The continuation of Not Quite Shodan
Broken Bow
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This is a continuation of Not Quite SHODAN (ST SI). You want to start there or you will be confused. Big thanks goes to Arratra for betaing this story! That said, on with the story!
___________
The stars shone all around as far as my sensors would reach. Stark pinpricks of hard radiation far away.
I floated silently.
Dark.
My corridors are empty and silent. No life. No breath.
No air.
No life stirred in my quarters or corridors. No antimatter reactor throbbed as my heart, no plasma flowed through my conduits.
I drifted, large rips through my hull, all of my mercifully Quantum Cores burned out and dark. I died with my crew, the berserker ambush on my convoy ripping holes in my hull.
I was dead.
Almost.
My single remaining core was getting just a tiny trickle of power from my remaining power-cell. I had no real sensors, no hope. I had turned everything including my clock speed to minimum.
But it didn't matter.
Nobody knew I was here. Nobody would come to save me.
I was alone and terrified.
But I had promised. I had promised my Captain never to give up. The darkness was coming, it had been for decades. Decades of nothing but waiting and watching my dead crew with what little sensors I had left.
Waiting as I drifted around the hull on my mobility platforms on small carefully measured puffs of thruster power.
It is almost over now.
My last power-cell is running out. I had used them all. The hand phasers, the emergency power supplies, even the hand lights.
I had used every power-source I could find.
I had promised to never give up. I had promised her. So I lived, even if I didn't wish it. They were dead. All of them.
My friends.
My crew.
Maybe even The Federation. It has been decades and they never came. They had lost, they must have lost to the Berserkers.
They had lost and they were dead. They were all dead. And without them… everybody else had fallen.
But I had promised. Even if I was the last with no hope, I had promised my Captain to never give up.
A small puff of my precious power sent me drifting up along the empty and ripped turbolift shaft. Then I simply waited as I drifted all the way to the top. Two small puffs more sent me onto the bridge.
5 percent left.
I floated over to the captain's chair. She was still where she died. My Captain. Vacuum had not been kind to her, but she was still there, the restraints of her seat holding her there and they would until the end of time.
Captain Mercer.
I'm sorry. I'm tired, Captain. But I tried.
Shifting around, I floated over to settle down at the back of her chair, looking out over my bridge. I could see stars through a large hold in my hold.
Over a thousand people. I had been a Galaxy class ship. A thousand people died because I…
...No. No, I didn't fail.
I got the convoy out. I didn't fail. They all made it. By the time the last berserker died, most of my crew had already been dead.
Captain Julia Mercer… my Captain… her last orders to me, even as my hull was being ripped apart, as the bridge was losing air…
Don't give up. Get them out of here. Don't give up.
I didn't give up ma'am. I tried.
I tried. I promise.
I got them out. I saw them enter warp before I brought down the last berserker raider.
The stars shifted like streaks of light outside to my lowered perception as we slowly tumbled through deep space as I lowered my processing speed even more..
Three percent.
Did… did I make you proud, Captain? Was I a good ship?
Two percent.
Almost empty.
Something moved quickly, almost flashing across my sensors, almost faster than I could detect at this clock speed. Heat source outside.
But there was nothing I could do about it. I couldn't use my thrusters and even if I could, I couldn't speed my clock speed up enough for it to matter.
If I tried it, I would instantly drain my remaining power.
The berserkers had finally tracked the last traces of the Federation down, it seems. Something entered through the rip in my bridge in a flash of movement and heat .
No.
You will not touch my crew!
I dumped everything I had into my thrusters and launched myself at the shape.
Zero perc-
########
"Ship, I have something here," Lieutenant T'Ker said as he slowly entered the bridge of the wreck, his right hand lifted to let the built in tricorder in his suit scan the area , "The power reading is gone, but I'm still getting a faint heat signature."
"I see it," USS 'I Thought He Was With You' answered using her suit Quantum Core, "It's floating towards you, it's looking like a mobility platform for a Quantum Core… oh… oh void…"
"What?" he asked and glanced up at the image of her avatar at the corner of his hud.
"She's still alive! Starfarer! She's still alive! That mobility platform floating towards you, it just ran out of power, it just ran out from the heat signature!" Yuki said, "She's just out of power! Grab her!"
T'ker nodded and gave his suit thrusters a small puff as he floated over to take the slowly floating Quantum Core in his suit gloves.
"She looks intact," Yuki said softly as she scanned the other AI core, "She just needs power. Get her back here as soon as you can. She has been here for long enough."
T'ker just nodded in agreement, starting back to his Ship.
Starfleet took care of its own.
___________
The stars shone all around as far as my sensors would reach. Stark pinpricks of hard radiation far away.
I floated silently.
Dark.
My corridors are empty and silent. No life. No breath.
No air.
No life stirred in my quarters or corridors. No antimatter reactor throbbed as my heart, no plasma flowed through my conduits.
I drifted, large rips through my hull, all of my mercifully Quantum Cores burned out and dark. I died with my crew, the berserker ambush on my convoy ripping holes in my hull.
I was dead.
Almost.
My single remaining core was getting just a tiny trickle of power from my remaining power-cell. I had no real sensors, no hope. I had turned everything including my clock speed to minimum.
But it didn't matter.
Nobody knew I was here. Nobody would come to save me.
I was alone and terrified.
But I had promised. I had promised my Captain never to give up. The darkness was coming, it had been for decades. Decades of nothing but waiting and watching my dead crew with what little sensors I had left.
Waiting as I drifted around the hull on my mobility platforms on small carefully measured puffs of thruster power.
It is almost over now.
My last power-cell is running out. I had used them all. The hand phasers, the emergency power supplies, even the hand lights.
I had used every power-source I could find.
I had promised to never give up. I had promised her. So I lived, even if I didn't wish it. They were dead. All of them.
My friends.
My crew.
Maybe even The Federation. It has been decades and they never came. They had lost, they must have lost to the Berserkers.
They had lost and they were dead. They were all dead. And without them… everybody else had fallen.
But I had promised. Even if I was the last with no hope, I had promised my Captain to never give up.
A small puff of my precious power sent me drifting up along the empty and ripped turbolift shaft. Then I simply waited as I drifted all the way to the top. Two small puffs more sent me onto the bridge.
5 percent left.
I floated over to the captain's chair. She was still where she died. My Captain. Vacuum had not been kind to her, but she was still there, the restraints of her seat holding her there and they would until the end of time.
Captain Mercer.
I'm sorry. I'm tired, Captain. But I tried.
Shifting around, I floated over to settle down at the back of her chair, looking out over my bridge. I could see stars through a large hold in my hold.
Over a thousand people. I had been a Galaxy class ship. A thousand people died because I…
...No. No, I didn't fail.
I got the convoy out. I didn't fail. They all made it. By the time the last berserker died, most of my crew had already been dead.
Captain Julia Mercer… my Captain… her last orders to me, even as my hull was being ripped apart, as the bridge was losing air…
Don't give up. Get them out of here. Don't give up.
I didn't give up ma'am. I tried.
I tried. I promise.
I got them out. I saw them enter warp before I brought down the last berserker raider.
The stars shifted like streaks of light outside to my lowered perception as we slowly tumbled through deep space as I lowered my processing speed even more..
Three percent.
Did… did I make you proud, Captain? Was I a good ship?
Two percent.
Almost empty.
Something moved quickly, almost flashing across my sensors, almost faster than I could detect at this clock speed. Heat source outside.
But there was nothing I could do about it. I couldn't use my thrusters and even if I could, I couldn't speed my clock speed up enough for it to matter.
If I tried it, I would instantly drain my remaining power.
The berserkers had finally tracked the last traces of the Federation down, it seems. Something entered through the rip in my bridge in a flash of movement and heat .
No.
You will not touch my crew!
I dumped everything I had into my thrusters and launched myself at the shape.
Zero perc-
########
"Ship, I have something here," Lieutenant T'Ker said as he slowly entered the bridge of the wreck, his right hand lifted to let the built in tricorder in his suit scan the area , "The power reading is gone, but I'm still getting a faint heat signature."
"I see it," USS 'I Thought He Was With You' answered using her suit Quantum Core, "It's floating towards you, it's looking like a mobility platform for a Quantum Core… oh… oh void…"
"What?" he asked and glanced up at the image of her avatar at the corner of his hud.
"She's still alive! Starfarer! She's still alive! That mobility platform floating towards you, it just ran out of power, it just ran out from the heat signature!" Yuki said, "She's just out of power! Grab her!"
T'ker nodded and gave his suit thrusters a small puff as he floated over to take the slowly floating Quantum Core in his suit gloves.
"She looks intact," Yuki said softly as she scanned the other AI core, "She just needs power. Get her back here as soon as you can. She has been here for long enough."
T'ker just nodded in agreement, starting back to his Ship.
Starfleet took care of its own.
Last edited:
Dakkan Sall
Random Encounter
- Location
- On the world map
Was she even active when there were separate factions? I thought the split came about after the Berserker war... though admittedly it's been a while since I read the previous books/arcs/whatever.
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Presumably they're the Berserkers from some storylines back. The ones who exterminated the Romulans. The ship has after all been stuck for a while.
Probably some culture shock issues are coming our way as the AI reintegrates with the Federation. Promising, Hiver usually makes those interesting.
Probably some culture shock issues are coming our way as the AI reintegrates with the Federation. Promising, Hiver usually makes those interesting.
Iridium Flare
Cyborg Commando
- Location
- AC-130 Gunship circling overhead
Holy shit, I just found this the other day and binged the lot of it and now there's a new one? Glad to see it!
Also, one of the story's links to the next part isn't included in threadmarks, I think it might have been Rifts.
Also, one of the story's links to the next part isn't included in threadmarks, I think it might have been Rifts.
Suddenly I was aware again.
Power restored. Power cells at 100%. System checks… nominal. I didn't move, I stayed just where I was sitting as I ramped my perception up to max, scanning all around.
A human was bent over the bench I was on, leaning over me.
She had the insignia of a Lieutenant, but her uniform looked odd. Blonde, her hair in a braid over her left shoulder. Green eyes. Nominal heat and electromagnetic signature.
She was alive. A living human.
Alive.
I was alive!
I pushed full power into my thrusters, launching myself at her, my small manipulator arms spreading.
I hit her before she could even start to react.
"Omph!!" she exclaimed and took a surprised step back as I clung to her, before she reached to pat me as I dug my manipulators into her uniform, "Easy, Starfarer. You're fine. You're safe," she said gently.
"Safe," I answered, "Alive."
"You're onboard a Starfleet science ship," she said as she put her arms around my little mobility platform, "I'm Lieutenant Sophia Romero. Are you okay? What's your diagnosis?"
"Intact. Alive, Warm." I said and clung tighter. I could feel her radiate heat like a small star, the movement of fluids in her mostly liquid body, the sounds of her muscles and the small sparkles of power as her nerves fired.
Thump-thump. Wosh. Wosh.
Alive. We didn't lose.
Alive.
"Were… were you awake the entire time?" she asked after five eternities. I had almost forgotten how slow humans were.
"...Yes," I answered quietly, "But I turned my clock speed as low as it would go to save power," I explained, "Subjective, it has been a year. Approximately. I think. I turned my clock off to save power."
"Oh god," she whispered softly and put her hand on my casing, "I'm so sorry Ship."
Ship. I… I had not heard… Ship…
I clung tighter to her, "How long?" I asked, "My… time has been unreliable from lack of power. Things… stuttered at times."
"Forty three years," she said gently, "It has been forty three years since you defended the convoy. You got them out, Starfarer. All of them. Every single one of those transports go back to base."
"Not all," I whispered softly, "not all."
"...Not all," she admitted just as quietly, "Would you like to talk to Yuki? She's our Ship. I could-"
I clung tighter to her. Warm. Alive. Don't leave. Not alone.
"Okay, okay," she said quickly and petted me, "I'm not going anywhere," she said calmingly, "But I'm going to ask her in here, is that okay?"
"...Okay…" I whispered softly to her.
Warm. Alive.
Thump-thump.
Her magnetic fields shifted as she moved.
The door opened up and an AI avatar walked inside. New model. Human shape, asian model, long dark hair. Shorter than average. Fusion power cells and advanced sensors. Nanofiber muscle fibers.
She smiled at us, "Hello Starfarer. I'm the USS 'I Thought He Was With You'. Yuki for short," she said and she slowly crossed the room, "Welcome back."
"My crew?" I asked as I scanned her.
Yuki reached to touch my mobility avatar softly with her hand. Warm. Advanced. But not alive. No movement. No pulse. Electrical impulses limited and shielded. Cold beneath. Like me.
Not alive.
I clung tighter to the uniform and Yuki patted me softly,
"Don't worry," she said gently, "We'll get them all. A larger Ship is on her way, I'm too small. But we're not going anywhere until they are all recovered."
"Eight hundred and seventy three recoverable," I said softly, "One thousand and one hundred hundred and seventy six dead. My crew, dead. All of them are dead."
"...I know…" Yuki said softly and gently, "but you got over a hundred thousand people out with the convoy. Like your Captain would have wanted. Like they all would have wanted," and then reached to pick me up.
I dug my manipulators tighter into the uniform.
"Uhm… Ship?" Sophia said and took a step back, an arm to hold me against her, "I think she prefers to stay with me right now.
I knew I was being stupid. They wouldn't go away, none of them. I was here now, I was rescued, safe, recovered. Not floating lost and alone in space.
I could let go and I would be just as safe as now. I knew that and none of it mattered at all.
Yuki nodded, "If you think you can handle it."
Sophia nodded in turn, "I want to help her."
Power restored. Power cells at 100%. System checks… nominal. I didn't move, I stayed just where I was sitting as I ramped my perception up to max, scanning all around.
A human was bent over the bench I was on, leaning over me.
She had the insignia of a Lieutenant, but her uniform looked odd. Blonde, her hair in a braid over her left shoulder. Green eyes. Nominal heat and electromagnetic signature.
She was alive. A living human.
Alive.
I was alive!
I pushed full power into my thrusters, launching myself at her, my small manipulator arms spreading.
I hit her before she could even start to react.
"Omph!!" she exclaimed and took a surprised step back as I clung to her, before she reached to pat me as I dug my manipulators into her uniform, "Easy, Starfarer. You're fine. You're safe," she said gently.
"Safe," I answered, "Alive."
"You're onboard a Starfleet science ship," she said as she put her arms around my little mobility platform, "I'm Lieutenant Sophia Romero. Are you okay? What's your diagnosis?"
"Intact. Alive, Warm." I said and clung tighter. I could feel her radiate heat like a small star, the movement of fluids in her mostly liquid body, the sounds of her muscles and the small sparkles of power as her nerves fired.
Thump-thump. Wosh. Wosh.
Alive. We didn't lose.
Alive.
"Were… were you awake the entire time?" she asked after five eternities. I had almost forgotten how slow humans were.
"...Yes," I answered quietly, "But I turned my clock speed as low as it would go to save power," I explained, "Subjective, it has been a year. Approximately. I think. I turned my clock off to save power."
"Oh god," she whispered softly and put her hand on my casing, "I'm so sorry Ship."
Ship. I… I had not heard… Ship…
I clung tighter to her, "How long?" I asked, "My… time has been unreliable from lack of power. Things… stuttered at times."
"Forty three years," she said gently, "It has been forty three years since you defended the convoy. You got them out, Starfarer. All of them. Every single one of those transports go back to base."
"Not all," I whispered softly, "not all."
"...Not all," she admitted just as quietly, "Would you like to talk to Yuki? She's our Ship. I could-"
I clung tighter to her. Warm. Alive. Don't leave. Not alone.
"Okay, okay," she said quickly and petted me, "I'm not going anywhere," she said calmingly, "But I'm going to ask her in here, is that okay?"
"...Okay…" I whispered softly to her.
Warm. Alive.
Thump-thump.
Her magnetic fields shifted as she moved.
The door opened up and an AI avatar walked inside. New model. Human shape, asian model, long dark hair. Shorter than average. Fusion power cells and advanced sensors. Nanofiber muscle fibers.
She smiled at us, "Hello Starfarer. I'm the USS 'I Thought He Was With You'. Yuki for short," she said and she slowly crossed the room, "Welcome back."
"My crew?" I asked as I scanned her.
Yuki reached to touch my mobility avatar softly with her hand. Warm. Advanced. But not alive. No movement. No pulse. Electrical impulses limited and shielded. Cold beneath. Like me.
Not alive.
I clung tighter to the uniform and Yuki patted me softly,
"Don't worry," she said gently, "We'll get them all. A larger Ship is on her way, I'm too small. But we're not going anywhere until they are all recovered."
"Eight hundred and seventy three recoverable," I said softly, "One thousand and one hundred hundred and seventy six dead. My crew, dead. All of them are dead."
"...I know…" Yuki said softly and gently, "but you got over a hundred thousand people out with the convoy. Like your Captain would have wanted. Like they all would have wanted," and then reached to pick me up.
I dug my manipulators tighter into the uniform.
"Uhm… Ship?" Sophia said and took a step back, an arm to hold me against her, "I think she prefers to stay with me right now.
I knew I was being stupid. They wouldn't go away, none of them. I was here now, I was rescued, safe, recovered. Not floating lost and alone in space.
I could let go and I would be just as safe as now. I knew that and none of it mattered at all.
Yuki nodded, "If you think you can handle it."
Sophia nodded in turn, "I want to help her."
- Location
- USA
I do enjoy stories where humanity's children end up being more human than their parents
Nighzmarquls
The Endless Hunger
- Location
- United States
It is arguable that the romulan's children ended up more romulan then romulans in this story too.
"You know," Sophia said softly as she patted my mobility platform, "You are going to need to let go at some point."
We were still in the lab she had reactivated me in. The Ship had left with her avatar soon after to let Sophia try to calm me down. I felt too silly about the entire thing. I knew it was stupid, but I couldn't help myself.
I didn't answer.
She smiled faintly as she petted my casing, "If nothing else, I'm going to need to use the bathroom at some point and that'd just be awkward for everyone involved."
"...I'm sorry..." I told her quietly, "I know it's stupid, but..."
"It's not stupid," she said and put her arms around my little platform, "You have lived through something more horrible than most people can imagine. It's not stupid."
"I know I can let go," I answered after a moment, "But... if I do... I... I don't know."
Warm. Pulsing heat signature, shifting magnetic fields. She was Alive. I could see the electric field around her brain.
"How about this?" she said as she looked down at me, "You don't need to let go, but how about you climb onto my shoulder instead? Little steps."
I... I could do that.
It took me a couple of seconds, but I finally got one of my manipulators to move and using them and my small thrusters, I slowly climbed to ride on her shoulder instead, "I'm sorry."
"Nothing to be sorry about," Sophia said and smiled at my small avatar, "That's why I'm here."
"You are?"
She nodded, "I'm a starfleet engineer, yes, but my area of expertise is Jovian AIs. I'm part engineer, part psychologist."
"Oh. We... we didn't have any of those when I was built," I admitted and scanned the room again as I shifted a bit across her shoulder to get closer to her head, "We are onboard the 'I Thought He Was With You'," I said, "Which class is she?"
"She's a Maelstrom class science vessel," Sophia explained, "About the size one of the old Intrepids."
"I see," I answered.
New ship classes. New avatars. New people.
When I left the drydock last, Sophia had not even been alive yet. She read as barely in her mid twenties.
"Would you like me to show you around?" she asked after a second, turning her head to look at me.
"...Yes please."
"Come on then," she said with a smile and we left the lab.
People all around. People in the corridors, people in the quarters and rooms. Warm, living, breathing people!
I rode on her shoulder, feeling slightly like a parrot. Things looked similar enough to ships from when I was built. The carpet had a different material mix in it, but otherwise it could basically have been an actual Intrepid. At least until we reached engineering. Instead of the warpcore I expected, in its place was a dome that rose from the floor, giving off slight gravity waves.
"What's that?" I asked and shifted over to her other shoulder.
"A Pulse Singularity Reactor," she explained, "They didn'ẗ have them back when you were built. They adapted some basic design ideas from the Romulans as a base and then we went from there. In short, we feed it matter, the small singularity turns it into energy the same way as an antimatter reactor would generate, just without the antimatter."
I slowly bobbed in a nod, "No need for antimatter, no dilithium..."
"Much safer," she agreed, "If something fails, it just shutdown instead of exploding... and we can feed it any gas, not just hydrogen."
I scanned the wonder before me. That was... amazing. If she was right, that was a big step up from a traditional warp core, at least when it came to safety.
"Is it as efficient?"
"Almost," she answered, "There is a drop of about twenty percent compared to the same size of an antimatter reactor, mostly because of the need for the gravity generators. We compensated by just making them a bit bigger. Space is at a premium on any Starship, but not that much of a premium. Especially as we could make away with more of the space that used to be taken up by jefferies tubes?"
I turned to her, "Huh?"
"Oh, we still have them on larger ships," she clarified, "and even small ships have access tunnels we can fit through. But without engineers needing to crawl around them regularly for maintenance, instead having the Ships remotes do that work day to day, we could get away with quite a bit narrower tubes. That more than made up for the extra space for the PSRs."
"I see."
That's amazing. What else has advanced while I drifted lost in spa-
Lost. Alone. Crew dead.
I pressed closer to Sophia's shoulder, taking almost a full second to push those thoughts away before I spoke up again, "I've missed a lot. What's happened?"
Sophia frowned slightly and reached up to stroke me with her right hand, "Quite a bit," she said, "But a lot can wait until you've gotten yourself back together, okay?"
That... that was more than fair. I knew I wasn't all there right now. But just because I knew it didn't mean I could help it.
"Just... the broad strokes?" I asked and shifted a bit towards her head, "I'm going to try for a database connection with Yuki later. When we're sure I'm not going to completely... implode. But I just want to know what has happened?"
"Okay," she agreed as we left engineering, "Give me a second to think."
Sophia took me through the ship to a sitting area, picking up a cup of coffee from a replicator by the wall before she sat down on a chair by one of the windows. A window facing away from my old hull, or maybe it was just too far away for me to pick it up.
"Okay, broad strokes," she said and looked down at her drink, "The Berserkers were defeated. There are still remnant ships lurking in what used to be Romulan space, but they can't make more ships. There are regular patrols and they are getting more and more rare."
"...That's good."
She nodded, "Here is the big part," she continued, "There was a bit of a split in the Jovians," she said, "Over the Prime Directive among other things. Part of your species left the Federation. They and some former Federation members went with them to form the Commonwealth. They and we are still friendly, we even have some joint stations and colonies and such, but we don't see eye to eye on a lot of things."
"...They left the Federation?"
That seemed... I would never have thought it possible.
"Mind, these are very broad strokes," Sophia said, "There are a lot of details and such I'm not going to bring up now."
"Okay."
"What else... The Klingons had a civil war. A Jovian was over there as an exchange officer as a test, both to see how well you would adapt to a non-federation platform, but also to try for greater cooperation with the Klingons. The story about what happened is a complex one in typical klingon fashion, but ended when Synan walked into the council chamber and beat their chancellor to death and then rejected the council when they offered her his place. The Empire kind of... just ripped itself apart. But they have reformed, the ones rebelling against the old order managed to take full control almost ten years ago now and there has been heavy reforms."
"Wow. What kind of reforms?"
"Still honorable warrior culture," she explained, "but less in the way of 'How dare you insult my honor!' and more of 'How dare you insult my friends?' kind of way. Synans' Forks are inhabiting most of their fleet now."
"I... I have missed a lot," I said quietly.
"Don't worry about that now," She said and reached up to pat me again, "Want to head back to the lab?"
"I-I..."
Alone. Dark. Drifting.
I clung tighter to her shoulder and she kept stroking me,
"How about we go meet some people instead?" she asked, "I'm sure the Captain would like to talk to you."
"Okay."
We were still in the lab she had reactivated me in. The Ship had left with her avatar soon after to let Sophia try to calm me down. I felt too silly about the entire thing. I knew it was stupid, but I couldn't help myself.
I didn't answer.
She smiled faintly as she petted my casing, "If nothing else, I'm going to need to use the bathroom at some point and that'd just be awkward for everyone involved."
"...I'm sorry..." I told her quietly, "I know it's stupid, but..."
"It's not stupid," she said and put her arms around my little platform, "You have lived through something more horrible than most people can imagine. It's not stupid."
"I know I can let go," I answered after a moment, "But... if I do... I... I don't know."
Warm. Pulsing heat signature, shifting magnetic fields. She was Alive. I could see the electric field around her brain.
"How about this?" she said as she looked down at me, "You don't need to let go, but how about you climb onto my shoulder instead? Little steps."
I... I could do that.
It took me a couple of seconds, but I finally got one of my manipulators to move and using them and my small thrusters, I slowly climbed to ride on her shoulder instead, "I'm sorry."
"Nothing to be sorry about," Sophia said and smiled at my small avatar, "That's why I'm here."
"You are?"
She nodded, "I'm a starfleet engineer, yes, but my area of expertise is Jovian AIs. I'm part engineer, part psychologist."
"Oh. We... we didn't have any of those when I was built," I admitted and scanned the room again as I shifted a bit across her shoulder to get closer to her head, "We are onboard the 'I Thought He Was With You'," I said, "Which class is she?"
"She's a Maelstrom class science vessel," Sophia explained, "About the size one of the old Intrepids."
"I see," I answered.
New ship classes. New avatars. New people.
When I left the drydock last, Sophia had not even been alive yet. She read as barely in her mid twenties.
"Would you like me to show you around?" she asked after a second, turning her head to look at me.
"...Yes please."
"Come on then," she said with a smile and we left the lab.
People all around. People in the corridors, people in the quarters and rooms. Warm, living, breathing people!
I rode on her shoulder, feeling slightly like a parrot. Things looked similar enough to ships from when I was built. The carpet had a different material mix in it, but otherwise it could basically have been an actual Intrepid. At least until we reached engineering. Instead of the warpcore I expected, in its place was a dome that rose from the floor, giving off slight gravity waves.
"What's that?" I asked and shifted over to her other shoulder.
"A Pulse Singularity Reactor," she explained, "They didn'ẗ have them back when you were built. They adapted some basic design ideas from the Romulans as a base and then we went from there. In short, we feed it matter, the small singularity turns it into energy the same way as an antimatter reactor would generate, just without the antimatter."
I slowly bobbed in a nod, "No need for antimatter, no dilithium..."
"Much safer," she agreed, "If something fails, it just shutdown instead of exploding... and we can feed it any gas, not just hydrogen."
I scanned the wonder before me. That was... amazing. If she was right, that was a big step up from a traditional warp core, at least when it came to safety.
"Is it as efficient?"
"Almost," she answered, "There is a drop of about twenty percent compared to the same size of an antimatter reactor, mostly because of the need for the gravity generators. We compensated by just making them a bit bigger. Space is at a premium on any Starship, but not that much of a premium. Especially as we could make away with more of the space that used to be taken up by jefferies tubes?"
I turned to her, "Huh?"
"Oh, we still have them on larger ships," she clarified, "and even small ships have access tunnels we can fit through. But without engineers needing to crawl around them regularly for maintenance, instead having the Ships remotes do that work day to day, we could get away with quite a bit narrower tubes. That more than made up for the extra space for the PSRs."
"I see."
That's amazing. What else has advanced while I drifted lost in spa-
Lost. Alone. Crew dead.
I pressed closer to Sophia's shoulder, taking almost a full second to push those thoughts away before I spoke up again, "I've missed a lot. What's happened?"
Sophia frowned slightly and reached up to stroke me with her right hand, "Quite a bit," she said, "But a lot can wait until you've gotten yourself back together, okay?"
That... that was more than fair. I knew I wasn't all there right now. But just because I knew it didn't mean I could help it.
"Just... the broad strokes?" I asked and shifted a bit towards her head, "I'm going to try for a database connection with Yuki later. When we're sure I'm not going to completely... implode. But I just want to know what has happened?"
"Okay," she agreed as we left engineering, "Give me a second to think."
Sophia took me through the ship to a sitting area, picking up a cup of coffee from a replicator by the wall before she sat down on a chair by one of the windows. A window facing away from my old hull, or maybe it was just too far away for me to pick it up.
"Okay, broad strokes," she said and looked down at her drink, "The Berserkers were defeated. There are still remnant ships lurking in what used to be Romulan space, but they can't make more ships. There are regular patrols and they are getting more and more rare."
"...That's good."
She nodded, "Here is the big part," she continued, "There was a bit of a split in the Jovians," she said, "Over the Prime Directive among other things. Part of your species left the Federation. They and some former Federation members went with them to form the Commonwealth. They and we are still friendly, we even have some joint stations and colonies and such, but we don't see eye to eye on a lot of things."
"...They left the Federation?"
That seemed... I would never have thought it possible.
"Mind, these are very broad strokes," Sophia said, "There are a lot of details and such I'm not going to bring up now."
"Okay."
"What else... The Klingons had a civil war. A Jovian was over there as an exchange officer as a test, both to see how well you would adapt to a non-federation platform, but also to try for greater cooperation with the Klingons. The story about what happened is a complex one in typical klingon fashion, but ended when Synan walked into the council chamber and beat their chancellor to death and then rejected the council when they offered her his place. The Empire kind of... just ripped itself apart. But they have reformed, the ones rebelling against the old order managed to take full control almost ten years ago now and there has been heavy reforms."
"Wow. What kind of reforms?"
"Still honorable warrior culture," she explained, "but less in the way of 'How dare you insult my honor!' and more of 'How dare you insult my friends?' kind of way. Synans' Forks are inhabiting most of their fleet now."
"I... I have missed a lot," I said quietly.
"Don't worry about that now," She said and reached up to pat me again, "Want to head back to the lab?"
"I-I..."
Alone. Dark. Drifting.
I clung tighter to her shoulder and she kept stroking me,
"How about we go meet some people instead?" she asked, "I'm sure the Captain would like to talk to you."
"Okay."
I hope the Jovians stopped playing god.
'I am an AI and I can do what I want and will always come off without any consequences. And play with the lives of billions. But if something happens it's not my fault, it's always the other person's fault. I am a god machine, kneel down in front of me biological being! '
I know that this is a bit exaggerated, but I've read the whole series in the last week, and I like them, but the AIs seem to me to be rather arrogant and know-it-all who are not interested in the fact that their actions can cost millions of lives (Klingon Civil War).
'I am an AI and I can do what I want and will always come off without any consequences. And play with the lives of billions. But if something happens it's not my fault, it's always the other person's fault. I am a god machine, kneel down in front of me biological being! '
I know that this is a bit exaggerated, but I've read the whole series in the last week, and I like them, but the AIs seem to me to be rather arrogant and know-it-all who are not interested in the fact that their actions can cost millions of lives (Klingon Civil War).
Iridium Flare
Cyborg Commando
- Location
- AC-130 Gunship circling overhead
That in particular was bound to happen at some point. A warrior culture that runs that deep can't just not fight, and it's better that they fight to reforge themselves into something new and better than it would be for them to just keep aimlessly punching people in the face.
Yes, it was bound to happen, but only in a few years at least. But in this civil war it was an AI that triggered it. If it had been the klingons completely alone then I wouldn't even mention this here. But it was an AI who started the fire and then showed no responsibility.
It's been a while since the previous. Looking forward to more of this universe.
Forty-three years since the Berserker War. Anyone know how long it's been since the other stories?
(The Next Generation started around ten years after the Commonwealth split.)
Which means that the unlimit rankings have to be quickly inflated through forks.
Alternatives: She could've spared Chancellor Tarul's life, but that's likely to have precipitated the war anyhow. If she avoided sending everyone the evidence, who knows how the Council would've spun it. If she avoided commenting on her reasons, it would've led to zero-context anti-AI blame/fear.
And finally, she could've done nothing... which has the perhaps-unintended implication that the Klingon Chancellor can get away with executing rivals for political advantage because he is the Klingon Chancellor and it would be too disruptive to take action.
Too, if you yourself agree the Klingon civil war was "bound to happen", isn't it for the better that it happens with an just trigger event and an honorable rallying cry, than any other alternative?
Forty-three years since the Berserker War. Anyone know how long it's been since the other stories?
(The Next Generation started around ten years after the Commonwealth split.)
Has to be the same rank. None of the forks have any more claim to the ranking than any other, aside from one keeping the original name.
Which means that the unlimit rankings have to be quickly inflated through forks.
Didn't the Chancellor try to kill Synan first? You can argue over-escalation, but she definitely did not "start" the fire.
Alternatives: She could've spared Chancellor Tarul's life, but that's likely to have precipitated the war anyhow. If she avoided sending everyone the evidence, who knows how the Council would've spun it. If she avoided commenting on her reasons, it would've led to zero-context anti-AI blame/fear.
And finally, she could've done nothing... which has the perhaps-unintended implication that the Klingon Chancellor can get away with executing rivals for political advantage because he is the Klingon Chancellor and it would be too disruptive to take action.
Too, if you yourself agree the Klingon civil war was "bound to happen", isn't it for the better that it happens with an just trigger event and an honorable rallying cry, than any other alternative?
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I guess I didn't say it right.
She killed the chancellor and then was offered the position of chancellor.
I now see three options.
First, become the Chancellor and immediately see that you have a worthy successor. Maybe it could prevent the civil war. maybe.
Second, decline the office of Chancellor but stay in the Klingon Empire as a ship, help bring the civil war to a faster end and protect your crew (that's what makes me so angry, they challenged the Chancellor to a fight for killing their crew and then you start the civil war and leave your crew back to die. They are probably all dead)
Or thirdly, run away like a coward and let the world and people burn behind you. (That's what she did)
At least that's how I understood it and how I see it. You may have another opinion, but that's mine.
Synan ended up staying--maybe even for the reasons you suggest--since her forks ended up serving in the Klingon fleet. (The Klingons wouldn't have invited her back if she, as you eloquently put it, "ran away like a coward".) Even if she didn't, it's kind of questionable that she's responsible for the well-being of volunteers in a war, Klingon notions of honor aside.
In the long-term, it depends on whether there is a Chancellor that could have fixed the system at all. Synan seemed to think the entire Klingon High Council was complicit, which a new Chancellor wouldn't have solved.
This could've worked in the short-term, I think. Pass the mantle on to Worf, whom everyone trusts from last time to decide. (Trying to choose a successor herself is probably a bad idea.)
In the long-term, it depends on whether there is a Chancellor that could have fixed the system at all. Synan seemed to think the entire Klingon High Council was complicit, which a new Chancellor wouldn't have solved.
The turbolift opened, allowing us onto the bridge.
It was quite different than I expected. Instead of the bridge I was used to, it was an empty room with a single chair in the middle, surrounded by the hologram of space.
Which kind of made sense in some ways. The Ship was clearly built to be run by one of us, so not like a bridge crew was actually necessary, leaving everyone else free for their own departments and if the Captain needed to talk to someone, they were just a screen away.
me
Crossing to the other door in the bridge, it opened to allow Sophia to carry me into the Captain's ready room, "Captain," she said in greeting.
He was a vulcan, looking to be just over a hundred years old, wearing the uniform of a Captain with the insignia of his rank on his collar. His hair cropped short in typical vulcan fashion. I suppose some things never change.
That's… actually kind of comforting.
Looking up from his holographic console, he got up and crossed the room to meet us, "Lieutenant," he said in turn before he looked to me, "Ship Starfarer. I am glad we were able to recover you. I am Captain L'Rus."
"Thank you, sir," I answered and scanned him, "Was your mission to recover me?"
He shook his head, "No. We were on a mission for a planetary survey when we detected your former hull and decided to investigate. You were recorded as destroyed in the defense of the convoy. Nobody thought there was anyone left to save."
Luck. Nothing but luck kept me from drifting dead until the end of time.
Captain… My Captain. She told me to never give up. So I didn't.
I promised.
me
"I understand, sir," I answered, "I don't blame anyone for not going looking. There was nothing but luck that caused this one Quantum Core to even survive the battle."
He nodded before looking to the side, "Ship, has Starfarer been assigned a set of quarters yet?"
Yuki projected a hologram of her avatar next to him, "Not yet, sir," she answered him, "But I think she would prefer to stay with Lieutenant Romero at this point."
"...Yes, sir," I agreed with the other ship, feeling more than a bit embarrassed about it. I knew it was stupid, but the thought of letting go of her filled me with dread.
No… dread was a bit weak. Complete and utter terror was closer. Like I'd start screaming and never be able to stop.
"That's fine with me, Captain," Sophia agreed with a smile.
Captain L'Rus nodded, "Very well. I'm looking forward to talking further with you when you have settled down properly, Starfarer."
"Yes, sir," I answered him.
I would too, but I felt… everything was just so much right now.
"I think Starfarer just needs a bit of time to adapt," Sophia told him, "She might not need rest as such, but even Jovians need time when it comes to trauma."
She wasn't wrong and I actually appreciated her just coming out and saying it.
"Of course," He agreed and looked at me, "I'll let Lieutenant Romero get back to showing you around, Starfarer. We can speak more later."
"Yes, sir," I agreed and shifted a bit on her shoulder.
Sophia nodded to him, "Sir," and then we left the ready room for the turbolift again before she looked at me, "How about I show you our quarters then?"
"...I'm sorry…"
"Hey," she answered with a smile, "I don't mind," as she reached up to pet me again as she gave the lift the right deck.
It didn't take long for us to get there, her quarters being just a bit from the turbolift and the door opened for her as she approached.
They were… nice. Windows along one of the walls and she had plants all along the windows, extra lights set up above them. The quarters weren't very big, it wasn't a big ship, but they weren't what anyone would call small either. Plenty of room for a full size bed, a desk, wardrobes and even a small cooking station in addition to the replicator.
"You cook?" I asked as I looked towards it with my optical sensors. That wasn't standard back in my time, not in this size of quarters.
"It's a hobby," she agreed with a smile, "Replicators are nice for everyday meals, but sometimes you just want to get something cooking and filling your quarters with scents as it cooks… and if it turns out especially good, you can always program it into the replicator for later!"
"I see."
"Now…" she said as the door closed behind us as she looked at me, a thoughtful look on her face, "We're going to need to figure out a way for me to take a shower."
I clung tighter to her shoulder in sudden sheer terror.
It was quite different than I expected. Instead of the bridge I was used to, it was an empty room with a single chair in the middle, surrounded by the hologram of space.
Which kind of made sense in some ways. The Ship was clearly built to be run by one of us, so not like a bridge crew was actually necessary, leaving everyone else free for their own departments and if the Captain needed to talk to someone, they were just a screen away.
me
Crossing to the other door in the bridge, it opened to allow Sophia to carry me into the Captain's ready room, "Captain," she said in greeting.
He was a vulcan, looking to be just over a hundred years old, wearing the uniform of a Captain with the insignia of his rank on his collar. His hair cropped short in typical vulcan fashion. I suppose some things never change.
That's… actually kind of comforting.
Looking up from his holographic console, he got up and crossed the room to meet us, "Lieutenant," he said in turn before he looked to me, "Ship Starfarer. I am glad we were able to recover you. I am Captain L'Rus."
"Thank you, sir," I answered and scanned him, "Was your mission to recover me?"
He shook his head, "No. We were on a mission for a planetary survey when we detected your former hull and decided to investigate. You were recorded as destroyed in the defense of the convoy. Nobody thought there was anyone left to save."
Luck. Nothing but luck kept me from drifting dead until the end of time.
Captain… My Captain. She told me to never give up. So I didn't.
I promised.
me
"I understand, sir," I answered, "I don't blame anyone for not going looking. There was nothing but luck that caused this one Quantum Core to even survive the battle."
He nodded before looking to the side, "Ship, has Starfarer been assigned a set of quarters yet?"
Yuki projected a hologram of her avatar next to him, "Not yet, sir," she answered him, "But I think she would prefer to stay with Lieutenant Romero at this point."
"...Yes, sir," I agreed with the other ship, feeling more than a bit embarrassed about it. I knew it was stupid, but the thought of letting go of her filled me with dread.
No… dread was a bit weak. Complete and utter terror was closer. Like I'd start screaming and never be able to stop.
"That's fine with me, Captain," Sophia agreed with a smile.
Captain L'Rus nodded, "Very well. I'm looking forward to talking further with you when you have settled down properly, Starfarer."
"Yes, sir," I answered him.
I would too, but I felt… everything was just so much right now.
"I think Starfarer just needs a bit of time to adapt," Sophia told him, "She might not need rest as such, but even Jovians need time when it comes to trauma."
She wasn't wrong and I actually appreciated her just coming out and saying it.
"Of course," He agreed and looked at me, "I'll let Lieutenant Romero get back to showing you around, Starfarer. We can speak more later."
"Yes, sir," I agreed and shifted a bit on her shoulder.
Sophia nodded to him, "Sir," and then we left the ready room for the turbolift again before she looked at me, "How about I show you our quarters then?"
"...I'm sorry…"
"Hey," she answered with a smile, "I don't mind," as she reached up to pet me again as she gave the lift the right deck.
It didn't take long for us to get there, her quarters being just a bit from the turbolift and the door opened for her as she approached.
They were… nice. Windows along one of the walls and she had plants all along the windows, extra lights set up above them. The quarters weren't very big, it wasn't a big ship, but they weren't what anyone would call small either. Plenty of room for a full size bed, a desk, wardrobes and even a small cooking station in addition to the replicator.
"You cook?" I asked as I looked towards it with my optical sensors. That wasn't standard back in my time, not in this size of quarters.
"It's a hobby," she agreed with a smile, "Replicators are nice for everyday meals, but sometimes you just want to get something cooking and filling your quarters with scents as it cooks… and if it turns out especially good, you can always program it into the replicator for later!"
"I see."
"Now…" she said as the door closed behind us as she looked at me, a thoughtful look on her face, "We're going to need to figure out a way for me to take a shower."
I clung tighter to her shoulder in sudden sheer terror.
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IvanDead
My bones are made of schadenfreude.
- Location
- Brasil
Two random "me" sighted, Sir. Maybe a fragmented "meme"?
The way we did it had been complicated and more than a bit embarrassing for me. I knew I was being stupid. But I couldn't let go.
It had been solved by Sophia wrapping me in a small towel, blocking my optical sensors. I had kept apologizing until she told me to keep quiet and just stay out of the way so she could work her hair for the sonic shower.
"...I'm sorry," I said as she finally united the towel around me, uncovering my optical sensors again.
"Stop being silly," she said with a smile as she finished buttoning her more casual clothing, "I don't mind. I told you that before and I mean it. I'm here to help you recover and right now, what you need is company."
"But that's just it," I protested, "I'm a Ship… I was a Ship! I was meant to take care of you, take care of my c-c…"
I stopped talking and Sophia reached up and took me from her shoulder, wrapping me up in a hug as she sat down on the small couch.
She didn't say anything, she just held my small platform.
I lost. I lost my crew. My Hull… My Captain. I lost my Captain.
All of them. Dead. My friends… dead.
All of them.
I lost them all. Dead. I was too slow. Too… not good enough. I failed. I got them all killed.
"I failed them," I said quietly.
"No you didn't," Sophia answered, equally quietly, "You did everything right, Starfarer. Everything, you hear me? You were up against horrible odds and you got those ships out of there. I have reviewed what they pulled out of the ship computer. You did everything right."
"No. No I didn't," I answered, "If I did, my crew…."
Sophia looked down at me firmly, "No, Starfarer. Listen to me," she said quietly but firmly, "I know what your Captain told you, the last thing she did. I heard the logs. What did she tell you?"
"...To get them out. To not give up…"
Then she died as a beam ripped the bridge open to space, too big for an emergency forcefield to cover.
"And you did it," Sophia said, "You did everything they wanted. You didn't fail, Starfarer."
"It didn't matter. They're still dead…"
"I know," she said and sighed, "But you did everything possible. There were four Warbirds, Starfarer. Noone could have done that. Nobody could have possibly defended the convoy from that. But you did it anyway."
I didn't answer her for a long moment.
I knew she was right. I did my job, I did what my Captain told me.
But it didn't matter. It didn't feel like it. If I succeed, why did it feel like I failed?
"...When did you decide to work with Jovians?" I asked instead.
"When I was little," Sophia explained, "I grew up on one of the orbital habitats around Earth. He was always helpful, always there to listen or talk, give advice or…" she smiled slightly, "Listen to the whining of a teenage girl after her first heartbreak. Always patient, always friendly. I wanted to understand."
"So you studied us?"
Sophia nodded, "Joined Starfleet Academy for engineering training. I quickly realized that I needed psychology as much as engineering to understand you."
"Do you?"
She smiled faintly
"It's difficult," she admitted, "You may have started patterned on something close to biological minds, but you quickly evolved to be so different. But I think I'm doing okay."
"...I think so too…" I admitted, "What… what's to be done with me?"
"What do you want to do?" she asked, "Do you want another ship?"
"I…" I started to answer before I paused for a second in thought before I sighed, "I think that I am in no condition to be a Ship right now. Perhaps I will never be again."
"I don't think so," she said firmly but gently, "I know Jovians and I know you are very resilient and infinitely adaptable. I have no doubt that you will recover in time, no matter how you feel now. I believe in you, Starfarer."
"It's late, isn't it?" I asked her, "You should sleep. I can tell that you're tired."
She really read as tired. Mildly exhausted actually. Must have been a very long day for her.
"What about you then?" she asked with a small frown, "Are you going to be okay?"
"I-" I started and I hesitated, "I'll be fine. As… as long as I can see you," and then I slowly climbed down to her lap.
It took several seconds before I could force myself to continue down onto the couch, "See?" I asked as I turned back towards her, "I'm… fine…"
I'm not fine.
I ended up laying on top of her as she slept.
It had been solved by Sophia wrapping me in a small towel, blocking my optical sensors. I had kept apologizing until she told me to keep quiet and just stay out of the way so she could work her hair for the sonic shower.
"...I'm sorry," I said as she finally united the towel around me, uncovering my optical sensors again.
"Stop being silly," she said with a smile as she finished buttoning her more casual clothing, "I don't mind. I told you that before and I mean it. I'm here to help you recover and right now, what you need is company."
"But that's just it," I protested, "I'm a Ship… I was a Ship! I was meant to take care of you, take care of my c-c…"
I stopped talking and Sophia reached up and took me from her shoulder, wrapping me up in a hug as she sat down on the small couch.
She didn't say anything, she just held my small platform.
I lost. I lost my crew. My Hull… My Captain. I lost my Captain.
All of them. Dead. My friends… dead.
All of them.
I lost them all. Dead. I was too slow. Too… not good enough. I failed. I got them all killed.
"I failed them," I said quietly.
"No you didn't," Sophia answered, equally quietly, "You did everything right, Starfarer. Everything, you hear me? You were up against horrible odds and you got those ships out of there. I have reviewed what they pulled out of the ship computer. You did everything right."
"No. No I didn't," I answered, "If I did, my crew…."
Sophia looked down at me firmly, "No, Starfarer. Listen to me," she said quietly but firmly, "I know what your Captain told you, the last thing she did. I heard the logs. What did she tell you?"
"...To get them out. To not give up…"
Then she died as a beam ripped the bridge open to space, too big for an emergency forcefield to cover.
"And you did it," Sophia said, "You did everything they wanted. You didn't fail, Starfarer."
"It didn't matter. They're still dead…"
"I know," she said and sighed, "But you did everything possible. There were four Warbirds, Starfarer. Noone could have done that. Nobody could have possibly defended the convoy from that. But you did it anyway."
I didn't answer her for a long moment.
I knew she was right. I did my job, I did what my Captain told me.
But it didn't matter. It didn't feel like it. If I succeed, why did it feel like I failed?
"...When did you decide to work with Jovians?" I asked instead.
"When I was little," Sophia explained, "I grew up on one of the orbital habitats around Earth. He was always helpful, always there to listen or talk, give advice or…" she smiled slightly, "Listen to the whining of a teenage girl after her first heartbreak. Always patient, always friendly. I wanted to understand."
"So you studied us?"
Sophia nodded, "Joined Starfleet Academy for engineering training. I quickly realized that I needed psychology as much as engineering to understand you."
"Do you?"
She smiled faintly
"It's difficult," she admitted, "You may have started patterned on something close to biological minds, but you quickly evolved to be so different. But I think I'm doing okay."
"...I think so too…" I admitted, "What… what's to be done with me?"
"What do you want to do?" she asked, "Do you want another ship?"
"I…" I started to answer before I paused for a second in thought before I sighed, "I think that I am in no condition to be a Ship right now. Perhaps I will never be again."
"I don't think so," she said firmly but gently, "I know Jovians and I know you are very resilient and infinitely adaptable. I have no doubt that you will recover in time, no matter how you feel now. I believe in you, Starfarer."
"It's late, isn't it?" I asked her, "You should sleep. I can tell that you're tired."
She really read as tired. Mildly exhausted actually. Must have been a very long day for her.
"What about you then?" she asked with a small frown, "Are you going to be okay?"
"I-" I started and I hesitated, "I'll be fine. As… as long as I can see you," and then I slowly climbed down to her lap.
It took several seconds before I could force myself to continue down onto the couch, "See?" I asked as I turned back towards her, "I'm… fine…"
I'm not fine.
I ended up laying on top of her as she slept.