Cyclone - An Absence of Authority

“So, what is it you want me to do? Within Magpie, that is.”
Randolph’s crisp green avatar appeared on the holopad of the Condor’s cockpit. It was Daniel’s shift as pilot, as Lara was in the back, getting some rest along with the other members of Fireteam Magpie. And so, Randolph was his company.
He knew the ‘smart’ AI could easily fly the Condor. Randolph was a general service AI, built at the Avery J. Johnson Academy of Military Science to fulfil any purpose he could possibly be specialised in. He was originally the base’s service AI, but who didn’t want a life of adventure? He knew Daniel and his friends were leaving, so he offered his assistance. In exchange, they took him with them. After all, someone needed to fill Yvette’s now-vacant position.
“I’ll be completely honest with you,” Daniel said. He swivelled within his seat to face the holopad, and by extension Randolph. “I don’t fucking know. We’re down a member, who was our tech expert. You’re an AI. I don’t suppose you’d know anything about tech?”
Randolph raised his eyebrows, giving an upturned frown to the Spartan. “Now that you mention it, I do know a few things.” Daniel rolled his eyes, and turned back to the window, looking out over the streams of slipspace flooding past.
“Well, you’re here now,” Daniel said. “And you can’t really jump ship anymore.”
“Now that you mention it, that’s not much of a possibility, no.”
“You really like saying that a lot, don’t you?” said Daniel, a smirk etched on his face. Randolph put his hand to his chest, and widened his eyes in a naïve manner. “Whatever do you mean, Daniel?” he said innocently.
The Delta shook his head. “AI these days,” he muttered. Randolph blustered when he heard that. “If my audio receptors are wrong, which they never are by the way, I could have sworn you just insulted me!”
“I did,” Daniel confirmed. “And I’ll do it again if you keep acting like a harmless, naïve AI. I know who made you, and I know who you were made from. They weren’t so innocent.”
Instantly, Randolph’s demeanour changed. His bubbly tone came down, as a stark frown penetrated his outer visage. He crossed his arms, and with a click of a finger his image changed from a dishevelled professor’s labcoat to a crisp, blue uniform belonging to an officer of the Office of Naval Intelligence.
“On, that, you are quite right, Daniel.” The AI acknowledged. Daniel rolled his eyes, pointing to the wardrobe change. “Really?” he asked.
Randolph paused, and then nodded. “Yes. Really. You wanted me to act as I usually would, so here I am. I’m an ONI smart AI, not some random lab creation made to run a base. So I should look the part.”
“So you’re here to spy on us? Or rather, stop us?”
The AI chuckled, and uncrossed his arms. Laying them to his side, he looked up to the young Spartan, with a piercing gaze staring right into Daniel’s eyes. He knew he was being cross-examined, pulled apart by the AI’s processors. He could tell Randolph was analysing his body language, his personality, his words. Searching for any meter of doubt, or lies, or anything that could help him in his response.
He suddenly spoke. “No, Spartan-D076. I am not here to spy on you. Or stop you. In fact, I find it funny, in the current galaxy, that you expect me to maintain my complete loyalty to ONI simply because you saw a uniform change.” He paused, as if searching for words. It was less than a second, then he continued.
“I’m here to help you on my own free will. Because ONI, whilst having a vested interest in keeping Spartans within the chain of command, also has a vested interest in dealing with the Spartans that have gone further, and have deserted the UNSC. And that’s why I’m with you. Partly because of my directives, and partly because of my own decision. Surely you can understand that.”
Daniel stared at the construct. His expecting eyes met Daniel’s quizzical glare, as it was now the other’s turn to analyse the words of his counterpart. For all his machinations, as an ONI artificial intelligence, as someone who by all accounts Daniel shouldn’t trust given the UNSC’s latest experience with AI over the last few years, there was something in Randolph’s presentation that gave him pause.
He was so transparent in his intentions to disobey commands, to act upon his own accord, to trick Daniel and the other Spartans and then reveal his trickery as if it was merely a joke appealed to Daniel. It reminded him of so many other ONI Section-2 and Beta-5 Division operatives, other Spartans he had worked with, even some of the UNSC personnel on Farron-Nir. Given his previous experience, he knew they could be devious in their transparency, used others as a means to an end, but he also knew they were courageous, intelligent, brave and relentless.
And having an AI with Fireteam Magpie that was as relentless as the Spartans seemed like a good idea.
“I believe you,” he said. Barely thirty seconds had passed, as Randolph patiently waited for the Delta’s response. “However no more tricks. Be as transparent to everyone in the squad as you were to me just now, and if we give you an order, you’ll do it. You’re a part of the fireteam, but you’re not in command. Got it?”
The AI simply nodded. “Alright then. In that case, it would be prudent to mention the three FTL tracker probes attached to the hull of the Condor, reporting your location to the Spartans back at AJJAMS. You may want to deal with that when we exit slipspace.”
“Goddammit, you waited until now to tell me!?”
“Now that you mention it, yes.”