by Robert Boren
“There’s a but coming,” Andrea said.
Vermillion nodded. “As soon as the Overlords see our wormhole trace, they’ll do an analysis of the area. Boroclize is going to stick out like a sore thumb, given our current fuel situation.”
Andrea nodded. “It is possible that we’ll blow all of their ships with the mines before they can cause us any trouble.”
My PA started to beep at me, the icon for Butch showing up as I frantically turned it off.
“What was that?” JJ asked.
“Automatic note taking,” I said. “It wanted to ask a question. Not ready for prime time.”
“Interesting,” Vermillion said, eyeing me for a moment.
“I think it’s too dangerous to go to Boroclize,” Cyrus said.
“I agree,” Andrea said. “Maybe we should go to Fioxen and watch.”
My PA vibrated at me silently, showing Butch’s icon again. Then my ear implants beeped. There was a yes or no choice on my PA.
“That thing still messing with you?” JJ asked.
“Yeah, sorry,” I said, clicking yes with my finger. My ear implants clicked.
JJ watched me as I concentrated on the message, not hearing the comments that Izzy made.
“I have a suggestion,” I said, stopping Izzy in mid-sentence. “Sorry, Izzy, it just popped into my head, but we’ve got to act quickly.”
“I’ll defer to you, Captain, of course.”
“Thanks, and sorry,” I said.
I smirked, then turned towards Nolan. “Let’s change course. Go to the Leo Supercluster. There’s a natural worm hole there that will get us in the vicinity of the Virgo Supercluster. We should be able to get to Boroclize from there within a month using impulse power.”
Nolan’s mouth dropped open. “How do you know that?”
“There was a search I had running. The info just arrived.”
“That’s an excellent idea,” Cyrus said.
Vermillion looked at me suspiciously for a moment, then sighed. “I’ll approve that idea, but you and I need to speak in private, Captain Clarke.”
“Of course, sir,” I said.
“I’ll go change the course right now,” Nolan said, getting up.
Skip got up too. “I’ll join you, if that’s okay.”
“Good idea,” I said.
The two left the room.
“How sure are we that the Overlords won’t figure out we’ve used a natural worm hole?” Tim asked.
“We aren’t one hundred percent positive,” I said. “We’ll use the same precautions with natural worm holes that we would using the normal Samson Drive functionality.”
“The destination was the main decision we needed to make,” I said. “We can break the meeting now. I’ll let you know how much longer we’ll be in the jump after Nolan finishes the calculations.”
Everybody rose to leave except for Vermillion and JJ. When the others got through the door, JJ walked over and locked it, then sat back down.
“Okay, what happened?” she asked.
I shrugged, shooting a sheepish smile at her and Vermillion. “Butch happened.”
“I don’t follow,” Vermillion said.
“I started researching the AI capabilities onboard the ship,” I said. “It’s far more advanced than anything I’ve ever seen.”
“That’s classified,” Vermillion said, an uncomfortable look on his face.
“I’m not telling anybody outside of this room. I know it can land all of us in hot water.”
“What did you do?” JJ asked.
“I read the system description for interfacing and started programming myself an AI Assistant. His name is Butch.”
I switched on the dictate setting on my PA and thought my response, the words typing out on my display.
“You’re interacting with it right now, aren’t you?” JJ asked, a smile on her face. “It’s going to your ear implants.”
“I’ll turn on the speakers so you can hear him,” I said, tapping the preferences and taking my PA out of silent mode.
JJ laughed. Vermillion shook his head.
“I think I accidently clicked the checkbox for sarcasm.”
JJ smiled. “Wow, can I have one of those?”
“No,” Vermillion said, “and not a word about this capability to anybody. We weren’t honest about it when we designated this ship with the Central Authority.”
“Do you want me to delete Butch?” I asked.
Vermillion thought about it for a moment. “No, he’s useful. Keep him for now, but no spilling the beans on this capability, even if we’re in trouble, and don’t have your PA on speaker. Ever. You know how to use the mental dictation?”
“That’s how I answered him in the meeting,” I said.
“Good, then you’re allowed to have private conversations with him. That’s it.”
“Maybe we should bring Nolan in on this, because he’s probably already accessing the documentation,” JJ said.
“Call Nolan in here now,” Vermillion said.
After a moment Nolan tried the door, which was still locked. I got up and opened it, and he came inside, looking nervous. I shut the door behind him and locked it again.
“Uh oh, am I in trouble?” Nolan asked, taking a seat at the table.
“Nobody outside of this room can know about our AI capabilities,” Vermillion said. “Do you understand?”
“Yes sir,” he said. “You’re AI assistant saw me reading up on it, didn’t he?”
“I hadn’t even decided if I was going to create one,” Nolan said. “Can I?”
Vermillion sighed. “Dammit. Okay, both you and JJ can have them, but make sure you hide it from the others. Comprende? That means no PA conversations without using ear implants, and no vocal commands, only mind dictation. Got it? That’s an order. Oh, and I won’t be having one of these. I consider it a security risk to have the CEO’s brain in this system, at least until we figure things out.”
“I understand why you’d be apprehensive,” Nolan said. “We should set them up to share data between the three of us. I suspect that with the level of data processing we can get from this system, we could’ve destroyed all of Simone’s ships in that last engagement.”
{ 3 }
User Selections
V ermillion’s eyes got wider. “Say again.”
“How?” JJ asked.
“What?” JJ asked, eyeing me.
“I already told you I liked it,” I said.
“I know, but how did Butch see it?”
t here, I could see you through Captain Clarke’s eyes, of course, but they’re not as sharp.
Vermillion laughed. “Geez, I’m not so sure we should allow Butch into our midst.”
I eyed the others for a moment, then shrugged. “I didn’t tell you anything about JJ’s outfit, Butch. How did you pick up on that?”
“This might lead to prison time for us,” JJ said.
“We?” JJ asked.
Nolan snickered, Vermillion trying to look stern, a sideways grin showing on his face after a few seconds.
“Hey, what’s wrong with Butch?” I asked. “It has sentimental value to me.”
I felt my emotions rising as I realized what was happening. “You fashioned your personality after him. How? Because of the name?”
“I’m not getting this,” JJ said.
“He didn’t give you permission to call him Trey,” Nolan said.
I shook my head, feeling my face flushing.
“Is that true, Captain?” Nolan asked.
I nodded yes, then turned to Vermillion. “Did you know the level of sophistication this system has?”
Vermillion shot me a bewildered look, and shook his head no.
“Who designed this?” Nolan asked.
“And I’m not saying,” Vermillion said, “although I’m going to have a rather long chat with him as soon as I can.”
“He’s still with us?” I asked.
“He is,” Vermillion said. “He’s in a safe place.”
“Can I do that too?” I asked.
“Maybe we’ve created a monster here,” Nolan quipped.
“Actually, since you won’t be on loudspeaker after this meeting, I think I’ll just let you have access,” I said. “You exist to help me solve problems. Why wouldn’t I want you to have all the data you need to help me?”
“Yeah, but can he share it with his sibling AIs?” JJ asked.
“Care to elaborate?” Nolan asked.
Vermillion held up his hands. “Okay, we can’t go there yet. That capability is not approved for civilians.”
“Yes,” Vermillion said, “for now, at least.”
I shot a glance at JJ, who returned it, questioning.
“How long until our AIs are created?” Nolan asked.
“Wine takes years,” JJ said.
We were silent for a moment, Vermillion getting up to pace.
“You okay?” I asked.
He sighed. “Yes, I’m fine, and this is a positive development, on balance. Just remember what I said. Keep it to yourselves, at least until we can decide on the right protocol. That’s an order.”
“Understood,” Nolan said.
“Yes, I understand too,” I said. “Sorry, I had no idea. I would’ve asked permission if I’d known.”
“This capability will keep us alive,” Nolan said. “I’m quite excited about it.”
Vermillion glanced at his PA. “I need to go. Time to get back with Tac. Turn off your speaker, Captain Clarke.”
I nodded, tapping it off. We watched him hurry out the door.
JJ was watching me. “You just carried on a conversation, didn’t you?”
“Yep. This is the strangest thing ever.”
“This will be a revelation for mankind,” Nolan said.
“Except for the fact that it’s one more thing to force us to use PA units with stun capability,” JJ said.
“Oh, don’t you worry about that,” Nolan said. “I’m sure my AI will help me to solve that problem in a hurry. I can’t wait to start.”
“All right, meeting over,” I said. “I think I need a drink.”
“Me too,” JJ said.
Nolan smiled. “Fine, you two go enjoy each other. I’m going back to the bridge.” He left the room.
“Are you still talking to that thing?” JJ asked.
“No, I put Butch to sleep for now. Let’s go get that drink.”
JJ eyed me for a moment, then shrugged, going to the door. “Lead the way.”
We rode the tin can to a lounge that served cocktails, silent most of the way.
“You okay?” I asked as we sat on bar stools, the bartender putting napkins in front of us.
“This is exciting and scary at the same time. The direction this can lead boggles the mind.”
I flashed her a shut-up look, then looked up at the bartender. “Martini, please, dry as possible, with olives.”
He nodded, then looked at JJ.
“Oh, what the hell, give me some of that rocket fuel too.”
We watched him walk away.
“Sorry, I need to be more careful what I say,” JJ said.
“Yes, we both do. No worries, he has no idea.”
“We can have the drink and go back to your room,” JJ said. “We can talk more there, right?”
“Of course, but are you sure you want to go there with me after we’ve both had martinis?”
She giggled. “Don’t worry, I can hold my liquor.”
We sat at the bar for another half hour, finishing our drinks while making happy small talk. I wanted another but thought better of it. It was the first time I saw JJ tipsy, and it excited me too much. I wasn’t ready to move our relationship forward. We were heading into dangerous times. If we became lovers so quickly, another layer of complexity would be added to an already complex mess.
“You aren’t talking to Butch again, are you?” JJ asked, looking pie-eyed.
“No, he’s still sleeping. I was thinking about us, and our situation.”
“Want another martini?”
I shook my head. “Things will get out of control. Having a one-drink limit is a good thing for now.”
“Because of us?” She stared at me seductively as she ate her last olive.
“We’re being hunted by an adversary we don’t understand.”
“Throwing a wet blanket, huh?”
I stared at her for a moment, then pushed my glass away. “Check, please.”
The bartender nodded from half-way down the bar, and touched his PA. Mine beeped, and I accepted the bill, punching in the standard tip amount.
“Are we still going back to your place?” JJ asked.
“I don’t know, do you think it’s a good idea?”
“Do you not trust me, or do you not trust yourself?” she asked, flashing me a wicked smile.
“Both. I’ll walk you back, okay? The movement will do us good.”
She giggled. “I’d probably throw up in the tin can anyway. I’m surprised this hit me so hard.”
“Rocket fuel, remember? Let’s go.”
We left the bar, taking the twenty-minute walk back to the corridor that our staterooms were on.
“I feel a lot better now,” JJ said.
“Maybe you should go into your stateroom and take a nap.” I eyed her.
“I just want to go in for a second, okay?” She took my hand and led me to the door. It opened, and we walked in. “Lock it.”
“I thought you were okay now,” I said.
She turned towards me, looking me up and down, passion in her eyes. “I want to know if you really like this outfit or not.”
“Didn’t I already tell you? Twice. No, three times, since Butch spilled the beans. He’s just an extension of me.”
She laughed, spinning around slowly for me. “Specifics. What do you like?”
I sighed. “I like that it’s tight in all the right places. You hide yourself too much.”
“I try to be businesslike,” she said, sitting down on the bed.
“Then why did you wear this today?”
“It’s a uniform. It’s one of the standard choices. Sit down.” She patted the bed next to her.
I looked at her smiling face for a moment, not moving. “You’re enjoying this way too much.”
“Maybe we should wake up Butch and ask him what you’re thinking.”
“Let’s not,” I said, sitting next to her.
“Chicken.”
“Perhaps.” I took her into my arms and kissed her. She took the passion up several notches beyond what I intended, breathing hard after she broke the kiss.