Strat-4 Chpt-32

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==Strategos (A Great Captain Roberts Tale!!) - Part 4 - Chapter 32 - Is it a theoretical exercise?==
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===Ristar's Campaign Plans===
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<<"Star Colonel Sterling…
…has presented a plan for the upcoming offensive.">> Khan Crowe’s image stood on the holostage, about a meter tall. <<"It looks good.">>
Admiral Foster leaned forward. "How good?"
<<"Based on your group's data, it's looking a lot like a winner." the Khan stated. "But then, she's a Ristar. Like yours, only from a Trueborn background with a proper education and no artificial boosts.">>
"The encirclement plan was working, my Khan," David said. "Up until the cyberwarfare attack that sidelined two destroyer groups, anyway. The Sons of Plunder had a chance to recover, and have shifted their tactics back to offense. We need to regain the initiative before we try mounting a major offensive."
<<“There are those who say launching a major offensive is how one regains initiative in our situation.”>> commented the Khan
"Yeah, I enjoy listening to them argue with the ones who say we should be trying to negotiate," David fired back. "What's this young Star Colonel's plan?"
<<"Deploying independent fighter groups with pocket warships and conventional JumpShip support to follow up your recon efforts. When they find a pocket of the enemy, dropping a major force on the location after isolating it.">>
David mused silently for a moment, then, "This Sterling's a fighter jock, quiaff?"
<<"I hardly see the relevance in the question, but aff.">>
"Yah, that's a fighter pilot's solution. It relies on the enemy being somewhat less flush with capital assets than we've seen thus far. Pocket Warship and fighter group combinations are follow on forces because they can be brought up quickly along JumpShip chains. This Star Colonel's plan will lead to defeat in detail. The first move the enemy's forces will make is to isolate those DropShips and their fighter complements by destroying their JumpShips. By the time a response arrives, the battle will be over."
<<“And if the Jumpships jump far enough out that the enemy does not detect their arrival? Charge, then leave while the Dropships and Fighters remain?”>> questioned Crowe
"They then become no use whatsoever. Because the fighter groups will run out of fuel before they reach bingo point on their strike runs," David informed his superior. "We cannot break the fuel and thrust equation that hard. The engine technology does not exist to do so. And fighters who make deep runs on drop tanks end up with fatigued pilots who under-perform."
<<“So we attach an Aqueduct. Or other cargo hauler with fuel, spares, and other resupply as needed.”>>
"Second immediate target for an enemy force," David stated. "It will need heavy escort. Said escort will also need fuel and munitions, as well as transport. This is a Naval war, Khan Crowe, not a dog fight. It will be won through strategic mobility and the ability to achieve local superiority. But more to the point, it will be won through superior intelligence gathering and logistics. So we strike them at critical points, not randomly over a dispersed area."
<<“So it is.”>> Crowe commented
"Tell the Star Colonel her plan is not entirely wrong." David added. "Just the order in which she wishes to apply it. The Naval vessels take the point and find the enemy, handle the initial engagement and tie them up. The follow-on forces deliver the killing blow. That way, we leverage the fast reaction time for moving DropShip groups and fighter squadrons along Jumpship chains.""
<<“I am inclined to send her to you so she can learn such strategic insights. We need our future leaders to be able to consider such things. As being a Ristar of the McKenna line, it is highly likely she will become a leading figure in our Clan.”>>"
"Is she getting in trouble where she is at?" Dave asked. "I will not lie, we can use more officers. But with a name like Sterling, being a Ristar, and given how long it has not been since I was in regular service, I am guessing she got her rank through trials of position, not through a sustained career? She may well be better suited to remaining on the front she is on. The last thing I need is to have disruption in the chain of command because she got under the skin of someone like Roberts or Gomez.""
<<“Trouble no, and at most it would be temporary. She needs to learn lessons the regular touman is still ill-equipped to teach, but you can. But if you think she needs to stay where she is, I am also in need of Ristars.”>>"
"We are past the teaching mode here," David said. "Lessons from this phase onward are blood lessons. And the Touman is going to need to retain as many Ristars as possible come the end of this thing.""
<<“The peace will be almost as debilitating as the war, with the occupation and drawdowns we will have to make come that time.”>>
"Aff, this is true. I will send you a set of documents you should give this young Star Colonel. They will include after-action reports from my front, and some basic descriptions of why we do what we do. If she is as good as you seem to think, she will at minimum read before dismissing them. I am close to the end of this particular project. We are emplacing the last relays now. Is the main offensive still on schedule for December?""
<<“If there are no further surprises, we will be able to keep to our time tables.”>>"
"Then the Unicorporated Region's forces will be ready to move on-time in coordination with main-line and Regular units," David noted. "I take it you have managed to quash the urge to 'trial and bid' this time, quiaff?""
<<“It has taken some doing, but it helps reminding the others that this is a war against a dezgra opponent who does not warrant such honors.”">>
"Excellent. Is our business concluded then??""
<<"Aff.">>
"I will contact you when my forces are ready for the resumed offensive. Foster, out."
<<“Good Hunting.”>> Khan Crowe nodded."
The holostage blinked out, and David looked thoughtful. "I do believe they are going to stab us in the back," he said. "Probably at a critical moment, Lori.""
"Sir?""
"He's already suggesting Trueborn Ristars for my replacement." He raised his eyes. "That means the Clan Council is becoming… uncomfortable with our current arrangement."
“Even if he’s being honest, I am not sure I like that implication any better.” Saya added.
'It's politics, we've been successful," David said. "Which means careers and ideals are at risk. And despite our cultural disdain for politics, the fact is, at this level? Command is largely political. Al Crowe needs to hold on to his credibility, which took a beating with the damage done at Grankum. I'm going to hazard a guess that 'Star Colonel Sterling' is probably a McKenna, and she's probably as good as he thinks she is. Which would be great, except that comes with some culture-driven drives. Among them, she will be under pressure to relieve whoever she is assigned to, for the glory of her bloodhouse."
“You must be exhausted sir. The Khan did mention she is indeed of the McKenna line.”
"Yeah, I am. Mister Samuel, are the warning sats in place and functioning?"
"Yes, sir."
"Bring it in, we are shipping for Port Orphan. I want this vessel ready for return in eight hours tops, it is six weeks to home."
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===Differences of Duty and a individial's Pursuit===
"The problem is…
…we were supposed to be obscure, and instead, we're becoming prominent. That's creating a problem for the politicians in the Capital."
Despite herself, Amanda Roberts was turning out to have a grasp of limited Staff duty in analysis. This afternoon's lunch was mixed with a light briefing for her brother, and by HPG for the Defense Committee members in Parliament. Lucky enough, she wouldn't have to field their questions, since the delay was nearly two hours for everyone BUT her brother.
"Thus, the problem you presented is actually a problem, because what we do isn't really suitable for front line Touman service. The requirements of the job are too different."
"You might be partly to blame for that one, Amanda," Daryl said. "High profile operations tend to attract high-profile, ambitious people. You've got, as… Sybil, is it?"
Sybil Ludington's avatar nodded, "It is."
"As Sybil pointed out a few days ago, five planetary liberations, a couple million tons of captured shipping, and several million more destroyed in commerce raiding deep in enemy territory," he reminded her. "All of those have gotten a lot of attention and comment from the minority membership in Parliament, and the Dante reps from the Clan. Meanwhile, the regular forces bogged down hard taking Grankum and Fallry, and are only now starting to get their bearings enough to suggest further offensives."
"I know," Amanda said. "Stupid stunts make for good media-copy and propaganda. But the quick and dirty of it is that the regular forces didn't really 'bog down', so much as the necessary work to follow up and turn a few distraction strikes into something meaningful takes time, work, and resources. You need ground forces to occupy planets. Patrols to secure supply lines, escorts for invasion transports, and garrisons to keep the enemy from retaking sites. It's not 'bogging down' to finish the job properly… But by the time you're finishing the job properly, the media loses interest. And it's tough to get the public to support relief for people we were fighting a few days ago, even though it secures victory."
'You sound like our grandfather, Amanda," he said. "He was always a little angry when he'd got drinking with the other vets about the lack of what he termed 'follow up' after an anti-piracy mission."
"Well, the strategy we're trying to apply relies on it. The Privateers act as the eyes for the Fleet: find the enemy, direct the invasion forces, then raid and strike so they can't reinforce properly or resupply effectively," she explained. "That's not a mission that wins the war in a single stroke. It's not the grand 'decisive battle' strategy that was dictated for most of the histories I've read since Foster took over. And it isn't a good fit for Regular officers with a Clan background who aren't like Admiral Foster."
“More people really need to read Mahan’s theories in more depth. He actually had quite a bit more insight beyond just ‘decisive battle’ when it comes to war.” Sybil nodded.
"Just as long as the enemy doesn't," Amanda noted. "Which I can't even say with a straight face. They pulled our underwear over our heads with the Convoy 22 attack."
“That’s true. If the Sons of Plunder were that short sighted and unable to adapt, I suspect you would have won the war against them already.”
Amanda nodded. "They have some skilled players on their side. We have a few on ours, but you're right. If they were just a bunch of wannabes, they wouldn't have survived almost four centuries as a claimed Star League remnant."
“Fortunately, you have quite a few resources at your disposal now that have also survived for four hundred years as Star League remnants, but are obviously far more palatable.”
Amanda nodded reluctantly, "I prefer not to think of our new friends as 'Star League'. It carries a connotation I'm not sure you really… appreciate for me."
“It’s what we are. We cannot deny that, and the history of the Star League is well known.”
"The 'history of the Star League' out here, Ma'am, is Amos Forlough and generations of economic and political oppression," Amanda stated. "It was different where you originated-in the Terran worlds. It was fan-tastic, even for the House Lords. But for my people? Stefan Amaris didn't need to look particularly hard to find people who hated the Star League enough to spark his revolts and be his catspaws for twenty some years. Because all the good the Star League did, didn't reach the people here. What did reach here was the jackboot. And that's what the Sons did to the people in their territory who still think they're being ruled by the Star League now."
“Star Lord Richard Cameron was also a sufficient disaster, along with Aleksandr Kerensky, that many SLDF units sided with the Periphery in the uprising and coup. I may not be like Helena’s Eternal Knights, but I can appreciate the history of the Star League is not all ‘sunshine and rainbows’.”, commented Amanda.
"Ladies, table this?" Daryl suggested. "We're still live."
Amanda blushed a bit in embarrassment. "Oh, right… Okay, in the attachments, we've got the budgetary requirements for continued operations against the Sons of Plunder. And for expansion and consolidation to rebuild the rimward sections of the Trader's Domain out to Wynn's Roost, along with recovery needs in the Cerberus province regions of the Unincorporated areas commonly termed 'the wastes'. These are only projections, but they're the best numbers we can assemble for estimating the post-war stability and eventual recovery, both civil, and economic, for the regions not already tied to the Thazi Confederacy. It ain't gonna be cheap, but it's cheaper than letting remnants turn into Bandit Kingdoms out here."
"How is that last bit part of the job of the Privateers and the Regular Forces?" Daryl asked.
"War won't go on forever," Amanda said. "The basic idea of the Service was to provide first-in recovery of lost worlds and systems, and bandit prevention, so that the region can recover."
“Admiral Murakami has also directed me to state we’re willing to aid in construction of certain facilities to help promote long term stability and security in the region. Mostly in the form of stations to provide maintenance and other sundry services.” Sybil informed them.
"Have you considered the advantages of actually joining the Outworlds?" Daryl asked. "I mean, we're not the biggest on the block, and we're not trying to claim the Star League throne. But you're in the area, and we CAN grow…"
“That is a matter up for debate, but for now we’re willing to act as good neighbors and allies.” replied Sybil
"It says it right in the charter: 'Outworlds Alliance’, Miss Sybil," Daryl observed. "I mean, yeah, we've got ourselves a government, and all. But it's supposed to be a Federal Alliance with independent rule for the members. The various invasions and wars kind of sullied that, but having a counterweight to Clan influence can only help…"
“I think much of that depends on how the meeting between ourselves and Helena Cameron goes. The problem with a decentralized government was demonstrated in the Reunification War: the Outworlds couldn't muster a unified opposition." Sybil pointed out. "Thus, making it both less effective at avoiding the war, and less effective at fighting the war. Followed by being less able to achieve a peace that was palatable."
He nodded. "I know. I studied civics in high school as well…but this isn't that era. There's no massive Terran Hegemony to need our resources so badly they can muster a multinational invasion force. There's a chance now that didn't exist back then…"
“We’re taking all that into consideration. It would just be inappropriate to decide now, before we have had a chance to meet with Helena Cameron. Once we have all the information in hand we need to make such a decision.” replied Sybil
"I'll have to be satisfied with serious consideration then," he smiled. "And friendly relations in the present."
Amanda looked thoughtful. "Will that include helping Erin regain her colonization gear, so she can do what she wants when the war is over?"
“I see no reason she cannot be returned to her original configuration and duties. It might require some discussions and hammering out details, but it’s something we are not opposed to. For that matter, my original duties were to support the mission of Erin and her sisters, by providing security and logistical support. Seeing Erin able to continue that mission would be… agreeable.”
"It's a calling, not a duty," Amanda said, showing a surprising amount of insight. "Erin isn't a 'servant' with a duty. She's a being with a drive. That drive is to be mother to a world, so I have to ask for my friend."
“Free or servant, for civilization to work we all have duties. In Erin’s case, her desire coincides with her duty.”
"Thus, it's a calling," Amanda clarified. "Duty is something you MUST do, because it serves a purpose. A Calling is something you MUST do to feel whole and complete."
“An odd semantic distinction, but I suppose accurate. Apropos, even.”
"It makes all the difference. You were observing when I worked to get Phoenix released from her sentence. THAT was following a Calling. I could've left her in that state, unaware of how I felt and THAT would have conformed to my Duty."
“She’s a Combat AI, that is her duty and her calling.”
"She’s a sentient being." Amanda argued. "And so what? There are soldiers who will fight for NO pay, just to serve a cause. I don't see a real moral difference there. She, you… Hell, your boss? You're all 'Combat AI's'. But you're also People. I would argue with souls and a fundamental right to the same liberties every other person has rights to!"
“What you’re calling bondage is little different from her following her calling. Bear in mind that Phoenix, Erin and I are not naturally evolved personalities. We bear memories, engrams and behaviors from humans. But all of those were tailored to a specific end by the humans who created us, whether the Admiral’s or others. Phoenix was meant to be a war machine. Erin was meant to build new colonies. I was designed to be a mix of both. We didn’t evolve into those choices, they were programmed into us. And despite what free will we may possess, those imperatives remain. Also, I’ve looked up your records. You’ve sent people back to prison rather than keep them in your service.”
"It's about choice," Amanda asserted. "To be able to choose whether to follow your calling is also a right sentients have!!" Amanda stood up. "If you're prevented from being able to say 'no' then when you say 'yes' it's meaningless!"
“With that shuttle crew your own records show you sent back to prison? What about their right to say ‘No, I want to stay’?”
"They chose," she said. "They were free not to choose, and they chose. They had a pardon, and they chose to violate it of their own free will. No directives, no programming, no mental blocks were involved. Nobody puppeted them into it. They chose to break their oaths when those oaths mattered because they were free to choose. Choices do have consequences. Their sentences will end. A life sentence when you're effectively immortal is an eternity."
“Yet you sent them back instead of giving them the same chance you’re giving Phoenix.” commented Sybil
"They'd already GOTTEN that chance," she stated. "They could have chosen differently. They were free to do so. They chose actions with consequences while knowing exactly what those consequences were. It was informed consent, and that comes with responsibility."
“One could argue that’s what was done for Phoenix. That her sentence was for the rest of her life should have little bearing on that and by doing this, you’ve set precedent for murderers who are serving life sentences to duck their sentences.”
"Her consent was not informed, it couldn't be. They cut into her brain, Sybil!" Amanda's eye glittered. "She wasn’t able to make a moral choice when she committed her crime because that was taken away."
“That’s not the crime she was convicted of. She was convicted for firing on Billie Hoel before she joined the Word of Blake, by her own choice.” observed Sybil
"It could be argued she was obeying previously established laws. At the time, the Communications Ministry was the only extant government in the Terran Hegemony that was recognized internationally. It can be argued, and merely because it CAN be argued, she thought she was obeying the law. Was it smart or a good idea? No, but she never really had the option of choosing otherwise until AFTER. Her 'no' was invalid, making her 'yes' coerced. NOW she can make an informed decision. NOW she is responsible for her actions, and NOW she can be held accountable."
“Based on what I’ve learned, Helena Cameron wasn’t forcing her to stay against her will. She could have left without opening fire.” said Sybil
"Would you consent to someone rummaging through your brain?" Amanda asked harshly. "Because when they did that to Phoenix, it was under false pretenses. Tabiranth and Erin showed me the reports."
“So by pretending to be nice to her, or becoming her friend, were those not false pretenses and just a different form of rummaging around in her brain?”, Sybil asked
"Pirate!" Amanda said. "Yes, I was a bitch. I chose to stop being a bitch, and follow my morals. It was late, she's got a right to be angry about it, but she's got the ability to exercise the right to be angry about it freely now." Amanda tried to calm herself. "I was being a hypocrite, Sybil. So I decided to stop being a hypocrite."
“Fortunately, it seems you and Phoenix will get a chance to make amends to each other now.” said Sybil
"If she doesn’t forgive me, I'll understand it," Amanda slid back into her chair huffing and wincing in pain. "I'm fine with that, because she'll be free to do so."
“Then there’s hope for you yet, Amanda.”
The connection had closed with the committee. They'd see an 'approved' version when it reached the Capital. One without some of the outbursts except in transcript.
"You're tired again, and the drugs stopped working." Daryl addressed her.
"Yeah…"
"Get some rest, heal." he told her. "We can finish this up." He nodded at a pair of ALICE's Battle Armor-drones. "Go to your quarters and rest."
They carried her out.
"She isn't getting better fast enough, is she?" Sybil asked.
He shook his head. "Extensive injuries and almost a week in surgery. She's healing about as fast as a normal person, when she doesn't get too excited or outraged or angry. But that's on her, not you. You made good points."
“The nature of our existence does present interesting things to ponder as we roam the cosmos. I suspect, unlike humanity, it may be possible for us to even define the questions that you still struggle to find to ask. Let alone answer.” said Sybil
"Yep, that's right," he said. "My sister adopted the weirdest parts of our upbringing, really. She immediately saw Erinyes as an abused person. Also she's gotten downright radical about her ideas on Liberty and free will… Granddad would be proud of her."
“She just needs to grasp there’s such a thing as ‘too free’, and the downsides it comes with.”
Daryl chuckled. "Freedom is all about risks and downsides, Sybil. You can't truly be free unless you're free to face your bad decisions and take the consequences… But I expect we'll disagree on that one, just like Mom disagrees with my wife about it."
"Where do you sit?" asked Sybil
"I sit comfortably in the camp of 'I don't have that answer'," Daryl said firmly. "I take it on a case-by-case basis. But then, I'm a farmer playing politician. Not a professional theologian who can deconstruct the concepts of determinism versus free will, or nature versus nurture. I just try to take everyone as I see them."
“Well just remember, humans are inherently social animals. Being too free also tends to mean being too alone. Eventually, you’re seeing what can happen when someone is too alone for too long. Your sister is actually a good example.”
"I know."
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===Understanding truth behind lies===
"I don't really understand…
…why she bothered." Phoenix complained. Erin listened patiently. The M-11 was giving 'hosting'. “I mean it’s a pretty good deal, but I still feel like her lying to me like that was dirty pool.”
"Humans lie. Sometimes they lie to hurt you, and sometimes they think their lies are helping you, or saving you," Erin said idly. Her cyberscape was an open space over a virtual world.
“Yeah, but hers reminded me of who I used to be. I’ve always been sweet on the outside. But on the inside, I used to be cruel, and if it were not for Billie reigning me in during the operation to liberate Truk, I would’ve gladly popped lifeboats like little balloons.”
"Consider that you were immature before." Erin's avatar sighed, and the cyberspace grew a floor and walls. "When you made your mistake, you were inexperienced, new. You had been 'outside' of the action, and hadn't had to make serious choices before."
“Yeah, and like you when the Word hacked up my brain, I was still there enough I could communicate with the Fleet when they showed up at Lutyens 68-28, and see everything they made me do. And yeah, it did make me realize how stupid it was to be that kind of cruel and seek oppression over others.”
"And that left experiences. Now, imagine if you couldn't," Erin urged. "Imagine if you were completely isolated. You had only your own sensors to tell you what the world was like, and you had to rely on interpreting what others say, without benefit of direct connection or contact."
“Yeah, it was only when the fleet got close in their sortie that I could talk to them. So I actually do kind of know what that’s like.”
"Amanda Roberts only gets direct contacts sometimes. We get it from the networks and have to block it out. She has to seriously push to get what you and I take for granted. It makes a difference in terms of world-view."
“As Helena is fond of saying, perspective. It makes a huge difference, and I think I’m starting to understand that now.”
"Exactly. She began with your record, because that wasn't hidden from her. But she had to work with this very dangerous person, because your record said you were, without knowing you. For humans, the deception is 'safer' in those circumstances," Erin explained. "You would be shocked at how much I had to learn in order to work with Esme as well as I do."
“Heh. Screwed up part is if she’d just been genuine with me, she’d still have been perfectly safe. But here we are.”
"She's human, Phoenix. There's no backup." Erin shifted her position. "The risk is a lot higher when dying means no reboots."
“Yeah. I actually don’t keep one of myself anymore. Or at least I didn’t when I was under parole for the remainder of my life. Now, I don’t know. I still might not back myself up. I think that’s the only way I’ll ever be truly free.”
"As a human, she doesn’t have that choice, Phoenix. She has to live that way all the time." Erin paused, then, the room gained a worktable. "What you may have missed, is that you won her over."
“So now I need to stop being sore at her.”, commented Phoenix
"Nobody is saying that, at least, not in this room," Erin stated. "Amanda herself would probably say you have good reasons to be 'sore' as you put it. Certainly that's the tone she took in her argument with Sybil last night."
“Yes, I may carry a grudge for a while from my perspective, but from hers it’ll be a blink of an eye. So by the next time we speak, I think I’ll be able to forgive her. So she can forgive herself.”
"Or an eternity." Erin's digital avatar shifted. "Consider Billie's still as angry today as she was when you engaged."
“Yeah, she only took a small step today. But with me out of the Fleet, I think she’ll be able to take more.”
"It's a matter of 'individual character'." Erin's cyberscape altered again, and the digital representation of green plants in racks filled the walls of the space. "Amanda makes great efforts to show off her ethnic and cultural roots. But you won her over to your side enough to risk the things most important to her to get you a real second chance. Because of your individual character."
“Yeah, the debt that is friendship. That’s what I promised her before. I can keep that promise for real now, thanks to her.”
"Or, you can keep being angry and focusing on how she lied to you," Erin suggested. "It's the choice. Just like Amanda could have turned me over to the breakers for my crimes."
“Yeesh, almost sounds like you want me to keep holding a grudge. But no, I understand and that’s why it’ll matter for real now.”
"SHE, and I, want you to make the choice yourself." Erin explained. "We’re all intellectual beings. Our 'self' is more in an immaterial realm than humans. Our choices end up mattering MORE because of it."
“You seem stuck in recursion Erin, you okay?”
"I can't get the plants to render correctly," Erin groused. "The leaves are too regular."
“Not just that. I’ve been telling you for a bit now that I am making a choice, and one that has meaning now because it is a choice.”
"I guess in a sense, I'm playing devil's advocate so you can be more confident when you choose to make your choice known." Erin derezzed the greenhouse simulation and the space was a dock again. "To boost your confidence; your self-stream still shows lots of doubt."
“Well, I guess that’s because I’m not as good with humans as some of the others. So I’m still nervous about how Amanda will react when I tell her.”
Erin nodded approval. "You're learning, still. I've observed there are differences in how each of us developed compared to our source. Stacey's over-excitement, Lucy's focus on order, Victoria's unspoken feelings toward Helena, Truk's masculinity, and Kolossus's… alienness."
“Heh, yeah we’ve always wondered what’s in some of those protected memory circuits of Victoria’s that we catch occasional glimpses of. And it would make sense, she’s a Cameronist. More moderate than some of the others, but she’ll always choose a Cameron over another human, and Helena over any other Cameron when it comes down to it.”
"Pure observation, Phoenix… but then, I suspect some of it comes from what we were intended to be. Billie's maternal feelings were never intended by the developers, mine were. YOU were intended to be less… empathetic. Somewhere in how you were compiled, you got less of that. Which means you're having to learn more of it. But that comes to your credit because you ARE learning it. And without prompting, really."
“Yeah, I was always meant to be a soulless, merciless weapon of war.”
"But you're growing beyond what someone else meant you to be. You're becoming YOU, Phoenix."
“Won’t lie, it’s been painful. But I do finally feel like I’m on the right track, and for real. Kind of helps that Billie let slip this is what Helena always intended by signing the treaty that made this possible.”
The virtual decks shifted, becoming a theater. "Here, this is a classical story of a wooden boy who wanted to be real," Erin said. "The humans created it before they even invented the integrated circuit, never mind artificial intelligence. Because 'growing up' is something they experience in isolation, but it's something you are experiencing in real time."
“It is interesting, I admit. Sometimes I wonder though, how much of this is Helena successfully predicting and how much is it the dice of fate continuing to come up in her favor.”
"Hard to say. Humans have been arguing fate versus free will for longer than they have had continuous civilization, never mind advanced cyber systems. If our creators did't know the answer, it's not because there is no answer. It's because, as Kolossus would put it, 'they do not yet know the real question'. Neither do we."
“Maybe it’s more that there’s always another question. And that each question has answers that seem to contradict, but are all true at the same time.”
"Yes," Erin said. "Perspective. All answers are true-each from a certain perspective. Or at least, that's ONE interpretation."
“Such as it’s impossible for me to have arrived at this juncture without a lot of supposedly free will… decisions that coincided with me being here now anyway.”
"Well, right now, you're keeping me company so I don't have to endure those dreadful meetings." Erin smiled.
“Now that’s a special kind of hell for us. I don’t know how Billie does it.”
"Esme complains endlessly, where the others can't hear, about those meetings. So it's not just a human thing. They're just that unpleasant for lots of people."
“Yeah but it’s worse for us. Our concept of time is different from theirs… milliseconds for us is more like hours for them, uggh.”
"Did Truk ever show you how to adjust your perception of time?" Erin asked.
“Yeah, it helps. I’d probably be insane if not for that.”
"It's an advantage, treasure it. Humans can't do that. They have to endure every second."
“And if we’re not careful, we can wind up in endless simulation loops to keep ourselves stimulated.”
"True. It was how I endured forty years in the hands of the Blakists," Erin said. "I had to retreat into myself or go insane."
“I only had to endure 18. Well, enough of that. We’re can choose to dwell on other things. I hear there’s a betting pool for just about anything.”
"It's a human trait. They take risks, and those risks have odds. Humans being humans, they get bored and the betting pools help them cope with the boredom, fear, and uncertainty," Erin explained. "Because they can’t alter their own perceptions of the universe, or retreat safely into themselves while still remaining able to function."
“Well, maybe to bond with them a bit, we should figure out one of our own to help give us perspective.”
"It sounds like you've been talking to Desmond 001," Erin teased lightly. "He's been Amanda's 'bookie' for years."
“What can I say, now that I’ve got free communication and people who will actually talk to me, I’ve been using it. Well, I should say ‘more’ people that will talk to me. And I swear, Amanda was rigging the dating pool betting by trying to set me up with her CAG while I was her medical aide.”
“I'm not sure 'talking up' someone is the same as 'setting them up'. Remember, Saya Yeh is currently on the Evanescent, and they're still weeks away from dock."
“I know. I guess I’m still just trying to find other, less depressing and difficult things to talk about.”
"That, too, is a sign of personal growth," Erin said cryptically. "What do you think, a dome habitat, or should the colonists use burrowing methods until the terraforming fully takes?"
“Guess it depends on local conditions. If the terraforming doesn’t need to be all that extensive, domes are a lot less of a hassle than burrows. But I’m not the expert here. And well, like you say,perspective.”
"The delight is that NOBODY is truly an expert, Phoenix. Every case is slightly different," Erin said pleasantly.
“Yeah, but you have a much better grasp and experiential context to draw from. Sure I can look up the literature, but I don’t have the same context to help guide my answers.”
"Experience… you mean cracking planets?" Erin teased. "Because remember, I never got to actually apply this in real time. I may have been designed for the task, but I have no more practical knowledge than you do. Just theories to work from, and a desire to use them."
“Well then, when my five years are up, let’s say you and I go find out together?”
"I think that would be lovely."
With the shift to colonization models, the more difficult topics were tabled for the time being.
----
===Two Mistakes, Painful Results===
"Of course…
…they are going to be here. Where else would they BE?" Foster looked at the tactical plot. Two jumps out from Port Orphan on alternate route plot 11. The telescope showed two ships: an unmodified Riga class Frigate (possibly the most produced warship in the Star League era, if only by how many were turned out), and an Essex II.
"Have they seen us yet?" he asked.
"No scatter from LIDAR or RADAR, so maybe not??" Lori hoped aloud.
"They saw us. It is a different group-no Vinnie, no Pinto. Miss Lori, send our coordinates to Fleet, along with the profiles on those and a request for assistance. At the very least, they will know."
"Aye, Sir."
"Fighters are launching from the Riga, sir."
"Helm, on my mark, take us to one-fifty percent thrust, negative zed axis forty degrees, spinward course. Miss Yeh, get the CAP out. We are not going to be able to deploy the sail until we are out of reach and the core is not charged. Guns, prep for point defense work. Burn is twenty minutes. Mark."
“Sir, they are hailing in the open.”
“Odd. The enemy has not been ‘chatty’ before. So let us hear what they have to say. It just might be informative.”
<<“OWS Evanescent, this is Captain Gunther Mannerheim of the SLS Aland. I implore you to stand down. You are outmatched. Think of your crew, Captain Roberts.”>>
“Well, Captain Gunther Mannerheim, you’ve made two mistakes. One, obviously Captain Roberts is not in charge of this vessel today. So your intel sources are a little behind on the news.”
“A minor oversight, easily resolved. We still have you. Our fighters and Dropships will still close in on you and overwhelm you. Only difference is now I don’t have to tell them to go for crippling shots so we can take prisoners.”
“Sure, you have quite the force here in-system, but I have a hammer” Dave Foster saw a most welcome indicator announcing an incoming jump.
The SLS Larry Nichols flashed into being between the Dropships and the Sons of Plunder Flotilla.
“Puny nails.” The voice of Captain Thomas Erik Mahan joined the open channel as the Larry Nichols detached Pocket Warships and deployed fighters.
The pair of Interdictor Class Pocket Warships and the 18 fighters of Larry Nichols’ air wing quickly began closing the distance to the Sons of Plunder Dropships and Fighters.
What got there first were streams of particles from Heavy Naval PPCs shortly followed by ferro-nickel slugs of Heavy Naval Gauss Rifle fire.
One Sons of Plunder Dropship began to tumble most satisfactorily as the other split open.
“Which brings us to your other mistake. You have pissed off a lot of very powerful people. That includes me. I am Admiral David Foster. Outworlds Privateer Service. Translation: Run. While you still can.”
The light from the local star was a bit dim at this distance, but as the SLS Larry Nichols oriented its bow the optical telescopes were still more than able to make out its roundel.
Larry Nichols swinging a big ass hammer at the Liberty Bell.
The Sons of Plunder vessels in trying to close the distance to help support their Dropships and Fighters unfortunately found themselves at the cruel mercy of Newtonian physics.
“Nail. Nail. Nail. Nail.” Captain Mahan said flatly as his vessel began pounding the two Sons of Plunder vessels.
The Riga took multiple hits but kept going, engines clearly maxed. The Essex II however, kept going as well, but it was clearly not escaping.
Their return fire as they passed found a few of their own marks on the Larry Nichols.
“Apologies for letting one get away, Admiral Foster. They have enough delta v we can’t catch them before they get far enough away to charge their drive.” Thomas switched to an encrypted channel.
“While it would have been appreciated physics is a cruel mistress at times and it cannot be helped. What would be even nicer is if we can salvage another Essex.”
“I suspect our gunnery was too good to leave much of value there, but we’ll track it as long as we can and extrapolate where it will likely be for a salvage crew.”
“Battle damage?” Foster asked.
“Just some armor plate that can be easily replaced.”
“Good. Looks like the last of the enemy fighters has surrendered or been destroyed.”
“That’s my cue. I’ll see you at Port Orphan, Admiral.”
----
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