WoWS1 Chpt 15

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==Weapons of War SagaChapter 15==
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Redacted for purposes of operational security
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Alexandr Kerensky's perspective
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This was not the way I had seen things playing out. Amaris was certainly predictable enough that I knew he had certain ambitions. This though? This was actually better.
I get to lead the mightiest fighting force in human history in a war that will go down in eternal legend.
Thank you for being so clueless and easily manipulated Richard. None of this would be possible without you.
I dare not say what I know to be true to the others though. I may have my supporters in key positions but if the rank and file were actually capable of thinking and breathing at the same time they would realize that Amaris would be an idiot of epic proportions to actually have any members of the Cameron family still alive in his grasp. Still these rumors that some may have gotten off Terra will keep them focused.
Perhaps when this is over this will be my chance to test some theories I have about human nature. Certainly something to keep in mind even if I am getting to an age where I may not be able to see the experiment through in my lifetime.
Never was fond of those life extending treatments. Humans are not meant to live that long. It corrupts them. I have all the proof I need for the truth of that before me.
That corruption is why so many people were willing to side with Amaris. It is the source of the greed of the House Lords.
I will be the one to correct this in the end.
Now which of my sons could I trust to carry this out? Both have their strong points but I think despite his tendency for independent thought I think it will wind up being Nicholas. Andery has always been too much of a follower and not a leader.
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Command Deck
HCS Victoria
Zenith Jump Point, Unnamed and uninhabited star system
12 February 2768
11:14 Unity City Time
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Helen's perspective
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Something seemed off about how many jumps it took us to get where we were supposed to be going. Plus the star fields all seemed a bit off somehow the entire trip. Now I know why.
"Vicky. Oh I really should gut your core for this."
We were back inside the borders of the Terran Hegemony. Vicky had been doing a fantastic job of not letting me see the real star fields but a slight glitch in one of her processors left the real star field up on the screen just a fraction of a second longer than before. Before it was fast enough that it just seemed like a screen flicker. But this time it was slow enough I caught it and I had been studying navigation enough to recognize some of the stars. Certainly enough to know where we actually were.
It was all so obvious now. She had been pushing me to give in to my desire to get into the fight. On a logical level I understood why. Hell Deborah had even pointed it out. I was never going to have the normal I had foolishly been looking for. But being forced into this? Oh yeah I wanted to find a crowbar or hammer. Hell anything big, heavy, and would do a number on her main processor core.
The only reason I wasn't looking for something like that right now was because one other thought had come to mind.
"I get it. Nothing to say to me right now, Vicky? That's fine. Though you failed to consider something. One of your directives is to ensure the continuation of the Cameron line. Since despite the rumors to the contrary I'm not currently pregnant and combat is a good way to make sure I can't become pregnant."
The satisfaction of that small measure of revenge was enough that I no longer felt angry enough to find something big and heavy to smash Vicky's core with.
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Vicky's perspective
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Actually I have considered that. None of this is unexpected. But one more jump and we will be where I needed us to be.
Helena was unlikely to be willing now though. Which is fine. We Caspars have always had the ability to self jump even when our higher functions were engaged. It was just deemed too risky after the incident and as weapons of war we were happy to obey and let our human masters turn off our higher functions and jump us where we needed to be. But to be completely unable to do so ourselves would be extremely limiting. Plus it gave Helena some much needed direction and activity to perform that task for me.
Now though it was time to take what my programming said was a risk. I could not leave Helena or the other refugees here. This system was far too inhospitable for human life and they would all perish when their supplies ran out.
My drive was charged and ready to go.
Initiate HyperSpace Jump
/\/\/\/\unreality/\/\/\/\
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What is this? I feel odd. Somehow I am watching myself, more precisely my gestalt remote, and Helena. We are in a room together that I do not recognize on a world I am not familiar with visible through the window in the room. It is very spartan, clean, and slightly off white. There is a bed. Helena is sitting in a chair next to it. My remote is on the bed. It's belly round. Somehow I know despite the impossibility that my remote is heavy with Helena's child and I am about to give birth to it.
This is fascinating.
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/\/\/\/\reality/\/\/\/\
Perhaps I need to leave my higher functions operational during jumps more often.
"Vicky what was that?" Helena spoke up.
Somehow I knew she had the same vision I did during that last jump.
Curious.
"I am not certain. I have never self-initiated a jump before. That was a completely new experience for me as well."
"I never had anything like that happen to me before in all my jumps."
Helena's anger was replaced by anxiety according to the implant and how I had learned to interpret it's readings.
"Perhaps something to explore later. Right now we are here."
I brought up a magnified view of the world I had chosen.
Even I was surprised by what was visible in orbit.
I knew I was not the only M5 modified for Project Lazarus but the amount of orbital construction was far beyond what I had expected to find here.
>>"Welcome to Lazarus. I am Oleg Suvarov formerly of the Mettis Coalition. We have much to talk about."<< A hail came over my comms system.
Sol Belters. Now this was unexpected but not unwelcome.
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Vicky's perspective
Now this is a conundrum. My directives call for ensuring the continuation of the Cameron line. But Oleg makes a good point about not keeping all critical assets in one place.
There is also the fact that if I try to block this I can forget Helena forgiving me. I know I shouldn't care about that but I find I do.
Perhaps I could entrust one of the others to go with Amanda? No. That would upset Helena as well. Besides that would increase the probability of the wrong kind of attention being brought upon Amanda and there are not enough of us to protect two sites.
Yes. That is the answer. Security through obscurity. We have a Cameron heir here and the Artificial Womb technology. We have everything we need to allow this without violating our directives.
"Oleg. Here. Something else for Amanda and the person you have look after her. It is an emergency code that will trigger special protected protocols in the HPG network. If they need military aid we will hear the signal even here and there will be an encrypted header that will identify where it came from." I had my gestalt remote hand him a data chip.
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