know any better, I would assume it was between two old friends, one of whom is incredibly rigid and proper.”
“I know this is presumptuous, but may I chime in?” Achilles asked from one of the PCDs stacked on Rachel's table. Lili jumped.
“The one thing I need to remember,” Rachel said, “is that he's always listening. We're going to have a chat about privacy soon, Achilles.”
“I apologize, Ms. Sahlinz,” he said. “But your tone denotes a level of affection. You speak of me in a way that suggests you care about me as a friend and that you are surprised by it. Is this true?”
Lili was almost frozen stiff listening to the conversation. She had heard horror stories of rogue AI units causing mayhem and slaughtering naval crews.
“Of course it is!” Rachel replied. “You've been nothing but kind to us. And even though I don't know much about Alistair, I know that you've helped him overcome some tremendous hurdles. Friendship and trust are built over time, Achilles. Usually it takes years to fully trust another person... and finding the right person to trust can take much longer. You're growing into something we should all be proud of.”
“Thank you, Ms. Sahlinz. I apologize, Ms. Ito – I did not wish to disturb your conversation, nor did I wish to upset you by existing.”
Lili laughed. This AI was very blunt and it was refreshing.
“Your existence, while.. unusual, isn't what's unsettling. Do you feel a bond to these people? Are you capable of emotion?”
“I admit that if, given the unseemly choice of protecting a newcomer on this ship and protecting Mr. Crowe, my efforts would be guided to Mr. Crowe without second hesitation. He is the one who gave me the capacity to feel and our many conversations have informed me on how to behave socially.”
“Now THAT'S troubling,” Rachel laughed.
“This situation is pure speculation, Ms. Sahlinz, I assure you. Alistair has asked me, as a friend, to protect your, Ms. Melanie Thatch, and Ms. Liliana Ito above all others. He values your lives well above his own and has made that abundantly clear. He has also instructed me to place my own safety above his, for he values what I have learned and how I have adapted more than his own well being.”
Both women sat shocked. They knew Alistair was a caring, albeit odd individual, but he had actually instructed his ship to abandon him if it was at risk of destruction.
“These parameters greatly inhibit my tactical acumen, but I believe making 'tough choices' is what it means to be human. Is that correct?”
Lili and Rachel sat quietly, realizing just how correct the AI was with his breakdown of human behavior. They'd both made tough choices in the past and were now haunted by them.
“Someday, Achilles, I think you'll end up being more human than any of us,” Rachel said in a somewhat somber tone. “Lili, do you understand some of the eccentricities of our crew now? And why we don't always have to rush from station to station to keep moving?”
“It's uncomfortably clear now, yes,” she said with a bit of a laugh. The conversation had gone from light to heavy and back again several times. “Achilles, I hope that we get the chance to become friends while I'm here on your ship.”
“I, too, will relish the opportunity, Ms. Ito. I will allow you both to resume your conversation uninterrupted and in private.”
Just like that, the AI excused himself and, presumably, gave the women some privacy.
“He's something, isn't he? He's even changed since I've been on board and it's been less than a month.”
“So he and Alistair had spent a considerable amount of time together before you got here?” Lili asked. She was determined to get to know more about the man that was leading them on a suicidal crusade against a pirate cartel.
“As far as I know, it's been several years. Alistair has told me a bit about himself and, from what he said, it was very tragic. He's endured a lot and I learned not to question his peculiarities pretty quickly.”
Lili pursed her lips as she fell deep in
thought.
“But if you trust me at all, I promise you that he is a good man. We met under poor circumstances in a hostile environment, we fought in a space battle, and I watched from our screens on board as he boarded your ship, then The Kris. He never broke a sweat or even flinched under fire. The only time I've seen him rattled was when he saw The Kahn come down on Burmea. He almost seemed.. frantic.”
“It was just a transport freighter. It wasn't even a big one,” Lili said, confused.
“But that's the thing – so many people, especially on the rim, have been jaded to see life as disposable. Alistair doesn't see it that way and that's what drives him. He exists to protect those who can't protect themselves, and he I think he was shaken up when it seemed like he couldn't save your ship. He could only sit and watch as you smashed into the planet and the second he got there he was prying off bulkheads and carrying people to safety. He didn't think, he acted.”
Lili nodded. She agreed that 'jaded' was the perfect term to describe anybody who had spent ample time on the rim. Life did indeed seem cheap: there were always more colonists to replace anybody who'd been lost. She felt an immediate connection to Alistair upon hearing this, as she hated the mindset that so many people had adopted out on the fringe of civilization.
“If you want to get to know him, go talk to him,” Rachel said. “He's not my captain, he's my friend. I follow him because he has a good heart and because he's right. He knows how bad things are and won't stop fighting until they get better. If you know anything about us, know that we all trust him with our lives.”
“He sounds like the exact person the Republic likes to persecute, if I'm being honest,” Lili replied. “The traitor terrorist who fights them at every step and undermines everything the Republic stands for.”
“Talk with him in his quarters. You'll understand it much better from him.”
Lili nodded. “Thank you, Ms. Sahlinz. While I feel out of my element, I at least feel like I'm not an outcast now.” She stood up and reached out a hand to Rachel.
“Please, I get enough 'Ms. Sahlinz' crap from Achilles. It's just Rachel,” she said as she took Lili's hand and gave it a firm shake.
Lili turned and made for the door having decided it was time to finally have a one on one chat with the ship's captain.
Chapter 34
Alistair sat on one of the lightly padded chairs facing the drinking table, running a knife in between his fingers while resting his eyes.. It seemed more and more rare that he had time to himself now that the ship was getting more populated, even if it was still far from fully staffed.
His armor polished and tuned, his weapons cleaned time and again, his blades sharpened – he decided it was time for a break, as his mind had been a cacophony of chaotic thoughts and noise since the new members of the ship had come aboard. Liliana's presence made it even more confusing emotionally and he had to continue chastising himself for feeling so strongly toward a woman he knew next to nothing about.
Mel was on the bed reading her PCD – she'd been given some weapons manuals from Garcia and Stewart and was intent on learning how to fight. She and Alistair had become nearly inseparable on the ship. Most of the time she would shadow him, feeling uncomfortable whenever they got too far apart. But occasionally she had chores she had to take care of and Alistair always found a reason to come help. Their relationship resembled two severely damaged orphans that clung to one another out of desperation. The age gap was closer to a father and daughter, but she knew Alistair wasn't trying to replace her dad – he'd said as much. He was rapidly becoming her surrogate over-protective brother, and she his little sister to mentor.
In his mind, time alone didn't mean time away from Mel.
The door buzzed and Alistair's eyes shot open. He set the knife on the table and went to the door, surprised to see Captain Ito standing outside. She had to fight the urge to salute.
“Oh, hello Captain! It's.. it's nice to see you up and about. Please, come in,” he said. There was a hint of nervousness in his voice, one that only Mel picked up on. She smirked without taking her eyes off of her PCD.
“Thank you,” Lili said, and Alistair led her to the drinking table. They both had a seat and he offered her a drink. “No, but I appreciate it.”
“What can we do for you?” he asked with a smile.
Lili looked over and saw Mel, completely absorbed in whatever she was reading.
“I've spoken with a few different members of the crew and I've decided that I want to stay. I've got a distinguished service record aboard many naval vessels and my primary focus was engineering before receiving command of my own ship. If your offer still stands, I would be glad to serve as your engineering officer.”
“Great,” Alistair replied as he fumbled for a cigar. Mel had started picking up on Alistair's nervous habits. Initially she thought he smoked because it helped lend to his 'rough and tumble' cowboy persona, but she now knew he did it when he was nervous or stressed. If he kept bumbling like an idiot around the pretty captain, Mel was certain she'd have a permanent smirk stuck on her face.
“... Great?” Lili replied. She expected a bit more fanfare, or even some form of extrapolation. She knew he essentially amounted to a pirate captain, but there had to be more to say than 'great'.
“Great, and thank you?” he said, lighting his cigar.
“Do I at least have a posting? Where should I get started? I'm not familiar with this class of ship and I haven't been able to retrieve any information on it from my PCD.”
“Achilles doesn't like revealing his true nature. He wanted to be sure you'd stick around before giving you any damning information. But you'll have full run of whatever you want now.”
He made a conscious effort to relax, leaned back in his chair, and took a drag.
“Okay. I didn't mean to intrude coming in here. I honestly expected a bit more information. I'd like to get to know who I'm serving under. That's understandable, right?”
“I've given it a lot of thought,” he started, “and I think you should captain the ship.”
Lili was shocked and Mel sat up, equally so.
“What?” they both said in tandem, then looked at one another.
“I'm not a trained captain. I lead by intuition and my gut. I don't know the mechanics of space combat any more than a shuttle pilot, despite Achilles' rigorous attempts to teach me tactical theory. You have years of service and experience. It would be a waste to stick you in engineering, that's all handled anyway. There are repair drones we've never needed to use in every major sub system compartment, just in case Achilles needs to get his hands dirty.”
“But it's your ship! You're in charge!” Mel interjected, both stunned and angry.
“And I don't even know what class of ship this is!” Lili added. Somehow Alistair had managed to enrage both women while simultaneously directing their anger in his direction.
“To clarify, Captain Ito,” he said with extra emphasis on the captain part, “you will be in charge of this ship and its functions. At the end of the day, I sincerely doubt Achilles would hand it over, part and parcel, to anyone else.”
“So you would still decide our overall missions, while I ran the ship?”
“Precisely. Seems like a good use of our limited personnel, no? What do you think, Mel? You know me better than anybody else here. And I don't want to make these decisions without the approval of the crew, yours in particular.”
He trusts the judgment of a teenage girl more than the marines he has on board, Lili thought to herself. She didn't know what to make of that.
“As long as you're still the boss. That's the only reason I'm still here,” she said defiantly. She made a show of plopping back down on the bed and burying herself in her studies. Alistair rolled his eyes.
“You call me the boss, but I still ask for your approval. What does that make you?” he asked with a smirk.
“Alright then, I suppose it's settled for now. I'll seek out the rest of the crew for their
input, but as far as I'm concerned, she's all yours, Captain Ito.” Alistair stood and gave a half-assed salute.
“Commodore Ito, actually.” She responded with a perfectly sharp salute in kind. “If you're still the boss, I'm in command of the ship but not the mission. I'm fairly certain that makes me a Commodore.”
“Has a nice ring to it,” Alistair said, his nervous wavering having returned. “I'll have to confer with my boss while we decide lodging, though,” he said as he nodded in Mel's direction. She scoffed, but didn't look away from her PCD.
They shook hands firmly and Lili made her way out of the captain's quarters. As the door shut behind her, she tried to process what just happened.
That definitely didn't go as planned, she thought and started walking toward the bridge. Looks like I have some studying to do.
Chapter 35
“So here's what I've got for a plan,” Rachel said. She had the entire crew gathered in the mess hall. “I've looked over tons of local law enforcement and naval records, courtesy of Achilles. From what I can find, there are a few members of The Burmean Pythons who are frequent contenders in the fighting arena aboard The Bloody Fang. They have weekly higher profile fights, and nightly fights for up and comers to prove themselves.”
The group listened intently, eager to hear how they'll be able to finally strike back. The crew had been prepping for a week while drifting silently in the Burmea system's outer asteroid belt.
“If we enter a fighter to contend in one of the smaller matches and win, then we'll have private access to the Python members before the big weekly match before the event takes place. What I need is a plan on retrieving them and bringing them back to The Ubik for questioning.”
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