by Ben Winston
The chief engineer, a very skinny Novan, looked almost ill at the thought. "But Doctor, it is the most important AI in the Alliance! How can you be friends with that?"
"Chief, 'it' is actually a 'she', and she has feelings and emotions just like you and I. How would you feel if everyone around you kept their distance simply because of the job you hold?" I said.
"A computer that has emotions? Not bloody likely!" the Chief replied and snorted in disbelief.
I looked the man in the eyes. "Chief, you may be a master computer technician, but you are totally unsuited for this position. You will be replaced with someone that understands the AI and her needs. You are dismissed."
He tried to puff himself up to blast me and tell me I had no authority to replace him, which was kind of comical to see, really. Lieutenant Tul-sa put an armored glove on his shoulder, stopping him and forcing him to turn to look at her.
"Chief, I think you are forgetting exactly who you are speaking to. If this man says you are dismissed, you should probably just turn around and leave. Otherwise, you might find that you will be fixing children's toys on Reflan," she said in her quiet way.
"Just because he's some hotshot programmer from Apollo does not give him the right or the authority to relieve me of my position here. I will not tolerate being spoken to in such a way by this man!" the Chief replied.
"Chief, Lord Doctor Eric Cowan is the hotshot programmer from Apollo that, among many other notable things, created the AI. If he says that you are unsuited to this position, then you are. You are welcome to protest the decision as much as you want, as long as you do it quietly and with respect. I would also say as a side note that he personally saved my life in battle, as well as many of my fellow Marines. He wears the unit insignia of two Marine battalions as well as one of the flag command battleships. Do you really think it is a wise career move to argue with this man?" she said in her scary-quiet way.
"Lord Doctor Cowan?" he asked rhetorically. "Gods I'm such an idiot!"
"Undoubtedly," I replied. "Look Chief, You are probably a fantastic hardware tech that any facility would be honored to have working for them. But your personality is unsuited to caring for the AI. It's nothing to be ashamed of, it's simply the way it is. I'll make sure Lord Admiral Hearlis knows that when I speak to him."
The man sighed. "I understand and greatly appreciate that, My Lord."
"As unprofessional as this sounds, do you have a programmer that always referred to AI Athena as 'she' and not 'it'? Maybe seemed to empathize more than they should have with the AI?" I asked.
The man snorted again. "Yeah, I have a couple of those. I had to threaten to fire them if they didn't get their heads on straight and get back to work."
"May I speak to them, Chief? One of them might possess the right personality we need here," I asked as gently as I could.
"Sure, I'll call them for you," the man replied and called the two techs on his comm unit.
The two 'techs' were actually programmers. One of them quickly set my 'not right' flag, and when I mentioned the AI religion he smiled and nodded. The idiot was one of the worshipers! I kept his name for Admiral Hearlis. The other programmer seemed like a nice girl that saw the AI as a person. A sentient entity that deserved an offer of friendship, or at least, existence on equal terms. She would do nicely. I thanked the man for coming to speak to me, and the man bowed deeply to me and replied, "Thank you, Holy Father." Before he left. What a fruit cake.
"What was that all about?" the Chief asked. The woman, Ensign Brin looked troubled as she watched him leave.
I shook my head, nothing for you to worry about Chief. I'll recommend Ensign Brin to head up the new AI support department here. Thank you for your assistance." I said. Ensign Brin snapped her head back around to look at me.
"My Lord?" She asked.
"I'd like you to come over to the AI department before the station returns to Novalus, Ensign. We can give you a bit more information about how to take care of our girl, here. Because of the issues we recently had, this installation is special and will have to be handled differently than it has been in the past. I'll make sure the Admiral knows what I need down here. For the time being, poke around, introduce yourself to the new Athena and get to know her. You'll be working very closely with her from now on," I said to the girl.
"Uh, Sir, we don't, uh, fraternize with the machinery," she said looking fearfully at the Chief.
"Ensign, you no longer answer to the Chief. As far as fraternizing with the machinery, I guess I can understand that, but Athena is not machinery; she's a sentient AI. She's just as alive as any of us, and she will need to be treated as such. She has emotions and feelings just like any person would," I said.
She smiled brightly at me. "Yes Sir! I'd be very happy to do that!"
"Great! One last thing. It's more of a favor to me though," I said.
"Of course, Sir, what do you need?" she asked.
"Don't let Ensign Craln anywhere near her," I said. "I know you can't keep him from speaking to her, but please don't let him in here."
She nodded. "I'll do that, My Lord."
I took her over to where my team was working with Athena and introduced the two. Athena smiled brightly at the girl and I knew I had chosen wisely. "I'll make the arrangements for you to come over to the base, Ensign. In the meantime, I'm sure you can help Athena get reacquainted with her duty station."
I left the team and the new AI Engineer with Athena and went to find Lord Admirial Hearlis. As I expected, he was in the command center coordinating the return of the AI equipped ships and watching for an attack by the Aracnise.
Since I wasn't cleared to actually enter the CIC, the guards directed me to the Lord Admiral's office and promised to let him know I was there to see him.
I had only just sat down in the outer office when the Lord Admiral exited his office to get me. "Lord Doctor Cowan! It's an honor to finally get to meet you in person! How is the installation going?"
"Pretty well, actually. Athena is online and is currently adjusting to her new environment. I wanted to speak to you about the AI support department. Chief Greyly doesn't have the right… personality for the job, but I did find a young Ensign that will do nicely. I already introduced her to Athena and they hit it off like they were long lost sisters. I'd like her to head up the new department, if that is possible," I asked.
"Whatever you think will be needed. If I may ask, what was wrong with the chief? He has very impressive creds." Hearlis asked.
I shook my head. "Nothing was wrong with him knowledge wise. Do you remember my telling you how the new AI will need a more empathic touch?"
Hearlis nodded so I finished. "Well, the chief just can't see her as anything more than a talking computer. He will not accept that she has emotions and feelings like any other being. That's fine, like I said, it's a personality issue, not a technical one. He shouldn't be punished for it in any way. However, Ensign Brin is about perfect for the job. I feel I should also let you know that you have one of those loony AI worshipers aboard. He was one of the programmers I spoke to. Ensign Craln about shit himself when he saw me, and referred to me as 'Holy Father'. I don't know how dangerous that bunch is, but I asked Ensign Brin to bar him from the AI area."
Hearlis wrote himself a note and nodded. "I think there are a few folks in the Intel department that would like to have a talk with him. Speaking of the Intel Department, what of AI Susan? Will she be getting this upgrade as well?"
"Yep, I set aside the entire day for this installation, but I have her on the list for tomorrow. AI Helen at Ares Base the next day. After that I'll be going through the Jupiter station AI, then the civilian AI. My other teams are upgrading the ships in the fleet stationed here and that are here for the upgrades and refitting. By the time we all get finished, the first of the recalled ships should be close to arriving," I explained. "Our upgrade teams should also be getting to the closest installations around that same time. The new crystals for the Novalus system
left yesterday and will meet the team there, the rest of the crystals are almost finished and will be departing as soon as we validate them." I paused. "Sir, I know that we've had some serious issues with the AI since we deployed them, but they were needed so badly there just wasn't time to test them as much as I would have normally insisted on. I'm really sorry for all the trouble we've had because of this."
"You said it yourself Eric, there just wasn't time for all the testing needed to completely vet the system. It is obvious to everyone that you have had nothing but the best of intentions from the start. Your current actions are proof of your commitment to the Alliance. Don't think for one moment that I don't know you kept your programmers in your lab for two weeks straight trying to fix this issue. No, there is nothing for you to apologize for. I fully intend to ask the High Council for commendations to be issued to every member of the teams involved in this project. At least you can sleep in your own bed now."
"No Sir, until every one of my upgrade teams can go home, I will not either. When we finish here, we will be going to Ares and begin preparations for AI Helen to be upgraded and activated. I will be sleeping on the ship with my people," I replied.
"You are a very unique young man, Eric. I'm very proud to call you friend," he replied.
"I am honored and proud to have friends like you, too, Sir," I replied smiling at him. "How do you like the rest of the station?"
Hearlis snorted. "It's a marvel of engineering. I've been told you had a hand in designing more than just the AI systems too; the new workstations in the command center as well as the flight bridge came from you as well. I had gotten reports on those from some of the ship captains, but those reports sure didn't do them justice. The crew can get to work faster and more comfortably, and once they are there they work far more efficiently. How did you ever think up something like that?"
I shrugged. "As a kid I was an avid fan of science fiction. I read every story I could find and watched every video made. A lot of the ideas I've had come from that; ideas taken from the stories I read or saw as I was growing up. I think the neatest part about all of it is that most of those ideas had been completely fanciful; that is to say, they came straight from the author’s imagination and had no basis in true science until now. I may have remembered the idea, but the real miracles come from the people that can actually make them work."
Hearlis chuckled. "Yes, that is amazing. That would explain the popularity of some of your planet's entertainment being so popular in the other core worlds. I admit I have found some of it to be entertaining as well. Some of the music is very relaxing and sets just the right atmosphere to relax after a stressful day." He nodded. "Very enjoyable."
I grinned, wondering just what kind of music this man would find enjoyable. "Oh! Before I forget; I would like Ensign Brin to come to the AI lab before you depart so we can give her some more information on the care and feeding of the new AI."
"Feeding?" He asked and raised an eyebrow at me.
I chuckled, "Just a figure of speech, Sir. Sorry about that."
He nodded. "When would you like her to be there? I know you've got a busy couple of weeks planned out…"
"Any time will be fine. One of my assistants is there and can take care of her when she arrives. I have two AI programmers that are willing to transfer here to help, at least in the short term. I'll leave it up to them and the Ensign to decide if they would like to remain here; I don't like to give someone a job and leave them unsupported. They're civilians, but they know what they’re doing and can follow orders. Lieutenant Tul-sa made sure they know which end of a pulse rifle is dangerous, and I had armor made for them."
"I'll make a shuttle available for the Senior Lieutenant so she can get over there. Master Halflan released us from construction status this morning. We can leave as soon as she finishes up and the new people are aboard," Hearlis replied. "Thanks for those, by the way. Civilian or not, I'm sure they'll be very helpful."
"Senior Lieutenant?" I asked.
He nodded and grinned. "We can't have an Ensign in charge of a department now can we?"
While I was visiting with the Lord Admiral, the lead tech from my team called me to let me know that the installation was finished, Athena had accepted the memory files and the situation. The psychologist had spoken to her and signed off on letting her resume her duties. The only thing remaining was for me to reintroduce her to the Admiral, and that would be that. I told them to enable full function, and I would call for her to meet the Admiral.
I looked at the interested man and smiled. "Athena is back on line and ready to resume her duties, Sir. The only thing remaining is for me to introduce you to her. Although she looks the same and will have the same duties, you will notice immediately that she is a very different being."
Hearlis stood and straightened his uniform. "I admit, I'm kind of nervous about meeting her. I know you said you had to rework her personality, but just how different is she going to be?"
"Not as formal and uptight as the first Athena, but she will still adhere to regulations. She will seem more approachable and less like a rigid automaton. At least, that's what my crew said of her." I shrugged. "I think they're right. That might not be exactly the right type of personality for this application, but I felt that making her more… human, would help the rest of the crew in times of stress. They would also be more inclined to speak to her as a fellow crew member and not as the station AI."
"I think you might very well be correct, Eric. Don't get me wrong, Athena was a really good AI, but she always seemed so cold and impersonal. She was very much like a professional career soldier." He replied, and snorted. "Pretty much like I believed Vance to be before I got to know him."
I nodded agreement. "He was never like that with me. I think it might have been a way to protect himself while the rest of the Alliance was still under the influence of the Veranorian Synod. It must have worked to some degree because he made it all the way to Commodore before he was blocked from promotion. If I may ask, what ever happened to the members of the old Synod?"
He sighed. "They were interrogated before they were remanded to the surviving Veranorian people for punishment. They were executed in a very long and painful way. It amazes me that such a peaceful race could condone the use of such a cruel and painful punishment," he shuddered. "I would have much rather just seen them shot or spaced, anything but what was done to them."
"My Gods, what did they do to them?" I asked.
"They were injected with a slow acting molecular destabilizer. It took most of them almost two weeks to die," he replied and shuddered again. "None of the Veranorians will speak of the incident anymore. The Synod has been 'forgotten'. Which, to an influential and important Veranorian is one of the worst things that can be done to you. The records of the event are still there, but the names and achievements of the individuals are gone, erased, as if they never existed."
Knowing what I knew of the Veranorian people that was probably the worst thing to have happen to them. Among Veranorians, even the lower ranked ones, status was everything.
"Are the Veranorian people still refugees on Novalus?" I asked.
He nodded. "For the most part. Some of them have immigrated to other worlds, but the core of the race is still on Novalus."
"We should look for a new world for them," I said. "They've lost so much it seems a shame to let them live as exiles. In my opinion, they probably see it as a deserved punishment for what happened. If we can give them back the dignity of having a home world, maybe they will finally accept our forgiveness and begin healing."
"That would be a good idea, but very difficult to do at the moment because of the war. It just isn't safe for a new colony world in our present situation," Hearlis replied.
"I wonder… I seem to remember seeing a report on a world that might work for this. We'd have to speak to the Shallans first, but it just might do. The small star called Proxima Centauri has two worlds orbiting it. One of them was noted for being somewhat close
to what Veranor used to be. I think it might be much smaller than that world, but if the climate is a match, I would think that would be a good place to start," I said thoughtfully.
Hearlis chuckled. "At this rate, you'll have the whole Alliance relocated to this sector! I'll mention it to the Council. I'm sure they will look into it."
"Thank you, Sir. Now, before I get side-tracked again, how would you like to meet the new AI?" I asked.
"That would be good. Although I do enjoy talking with you, I suppose we should get business taken care of too," he replied grinning.
"Athena? Would you like to meet Lord Admiral Hearlis again?" I asked the room in general knowing that Athena had been listening for her cue.
She materialized beside me. "I would love to, Lord Doctor! I was beginning to wonder if perhaps you had forgotten about me!" she replied teasingly and smiling.
"I could never forget about you, Athena!" I said smiling back at her. "Now, I know you will remember meeting him, but since so much has happened and changed, I would like to take the honor of reintroducing you to the Commander in Chief of the Alliance Military and the Commander of this station, Lord Admiral Hearlis of Novalus. My Lord Admiral, I am proud to make known to you Athena, your new station AI."
Athena bowed to him. "Lord Admiral, I am honored to be of service to you once again and look forward to the opportunity of correcting any wrongs I might have made in my previous incarnation."
"AI Athena, it is I that am honored to have you returned to us. The situation arising from your previous incarnation has been explained to me and there is nothing for you to correct. You were placed in an untenable position in which you did the best you could do under the circumstances. For all of us here, this is a new beginning in a new station. Welcome aboard, Athena," Hearlis replied smiling at her.