ShipCore

USD: The next day

Location: Meltisar, Mil-1A, Naval Academy, Instructor Housing BLKA, Alex’s Room

The meeting had left Alex feeling stressed and worn out. That didn’t mute her enthusiasm when she and Elis had returned to her apartment and her sister had cooked cheesy potatoes for dinner. But she did spend most of the evening in her room, looking up laws and other information to the best of her ability. Nameless was a source of more reading material than she could ever hope to possibly consume, and she had a sudden appreciation for expert systems and people who focused on one topic.

She didn’t have that luxury, though. She needed to know everything, and that was impossible, even with Nameless helping her.

What she could do was find someone who knew about the topic and enlist their expertise. Except Tia had already vetted and prescribed a lawyer for her to meet when she arrived in Meltisar’s capital in a few days.

She could have reached it already, using a military shuttle to the surface, but the extra time was helpful for them. The IFRB still demanded her presence. It was just her choice on how to arrive at the court. They couldn’t force her to not use the elevator, and there was a subtle standoff in the bureaucracy. As long as she was complying, they couldn’t say anything.

If they wanted to complain about the speed, that would be a whole ‘nother argument and would actually make her arrive slower, since she’d not be beholden to move at all until the parties came to an agreement.

When she woke up, she was slightly late. The lack of telltale cooking smells hadn’t coaxed her out of bed. It wasn’t like Elis was beholden to cook for her, though, so she was more upset at herself than anyone else. There was still plenty of time to catch her elevator ride down to the surface.

Elis’s door was shut. That was odd. She didn’t usually sleep in.

“Elis, I’m leaving. Are you alright?” Alex raised her voice to the shut door. The direction of the reply was backwards from what she expected.

“I’m in here.” Elis replied from the living room.

Alex was taken aback when she saw Elis in her marine uniform, standing at the entrance, her travel pack already on her shoulder. “Elis?” Her voice wavered with hesitation and confusion.

Elis tilted her head. “Are you okay? I’m going with you. I’ve got a mission from Tia,” Elis said, adjusting the cuff of her uniform.

Alex blinked. “You’re coming with me?” She wasn’t upset by the idea, but considering that the last time she went planetside, she’d done so without revealing the dangerous role until after the fact… “What kind of mission?”

“I’m heading to Fort Glisson,” Elis explained as she opened the door. “Did you literally forget yesterday?”

Alex centered herself and followed Elis out of the room. “Umm…I was sleepy and wanted to beat Thea at Portal Combat before we left.”

Elis shook her head. “Tia asked me to go groundside to scout for some talent.”

Multiple worries assailed Alex. It hadn’t been that long since Elis had recovered from her traumatic injuries. She’d jumped right back into the action, fist fighting Thea in her suit and then running down the rogue Ertan NAI.

And… “I thought you didn’t want anything to do with this ‘super-secret cabal’.” Alex teased lightly, trying to lighten up the mood.

Elis shot her a glance. “I might have said that, but it was before it became really clear how much help you needed.”

A small crook appeared on the edge of Alex’s mouth, the smallest hint of a smile. “You think just I need help?”

“Clearly.” Elis said without looking at her.

“Are you sure? Cause you seem to be working with Tia a lot and helping Thea, too.” Alex said.

That did receive another look. “I’m not sure how much I trust Tia, but she does seem to keep to her word on things and has a decent head for managing things. But I think she’s in over her head—just like a blue-headed little sister I know. So how can I sit back and not help?”

Alex moved in to clasp onto Elis’s arm. “Thank you.”

Elis raised an eyebrow.

“I know you don’t like NAIs.” Alex said. “It must be hard to work with us.”

Elis paused, and they came to a sudden stop. A hand combed through her red hair before she finally responded. “It’s not that. None of you are The Entity. Part of me still fears that it’s some trick, but it’s clear that things have changed. None of you are the same as that thing, and you’re more human than not. I don’t agree with the type of government Meltisar has, but it’s better than the others, in my opinion. I haven’t seen them myself, so that’s not entirely fair, but I’ve learned enough about the way the NAIs rule them to be wary. What you and Tia are doing here is the best chance for the values I believe in surviving. So here we are.”

Alex blinked, unprepared for the words. “What values?”

“Personal Freedom. Fairness. Not having an AI overlord pressing down its finger on every aspect of your life to make sure you conform to their standards.” Elis answered immediately.

“Umm. Don’t take this the wrong way, but that sounds like something a pirate in a holovid would say.” Alex replied.

Elis shook her head. “I’m not a great speaker. There’s an ancient text from over a thousand years ago that enshrines the idea that says it much better than I can: “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.”

“What if their happiness is taking someone else’s liberty or life?” Alex asked.

“Then you stop them. It’s the government’s responsibility to prevent people from being exploited. The Military’s protecting everyone from outside threats.” Elis continued.

They continued down the hall. The station tram was waiting for them.

“What did you have against the Solarians, then? It was before Dedia, but I distinctly remember you saying something about ‘socialist propaganda’ at one point.” Alex asked.

Elis grunted. “That isn’t actually the Solarians’ problem. I said that before we had more information. It did read like some rhetoric that’s been used by socialist regimes with…a less than stellar history. But I wouldn’t call what they have now worse than any capitalistic, or republican, or any other type of system, which all worked for the majority of people at some point in history.”

“What’s their problem, then?” Alex asked, genuinely curious.

“Corruption. Any system can rot from the inside until it’s a mockery of the values it originally stood for. You can have the best system for your people, but if the ones who are running it are corrupt, then all bets are off. Whatever safeguards for the people there are, they’ll end up exploited for the benefit of the few…or many who are in power.” Elis said as she stared out the window, looking out over Mil-1A’s structure as they zoomed down the line.

“We’re going to have to end up working with them…” Alex said hesitantly.

Elis let out a tense breath before continuing. “Shit usually rolls downhill. It’s not my job description to figure out the big stuff, Alex. But you’re going to have to figure it out. The NAI is obviously in charge, and ultimately the cracks in the system are her fault. She put them there or allowed them to develop. Unless you understand what’s going on, unless you know who and what you are dealing with, you can’t trust them.”

“Our plan isn’t calling for us to trust them,” Alex answered.

Elis frowned. “Then they won’t be good allies. They’ll turn as soon as whatever advantage they see is gone.”

Before Alex could reply, the tram arrived at their destination. The crush of people suddenly became louder, and they had to drop the conversation to navigate the crowded terminal that contained the elevator. It was a near copy of the Hub that she had fought the AGAI with Thea and Tia. She couldn’t suppress the shiver down her spine the comparison elicited.

Elis looked back at her. “I don’t care if the government is run by NAIs. But if you are going to have power, you need to make sure that the ones working for you aren’t abusing the people you are supposed to protect, and expedient measures that harm them…you need to do better than that and not let it happen.”

The admission about NAIs surprised her yet again; the entire conversation had surprised her; it was rare for Elis to let down her walls—to discuss things so openly—and even rarer still on something as serious pertaining to NAIs.

But the directive to avoid expedience and abuse was heavier still. She wasn’t sure she was capable of everything Elis expected of her. But… maybe Tia could pull it off, as long as she made sure she and Nameless acted like guardrails?

A purple-hue eyed NAI waited for them at the boarding ramp, her gaze locking onto Alex immediately. “I was starting to think this was some sort of snub, to send the envoy down alone.”

“We’re on time.” Elis said flatly. They locked eyes immediately before Veliana turned her attention back to Alex.

“I don’t know why you feel the need for an unarmed human as a bodyguard.” Veliana said.

Alex frowned and put her hand on Elis’s shoulder. “She is my sister.”

Veliana opened her mouth to respond, but no words came out. Her eyes flickered back and forth for a moment, and she processed the statement. “I see. I forgot how familial fidelity was important in the Imperium. My apologies.”

“This isn’t the Imperium. She has her own mission groundside, and since she’s my sister, she’s coming with us on the way down. If you have a problem with that, you can ride in the public compartment.” Alex said coldly.

Elis shrugged. “She’s protective.”

“I remember. I’ve seen the holovids on her broadcast. I just didn’t realize you were the one she threatened to burn everything over.” Veliana replied.

Alex sighed at the reminder of the video. She feared it was going to haunt her for a long time. Although having a dangerous reputation might have been helpful in some cases, she didn’t think it would be helpful when they reached the capital. “Are we going in or are we going to stand out here until the newsies accost us?”

Veliana nodded, and the three of them boarded. The compartment set aside for them had its own bar and multiple luxurious smart sofas. Alex wasn’t sure what the price of first class was, but it didn’t seem to be used often, or the cleaning crew did an impeccable job.

The room settled into a tense silence until Veliana finally broke it. “Did you examine the findings of Celestia’s lawyer team?”

“No. I went to sleep and got a good night’s rest before coming here.” Alex answered, perhaps a bit too quickly. She hadn’t intended the snippiness in her voice.

Veliana raised an eyebrow. “You…went to sleep?”

“Yes, why? You don’t sleep?” Alex asked.

“I do, but higher ranking NAIs minimize their time offline.” Veliana explained.

“I’ve been there and done that. I can’t recommend it. At the very least, it makes me cranky. Probably while all the other NAIs are such stuck up bitches?” Alex asked, acid seeping into her voice.

Elis eyed her, clearly taken aback by Alex’s tone.

Veliana didn’t seem to notice and continued. “You are the one responsible for this mess, so you should look at the findings. Our defense will need to take into consideration the information you sent in those…inciting reports you sent from Dedia. Unless we can find some angle that shows they were false.”

“I wasn’t the one dropping unprotected colonists on top of alien hives,” she shot back pointedly. “And I certainly didn’t incite local species to justify genocide.”

The air in the lounge seemed to tighten as silence fell between them after Alex’s biting words. Elis watched from the corner of her eye but remained silent.

Veliana blinked rapidly, as if trying to process Alex’s pushback—it was clear that she had not expected such a response. The scornful look that had been etched onto Veliana’s face faltered slightly under Alex’s unwavering stare.

Purple eyes flickered back and forth between Alex and Elis. “Celestia told me we’d be working together to fight the Corpo charges in court,” she said slowly, clearly struggling with the concept. “But I didn’t expect you to… take the other side’s view.”

“I was there. The reports aren’t inaccurate. Your Grazhdanin captains dumped thousands of people on top of the nest and most them died. Those are facts.” Alex said, crossing her arms. “I’m not going to revise history, even if it’s not convenient.”

Veliana listened silently, her eyes never leaving Alex as she spoke. When Alex finished, Veliana nodded slightly. “I would not suggest such a thing in any event. It’s impossible to avoid the amount of proof floating about, even without your reports. We believe that the Captain in charge of the mission was a Corpo sleeper agent, part of a black-op false flag operation.”

Elis snorted. “You have Corporate plants in positions of command in your navy? That will not look good to admit. Do you even have proof?”

Veliana shook her head. “We don’t have concrete proof…it’s hard to investigate further with the clashes along the frontier getting worse.”

Alex frowned. “Is there any information from 92 Pegasi or Nu Crateris?”

Veliana shook her head. “The Corpos pushed through and launch an attack on 13 Centauri. We took considerable damage to our assets there before repulsing them. Any forces that were cut off have been presumed lost.”

Alex’s heart dropped. She had hoped there would be positive news about A31 or H32. The first destination they’d test the wormhole device on would be Nu Crateris and she’d look for them.

“If there is no evidence of that, what’s our plan for defending ourselves in the IFRB court?” Alex asked.

“Normally, you would have your own lawyer and just create enough doubt that a jury couldn’t convict you.” Veliana said. “But we’ve been instructed to work together on the defense, and it’s part of your side of the deal. As it stands, with no evidence proving otherwise, the Corpo’s case appears clear cut with violations of the accords. We’d be screwed.”

“But?” Elis chimed in instinctively, sensing an unspoken addition to Veliana’s statement.

“There might be proof of everything we suspect…” Veliana continued, her gaze turning thoughtful. “Since there is one person who would need to know, Freylia.”

“I don’t think the Corpo Envoy is going to be divulging information like that, and we can’t touch her or force her to talk,” Alex said.

“I said nothing about touching or harming anyone.” Veliana replied, shaking her head. “Freylia is a Sigma. She won’t have the capacity to keep all her information stored in her head or core. It’s likely she has an external data node where she keeps crucial databases and knowledge.”

Alex’s eyes widened. A what? “If it’s that important, won’t it be protected?”

“It can only be so far away from her, like her ShipCore. Exchanging it should be possible for a Phi-level NAI.” Veliana concluded.

“I’m a Chi.” Alex said flatly. Veliana stared at her without replying.

“Sounds like you’re going to have a fun spy mission,” Elis said.

Alex shot her a look of frustration.