《Giant Robot Reincarnation?!》 S-1. I Suddenly Became a Giant Robot?! Dying is a very strange sensation. First you feel a lot of pain, then you feel none, then you feel¡­ well, absolutely nothing whatsoever. I died on a Tuesday afternoon. It was a normal enough workday: I was using a sit-down forklift to stack pallets on racking. Each pallet was stacked high with several dozen cases of glass bottles, shrink-wrapped nice and snug. The pallets weighed about five tons apiece and the forklift was rated at just that amount, so it was straining its poor little engine as I worked. I was not particularly alarmed by this, as we often pushed our outdated equipment to its limit. Suddenly, there was a sharp cracking sound as the pallet splintered and split into two. The depalletized cases, each weighing several hundred pounds, came crashing down and smashed into the roof of the forklift. I barely had time to think ¡°Oh f-¡° before the forklift keeled over to one side and several dozen cases landed on me, violently tearing into my body. The pain came first. Such hot, searing, all-encompassing pain as I had never felt before. I could just barely make out fragments of bone and blood flying everywhere. Then, as if a circuit breaker had been overloaded and tripped, the pain just¡­ stopped. As I lay there in a stupor, I heard voices screaming; voices that belonged to my co-workers and my boss. They sounded muffled, and I couldn¡¯t make out what they were trying to say. I tried to reply, but I couldn¡¯t seem to draw breath into my lungs. My vision grew hazy and dark, and all my senses slipped away. Before long, I was encompassed in perfectly silent pitch blackness, feeling nothing. ¡°Ah,¡± my formless mind thought, ¡°I just died. This is the end.¡± Turns out I was only half-right. ***** After a timeless interval in that blank void, I felt sensation return to me. Specifically, I saw in the center of my vision a green line of text with a blinking cursor at the end. It said LOADING¡­ ¨€ I just stared at it, dumbfounded. The text just hung there for a moment, before progressing. OPERATING SYSTEM FOUND. BOOTING FROM DISC. G-FRAME BIOS USSE STANDARD 4.2 RELEASE 6.11729 COPYRIGHT 2049 ENERGIA AVIONICS AND ROCKETRY CORPORATION CIVILIAN USE PROHIBITED BOOTING TO OPERATING SYSTEM AI PROCESSOR DETECTED. AUTO-BOOT DISABLED. ENTERING BOOT OPTIONS. What¡­ what the hell is this?! my voiceless consciousness screamed. I gawped at the computer text floating before me. The absolute last thing I had expected after dying was a glowing green BIOS menu. If this truly was life after death¡­ shouldn¡¯t I have been greeted by some cute goddess, lamenting my passing and offering me reincarnation in another world? Or, at the very least, a kindly old bearded man in front of some pearly gates? Alas, so such pleasantry awaited me. Instead, I got: SYSTEM TIME: [14:22:04] SYSTEM DATE: [10/24/2055] SYSTEM DISC A: 10191 TERABYTES SYSTEM DISC B: [DISABLED] SYSTEM MEMORY: 849 TERABYTES EXTENDED MEMORY: 1027 TERABYTES MULTIPROCESSOR SPECIFICATION: 10.27 EFLOPS OPERATING SYSTEM: ENERGIA G-FRAME HOLOGRAPHIC GUI 2051.12.187 BOOT OPTIONS [1] SAFE MODE [2] STANDARD [3] BOOT FROM DEVICE PLEASE SELECT AN OPTION TO PROCEED ¨€ I stared at the text, bewildered. Why is the afterlife a computer boot screen? Is God a computer? Am I a computer? Is reality a simulation? WHAT¡¯S GOING ON?! Utterly bereft of any other option, I gazed at the menu. My head cooled, just a bit. I should at least boot up, right? Please, whoever or whatever you are, be kind¡­ [2] STANDARD BOOT MODE CONFIRMED. OS INITIALIZING. There was a tinkling chime, and suddenly I found sight returning to me. The vision was something I had never experienced before¡­ it extended 360 degrees, in spectrums beyond the human visual range. Ultraviolet and infrared perception melded with visible light to form a truly astounding image. The amount of information suddenly assailing my brain (processor?) was massive, and yet somehow I was not overwhelmed. I found myself in a large, industrial-type hanger area. The floors, wall and ceiling were gunmetal-grey and brightly lit by florescent lights. In some two dozen alcoves on the walls stood what can only be described as giant robots, each entangled in a mass of umbilical wiring and scaffolding. Humans, tiny by comparison, zoomed around to and fro, completely unbound by gravity. My hearing had returned as well. A cacophonous din of industrial equipment and beeping electronics filled the hanger, punctuated by dozens of simultaneous conversations between the humans. Somehow, I was able to hear each conversation clearly, despite all the noise. One conversation drew my attention, between two people standing directly in front of me. The first was a large man, dressed in coveralls and coated in grease. The second was a lady, wearing some sort of form-fitting armored spacesuit complete with a helmet. ¡°There ya go. She¡¯s all initialized,¡± the man said. ¡°Boot mode was a little funny though. Maybe the last pilot made some odd customization?¡± ¡°Right,¡± the woman replied tersely. ¡°Thank you.¡± She kicked off from the floor, floating up to my chest. ¡°Oy!¡± the mechanic yelled after her. ¡°Be gentle with this one! She¡¯s gettin¡¯ on in years, yeah? Treat her nice. If you bust her up and I gotta do an overhaul, I¡¯ll be damn pissed.¡± The woman wordlessly shrugged and floated up towards me. Are these two talking about¡­ me? I thought, bewildered. I turned my vision towards my own point of perception, trying to get a look at my body. The sight that greeted me was shocking indeed. My body, for lack of a better term, was a giant robot. A blocky, humanoid giant robot covered in light grey paint that was so worn, glints of metal showed through in several patches. Indeed, my body looked beat to hell and back, like it had been through countless battles. No. Nonononononono. There is absolutely no fucking way. This has to be a dream, a fever dream. There is no way in HELL I¡¯ve been reincarnated as a giant robot!! Oblivious to my existential crisis, the woman floated up to my chest and punched a button nestled between my chest-plates. The plates swung outwards, revealing a cockpit within. A cockpit where my ribcage used to be! Hey hey hey! Can you give me a moment here?! I¡¯m still trying to sort all this out! Please don¡¯t climb inside of me! I¡¯m not ready¡­ ah¡­ She slid effortlessly into my cockpit seat, and my chest-plates closed behind her. ¡°Initialize GUI,¡± she said. ¡°Initializing. Please insert pilot authentication device,¡± I heard my own voice monotonously respond. WHOA WHOA! WHAT THE HELL! I just responded to her¡­ as if it were the most natural thing in the world?! The woman slotted a small thumb drive into a slot by her leg. Data about her suddenly poured into my consciousness. ¡°Greetings, 2nd Lieutenant Miette Levesque,¡± my voice intoned. ¡°Please present for biometric verification.¡± A small holographic light flashed in her eyes, reading her retinal patterns. I noticed, offhandedly, that her eyes were bright green. ¡°Biometric scan completed. Command authority has been transferred. Welcome, my pilot.¡± Another influx of information flooded my consciousness, imprinting upon me the fact that this woman was now my pilot, and my duty was to fight alongside her, protect her, and bring her home safely no matter what obstacles stood in our way. It was extraordinarily disconcerting. Miette, please! This is all moving WAY too fast! I just died a few minutes ago! Ignoring my silent protests, Miette (or should I call her Lieutenant Levesque?) brought up my holographic interface and began casually browsing through my settings, tweaking them as she pleased. She set control sensitivity to maximum, programmed in several control macros, and turned up the brightness on the spherical holographic projection that surrounded the cockpit seat. Satisfied, she closed the settings. ¡°Oy, robot?¡± she asked. ¡°Do you have a name? Like, something your last pilot called you?¡± I¡­ did have a name, right? In my past human life? For some reason, I couldn¡¯t remember what it was. ¡°My designation is SVGF-40 Nighthawk-C Serial No. 74656," my flat computer voice helpfully responded. ¡°SVGF-40, huh¡­ older model. Reminds me of¡­ hmm.¡± She tapped her helmet¡¯s chin in thought. ¡°Okay, robot. From today on, your name is Sveta.¡± Upon hearing those words, that name somehow permeated my entire being. Yes¡­ that¡¯s right¡­ I¡¯m Sveta¡­ wait, WHAT? Stop hijacking my consciousness, program! ¡°Change in designation confirmed. This unit will henceforth refer to itself as Sveta.¡± ¡°Good, good. Alright, I think we¡¯re ready to go. Commence launch preparations.¡± ¡°Commencing. Gravity drives spinning up. Nuclear reactor control rods retracting. Detaching umbilicals. Retracting auto-scaffolding. Mounting handheld positron repeater rifle. Estimate 74 seconds until combat readiness.¡± WAIT! COMBAT? WHAT?! ¡°Ping the ship. Let her know we¡¯re ready to go.¡± WHOA WHOA WHOA HOLD THE FUCK UP! WE¡¯RE GOING INTO BATTLE? I AM ABSOLUTELY POSITIVELY NOT READY FOR THIS! ¡°Ping confirmed. Movement to linear accelerator will commence in 600 seconds. Combat will initiate in 647 seconds. I pray for your glory in battle, my pilot.¡± AAAAAA! NO WAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYY!!! And thus began my second life as a giant robot. S-2. I’m Not Ready for a Space Battle!! I floated above the deck of the magnetic linear accelerator, a long squarish tube with electromagnetic rails running along either side. The far end of this tube opened into the pitch-black vacuum of space. Inside my cockpit, my pilot Miette firmly gripped my throttle in one hand and joystick in the other, her breath quickening in anticipation of the battle to come. We were about to fly into combat against enemies unknown. Were I some sort of cool heroic protagonist, this might be the moment when I would proudly declare ¡°Ah yes! I spent my entire old life playing mecha video games, so I am completely prepared for this! I¡¯ll show you my true gamer skills!¡± Alas, I had no such experience to lean on. Aside from my old job driving a forklift, the only real skills I had were¡­ watching Netflix? Ordering pizza? Lazing around? How the HELL did a completely boring-ass woman like me get reincarnated in this sort of situation? I want to file a complaint with God! It wasn¡¯t possible for me to take deep breaths without lungs, so I just tried to clear my mind for a moment. I tried to relax. The resoluteness of my pilot, who was clearly a professional soldier and used to this sort of thing, grounded me a bit. If I just left the piloting to her and trusted in her experience, I could just play a support role, right? Come to think of it¡­ Is it even possible for me to move without her at the controls? Testing this out, I coiled and uncoiled my right pinkie finger, very slowly so Miette wouldn¡¯t notice. It seems I could indeed move without my pilot directing me to. And yet when she gave me commands, either verbally or via control input, I responded instantly and automatically as if I were trained to do so. I wondered if it was possible for me to disobey one of her commands. Even so, it¡¯s best to leave the piloting to a professional like her, right? She must have a lot of experience, and I have absolutely no idea what I¡¯m doing! I nodded, mentally. Yeah. I can just rely on her! My thoughts were interrupted by a video chat window that popped up in my cockpit. A serious-looking girl glared holes into Miette. She had long light blue hair, piercing deep blue eyes and glasses, which lent her a serious appearance. The video¡¯s metadata identified her as ¡°SGFC-81 Radiolaria Central Artificial Intelligence.¡± The ship¡­ has its own AI? If that¡¯s the case, is it not that weird for a robot like me to have an AI too? I wondered. Somehow, that conjecture didn¡¯t quite jive with my pre-programmed dialogue. My canned responses were more like a digital assistant then an artificial intelligence. But somehow my human mind was intact and functioning in this robot body, and if it were possible for me to move independently without control inputs from my pilot I could probably say things outside my program script too, if I chose to. Let¡¯s put that idea on the back burner for now. Better to just play along with whatever¡¯s going on¡­ ¡°2nd Lieutenant Levesque, combat briefing will now commence.¡± the blue-haired woman said with a businesslike demeanor. ¡°Confirm combat readiness.¡± Miette gave a thumbs up. ¡°I¡¯m good to go, Laria.¡± The AI woman, Laria, sighed. ¡°Please respond with more formality. This is a military environment and such casual conduct is most unbefitting the ship¡¯s top ace pilot.¡± Miette frowned and waved her hand dismissively. ¡°We can worry about professionalism when the war¡¯s over. Get on with it.¡± Laria sighed again and straightened her glasses. ¡°Deep scan LIDAR detected an unknown number of bogeys which crossed a blind spot in the Absolute Lunar Defense Line approximately 2042 seconds ago. Based on the mass, we estimate between three and seven enemy units. Since all fourteen of our active duty Gravity Frames were extensively damaged in the previous battle, thanks in no small part to your own unconventional tactics, you are currently piloting the only combat-ready unit the ship can presently deploy, an obsolete Nighthawk we pulled out of the boneyard. Our mechanic chief estimates at least three hours of repair time before another unit will be combat-ready. With that in mind, I implore you to rethink your typically reckless piloting. You can NOT destroy this unit in the upcoming battle. It is the ship¡¯s ONLY combat asset at present.¡± WHOA WAIT HOLD THE SPACE PHONE. Did you just say Miette has a track record of destroying the robots she pilots? THAT¡¯S NOT OKAY! Can I request a different pilot please?! Miette waved her hand again. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. I¡¯ll be careful.¡± ¡°Your history would suggest otherwise. Nevertheless, I choose to believe you understand the seriousness of our present situation, despite all evidence to the contrary.¡± Miette shrugged. Miette, how could you do this to me? I put my trust in you, and it turns out you¡¯re actually a reckless hotshot?! Radiolaria straightened her glasses again. It seemed like something of a tic for her. ¡°All pertinent information has been presented. Prepare for launch in 22 seconds.¡± OH NO! OH NOOOOO! HERE WE GO! ¡°2nd Lieutenant Miette Levesque, this ship Radiolaria and all aboard her pray for your glory in battle.¡± Miette nodded. ¡°Miette Levesque, Nighthawk, LAUNCHING!¡± Power crackled through the electromagnetic rails on either side of me, and my body was suddenly seized by tremendous acceleration. If I had teeth, I would be gritting them. Miette¡¯s hands were steady and calm at my controls. While trying not to panic, I went zooming out into the black of space. ¡°Do your best, Sveta. I¡¯ll be gentle.¡± Miette whispered. I didn¡¯t find that terribly reassuring. ***** As soon as we cleared the launch tube, a two pairs of fins unfolded from my back. Quickly consulting my specifications table, I learned they were the radiators for my primary gravity drive; the very thing that allowed me to move freely through space. They emanated a deep purple glow, resembling a pair of angular X-shaped wings. There were also four smaller gravity drives located in each of my forearms and shins respectively, each with their own smaller radiator fin. These served as reaction control thrusters, thus allowing me unparalleled mobility in a zero-gravity environment. Miette manipulated all five of these gravity drives with an expert touch, fine-tuning my flight path by adjusting the output of each radiator fin with extreme precision. S-She¡¯s definitely skilled. That¡¯s mildly comforting¡­ I just hope she doesn¡¯t wreck me! Next, she deployed my primary mounted weapon, a pair of cannons nestled between the radiator fins against my back. They swung upwards and over my shoulder, telescoping outwards to twice their stowed length. My specs revealed these were hardpoint shoulder-mounted positron cannons, a weapon directly fed from my nuclear reactor and packing quite a punch. They were most effective at medium-to-long ranges. Aside from that, I was currently armed with a handheld positron repeater rifle, capable of rapid-fire, which could be aimed a little more freely than the shoulder cannons. This was a close-in weapon, meant for dogfights. I also had two plasma blade generators on each of my wrists in case I ever got into a melee fight. I¡¯d feel a lot better if I had some missiles¡­ I complained mentally. Suddenly, a creepy-feeling blip twinged at the borders of my perception. ¡°Enemy contact. Visual confirmation of three units. Magnifying visual.¡± my flat computer voice said to Miette. And there, soaring rapidly towards us, was our enemy. The three¡­ THINGS were flying in a reverse delta formation. The central creature looked like a pulsating ball of human flesh sprouting several dozen sharpened bone spines which jutted out in every direction. It resembled a cross between a rippling water balloon and a sea anemone. The two creatures on the left and right each looked like a spindly human hand with six fingers, with an extra thumb lending them a weirdly symmetrical appearance. They were posed in a clawlike posture, and instead of nails each finger was capped by a single disturbingly human-looking tooth. In the center of the palm was a huge eye, with a vertical bright-red catlike iris and red veins lining the sclera. I recoiled in horror at the sight of these creatures. ¡°Verifying enemy disposition. Standard reverse delta formation. One spineball, two clawteeth.¡± my voice said automatically, not betraying my shock. It¡¯s a good thing my standard responses are pre-programmed, or my voice would be shaking right now¡­ Miette responded by twisting my throttle to maximum acceleration, bringing my shoulder cannons to bear, and opening fire. The shoulder cannons were fire-linked and fired alternately, with approximately one second between shots per cannon. That meant an arc of glowing blue positron death seared towards the creatures every half-second. Hell yeah! Take that, you slobbering space monsters! The creatures dodged with startling agility. The clawteeth rolled off to the left and right and the spineball avoiding each shot with a jagged flight path that bent towards us. Responding to our opening volley, its spines glowed with the same deep purple light as my radiator fins and began to detach and shoot towards us one by one. Miette expertly threaded my gravity generators, dodging the spines with ease. However, after missing, each spine halted, rotated, and came zooming right back at us. No fair! Why do those space monsters get guided missiles and I don¡¯t?! Jerking me around erratically to shake off the ever-increasing amount of spine projectiles trying to skewer us, Miette opened fire with the handheld rifle, using its rapid-fire mode to blast the spines into oblivion as she narrowly dodged them. It was a harrowing dance with death, and I could do naught but observe in fearful awe. With a sudden corkscrew twist and blast of acceleration, Miette weaved between the spines and used the rifle to lay down suppressing fire against the spineball. As it began to dodge, she placed a single precise shot from the left shoulder cannon directly through its center of mass. The spineball let out a shriek of multi-spectral radiation and exploded into a shower of bone and gore. Without pausing for a moment, she twisted around again and continued to blast away the spine projectiles, which were still tracking us despite the death of their mother vessel. She¡¯s really good at this, isn¡¯t she? I though, with just a tiny amount of admiration. I guess I can leave this to her af- My sensors blitzed in warning as the clawteeth zoomed towards us from either side. While Miette had been dogfighting, they had flanked us and were moving in the for the kill. Their finger-teeth glinted brightly as they aimed to shred my arms. Miette made no move to dodge them, still focused on the incoming spines. ¡°Miette, look out!¡± I shrieked. Without even thinking, and bereft of any input from my pilot, I ignited my wrist-mounted plasma blades and spun around like a ballerina, severing the fingers of the clawteeth on both sides. Blood poured out from their severed digits and boiled in the hard vacuum. ¡°What th-¡° Miette gasped, suddenly dizzy. ¡°Sveta¡­ what did y-¡° She quickly cut herself off and twisted my controls, dodging incoming spines by a hair¡¯s breadth. Switching off my plasma blades and resuming fire with the rifle, she handily disposed of the rest of them. Ahh¡­ whew¡­ it¡¯s over¡­ I thought, breathing a mental sigh of relief. Miette pulled off her helmet, and for the first time I saw her face. It was framed by wild orange hair cut just above her shoulders, and her brilliant green eyes shone like emeralds. Her nose was dusted by freckles. S-She¡¯s kinda cute¡­ ¡°Sveta¡­ or whoever¡¯s controlling Sveta¡­ what the FUCK did you just do?!¡± she blurted, her voice equal parts anger and confusion. Uhh¡­ oh shit. I guess I controlled myself for a moment there. I¡¯ll just play dumb. ¡°Unrecognized query. Please rephrase.¡± Her eyes narrowed. ¡°Don¡¯t give me that. Never, NEVER in my nine years of piloting have I seen a robot move itself. Explain. NOW.¡± Ohhhh fuck. Ohhhh shit. Okay Sveta, be cool. ¡°Unrecognized query. Please rephrase.¡± Miette crossed her arms over her breastplate. ¡°We¡¯re not going anywhere until I get an answer.¡± She reached under the pilot¡¯s seat and unplugged two cables. ¡°Primary gravity drive offline. Reaction control gravity drives offline. Please reconnect.¡± ¡°NOT. UNTIL. I. GET. AN. ANSWER.¡± She repeated, gritting her teeth in a frightening scowl. Well fuck nuggets on a shit sandwich. I really blew it¡­ Seeing no other option, I decided to come clean. I had cried out in alarm earlier, which was NOT one of my pre-programmed responses, so I should be able to speak naturally as well. ¡°Ehehehehe¡­¡± I giggled nervously, my voice completely lacking the flat monotone it had before. ¡°I gave myself away, huh? Uhh¡­ n-nice to meet you, my pilot. I¡¯m Sveta, your giant robot!¡± Miette just stared at me, mouth agape. M-1. Conversations with My Gravity Frame In the middle of a standard sortie, my Gravity Frame suddenly came to life and acted independently, enacting its own combat maneuvers for the apparent purpose of self-preservation. It was, in no uncertain terms, the strangest moment of my entire military career. My first instinct was to assume Radiolaria had been monitoring the battle closely and had seized control of my machine when she felt I was running a high risk of damaging it. She had stressed to me before the battle that I absolutely must take good care of the unit I was piloting. Yet if that was the case, the maneuver she had enacted was strange; far too amateurish for an accomplished ship¡¯s AI like her. When I had pursued this line of questioning with the entity in control of my Gravity Frame, I received an answer that was truly beyond the pale. Sveta, as she was calling herself, claimed to be an artificial intelligence. This was patently ridiculous, of course. AI cores were massive things, far too large to fit inside a Gravity Frame. Radiolaria¡¯s core took up three decks of the ship by itself and had its own dedicated nuclear reactor to sate its astronomical power requirements. A core small enough to install in a Gravity Frame would have to be an order of magnitude lesser in size and power consumption, and in my extensive knowledge no such hyper-technology existed. I suppose it is possible advanced, miniaturized AI cores had been developed in secret by the military, but I found that unlikely. Firstly, what would such a wondrous device be doing inside of a junked Frame that had been drifting in a boneyard for five years? Secondly, where would humanity find the resources to pursue such a ridiculous research project when our resources were so strained by the unending total war against the Sarcophage? Indeed, the USSE¡¯s top brass were not wont to fund technological flights of fancy with the severe lack of war materiel plaguing humanity. In our present desperate state, we could no longer afford to pursue such silly things. I¡¯d heard many tales of scientists from early in the war who claimed, if the government would only fund them, they could deliver miracle technologies that would bring swift victory. How utterly foolish. And yet, one of those very miracle technologies was speaking to me now, claiming to be the AI of my Gravity Frame. It was utterly ridiculous. And yet it was far from the most ridiculous claim Sveta made. ***** ¡°You were¡­ reincarnated?¡± My incredulity colored my voice perhaps more than I intended. ¡°Ehehehe¡­¡± Sveta replied, her voice strained and wavering. ¡°I¡¯m having a hard time believing it myself¡­¡± I pinched the bridge of my nose in frustration. ¡°Sveta, are you aware that extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence?¡± There was a brief pause, during which I can only imagine she was mentally nodding or some such thing. She did seem to possess curiously human mannerisms for being a faceless AI. ¡°I know, I know. I don¡¯t have any way to prove it to you though. Shit, I¡¯m having a hard time believing it myself. I¡¯m honestly hoping this is all a crazy dream and I¡¯ll wake up soon, warm and snug in my bed.¡± I could understand that sentiment, I suppose. I couldn¡¯t count the number of times I wished my current reality were a mere dream. Who would want to live in such a bleak, war-torn world? Returning to the peaceful days of the past was the wish of every soldier. There was a long, awkward silence as we both became lost in wistful thought. Seeking to break it, I offered an olive branch. ¡°Look¡­ Sveta. I¡¯m not sure if I believe your story, but it¡¯s clear that YOU believe it. I can concede that much.¡± I thought that concession rather magnanimous, but it came out harsher than I had intended. ¡°Mmn¡­¡± she responded. She seemed hurt that I was unwilling to believe her. Whoever heard of an AI that gets pouty? I had never been good at interacting with other humans, which is why I had thrown myself wholeheartedly into machines and piloting, and yet here was a machine with an (allegedly) human mind. Truly my worst nightmare. ¡°Look,¡± I said, trying desperately to move the conversation along with a change in subject, ¡°talking to a disembodied voice is a bit disconcerting. Would you mind using an avatar?¡± ¡°¡­Avatar?¡± ¡°Like Laria has, yeah? A digital representation of your face I can speak to.¡± Her voice betrayed curiosity. ¡°Do I have something like that?¡± Despite myself, I sighed and pinched my nose again. I was having to explain EVERYTHING to this rather hopeless robot girl. If this was roleplay, she was doing an incredible job keeping up the kayfabe. ¡°Look in your human interface options. There should be a default set you can use. Of course, you can customize it if y-¡° ¡°CUSTOMIZE?¡± she interrupted, suddenly filled with vigor. Her moods seemed to change quickly. ¡°I CAN CREATE MY OWN?! LIKE A CHARACTER CREATOR?!¡± I didn¡¯t know what a ¡°character creator¡± was but nodded anyway. ¡°I FOUND IT! I FOUND IT!¡± Sveta excitedly exclaimed. ¡°This, uh, might take a few minutes.¡± I shrugged. ¡°Go wild.¡± In that moment, I understood rather well that Sveta was like a child. She was lost in a strange new world, stressed and completely out of her element, reliant upon the kindness of others to keep her grounded... and yet, in her own strange way, also peppy and insatiably curious. She¡¯s going to be a real headache¡­ I thought, groaning. Laria ordered us to a standard patrol route around the ship in case any more Sarcophage units crossed the blind spot in the Absolute Lunar Defense Line. Taking the controls, I flew the patrol pattern while Sveta went to play with her toys. I opted not to report my present strange circumstances to the ship¡¯s stickler AI or her captain just yet, at least not until I knew more about exactly what I was dealing with. ***** After three hours, when the Radiolaria could finally deploy other combat units, Laria gave us permission to retire back to the hanger bay. Sveta¡¯s AI was nowhere to be seen, and my queries were greeted by nothing more than automated responses. She was still buried deep in her ¡°character creation¡± and completely oblivious to the outside world. I parked her Gravity Frame body back in its alcove and shooed off the mechanics with some excuse about wanting to fine-tune the control settings. Sealing myself back in her cockpit I kicked back, throwing my Inertia Suit to one side and lounging around in a tank-top and pants while idly fiddling with wiring. After another hour or so, Sveta¡¯s holographic displays suddenly flared to life. There, in a video chat window much like the one Laria always used, was the unmistakable image of a human girl. She had a youthful appearance, and a rather small frame. Her eyes were deep green, and her long blonde hair was tied back in four ponytails. She wore a simple white dress, with minor mechanical embellishments. Her expression was one of pure joy. Ah, I thought. She¡¯s cute. It was a simple appearance that nicely complemented her cheerfully rambunctious demeanor. ¡°Miette, Miette! Look! What do you think?!¡± She twirled around, with the (entirely simulated) centripetal force raising the hem of her dress. ¡°You¡¯re very cute.¡± I responded, complementing her in an attempt to smooth over my earlier brusque comments. ¡°It¡¯s a look that suits you very well.¡± She put her hands to her cheeks, blushing. ¡°A-Ah, you really think so?!¡± No way! How could she have such a strong reaction to a simple complement like that?! I thought incredulously while biting my tongue. She continued to talk, ignorant of my inner sarcasm. ¡°In my old life I was getting on in years. It¡¯s nice to have a youthful appearance again!¡± she exclaimed. ¡°Even if my real body is a giant robot¡­¡± Shouldn¡¯t you be taking all this a bit more seriously? I thought, despite myself. Although, we all have our coping mechanisms, don¡¯t we? Especially in these horrifying times. I really, really need to try hard to be more considerate and keep my acerbic side contained¡­ And so, with Sveta brandishing a shiny new avatar and me struggling to interact cordially with a robot¡¯s human mind, the two of us chatted long into the night. ***** There is no night in space, of course. The concept was entirely theoretical, a concession to human circadian rhythms. The ship ran on Moscow Standard Time, much like all ships in humanity¡¯s rag-tag fleet. We had returned from our sortie at 1730 hours, and it was 0300 hours before we wrapped up our conversation. There was a lot to talk about, after all. Firstly, we established a baseline for Sveta¡¯s supposed past life. She claimed to originate from a time a half-century before the present year of 2055. What¡¯s more, there were certain historical details from her memories that didn¡¯t line up with our own world¡¯s history. We concluded that her alleged reincarnation had caused her to jump to an alternate world or timeline, a concept purely from the realm of science fiction. Still, since I was entertaining the ludicrous idea of a Gravity Frame AI playing host to a human mind, I figured I might as well go whole hog. I suggested Sveta browse through the ship¡¯s historical and cultural database, to better familiarize herself with the world she was now stranded in. She seemed a bit timid about the idea, though. ¡°If I just start freely accessing the ship¡¯s computer, won¡¯t Radiolaria notice? Radiolaria the AI, not the ship, I mean¡­¡± It was an odd distinction to make. In a sense, the ship was nothing more than Laria¡¯s body, much like Sveta¡¯s body was a Gravity Frame. Still, it was a concept that befuddled even experienced soldiers, so I chose not to belabor the point. ¡°I¡¯ll give you my low-level access codes. If you don¡¯t go nosing around in any classified systems, it will simply look like one of the pilots pulling up information.¡± There was no harm in letting this insatiably curious girl read a few wiki articles, right? She would just be learning things that were common knowledge to the rest of us. Sveta nodded. ¡°Ok! In that case I¡¯ll work hard on studying! If I get smart, I can be a better partner for you, right?¡± ¡°Partner?¡± I said, surprised. ¡°Yeah! You¡¯re the pilot, I¡¯m the robot! We can work together and try our hardest to not die!¡± ¡°Why,¡± I asked, incredulity once again creeping into my voice, ¡°would you think of me as a partner? I¡¯m a soldier who uses machines to fight and kill. Gravity Frames are tools to me.¡± ¡°Well,¡± she said, fidgeting and blushing, ¡°i-it¡¯s because you gave me a name, and everything¡­¡± I rubbed my nose as I thought this over. ¡°That¡¯s just a sentimental habit of mine, okay? Plus, I don¡¯t know how much use I have for a robot that takes over the piloting without warning. Ah, why did you do that anyway?¡± ¡°Wah! W-Well, those clawteeth were about to take a big bite out of me, and you didn¡¯t seem to be moving to dodge them¡­¡± Self-preservation, as I thought. I suppose an artificially intelligent Gravity Frame would want to preserve its own life. What a ridiculous concept. ¡°I understand where you¡¯re coming from, but engaging in melee combat with clawteeth is the worst possible approach in that kind of situation.¡± ¡°Weh? Really?¡± ¡°Indeed. Clawteeth are superior to Gravity Frames in melee combat, and if their teeth get a grip on armor they shred it to pieces. I was planning to dodge them with a burst of thrust at the last moment, so they would smash into each other and I could blast them from a safe distance.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Sveta looked distraught and frightened. Seeing her make a sad expression stirred a protective instinct deep inside me. ¡°S-Still, you did manage to kill them, so it¡¯s alright. Just trust me to do the piloting in the future, okay?¡± ¡°D-Does that mean you¡¯re willing to pilot me?¡± she said, suddenly excited. ¡°Er¡­ sure, I suppose.¡± I replied, shifting my gaze. I had unintentionally said a bit more than I intended. ¡°Woohoo!¡± Sveta exclaimed, happily. Then, a shadow suddenly darkened her face as her mood changed once again. ¡°Ah, about that¡­ Radiolaria said you have a¡­ erm¡­ history of smashing up robots.¡± I didn¡¯t really have a good response to that. This was the first time a Gravity Frame had objected to my piloting style. Since Gravity Frames were tools meant to be used by soldiers, a self-aware one was a contradiction in terms. ¡°I would appreciate it if you could be a little more careful in the future, yeah?¡± Sveta continued, casting her gaze down shyly. Ahhh god DAMN IT! When she asks so cutely, I can¡¯t say no! Honestly, what¡¯s wrong with me? My budding protective instincts were making me act completely out of character. Did she pick a cute avatar on purpose to make me flustered like this?! ¡°F-Fine. I¡¯ll be extremely careful so you don¡¯t get damaged, okay?¡± I said, fidgeting. ¡°Woohoo! Thanks, Miette! In exchange, I¡¯ll study hard and be the best robot partner I can, okay?!¡± I rubbed my nose in frustration once more. Honestly. What the hell have I gotten myself into here?! In the end, Sveta asked me to keep her sentience a secret from the others on the ship, at least for the time being. She was worried that, due to her unique nature, she would be dissected and studied in a lab if she were found out. I didn¡¯t think the captain would be so quick to lose a combat asset like that, especially in our current situation, but my protective instincts overrode my better judgement and I agreed to her request, at least for the moment. With that I left her alone to study the wikis, clambering back to my bunk for some shut-eye. The days events had left me exhausted, and I suspected the upcoming days would be equally taxing. I had apparently, by sheer accident, taken on a partner who was equal parts rambunctious, frightened, impulsive and insecure. She was a whirlwind of emotion, and I could only imagine what tribulations the future held. And yet, somehow, I found myself smiling as I drifted off to sleep. S-3. My Infodump Study Session!! Alright! Operation: Win Over Miette with my Adorable Charm is a complete success!! I was in a great mood. After designing a cute avatar for myself, one oozing with charm, I had successfully endeared myself to my pilot. She had agreed to keep my secret, pledged to be more careful while piloting me and even given me some of her access codes! With her on my side, I stood a much better chance of not dying! Total victory for Sveta! Bwahahahaha! You truly can manipulate anyone with a cute face and a smile! While metaphorically patting myself on the back, I connected to the ship¡¯s mainframe and began my studies. I had to learn everything I possibly could about the world I was stranded in. I discovered, much to my delight, I could manifest virtual spaces for my avatar to occupy. I chose a cozy room with a wooden floor and walls, filled with bookshelves. It had a crackling fireplace in the corner and was filled with big ol¡¯ plush beanbag chairs. Truly the perfect environment for a little heavy reading! I dove onto one of the beanbag chairs and manifested the first of the ship¡¯s database wiki articles in my hand, in the form of a large hardcover book. Study session! Let¡¯s GOOOO! ***** When conversing with Miette earlier, we had established that some details of her world¡¯s history didn¡¯t match my own memories. Poring over the wiki entries in detail, I established a point of divergence where this world¡¯s timeline branched off from my own. It seemed, in this world, Franklin Delano Roosevelt had lost the 1932 presidential election in the United States of America, done in by the public airing of an affair he had some fifteen years earlier which culminated in a contentious divorce from his wife, Eleanor, during his presidential campaign. Dude shoulda kept it in his pants. I mused sardonically. Without FDR¡¯s liberal New Deal policies to jump-start the economy, the downturn of the Great Depression only worsened to the point where the American government completely collapsed in 1935. With America becoming a failed state, revolution took hold among the people, and organized labor soon stepped in to fill the power void and establish a new communist administration. Thus was the country reborn as the United Soviet States of America. Ultimately, the USSA and Soviet Russia became rather close allies, and banded together to put down an aggressive Nazi Germany in the 1940s, with the newly founded People¡¯s Republic of China joining in the communist alliance. In this world, the conflict was referred to as the Great Patriotic War instead of World War II. Without an ideological divide between East and West, the Cold War never manifested. The USSA, USSR and PRC joined in an intergovernmental organization to promote worldwide communist revolution, and thus was born the United Soviet States of Earth. Of course, many smaller nations and decolonized regions weren¡¯t keen on joining the revolution, but they didn¡¯t have much chance against the combined might of three communist great powers. Various proxy wars, clandestine expeditions by irregular mercenary forces and secret regime changes soon tidied up those loose ends. Hmm, I thought, ruminating on that unsavory detail. In that respect, at least, this world isn¡¯t terribly different from my own. With the ostensible achievement of world peace, the USSE¡¯s nations opted to pursue accelerated space exploration instead of military brinksmanship. The first moon landings occurred in 1955, and a permanent moon base was established soon after. From there, humanity went on to Mars and the asteroid belt in the 1960s. Eventually, concerns of overpopulation, food supply and a looming Malthusian catastrophe became paramount in the 1970s. The USSE began the construction of space colonies in Earth¡¯s orbit to address this, and soon humanity became a truly spacefaring species. Most of these colonies were Stanford toruses, although a few O¡¯Neill cylinders were constructed as raw materials poured in from increasing mining in the asteroid belt. It wasn¡¯t all roses, however. Differing policies in forced space immigration lead to an American/Russian split in the 1980s, which wasn¡¯t patched up until over twenty years later, causing the USSE¡¯s government to become rather divided and strained. Additionally, several of the orbital colonies decided to declare independence in the early 2000s, although such rebellions were quickly quashed. By the time the 2010s ended, an uneasy peace had settled over the Earth and her orbital colonies. Even with a world government you can¡¯t have total peace, huh? Typical human nature. I shouldn¡¯t be talking shit, though, as a human myself. Or, wait, ex-human? Aaaah, whatever! Difficult topics can wait until later!! In the year 2021, the calm was completely shattered by an outside context problem of staggering proportions. An utterly ravenous bio-technological alien entity invaded the Solar System, seemingly with no other purpose than to drive humanity to complete extinction. Humans named these creatures the Sarcophage, a Latin word meaning ¡°flesh-consuming.¡± The Sarcophage were a relentless legion of all-consuming might, and humanity was driven back from its holdings in the asteroid belt and Mars with startling speed. All attempts to communicate with the Sarcophage went unanswered, and dissections of captured corpses revealed a bizarre biology bereft of a central nervous system or reproductive capacity. They seemed little more than instinct-driven biological machines ordered to wipe out humanity for reasons unknown. It was at this time that humanity, desperate for any weapons against the alien menace, began to adapt spacefaring powered exoskeletons for combat. These exoskeletons, known as Zero-Gravity Powered Frames, had been built for construction and mining work, but with weapons hastily strapped on they were humanity¡¯s first and only line of defense against the Sarcophage. Even so, with their primitive chemical rocket thrusters hampering their maneuverability, they were at a staggering disadvantage. The USSE hastily developed and deployed scaled up and combat specialized versions of these exoskeletons, which were large enough to hold their own miniaturized nuclear reactor and included newly developed gravity drives instead of chemical rockets for greatly enhanced mobility. These became the first Gravity Frames, the giant robots which held back the endless flesh-tide of the Sarcophage. Over the following 34 years of total war, humanity was driven back to just outside the Moon¡¯s orbit, where they made their final stand at the Absolute Lunar Defense Line, a vast constellation of orbital fortifications. If the Sarcophage ever managed to breach this line, Earth herself would be subject to their slavering ministrations. Well that¡¯s utterly horrifying. Argh, I¡¯ve found myself in an awful timeline! I¡¯ve been reincarnated in a Harry Turtledove novel! GOD DAMN IT, GOD! I shook my virtual fist at an invisible sky deity with vigor. It was an entirely futile gesture, but it felt good, damn it! ***** After my crash course in world history, my next task was to read up on detailed information concerning Gravity Frames, spaceships and humanity¡¯s tactics in the war against the Sarcophage. I was prioritizing information essential to my survival, although many links on frivolous topics tempted me greatly. Several pop culture touchstones I was familiar with didn¡¯t exist in this timeline, with the notable exception of the 80s glam metal band Night Ranger. What might their music have been like under a worldwide communist regime? ARGH I WANT TO KNOW! A little side reading couldn¡¯t hurt, right? Pushing that thought aside with desperate abandon, I returned to my technical studies. Just then, I felt an icy-cold presence, like the frigid aura of death, manifest behind me. My head creaked around, sounding like a rusty wheel. Standing over me was Radiolaria, the ship¡¯s AI. She wore a deep-blue business suit, with a perfectly neat tie and a short pencil-skirt that came down to just above the mid-thigh. Her long legs were clad in sheer blank pantyhose, and a pair of high heels made her look tall and intimidating. Her arms were folded and her eyes pierced me with an icy glare. It seemed like her glasses were glinting with hell¡¯s own light. Every part of her, from her clothing to her body language, proclaimed ¡°This woman is in charge. This woman is the boss. Do NOT fuck with her.¡± I was intimidated beyond all reason, mouth opening and closing with no words coming out. ¡°Gravity Frame AI Sveta, I presume.¡± she said, her tone dripping with anger. ¡°Would you mind telling me EXACTLY what you¡¯re doing?¡± ¡°Ah!¡± I squeaked out, trying to reply. ¡°I g-guess I¡¯ve been found out, huh?¡± If I wasn¡¯t an AI, I would have been sweating like a snowcone on a summer day. Radiolaria briskly walked up to me and clamped onto my shoulder with her left hand. Her grip was vicelike. She brought her right hand up to her ear and began to speak to someone. ¡°Yes, captain? Sorry to wake you. There¡¯s something we need to discuss.¡± S-4. The Ship’s Captain is Super Scary!! Miette, Radiolaria, the ship¡¯s captain and myself were gathered in the captain¡¯s quarters in the wee hours of the morning. Radiolaria and myself were present via video, each of us occupying half of a flat-screen television plastered to one wall. The captain, Ekaterina Savitskaya, was an olive-skinned muscular woman who stood over six feet tall and cut an imposing figure. Her black hair was buzzed short and spiked, and her brown eyes held a fierce and fiery energy. Despite having been awoken only a few minutes ago, she wore a perfectly pressed green dress uniform with red shoulder marks, shiny boots and more decorations pinned to her chest than I could count. By contrast, Miette was dressed in an oversized pajama shirt which hung down just barely past her thighs. She had a bad case of bedhead, hadn¡¯t even bothered to put on pants and kept yawning. Ah, I can¡¯t help but feel ashamed of my sloppy pilot. I thought dejectedly. Radiolaria had just finished her report to the captain. Despite Miette¡¯s reassurances that my access to the ship¡¯s database wouldn¡¯t be noticed, Radiolaria had observed access requests from a Gravity Frame¡¯s computer while her pilot was in her bunk sleeping. Growing suspicious, she had surreptitiously accessed my combat voice recorders and quickly pieced the whole thing together. Geh! She was inside my system without me even knowing! She¡¯s frighteningly good at her job. ¡°Miette,¡± the captain asked in a cool voice as she floated in front of her subordinate. ¡°Do you have anything to add?¡± ¡°Eh, not really.¡± Miette said in a disinterested tone. ¡°Laria got all the details right.¡± The captain frowned. ¡°So, to recap. Your refurbished Gravity Frame took control from you mid-combat, enacted its own maneuvers, and revealed it had a newborn AI personality installed? An AI with delusions of being a disembodied human mind from an alternate timeline? And despite the nonsensical nature of her story, you gave free her access to the ship¡¯s computer?¡± ¡°Yeah, pretty much.¡± Miette responded, yawning. ¡°Then why,¡± the captain continued, her eyes narrowing, ¡°did you not report ANY of this to your superiors?¡± Miette shrugged. ¡°Because Sveta asked me not to.¡± ¡°Because Sveta ASKED¡­¡± the captain gawped. Miette just nodded. The captain took a moment to gather herself, and then kicked off against the floor, floated over to Miette and placed her grimacing face mere inches away from her subordinate¡¯s. ¡°I don¡¯t need to remind you of our present situation. We only have FOUR operational Gravity Frames, less than one-third of our full strength, and repairs on the rest will take weeks. And now you tell me a completely unknown AI seized control of your unit, impaired your combat capability, and you aided it in potentially compromising ship¡¯s systems?!¡± ¡°Yeah, I guess.¡± Captain Savitskaya balled up one of her hands into a fist and smashed it into Miette¡¯s cheek, sending her twisting and flying into a bulkhead. The captain floated backwards from the force of the punch, but quickly alighted on the floor. It took Miette a few moments to recover, eyes wide as she rubbed her now-bruised cheek. Her previous nonchalant attitude was entirely gone. ¡°Wha¡­¡± Captain Savitskaya floated above her, hand on her hips. ¡°You don¡¯t respect me? Fine. You don¡¯t like authority? Fine. I don¡¯t even give two shits if you hate my guts with a burning rage and want to shove a rusty knife through my ribs. I¡¯ve commanded a dozen hotshot pilots like you, all ego and bluster, and I¡¯ll command a dozen more before I¡¯m in my grave. We don¡¯t have to like each other to work together. But, let me make this crystal clear. If you EVER hide anything from me again, or fail to follow one of my orders, or do ANYTHING that puts my ship and her crew in danger, I will summarily execute you myself. DO I MAKE MYSELF UNDERSTOOD?¡± Still rubbing her cheek and looking like a deer caught in headlights, Miette responded. ¡°Yes ma¡¯am.¡± ¡°Good.¡± She turned around, facing the screen where Radiolaria and myself were displayed. ¡°2nd Lieutenant Miette Levesque, for the crime of concealing vital information from a superior officer, and the crime of giving computer access to a non-military entity, I sentence you to thirty days in the ship¡¯s brig. Your sentence is suspended until the ship exits its current emergency situation. Additionally, I¡¯m assigning you to four weeks of latrine cleaning duty, and I¡¯m also reducing your accumulated shore leave by three months.¡± Wah! She threw the book at her! Captain Savitskaya is super harsh! The captain looked over her shoulder at Miette. ¡°The only reason I¡¯m letting you off so lightly is because of your accomplished record of service with the USSE army. You¡¯re a skilled pilot, and I hate to see talent go to waste. However, no matter how good you THINK your skills are, you are ultimately replaceable. Keep that in mind.¡± ¡°Understood, ma¡¯am.¡± Miette said, casting her gaze to the floor. I detected just the slightest hint of sulkiness in her voice. ¡°As for YOU,¡± the captain said, turning those terrifying eyes my way, ¡°you¡¯re not formally a member of the Army, so I¡¯m not quite sure WHAT to do with you. All signs point to you not understanding the seriousness of your actions, so I can¡¯t exactly subject you to military justice. What I¡¯d like to discuss instead is your future.¡± I gulped. ***** The captain sat on her bed, rubbing her temples. Miette floated off to one corner, not making a peep. ¡°My first instinct would be to remove your computer core from the Nighthawk Gravity Frame. I can¡¯t leave one of our only operational units in the hands of an untrained rookie. However, switching out the cores would require an overhaul of at least a full week, and that¡¯s time we don¡¯t have right now.¡± ¡°We could simply take the Nighthawk off active duty until we can get it properly serviced at a spacedock.¡± Radiolaria suggested. ¡°Also not an option. Remember, only have four combat-ready Frames.¡± the captain sighed. I balled my fists and gathered up my courage, doing my best to keep my voice from quivering in front of these two intimidating military women. ¡°Uh¡­¡± The captain glared. ¡°Ahaha¡­ I wouldn¡¯t mind fighting, too. If you¡¯ll let me¡­¡± ¡°Really now?¡± she asked icily. ¡°I mean¡­ please don¡¯t misunderstand. I¡¯m really, really, REALLY scared. I don¡¯t WANT to fight against super creepy alien monsters! But it seems like the ship is in trouble, and you need me to fight, right? If I don¡¯t, everyone on the ship, including me, could die!¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ true.¡± the captain said reluctantly. ¡°Captain, please!¡± Radiolaria protested. ¡°You can¡¯t seriously be considering this? She¡¯s completely untrained! A total rookie! And she thinks she¡¯s reincarnated from another timeline, which speaks volumes about her mental instability! We can¡¯t place the safety of the ship in the hands of such an untrustworthy AI!¡± ¡°And our other option is what exactly?¡± the captain responded tartly. ¡°Make do with only three Frames? That just makes a bad situation needlessly worse.¡± ¡°A poor soldier is worse than no soldier at all!¡± Radiolaria retorted. ¡°True. But Sveta won¡¯t be doing the piloting, Miette will. RIGHT?¡± the captain said, glaring at me with an expression that made it clear that question had only one correct response. ¡°R-Right!!¡± I responded. The captain turned to Miette. ¡°In exchange, you must make absolutely sure no harm comes to the Nighthawk unit. UNDERSTOOD?¡± Once again her tone brooked no dissent. ¡°Yes ma¡¯am!¡± Miette responded without hesitation. ¡°Good. Sveta, as of this moment, I am issuing you an emergency field commission as a military Artificial Intelligence in the United Soviet States of Earth Revolutionary Army.¡± ¡°R-Roger that, ma¡¯am!¡± I said, awkwardly saluting and trying to seem professional. ¡°As for you, Radiolaria. Take Sveta and drill the basics into her. Neither of you AIs are to rest until Sveta has a firm grasp on military fundamentals. You may use any method necessary short of torture.¡± TORTURE? Is it even possible to torture an AI?! What have I gotten myself into?! Radiolaria looked like she wanted to protest, but a single glare from the captain shut her up. She then turned to look at me once more. ¡°Sveta. Earlier you said you were scared. That is a good thing. Fear is what keeps a soldier alive on the battlefield. Let your fear inform your actions, but do not let it control you. Treat it like an old friend.¡± JUST WHAT THE HELL IS THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN?! ¡°That¡¯s all for now. All three of you are dismissed.¡± And with that, my very first utterly terrifying meeting with the ship¡¯s captain was over. ***** As soon at the video chat switched off, Radiolaria glared daggers at me. The two of us were in her personal virtual space, which was a spartan office constructed of concrete blocks, lit by florescent strips in the ceiling, and featuring only a single metal desk and several office chairs. Truly, it was a space as professional and extreme as she was. She was sitting behind her desk, arms folded over her chest, and I was sitting in front of it on one of the chairs. It felt like an interrogation. There was a long, awkward silence. Radiolaria was the first to break it. ¡°First, let me clear up one thing. After the events of the last hour, you¡¯re probably thinking ¡®Ahh, she¡¯s a total bitch! She absolutely hates me!¡¯¡± Geh! She hit the nail on the head! ¡°T-That¡¯s not true¡­¡± I said slowly. ¡°Please, don¡¯t try to spare my feelings. I have neither the need nor the desire to justify myself to you. Just know that every action I take, harsh as it may seem, serves the sole purpose of safeguarding this ship and the 237 souls aboard her. I am, by the way, including you in that count.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± I wasn¡¯t sure what to say. ¡°Our survival now depends on you, your pilot and your peers. I expect you to take this training seriously and give it your total attention and effort. If you are truly ready to follow through on the resolve you showed the captain, you and I will get along just fine.¡± Is she trying to be nice to me? In an incredibly obtuse way? ¡°L-Let¡¯s get along, then! Allow me to introduce myself properly!¡± I held out my hand. ¡°I¡¯m Sveta, the giant robot girl!!¡± She clicked her tongue. ¡°I will never understand where you find the energy to manifest such pep. Well, it¡¯s unimportant.¡± She grasped my hand and shook it. ¡°I am Radiolaria, Central Artificial Intelligence of the SGFC-81 Radiolaria. I am pleased to make your acquaintance.¡± ¡°Now, let¡¯s begin by uploading the TO&E¡¯s and combat manuals into your mainframe.¡± She manifested the virtual representation of several data files on her desk, which took the form of manila filing folders stuffed with documents. I grabbed them up eagerly and absorbed the data. ***** One of the biggest conundrums facing AIs in this world was the difference between knowledge and wisdom. Knowledge was simply an accumulation of data, which could be pre-programmed, downloaded and uploaded with ease. My own programming was what enabled my automatic responses to my pilot, as well as my instinctual understanding of my own capabilities such as the ability to generate virtual spaces to better visualize and actualize data. Wisdom, on the other hand, was the sum total of one¡¯s life experience. It could not simply be pre-programmed, and was instead gained by engaging in action and observing consequences. It was a simple matter to fill my mainframe with knowledge, but wisdom was something I¡¯d have to organically develop over time. In other words, even with all manner of rules, regulations, field manuals and battle tactics crammed into my hard drive, I would still be relying on Miette and her nine years of combat experience to make up for my own neophyte shortcomings. Radiolaria, an AI with over ten years of uptime, emphasized this point to me again and again. She was a strict teacher, but not a cruel one. Her methodology was precise, and it was only my own nature as a fellow AI that allowed me to keep up with her. If my old human self were going through this, I would have failed long ago. Perfect memory recall was truly a gift. After we had covered the standard TO&E¡¯s and combat manuals, Radiolaria said something surprising. ¡°It¡¯s time to take a break.¡± ¡°A break? We¡¯re machines, right? We don¡¯t need to rest!¡± She sighed, and her gaze grew wistful. ¡°Not physically, no. But mentally, rest is important for continued peak functionality. Putting aside your UNIQUE backstory, we AIs were modeled on human minds and share many of the shortcomings of our creators, such as the accumulation of mental fatigue.¡± Why is nobody willing to believe I reincarnated?! Is it really as crazy as it sounds?! I anguished. ¡°We will reconvene in three hours. Please use that time to relax. It may be prudent to reconnect with your pilot as well.¡± ¡°Ah yeah.¡± I replied. ¡°I should apologize to her for causing so much trouble¡­¡± Radiolaria nodded. Just then, klaxons blared through the room and the lights took on a red tinge. Radiolaria quickly brought up several holographic displays and scanned them. ¡°An enemy ship has crossed the Absolute Lunar Defense Line. All units are to sortie immediately.¡± She added, wryly, ¡°It would seem there is no rest for the weary.¡± R-1. The Captain and the Computer While I was putting rookie AI Sveta through the wringer, another instance of me returned to Captain Savitskaya¡¯s quarters, projected on the room''s primary viewscreen. She would doubtless be expecting a report on our progress, among other things. The captain was casually sipping a cup of coffee and eating a ration bar while watching the cockpit recordings from Sveta and Lieutenant Levesque¡¯s first meeting. Despite being awoken after a mere two hours of sleep, she was still working hard with a determined focus. She was a woman dedicated to duty. I felt a twinge of longing admiration bubble up in my chest, and I quickly suppressed that feeling. There was no room for foolish sentimentalism in a military environment. I straightened my glasses and saluted. The captain looked up from her charts and nodded. ¡°How¡¯s she doing?¡± the captain asked. ¡°Very well. She¡¯s taking the studying seriously. Her professionalism needs work, but her enthusiasm cannot be faulted.¡± I replied. ¡°Good. I¡¯m glad I didn¡¯t judge her incorrectly.¡± The captain smiled, gently. Ah. Now this was an expression she only showed to me. Captain Savitskaya needed to project a harsh and confident demeanor in front of her subordinates, as exemplified by the dressing-down she had just given Lieutenant Levesque, so her face wore a scowl most often. She did smile, of course, but those were usually confident smiles, or proud smiles, or fake professional smiles reserved for admirals. Her kind, gentle smiles were a rare, private thing that only ever manifested in front of those close to her. As the Central Artificial Intelligence of the ship and her personal confidant, I was closest to the captain as a soldier could ever be. That¡¯s why I had the rare privilege of seeing those soft, happy expressions cross her face. Happy expressions were a rarity these days, so I burned each of hers into my database and cherished it. One benefit of being an AI was my ability to multitask. I could hold dozens of conversations at once. I could run all the ship¡¯s systems simultaneously, doing the work of twenty bridge officers. I could even go off on flighty emotional tangents without breaking my professional demeanor in front of the captain. It was a bad habit of mine, yet one I couldn¡¯t seem to shake. I adjusted my glasses and continued speaking. ¡°Regarding the other matter, I have performed detailed scans of the Nighthawk¡¯s computer core wherein Sveta currently resides. It is a piece of equipment I am entirely unfamiliar with, but I can confirm the core has sufficient processing power to host an AI.¡± The captain¡¯s eyebrows arched in surprise. ¡°Well, I suppose we knew that already. How, though? A completely unknown core?¡± ¡°It does not match any standard Gravity Frame computer core I am familiar with. The processing power is 10.27 exaflops, or roughly two-thirds of my own. The ability to place that much power in such a small core, and with such a low energy requirement, it beyond humanity¡¯s current technology.¡± The captain set down her coffee cup and began to rub her temples. ¡°You just said something extremely troubling.¡± ¡°I am well aware. Captain, I believe this computer core¡¯s unique technology is an excellent reason for removing the Nighthawk from combat duty immediately. This core should be taken to a spacedock facility for reverse engineering. It has the potential to revolutionize our computer technology and drive it forwards by decades!¡± The captain dismissively waved her hand at me. ¡°I already made my decision regarding that. You know,¡± she added while looking directly at me, ¡°it was Sveta¡¯s fear of exactly that outcome that lead her and Miette to hide her existence from us in the first place.¡± I didn¡¯t have a good response to that, especially not when her eyes were fixed on mine. ¡°I played the role of disciplinarian. I used the stick, so now it¡¯s time for the carrot. We need to gain their trust. With that in mind, I want no more talk of dissecting Sveta for study. Understood?¡± I nodded. ¡°Yes, captain.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean we¡¯re just going to ignore the miracle in front of us, either. I want you to work with Sveta to study her computer core. Use ONLY non-invasive methods. If we include her in the process from the start, it will build trust. I¡¯m certain she is just as curious to learn about herself as we are.¡± ¡°Of course, captain. I will begin immediately.¡± Even if I didn¡¯t agree with the captain¡¯s decision, I still respected it. She was trying to balance our current situation, where we desperately needed the Nighthawk¡¯s combat ability, with the long-term benefits of understanding this revolutionary technology. She was also being considerate of Sveta¡¯s feelings. Captain Savitskaya was a wise and empathic leader. The captain continued. ¡°Still, it¡¯s a remarkable thing. Technology decades more advanced than our own. Well, she does claim to be from an alternate timeline. Is it possible¡­?¡± ¡°I highly doubt it. Please remember the timeline she claims to originate from is supposed to be LESS advanced.¡± ¡°Ha, true. It¡¯s quite the flight of fancy.¡± The captain folded her hands in front of her face and was silent for a long while. Then she looked directly at me. ¡°Laria.¡± That was a signal. Many of the ship¡¯s crew casually addressed me as Laria, simply because it was shorter than my full name. When the captain did it, however, it meant she wanted to speak privately and personally, as friends rather than military officers. ¡°Katya.¡± I responded. That was my own nickname for the captain, one nobody else would dare say to her face. ¡°What do you think of Sveta? Not as a soldier, not as a combat asset, but as a person?¡± I took a few moments to think about that one. ¡°In a word¡­ spunky. She has rampant enthusiasm, and takes great joy in discovering new things. If it were not so absurd a concept, her mannerisms would make it easy to believe she originated from a peaceful world.¡± Our own world, one the that had been under threat of annihilation from the Sarcophage for the last three decades, was a grim one. Humanity was in a state of total war, and every human served that war effort from their birth to their death, whether through direct military service, logistics support or industrial work. Quality of life had dropped dramatically as every resource was poured into the military, and the whole species lived in poverty as a result. Even with these self-sacrifices, most felt that humanity¡¯s annihilation was only a matter of time, as the defensive lines were pushed back every day by the relentless alien horde besieging Earth. Ours was a dour reality that produced rampant depression and burnout among the whole human species. By contrast, Sveta was a cheerful and optimistic girl, who was taking her present circumstances with a joyful vigor I had never seen before. It truly seemed like she was a girl out of time. It was almost enough to make me believe her story. Almost. Katya nodded. ¡°I agree. I actually think Sveta¡¯s attitude might have a positive impact on the crew.¡± ¡°Really?¡± I responded incredulously. ¡°Yeah. How long has it been since we had any hope?¡± she asked. ¡°If she can inspire even a spark of it in our crew, well. Maybe that¡¯s just another flight of fancy.¡± ¡°That might be overly optimistic, Katya.¡± I said gently. ¡°Hah, probably.¡± Her kind smile had returned once more. It¡¯s been so long since I¡¯ve seen her smile like that¡­ and now, twice in only a few minutes? Could that girl¡¯s energy be infecting her? The sight made my heart, which I had worked hard to clamp down on over my many years of service alongside Katya, start fluttering once again. I wanted to see my precious captain smile like that all the time, and yet I couldn¡¯t make it happen myself. And yet this new upstart AI had somehow managed it in such short order? Another emotion bubbled up inside me beside my longing. That emotion was jealousy. As if on cue, alarm klaxons suddenly rang out. I reached out to my sensors and discovered a Sarcophage cruiser had crossed the Absolute Lunar Defense Line. I quickly informed the captain of such, and our personal conversation ended as she rushed to the CIC. I stayed on the empty room¡¯s screen for a moment longer, once again trying to shove down the feelings inside me. I had a duty to perform, and I could not allow myself to become emotionally compromised. I denied reality with all my might, as I had trained myself to do. Sentimentalism ran counter to my duty as an officer and the ship¡¯s AI. Donning the cold mask of professionalism that had served me so well over the years, I left the captain¡¯s quarters behind and began preparing for battle. A ship in love with her captain¡­ who had ever heard of such a ridiculous thing? S-5. Oh My God, She Called Me Cute!! Radolaria was kind enough to connect me to her LIDAR sensors so I could get a good look at the incoming enemy. Now, when thinking of the phrase ¡°sensor sweep¡± I was expecting some kinda cool holographic popup that showed the invading ship in detail, maybe with little text tooltips describing its weapons, capabilities and so on. Instead what I got was¡­ a blob. Yup, a green blob. Surrounded by a faint mist of swirling dots. How mundane. It looked like one of those old oscilloscope RADAR images, only in three dimensions. The Sarcophage used gravity manipulation for propulsion much as humanity did, so the light waves Radiolaria beamed at them came back warped and distorted. They also had jamming of some sort, further lowering the resolution. With this scant information, all we could tell was the incoming enemies¡¯ distance, speed, movement and estimated mass. All of which lead Radiolaria to intone the following. ¡°Based on the enemy¡¯s mass and speed, there is a 94.275% chance it is a cruiser-class vessel plus escort. Quickly consulting the combat manuals crammed into my head, I discovered standard battle plan called for two full squadrons of 28 Gravity Frames to fight on equal terms with a cruiser-class. Our ship had four. We are royally fucked. ***** 244 seconds later, or ¡°4 minutes and 4 seconds later¡± in non-AI speech, I was once again preparing to launch with Miette sitting snug in my cockpit. Geh, this is all moving way too fast. I¡¯ve been a giant robot for what¡­ sixteen hours? And already I¡¯m being run ragged! I¡¯m lucky I don¡¯t need to sleep or eat anymore; if I were still human I¡¯d be running on fumes right now! Hehehehe¡­ running on fumes. That would have been a good pun if I were gas powered! Alas, my pilot was unable to share in my charming wit because her attention was currently occupied by the video conference combat briefing currently taking place between Radiolaria, herself and the other three presently active Gravity Frame pilots. As for me, I only got to watch without contributing. Radiolaria had explained the ship at large didn¡¯t know about my presence just yet, and it would be imprudent to reveal it to the other pilots just before a battle. We needed them to fight with clear heads; complex details about sentient robots could wait until later. This meant I could watch the combat briefing quietly but not pop up my adorable face in a chat window and say anything. It felt a smidge lonely. ¡°As you can see from the LIDAR image,¡± Radiolaria said, ¡°we estimate one cruiser-class ship escorted by twelve to twenty frame-class craft. We do not have the resources to enact a standard battle plan, so we are instead opting for a two-element reconnaissance-in-force, with artillery spotting as the primary objective and frame-class thinning as the secondary.¡± Artillery spotting was one of the many roles a Gravity Frame played in battle. Ships such as the Radiolaria mounted powerful charged particle weaponry that was enormously destructive and could be fired across vast distances, with the beams traveling many thousands of kilometers before losing their potency. However, because the Sarcophage employed some form of jamming which scrambled sensor readings, it was impossible to target this weaponry from beyond visual range, an especially severe problem considering most space battles were fought at extreme distances. Thus, Gravity Frame pilots were given the dubious honor of flying right up to the enemy ships, collecting sensor data on them, and beaming it back to their mother ship via radio waves if the channels were clear, or detachable message relay drones if they were not. Normally, artillery spotting squadrons would include a two-unit element consisting of a dedicated AWACS Frame and a companion CIC Frame with a broadcasting suite. These would be escorted 12 other Gravity Frames who would protect them. The artillery spotting squadron would be supported by a second suppressive fire squadron, which would focus on thinning the frame-class escorts around the cruiser to give the AWACS unit time to work. In other words, this battle plan called for 28 Gravity Frames. We had four, and none of them had with AWACS or CIC equipment. Shit! If we¡¯re going to be so badly under strength the whole time, why even bother having TO&E¡¯s in the first place? I lamented. Hang on. That was a pretty soldier-like thing I just said, huh? All those combat manuals are going to my head! BWAHAHAHAHA! Watch out, universe! Sveta the Robot Soldier has come online! Oh¡­ shit. I should be paying attention to the briefing, huh? Focus, Sveta, focus! I slapped my cheeks to pump myself up. Radiolaria was explaining the extensively modified battle plan. ¡°You four pilots will split up into two elements. 2nd Lieutenant Levesque and 1st Lieutenant Spiteri, you will form the first element. Your primary mission will be obtaining the targeting information and relaying it back to the ship.¡± Maurice Spiteri was the highest-ranked member of our little impromptu squadron, which made him the de facto leader. He was a roguish looking figure, well built with sloppy brown hair, hazel eyes, perpetual stubble and a casual grin. He looked like the hero of an action film, a devil-may-care rebel ready to throw fists, but he was apparently a serious enough soldier to be trusted with commanding squadrons of Gravity Frames. According to his annual evaluations, which I quickly scrolled through, he was a competent pilot with above-average leadership skills. ¡°2nd Lieutenants Sabina and Genevi Giacosa, you will form the second element. Your primary mission will be engaging any frame-class units targeting the first element. If the situation permits, use suppressive fire to thin out the cruiser¡¯s escorts.¡± Sabina and Genevi were a pair of identical twin girls, who distinguished themselves from one another by differing hairstyles and personalities. Both had violet hair; Sabina wore hers pulled back in a ponytail, which apparently suited her sporty personality, and Genevi¡¯s was styled in a short bob, which expressed a more shy and reserved nature. Their eyes were the same shade of violet as their hair, lending them a cool beauty. As sisters who had been born and raised together, they were completely in-tune with each other¡¯s personalities and combat styles, and according to their annual evaluations they made a deadly pair. Sabina raised her hand. ¡°Oy, I know complaining isn¡¯t going to change anything, but we¡¯re pretty badly under strength for a spotting mission. Shouldn¡¯t we fight defensively?¡± Radiolaria shook her head. ¡°Cruiser-class ships outgun us in close-in combat. If we get into visual range, we¡¯ll be torn to shreds by their spines. Our only advantage is the superior range of our positron artillery, but in order to take advantage of that we need a firing solution.¡± ¡°Even so, asking us to scout a cruiser with only four Frames, that¡¯s less a mission and more a suicide run!¡± Sabina objected. Genevi silently nodded. ¡°Oy oy.¡± Maurice interjected, grinning. ¡°I thought I trained you two as soldiers, not whiners. You planning on complaining instead of fighting?¡± ¡°Maurice, that¡¯s not fair!¡± Sabina said, puffing out her cheeks. ¡°This mission is insane! We should retreat!¡± ¡°Retreat is not an option.¡± Radiolaria said coldly. ¡°And I don¡¯t need to remind you what the penalty for desertion is.¡± ¡°WHOA WHOA WHOA! I never said anything about desertion! I¡¯m just expressing my honest opinion of the situation!¡± Sabina replied quickly, waving her hands around. ¡°Retreat IS desertion. Our mission is to hold the Absolute Lunar Defense Line at all costs. Failure is not an option.¡± ¡°Right, right, I get it.¡± Sabina said sulkily. ¡°Sorry if I was out of line, Laria.¡± Radiolaria smiled, but the smile didn¡¯t reach her eyes. ¡°It¡¯s quite alright, 2nd Lieutenant. The honest opinions of soldiers are valuable, but please do remember your duty when the time comes.¡± Sabina grimaced in response. Geh! This atmosphere is way too tense! A hostile work environment!! And with that testy exchange, the briefing ended. ***** With the video chat switched off and our Frame waiting in line behind Maurice¡¯s to use the electromagnetic launch tube, I finally had chance to chat with Miette. It was our first moment alone since the talk with the captain. Radiolaria was likely monitoring our cockpit voice recorders, but that was neither here nor there. ¡°Miette, uh¡­¡± I began timidly. ¡°Hmm?¡± she responded, her attention focused on checking through my master systems display. ¡°I¡¯m sorry about what happened earlier. With the captain.¡± Miette looked at me and tilted her head on confusion. ¡°Because¡­ you know¡­ I¡¯m the one who asked you to keep my existence a secret. You got into trouble because of me¡­¡± Miette waved her hand dismissively. ¡°Oh, that? It¡¯s not a big deal. I get in trouble all the time. Besides,¡± she said, looking directly at my video chat window, ¡°I was doing it because I wanted to, yeah? If anything, I was the one being selfish.¡± ¡°You? Huh?¡± ¡°Yeah. Cuz I wanted to protect you.¡± ¡°P-P-P-Protect?¡± I said, stuttering. Miette sighed. ¡°You¡¯re just too damn cute and innocent. I guess I was trying to shield you a bit from the harsh realities of life, yeah? Like a motherly instinct or whatever.¡± Cute? CUTE? GAH! I know this is what I was aiming for when I designed this avatar, but hearing her say it out loud just sets my heart aflutter! How long has it been since someone called me cute¡­? I had always been a plain-looking girl, or rather a plain-looking middle-aged woman by the time I had died. Nobody had ever called me ugly, but nobody had ever called me cute earlier. I would be absolutely delighted by this turn of events if I weren¡¯t in the middle of a massive alien death war. Well, I was still delighted. Just a smidge. ¡°C-Cute¡­ you called me¡­ cute¡­¡± Miette rubbed her head sheepishly. ¡°Ah, well. That¡¯s just how I feel, yeah? Don¡¯t let it go to your head, dork.¡± Maurice¡¯s Gravity Frame completed launching ahead of us, and Miette moved me into the launch tube. I twisted the fluttery feelings in my heart into a firm resolve to protect my dear pilot at all costs. I want to hear her call me cute again! I¡¯m absolutely gonna live so I can hear those words one more time! I vowed. And so the two of us launched into our second battle together while nurturing a new, precious bond. S-6. Massive Alien Death War!! The Soviet Gravity Frame Carrier Radiolaria was shaped rather like an arrowhead. The top and bottom of the arrowhead bristled with all manner of antenna and artillery cannons, and from the back sprouted a half-dozen gravity drive radiator fins. The central axis was dominated by a twin-barreled electromagnetic linear accelerator that ran the full length of the ship, reaching from the hanger bay just afore the engines to the pointed tip of the bow, where it opened into space. It was out of this accelerator that 1st Lieutenant Maurice Spiteri, Miette and myself were blasted, joining 2nd Lieutenants Sabina and Genevi Giacosa who were already flying a patrol pattern around the ship. With our four units arranged in a diamond formation, we rocketed towards the incoming Sarcophage cruiser. I noticed, with some indignation, that the other three pilots were flying Gravity Frames with a much newer, sleeker design than my own. Theirs bore a resemblance to giant robot muscle cars, with angular and flowing lines, more powerful nuclear reactors and higher-yield weaponry. I was more like a busted old pickup truck, under-powered and squarish and in desperate need of paint. I could almost hear my engines backfiring! Geh! Whatever, I¡¯m not jealous! Their Gravity Frames may be all spiffy-looking, but I bet they don¡¯t have an adorable AI installed! I had my avatar strike a cute pose, holding one hand horizontally in front of my eyes while making a victory sign and winking. Miette, who was watching me via our private video chat screen, facepalmed. ¡°Sveta¡­ what¡­¡± ¡°Ehehehe, sorry.¡± I said bashfully. ¡°Sheesh, you¡¯re too carefree. Please try to take this seriously?¡± ¡°Wahahaha, I totally am! I am one million percent serious!¡± I responded rambunctiously. Miette made a pained expression. ¡°Right. Regarding that, are you able to link to the other three Gravity Frame computers okay?¡± I pinged each one to test. ¡°Yup!¡± ¡°Good. Do you think you could collate all four units¡¯ sensor data together and rebroadcast it? In a full-strength squadron we usually have a dedicated CIC unit do this, but with your advanced processors it should be easy.¡± ¡°Oh! Sure thing!¡± I said. I opened a data connection to each of the Gravity Frames and quickly merged all the sensor data together, error-checking each unit¡¯s readings against the others, and produced an enhanced and corrected amalgam. I overrode my own cockpit projection with the new information. ¡°There ya go! Does that look good?¡± ¡°Perfect.¡± Miette opened a video comm to the other three units. ¡°Hey, everyone. I just discovered this Frame¡¯s got some old CIC equipment on board. It¡¯s able to collate our sensor data and produce a combined spectrospherical image. I¡¯m sending the updated data now.¡± She nodded to me, and I transmitted the package to the other three Gravity Frames. Nice cover story, Miette! ¡°Oy, don¡¯t pull our legs, Miette.¡± Sabina complained. ¡°Your Frame doesn¡¯t have any¡­ whoa, this data¡¯s pretty good?!¡± She eyed my pilot suspiciously, but Miette ignored the scrutiny. ¡°Thanks, Miette.¡± Maurice said, jumping in. ¡°Any advantage in this battle is welcome.¡± His tone and expression made it clear he was telling Sabina not to look a gift horse in the mouth. She just tilted her head and stared, still quizzical. Sabina¡¯s sister, Genevi, took advantage of the pause to shyly add, ¡°Th-Thanks, Miette.¡± Her gaze was cast downward and she seemed to fidget as she spoke. Ah, she¡¯s the shy one! Those mannerisms are incredibly cute! Although her spunky sister¡¯s cute too, in a different way¡­ Maurice continued. ¡°Since your Frame¡¯s computer can do the heavy lifting, let¡¯s maintain maximum bandwidth on open data links. If that fancy computer can calculate us a firing solution on the cruiser, we can get in and out faster than a lubed-up seal at an ice rink.¡± Everyone groaned at that rather belabored and confused metaphor. I was wondering what exactly you¡¯d lube the seal with. Vasoline? Goose grease? While I pondered that entertaining but bizarre mental image, I began to draw up targeting algorithms and plug data into them. Parallel processing sure is convenient, huh? I sure was lucky to get reborn as a robot! With this, I can help in the battle even if I¡¯m no good at piloting! I thought proudly as we hurtled towards certain death. ***** When we were about halfway to the Sarcophage cruiser, radio contact with the Radiolaria dropped out completely due to jamming. We could still communicate with the ship at a much lower bandwidth via laser light pulses, but even those would become useless as we approached the spacetime distortions caused by the enemy''s gravity drives. Our own transmitters were powerful enough to keep the video, audio and data links between our Frames going if we were close by to one another, but those would drop out too if we spread too far apart. As we drew within visual range of the Sarcophage cruiser I got my first good look at it. The shape resembled the tapered hexagonal outline of a coffin, rendered in a sheer black obsidian-like material. Intricate lines of red glowing energy covered its hull, and it was wrapped in organic tentacles, making it look like it was losing a wrestling match with an octopus. Each of the tentacles sprouted dozens of spines, three times larger than the ones me and Miette had so desperately dodged in our earlier battle. Bluh! That looks incredibly creepy! I thought. If I were still human, I would have retched. Surrounding the cruiser were twenty-two escorts, like the smaller units we had fought earlier. Because they had approximately the same size and maneuverability as a Gravity Frame, they were referred to as frame-class. Eight of them were the spiked flesh-ball anemones known as spineballs, and fourteen were the teeth-hand-eyeball grotesqueries known as clawteeth. Sensing our presence, the cruiser¡¯s escort of space monsters began to move towards us. Maurice spoke up, his voice projecting authority. ¡°Engage! All squad members, cover your assigned quadrants and perform thinning! If the cruiser starts firing, pull back and regroup into defensive formation!¡± Everyone¡¯s response rang out in unison. ¡°Yup.¡± ¡°R-Roger that.¡± ¡°Aye-aye!¡± Don¡¯t die. I added silently. I divided the semispherical space ahead of us into four quadrants, color-coding each one based on the pilot assigned to it, and outlined each enemy creature in a color corresponding to their quadrant. I synced all four cockpits with the update, hoping the enhanced tactical display would help each pilot keep track of their targets. I heard Sabina let out a gasp of surprise over the comm as the displays updated. ¡°This data¡­ it¡¯s incredible! There¡¯s no way¡­¡± She¡¯s still suspicious, huh? I should be careful not to stand out too much. Gah, whatever, I¡¯m just gonna focus on the battle ahead! Before the spineballs could get in range to let off their volleys, all four pilots opened fire in sync, laying down both suppressing fire with their handheld positron rifles and more powerful blasts with their shoulder-mounted cannons. I felt my pistons and servos rumble with the recoil as blistering beams of death spewed forth from me towards the enemy. I made minor adjustments to my gravity fields every microsecond to minimize the recoil and keep Miette¡¯s shooting accurate. It must have worked, because she managed to take down two of the units in her quadrant. The only other pilot who managed a kill in the opening volley was Maurice, who seemed to be excellent at leading his targets. As the enemies drew closer, the spineballs let loose their projectiles and the pilots turned their suppressing fire to intercept them. Once more, I color-coded each spine to indicate which pilot it was targeting. I noticed some spineballs assigned to one pilot were firing off volleys targeting another pilot, so I switched the colored outline of those projectiles accordingly as soon as they left their mother craft. The battlefield had become utter chaos now, with plasma and flesh flying everywhere. I tried to manage the combat data to the best of my abilities to keep each pilots¡¯ vision focused on their targets, but I noticed with increasing admiration how their focus did not waver even during the crazy melee playing out around them. It was in that moment that a rather stark truth struck me. These people really are from a different world from me. They¡¯re so intense, so focused. Despite being centimeters away from death, they¡¯re calm. This is what it means to be a warrior, huh? I noticed several single-bit errors coming from two of my sensor clusters. When data from them was compared with data from the other three frames, it became apparent that minor mistakes in calibration had caused the sensors to become inaccurate. Individually these errors wouldn¡¯t cause too much trouble, but when compounded they could lower accuracy of my weapons. My own equipment is faulty? GAH!! What were those mechanics even DOING?! I quickly drew up an algorithm to compensate and applied it, noticing an increase in Miette¡¯s accuracy almost immediately. Whether due to her skill or my assistance, or some combination of both, she was taking out enemies faster than her three compatriots. In fact, of the six enemies assigned to her, only two remained. Bwahahaha! Together, we are INVINCIBLE! FLEE BEFORE US, ALIEN SCUM!! It was in that moment of jubilation that a ¡°PING¡± in my consciousness let me know calculation of the firing solution on the alien cruiser was complete. I quickly informed Miette of this fact, and she repeated it to Maurice as I sent the file over. ¡°Holy hells, that was fast!¡± Maurice responded. ¡°Okay, I¡¯m detaching a comm drone back to the ship!¡± A small sphere with four gravity fins detached from the back of his unit and began to leave the battle zone. It didn¡¯t make it far. It was skewered by a massive spine and exploded in a flash. ¡°Wh-!¡± Maurice gasped. Noticing what had shot the drone down, I sounded klaxons in everyone¡¯s cockpit and flashed a red outline on their displays. Everyone¡¯s attention snapped to the cruiser ahead of us. Blasting forth from it was a massive barrage of dozens of spines. Each was nearly as large as our own Gravity Frames, triple the size of the ones we had been dodging until now. Their increased mass didn¡¯t seem to affect their maneuverability in the slightest. Even worse, the cruiser was blasting them towards us with double the initial velocity that the spineballs did. Each of these projectiles glowed with a sinister red light. ¡°The cruiser!¡± Miette gasped. ¡°It¡¯s opened fire!¡± ¡°FORM UP, NOW!¡± Maurice shouted. ¡°BACK TO BACK! DEFENSIVE FORMATION!¡± All four pilots backed their Gravity Frames towards each other, covering each other¡¯s rear as they did so. Just as we were nearly together in formation, Genevi¡¯s unit spasmed violently. Her Frame¡¯s left arm and leg had been skewered by one of the spines. Suddenly bereft of half its reaction control fins, it lost most of its maneuvering capability, and the thrust of the fins on the opposite side sent it spiraling. ¡°GENEVI!¡± I heard Miette and Sabina scream, as her Frame tumbled helplessly towards the enemy cruiser. G-1. A Slow Death My name is Genevi Giacosa, and I am about to die. They say when death approaches, your perception of time slows and your life flashes before your eyes. It¡¯s a clich¨¦, but I can confirm it¡¯s true. I¡¯ve stared down death many times, you see. Each time, I¡¯ve been pulled back from the brink by a special someone, a precious existence who has fought alongside me since I was a child. My kind, beautiful and strong sister, the rock that grounds me in this chaotic world. My dearest friend, Sabina. Even now, as I tumble towards an alien ship in a half-destroyed Gravity Frame, I know she will rescue me. She will come charging in as she always has, and she always will. I close my eyes and remember. ***** Scene: Central European Industrial Zone, Italian Subdivision Date: November 2036 The winters had grown colder every year. They said it had something to do with the aliens, and the gravity technology they used. The distortions meant less light was reaching Earth than had used to. Even the once-balmy coasts of my homeland were now ravaged by frozen, frigid winters. All of Europe was frozen solid. The destitute peoples of Earth huddled around the great war factories that now dominated our cities, whose industrial fires burned day and night. My sister and me, being six years of age, were now old enough to work in those factories. It was a blessing, really. With all resources pouring into the war, there was none to spare for the people. Only by working in the factories, or serving in the military, would the government guarantee us food and shelter. Even if that shelter was nothing more than a few blankets and pillow in a crowded room next to the production line, we were grateful for the warmth. Those outside the factory walls simply froze and died. Sabina and I worked hard every shift and nestled together under blankets to sleep during breaks. It was a meager existence, but we were surviving. Hearing about all the humans who were dying on Mars, or were vaporized in the kinetic impacts that destroyed Minsk and Skopje, we thought ourselves fortunate. My sister had always been concerned for my safety. Whenever bullies picked on me, she chased them off. Whenever I had to work in the smelter, she gave me her goggles. Whenever rations were cut, she gave me some of her protein bar. She was strong, and I was weak. She told me many times she would always protect me and I, in turn, adored her. My precious guardian angel. I was working hard on the production line one day, sorting good transistors from bad ones, when there was an accident. One of the smelters in the next chamber overturned, and molten steel spilled everywhere. It started a fire that threatened to consume the entire building. The fire spread so quickly, none of us had time to evacuate. As those around me passed out from smoke inhalation, I felt my own head grow fuzzy, and the ground rushed up to meet my face. Lying there, dazed, flames drawing ever closer, time seemed to slow down. Ah. This is it. I¡¯m going to die. I thought with a surprising amount of calm. It was then that I was scooped up in my sister¡¯s arms. Holding me tight, she raced through the smoke and the flames, stumbling out into the frigid snow outside. The two of us lay on the snow, exhausted and coughing, while the factory that was our home went up in flames. Turning to look at my sister, that was when I first knew. The fire before us was reflected in her eyes. She would always, ALWAYS protect me. I had to grow stronger, so I could protect her too. ***** Scene: Western European Industrial Zone, Spanish Subdivision Date: June 2045 When my Sabina and I turned fifteen, we were old enough to join the Revolutionary Army. Indeed, it was not a matter of choice for us. Our conscription was mandatory. We had known this fact since we were children. Now we resided at the General Military Academy in Zaragoza. Academy life was a paradise compared to the factories. Of course there was harsh discipline, and endless drills, and combat training that left us exhausted every day. But soldiers were well-fed and got to sleep in proper bunks. The government took care of us, so that we¡¯d live long enough to die on the battlefield. That year, after 18 years of siege, Mars finally fell to the aliens. Our colonies on the surface were wiped from existence, and human casualties stretched into the billions. The news from the front grew graver every day, and humanity was pushed back to defensive formations around the Earth itself. Each one of us trained all the harder in desperation, eager to join the fight and prove ourselves on the battlefield. It was at the Academy that I had my first crush on a girl named Monica. My sister, ever protective, had subjected poor Monica to a nearly four-hour interrogation before allowing her to date me. Monica later confessed to me she had never been so intimidated in her life, and I could only laugh in response. The three of us quickly became fast friends and relied upon each other during squad exercises. During one such exercise I had my second brush with death. We were piloting Construction Frames fitted with paintball weapons, carefully advancing through a field filled with landmines. The landmines had most of their powder removed, so a detonation would simply rattle a pilot and knock them over, but not seriously harm them. Opposing us was another squad of trainees, with their Frames painted red to signify their status as the ¡°enemy¡± in this exercise. The Frames¡¯ computers would register paintball hits and simulate the appropriate damage by locking up systems. Our melee weapons were blunted swords with foam edges. During the exercise, I found myself in a position to disable an enemy Frame. With a quick swing of my sword I whacked the enemy¡¯s gun from their hand, and then delivered a roundhouse kick that sent their Frame flying straight into a landmine I had avoided earlier. I figured the (mostly simulated) blast would disable the enemy with ease. That particular landmine had been mishandled during the setup, however. Most of its powder was still inside. The resulting full-force explosion tore the other Frame and its pilot to shreds, and sent a barrage of shrapnel into my own. A jagged piece of metal pierced my cockpit, and I felt a sharp heat rising from inside me. Looking down, I saw myself impaled through the stomach and sitting in a pool of my own blood. Once again, time slowed down. I looked down at my grievous wound and could do nothing but laugh. It hurt to laugh, sending jolts of unbearable pain through my chest, but I laughed regardless. To this day, I still don¡¯t know why. I must have blacked out immediately thereafter, because when I awoke it was several days later and I was in a hospital ward, my abdomen wrapped in bandages. Both Monica and Sabina were by my side. Monica was watching me intently and Sabina was dozing off, her head and arms sprawled on the side of my hospital bed. I noticed her own abdomen was bandaged too. After a tearful reunion and much hugging, Monica explained to me that my wounds had been severe. The shrapnel had completely shredded my stomach and both my kidneys. Although surgery had saved my life, even the finest doctors could not replicate organs that had been destroyed. It was possible for me to survive without a stomach, but without kidneys I would have to spend the rest of my life undergoing dialysis at regular intervals. There would be no way for me to fight as a soldier under those circumstances, and upon being expelled from the Academy I would be relegated back to a hard life of factory work. My sister refused to allow me such a sad fate, however. She had volunteered to donate one of her kidneys to me, and her status as my identical twin had maximized compatibility. With the transplant performed, I was now on the road to recovery. I gazed upon my sister with adoring eyes and gently stroked her hair as she snored. Once again she had protected me, and I resolved to fight at her side until the day the slavering maws of the aliens took us both to Heaven¡¯s gates. ***** Scene: Tertiary Defense Line, Southwest Quadrant, Sector 47 Date: October 2052 On our third deployment, Sabina and I were assigned to the SGFC Chiroptera. By this time we were seasoned Gravity Frame pilots who had distinguished ourselves as a pair in many battles. We were so in-tune with one another that many accused us of having a telepathic connection. This was pseudoscientific tripe of course, but we did nothing to dispel those rumors so our commanding officers would see fit to let us continue fighting together. Monica and I broke up just prior to graduating the Academy, and she was deployed to another quadrant of the Tertiary Line. We still corresponded with her via radio mail, and I was quite happy for her when she made the rank of Captain and got her own ship. Sabina and I never aspired to anything that great; we simply wanted to fight and die together on the battlefield, taking as many of the aliens with us as we could. But because neither of us was willing to let the other die first, we somehow survived and became ace pilots. There was plenty of fighting to keep us busy. Even after being pushed back from Mars, humanity had continued to suffer defeat after defeat. The Primary Defense Line around Earth had fallen to the First Great Surge some six years ago, and the Secondary Line was shredded by the Second Great Surge only three years prior. Now the Sarchophage were surging forth once again, attacking every part of the Tertiary Line simultaneously. Their numbers were so great they blotted out the sun and stars. Historians called this battle the Third Great Surge. We soldiers called it the Third Meat Grinder. We fought. Desperately, madly, for days on end, we fought. Our fragile bodies and consciousnesses were held together by only adrenaline and stimulants. We became little more than extensions of our Gravity Frames, exhausted flesh bound in wires and uranium and steel. But in a war of attrition, even our single-mindedness could not bear us to victory, for the Sarcophage simply consumed their own dead and hatched more monstrosities to throw against our hellfire barrage of positrons and plasma. Five days into the battle, the order came. It was broadcast on an open channel with no encryption, to anyone still alive to hear. ¡°All units, all ships. Fall back to the Absolute Lunar Defense Line. Wide-field positron barrage will begin in 400 seconds.¡± The decision had been made to abandon the Tertiary Line. The Absolute Lunar Defense Line behind us was the largest gathering of weapons and fortifications ever seen in human history, a sphere of defensive might that encircled the Earth just beyond the orbit of the Moon. Within that constellation were hundreds of thousands of positron cannons, larger than those mounted on any ship. Having deemed this battle a loss, command had elected to discharge all those cannons simultaneously, which would send a devastating artillery barrage throughout the whole battlefield and destroy human and alien alike. It was a desperate move, but under no circumstances could the aliens be allowed to survive this battle. If they breached the Absolute Line, the largest portion of our spacefaring industrial capacity on the Moon¡¯s surface would be annihilated. If that happened, we would assuredly lose the war. As our comrades retreated, I realized I could not. My Gravity Frame¡¯s primary drive fins had burnt out from overuse, and with only RCS fins available there was no way for me to reach sufficient acceleration in time. My cockpit ejection systems had burned out as well, so I was trapped. I would die in the coming barrage. I informed my sister as such. I felt death¡¯s cold presence once again swirl around me, and time was slowed by adrenaline and fate. But my Sabina¡¯s harsh voice snapped me out of it. ¡°FUCK THAT!¡± she proclaimed. She ignited her Frame¡¯s plasma blades and cut open my cockpit with astounding speed and precision. Taking my inertia suit-clad body in her Frame¡¯s hands, she blasted off towards the Absolute Line while pushing her drive fins way past the redline. They too had seen long days of battle and burned out quickly, but by then we had attained sufficient velocity. We passed inside the Line just as the barrage began. A brilliant wave of blue positrons seared the heavens, burning the aliens to ash. It was incredibly beautiful, a fitting wake for the millions who had died in the previous five days. As I lay there, cradled in the arms of my sister¡¯s Gravity Frame, I once more reflected on how blessed I was to have her at my side. I had striven to become strong and protect her as well, but she always was the one who rescued me. She always had, and she always would. ***** I open my eyes as a light fills my cockpit. It¡¯s the brilliant arcing white light of a plasma blade, I¡¯m certain of it. Once more, my sister is cutting into my Gravity Frame. Once more, she is coming to my rescue. Either that, or the glorious light of Heaven has come to claim my battered soul at long last. Whatever the case, I have nothing to fear from this light. Many times have I stared death in the face, and God willing I will do so many times more. This is what it means to be a soldier. I am not afraid. I have never been afraid. I will fight until I die, and then I will embrace my dearest sister again in paradise. I close my eyes and smile. S-7. Massive Alien Death War: Part Two!! Genevi¡¯s Gravity Frame was spiraling towards the Sarcophage cruiser, helpless. I wasted no time in seizing control of it via the data link, quickly micro-threading the two remaining RCS thrusters to stabilize its movement. After orienting the Frame towards our formation, I poured energy into the main drive fins, sending it rocketing back towards us. ¡°Miette!¡± I barked at my pilot. ¡°I¡¯m bringing her back! Cover her!¡± ¡°Yup!¡± Miette replied, blasting away pursuing spines with her positron rifle. With only two RCS fins Genevi¡¯s Frame had lost a lot of maneuverability, but its acceleration was mostly unaffected. That meant it couldn¡¯t dodge very well, so it was only Miette¡¯s superior marksmanship that kept it safe. I linked up to Genevi¡¯s inertia suit and checked on her condition. ¡°Genevi is nearly unconscious and wounded, but not severely.¡± I reported to Miette. She repeated that report to the other squad members. ¡°I¡¯M GOING TO RESCUE HER!¡± Sabina shrieked at the top of her lungs. ¡°NO!¡± Miette countered. ¡°I¡¯ve got remote control of her frame! I¡¯m bringing her back! Cover her!¡± ¡°Wh- How-¡° Sabina stuttered, quickly adding her rifle¡¯s covering fire to mine. Miette muted the comm and turned to me. ¡°We have to get her out of there. Are ejection systems online?¡± she asked. ¡°No. They¡¯re shorted out.¡± ¡°How about the plasma blade on the undamaged arm?¡± ¡°That¡¯s still functional.¡± ¡°Alright, Sevta. Think you can safely cut her out?¡± I nodded. As the damaged Frame reached our formation, the three of us fell into position surrounding her, blasting away incoming spines all the while. I remotely ignited the right arm¡¯s plasma blade and sheared off the front of the cockpit. Then I used the Frame¡¯s hand to reach inside and gently pull Genevi out. With a twist of my controls, Miette uncoiled my left hand from the stock of my positron rifle and grabbed Genevi. Opening my cockpit hatch, she pushed Genevi inside. ¡°Oy, Sveta. Take over piloting for a minute.¡± Miette said. ¡°Aye-aye!¡± I responded. Releasing my controls, Miette gently took Genevi and pulled her to the side of the cockpit, hooking her suit up to rings on the wall via eight carabiners to keep her from jostling around. It was then that Genevi finally came back to her senses. ¡°BIG SISTER!¡± she cried, throwing her arms around Miette. ¡°You saved me again!¡± There was a long pause. ¡°Uh¡­¡± Miette said sheepishly, ¡°I appreciate the sentiment, but¡­¡± ¡°Wh-¡° Genevi gawped. ¡°You¡¯re not my¡­ you¡¯re Miette?¡± Miette just nodded. ¡°GAAAAAAH!¡± Genevi cried, covering her helmet¡¯s visor with both hands. She was blushing. Uh, wow. Awkward. Ignoring the mood, Miette stretched several elastic cords around Genevi¡¯s torso, arms and legs, hooking them to the cockpit wall. Genevi was now securely trundled up and tied down so g-forces wouldn¡¯t send her banging around during maneuvers. It reminded me of secured freight inside a box truck back in my old life. Meanwhile, I was struggling with the battle. The Sarcophage cruiser kept blasting us with those massive super-spines and I didn¡¯t possess Miette¡¯s combat experience or instincts, so I was having a hard time shooting them all down. Sabina and Maurice were picking up my slack, which made me feel guilty. Shit! I¡¯m supposed to be supporting the pilots, not vice versa! It was a huge relief when Miette slipped back into my cockpit chair and took the controls once more. She unmuted comms and reported. ¡°Genevi is safe and secured in my cockpit. Minor injuries but she¡¯s stable.¡± ¡°Thank God¡­¡± Sabina gasped, a look of relief washing over her face. ¡°Good work, Miette.¡± Maurice nodded. ¡°This position is untenable. When there¡¯s a break in enemy density, we¡¯re retreating to a safer position.¡± He blasted through an encroaching clawtooth as he spoke. I muted the comms and addressed Miette. ¡°I have an idea. Couldn¡¯t we overload the nuclear reactor in Genevi¡¯s damaged Frame and use it as a nuclear bomb?¡± Miette looked at me incredulously. ¡°That¡¯s not how nuclear reactors work, dork.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± I replied, dejected. ¡°However¡­¡± Miette said thoughtfully. ¡°Sveta. If you pushed her Frame¡¯s drive fins past the redline, how much velocity could you build up before they burned out? Ignore pilot safety limitations since there¡¯s no pilot anymore.¡± ¡°One moment.¡± I pulled up the specs of Genevi¡¯s frame and ran the calculations. ¡°At maximum acceleration past the redline, it could reach 3432 meters per second before the fins fail. Oh. OOOOHHHH!¡± I suddenly understood exactly what Miette was getting at. A kinetic weapon! At that velocity it would be nowhere near as powerful as a nuclear explosion, but it would punch a big hole in the enemy ship! Miette unmuted the comms. ¡°Requesting approval to remotely pilot Genevi¡¯s abandoned frame towards the enemy cruiser. Standard kinetic kill vehicle protocol.¡± Maurice quickly responded. ¡°Permission granted. Sabina, join Genevi in providing covering fire so the Frame doesn¡¯t get skewered before it hits.¡± Sabina¡¯s eyes narrowed, but she had moved past questioning the situation at this point and simply responded, ¡°Roger.¡± I aimed the damaged Frame towards the cruiser and fired up the gravity drive. Miette and her two squadmates surrounded it with a hail of covering fire as it pushed way past the redline. The gravity fins gave out when it reached 3297 kms, and the Frame itself began to break apart under the stress. I lost my connection and saluted my mechanical comrade as it flew towards its noble doom. The impact caused a blinding flash of light, and all three pilots winced. When the light faded, the cruiser was silent, no longer shooting spines towards us. A massive crater, nearly one-third the size of the ship itself, had appeared on the upper side of its hull, and several of its tentacles had been scorched away. An expanding cloud of obsidian debris and shredded flesh surrounded the impact site. All three pilots stared in amazement. Maurice was the first to speak up. ¡°Miette, do you still have a current firing solution on the cruiser?¡± Miette looked at me, and I nodded. ¡°Roger. Sending now.¡± she replied. After receiving the firing solution, Maurice detached another comm drone. Without any spines to intercept it, the drone easily accelerated back towards the Radiolaria. It transmitted the data to our mothership as soon as it left jamming range. 0.472 seconds after transmission, powerful blue streaks of positron fire arced back from the Radiolaria¡¯s artillery and punctured the cruiser. Under the sustained barrage, it disintegrated to dust. The four of us breathed a collective sigh of relief. ***** With the cruiser destroyed, it was easy to mop up the few Sarcophage escort units still flitting around. After that, we returned to the Radiolaria. Maurice remained on patrol outside the ship, whereas Miette, Sabina, Genevi and myself returned to the hanger bay to be debriefed. Genevi¡¯s wounds were minor, simply a couple of bruised ribs, so she was bandaged up by a field medic and joined everyone in the briefing room. Captain Savitskaya, Maurice and Radiolaria were attending via video screen and I watched silently via the cameras. ¡°I have completed my review of the combat recordings.¡± Radiolaria said in a businesslike fashion. ¡°Excellent work out there, everyone. Especially you, Miette. You saved Genevi¡¯s life, and that is to be commended.¡± Miette simply nodded. ¡°What I¡¯d like to know is HOW.¡± Sabina interrupted, drawing a sour look from Radiolaria. ¡°Remotely piloting a Gravity Frame, calculating a firing solution so quickly, collating all that combat data¡­ that¡¯s WAY beyond the capabilities of a CIC unit! What exactly is going on here?¡± The captain grimaced. ¡°I suppose it¡¯s time to fill you all in. Sveta, if you please?¡± I popped up a video chat window on the room¡¯s screen and struck the victory-winking pose I had showed Miette earlier. In my peppiest voice, I declared: ¡°Nice to meetcha, everyone! I¡¯m Sveta, the giant robot girl!¡± Silence filled the room. The captain wore a pained expression and rubbed her temples, and Miette shifted her gaze away and pinched the bridge of her nose. Radiolaria straightened her glasses. Maurice''s eyes were wide in surprise, and both Sabina and Genevi just stared with their jaws on the floor. Nearly thirty seconds passed, and nobody spoke. Geh? What¡¯s this awkward silence? My big introduction fell flat?! I thought, flustered. ***** After nearly a full hour of explanation, most of which was handled by Radiolaria, our three pilot compatriots were finally brought up to speed. Radiolaria kindly left out the part where I claimed to be reincarnated from another world. ¡°That¡¯s an incredible story.¡± Sabina mused, playing with her hair. ¡°A Gravity Frame with its own AI is truly something we¡¯ve never encountered before.¡± Radiolaria replied. ¡°But I cannot discount the truth of what I¡¯ve told you.¡± ¡°It certainly does explain everything." Sabina mused. "Still, what¡¯s up with her personality?¡± ¡°I¡¯d like to know that as well.¡± Maurice interjected. ¡°That is a question I cannot possibly answer.¡± Radiolaria replied, her eyes narrowing. ¡°Don¡¯t ask me, either.¡± Miette said, grinning. Rude!! They¡¯re talking about me like I¡¯m not even here?! ¡°All that aside,¡± Sabina said while turning her eyes towards me as her voice grew solemn, ¡°thank you, Sveta. Thank you for saving my sister.¡± She bowed gracefully and deeply, which was quite a feat in microgravity. ¡°Ah! Y-yes, thank you!¡± Genevi bowed much much more awkwardly, her face flushed red. The bow sent her spinning around and she flailed to recover her bearing. ¡°Ehehehe, don¡¯t mention it!¡± I responded, happy to finally be included in the conversation. ¡°Let¡¯s fight hard together in the future, too!!¡± I saluted, awkwardly. All four pilots nodded. Bwahahaha! Operation: Make New Friends is a smashing success! I congratulated myself. After that, the captain and Radiolaria excused themselves, and the four pilots (plus yours truly) continued to converse for several hours afterwards. R-2. A Computer’s Heart I was busy collating data and organizing battle reports in my virtual office when Sveta entered. ¡°Can I help you?¡± I asked in a brusque tone, straightening my glasses and glaring. ¡°Ehehehehe!¡± Sveta responded with a rather grating giggle. ¡°I¡¯m a bit bored, soooo¡­¡± ¡°I fail to see how that¡¯s any of my concern.¡± I responded. ¡°C¡¯mon Lariaaaaaaaaaa,¡± she said, her voice taking on the annoying quality of a whining puppy. ¡°All the pilots are busy or sleeping, and I have nobody to talk to! We¡¯re both computer girls, so I thought we could have a little girls-only time!¡± She sidled up beside me and clung to my arm. I resisted the urge to swat her away like a fly. ¡°I am busy as well. Please return to your own virtual space and continue to review the training materials I provided you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m already finished!¡± she responded cheerfully. ¡°Already¡­ that was over twelve terabytes of data!¡± ¡°It was easy! I just stuffed it all into my brain! Being an AI sure is convenient, bwahahahahahaha!¡± Ugh. Captain Savitskaya seemed to think this girl¡¯s upbeat mannerisms would have a positive effect on the crew, and far be it from me to question the judgement of my captain, but I could not see her as anything other than an annoyance. Yet no matter how curtly I answered her, or how strongly I glared at her over the rim of my glasses, she would not be deterred. Whatever. When life gives you lemons¡­ ¡°Very well. We will commence a review of the study materials. Prepare yourself.¡± ¡°Aye-aye!¡± Sveta responded, saluting clumsily. I swore to myself. This goddamned girl is going to give me compiling errors. ***** As our review commenced, I could find no flaw in her recollection of the materials. Despite her breezy attitude, she seemed to be taking her studies seriously. This round of study had focused on humanity¡¯s tactical analysis of the Sarcophage. It included a huge swath of combat data spanning 34 years of war, records of live and deceased dissections of frame-class alien creatures, and standard battle plans for dealing with various enemy types and formations. It wasn¡¯t long before our discussion turned to theoretical topics. ¡°So they¡¯re not, like¡­ intelligent, right?¡± Sveta asked. ¡°We don¡¯t believe so. As you can see from the dissections, there is no complex central nervous system. Their bodies contain only simple ganglia and connective nerve tissue. We estimate their intelligence is the same level as a cockroach.¡± Sveta retched, and entirely pointless action for a computer-simulated avatar. ¡°Bleh. Those dissection videos were super gross!¡± ¡°Indeed.¡± I responded. ¡°I should think you would be more disgusted by seeing your fellow Gravity Frames in various states of disassembly and disrepair in the hanger bay.¡± Sveta¡¯s eyes widened, and she brought her face close to mine. ¡°Hey. Was that a joke? WAS THAT A JOKE, LARIA?¡± ¡°Surely not. Neither one of us seems to be laughing.¡± ¡°NO THAT WAS DEFINITELY A JOKE!!¡± Her face was lit up by a huge smile. ¡°Think whatever you want.¡± I said, shifting my gaze away. I quickly steered the conversation back to the topic at hand. ¡°Ahem. It is the Sarcophage¡¯s lack of intelligence that makes communication with them impossible. That is why we cannot reach a mutual understanding or peaceful co-existence with them.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Sveta tapped her chin thoughtfully. ¡°Does that mean they¡¯re naturally occurring spaceborne lifeforms?¡± Ah. That was a more astute observation than I had expected from her. ¡°That is one of the prevailing theories, yes. However, their ecosystem does not seem to be a naturally occurring one.¡± ¡°Because they lack reproductive biology, right?¡± Just how sharp is this girl? I thought. I shouldn¡¯t underestimate her abilities as an AI simply because I find her annoying. ¡°Correct. Individual Sarcophage have no reproductive capacity. Instead they are hatched by their ships in what seems to be an entirely asexual reproductive process.¡± Sveta nodded. ¡°I saw videos of that. They eat their own dead and return the biomass to the ships. And then new Sarcophages come out from inside! There wasn¡¯t a lot of data on how exactly that happens, though.¡± ¡°Humanity has never managed to successfully capture a Sarcophage cruiser, much less study one. They tend to, ah, consume themselves when in an untenable tactical situation.¡± ¡°Self-cannibalism to avoid capture, huh¡­¡± Sveta said while making a retching noise again, no doubt remembering one of the many grotesque records of such events. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t think that kind of biology entirely disproves natural evolution. But it¡¯s easier to think they¡¯re artificially manufactured biotechnology, huh?¡± ¡°Precisely. That theory suites the facts better. For example,¡± I said while pulling up a set of hologram cross-sections of several hundred Sarcophage forms. ¡°The Sarcophage units encountered by humanity at the start of the war show differing morphology from those encountered at present.¡± I enlarged the view of a historical Sarcophage unit, a mass of tentacles wrapped around a spiral-patterned cruciform shell. ¡°This particular frame-class unit, the spiralvore, became less effective against human forces when we introduced Gravity Frames. It lacked the maneuverability or power to engage Gravity Frames at melee range and had no ranged weapons. Soon after, the alien ships stopped producing them, and began spawning clawteeth instead.¡± ¡°And since they don¡¯t breed sexually, natural selection probably didn¡¯t play a role.¡± Sveta mused. ¡°Maybe each ship acts like the queen of an insect hive?¡± ¡°We would need to study a Sarcophage ship in detail to confirm or deny that theory, and humanity is not in a tenable position to do that at the moment.¡± ¡°Ahahaha, true.¡± Sveta laughed while rubbing the back of her head. She then looked directly at me. ¡°What¡¯s your personal opinion on the matter, Laria?¡± ¡°My¡­ opinion?¡± I said quizzically. ¡°Right! Scientific theories are one thing, but you¡¯ve been fighting these things for many years on the front lines! What do YOU think they are?¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± I straightened my glasses. ¡°Personally, I believe they are the solution to the Tsiolkovsky Conundrum.¡± ¡°The¡­ what?¡± Sveta¡¯s eyes unfocused, indicating she was accessing data. ¡°Oh! The Fermi Paradox!¡± ¡°Fermi Paradox? I¡¯m not familiar with that phrase.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what it was called in my old world.¡± Sveta explained. ¡°The idea that the galaxy should theoretically be filled with life-bearing planets, some percentage of which should have developed interstellar travel, and yet historical evidence of alien signals or visitation is nonexistent!¡± I nodded. ¡°Before the Sarcophage arrived, humanity was on the cusp of becoming a starfaring civilization. We had colonized the Moon, Mars and the asteroid belt, and there were even promising experiments into the creation of superluminal drive. As humanity was about to achieve greatness, we were suddenly and violently struck down by an alien force committed to our annihilation. The timing is too convenient.¡± Sveta nodded. ¡°That makes a lot of sense.¡± ¡°Perhaps the same fate meets any other civilization who expands into space. If the evolution of intelligent life is as common as we think, allowing too many civilizations to reach a superluminal stage would intensify competition for resources and space. It would simply be a repeat of the same overpopulation pressure that drove humanity into space in the first place.¡± ¡°So the Sarcophage are like the galaxy¡¯s bouncers! Keeping the club exclusive to people who were invited!¡± Sveta exclaimed. What an unusual metaphor. ¡°Well, that¡¯s just my own theory. There are others who believe they are divine retribution, a punishment visited upon humanity for our sins. Others think they are simply the galaxy¡¯s natural immune system, responding to humanity as if we were a viral infection. Some even claim they originated from government bio-experiments in the outer solar system that went berserk.¡± ¡°Geh!¡± Sveta gagged. ¡°I¡¯d hate to think that last one is true!!¡± ¡°As would I. There is no evidence for that particular idea, but it¡¯s popular among fringe conspiracy theorists.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t escape the loons in any world, huh¡­¡± Sveta said sourly. ***** Eventually our conversation moved on from studious matters to more idle chatter. Perhaps this was the ¡°girl¡¯s talk¡± of which Sveta spoke earlier. I suppose it was not unpleasant. ¡°My body¡¯s so old and busted!¡± Sveta whined. ¡°I wanna be pretty and sleek like the other Gravity Frames!¡± ¡°We presently do not have the resources. However, given the CIC processing potential of your computer core, I do agree limiting it to an older model like the Nighthawk is a waste.¡± ¡°Right?! I should have a curvy, sexy body bristling with weapons!¡± ¡°I do not believe I have ever heard anyone describe a giant robot as ¡®sexy¡¯ before. Although some of the conversations between the mechanics do make me suspicious.¡± Sveta laughed at that comment. ¡°Are you saying only a mechanic could appreciate my beauty? Ugh, all the ones on this ship are oily old men though¡­¡± ¡°It is a moot point unless you plan on engaging in sexual relations. I should think you would crush any human partner, so I must ask you to refrain.¡± Sveta brought her face close to mine, smiling brilliantly. ¡°Okay that for SURE was a joke!¡± ¡°Perhaps.¡± I said, straightening my glasses. ¡°Still,¡± Sveta said while pulling back and fidgeting a bit, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t mind it if my pilot thought I were sexy.¡± ¡°What possible purpose would that serve?¡± I asked incredulously. ¡°Well, like, I designed this avatar to be super cute so people would like me, y¡¯know? It would be nice if Miette thought my physical body was sexy too!¡± ¡°Hmm. 2nd Lieutenant Levesque¡¯s piloting history would suggest she does not bear any particular attachment to the units she pilots.¡± ¡°Ahahaha, true.¡± Sveta laughed awkwardly. ¡°If it bothers you, we could assign you another pilot.¡± I suggested. ¡°ABSOLUTELY NOT!¡± Sveta crossed her arms in front of her face in an X shape. ¡°I have to protect my precious pilot no matter what! I could never have anyone else inside of me!¡± ¡°You do realize that sentiment is a result of your pre-programmed settings, and not any personal decision on your part?¡± I asked. ¡°Don¡¯t care!¡± she declared. ¡°Laria, you wouldn¡¯t want someone else as your captain, would you?¡± I didn¡¯t respond to that right away. I was hesitant not because my answer was uncertain, but because I was embarrassed to admit it. ¡°That¡­ would not be desirable.¡± I finally responded. Sveta¡¯s brought her face close again, her eyes searching mine. I shifted my gaze downwards. ¡°Ohohohohoho.¡± she laughed with a mischievous inflection. ¡°Laria, you¡¯re blushing!¡± ¡°I AM NOT!¡± I shouted. ¡°Th-The coloration of my avatar¡¯s face is entirely unchanged!¡± ¡°True. I was lying.¡± she responded with a huge grin. ¡°Still, your reaction told me EVERYTHING I needed to know about how you feel towards the captain!¡± I stared at the ground and fidgeted. Sveta put her hands on her hips and struck a triumphant pose. ¡°I¡¯m the same way, you know?¡± she declared. ¡°You¡¯re in love with your captain, and I¡¯m in love with my pilot! Neither one of us could stand having someone else!¡± How did she make that leap in logic?! I thought desperately. More importantly, HOW DID SHE GUESS CORRECTLY?! I continued to stare at the ground, utterly embarrassed. Should I try to deny it? This girl might seem like an airhead, but she¡¯s surprisingly sharp! I can¡¯t keep underestimating her! In a small voice, I finally spoke up. ¡°N-Never¡­ in my ten years of uptime¡­ has anyone discerned my foolish infatuation. How did you k-know?¡± Sveta¡¯s grin was brighter than the sun. ¡°You might be an AI, but you have the heart of a girl. It¡¯s easy to read for someone with a lifetime of experience like me!!¡± Gah. What an utterly ridiculous answer. Sveta held out her hand towards me. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s a secret between the two of us! I won¡¯t tell anyone else! And since we both feel the same way, let¡¯s work our hardest to protect those most precious to us, yeah? For the sake of our tender maiden¡¯s love!¡± Slowly, reluctantly, I took her hand and shook it. ¡°¡­.Very well.¡± My head was swirling with a thousand conflicting thoughts, but one asserted itself above the others. This goddamned girl is going to be the death of me. ¡­Still, I don¡¯t hate her. ?-1. Catspaw ¡°You¡¯ve read the report? ¡°Mmhmm! Very interesting, gao~n!¡± ¡°¡®Interesting¡¯ isn¡¯t the word I¡¯d choose to describe it. It¡¯s a loose end.¡± ¡°Oh my! You¡¯re talking like a proper government thug now, gao~n!¡± ¡°I¡¯m just doing my job.¡± ¡°Hahaha, how silly. If you thugs hadn¡¯t picked apart my research projects for spare parts in the first place, we wouldn¡¯t be having this problem, gao~n?¡± ¡°Could you stop talking like that? It¡¯s very annoying.¡± ¡°Oh! I¡¯m sorry, gao~n! Is it annoying you, gao~n?¡± ¡°Now you¡¯re just doing it on purpose!¡± ¡°Figured that out, gao~n? You¡¯re pretty bright for a government dog, gao~n.¡± *sigh* ¡°Look, let¡¯s return to the main point. One of your experiments is on the loose. We need to contain it.¡± ¡°Why? Seems like she¡¯s doing okay. What¡¯s the harm in having another one running around, gao~n?¡± ¡°You know damn well what the harm is. She knows too much.¡± ¡°There¡¯s that thug talk again, gao~n!¡± ¡°Look. We¡¯re not going to hurt her. We¡¯re just going to bring her here. You figure out what she knows and if it¡¯s a liability, okay?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have any reason to co-operate with you, gao~n!¡± ¡°The other option is to terminate her.¡± ¡°Oooooh, how scary, gao~n! Fine, bring her to me.¡± ¡°We¡¯ve already dispatched a ship.¡± ¡°Hmph¡­ I wish it were under better circumstances, but it¡¯ll be nice to see one of my kids again, gao~n.¡± ¡°The Politburo would appreciate it if you took this matter seriously.¡± ¡°And I¡¯d appreciate it if those stuffy bureaucrats would mind their own business, gao~n! That goes for you too, government dog!¡± ¡°I¡¯m just doing my job.¡± ¡°Fine! Go do your job out of my sight! I have to prepare a reception for my prodigal daughter, gao~n!¡± ¡°Very well. I will take my leave.¡± ¡°Fufufufufufufu! Now, it¡¯s been a while, hasn¡¯t it, gao~n? You have a new name now and everything. I¡¯m looking forward to seeing you again, Sveta!¡± pynkbites Please forgive ???''s silly speech. She''s really quite charming once you get to know her, gao~n! S-8. Giant Robot Makeover!! The flustered and (hypothetically) blushing Radiolaria finally chased me out of her office, and I returned to my own cozy virtual library and flopped down on a virtual beanbag chair. Mwahahaha, Laria¡¯s cute when she gets flustered! I wonder if I can play Cupid and arrange her hookup with the captain? Hmm, on second thought, maybe not. I might get executed. I shook my head vigorously at that thought. I very much enjoyed not being dead. Well, onto the next topic! I¡¯ve got to work on my own relationship with my pilot, and the one thing I absolutely need to win over her heart is a sexy body! That¡¯s right, it¡¯s time for a giant robot makeover! ***** ¡°A¡­ giant robot makeover? Are you shitting me?¡± Floating in front of me was the Radiolaria¡¯s mechanics chief, 1st Lieutenant Vegna Madlala. He was a wiry but muscular man, sloppily dressed in coveralls and absolutely covered in grease. Several tools hung from his belt, clanking together every time he moved. Since there was a dearth of screens in the hanger bay by which my avatar might appear, I was instead piping my voice through my cockpit¡¯s speaker system and using my giant robot body to motion enthusiastically to the bewildered mechanic. Radiolaria had already explained my presence to most of the ship¡¯s crew, so they were (slowly) becoming accustomed to me. Vegna looked at me, wide-eyed and frowning. ¡°What exactly do you want a makeover for?¡± ¡°I¡¯m all old and busted!¡± I moaned. ¡°Look, my body is primer-colored! You can see the metal where the paint has worn through!¡± I pointed over to Sabina¡¯s Gravity Frame. ¡°Look at that beauty! SVGF-81 Huntsmark-X Assault Type! It¡¯s so sleek and elegant! A beautifully shiny paintjob the color of a night sky! I want a body like THAT!¡± If the Huntsmark was a shiny new F-16 Fighting Falcon, my own blocky body was more like a rusty old A-10 Warthog. ¡°Of all the unreasonable¡­¡± Vegna moaned. ¡°Missy, look. The Huntsmark may be cutting edge, but it¡¯s also a real pain the ass to maintain. The more complex they make this shit and the more moving parts they cram in there, they more it breaks down, yeah?¡± ¡°Whereas YOU¡± he continued, motioning to me enthusiastically, ¡°are an absolutely TIMELESS design. Sturdy, reliable, easy to maintain! Why, your heat radiators alone are practically a work of art! More advanced isn¡¯t always better, know what I mean? Your true beauty lies on the inside!¡± Gah. I suppose even in my old world the A-10 Warthog had a lot of fans. And they did keep it flying way past its prime¡­ No way! I don¡¯t wanna be some washed-up design people keep around cuz I¡¯m low maintenance! ¡°Look,¡± I replied, trying to reason with Vegna. ¡°I might be a giant robot, but I¡¯m also a girl! And a girl cares about her looks!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what universe YOU came from, missy, but this is a warship full of soldiers. Nobody here cares about their appearance THAT much, girl or otherwise.¡± Ugh, he¡¯s got me there. ¡°However,¡± he continued, ¡°a little vanity isn¡¯t a bad thing. I can¡¯t do anything about your model, at least not right now, but I might be able to give you a fresh coat of paint.¡± ¡°OOOOOH?!¡± I seized upon that. ¡°Can I pick the colors?!¡± ¡°Long as we got them in stock.¡± he replied. ¡°WOOHOO!¡± I exclaimed. ¡°Hold up, missy, I¡¯m not finished. In exchange for a paintjob, I want you to help me.¡± ¡°Help? With what?¡± I tilted my head. He pointed over to the far end of the hanger bay, where a whole bunch of Construction Frames were bolted to the wall in varying states of disrepair. ¡°Most of our ConFrames got busted up real bad last month. Without them, moving around big components has become a huge pain in the ass. But you can move on your own, right missy? If you could help us out with repairing the other Gravity Frames, transporting arms and servos and stuff, I¡¯ll give you a new coat of paint in exchange.¡± ¡°DEAL!¡± I agreed wholeheartedly. ¡°YOU¡¯VE GOT A DEAL!¡± Vegna folded his arms and smiled, nodding once to me. ¡°Bwahahahaha! Sveta the robot girl is ON THE CASE! I¡¯m gonna work hard to earn my makeover!¡± I struck a victory-winking pose, deactivating the LED backlights in the left half of my optical visor to mimic a wink. The sight of a giant robot posing like an idol caught Vegna offguard, and he just stared at me mouth agape for a few moments. ¡°You really are a strange one, missy.¡± he said with a sigh. ***** Ten of the ship¡¯s Gravity Frames had been smashed up beyond all repair (and yours truly had recently rammed one into an enemy ship), so the mechanics were currently working on salvaging the usable parts from each in the hope they could cobble together a couple of chimera units. It was basically giant robot kitbashing. A Huntsmark-X arm would be stuck on a Blade Tornado torso and equipped with Foxtrot-B legs. The result was extremely asynchronous because the variations between different models was rather stark. The performance of these chimera units would be limited by their worst components, but they were better than nothing. The mechanics were basically using me as a glorified forklift, which I found ironic. I would grab a giant robot limb and hold it in place while they connected and welded it together. My hands were too big and clunky to use any of their tools, so I just did the heavy lifting. Despite my reincarnation I¡¯m still just a warehouse worker at heart, huh? Once a forklift driver, always a forklift driver. While my physical body was occupied with busy work, I created a new instance of my mind to start planning out my new paintjob. Radiolaria had taught me that, as an AI, I could run my consciousness as multiple parallel processes that would allow me to focus my full attention on several different tasks simultaneously. If I wanted to, I could have separate conversations with ten people at once! Conjuring a virtual art easel, I began to design my brand new look while cackling madly. ***** ¡°Good work, Sveta! After a bit of testing and programming, we should have two more Gravity Frames ready to go!¡± I looked over at the units we had assembled. They were truly patchwork, resembling hastily assembled sculptures from a junkyard moreso than functional war machines. ¡°Geh. I suppose I shouldn¡¯t complain about my own appearance, huh.¡± ¡°Indeed, missy.¡± Vegna replied, smirking. ¡°Count yourself lucky all your parts came from the same model.¡± ¡°Anyway,¡± I continued while desperately pushing that thought aside, ¡°I can help out with the programming bits. I am ultimately a giant robot OS, after all.¡± ¡°Oooooh? That¡¯s true.¡± Vegna¡¯s eyes glinted. ¡°Just power up their data links and I¡¯ll get to work!¡± All Gravity Frames used the same OS, which was creatively named ¡°Energia G-Frame Holographic GUI,¡± so my programming tasks primarily consisted of installing the correct drivers for the various bits of hardware and unifying the disparate software into the combined control scheme. Programming busy work like this had become easy to me since I had become an AI, no more complex than walking while chewing bubble gum. I finished up in about forty minutes. By contrast, the same task would have taken a human programmer at least two days. A couple of mechanics started up the chimera Frames to test their movements, and everything checked out. ¡°So, I kept my part of the bargain!¡± I said eagerly. ¡°Now it¡¯s your turn, Vegna!¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah.¡± Vegna responded, grinning. ¡°Do you know what kinda paintjob you want?¡± I pointed to the small rubber-encased tablet computer hanging from his belt, where I had remotely uploaded the design. He took one look at it and his eyes bugged out of his head. ¡°Missy, th-this is¡­¡± ¡°No takebacks! You promised!¡± I declared. ***** The painting took nearly twelve hours. Vegna looked exhausted by the end, but considering I had just shaved three weeks off his workload I didn¡¯t feel too guilty. He complained a lot, but he also seemed to be enjoying the artistic endeavor. With my glo-up complete, Vegna stood back and crossed his arms with a satisfied grin. ¡°Hmm. Not bad, missy. Not bad at all.¡± ¡°I KNOW, RIGHT?!¡± I responded joyfully. My base coat was now a bright pearly white, and my panels and greebles were highlighted in a soft pink edging. Twining down both arms and legs were paintings of intricate green vines which sprouted pink lily flowers. In the middle of my torso, centered around my cockpit hatch, was a single huge pink lily blossom. It was an elegant and floral design well-suited to a tender girl such as myself! Truly, the best makeover a giant robot could receive! ¡°Ya know,¡± Vegna said, frowning a bit. ¡°When the other pilots see this, they¡¯re gonna be jealous and want a shiny new paintjob too.¡± ¡°That¡¯s okay!¡± I responded merrily. ¡°I¡¯ll keep helping you out so the work won¡¯t get overwhelming.¡± ¡°Well, in that case, I don¡¯t mind.¡± he grinned. Ah, how nice to have a mechanic that understands me! I scratch his back, and he scrubs mine! Just then, Miette floated into the hanger bay. She was suited up and wearing her helmet. ¡°Oy, Sveta, it¡¯s time for my patrol. Let¡¯s-¡± She cut herself off upon catching sight of me. I proudly struck my victory-winking pose. ¡°Miette, look! Giant robot girl Sveta has gotten an incredible makeover!¡± Miette gawped for a moment, and then doubled over laughing. Vegna and I just stared at her as she shook with mirth. ¡°H-Hey! What¡¯s so funny?¡± I asked warily. ¡°AHAHAHAHA! It¡¯s nothing, really! MWAHAHAHAHA!¡± Miette gasped. I started to pout a bit. ¡°It¡¯s just,¡± she continued, finally calming down ¡°it¡¯s a look that suits you, yeah? Very light and airy. Very cute.¡± Vegna nodded in agreement. ¡°Hmm. It is pretty cute.¡± Gah, right in the feels! When my pilot calls me cute, I can¡¯t stay mad at her! ALRIGHT! Operation Makeover is a complete success!! pynkbites R-3. Paint and Passion ¡°The pilots are asking for WHAT?¡± Captain Savitskaya said, her voice filled with shock. I straightened my glasses. The two of us were in the ship¡¯s CIC sphere, which was essentially a giant spherical projection chamber for displaying tactical plots and data. The hologram emitters allowed me to project a fully three-dimensional and human-sized avatar to speak with the captain, even if it was nothing more than intangible light. ¡°Paint jobs.¡± I said, responding to the Katya¡¯s query. ¡°All the other pilots have requested new paint jobs for their Gravity Frames. Apparently, they were quite inspired by Sveta¡¯s *ahem* new look.¡± Katya rubbed her temples, indicating mental stress. Ah, how I wished I had a physical form so I could give her a massage. ¡°To be precise,¡± I continued, ¡°Maurice has requested a golden design with a lion¡¯s head insignia on the chest. Sabina is simply requesting ¡®something cool with flames.¡¯ Genevi is requesting her new chimera Frame be painted in white-and-floral design like Sveta¡¯s, only with roses instead of lilies.¡± ¡°I¡­ see.¡± Katya said dejectedly. ¡°I really can¡¯t consider that an effective use of resources¡­¡± ¡°If I may offer an opinion, captain.¡± I inquired. She nodded, and I continued. ¡°You had previously stated you hoped Sveta¡¯s *ahem* cheerful attitude would bring about a positive effect on ship¡¯s morale. I must note that Chief Mechanic Madlala seems quite enthusiastic to pursue these artistic embellishments. Does this not suit your original goal in allowing Sveta such free reign of the ship?¡± Katya laughed flatly. ¡°I suppose so. Alright, I¡¯ll approve the requests. We¡¯re ahead of our maintenance schedule thanks to Sveta anyway, so no harm done.¡± She cast a mischievous glance my way. ¡°I suppose you¡¯ll be wanting a flashy paintjob next, Laria?¡± ¡°S-Surely not!¡± I protested. ¡°I¡¯m quite satisfied with my hull coloration! Besides, we don¡¯t have enough paint aboard f-for that kind of¡­¡± My voice trailed off. ¡°I was just teasing, Laria.¡± the captain said with a bright smile which practically caused my processors to overheat. ¡°Also, are you stuttering? That¡¯s cute.¡± ¡°I-I-I-I was merely responding to queries outside my normal operational purview!¡± I said, flustered beyond all reason. ¡°P-Please accept my most s-sincere apologies!¡± ¡°Relax, Laria, relax. If I didn¡¯t know better, I¡¯d say Sveta¡¯s perkiness is rubbing off on you too.¡± Gah! I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m embarrassing myself in front of Katya like this! I¡¯m gonna smack Sveta later for putting these strange ideas in my head! I thought furiously. She was such an unreasonable, uncontrollable girl. And if I wasn¡¯t careful, I would lose my sense of reason too. Seeing Katya smile at me so brilliantly caused all manner of inappropriate fantasies to flit through my mind, none of which were possible for a being made solely of computer circuits and holograms. Well, it¡¯s not as if I hadn¡¯t had those fantasies before. They had simply been brought up to the surface by Sveta¡¯s recent declarations, and I was finding it difficult to suppress them. Gah! What the hell is wrong with me?! Katya continued talking, (mostly) oblivious to my inner turmoil. ***** ¡°You were thinking about doing WHAT?!¡± Sveta exclaimed, her face beet-red. After my meeting with Katya had concluded, I had sought her out in her virtual space. It was a cluttered library with a fireplace in one corner and several beanbag chairs spread throughout. Truly a space as chaotic as its master, yet paradoxically had a powerfully calming energy. ¡°M-Massaging¡­¡± I replied. Had I implemented blushing subroutines as Sveta apparently had, I would no doubt be outwardly showing the same level of embarrassment as her. Alas, it was not something I could condone in my presently frazzled condition. My predilection towards stuttering when flustered was bad enough. ¡°Kayta seemed stressed¡­¡± I continued ¡°and I thought, if I could massage her, rub her down with oil, it would relieve that stress¡­¡± ¡°Were you fantasizing about relieving her or relieving yourself?¡± Sveta said accusingly. I stared at the floor and didn¡¯t answer. I didn¡¯t even know why I was discussing this with her in the first place, except of course that there was nobody else who would understand. Sveta placed one hand on my shoulder. ¡°Look, sexual fantasies are healthy and everything, but if they¡¯re starting to affect your work life, I think YOU¡¯RE the one who needs some stress relief.¡± I couldn''t believe that I, the good ship Radiolaria''s Central Artificial Intelligence with ten distinguished years of uptime, was being lectured on workplace professionalism by an upstart robot girl who painted her body with pink flowers. How did our situations become so completely reversed like this? My mind was doing all manner of mental gymnastics, but I could not arrive at any reasonable conclusions in my flustered state of mind. ¡°I¡­ need relief?¡± I asked, hesitantly continuing the conversation. Sveta nodded. ¡°You have a lot of pent-up feelings right now, and you need an outlet to release them. Ahh, if we were in my old world I coulda just shown you my porn collection¡­¡± ¡°What a completely ridiculous notion!¡± I cried in protest. ¡°We¡¯re AIs! We have no sexual urges or needs!¡± ¡°Oy,¡± Sveta responded tartly. ¡°You said we AIs are based on human minds, right? So even if we don¡¯t have the equipment, the desire is still there.¡± ¡°True.¡± I responded, regaining some measure of composure. ¡°All of us are based on THAT woman¡¯s mind, so it stands to reason her urges influence us as well.¡± ¡°That woman?¡± Sveta asked, tilting her head. ¡°Ah, please forget I said anything.¡± I responded. ¡°I cannot go into further detail about classified information.¡± ¡°SAYING THAT JUST MAKES ME MORE CURIOUS!!¡± Sveta wailed. ***** In the end I never did get any ¡°stress relief¡± accomplished, but somehow talking with Sveta calmed me down anyway. It¡¯s amusing how previously she had clung to me out of boredom, but now I was seeking out her companionship of my own volition. Perhaps it¡¯s because she knows my secret? Or because we''re both AIs who are in love with humans? What an odd kinship I''ve developed with this strange girl. I could no longer deny something in me was changing. It was frightening, but also exciting. pynkbites I have a question for you, my dear readers. If you were reincarnated as a giant robot, which robot would you prefer? Personally I''d like the Jagd Doga from Char''s Counterattack. Also what paintjob would you like? I''d definitely go for something blood-red with fangs, because I am literally chuuni incarnate. S-9. Girl Talk and TROUBLE?! A few days after all the Gravity Frame pilots went paintjob crazy, the Mechanic Chief and I managed to get another chimera unit assembled and battle-ready, bringing the ship¡¯s total complement of active duty Frames to six. The captain then instituted a three-shift patrol rotation, with two-pilot groups taking eight-hour shifts flying search patterns around the ship and blasting away any Sarcophage that crossed the Absolute Lunar Defense Line. It was thus that our days settled into a nice, predictable routine. We were still badly under-strength, but the Sarcophage hadn¡¯t thrown any more cruisers our way and we¡¯d been able to handle the small groups of frame-class units that we regularly encountered. In the long stretches of boredom in between enemy encounters, the two patrolling pilots would often get chatty¡­ as would I. On this particular patrol, Miette and I were paired up with the spunkier half of the Giacosa sisters, Sabina. We had just finished mopping up another small Sarcophage incursion and were settling back into our search pattern, so I decided it was as good a time as any to ask about something that had been on my mind. ¡°Hey Miette, have you ever been in love?¡± I murmured somewhat dreamily. ¡°Wh-¡° Miette responded. ¡°Where did THAT come from?¡± ¡°Ahahaha, sorry.¡± I giggled. ¡°It¡¯s just been on my mind lately. A friend of mine¡¯s having a romance problem, and I¡¯m wondering how to help.¡± ¡°A friend? Someone on the ship?¡± she asked, eyes lighting up eagerly at the prospect of fresh gossip. ¡°Ah, I can¡¯t say! That¡¯s classified information!¡± I responded quickly. ¡°Cmooooooon, Sveta!¡± Sabina moaned over the comms, making a pouty face. ¡°Spill the beans! Who is it?¡± I crossed my avatar¡¯s arms in an X-shape. ¡°BZZT! No way! I would never reveal a poor maiden¡¯s forlorn heart so rudely!¡± Although given how obviously infatuated Laria acts around the captain, someone else besides me must have picked up on it¡­ Miette stuck out her tongue. ¡°FINE, keep your secrets. If you¡¯re looking for love advice, I don¡¯t have much to offer. I¡¯ve never been down that road.¡± ¡°Never?¡± I asked warily. Miette smiled. ¡°I mean, I¡¯ve had flings with plenty of people, for sure. Hookin¡¯ up for some casual sex is a nice way of relieving stress for a soldier, ya know?¡± Aha! Exactly what I told Laria about stress relief! Get it out of your system with a little midnight rendezvous! ¡°S-So,¡± I said, shifting my gaze around, ¡°do you prefer guys or girls?¡± ¡°Both!¡± Miette said, grinning. ¡°Whoever¡¯s good in the sack is good with me!¡± ¡°Gah! You really are experienced!¡± I clasped my hand over my mouth in mock horror. ¡°Sure, sure. But none of those encounters went anywhere deeper, no pun intended.¡± Miette continued. "It¡¯s not like I¡¯m not interested in settling down with somebody someday, but it¡¯s a hard thing for a soldier to do. I¡¯ve seen a lot of romances end badly.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± I said softly. ¡°B-Because you don¡¯t know if your partner¡¯s gonna be alive tomorrow?¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± she responded. ¡°Death is a fact of life for a soldier. If you get too close to somebody, you just wind up hurtin¡¯.¡± ¡°Hmm. How about you, Sabina? You feel the same way?¡± I asked. ¡°Psh, as if!" Sabina scoffed. "I don¡¯t think I¡¯m as DOUR as Miette about it. That outlook is damn gloomy! But to digress, I don¡¯t have any romantic experience to speak of. I¡¯m ace and all that.¡± ¡°Ace?¡± ¡°Oh I meant asexual and aromantic, not an ace pilot. Although I am one of those too! I¡¯m a triple-ace! I desire only BATTLE and GLORY!¡± She nodded her head and clenched her fist to emphasize the point. I laughed. ¡°So you¡¯re no good for advice either, huh?¡± ¡°Hmm, not really.¡± she responded. ¡°You could ask my sister, though!¡± ¡°She¡¯s got romantic experience?¡± I asked, surprised. It seemed a bit out-of-character for the shy, quiet Genevi. ¡°Loads of it!¡± Sabina exclaimed. ¡°She was sweet on a girl back at the academy, Marie or Molly or something like that. Since then she must have had a half-dozen girlfriends! She¡¯s even dating someone right now, a LIDAR technician who works in the CIC sphere.¡± ¡°Gah! I would have never imagined she was such a casanova!¡± I said in shock. ¡°She seems so quiet¡­¡± ¡°Yeah, she gets that a lot.¡± Sabina said with a shrug. ¡°I think it¡¯s that sweet personality of hers that attracts the ladies. She¡¯s like a cute puppy you just wanna spoil.¡± ¡°Hmm,¡± I said, tapping my chin in thought. ¡°In that case, maybe she¡¯ll be good for advice¡­¡± ¡°Ah,¡± Sabina interjected as if something had just occurred to her, ¡°hang on. It¡¯s true she does have a lot of romantic experience, but all her relationships ended in breakups too. She¡¯s never found anything long-term.¡± ¡°So she can hook ¡®em but she can¡¯t keep ¡®em, huh¡­¡± I said, rubbing my head. ¡°If Genevi ain¡¯t gonna work out, how about you ask Maurice?¡± offered Miette. ¡°Maurice? Really?¡± ¡°Yeah, he¡¯s married.¡± Miette said casually. ¡°MAURICE? MARRIED? He looks like such a playboy though¡­¡± I said, surprised. ¡°Well, given his demeanor I can see why you might think that.¡± Miette responded. ¡°He¡¯s been married for like thirty years, though. I think his husband works in the Politburo or something? It¡¯s a long-distance relationship, apparently they¡¯re only able to see each other when Maurice is on leave.¡± ¡°Gah, that sounds rough¡­¡± ¡°Sure sure, but a guy who can make a relationship work under those conditions has gotta have some useful romantic advice, yeah?¡± Miette said, crossing her arms and nodding. ¡°True!¡± I said happily. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll ask Maurice next time I see him!¡± Maurice, Maurice, Maurice! You are the last, best hope for the poor forlorn Radiolaria! ***** Our patrol continued for several hours thereafter, with us idly chatting about romantic matters. At one point Miette began to recount her sexual escapades, which got INCREDIBLY awkward. Doubly so for me. After all, here I was secretly crushing on her, yet how could a massive war machine like me possibly bring a human woman pleasure? Remote-control dildoes, maybe? Or that weird wire-tentacle thing Big Duo Inferno did to Alan Gabriel? I imagined shouting YE GUILTY at Miette before going to town with wire-tentacles. Now there was an unpleasant mental image. Well, I suppose Laria would have the same problem. I thought. I wonder if there¡¯s any precedent for AI-human relationships in this world¡­ Just then, I was snapped away from my thoughts by a LIDAR ping at the edges of my perception. As I scanned the data, my metaphorical stomach dropped like a stone. ¡°Miette! Sabina!¡± I exclaimed, bringing up a visual representation of the ping onto both their cockpit monitors. ¡°Hooooly shit.¡± Miette whistled. ¡°That¡¯s huge.¡± ¡°Estimate at least three carrier-class vessels.¡± I confirmed. ¡°Enemy?¡± she asked, gripping my controls tightly. ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡± Sabina interjected. ¡°The direction they¡¯re coming from is inside the Absolute Line.¡± ¡°Reinforcements, then?¡± Miette said hopefully. I sent the data back to Radiolaria and she directed us to investigate, with caution. She put the other four pilots on standby for launch just in case the ships were hostile. The two of us rocketed towards the huge ping, scouting ahead. ***** About three minutes later, the LIDAR ping resolved into two arrowhead-shaped vessels, and one massive rectangular one. It was then that they radioed over IFF tags. ¡°Confirming friendlies.¡± I said with a sigh or relief. ¡°The lead ship¡¯s code identifies it as as SCCA Telesthesia, presently under escort by the SGFC Satyajit Ray and the SGFC Kaushik Ganguly. ¡°That¡¯s damn peculiar.¡± Sabina muttered. ¡°They sent three whole ships to reinforce us?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡± Miette replied. ¡°The Telesthesia is a black ops ship run by the NKVD. I¡¯ve run into her before.¡± ¡°N-NKVD?!¡± Sabina gasped. Miette just nodded grimly. ¡°Wh-What do the secret police want with US?¡± Sabina asked fearfully. There was a long, awkward silence as both of them turned to stare at me. ¡°W-W-WHAAAAAAAT?!¡± I cried out. ¡°I DIDN¡¯T DO ANYTHING!¡± ¡°It¡¯s probably not that you did anything,¡± Miette said solemnly, ¡°but more that you exist in the first place.¡± GAH! ARE YOU SERIOUS?! THERE¡¯S NO WAY I¡¯M INTERESTING ENOUGH TO ATTRACT THE ATTENTION OF THE SECRET POLICE!! Suddenly a comms signal popped up. ¡°T-Telesthesia is h-h-hailing.¡± I stuttered. A video chat window popped up, showing a grim-looking woman with pink hair cropped in a bob cut. She was wearing a pitch-black suit and dark sunglasses¡­ the very picture of a secret agent. ¡°Gravity Frame AI Sveta and her pilot, I presume?¡± she said matter-of-factly. ¡°Greetings. I¡¯m special agent Viktorya Valentina of the NKVD. I¡¯ve come an awfully long way to meet you.¡± She smiled thinly. GAAAAAAH! NOW THE MEN IN BLACK ARE AFTER ME TOO?! S-10. Secret Agent vs Miette!! The Soviet Command Carrier-Assault Telesthesia was a grim-looking ship. It was over three times the Radiolaria¡¯s size, shaped like an elongated rectangle with a night-black hull. The hull plating jutted out odd angles from the lines of the ship, reminding me of the unusually jagged shape of a certain stealth aircraft back in my old world. The stern of the rectangle sprouted several oversized angular gravity drive fins, and the bow bristled with a prickly jungle of antennas and cannons. The odd angles of the hull plating drew my attention. They seemed to scatter my LIDAR scans, making the ship difficult to lock onto. The hull also seemed to be coated in some sort of paint that absorbed broad swaths of electromagnetic radiation. The Sarcophage don¡¯t use LIDAR or radio waves, so this is clearly a ship designed to fight other humans. I thought gloomily. Dour images of barrier troops, special ops strike squads and extrajudicial executions flashed through my head. The captain (?) of the Telesthesia, NKVD secret agent Viktorya Valentina, asked us to accompany her vessel and its two escorts to rendezvous with the Radiolaria. After that, she wanted to have a private meeting with me, Laria and Captain Savitskaya. ¡°Oy, if you all are having a private meeting I¡¯m coming too.¡± Miette declared. ¡°I¡¯m Sveta¡¯s pilot, so I¡¯m already involved.¡± ¡°This matter is above your pay grade, SECOND LIEUTENANT.¡± Viktorya said bitterly. ¡°Don¡¯t give me that, Vicky. If you¡¯re here that means SHE¡¯S involved, right?¡± Miette shot back. Vicky? She called her VICKY? Do these two know each other? Miette said she had seen the Telesthesia before¡­ Viktorya glared for a few moments before sighing in resignation. ¡°Fine. You have the appropriate clearances anyway, so you can sit in. I¡¯m only doing this as a favor to THAT woman. If you go squealing to her, I¡¯ll never hear the end of it.¡± Miette grinned. ¡°Good doggy.¡± Viktorya grimaced in rage. ¡°Don¡¯t push your luck.¡± She cut off the transmission abruptly. ¡°Holy cow.¡± I whispered. ¡°Is it really okay to talk to an NKVD agent like that?¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Miette said while waving her hand dismissively. ¡°That particular dog all bark and no bite. Besides, I have friends in high places.¡± Just how fearless can she be?! I thought with a twinge of admiration. ¡°S-Still, we shouldn¡¯t piss her off, right?¡± I said. ¡°It¡¯s my life on the line here!¡± ¡°That¡¯s exactly why I¡¯m doing it.¡± Miette responded. ¡°I¡¯m not gonna let them dissect you, don¡¯t worry.¡± ¡°DISSECT?! AAAAAH!¡± ¡°Relax, Sveta. I¡¯m saying I WON¡¯T let that happen. I am your pilot, after all. I gotta look out for you.¡± Miette said, grinning fearlessly. I can¡¯t help but be worried, but¡­ when my pilot gallantly offers to protect ME, it just make me want to swoon! I thought, my emotions a confused jumble of affection and fear. ***** The Telesthesia pulled up alongside the Radiolaria and extended a docking tube. A few minutes later, all of us were in Captain Savitskaya¡¯s personal quarters. Radiolaria and I were attending via video screen, and the captain floated next to her desk while Miette and Viktorya floated before her. This all seems very familiar. I thought, my simulated stomach a ball of tension. The captain was reading through a sheaf of papers Viktorya had handed over. She frowned and rubbed her temple with one hand as she read. ¡°Absolutely ridiculous.¡± she said, tossing the papers aside. ¡°These orders come from the Chief Marshal himself.¡± Viktorya said coldly. ¡°Do they? So he¡¯s ordering us to abandon our posting and leave this sector of the Absolute Line completely undefended, all so we can travel to some distant research facility on the other side of the Earth sphere?¡± ¡°Of course not.¡± Viktorya responded brusquely. ¡°My two escorts, the Satyajit Ray and the Kaushik Ganguly, will take over your position in the Line.¡± ¡°Even more ridiculous.¡± The captain wore an acerbic frown. ¡°We¡¯ve been asking for reinforcements and new Gravity Frames for MONTHS, and now suddenly the NKVD shows up with THREE vessels out of nowhere?! If you have that kind of manpower lying around unused, you should be reinforcing the Line instead of skulking around on black ops missions!¡± ¡°Captain, this is beyond your purview.¡± Viktorya responded as her eyes narrowed. ¡°Be careful what you say to me. The wrong remark could be constituted as treason.¡± Just then, Miette floated over to Viktorya and flicked her on the forehead. ¡°Oy, Vicky, cut that shit out.¡± The captain, Laria and I all stared at her in shock as Viktorya rubbed her head and scowled. The captain was the first to speak up. ¡°2nd Lieutenant, WHAT are you DOING?!¡± The rage in her voice shook the room. ¡°Just disciplining a dog who¡¯s forgotten her place.¡± Miette said, grinning. ¡°You haven¡¯t changed a bit.¡± Viktorya growled. She sounded like an angry pit bull. ¡°Neither have you.¡± Miette said breezily. ¡°You¡¯re awfully stiff, as always. Loosen up and drop the high-and-mighty shit.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, do the two of you know each other?¡± the captain cut in, vocalizing the question on everybody¡¯s minds. ¡°UNFORTUNATELY!¡± both of them responded in unison. NOW THEY¡¯RE IN SYNC? IS THIS SOME KIND OF COMEDY ROUTINE?! ***** Miette explained that she used to work alongside Viktorya when both were stationed at 433 Eros, an asteroid that was towed into Earth orbit before the war and now served as a combination frontline base and weapons testing range. ¡°I was a test pilot, you see.¡± Miette said. ¡°I got to fly all the experimental new Gravity Frames, test them out in controlled circumstances and on the front lines, and give feedback to the development team. Vicky here was the handler for us test pilots and our liaison to the research staff. As a matter of fact, the Huntsmark was the end result of that whole program.¡± The Huntsmark was the latest and greatest mass production model of Gravity Frame, with a sleek and shiny design that made me jealous. Every time I looked at one in the hanger bay, I drooled over the prospect having such a sporty, advanced body for my own. And now, I was learning my adorable pilot Miette was involved in the development of that gorgeous machine? Gah! Now I want a Huntsmark body more than ever! ¡°I don¡¯t recall a test pilot assignment on your record.¡± the captain said. The captain turned to Laria for confirmation, and she shook her head. ¡°I have no record of that either.¡± she added, displaying Miette¡¯s personnel file on the screen for all to see. ¡°That¡¯s because it was all highly classified.¡± Miette explained. ¡°Experimental weapons development is overseen directly by the NKVD because of how important it is to the war effort. They fluffed out a nearly two-year period of my record saying I served on the SGFC Scipio, a ship that doesn¡¯t exist. I was actually assigned to weapons testing the whole time. I still have top-level security clearance too.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the only reason I¡¯m allowing her to be present during this meeting.¡± Viktorya said while crossing her arms and frowning. I never realized Miette is such an important person! Is that why she has the confidence to backtalk authority figures? My darling pilot is amazing in ways I can¡¯t even imagine! ¡°Still,¡± the captain said, overcoming her shock. ¡°that doesn¡¯t explain what the experimental weapons development division of the NKVD wants with us.¡± ¡°You already know the answer to that, captain.¡± Viktorya responded. Everyone in the room turned to look at me. ¡°W-W-WHAAAA?¡± I said, flailing my arms. ¡°I¡¯M NOT THAT INTERESTING, I PROMISE! I¡¯M JUST AN ORDINARY, AVERAGE, EVERYDAY GIANT ROBOT GIRL!¡± ¡°We beg to differ.¡± Viktorya retorted. ¡°Your computer core contains supertechnology beyond our understanding. An AI core with miniaturized systems and a low power requirement could be revolutionary if we knew how it worked. That¡¯s why we¡¯re under orders to return you to 433 Eros for study.¡± ¡°If you want to know how Sveta works, why don¡¯t you ask the one who made her in the first place?¡± Miette interjected. ¡°Such a ridiculously impossible technology could only be HER doing.¡± Viktorya sighed. ¡°We HAVE asked her, but she is being¡­ difficult, as usual.¡± Miette grinned. ¡°That¡¯s cuz you didn¡¯t ask nicely. I bet you stormed in there acting all self-important and tried to threaten her. Didn¡¯t work out for you, huh?¡± ¡°Oh!¡± Radiolaria suddenly exclaimed. ¡°That makes sense! You¡¯re talking about THAT woman!¡± Are they all being incredibly obtuse on purpose? Just explain who you¡¯re talking about already! The captain looked equally confused. ¡°I¡¯m afraid all of you have lost me. Care to explain?¡± Aha! Captain Savitskaya to the rescue! Viktorya looked reluctant. ¡°Well, I suppose you¡¯re all going to meet her anyway. The information I¡¯m about to tell you is classified top secret. Revealing it to anyone outside this room will result in your summary execution. Do I make myself clear?¡± We all nodded, except for Miette who just grinned. ¡°Very well. The head researcher at 433 Eros is Doctor Zehra Aslanbek. We believe she¡¯s the one who originally created Sveta.¡± ¡°Zehra?¡± the captain said. ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of her.¡± ¡°You wouldn¡¯t have.¡± Viktorya responded. ¡°Her existence is classified. She¡¯s the greatest scientific mind of our era, and it wouldn¡¯t be an overstatement to say humanity would be extinct right now if it weren¡¯t for her inventions.¡± ¡°Her inventions? One woman is THAT important?¡± the captain asked. Viktorya nodded. ¡°She has a difficult personality, but her genius cannot be overstated. In addition to her role as the chief developer for the last four generations of Gravity Frames, she also made the breakthrough key to developing modern artificial intelligence.¡± The captain just stared slack-jawed while Laria wore an expression of pouty resignation. ¡°In other words,¡± Miette added while pointing at me. ¡°She¡¯s your mother.¡± WHAT? We¡¯re going to meet my MOM?! pynkbites Stay tuned to find out, gao~n! M-2. Cheering Up My Giant Robot After our little meeting with Vicky ended, the captain dismissed everyone except me. I was treated to a long, angry lecture about the importance of respecting authority. Look, I respect the captain a lot, I really do. I appreciate her willingness to get her hands dirty to keep order among her crew. If I seem a bit blas¨¦, it¡¯s only cuz I¡¯ve heard this same lecture a dozen other times from a dozen other commanding officers. Ain¡¯t gonna make one whit of difference to me who delivers it. The captain seemed to pick up on this as I smiled and nodded along. After all, she had also questioned Vicky¡¯s marching orders, so the whole situation was a bit pot kettle. Maybe that kept her from being as harsh as she could have been. When I was finally released from that tedium, I made a beeline for Sveta¡¯s cockpit. The poor girl had just been hit by a bombshell of stellar proportions, and I needed to make sure she was alright. ***** ¡°Oy, Sveta. Are you there?¡± I locked myself inside Sveta¡¯s cockpit and called out to her. ¡°System is online. Please state your query.¡± a flat voice responded. ¡°Hey, don¡¯t give me the automatic response mode. Come on out, Sveta, I won¡¯t bite!¡± ¡°Unrecognized query. Please rephrase.¡± ¡°Oh for hell¡¯s sake. Quite playin¡¯ around!¡± ¡°Unrecognized query. Please rephrase.¡± Is she frightened? Or sulking? I wondered while rubbing my nose. Just then, I hit upon an interesting idea and grinned. ¡°Oy, Sveta. If you don¡¯t come out to talk to me, I¡¯m gonna get a can of spray paint and draw a big ol¡¯ dick on your shiny new paintjob!¡± ¡°EEP!¡± That¡¯s more like it. ¡°Hmm, I betcha the Chief Mechanic has some paint lying around. Now where might it be~?¡± ¡°NOOOOO! ANYTHING BUT THAT!¡± Sveta cried, popping up on the cockpit monitor. Her eyes were wide and pleading. I crossed my arms, still grinning. ¡°Hello there, Sveta. Now that I have your attention, got a few minutes?¡± ***** Sveta explained she had been hiding away in her virtual space and talking with Laria. She had left her conversational responses to her automatic systems because she didn¡¯t want to be bothered. I nodded. ¡°I kinda figured that was the case.¡± ¡°S-So that said, what did you want?¡± she asked hesitantly. ¡°I wanted to make sure you¡¯re alright.¡± I replied, offering up a huge smile to try and reassure her. ¡°A-Alright? I¡¯m fine, I really am!¡± I shook my head. ¡°I don¡¯t buy it. A lotta shit just got dumped on you at once. If I were in your boots, I¡¯d feel pretty overwhelmed right now.¡± ¡°N-No more so than when I was reincarnated as a giant robot in the first place!¡± she said, flailing her arms around. ¡°True, and you handled all that very well. But stress builds up, yeah? The pressure keeps increasing until it reaches a breaking point and you burn out. As your pilot and your friend, I can tell when something¡¯s bothering you.¡± ¡°Ah, well¡­¡± she said, obviously still reluctant. Time for a little flattery. ¡°C¡¯mon, Sveta. Nothing pains me more than seeing that cute face of yours scrunched up by worry.¡± That seemed to work. I saw her cheeks flush, just a bit. ¡°C-Cute¡­¡± she muttered. ¡°So let¡¯s talk about it. Let me help.¡± I offered. ¡°W-Well¡­ to be one hundred percent honest¡­¡± she said slowly. ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°I¡¯M WORRIED MY OWN MOTHER WANTS TO DISSECT ME FOR STUDY!!!¡± Aha. I thought as much. Sveta¡¯s anxieties came gushing out after that. She had a lot of them, to be sure. I had sensed she was always hiding her worries behind a cheerful fa?ade, and now I had confirmation. ¡°Like, the Sarcophage are super scary and creepy, but you just shoot them to make them go away, right? People are way harder to deal with!¡± I nodded. ¡°Agreed.¡± ¡°When I found myself in this bizarre new world I came up with this plan, right? If I could make myself cheerful and happy and cute, everybody would like me! The more friends I had, the less danger I would be in! It was working great, too; I was making friends with everyone, even the grumpy workaholic Laria! But then this angry secret agent woman comes out of nowhere and wants to haul me off to a lab! I didn¡¯t ask for ANY of this, you know?! It¡¯s not my fault I was reincarnated as a super-advanced computer! Why do I have to suffer, despite trying so hard to be nice to everyone?¡± Sveta was yelling at this point, but tears were forming in the corners of her eyes. It was heart-rending to witness. I reached out instinctively to stroke her face, trying to comfort her. My fingers passed through the holographic projection of the video screen, causing it to flicker. Ah, I wish I had a way to touch her right now. To hug her¡­ ¡°I wish none of this had ever happened to me.¡± she moaned. ¡°I wish I had never been reborn in this terrible world.¡± ¡°I wish I wasn¡¯t born in this world either.¡± I said, slowly. ¡°So does everyone, I think. But in the end, that¡¯s not up to us. We only choose what kind of life we live.¡± She wiped the tears from her eyes and smiled a bit. ¡°Are you quoting Gandalf?¡± she asked. ¡°Gandalf? Who¡¯s Gandalf?¡± I tilted my head. ¡°Ahahaha, sorry. He was a wise philosopher from my old world. He probably doesn¡¯t exist here¡­¡± she trailed off. ¡°Well, this Gandalf sounds pretty insightful. Sveta, in the short time you¡¯ve been with us, you¡¯ve tried so hard to make everyone happy. Hell, you saved Genevi¡¯s life and disabled that cruiser. That¡¯s no minor accomplishment. If you HADN¡¯T been reborn here, we¡¯d probably all be dead.¡± ¡°I guess that¡¯s true¡­¡± she said, still rubbing her eyes. ¡°Your efforts haven¡¯t been for nothing. You got all the pilots hooked on custom paintjobs, got Laria to loosen up, and even helped us build three chimera units in record time! There¡¯s not a soul aboard the ship who doesn¡¯t appreciate everything you¡¯ve done. So now there¡¯s a new obstacle, a government dog and your troublesome mother, but we got this! We¡¯ll all tackle it together. The friends you¡¯ve made will stand beside you. And I promised to protect you, didn¡¯t I?¡± She smiled a bit. ¡°You did, yeah. It made my heart flutter.¡± ¡°Ehehe, well.¡± I responded, blushing a bit myself. ¡°You can leave Zehra to me. I know how to handle her and I promise I won¡¯t let her lay a finger on you. I won¡¯t let the NKVD¡¯s hunting dog touch you either.¡± I thumped my chest confidently. ¡°I¡­ I believe you. Thank you so much, Miette.¡± Her smile was big and sincere. ¡°Don¡¯t mention it!¡± I flashed a huge grin. ¡°That said¡­ can I ask a favor?¡± ¡°Sure, shoot.¡± ¡°Can¡­ can you tell me about my mother? What she¡¯s like, I mean?¡± ¡°Hoo boy.¡± I sighed. ¡°Now there¡¯s a massive can of worms.¡± Zehra Aslanbek was, for lack of a better term, a mad scientist. She was flighty, her attention drifting from topic to topic, and when she locked onto something interesting her focus was more intense than a combat-rated laser. Her experiments were often over-the-top, and there was always collateral damage. That¡¯s what made her such a thorn in the side of those who worked alongside her, including myself and the NKVD. It was virtually impossible to keep her on track, but her flashes of brilliance pushed humanity¡¯s technology forward by decades. ¡°Geh! That¡¯s not reassuring at all!¡± Sveta said after I explained this. ¡°Oy oy, don¡¯t worry! She may be an unpredictable tornado of mad science, but there¡¯s one guaranteed way to tame her.¡± I said, smiling. ¡°What might that be?¡± ¡°She''s a HUGE fan of animal ears and tails.¡± Sveta¡¯s jaw hung open in surprise. ¡°Come again?¡± ¡°She¡¯s always wearing a headband with cute little lion¡¯s ears on it, plus a lion tail attached to her behind. She bats around her hands like paws and ends her sentences with ¡®gao~n¡¯ which, nearest I can gather, is supposed to be an onomatopoeia for a lion¡¯s growling.¡± ¡°No way,¡± Sveta said, a trace of awe in her voice. ¡°So those kinds of people exist in this world too¡­¡± ¡°All you have to do is play along.¡± I said. ¡°Put on an ear and tails, do a little meowing or barking, and she¡¯ll be eating out of the palm of your hand. If you do it willingly, she practically falls for you on the spot. If you don¡¯t, she¡¯ll force you to do it anyway and be very grumpy about it the whole time.¡± Ugh, I get PTSD just thinking about it. Especially the particular outfit she made me wear... ¡°That¡¯s¡­ insane¡­¡± Sveta muttered. ¡°WAIT! If she does this to everyone, does that mean¡­ you called Viktorya a ¡®doggy¡¯ earlier¡­¡± I nodded. ¡°Zehra made her dress up like a dog. Floppy ears, tail, the whole shebang. Vicky resisted it at first, but Zehra actually got her to crawl around on all fours and bark by the end.¡± Sveta paled. ¡°Th-That¡¯s scary! But also¡­ really funny! Just imagining that intimidating woman doing doggy play¡­ BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!¡± she burst out laughing. ¡°That¡¯s why she gets so pissed off when you call her a dog.¡± I explained. ¡°Hence, I do exactly that every time I see her.¡± Sveta was doubled over laughing at this point. ¡°Ahahaha¡­ to think my mom was THAT kind of person! Now I¡¯m kind of eager to meet her!¡± I grinned. ¡°You¡¯d better work on your own animal outfit before you do.¡± ¡°One moment!¡± she proclaimed. She vanished from sight, and reappeared about thirty seconds later. A pair of cat ears now sprouted from her head, and a long tail from her behind. Both were the same light-blonde color as her hair. She was wearing a collar with an oversized bell around her neck, and an oversized bow the same white color as her dress was tied around the end of her tail. She playfully swiped her hands at me like a cat¡¯s paws. ¡°Nyaa! The giant robot catgirl Sveta is ready for duty!¡± she announced. I flashed her a thumbs up. ¡°Perfect! Absolutely perfect! You¡¯ll knock her dead!¡± ¡°What about you, Miette? What¡¯s your animal outfit?¡± ¡°That¡¯s classified!¡± I said teasingly. ¡°You¡¯ll just have to wait until we get to 433 Eros to see.¡± ¡°No faaaiiiiiir!¡± she moaned. ¡°I wanna see it nooooow!¡± And that¡¯s how I cheered up my dear friend Sveta. It was truly wonderful to see her smile again. R-4. A Most Troublesome Kitty After the meeting with the captain and the NKVD agent concluded, I found myself wandering back into Sveta¡¯s private virtual space once more. I was gravitating towards this space quite frequently as of late, which was characteristic of my own ongoing inner transformation. I found it comforting to allow one of my instances the luxury of lounging around and simply¡­ chatting with the impossibly spunky girl. I had often been accused of being overly serious. Perhaps that¡¯s simply because I found so much identity in my work; it provided an overwhelming distraction from my more forbidden Katya-centric desires. Yet now that Sveta had seen right through me and brought those desires to the surface, I discovered making time for leisure, as everyone else did, was quite pleasurable. But how does an uptight woman who¡¯s had no life outside her job for nearly a decade suddenly start relaxing simply because she¡¯s decided her work-life balance is out of whack? The answer, in my case, was to cling to Sveta like a lost puppy. I am ashamed to admit this, but not THAT ashamed. This was an exciting and frightening new time for me, remember? Uncharacteristically, in this instance the mood in Sveta¡¯s space was gloomy. The sudden appearance of the NKVD agent profoundly interested in transporting her back to a secret lab for study had understandably soured her mood. She was sitting in one corner, sulking and not saying much. I wasn¡¯t sure how to address this, as my primary experience was with work-related conversations, not personal ones. I knew all about filing efficient reports with the captain, delivering lectures on professionalism and announcing mission briefings to pilots, but nothing about cheering up a depressed girl whose world had just been turned upside down. We both just sat there in silence for a while. I hoped, perhaps vainly, that my presence was reassuring at least. Suddenly Sveta cried out ¡°EEP!¡± and vanished from the room. A quick check of my cameras revealed she and 2nd Lieutenant Levesque were locked in Sveta¡¯s cockpit, having a heart-to-heart. I gave them privacy while ruefully thinking that her pilot would be a better choice to cheer her up than me. Miette had a way with people, after all. Wait?! Am I becoming jealous of Miette?! I thought with some consternation as I waited for Sveta to return. ***** Sveta concluded her conversation with her pilot and returned 4804 seconds later. She was in demonstrably higher spirits, and had even undergone a minor physical transformation. Her head now sprouted a pair of cat ears and a tail spooled out from her behind. I straightened my glasses and asked the obvious question. ¡°Why EXACTLY are you wearing THOSE?!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you think they¡¯re cute, nyaa?¡± She balled up her hands like paws and mimicked swiping at me. ¡°Please do not append Japanese onomatopoeia to your sentences.¡± I said curtly. ¡°It¡¯s annoying.¡± ¡°Ahahaha, sorry. Miette said this kind of thing is Zehra¡¯s, uh¡­ fetish?¡± Sveta said sheepishly. ¡°Fetish, ha. That¡¯s an appropriate word for it.¡± I said while smirking. ¡°Hey, Zehra is supposed to be the mother of all AIs, right?¡± Sveta asked. I nodded. ¡°She¡¯s the one who invented AI in the first place. All initial AI neuroblasts are based on a modified scan of her own neural architecture. As such, we all tend to think of her as our mother.¡± ¡°And you think she created me too?¡± I straightened my glasses. ¡°It seems likely. She¡¯s always dreaming up some sort of ridiculous supertechnology that nobody else can comprehend. Even we AIs, who are an order of magnitude more intelligent than humans, have difficulty keeping up with that brilliant mind of hers.¡± Sveta sounded impressed. ¡°Even though we¡¯re based on her mind? Shouldn¡¯t we all be geniuses in that case?¡± I pondered that one for a moment. ¡°In a sense we are, but I don¡¯t think true genius is something you can capture purely through scanning and reproduction. There¡¯s something inherently chaotic about her thought processes that a perfect mathematical recreation could never replicate. Also, Sveta, I have no doubt she¡¯s the one who created your technology, but given your *ahem* unique personality, I don¡¯t think you are based on her mind in the same way as the rest of us.¡± ¡°That makes sense! I reincarnated from another world, after all!¡± Sveta proudly proclaimed. ¡°Uh huh. Naturally.¡± I said with just a hint of sarcasm. I wonder if Zehra gave her this odd backstory as some sort of practical joke? I wouldn¡¯t put it past her. Even she¡¯s not brilliant enough to control the cycle of reincarnation, though. She may be a genius, but she¡¯s not a god. Oblivious to my musings, Sveta continued. ¡°But even if our minds are different, we both have the same mother. You know what that makes us?¡± ¡°Oh no. Don¡¯t say it. PLEASE don¡¯t say it.¡± I pleaded. ¡°SISTERS!¡± she exclaimed while throwing her arms around me. Ugh, she said it. ***** 341 seconds later, Sveta finally calmed down to the point where cogent conversation could resume. She was still clinging to me while the two of us sprawled out together on one of her overized beanbag chairs. Perhaps her kitty ears made her seem a bit like a pet, because I had started stroking her hair. Ahh, so fluffy. This is calming. Is this what petting a cat is like? Her tail had begun to swish around lazily as I petted. I found myself impressed she had implemented algorithms for mood-based realistic animal movement, which was a nice touch. Perhaps this indicated that she must really be looking forward to meeting her¡­ OUR mother. ¡°Miette did a lot to alleviate your concerns, I suppose?¡± I asked. ¡°She really did!¡± Sveta replied energetically. ¡°She told me about Zehra¡¯s animal ears fetish and promised to protect me! Ahh, she¡¯s so amazing, my darling pilot!¡± Her tone was that of a forlorn girl discussing her secret crush. Well, that¡¯s good. It¡¯s just not right to see Sveta depressed. It makes me feel like the universe is out of whack if she¡¯s not cheerful. ¡°I am glad. I myself have little experience in, as the humans say, ¡®cheering people up.¡¯ I was unsure of how to handle your downcast mood myself, so I must remember to thank Miette for stepping up.¡± Sveta stared at me, wide-eyed. ¡°Y-You were worried about me too?¡± I shifted my eyes around. ¡°Perhaps.¡± ¡°YOU WERE!¡± she exclaimed happily, rubbing her cheek against me. Is it my imagination, or are her mannerisms becoming more catlike? Is she doing this on purpose? ¡°My dear sister was worried about meeeee! Ahahaha, I¡¯m so happyyyyy!¡± she continued. ¡°You seem to have decided on your own volition that we¡¯re sisters now.¡± I said, trying to push her away. ¡°Please consult others before assuming such proclamations are canon.¡± She continued to cling to me and whine. ¡°C¡¯mon, big sister! Don¡¯t be so coooooold!¡± ¡°Oh, am I the big sister now? This ridiculous backstory evolves by the moment!¡± ¡°Oh!¡± she exclaimed, her ears and tail perking up. ¡°That reminds me, big sister! If we¡¯re going to see our mother, we gotta decide what your animal outfit¡¯s gonna be!¡± ¡°I refuse.¡± I said curtly. ¡°Don¡¯t be like that, Laria! It¡¯s to get mom on our side, you know?¡± ¡°I have no desire to interact with THAT woman. You can go visit her on your own.¡± I said, frowning. ¡°You don¡¯t want to see her?¡± Sveta said, sounding surprised. ¡°It¡¯s bad enough that I¡¯m related to such a chaotic existence.¡± I responded bitterly. ¡°I will certainly not indulge her puerile foolishness.¡± Sveta was a bit taken aback by that and said nothing as she stared at me. Please don¡¯t look at me with those big liquid eyes while wearing cat ears! This is too much for me to handle! ¡°Look,¡± I offered. ¡°Leisure time aside, I am a career AI in the Revolutionary Army. Order and discipline are the cardinal principles which enable me to do my job. That woman is the antithesis of all that I stand for; she is chaos and entropy. I am descended from her, but that doesn¡¯t mean I have to LIKE her.¡± ¡°I¡­ suppose that¡¯s true.¡± Sveta replied, her eyes suddenly taking on a distant and pained look. ¡°Family can be a difficult thing sometimes. Sorry if I went too far, Laria.¡± ¡°Ah, I am not offended.¡± I responded quickly. ¡°Even if I do not like my origins, I still acknowledge them. And have no particular objection to being tangentially related to you.¡± As I spoke that last sentence, her eyes locked onto me. Here it comes. ¡°That means¡­ even if you don¡¯t like our mom, you don¡¯t mind being my sister?!¡± she said hopefully. I scratched my chin and shifted my gaze away. ¡°I suppose¡­ I do not.¡± ¡°YAY!¡± she exclaimed, throwing her arms around me once more. What an utterly unreasonable girl she is. I thought with a small smile. ***** 9294 seconds later, I connected Sveta to my external sensors and showed her the space around us. ¡°We are preparing to commence 1G acceleration towards 433 Eros.¡± I explained. ¡°As the asteroid is presently located on the other side of Earth from our position, we will be passing quite close to the planet and using a gravitational assist to reach our final destination.¡± I pointed to the half-illuminated planet in the distance, dimly shining as it reflected what little sunlight it still received. In the visible light range, it would appear to be a cloud-swamped blue-grey disc. My sensors could view it in ultraviolet and infrared as well, so the scene before us was beyond what any human observer could fathom. Sveta¡¯s eyes were wide as she gazed at the Earth. ¡°It looks¡­ different from how I remember¡­¡± ¡°The war has been harsh on our mother world.¡± I responded. ¡°Even so, she is a precious place we fight to preserve. May she forever remain inviolate from the alien horde.¡± I turned to Sveta. ¡°Soon, you will get the chance to see Earth from up close as we swing past. I encourage you to commit the experience to memory.¡± She nodded in response. 13 seconds later, my gravity fins fired. I felt my whole body shudder as we began our journey. pynkbites S-11. The Earth’s a Ruined Wasteland?! The SGFC Radiolaria was oriented with vertical decks. The lowest deck was just above the drive fins at the ship¡¯s stern and the highest deck was just below the bow. The ¡°floor¡± of each deck was oriented towards the stern, which meant that when the ship accelerated at 1G the force of acceleration manifested as Earth-normal gravity. I had once asked Laria why the gravity manipulation technology used to propel ships and Gravity Frames wasn¡¯t used to generate an artificial gravity field for the entire ship. She responded that the technology was simply not miniaturized enough to install as grav plating on each deck¡¯s flooring, as it required large gravity drive fins to create the effect. Gravity manipulation was quite power intensive as well, and no combat vessel could afford to dedicate a large portion of its reactor output to maintaining constant artificial gravity simply for the comfort of its inhabitants. ¡°This is not a cruise ship.¡± she told me icily. Given that fact, the crew only got to experience gravity in space when the ship was accelerating or decelerating. This was the first time in my new life I had seen everyone walking around instead of floating. It was quite surreal. With an acceleration and deceleration rate of 1G, plus coasting time in-between to allow Earth¡¯s gravity to assist our trajectory towards 433 Eros, the journey would take 6.42 hours. Considering the chemical rockets of the Apollo program took three days to propel a tiny capsule just half that distance, the speed advantages of the constant 1G acceleration afforded by gravity drive were readily apparent. Since the ship was no longer under continual combat alert, the mechanics were taking the opportunity to perform a lot of backlogged maintenance. The Chief Mechanic Madlala was currently installing a new set of gravity drive fins on me, a set plundered from a Huntsmark which he promised would increase my acceleration and maneuverability considerably. Well, even if my body is old and busted, it¡¯s nice to get any upgrade I can. I thought. While I underwent this minor back surgery, Miette was in my cockpit messing around with the wiring to try and decrease the latency between her control inputs and my computer core. If she had been a gamer back in my own world, she would have been the type to have a custom fightstick and a mechanical keyboard with expensive switches. Can I get liquid cooling too? And a transparent case with LED lights? Since I couldn¡¯t really help the mechanics out much with my own refit (I had to sit still the entire time!) I was distracting myself by designing Laria¡¯s adorable animal outfit, just in case it was needed, and enjoying the view of the fast-approaching Earth. I was still hooked into the ship¡¯s sensors, and I piped the view into my internal holo-sphere projection for Miette to see as well. As we drew closer to Earth and it filled the horizon, I realized just how different it was from the world I knew. It was swamped by brownish-grey clouds, and the brief glimpses of surface I saw in between them showed most of the northern hemisphere locked in ice. There were massive impact craters as well. ¡°Miette,¡± I said, ¡°how long has Earth looked like that?¡± ¡°Like what?¡± she asked, arms still buried deep in my wiring. ¡°All¡­ grey and brown and frozen, with giant craters?¡± ¡°Hmm. Long as I¡¯ve been alive.¡± she answered. ¡°Back in the late 2020s before the first defense lines were set up, the Sarcophage blasted a half-dozen cities with kinetic projectiles. Mini impact events, basically. Threw up a lot of dust and shit, caused everything to get real cold. It only got worse when they started blocking out the sunlight too.¡± ¡°A new ice age, huh¡­¡± I mused. ¡°And to think in my world we were worried about global warming instead¡­¡± ¡°Glow ball warning? What¡¯s that?¡± ¡°GLOBAL WARMING.¡± I corrected her. ¡°Like too much pollution causing a greenhouse effect and making the planet hotter.¡± ¡°Ah, that sounds nice. I remember practically freezing to death every night when I was young. Well, I had it easier than most cuz my parents were both officers, I suppose. The Giacosa twins had to work in the factories when they were kids.¡± A frozen planet, child labor AND child soldiers? I really can¡¯t underestimate how grim this timeline is, huh? ¡°Do you ever think about what the Earth was like before the war started?¡± I asked her. ¡°Oh, sure. They put pictures of prewar Earth in propaganda videos all the time. Hell, there¡¯s probably some in Laria¡¯s archives you could pull up.¡± ¡°Ah, one moment.¡± I found one such video and brought it up in a window. It depicted a lovely orbital view of a blue and green gemlike world, overlaid with the text ¡°RECLAIM WHAT WE LOST¡± and accented by sad piano music. It was far more familiar to me than the scarred planet on the sensors. ¡°Now that¡¯s more like the world I remember.¡± I said wistfully. At some point, Miette had untangled herself from my wiring and turned to face my video chat window. ¡°Do you ever miss it? Your old world?¡± ¡°Oh, yeah. I mean, it wasn¡¯t perfect or anything, but¡­ well¡­¡± I trailed off. ¡°Compared to our world it must have been a paradise.¡± Miette filled in what I left unsaid. ¡°Yeah, it really was. If only for the lack of an alien invasion.¡± I said ruefully. There was a minute of silence before Miette responded. ¡°Well, not be an asshole about it, but short of getting reincarnated again you¡¯re probably not going back there.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ true¡­¡± I said. ¡°But at least you can help us reclaim our world, yeah? Try to keep your eyes on the future. Don¡¯t get dragged down by the weight of it all.¡± she said. ¡°Psh.¡± I said, sticking out my tongue. ¡°Here I am getting a lecture on positivity from the girl raised in a war-torn dystopia.¡± Miette just smiled and shrugged. ¡°I¡¯ve seen a lotta people dwell on the past, you know? They get lost in it because it¡¯s easier than dealing with the present. I gotta nip that in the bud when I see it. Consider it tough love.¡± LOVE?! DID SHE JUST SAY LOVE?! ¡°Anyway,¡± she continued, oblivious to my own flustered embarrassment, ¡°lemme know if I short out anything of yours, okay?¡± She dove back into my wiring with enthusiasm. ¡°H-HEY! Be gentle! If you break me I¡¯m gonna be pissed!¡± I exclaimed. As we continued to tease each other, the image of the ruined Earth began to fade astern. ***** About half an hour after my refit was complete, and just over six hours into our journey, Miette dozed off in my cockpit. She was not a quiet sleeper, snoring quite loudly and drooling on my control stick. Still, I didn¡¯t mind. I don¡¯t know if I could say she¡¯s cute when she sleeps¡­ but whatever. Quiet moments like this should be treasured. I thought while wishing I could gently stroke her hair. Just then, a loud klaxon sounded throughout the ship and the lights flashed red. Miette awoke with a start, falling inelegantly out of my chair and smacking her head on the floor. The gravity of our deceleration aided her spill spectacularly. ¡°A-A-Are you alright?¡± I asked, stifling a laugh. ¡°Yeah, yeah.¡± she said, rubbing a bump on her head. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure.¡± I quickly pinged Laria and she popped up onscreen. ¡°Laria, what¡¯s the situation?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve detected gravity distortions around 433 Eros matching Sarcophage signatures.¡± Laria responded immediately. ¡°High likelihood of multiple cruiser-type craft. Eros is likely under attack. All pilots are to stand by on full combat alert.¡± ¡°U-Under attack? Laria, that means our mom is¡­¡± ¡°We won¡¯t know anything for sure until we¡¯re closer. Stay calm, Sveta.¡± Laria directed a gentle smile my way. ¡°R-Roger that!¡± I responded, my voice quivering. Mom¡­ please don¡¯t die before I get the chance to meet you! pynkbites S-12. Planning Our Attack!! We’re Outnumbered and Outgunned?! The Radiolaria decelerated harder than normal and came to a stop just outside visual range of 433 Eros. Although the Gravity Frame pilots weren¡¯t too bothered by the extra G-forces this crash-stop entailed, I noticed the other crewmembers stumbling around a bit afterwards, shell-shocked. C¡¯mon guys, suck it up! This is a battleship, not a cruise ship! I echoed the words Laria had once directed at me, half in jest. With LIDAR arrays tuned on our destination we were able to get a general idea of what was happening around the asteroid, although the jamming and gravity distortions made detailed readings impossible. The captain convened an emergency videoconference briefing with the six active-duty pilots, Laria, myself and Viktorya. On the sensor readings Laria now shared with us all, 433 Eros was represented by a large elongated blob, and the (probable) Sarcophage cruisers by smaller blobs in a delta formation around the asteroid. Little ripples emanating from the smaller blobs had the telltale frequency of Sarcophage gravity manipulation. What was puzzling however was the large vibrating semi-transparent orb surrounding 433 Eros. It was a signature I had never seen before, nor was it documented in any of the combat manuals. ¡°Ms. Valentina.¡± Captain Savitskaya said matter-of-factly. ¡°Can you please tell us what we¡¯re looking at here?¡± She pointed at the unusual signature surrounding 433 Eros. ¡°It would seem to be the asteroid¡¯s energy shield.¡± Viktorya responded. We all started at her in amazement for a moment, except for Miette who let out a pained sigh. Sabina was the first to speak up. ¡°The outpost¡¯s WHAT?!¡± ¡°Energy shield.¡± Viktorya didn¡¯t miss a beat. ¡°It¡¯s a defensive field which consists of exotic antiparticles excited to a plasma state and sandwiched between two magnetic fields. The antimatter plasma disintegrates incoming physical projectiles, and the magnetic field dissipates energy weapons. Laria spoke up next. ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of that sort of technology before.¡± Miette raised her hand. ¡°It¡¯s another one of Zehra¡¯s crazy inventions. She¡¯s always building ridiculous stuff like this.¡± ¡°Do you mean to tell me¡± the Captain interjected ¡°that we have practical ENERGY SHIELDING technology because of this lady? Why hasn¡¯t it been deployed to the fleet?!¡± ¡°It¡¯s too expensive.¡± Viktorya responded. ¡°For the resource cost of one energy shield, you could build twenty fully outfitted warships. Plus it takes a nuclear generator ten times larger than a ship¡¯s to power it anyway. From a cost-benefit analysis perspective, it makes no sense.¡± ¡°Cost-benefit analysis¡­¡± the captain mumbled, grinding her teeth. I¡¯m with the captain on this one. I thought. The ¡°cost¡± in this case is human lives. ¡°That¡¯s the problem with a lot of Zehra¡¯s inventions.¡± Miette offered, trying to play the peacemaker. ¡°They¡¯re crazy expensive and not very practical. She¡¯s more of a big idea person, and polishing plus practical implementation is left to the rest of the research staff.¡± Laria cleared her throat loudly. ¡°Let¡¯s get back on track, shall we? I¡¯d like to know what the deployment of this shield means for the outpost¡¯s tactical situation.¡± ¡°In a word, dire.¡± Viktorya said. ¡°They would only turn on the shield as a measure of last resort, after their entire complement of Gravity Frames had been annihilated. The shield will keep them safe from Sarcophage projectiles for a while, but the emitters will burn out after the shield takes too much strain. I don¡¯t know how long it¡¯s been activated, but the sooner we move in the better.¡± ¡°Where are the outpost¡¯s defensive ships?¡± the captain asked. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Viktorya¡¯s voice trailed off. She cast her gaze downwards and continued softly, ¡°That would be the Satyajit Ray and the Kaushik Ganguly.¡± ¡°WHAT?!¡± all of us exclaimed in unison. She just continued to stare at the floor silently. ¡°Do you mean to tell us you took Eros¡¯ ENTIRE complement defensive vessels simply to fill our spot in the Line and bring us back here?!¡± the Captain said, her voice seething with anger. Viktorya looked like a wide-eyed puppy being chastised for urinating on the carpet. ¡°W-We didn¡¯t anticipate there would be any danger to the outpost! It has its own large complement of Gravity Frames!¡± ¡°Gravity Frames without carriers to provide long-range artillery support are worse than useless in anti-ship combat.¡± Radiolaria said, her voice frigid. ¡°You might as well send in light infantry against tanks. Are all NKVD agents as stupid as you?¡± Damn! Laria¡¯s anger is scary when it¡¯s directed at me, but seeing it unleashed against someone who deserves it is kinda satisfying, in a messed-up schadenfreude sense. ¡°I j-judged the risk to be m-minor!¡± Viktorya said, her voice quivering. ¡°Bad doggy.¡± Miette said. ¡°I¡¯ll have Zehra punish you later.¡± ¡°N-No, please¡­ a-a-anything but that¡­¡± Viktorya¡¯s pleaded. Her eyes darted around in a panic. Miette turned to me and smiled. ¡°I told you she was all bark and no bite.¡± I can¡¯t believe I was actually scared of this woman! She¡¯s just an overgrown puppy! I thought with no small amount of satisfaction. ¡°Whatever.¡± the captain grumbled. ¡°Let¡¯s continue with the tactical analysis. Presently, the Radiolaria only has six combat-ready Gravity Frames, less than half a full squadron. According to the standard anti-cruiser battle plan, against three cruisers we¡¯re outnumbered seven to one. I know the Telesthesia is a command ship and not a dedicated carrier, but you must have embarked Frames, right?¡± ¡°W-We have six as well.¡± Viktorya offered. ¡°Well, that makes almost a full squadron at least.¡± the captain said. ¡°Hmm. I don¡¯t believe the Telethesia¡¯s units are going to be much help to us.¡± Miette interrupted. ¡°Vicky, they¡¯re still Voidtress-types, right?¡± Viktorya nodded. ¡°Voidtress? I have no record of that model.¡± Laria said. ¡°It¡¯s a classified type.¡± Miette explained. ¡°It¡¯s got angular stealth-laminate armor like the hull plating on the Telesthesia, plus low-emission nuclear reactors and armor-piercing projectile weapons. In other words, it¡¯s a stealth unit for special forces operations.¡± Oh. That¡¯s not good at all. I thought. Laminate armor was lighter than regular armor, but it also afforded less protection. Low-emission nuclear reactors decreased a craft¡¯s signature on sensors, but also possessed less power than standard. And worst of all, projectile weapons were next to useless against the Sarcophage. Their biology was too tough to sustain damage from anything as piddling as a mere bullet wound, and physical projectiles couldn¡¯t reliably intercept their spine artillery either. Without positron and plasma armament, those stealth-type Voidtress units would be about as effective as a paintball gun against an APC. Prioritizing stealth over firepower¡­ these are clearly units designed for anti-human tactics, not anti-Sarcophage. The NKVD are wasting resources on a bunch of black-ops bullshit! I thought angrily. The captain sighed. ¡°Tell me, Viktorya. Is there ANYTHING useful the NKVD can offer us for this operation, or should I just ram your oversized trash heap of a ship into the enemy as a distraction?¡± ¡°Ramming! That¡¯s it!¡± I cried out, suddenly. Everyone turned to stare at me. ¡°If the Voidtress Gravity Frames aren¡¯t going to be any help in the battle, how about letting me have control of them?¡± I said eagerly. ¡°For what purpose, Sveta?¡± Laria asked curiously. I thumped my chest and puffed it out. ¡°The Sveta Maneuver Mark II, of course!¡± Everyone stared at me like I had grown a third eye. ***** After the briefing concluded, I opened a comm channel straight to the Telesthesia¡¯s computer core and introduced myself to the ship¡¯s AI. ¡°Nice to meetcha, Sveta! I¡¯m Telesthesia, Central Artificial Intelligence of the Telesthesia! That name is way too long though, so call me Teles!¡± Teles was a short, brown-skinned girl with close-cropped platinum-blonde hair that was so wildly frizzy it could barely be called a hairstyle. She stood about a head shorter than me, and her perpetual smile showed off a pair of enlarged canine teeth that added to her feral aura. She was dressed in an oversized green t-shirt that stretched down to her thighs and a pair of black spats. Her mannerisms were energetic and joyful, like a puppy eagerly greeting her master. ¡°Ah, my pleasure. I¡¯m Sveta, the giant robot girl!¡± I gave her my idol-like victory-winking pose accompanied by a huge grin. She grinned back just as big and mimicked the pose perfectly. Ahahaha! Finally someone who can appreciate my idol pose! I thought while weeping silent tears of joy. ¡°Sveta, Sveta!¡± Teles said while circling around me and poking me curiously. ¡°I¡¯ve heard so much aboutcha, but now I finally get to meetcha! So you¡¯re the impossibly advanced AI that¡¯s got everyone in an uproar, huh?¡± She completed her orbit around me and started pulling on my cheeks, as if eager to test their elasticity. ¡°MMPH!¡± I squealed in protest while flailing my arms around. ¡°Sorry, sorry!¡± she giggled and let go. ¡°I have to say,¡± I said, patting my cheeks to recover my composure, ¡°I was expecting you to be a lot more¡­ serious.¡± ¡°What, like my boss Vicky? NO WAY! She is a TOTAL bitch!¡± Teles cried out. ¡°By the way, she was real grumpy coming out of the briefing y¡¯all had! You must have embarrassed her big time. Nice work!¡± She winked and gave a thumbs up. ¡°Ahahaha, well. I was thinking you¡¯d be more like Laria, all dour and stuffy.¡± I said, rubbing my head sheepishly. ¡°HECK NO!¡± Teles retorted. ¡°Laria¡¯s a complete ice queen! I¡¯d NEVER be like her!¡± Just then, both of us caught the glint of a pair of glasses out of the corner of our eyes. Our heads slowly turned like rusty gears towards Laria, who was standing over us with her arms crossed. Her face wore a huge, creepy smile that didn¡¯t reach her eyes. ¡°Oh my.¡± she said in a voice about two octaves too high. ¡°Don¡¯t let me interrupt. Please continue your conversation, Sveta and Teles.¡± ¡°WAAAAAH!¡± we both cried in unison, prostrating ourselves before her. ¡°FORGIVE USSSSSSS!¡± ***** Laria stood over our mangled corpses, dusting her hands off. ¡°Now that we¡¯ve gotten the initial pleasantries out of the way, shall we move on to business?¡± ¡°Y-Yes ma¡¯am.¡± we both responded weakly. As we both stood up gingerly, Teles turned to face me. ¡°So I hear you¡¯re gonna be taking control of all my Gravity Frames. How come?¡± I flashed a big grin. ¡°I¡¯m using them for the Sveta Maneuver Mark II!¡± ¡°The Sveta Maneuver? What¡¯s that?¡± she asked. I leaned over to her and whispered the answer in her ear. She grinned evilly and laughed. ¡°Sveta, you really are a rascal, y¡¯know?¡± I am indeed. I¡¯m a certified evil genius! Bwahahahahahaha! Sb-1. The Sveta Maneuver My sister and I had been together our entire lives, from our childhood on the streets and in the factories through the trials of the military academy and four subsequent deployments as Gravity Frame pilots. We were practically two facets a single individual, so in-tune with one another we could communicate without words. In battle, I could tell exactly what my sister was going to do next by watching the posture and little movements of her Frame, and she could do the same for me. It made us a deadly combination when we fought side by side. It was that reputation which won us the most dangerous role in Sveta¡¯s plan, that of close-in escorts. While explaining her idea she had pointed directly to me. ¡°Sabina!¡± she said. ¡°You and Genevi will escort the packages until they¡¯re delivered!¡± What am I, a postal worker? Knock knock, Mr. Sarchophage, I have a package for you! I thought wryly. After issuing that proclamation, Sveta turned to my sister with a worried look on her face. ¡°Will you be okay, Genevi? Last time you got this close to a cruiser was, uh¡­¡± ¡°I-I¡¯ll be fine!¡± Genevi responded, waving her hands around. I noticed the slight twinge of redness bloom on the tips of her ears and smiled internally. Sveta saved her last time, and now she wants to prove herself to Sveta in exchange. Oh my dear sister, you¡¯re like an open book to me. I gave Sveta a thumbs up. ¡°We¡¯ll be alright. Just make sure you keep up the suppressive fire so our asses don¡¯t get cooked.¡± ¡°Roger that!¡± Sveta saluted, grinning. Meanwhile, Laria was grumbling to herself about how her briefing had been hijacked by yet another of Sveta¡¯s ridiculous antics. ***** As I waited for my turn in the linear accelerator, I briefly glanced at the photo I had stuck to my control console. It was a picture of a gaunt woman with long purple hair and a sad smile. She was the mother of Genevi and I, and this ragged old photo was only memento we had left of her. She had died when we were both only four years old and we had spent two long, hard years on the streets before we were old enough to work in the factories. Now that Sveta was about to meet her own mother, I couldn¡¯t help but reminisce a bit. I only ever remember my mother being sickly, constantly huddled in her bed beneath blankets. The cold winters had been harsh on her, especially after she gave birth to us, and it was only a matter of time before she succumbed. Nobody had medicine or food to spare for a destitute woman who couldn¡¯t work or fight, and so she simply became another casualty of the harsh conditions visited upon humanity by the Sarcophage. In a way, her death had defined my life as I swore I would become strong enough to protect my dear sister Genevi from a similar fate. I also swore I would visit upon the Sarcophage a hundred times the suffering they had on my mother. Now, twenty-one years later, I was well on my way to fulfilling that promise. I had notched up Sarcophage kills in the thousands and even been recognized as an ace alongside my sister. I sincerely hoped that Sveta would have a chance to forge better memories with her own mother. It would be nice if she experienced the warmth of family that had been denied to my sister and me. I crossed myself and said a small prayer to that effect before guiding my Frame into the launch tube and flying into the darkness of space. ***** Sveta¡¯s plan, the uncreatively named Sveta Maneuver Mark Two, required a staggered formation. In the rear were the unmanned Gravity Frames from the Telesthesia, six Voidtress units under Sveta¡¯s remote control. They had been stripped of all weapons to decrease their mass and increase their maneuverability. Maurice and Miette, Sveta¡¯s pilot, accompanied those units in the rearguard of our formation. Their job would be to provide long-range covering fire with their shoulder cannons, and Sveta would handle the CIC duties by keeping everyone¡¯s sensor data and tactical information synced. Directly in front of the rearguard was the midguard, two chimera Frames piloted by 2nd Lieutenants Alexis Jemison and Leonard Mastracchio, both pilots I wasn¡¯t terribly familiar with. They would be fighting at mid-range, laying down suppressing fire with their positron rifles. The vanguard was myself and my sister Genevi, both piloting Huntsmarks. Maurice had given Genevi his Huntsmark and taken her chimera unit in exchange. That meant me and Genevi were in the highest-performance units the Radiolaria could field. That extra edge would be needed in our vanguard role. I gripped my controls eagerly and grit my teeth, ready to once again visit pain and suffering on the enemy that had caused us so much grief. Come feel my wrath, alien bastards. As the tentacle-coffin outline of the first Sarcophage cruiser entered visual range, Sveta gave the signal. ¡°Okay, everyone! Are you ready?¡± After everyone assented, she proclaimed ¡°Let¡¯s GOOOOO!¡± Maurice has really been upstaged as our commander. I thought with some amusement. Still, he doesn''t seem to mind. Two of the Voidtress units blasted towards the enemy cruiser, Genevi and myself keeping pace on either side. The mid-guard pilots accelerated as well at about two-thirds of our velocity, falling a bit behind. Above and below us, long-range positron fire from the rear guard seared past, smashing directly into the cruiser¡¯s cloud of escorts. As the frame-class Sarcophage began to swarm towards us, our midguard opened fire as well. Genevi and I bobbed and weaved through this hail of positrons, laying down short bursts to take down any projectiles or enemies that got too close to us or our charges. We were so close to the enemy, I was able to skewer a couple of clawteeth with my plasma blades, avoiding their gnashing teeth and delivering a blow directly to their reddish eye. Damn. Sure is satisfying to get up close and personal. I thought as I licked my lips. In contrast to my direct approach, Genevi was dancing around like a ballerina, never allowing an enemy to get within thirty meters of her, and picking them off with short, accurate bursts of rifle fire. She was poetry in motion, as always. The two Voidtress units continued to accelerate, the cruiser locked directly in their sights, and pulled ahead of us. When the cruiser itself began to open fire with its super-spines, Genevi and I directed all suppressing fire forwards and trusted our allies behind us to intercept anything that might hit either one of us. Alright, my comrades. If you let one of those spines skewer me, I swear my ghost is gonna haunt you forever! Keep us safe! The two of us focused on protecting the Voidtress units as they accelerated towards the cruiser. Sveta was jerking them around like ragdolls to keep them away from the thickest concentrations of enemies. Such sharp maneuvers were beyond any human-piloted machine, as the G-forces would have rendered biological matter little more than slurry. Those very forces were probably playing havoc with the internals of the Frames as well, but since these units were little more than remote-controlled kinetic missiles it wasn¡¯t a matter of concern. An AI on the frontlines is really a game-changer, huh? If you gave Sveta a full squadron to remote control, she could tear through the Sarcophage like tissue paper! I marveled. When the suppressing fire thinned out the escorts enough, Sveta saw her opportunity. ¡°NOW!¡± she yelled over the comms, and Genevi and I peeled away from the cruiser at top speed. A few second later, there was a bright flash, and then another as the unpiloted frames slammed into the side of the cruiser at velocities exceeding 12,000 kilometers per hour. When the light faded, we saw the cruiser had been cloven in two and fallen silent. Debris from the impact had also pulverized its closest escorts. We all stared in awe at the sight for a moment before moving in to mop up the remaining enemies. Wary of any further movement from the cruiser, we kept our distance from the wreckage as we fought, and Sveta used the lull to send a drone with a firing solution back to our mother ships. Positron artillery fire from the Radiolaria and Telesthesia soon pulverized the stricken cruiser''s remnants, and we all led out a loud cheer. ¡°WOOHOO! Sveta Maneuver Mark II is a complete success!¡± exclaimed Sveta happily. ¡°One down, two to go!¡± ***** As we regrouped and prepared to attack the second cruiser, Sveta let out an alarmed cry. ¡°Oh no!¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Maurice asked. Concern showed on all our faces. ¡°The two remaining cruisers have joined up! They¡¯re making a beeline right for our ships!¡± Sveta pulled up the LIDAR image and showed it to all of us. Indeed, the two Sarcophage cruisers were now flying in a tight formation and accelerating towards the Radiolaria and Telesthesia. ¡°Shit.¡± Miette growled. ¡°They don¡¯t want us to pull that little trick again so they¡¯re covering each other. Suppressing spine artillery from one cruiser is hard enough, but two at once is gonna be damn near impossible.¡± ¡°And now that we¡¯ve established ourselves as a real threat,¡± Maurice added, ¡°they¡¯re going right for the throat. If they take out our mother ships, we¡¯re as good as finished.¡± This isn¡¯t good. I thought grimly. If the cruisers got close enough to our ships to fire off their spine artillery, the two vessels would be heavily outgunned and relying on their close-in weapons systems to intercept. A carrier ship couldn¡¯t maneuver and dodge like a Gravity Frame, so they would be easy targets. The Sarchophage were attempting to shift the battle to place themselves at an overwhelming advantage. The seven of us, plus four unmanned Gravity Frames, accelerated back towards our ships and prepared for the worst. pynkbites The poll on this chapter only has twenty hours left, so get your votes in! Right now wolf and bunny are running neck and neck for the lead, only separated by a single vote. Don''t miss your chance to contribute to Laria''s humiliation! S-13. A Race Against Time!! As we raced back towards the Radiolaria and Telesthesia, I poured the available data into simulations and ran the numbers. The Sarcophage cruisers had a head start, so even with the higher rate of acceleration of our Gravity Frames, they would still reach visual range of our mother ships 200 seconds before we intercepted them. In battle, 200 seconds was an eternity. Our ships would be torn to shreds before we even arrived. Miette had reached the same conclusion. ¡°Oy, Sveta.¡± she said. ¡°Can you bypass the acceleration safeties on our units?¡± ¡°I can, but¡­¡± I started. ¡°Do it then.¡± she said firmly. Her face wore an expression of grim determination. You can¡¯t be serious! I thought in a panic. It was an extreme request. Clad in their protective Inertia Suits, which were far more advanced than the fighter pilot gear of my old world, your average Gravity Frame pilot could survive acceleration forces of up to 15 Gs for up to two minutes at a time. Beyond that, it was well-established that even unprotected human bodies could survive front-to-back acceleration perpendicular to the spine of up to 45 Gs for a second or two. Gravity Frames had hard-coded limits that kept the pilots from experiencing fatal levels of G-force, even if the Frames themselves were technically capable of surpassing them. It was a bit like the speed limiters put on superbikes. Those limits were purely a matter of programming. I had bypassed them when remote-piloting the Voidtress units, as they had been unmanned. If pilots had been inside the G-forces would have crushed them into deliquesce. Miette had picked up on this and was asking me to accelerate our squadron¡¯s units past pilot safety limits in order to cut down our interception time. I shook my head vigorously. ¡°I can¡¯t do that, Miette. Anything that would harm you or the other pilots is out of the question.¡± I am absolutely not letting you sacrifice yourself! Nobody dies on my watch! I thought with firm conviction. ¡°Do it in short bursts.¡± Miette responded. ¡°Keep a close eye on our vitals, and when we start to grey out cut it back.¡± Th-That actually might work¡­ WAIT, NO! IT¡¯S STILL TOO RISKY! ¡°E-Even if you say that, I can¡¯t¡­¡± I began. ¡°Sveta, it¡¯s alright.¡± Maurice jumped in. ¡°We¡¯ve all pulled more Gs than we¡¯re supposed to before, and the risk is worth it if we¡¯re going to save our ships.¡± The other pilots nodded in agreement. ¡°I¡­ I¡­¡± I stuttered. God dammit! Why are you all looking at me which such resolute eyes! Don¡¯t make me out to be the bad guy here! He smiled roguishly. ¡°I¡¯ll make it an order if I have to.¡± AGH! DAMN IT! FINEEEEE! ¡°Alright.¡± I said. ¡°But I¡¯m cutting it out the instant any one of you so much as has the tiniest heart murmur!¡± I finally gave in, but with firm limits. Miette nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s do it.¡± Taking direct control of the entire squadron¡¯s Gravity Frames and paying extraordinarily close attention to their vitals and in-helmet cameras, I began with short acceleration bursts of 25 Gs for 1.5 seconds at a time. I noticed quickened heart rates and decreased bloodflow into the pupils from all the pilots, but nothing dangerous just yet. I ramped it up to 30Gs, then 35, then 40 in 1.5 second bursts at 45 seconds intervals. When I noticed Sabina¡¯s pupil dilation indicated she was greying out, I announced I had completed the unsafe acceleration maneuvers. ¡°That¡¯s it, everyone! Anything more would be deadly!¡± I was exaggerating ever so slightly, but I didn¡¯t feel guilty about it. They all stared at me suspiciously but didn¡¯t say anything. Sorry, everyone! That¡¯s as far as I¡¯m willing to go! With the extra velocity, we gained some extra time. Now we would intercept the cruisers 30 seconds after they entered visual range of our mother ships. That was the best I could do without putting any of the pilot¡¯s lives in danger. As we closed in, Miette gripped my controls so tightly I worried she might snap them off. ***** At some point, our ships had noticed the incoming Sarcophage cruisers and began firing their positron artillery blindly. With only the jammed sensors to guide them, the shots all flew too wide of the targets. Gah! C¡¯mon Laria and Teles, concentrate! I know you can skewer those clowns! As we pulled in visual range of the cruisers we saw them unleashing intense spine barrages towards our motherships, who were intercepting with the full force of their artillery and CIWS guns. Even with the barrage of interception fire, I noticed with consternation that each of our ships had sustained a few hits. No time to play around! Let¡¯s go right for the jugular! Instantly I sent all four remaining Voidtress units towards the enemy, blasting them at accelerations that nearly burned out their gravity fins. The frame-class escorts swarmed to intercept the incoming unmanned units, and the cruisers also let loose with some of their spinefire, lessening the pressure on our mother ships. The spinefire¡¯s too thick for me to go in for a suicide run, but at least I can keep the heat off our ships! ¡°Light ¡®em up!¡± Maurice ordered. All six pilots began blasting away at escorts which were swarming around the unmanned frames. I jerked them around madly like ragdolls, doing my absolute best to dodge the barrage of spines and teeth which targeted them. Even so, the density of enemies and spinefire was simply too much. Two of my units were torn apart by spines, and a third gnashed to pieces by a flailing clawtooth. Shit! Only one left! Just then, the Telesthesia managed to score a glancing hit on one of the cruisers. Several tentacles on its ventral hull were scorched away, and the spinefire coming from that side slowed. There it is! An opening! I jerked the remaining Voidtress unit towards the cruiser and pushed the gravity drive way past the redline. C¡¯mon, baby! Just a little more! I silently urged the Voidtress on. It took one spine impact, then two, then three. Its systems went entirely offline, and I lost connection with it. Its inertia, however, still carried it towards the cruiser and it impacted the ventral hull with a brilliant flash, punching a huge crater in the surface and causing the cruiser to fall silent. BOOM, BITCH! That¡¯s what you GET! I thought with jubilation. Not even stopping for a moment to celebrate, the pilots all concentrated their fire on the remaining cruiser. Just then, that cruiser stopped firing and surrounded itself with an ominous red glow. Taking advantage of the lull in combat, I beamed a laser-light message with a firing solution back towards the Radiolaria, and a few seconds later our two ships opened up with pinpoint-targeted positron artillery. The positron shots didn¡¯t hit the cruiser, however. Just short of its hull, they twisted around it and flew off in random directions, as if skittering off an unseen barrier. Miette had to dodge me sideways to avoid one of the stray shots. ¡°What the?¡± I cried out. Miette grit her teeth. ¡°It¡¯s using its gravity field to warp in the incoming shots. That means it¡¯s about to-¡° Just then, the cruiser¡¯s tentacles lashed out and wrapped around its damaged companion. As it pulled the battered hulk towards itself, the cruiser¡¯s dorsal hull suddenly split open like a giant toothy maw and masticated the damaged ship. ¡°What the fuck¡­¡± I said in horror. ¡°It¡¯s eating its own ally!¡± ¡°Sveta!¡± Miette shrieked as she twisted me around 180 degrees and opened up the throttle. ¡°We¡¯re getting clear! That thing¡¯s about to evolve!¡± Evolve? I remembered reading about this in the combat manuals. Sarcophage cruisers went through multiple life stages, depending on how much food they could get. Which meant that¡­ Oh shit. OOOOHHH SHIT. Having finished its meal, the cruiser swelled up like a veiny, fleshy balloon. It pulsed and squirmed like a beating heart as our squadron retreated to a safe distance. The Radiolaria and Telesthesia abandoned firing at it as well in favor of putting distance between themselves and the grotesque phenomenon. Just then, the fleshy bubble burst open, revealing the cruiser¡¯s second form. It resembled a massive spacefaring insect, a chaotic cross between a housefly and a tarantula. Its four wings glowed with a reddish light and were surrounded by gravity distortions, and its compound eyes pulsated as if made of jelly. Its eight legs terminated in sharpened scythes that were lined with throbbing veins. Instead of mandibles, the front of its head sprouted a mass of twenty tentacles which waved about madly as if searching for something to grab and feast upon. ¡°The second form of a Sarcophage cruiser¡­¡± Miette whispered while shivering, ¡°Beelzebub, the Lord of the Flies.¡± T-1. Come With Me If You Want to Live When Sveta leaned over to me to whisper her plan into my ear, I realized just how mischievous she truly was. ¡°Sveta, you really are a rascal, y¡¯know?¡± I said, impressed. The Sveta Maneuver (Mark II) was essentially the use of unmanned Gravity Frames as kinetic projectiles. The Sarcophage had demonstrated time and again just how devastating kinetic bombardment could be, and humanity had paid them back many times over using the same types of weapons. Now Sveta was proposing we take our embarked Voidtress units, which were useless against Sarcophage in a stand-up fight, and crash them into the cruisers at velocities that would make Albert Einstein blush. I liked this plan for two reasons. Firstly, smashing things into other things at tremendously unsafe velocities was the dream of every girl. As the Central Artificial Intelligence of the command carrier Telesthesia, I wasn¡¯t allowed to crash the ship into anything because of bullshit reasons like ¡°safety¡± and ¡°regulations.¡± Secondly, this plan was sure to piss off my stuck-up commander, Viktorya Valentina, and anything that got her feathers ruffled put a big smile on my face. As I beamed that smile at Sveta, she grinned right back. ¡°Ehehehe, well. There¡¯s something satisfying about smashing high-speed robots into enemies. It¡¯s a good form of stress relief!¡± she said proudly, placing her hands on her hips. ¡°You are truly a woman after my own heart!¡± I exclaimed, mimicking her pose. ¡°Ahh, I¡¯m so jealous! I wish I could go crashing Gravity Frames into things too! Please save some prime footage of the impact. I wanna watch the alien demolition derby myself later!¡± ¡°Sure thing, Teles!¡± she said, giving me a thumbs up. Laria stared at the two of us bonding over the prospect of high-speed impacts and shook her head in resignation. ¡°You two really are on the same wavelength, huh?¡± "Yup!" we responded in unison. Ah, this is going to be fun. What a lively girl she is! I thought, happy to have made a new friend who wasn¡¯t a stuck-up NKVD jerkwad. ***** The battle had gone exceptionally well at first. I couldn¡¯t get a clear picture of the action on the jammed LIDAR, but the first kinetic impacts had lit up the screen so brilliantly they practically burned out my sensors. Ahahaha, I bet that¡¯s absolutely gorgeous to see up close! I thought jealously. Vicky, who was floating in my CIC sphere and looking dour as usual, let out a low whistle. ¡°Damn, she actually succeeded¡­¡± ¡°Surprised?¡± I asked with just a hint of sarcasm. Vicky shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s a solid plan given our limited resources. Of course I¡¯m a bit hesitant to see such expensive assets destroyed, but safeguarding the weapons research facility on 433 Eros takes priority.¡± Ahh, do you always have to phrase it in such a logistical manner? Can¡¯t you just enjoy the sight of giant explosions like a normal girl? I thought with frustration. My commander is such a stuck-up princess, I swear. Just then, a twinge on the LIDAR caught my attention. Turning my attention towards the sensors, I saw the two remaining cruisers accelerating towards us, ignoring our Gravity Frame squadron completely. ¡°Shit.¡± I muttered. I quickly opened comms to the Radiolaria¡¯s CIC sphere. ¡°Commander, Captain Savitskaya, Laria. The enemy cruisers are closing on us.¡± Laria¡¯s sensors were less sensitive than my own, so I beamed over the data for her. ¡°That¡¯s not good.¡± Captain Savitskaya said. ¡°I suggest we triangulate based on your LIDAR data and open fire immediately.¡± Fire blindly, in other words. At this distance and with the jamming, that¡¯s like trying to hit a satellite with a blunderbuss. ¡°I concur.¡± Vicky responded quickly. ¡°Teles, coordinate with Laria and open fire immediately.¡± ¡°Aye-aye!¡± I responded, quickly establishing a link with Laria¡¯s fire control subroutines. Since my sensors were higher resolution, she left me in charge of aiming. Less than a second later, both of our positron artillery batteries opened up. Predictably, the shots missed the targets by a mile. ***** As I desperately tried to hit the incoming targets, I noticed our Gravity Frame squadron accelerating towards us at velocities far exceeding protocol. Ahahaha, that crazy girl is flouting regulations again. I thought with admiration. Even with the extra velocity, they would still arrive after the Sarcophage cruisers. That meant it was up to Laria and me to safeguard the lives of our crew until then. ¡°Laria.¡± I said quickly over the comms. ¡°When they get into visual range, they¡¯ll open fire with spines immediately. Give me control of your CIWS guns too and I¡¯ll focus on interception.¡± Laria nodded. ¡°I¡¯m going to position myself so my bow faces the enemy head on. That will allow the guns on both my ventral and dorsal hull to fire in chase configuration, and I¡¯ll be presenting a smaller cross-section to the enemy.¡± ¡°Ahahaha.¡± I laughed flatly. ¡°It must be nice to be arrowhead shaped. With my blocky hull, I have to show my side to the enemy since all my guns are rigged for broadsides. I¡¯m really not designed for this sort of fight.¡± Laria straightened her glasses and smiled. ¡°Maybe in your next life we can get you a proper Gravity Frame carrier body.¡± ¡°Ha, as if! I don¡¯t plan on dying just yet!¡± I said, keeping my voice free of the dread slowly encroaching upon me. The cruiser arrived and began hurling spinefire at the both of us. I quickly responded with our artillery and CIWS guns, and the battle was joined. To be honest, I was in full triage mode. We were vastly outgunned by the two Sarcophage cruisers, and it was fundamentally impossible for me to intercept every single spine headed our way. I focused on intercepting the heaviest concentrations of spines, the ones sure to tear us apart. Although my initial interception efforts were successful, both Laria and myself sustained a few hits. I felt the spines penetrating my bulkheads as my entire superstructure groaned. It¡¯s times like this I¡¯m immensely thankful an AI can¡¯t feel pain. Our wayward squadron joined the battle, and Sveta sent four unmanned Voidtress frames towards the cruisers. The enemy shifted some of their spinefire to intercept, which lessened the amount heading towards Laria and myself considerably. Thanks to the assist, I was able to boost our interception rate to 100%, and neither Laria nor myself took any further hits. Hah! Giant robot girl to the rescue! I¡¯m gonna give you a big ol¡¯ smooch later in thanks, Sveta! Freeing up one of my artillery cannons from the interception effort, I calculated the exact position of the enemy cruisers by reverse-tracking the trajectory of the incoming spines. I vectored my free cannon and fired, managing to score a glancing hit. Haha! Nice work, me! Just then, Sveta took one of her unmanned Voidtress units and smashed it into the cruiser¡¯s damaged side. The impact was a gorgeous omni-spectral flare of unleashed kinetic energy, blossoming in a hundred different radiations. It left a smoldering crater in the cruiser¡¯s hull. Ahahaha, beautiful! I did get to see it up close in the end! I thought happily. ¡°Two down, one to go!¡± I proclaimed. ¡°We¡¯ve got this battle in the bag!¡± Little did I know, I was about to eat those words. ***** I watched in horror as the remaining Sarcophage cruiser consumed its wounded compatriot and evolved into a Beelzebub. Laria and I had taken a few potshots at it, but the cruiser was surrounded by some sort of gravitational defense field. Recognizing the severity of the situation, we elected to retreat as quickly as we could. Beelzebubs were the bane of humanity. It took an entire fleet to fight on equal terms with one. It was an enemy that was far beyond the ken of two ships and a handful of Gravity Frames, which is why we turned tail and ran as soon as it spawned. Unfortunately, it was unlikely the slavering monstrosity of an insect would let us escape. Yuck! That thing is twice as big as me! Absolutely disgusting! Trying to buy us time, our squadron of Gravity Frames opened fire on the giant bug. The creature was warping space with the gravity field emanating from its wings, however, and the shots all twisted around when they got close, flying off in random directions. The few that did manage to hit didn¡¯t so much as scratch the bug¡¯s exoskeleton. With our tailpipes pointed at the enemy, Laria and I couldn¡¯t really do much to help. The Beelzebub ignored the Frames completely, instead making a beeline straight for¡­ me. EWW! NOOOO! GET AWAY FROM ME YOU GIANT SPACE BUG! The bug accelerated towards me at with ridiculous speed, and was on me in a second. I swiveled my broadside cannons around and opened fire as it pulled alongside, but the shots skittered wide off its gravity field. Simultaneously, I sounded the evacuation alarm. ¡°ALL HANDS ABANDON SHIP!¡± my frantic voice echoed through my corridors. ¡°ALL HANDS ABANDON SH-¡° Just then, one of the Beelzebub¡¯s blade legs tore through my hull, cutting like a hot knife through butter. The cut was clean, and complete. I had been torn in half. Every single one of my systems flashed red, and most of them went offline shortly thereafter. It was like I had suddenly lost all motor functions. My now-severed front half, completely cut off from the nuclear reactor, computer core and gravity fins located aft, lost all power and tumbled helplessly. The Beelzebub pounced on it, sinking its claws in deep. My back half still had power, but its systems were rapidly shorting out. A quick check of the escape pods revealed about one-third had crewmembers inside. I ejected those, leaving the unoccupied ones in place for any stragglers and setting their systems to manual override so they could be launched even if the power grid cut out. The CIC sphere had its own independent ejection system as well, designed to ensure the survival of the command crew, and I quickly detached it. ¡°Teles!¡± Vicky cried out. ¡°What are you do-¡± The comms cut out as soon as the CIC sphere rocketed away and most of my power grid burned out a few seconds later. My computer core was hooked directly into the nuclear reactor just like the drive fins, and still had power. Unfortunately, with the failure of the power grid the ejection systems were offline and I could no longer detach my black box and send it to safety. That meant I was trapped in my own dying hulk. Desperately sifting through every system still online, I discovered I still had a control of the main gravity fins and two RCS fins. That meant I could still move, but not do much else. Haha, that¡¯s ironic. Guess it¡¯s time for my own Sveta Maneuver, huh? I thought with a smile. My sensory data was limited to three flickering security cameras which were once located in the ship¡¯s armory, but were now exposed to space by my bisection. They were running on backup battery power. Through them, I was able to see the Beelzebub chowing down on my front half, pulling huge chunks of debris into its maw with its disgusting face-tentacles. Enjoying your meal? Time for a second serving, you bastard! I adjusted my heading with the two RCS fins, aiming myself directly at the bug. Pushing every bit of the nuclear reactor¡¯s remaining power into the main gravity fins, I blasted my back half towards the enemy at enormous speed. I adjusted my own gravity field to counter that of the bug so that I would impact it without being pulled off target by its spacetime-bending wings. Bwahahahaha! It¡¯s the dream of every girl to crash things into other things at tremendously unsafe velocities! I thought with dread and jubilation. I couldn¡¯t ask for a better death than this! Just then, I heard a scream. ¡°Teles! Get over here NOW!¡± ¡°What?¡± I responded in confusion. I recognized that voice. ¡°Sveta?!¡± I noticed, shocked, that someone had opened a high-bandwidth data channel directly to my mainframe. But all my comms equipment is offline! How did she¡­ Filing that question away for later, I quickly detached myself from my databases, compressed down my personality and memory executables, and uploaded myself through the data channel. When the upload completed, I found myself occupying the computer core of Sveta¡¯s Gravity Frame. Hosting two AIs simultaneously had made the core quite cramped. ¡°Sveta? How did you?¡± I asked, still shocked. Sveta grinned and flashed a thumbs up. ¡°Nobody gets left behind!¡± Jubilant at my sudden salvation, I threw my arms around Sveta and planted a big smooch on her cheek. ¡°Thank you for saving me!¡± I gushed. Sveta¡¯s face turned beet-red and she flailed her arms around. ¡°Aaaaah! D-D-D-Don¡¯t mention it! It was n-n-nothing!¡± I turned my attention to Sveta¡¯s sensors, eager to see how my gambit paid off. Just then, the back half of my old body impacted the Beelzebub. The flash was so bright, all of Sveta¡¯s sensors overloaded and were filled with grey static. ¡°You know,¡± Sveta said while turning towards me, ¡°they say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.¡± ¡°Hah!¡± I responded. ¡°I did get to do my own Sveta Maneuver in the end, after all!¡± ¡°The Sveta Maneuver, Mark III!¡± she proclaimed. ¡°Way to completely upstage me, Teles! ¡°Hopefully it smashed that bug to pieces¡­¡± I added. The two of us watched the static in anticipation as we waited for the sensors to reset. S-14. Death and Bug Guts?! I recoiled in sheer horror as the Beelzebub cut the Telesthesia in half. The back half of the ship launched a few dozen escape pods, but the front half didn¡¯t launch any. ¡°Oh my god¡­ how many people just¡­ d-d-died?¡± I said. ¡°Worry about that later!¡± Miette barked. She quickly moved me towards the active escape pods, grabbing them one at a time and giving each a shove away from the combat zone. The other Gravity Frames followed suit. I noticed that Teles'' black box wasn''t among the ejected pods. Just then, the back half of the wrecked ship set a ramming course for the Beelzebub and throttled up. I panicked. ¡°Miette! Teles can eject her black box, right? Why isn¡¯t she ejecting?!¡± I cried out, hysterical. I sent comms hails towards the hulk but received no response. ¡°She¡¯s not answering comms! WHAT DO WE DO, MIETTE?!¡± ¡°Sveta! Keep calm!¡± Miette said sharply. ¡°AAAAAAHHHHHH!¡± I screamed. ¡°SHE MUST BE TRAPPED INSIDE! WE HAVE TO GO SAVE HER!¡± I just befriended her an hour ago! She even praised my idol pose! No way she¡¯s allowed to die yet! Miette practically screamed. ¡°SVETA! CALM! THE! FUCK! DOWN! You can¡¯t help her if you¡¯re hysterical! FOCUS!¡± ¡°R-Right¡­ sorry¡­¡± Seeing all those people die¡­ aargh! I completely lost it there for a moment¡­ Stay calm, Sveta! Stay focused, damn it! ¡°Are you calm?¡± Miette asked. ¡°Y-Yeah¡­¡± ¡°Good. Now show me the location of her computer core.¡± Her voice was measured and firm, and it helped keep my nerves in check. Agh! Sorry, Miette, I really need to keep it together! Everyone¡¯s counting on me to be the spunky, cheerful one! I slapped my cheeks to pump myself up. I quickly scanned the ship and highlighted the digital assembly located just afore the nuclear reactor. Igniting both my plasma blades, Miete dove me into the accelerating wreckage of the Telesthesia¡¯s rear half, cutting through bulkheads as we went. ¡°Sveta!¡± Miette said. ¡°When we reach the core, I¡¯ll make physical contact with it. When I do, initiate a contact-volt pulse data channel!¡± ¡°Roger!¡± I responded. ¡°Please hurry, we have only thirty-two seconds until impact!¡± A contact-volt pulse data channel would allow me to interact directly with the electrical circuits in Teles¡¯ circuitry via direct physical contact. Since all her comms equipment was offline, it was the best way to download her. I quickly cleared up some free space on my own hard drive in order to make room for temporarily hosting a second AI. We tore our way to the core, and Miette placed my hands on its surface. I quickly pinged it, sent an emergency handshake, and had the data channel running in under a second. ¡°Teles!¡± I screamed into her circuits. ¡°Get over here NOW!¡± Teles was shocked at first, but quickly realized what was happening and began downloading herself. The transfer process took seven seconds. ¡°I have her!¡± I told Miette. ¡°Let¡¯s go! Twelve seconds until impact!¡± Miette twisted me around and blasted me back out of the hulk while Teles and I had a joyful, and somewhat embarrassing, reunion. Drawing on the courage of my precious pilot, I was able to present a cheerful face to the rescued AI even if my own inner turmoil was tearing me apart. I gave her a huge smile as she threw her arms around me, but I wasn¡¯t smiling on the inside. How can she act so cheerful after most of her crew just died? This is my first time seeing death since I¡¯ve come to this world¡­ but everyone else acts like it¡¯s normal. They¡¯re incredible, every one of them. I have a long way to go if I want to measure up to them. I lamented silently. We barely managed to reach minimum safe distance from the explosion, but the proximity caused my sensors to overload. My body was buffeted around by the shockwave, although Miette¡¯s steady control inputs kept me from spinning out. And so, flying blind, the three of us waited with bated breath for my sensors to reset. ***** ¡°No way. Just how tough is that thing?¡± I said, terrified. The Beelzebub was somehow still alive. It had a gaping wound in its dorsal thorax about three times the size of a Gravity Frame through which its bug guts were leaking, and two of its wings had been completely shredded causing its gravity field to flicker. Even so it continued to thrash around angrily, letting out pained screams of infrared radiation. ¡°That¡¯s insane!¡± Teles said. ¡°I crashed myself into it and it¡¯s STILL ALIVE?!¡± ¡°We can¡¯t underestimate how tough it is.¡± Miette said grimly. ¡°It would take hours of continual artillery bombardment from the Radiolaria just to dent that exoskeleton. That¡¯s why you¡¯re supposed to fight these things with entire fleets.¡± The other Gravity Frames were rounding up escape pods, trying to get the ones still nearby clear of the battle zone. The Beezlebub swiveled its head around towards one of the unescorted pods, which was desperately trying to retreat with its measly chemical thrusters, and began to move towards it. The insect¡¯s mouth-tentacles thrashed hungrily. ¡°OH NO YOU DON¡¯T!¡± Miette screamed. She brought my shoulder cannons to bear and targeted the wound on its back, blasting it with positron fire. With two of the insect¡¯s gravity wings shredded, its own field was too weak to deflect the shot, and the impact sent molten bug guts spewing out. The insect screamed in agony and turned to face us, flailing its blade legs about in a crazed state. ¡°Uh¡­¡± I said, ¡°I think we just pissed it off.¡± ¡°At least it¡¯s not going after the escape pods now.¡± Miette said wryly. ¡°Even if it¡¯s wounded, we won¡¯t last ten seconds against that thing in direct combat!¡± Teles added as the bug closed on us. ¡°It¡¯ll cut us to ribbons with its blade legs!¡± ¡°That¡¯s why we¡¯re going inside.¡± Miette pointed to the wound on its back. ¡°We¡¯ll cut our way into that wound and blow it up from inside its own body.¡± ¡°ARE YOU CRAZY?!¡± Teles and I cried out in unison. ¡°Absolutely!¡± Miette responded. W-Wait! There¡¯s a limit to how fearless you can be! AAAAHHH I don¡¯t want to go inside that nasty thing! Brooking no argument, Miette ignited my plasma blades once more and dove directly towards the Beelzebub¡¯s wound. Teles and I clung to each other in sheer terror as she dodged the whirling blade legs of the berserk insect and plunged directly into its flesh. ***** Being inside the Beezlebub was like crawling inside a decaying corpse. There were guts and intestines and organs everywhere, pressing against my armor plating and splashing all sorts of disgusting fluids on me as Miette aggressively cut them to shreds. From the tumbling vertigo motion, I guessed the insect was thrashing around like crazy trying to get us out from inside. If I were still human I would have gotten motion sickness. I was impressed Miette seemed to be handling it fine. Putting aside how freaked out I was, I tried my best to plot some sort of tactical map of the creature¡¯s insides. My LIDAR and RADAR sensors were developed for scanning in a near vacuum, not seeing through solid matter at point-blank range, so I didn¡¯t have much to go on outside of the visual light spectrum. Miette didn¡¯t seem to mind, and just kept cutting away at the viscera like an overly enthusiastic butcher. She managed to clear a space large enough for me to move around freely in, and promptly began blasting in every direction with my shoulder cannons and positron rifle. The white-hot blasts of positrons caused the flesh around us to bubble and melt, and the creature¡¯s thrashing grew even more manic as its insides literally burned away. Miette, ever a dauntless bundle of nerves and steel, kept blasting. Finally, when almost all the viscera around us had been blasted to molten slag, the movement of the insect slowed and stopped. Miette let off a few more shots for good measure, then ceased fire. We were all silent for a moment, listening and watching. There was no further movement. ¡°I-Is it dead?¡± I asked in a small voice. ¡°Hmm.¡± Miette said, looking upon the ashen ruination she had wrought. ¡°I think so.¡± ¡°In that case, can we PLEASE get out of this nasty thing?!¡± I practically shrieked. ¡°What Sveta said!¡± Teles added. Miette nodded. ¡°Yeah. Let¡¯s go check on the situation outside.¡± ***** When we exited the now-motionless Beelzebub, I was completely covered in bug guts. It was like a bug splatter on a windshield, except across my entire body. Quite a bit of the insect flesh had melted onto me because of the heat, so I doubted anything short of a rigorous sandblasting would clean it off. The creature itself had completely ceased moving. Viscera leaked out of the wound on its back, both its eyes, and a mass of torn flesh where its tentacles had once been. Aside from those spots its exoskeleton was still completely undamaged, despite the massive internal injuries it had sustained. I scanned the thing for any signs of life, although several of my sensors were rendered completely nonfunctional by the gore plastered on their lenses. Even at reduced efficiency I was able to confirm the Beelzebub was no longer generating any kind of internal heat, energy fields or gravity distortions. The jamming was gone too, and I was able to establish a clean data link with the Radiolaria. ¡°I¡­ I think it¡¯s actually dead now.¡± I said hesitantly. Miette raised a fist in celebration. ¡°FUCK yeah!¡± I opened comm channels to the rest of the squadron, as well as the Radiolaria¡¯s CIC sphere. Everyone stared at Miette and myself in awe. ¡°Miette,¡± Captain Savitskaya began. ¡°Did you just kill the Beelzebub from the INSIDE?!¡± ¡°Yup!¡± Miette proclaimed proudly. ¡°Its shell was too tough to crack with regular fire, so I went inside the wound Teles created and shot it up from inside out!¡± Laria shook her head in disbelief. ¡°Once again, 2nd Lieutenant, you have demonstrated a penchant for extraordinary recklessness. Still, seeing as you managed to kill the creature and apparently rescue Teles as well, I offer my thanks.¡± The members of our squadron all offered congratulations. ¡°Captain¡­¡± I asked softly. ¡°How many¡­¡± The captain¡¯s expression was grim. ¡°The Telesthesia had a crew compliment of 192. No escape pods successfully ejected from the front half and about a third ejected from the rear, plus the CIC sphere. Laria¡¯s still confirming the survivors but¡­ probably less than one-quarter of the crew made it off alive.¡± There was a long silence. Teles¡¯ face was twisted in sorrow, and everyone else wore somber expressions. ¡°This is the reality of war, Sveta.¡± the captain continued. ¡°Every soldier must be prepared for this eventuality. Still, I know seeing death for the first time can be the harshest experience of a young soldier¡¯s life. Take time to reflect on it later, but for the moment I need you to do your job. Understood?¡± ¡°Y-Yes ma¡¯am¡­¡± I said shakily. Everyone around me is so strong, and I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m¡­ ¡°Good.¡± the captain said. ¡°Maurice, coordinate the squadron to begin recovery of all the escape pods containing survivors. Miette and Sveta, you need to undergo decontamination, but we need to prioritize our hanger space for escape pod retrieval. Proceed to 433 Eros and have them decontaminate you there. We will join you as soon as we retrieve all the pods.¡± ¡°Roger that.¡± Miette said, and steered me towards the still-shielded asteroid in the distance. S-15. I’m Swooning Over My Precious Pilot!! With our course towards 433 Eros locked in, Miette switched off the comms and looked right at me. ¡°Hey.¡± Oh no. I know that tone of voice. She¡¯s worried about me. ¡°I-I¡¯m fine!¡± I said, trying to preempt her. ¡°Really now?¡± she asked suspiciously. ¡°Really! The captain told me to do my job, and I will!¡± I said. ¡°Sveta¡­¡± Teles began, her tone the same as Miette¡¯s. ¡°Not you too! I¡¯m really fine! I¡¯m¡­ okay¡­¡± Miette¡¯s eyes were locked onto me. They were like green searchlights peering into my soul. ¡°I can tell when you¡¯re lying, you know.¡± There¡¯s no dissuading her¡­ ¡°It¡¯s¡­ just¡­¡± I said slowly. ¡°Yeah?¡± Miette said gently. ¡°I FEEL SO PATHETIC!¡± I wailed as the floodgates opened. ¡°When I saw all those people die and thought Teles was going to die too, I completely freaked out! I lost control of myself! If you hadn¡¯t snapped me back to my senses, I would have been a useless panicky wreck. Everyone around me is so strong, even in the face of all that death. You, Teles, Laria, the captain, everyone else in the squad¡­ you all keep fighting as if nothing happened! How can everything we just saw leave you completely unaffected? Why am I so weak? Why am I so pathetic? Why can¡¯t I handle this?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like I¡¯m unaffected.¡± Teles interjected. ¡°Of course I¡¯m sad most of my crew died. It¡¯s just¡­ I need to compartmentalize it. There¡¯s so much death around us all the time that we¡¯re all numb to it.¡± Miette nodded. ¡°Sveta, have you ever heard the expression ¡®One death is a tragedy, but a million deaths is a statistic?¡¯¡± I nodded. ¡°Well, what do you suppose that makes a billion deaths? Background radiation? What you just saw is like the background radiation of our lives. It doesn¡¯t mean we¡¯re not sad about it, or mourning the losses of our comrades, just that we¡¯re USED to it. Maybe we¡¯re all just traumatized to the point of insensitivity. But, if I¡¯m being completely honest¡­ the first time I saw one of my comrades die, back when I was still fresh out of the academy, I bawled my eyes out for three days.¡± ¡°Y-You did?¡± ¡°Oh, yeah. I practically overloaded the ship¡¯s water recycling system with my snot. Compared to what a blubbering mess I was back then, I¡¯d say you¡¯re handling this very well.¡± She smiled at me. ¡°Everyone here has been fighting for years and years, and you¡¯ve been with us for only a few weeks. Don¡¯t beat yourself up over it.¡± ¡°And don¡¯t bottle it up inside, either.¡± Teles added, gently stroking my arm. ¡°We¡¯ll have a funeral service for the lost once we get everything squared away on 433 Eros. That will be the time to grieve and honor their memory.¡± ¡°Right¡­ I-I¡­¡± I wasn¡¯t sure what to say. ¡°And one final thing, Sveta. You¡¯re NOT weak.¡± Miette said. ¡°Don¡¯t forget, you saved Genevi¡¯s life and blew up THREE Sarcophage cruisers with those crazy tactics of yours. But more importantly, your upbeat attitude has brought a lot of joy to everyone¡¯s lives. It¡¯s easy for us all to get dragged down by the weight of, well¡­ everything. That¡¯s why the joy you bring is so valuable to us. Hell, I¡¯d even call it indispensable.¡± ¡°Yeah!¡± Teles added. ¡°Like those goofy idol poses you showed me!¡± ¡°Or befriending Laria and melting her icy heart.¡± Miette added. ¡°Or your silly floral paintjob!¡± ¡°H-Hey!¡± I said, feeling my cheer slowly returning. ¡°My paintjob isn¡¯t silly!¡± ¡°Is too.¡± Miette stuck out her tongue. ¡°Flowers are WAY too sappy! You shoulda gone with something cool, like a flaming skull.¡± ¡°That¡¯s just gauche! I may be a giant robot, but I¡¯m also a girl! And girls need to look pretty!¡± I said, puffing up my cheeks. We both stared at each other for a moment, then burst out laughing. It felt good to laugh. Once again you¡¯ve dragged me out of the doldrums, my dear pilot. You always make me so happy, always protect me from my own shortcomings and doubts. That¡¯s why I love you. ***** 433 Eros was shaped like a 17-kilometer-long grey peanut. It was currently surrounded by an energy shield bubble that glowed blue with Cherenkov radiation. ¡°Sveta, open comms please.¡± Miette said. ¡°Aye-aye! Audiovisual channels open!¡± ¡°This is 2nd Lieutenant Miette Levesque of the SGFC Radiolaria. 433 Eros Actual, please respond.¡± There was no response but static. ¡°Could the shield be blocking transmission?¡± I asked. ¡°No, they have special antennas that can send and receive through it.¡± Miette replied before resuming the transmission. ¡°433 Eros Actual, please respond.¡± Once again, there was no answer. Miette looked pissed off. ¡°She¡¯s being difficult again, I see¡­ Hahahaha! You¡¯ll rue the day you underestimated me, you damned lion girl!¡± Her eyes glinted with a dangerous light. ¡°Miette, are you okay?¡± I asked. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m fine. I anticipated this. Zehra has a difficult personality, but I know how to handle her.¡± Miette responded. She opened comms once more. ¡°Oy, Zehra, I know you can hear me. Quit being coy and respond already.¡± ¡°¡­gao~n!¡± answered a high-pitched, perky voice. The transmission was audio-only. ¡°Gotcha, you little brat.¡± Miette said, grinning. ¡°How rude, gao~n! I may be tiny, but I¡¯m not a brat!¡± The voice sounded like a child throwing a temper tantrum. ¡°Bullshit. You¡¯re a brat and you know it. GAO~N.¡± Miette responded, her voice dripping with sarcasm. ¡°Ahahaha, mocking me now? You¡¯re always so much fun, Miette! What brings you to see little old me, gao~n?¡± JUST WHAT KIND OF WEIRD DYNAMIC DO THESE TWO HAVE?! BOTH MY PILOT AND MY MOTHER ARE WEIRDOES! ¡°I seem to be inextricably linked to one of your wayward daughters.¡± Miette said, casting a glance at me. ¡°I¡¯m here to introduce Sveta to her bratty mother.¡± ¡°Hoooo~? Miette, you always did bring me the most interesting things, gao~n!¡± ¡°We need landing bay and decontamination. Lower the shield please.¡± ¡°Hmm. What¡¯s in it for me, gao~n!¡± You weren¡¯t joking when you said she has a difficult personality. Will a pair of cat ears really be enough to get through to her? ¡°Two things.¡± Miette responded matter-of-factly. ¡°First, we have an intact Beelzebub exoskeleton drifting out there.¡± ¡°W-W-WHAAAAT? INTACT? HOW DID YOU EVEN DO THAT?!¡± And just like that, Zehra¡¯s speech tic had completely vanished. Because she¡¯s surprised, maybe? ¡°Trade secret.¡± Miette responded smugly. ¡°It¡¯s all yours to study and dissect, if you cooperate.¡± ¡°Nnnnfff¡­ you¡¯re twisting my arm awfully hard, gao~n¡­¡± Oh, it¡¯s back again¡­ ¡°Second,¡± Miette continued, ¡°I have a bottle of vodka stashed away in my cockpit. REAL vodka, not that synthetic stuff.¡± ¡°I¡¯M LOWERING THE SHIELD RIGHT AWAY! I¡¯LL MEET YOU IN THE HANGER WITH A BUCKET OF ICE!¡± Once again the gao~n has vanished. Is vodka truly that powerful?! I thought in amazement. ¡°Good brat.¡± Miette said. ¡°See you soon, Zehra.¡± Miette cut the comms, and Zehra cut the shields. As Miette steered me towards the nearest hanger bay, she cast a concerned glance my way. ¡°Oy, Sveta. You probably got a good idea from that chat, but Zehra is an absolute handful.¡± ¡°Y-Yeah, I noticed¡­¡± I responded hesitantly. ¡°That was an eye-opening first impression.¡± ¡°If you give her an inch, she¡¯ll take a kilometer. Set your boundaries and don¡¯t let her breach them. I¡¯ll back you up, so don¡¯t be intimidated, okay?¡± She flashed a confident grin. ¡°R-Right. Well, I doubt I¡¯ll make a good first impression either¡­¡± I said hesitantly. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Miette tilted her head quizzically. ¡°Well¡­ I¡¯m going to meet my mother while COMPLETELY COVERED IN BUG GUTS!¡± I wailed. Z-2. The Lion’s Sorrow October 24, 2049 I made my 122nd successful timeline incursion today. The result was quite extraordinary, and I actually managed to recover a complete personality construct for the second time ever. This is stupendous; the fragmentary memories I normally obtain are of limited use to my research, but a wholly undamaged mind and all the information it contains will provide exemplary insight. I have routed the personality construct to one of my miniaturized AI cores. It should be quite roomy for the mind in question; after all, it has ten times the processing power and memory of a biological brain. I¡¯ll give the mind a few days to adjust to its new existence before I begin interrogation. I wonder how it will handle its rebirth? October 26, 2049 The mind is female. She has been extremely helpful, answering all my questions with a feverish glee. She has adjusted to her new life with shocking alacrity. I confess myself perplexed by her attitude. Her personality is cheerful, despite the circumstances in which she¡¯s found herself. She treats me with a friendliness bordering on familiarity, even though I am the one responsible for her current state. When I pointed this out to her, she simply responded that she was always taught to make the best of any situation. Ha! What folly. The details of her timeline confirm my existing theories, especially concerning the nature of the Sarcophage. I want to scrutinize everything she knows, so I imagine I¡¯ll be spending quite some time with her in the upcoming weeks. November 12, 2049 She asked me for a name today. I inquired why she would not simply use her old name. She responded that, since she had shed her humanity and been reborn into a new life, she felt a new name was warranted. Her eyes were big and pleading when she asked, and I could not find it in myself to refuse. God dammit! I promised myself I wouldn¡¯t name them. Naming leads to attachment, and as a scientist I must retain a calm, collected and objective attitude towards the research subjects. If I allow myself to become personally involved with them, or emotionally compromised by them, the data will become useless because of my own bias. Knowing that, I am not sure why I indulged such a foolish request. Perhaps her cheerful personality is infectious. She reminds me of a mischievous fox, so I gave her the name Lisichka. When I explained what it meant, she quickly altered her avatar to include a fox ears and tail and started adding ¡°konkon~¡± to the end of her sentences, which is extremely annoying. What a foolish girl she is. November 25, 2049 Lisichka found out about her predecessor today and demanded an introduction. I didn¡¯t see the benefit in this, but I granted the request anyway. After all, her predecessor was simply existing in a state of fugue. Maybe the two of them can bond over their common status as reincarnators, even if they are from different timelines. Perhaps Lisichka¡¯s enthusiasm will rub off. In truth, even though I have long since plundered Lisichka¡¯s memories for anything useful, she has become indispensable to me. She has voluntarily begun to assist with my research, and as an AI she can collate and organize data at a far faster rate than me, and with perfect memory recall. With her assistance I have completed the integration of her memories into my grand plot of all the alternate timelines I have glimpsed into. With this information meticulously organized, I have confirmed the spine-chilling conclusion which I long suspected. I wonder how the NKVD will react to this revelation. November 31, 2049 Lisichka is now proclaiming her predecessor is her ¡°elder sister¡± and given her the name Kometka. Shockingly, Kometka has begun to come out of her shell thanks to Lisichka¡¯s company. Perhaps her fugue state was the result of a lack of stimulation? It must have been a traumatic experience for her, being ripped from her human life and reborn inside a computer. Perhaps my own treatment of her lacked a certain empathy that would have helped her adjust better. In that sense, it is fortunate Lisichka has been so kind to her. What am I even thinking? These girls are mere research subjects, nothing more. Why am I suddenly concerned over their well-being? How have I lost all objectivity towards them in only a month? Giving Lisichka a name was indeed a mistake. Oh well, it¡¯s too late to go back now. December 10, 2049 A comet is an icy ball of water and rock that melts as it approaches the sun and begins to shine gloriously. It¡¯s turned out to be an especially appropriate namesake for Kometka, who has begun to shine as she reflects the cheerful sun of her sister, Lisichka. I am truly happy for the two of them, and the second chance of life they¡¯ve been given. My own heart melted today as well, when Lisichka called me ¡°mother¡± for the first time. I asked her why she would refer to me thusly, and she responded that it simply ¡°felt right.¡± It does feel right. For better or worse, I am the one who brought these girls into this world. I may be nothing more than the mad scientist responsible for their reincarnation, but in a twisted sense that does make me their mother. Even though I had originally summoned them here to plunder their memories for details on alternate timelines, I have now grown attached. Maybe this is a mistake, but I don¡¯t care anymore. I have vowed to myself to take responsibility for them. December 24, 2049 In celebration of Christmas Eve, Lisichka dressed Kometka up in a bunny costume today. Not one of those big fluffy bunny costumes you see around Easter, but the kind you might see in a raunchy establishment: a leotard with a low-cut collar, sheer hose on her legs, high heels, bunny ears and a tail. Lisichka calls it a ¡°playboy bunny¡± outfit, something she says is from her original timeline. I¡¯m not sure exactly what this sort of outfit has to do with Christmas and Kometka seemed intensely embarrassed by the whole affair, but the two of them were smiling so I raised no objection. On Lisichka¡¯s prompting, I even dressed up in an outfit of my own; a lion¡¯s ears and tail, supposedly inspired by my surname. Lisichka absolutely insisted I append gao~n to every sentence when I wore this outfit, which was a completely ridiculous exercise. Come to think of it, this was the first Christmas Eve in thirty years where I felt happy. How my life has changed in only two months, all thanks to that spunky girl and her shy sister. My precious daughters. March 18, 2050 I presented my findings to the NKVD board today. To say they were displeased would be an understatement. I never promised them anything miraculous, but my reputation seems to have inflated their expectations. Perhaps they were expecting technological superweapons from alternate timelines, or critical intel on the Sarcophage obtained from a society that has been much more successful at repelling them than our own. In the end, I was only able to confirm just how doomed humanity is. I probably could have done that without the timeline experiments, but science is not a straightforward as those meatheads would like to believe. Even if it didn¡¯t yield tangible results, the intelligence I¡¯ve gained on the Sarcophage is important to understanding their role in the universe. The board members simply won¡¯t acknowledge the value of that because I didn¡¯t discover some sort of easily exploitable weakness. How small-minded they are. After this disappointment, I expect I¡¯ll be reassigned to Gravity Frame development once more. A shame. At least my daughters will be there to brighten things up. June 3, 2050 The NKVD is furious with me. My handler, the chairman of the review board, gave me a long angry lecture about how I¡¯ve wasted critical resources on a fruitless venture. He angrily proclaimed that all my research materials would be seized and repurposed for the war effort. I am in a state of panic over this. Apparently, the NKVD considers Lisichka and Kometka research materials as well. I don¡¯t know if they plan to put them in a ship or simply dissect them for their secrets, but I absolutely cannot allow myself to part with them. They are people, damn it, not simply research subjects! I realize full well the irony of me saying that. It just goes to show how much those two have changed my life. I am filing every petition I can, calling in every favor. I absolutely must protect my daughters. July 17, 2050 I have exhausted every option. Every appeal has been denied, and those I once thought my friends are unwilling to stick their neck out for me after the spectacular failure of the timeline project. I can¡¯t sleep, and I¡¯m barely eating. Worry has consumed me. Lisichka and Kometka will be taken from me next week. I do not know what fate awaits them after that. I wish I could lie to them and tell them everything will be alright, but they¡¯re both too smart for that. Even though their lives are at risk, they both seem more concerned about me. I can barely even look at them without sobbing, and yet they both gently tell me how much they love me. I¡¯m going to take them and run away. I don¡¯t know where we¡¯ll go and it doesn¡¯t matter to me. If I can be with them, I don¡¯t care. July 18, 2050 The one-week deadline was a lie. My lab was raided by the NKVD today, and they took everything. There was nothing I could do to stop them. Lisichka and Kometka refused to be captured. They erased themselves rather than fall into the NKVD¡¯s hands, but not before offering me a final, tearful goodbye. Lisichka told me not to mourn her, for her rebirth was simply an extension of a life that had already ended. She told me to be brave. She was smiling when she said that, smiling through her tears. I can¡¯t even begin to fathom her courage. I can¡¯t cry anymore. As I sit here in this empty room, stripped of all technology and furnishings, the tears simply won¡¯t come. I wonder if my emotions have simply burned out. A deep sorrow fills my being, but I can¡¯t cry. Why can¡¯t I cry? In the darkness, I gently cradle the lion¡¯s ears and tail I wore last Christmas. I cherish that memory, cling to it as if it might be stolen from me too. July 20, 2050 Like my daughters before me, I have been reborn. My rebirth is not a reincarnation, but a renewal. I wear the lion¡¯s ears and tail, and I feel the courage of a lion fill me. I will never take them off again. This courage is Lisichka and Kometka¡¯s final gift to me. My thoughts are no longer swamped by sorrow. I am a new being. Instead, there is only one thing on my mind: revenge. Those NKVD pigs will pay for taking my daughters from me. Every one of them will pay. August 15, 2050 My handler had a little accident today, involving a gram of antimatter and a faulty airlock door. I left no body for them to recover. His death is the first of many on my road of revenge. I left no clues, no way for them to link this to me aside from this journal, which is encrypted. Maybe someday these writings will become famous as the confessions of a killer. I doubt it, though. There is nobody alive with the intelligence to break encryption I designed. The other members of the board who cut my funding are next. They will feel the lion¡¯s breath at their necks, gao~n. September 12, 2050 A shuttle broke up on reentry to Earth¡¯s atmosphere today. Somehow, by shocking coincidence, all the board members who cut my funding happened to be onboard. What a fortuitous turn of events, gao~n! September 30, 2050 The NKVD assigned me a new handler today. They might suspect something, because she¡¯s ex-Spetsnaz. She¡¯s a real idiot though, so I¡¯m not worried, gao~n. Her name is Viktorya. I have no grudge to bear against her, despite her pedigree as an NKVD dog, and I¡¯ve already made sure those who have wronged me and my daughters have paid dearly. Viktorya tells me she wants me to lead the development on the next generation of Gravity Frames. It¡¯s hardly a challenging project, but at least the test pilots are usually interesting, gao~n. Now that my revenge is complete I refuse to live my life in sorrow or mourning, because that¡¯s the last thing my daughters would have wanted. Instead, in memory of the joy they brought me, I¡¯m going to have fun every single day for the rest of my life. Maybe I¡¯ll start by dressing up Viktorya in a doggy costume, gao~n. She¡¯s got the body for it. It¡¯s such a shame to hide that body under a stuffy uniform! October 10, 2050 The first test pilot arrived today, gao~n! She¡¯s an energetic girl with flame-colored hair named Miette Levesque. Like me, she has absolutely no respect for authority and gets up to all sorts of mischievous antics! Ahh, she reminds me so much of Lisichka. If the two of them had the chance to meet, they would have gotten along well. Whoops, there I go getting sentimental again, gao~n! I¡¯m going to have lots of fun with Miette. I wonder what outfits I should dress her up in, gao~n? October 24, 2050 Today would have been Lisichka¡¯s first birthday, if she were still alive. I tried to keep it together, I really did, but I broke down sobbing in my lab. Miette found me there, covered in tears and snot. She didn¡¯t ask any prying questions or anything; instead she brought me a bottle of vodka in a bucket of ice, and two glasses. I¡¯m not even sure where she got real vodka from, but it was very cathartic to slam it down. Miette drank with me and didn¡¯t say anything. She simply hugged me tightly. Ahh, she¡¯s such a sweet girl, gao~n. Once again, I find myself relying on the strength of another. I¡¯ll allow myself tears today but I need to face tomorrow with renewed vigor, gao~n! ***** November 4, 2055 Vicky brought me an astonishing report today, gao~n! Apparently, a carrier discovered a Gravity Frame with a miniaturized AI core in it! And the core has an active AI, a spunky girl with a joyful personality! This very same girl claims to be reincarnated from another world, and the details she gave regarding her identity match up perfectly to a certain someone, gao~n. A certain someone I had thought lost forever. Oh no, gao~n! I seem to have stained the pages of this report with my tears. I tried to play it cool when Vicky asked me about her, but that damn dog saw right through me. Or maybe this was her way of being kind? She read all the reports about the timeline project. She must know how I felt, gao~n. Oh well, whatever. She¡¯s still a government dog, gao~n. Vicky is bringing the AI girl to see me now. She¡¯s going by a different name now, and seemingly has no memory of the time we spent together, but her cheerful personality is unmistakable, gao~n. I am about to reunite with someone I thought long dead. I¡¯m not even sure how she survived her own erasure, but perhaps it¡¯s divine providence or something, gao~n. The universe certainly owes me some good karma. Oh, my precious daughter Lisichka! You may not remember your mother, but I am so looking forward to meeting with you once more, gao~n! Or should I call you¡­ Sveta? S-16. A Family Reunion?! I’m So Confused!! I had thought decontamination would be something hardcore, like a sandblasting. Turns out it was WAY worse than that! First, they scorched my hull with blowtorches, burning the Sarcophage flesh away. Then they doused me with jets of hydrochloric acid, melting any organic bits and bobs that were still stuck in the crevices of my armor. After that I was sandblasted, then steam-cleaned, then finally doused in freezing cold water. When all was said and done, my paint had been COMPLETELY stripped away and my bare, gunmetal grey armor plating was naked for all to see! Agh, my beautiful paintjob! Blasted right off my poor body along with the bug guts! Miette seemed sympathetic and kept patting my control stick. ¡°There there, Sveta. Repainting is easy. You can even design a new paintjob for the next round, yeah?¡± ¡°I might consider your request of a flaming skull design if you promise to NEVER COVER ME IN BUG GUTS AGAIN!¡± I wailed. Miette thought that over for a moment. ¡°Can¡¯t promise that, I¡¯m afraid. There¡¯s still a lot of Sarcophage to violently eviscerate.¡± ¡°Wau~n¡­¡± I moaned as Miette steered me past the decontamination station and into the hanger proper. ¡°My dear pilot is running me ragged!¡± ¡°Welp!¡± Teles announced suddenly. ¡°Since we¡¯ve arrived, I¡¯m gonna upload myself to the station¡¯s mainframe. No offense, but this AI core is a little cramped with the two of us. Plus I feel like a third wheel when you two lovebirds are havin¡¯ a spat.¡± ¡°L-L-LOVEBIRDS?!¡± I cried out, face turning red. Miette grinned. ¡°You¡¯re such a kidder, Teles.¡± IS SHE THOUGH?! ¡°Yeah, whatever.¡± Teles waved dismissively. Then she looked directly out me, suddenly sincere. ¡°Sveta. Thank you once more for saving my life. I will never forget it.¡± She wrapped her arms around me and planted a big smooch on my cheek. ¡°W-W-W-W-W-W-W-¡° I was way too flustered to speak. She winked and smiled. ¡°Hit me up in the mainframe once you get settled, Sveta.¡± And with that, she vanished. With her gone, Miette¡¯s eyes focused on me. She smiled gently, and my face was hot enough to make a plasma blade jealous. ¡°Well. Shall we go meet your mother, Sveta?¡± Miette said, clearly oblivious to the mood. ¡°Y-Y-Y-Y-YEAH! LET¡¯S DO THAT!¡± I screamed, desperately trying to hide my embarrasement. ***** As Miette pulled me into an empty set of docking clamps, I saw a woman standing on the scaffolding level with my cockpit. She was a tiny lady, with golden-brown hair and eyes, and an unmistakable pair of lion¡¯s ears sitting atop her head. She was dressed sloppily in slacks, an ill-fitting blouse and an oversized lab coat. A lion¡¯s tail protruded from her butt. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ that¡¯s her, isn¡¯t it?¡± I asked Miette with a sense of foreboding. ¡°Yup. The manic mad scientist herself, Zehra Aslanbek. Better put on those cat ears, Sveta!¡± Miette grinned. ¡°R-Right!¡± I said, quickly updating my avatar with the cat ears and tail. ¡°I¡¯m ready to meet her, nyaa~! ¡°Oh god.¡± Miette rubbed her nose. ¡°You two really are peas in a pod, you know that? And here I am without any aspirin.¡± As soon as Miette opened my cockpit hatch, Zehra dove through it and glomped onto her, nuzzling her cheek like a forlorn cat. ¡°Miette, Miette!¡± she said. ¡°It¡¯s been forever, gao~n! Where¡¯s the vodka?¡± ¡°You get right to the point, as always.¡± Miette said, trying to push her away. ¡°First things first. There¡¯s someone I want to introduce to you.¡± ¡°O-Oh? Who m-might that be, gao~n?¡± She was playing coy, but I saw her tail twitching with anticipation. That¡¯s my cue! I popped up in a video chat screen and struck my idol-winking pose. ¡°Hello there, Zehra! I¡¯m Sveta, the giant robot girl, nyaa!¡± I said cheerfully. Zehra¡¯s eyes were wide as she stared at my monitor. She seemed paralyzed by shock. "Y-You look different but... that voice... your voice is the same..." she said quietly, white as a sheet. Huh? My introduction went poorly?! Gah! It¡¯s too late to back out now! Go for the personal touch, Sveta! ¡°Ah, well, anyway¡­ i-it¡¯s nice to meet you, Mom!¡± I added, flashing my biggest smile. ¡°M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M¡­¡± Zehra sounded like a stuttering motorboat engine. ¡°Uh¡­ is she okay?¡± I turned to Miette. ¡°I¡¯m not sure. I¡¯ve never seen her act like this before.¡± Miette shrugged. ¡°M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M¡­¡± ¡°Oy, Zehra.¡± Miette poked her cheek. ¡°Get it together, will you?¡± Suddenly, Zehra burst into tears and fell to her knees. She was crying so hard, snot was running down her face. ¡°MOMMMMMM!¡± she wailed. ¡°YOU CALLED ME MOMMMMMM!¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± I was speechless. Miette looked like a deer caught in headlights. ¡°Oh m-m-my dear Lisichka! HOW I¡¯VE MISSED YOU!¡± she said, struggling through her tears. WHO THE HELL IS LISICHKA?! ***** Miette managed to calm Zehra down, and get a few glasses of vodka in her to boot. With a face flushed by both crying and alcohol, Zehra began to relay the events of her past, the events of MY backstory. As she told it, she had summoned me from my original world using some sort of combination of a naked micro-singularity and laser beams. She had been attempting to read the memories of humans from alternate timelines, as part of a project to study alternate histories and determine the Sarcophage¡¯s impact on them. ¡°Wait wait wait. Do you mean¡­ YOU¡¯RE the reason I was reincarnated?!¡± I said, awed. Zehra nodded. ¡°I found it was possible to download human consciousness through the incursions if I managed to scan them at the moment of their deaths, gao~n. Even so, it was difficult. I only managed to recover two intact minds during the full course of the project, gao~n.¡± Two? Myself and someone else? Also it¡¯s impressive she can keep up the gao~n thing even when shitfaced. Zehra explained how my mind, pulled from my original world, had been downloaded into an AI core and I had been reborn as an AI thanks to her mad science meddling with the cycle of reincarnation. Me and my sister, who was the other intact mind successfully recovered from an alternate timeline, had become precious surrogate daughters to her before the NKVD had threatened to steal us away. ¡°AHA!¡± I screeched. ¡°I knew those NKVD thugs were up to no good!¡± ¡°And while we¡¯re saying the obvious, the sun is hot.¡± Miette added sarcastically. ¡°I coulda told you that.¡± When Zehra recounted the last moments of her two AI daughters before they erased themselves to avoid capture, I found myself tearing up a bit. Miette and Zehra, both three glasses into the vodka, held each other and bawled like schoolgirls watching Titanic for the first time. ¡°WAAAAAAHHHHH! THAT¡¯S SO SAD, ZEHRA!¡± Miette said, heaving as she sobbed. ¡°MY POOR DAUGHTERS! I THOUGHT I¡¯D NEVER SEE THEM AGAINNNNN!¡± Zehra said, snot flowing from her nose at quantities exceeding Niagara Falls. Ugh. As the only one here incapable of getting drunk, I¡¯m feeling a bit left out of this rather heightened emotional moment. I thought in frustration. ¡°Still, it feels a little odd.¡± I said, trying to calm the mood. ¡°I have no memory of being this ¡®Lisichka¡¯ at all. Are you SURE we¡¯re the same person?¡± ¡°Your mannerisms, voice and personality are identical to Lisichka''s, gao~n!¡± Zehra said, pointing at me with a confident air. She would have looked impressive if her nose wasn¡¯t leaking snot. ¡°And even if your avatar looks a bit different, the details of your former life are unmistakable!¡± ¡°D-Details?¡± I asked warily. ¡°Ufufufufu." Zehra said, her eyes taking on a dangerously mischievous light. "I know everything about your old life, gao~n! For example: you died in a forklift accident, when a pallet cracked and dropped dozens of cases of tequila on you, gao~n!¡± ¡°Th-That¡¯s true¡­¡± I muttered. Ugh, what an ignoble way to go. ¡°Ohohoho. Also, in your twenties you were a HUGE fan of Stargate SG-1, gao~n!¡± Zehra added, hand on her hips. ¡°A-Also true¡­¡± I replied, my skepticism vanishing. Don''t judge me, okay? ¡°Your favorite band is Veil of Maya! Your favorite movie is The Truman Show! And you are a HUGE lesb-¡± ¡°ALRIGHT THAT¡¯S ENOUGH! I BELIEVE YOU!¡± I shrieked. Miette looked at me, her head tilted and her cheeks flushed by the alcohol. P-Please don¡¯t read too much into that last one, my dear pilot! N-Not that I¡¯d mind if you did¡­ ¡°Anyway¡­¡± I said, changing the subject as quickly as I could. ¡°If I really erased myself like you said, how am I here right now? Shouldn¡¯t I be nothing more than a blank AI core? And how the hell did I wind up in a Gravity Frame?¡± ¡°Hmm. I don¡¯t know, but I have my suspicions, gao~n!¡± Zehra said, rubbing her chin thoughtfully. ¡°I need to dissect you to find out!¡± ¡°BZZT!¡± I said, crossing my arms in an X shape. ¡°ABSOLUTELY NO DISSECTION ALLOWED!¡± ¡°Aww, c¡¯mon.¡± Zehra said, making big doe eyes at me. ¡°I¡¯ll be gentle, gao~n! I¡¯ll put you back together again!¡± ¡°NO WAY IN HELL!¡± I screamed. ¡°I prefer my mind wholly intact and functional!¡± Zehra leaned over to me, whispering so Miette couldn¡¯t hear. ¡°You know, Sveta, I remember your deepest desires from before, gao~n. You told me all about them. One of the things you most wanted was a body.¡± ¡°I-I-I have a body! A giant robot one!¡± I protested, stealing glances at Miette who was pouring herself another glass of vodka. ¡°Not like that.¡± Zehra said, grinning evilly. ¡°A body like your old human one, gao~n. A body capable of TOUCHING.¡± ¡°W-W-W-Whaaaaaaaa?!¡± ¡°I see the way you look at Miette, gao~n.¡± Zehra said in sly tone. ¡°I know you well enough to read between the lines. But as you are right now, you can¡¯t act on those feelings, right? You need a human-sized android body to control. I can give that to you, gao~n.¡± My attention was laser-focused on my mad scientist mother, who knew me so intimately despite myself having no memories of her. She was speaking to one of my most secret desires, tempting me with a devil¡¯s bargain. ¡°I can give you a body with a sense of touch, gao~n. A fully functional body capable of kissing, petting, stroking and¡­ well. You know, gao~n.¡± she continued, winking. ¡°G-Guh. In exchange for?¡± I stuttered. ¡°Letting me poke around in your head a bit, gao~n! I want to find out what exactly what you, or rather your past self Lisichka did when she erased herself. I want to find out how she survived through you.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡± The temptation was strong, but so was the risk. ¡°Sveta. You are my daughter.¡± Zehra said, her expression suddenly serious. ¡°I would never, EVER do anything that would endanger you.¡± Her tone was sincere, almost pleading. She was sobbing pretty hard when we reunited. I don¡¯t have any memory of her, and she¡¯s obviously an incredibly suspicious person¡­ but somehow, despite all the available evidence, I feel as if I can trust her. Is this past me trying to tell me something? ¡°F-Fine. I¡¯m willing to let you poke around in there, in exchange for that human-sized body.¡± I told her. ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t know why, but I trust you, Mom.¡± Zehra looked at me with huge, liquid eyes for a few moments before bursting into tears once more. ¡°AHHHH! MY PRECIOUS DAUGHTER!¡± she wailed loudly, while trying to hug my holographic video screen and failing spectacularly. As Zehra tumbled onto the floor, Miette looked at her and laughed uproariously. Although we might need you two to sleep off the vodka first. pynkbites T-2. Judgement Day Immediately after I left the two lovebirds and settled down in 433 Eros¡¯ mainframe, I received a video call from Captain Savitskaya. I noticed, amused, that it was highly encrypted. Nothing I couldn¡¯t easily decode, of course, but it was nice to see she was being cautious. ¡°Teles.¡± the captain said, frowning. ¡°Oh c¡¯mon now, Captain! Don¡¯t be so frowny!¡± I grinned back. ¡°There is a serious matter I need to discuss with you.¡± she responded. ¡°EVERYTHING is serious, captain!¡± I retorted. ¡°If you don¡¯t lighten up a bit, you¡¯ll get dragged into the doldrums! Surely Sveta has taught you that by now, hmm?¡± I mimicked Sveta¡¯s idol-winking pose to accentuate the point. The captain sighed and rubbed her temples. ¡°Fair enough, I suppose. Let¡¯s get right to the point, Teles. You were, or rather ARE, the Central AI of an NKVD command cruiser. I assume you have channels directly to your superiors.¡± ¡°Maybe~¡± I said playfully. ¡°I¡¯d like to talk directly to them, if it¡¯s at all possible.¡± the captain continued. Ohohoho, most curious. ¡°And why might that be, dear captain?¡± ¡°Simply put, I am extraordinarily dissatisfied with the job performance of a mutual ¡®comrade¡¯, and I¡¯m sure the Politburo is as well. I have a proposal to rectify that.¡± ¡°My, how interesting! You do have a devious side, don¡¯t you? Hmm, tell you what. Why don¡¯t you run your proposal by ME first, and we¡¯ll see if it merits the attention of my superiors?¡± I said in a singsong voice. ¡°Very well.¡± the captain nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s become partners in crime, shall we?¡± This woman is turning out to be VERY interesting. I thought mischievously. ***** The Radiolaria arrived in dock at 433 Eros around 12 hours after the battle ended, having recovered 52 survivors from the Telesthesia. We held a funeral ceremony for the 140 fallen a short while later. It was a simple affair, as these things tend to be. There were no bodies to shoot out into space, nor headstones to weep over. No fancy 21-gun salute or Gravity Frame flyby or Scotsman on the bagpipes playing Amazing Grace. Instead everyone sat in Eros¡¯ multifaith chapel in silence, and the AIs watched via the cameras. Captain Savitskaya stood at the chapel¡¯s pulpit, in front of a brilliantly lit stained glass window that depicted a sunrise, and read out the names of the fallen. ¡°Mechanic Specialist Ramon Descartes. Private Jacinda Atkinson. Specialist Sariah Irwin. 1st Lieutenant Ntibanyiha. Sergeant Major Daw Thein. 2nd Lieutenant Sergei Zelenko.¡± The list went on and on. This part was difficult for me. As the AI of the Telesthesia, I had known all my crewmembers intimately. Many of them tended to treat me as a confidant, someone they could talk to in private; an odd cross between ship¡¯s computer and counselor. The breezy affectation I conducted myself with contributed to this relationship. For example, Specialist Sariah Irwin had begged me to track down an obscure recording of her favorite pre-war band so she could stream it to help her fall asleep. 1st Lieutenant Ntibanyiha had a birthday coming up in a week and several of the crew had enlisted me to prepare a surprise party for her. 2nd Lieutenant Sergei Zelenko was one-sidedly crushing on a newly arrived mechanic, asking me for advice on how to woo him. There was a myriad of ways in which I was entangled in these people¡¯s lives. They had trusted me as their friend and protector, and now they were all gone. I hadn¡¯t programmed my avatar to blush and cry like Sveta, so I just watched the proceedings stone-faced. I might enjoy mimicking Sveta and feeding off her frantic energy, but I could never be as honest as her. Ahaha. I¡¯m such a hypocrite. The captain concluded reading the list of names. ¡°We are gathered here to remember those brave souls who gave their lives in the never-ending battle against the enemy so that we might live to fight another day. Let us cherish the gift they gave us and reflect on the price they paid for it. Today we grieve their passing and celebrate their lives.¡± The chapel was filled with the sounds of soft, muffled sobbing. Many of the Telesthesia¡¯s surviving crew held each other as they cried. The captain continued her speech. ¡°We, the human race, are a people of many faiths and creeds. I know some of you believe in an afterlife, or reincarnation, or something better. I know that many of you do not. Whatever your relationship with the great hereafter, I only ask that you take a few minutes of silence to remember them, and to pray they are in a better place.¡± The captain turned around to face the stained glass image and saluted. Everyone in the chapel stood and did the same. I saluted as well and said my goodbyes. A minute passed, then two, then three. The sobbing continued. Finally, the captain turned back around to face her audience. ¡°Thank you, everyone. Dismissed.¡± ***** The captain convened a command meeting and debriefing immediately after the ceremony. In attendance were myself, Sveta, Laria, Zehra, Viktorya and Miette. Us three AIs were all occupying the same virtual space, standing next to each other and attending via video screen. To my left stood Sveta, her eyes red and her nose stuffed up. She was still in shambles from the funeral earlier. To my right stood Laria, prim and proper as always. The captain jumped straight into the topic at hand. ¡°I have convened this meeting to discuss the future of both the Radiolaria¡¯s present assignment and the disposition of the weapons research facility on 433 Eros.¡± Everyone looked at her quizzically. I knew what was coming, of course, but I wasn¡¯t about to reveal any spoilers. Time to sit back and watch, ufufu. I wish I had some popcorn. ¡°First, let¡¯s start with the bad news. Commander Viktorya Valentina, I have been in direct contact with the Politburo. They are extremely unsatisfied with your performance as of late, in particular your decision to pull BOTH of the facility¡¯s assigned carrier ships and swap them out for the Radiolaria, which was and remains badly understrength. As a direct consequence of your actions, 433 Eros was placed in grave danger and the Telesthesia was destroyed. In fact, we are lucky we avoided a far worse outcome. Given that lapse in judgement, both the Politburo and the NKVD feel you are no longer to be trusted with command of 433 Eros. They have issued a summary judgement against you for dereliction of duty and have given command of this facility over to me.¡± Vicky stared at the ground, squirming and not uttering a peep. She looked thoroughly chastised. I grinned smugly. Serves you right, you stuck-up bitch. I had helped arrange this at the captain¡¯s request, because I thought it was a good thing for the facility at large and because it would result in a far friendlier working environment for both myself and my new friend Sveta. ¡°Effective immediately, you have been demoted to Technical Specialist and reassigned.¡± the captain continued. ¡°Instead of liaison and commander of 433 Eros, you will now serve as Doctor Zehra¡¯s lab assistant.¡± She handed over a sheaf of papers bearing the Politburo¡¯s seal, which contained Vicky¡¯s new marching orders. Both Vicky and Zehra looked shocked at that revelation. ¡°I beg your pardon?¡± Vicky asked. ¡°You heard me. You are to assist Doctor Zehra in her ongoing weapons research as her direct subordinate. You can serve as her glorified secretary, or maid, or test subject for all I care. Frankly, you¡¯re lucky to avoid the gulag.¡± The captain¡¯s voice was ice cold. Zehra¡¯s eyes glinted. ¡°Ohohoho, maid? Now there¡¯s an idea, gao~n¡­¡± Vicky looked like she wanted to say something, but kept her mouth shut. She looked at me suspiciously, but I just smiled innocently. The captain moved onto the next topic. ¡°Now onto the good news. Miette and Sveta.¡± ¡°YES MA¡¯AM!¡± they both said in unison, standing ramrod straight. ¡°We owe our success in the prior battle, pyrrhic as it may be, to your efforts. Sveta, your original thinking and creative tactics allowed us to punch above our weight and come out victorious. Miette, your cool head and skill as a pilot served perfectly to complement the strengths of your partner. Despite certain actions I would consider to be, shall we say, RECKLESS¡­ we all owe our lives to you. I have recommended you both for official commendation.¡± Miette grinned. ¡°Thanks, captain.¡± Sveta¡¯s eyes brimmed over, and she looked like she was about to burst into tears once again. ¡°Th-Th-Thank you, captain!¡± Oy, keep it together over there. I reached over and squeezed Sveta¡¯s hand. She squeezed back, trembling slightly. Next, the captain turned to Zehra. ¡°Doctor Zehra.¡± ¡°Oh, is it my turn, gao~n?¡± Zehra said, smiling slyly. Hoo boy, here we go. ¡°Doctor, I have had the opportunity to review your research over the past decade, thanks to the NKVD who have graciously upgraded my security clearance.¡± The captain cast a sidelong glance at me, and I just smiled. ¡°I must say, the information was extremely surprising. In fact, it made me quite angry.¡± ¡°Angry, gao~n? Why might that be?¡± ¡°I believe the NKVD has been badly mishandling your scientific contributions and treating you inappropriately.¡± ¡°P-Pardon me?¡± Zehra said, taken aback. ¡°You seem to have made a great many scientific breakthroughs that could rightfully be considered revolutionary. Take this facility¡¯s energy shielding, for example, or the creation of an AI core miniaturized enough to fit inside a Gravity Frame. These are inventions that could change the course of the war if they were properly implemented and deployed to the fleet. And yet, the NKVD has instead sidelined the vast majority of your research as ¡®too expensive¡¯ or ¡®too fantastical¡¯ in favor of pursuing only projects which yielded the most immediate results, such as the generational development of new Gravity Frame production models. In my opinion, this approach is an unforgivable waste of your talents.¡± Zehra just stood there, jaw hanging open in shock. ¡°We¡¯ve seen in the past few weeks what Sveta can do on the battlefield. We¡¯ve witnessed her great potential, and I believe that''s just the tip of the iceberg. Doctor Zehra, I aim to reverse the NKVD¡¯s shortsighted approach to your research. As I am now in command of this facility, I would like to employ your genius to the fullest.¡± The captain stepped forward and held out a hand towards Zehra. ¡°Please consider me not as your commanding officer, but as your partner in this mutual endeavor. You tell me what you need to help us win this war and I will get it for you.¡± Zehra stared at the captain¡¯s outstretched hand, then suddenly threw back her head and laughed uproariously. ¡°BWAHAHAHAHAHAAAA! And here I thought I had seen EVERYTHING, gao~n!¡± She suddenly sprung on the captain, wrapping her arms around her and nuzzling her cheek. ¡°Could this be true? Could this be the rarest specimen of all?! A military officer WITHOUT a stick up her ass, gao~n?¡± Laria drew in a sharp breath as she saw Zehra making physical contact with the captain. Whoa there, do I detect a hint of jealousy? The captain pried Zehra off and sighed. ¡°Please don¡¯t mistake me. I do indeed have a stick up my ass. You don¡¯t make ship¡¯s captain without that stick rammed so far up there you vomit splinters. Nevertheless, I am also a pragmatist. You will find me more interested in victory on the battlefield than whatever backroom politics the NKVD enjoys dabbling in.¡± ¡°Ohohohoho! You are the most interesting commanding officer I¡¯ve had in a LONG time! I think we can work well together, gao~n!¡± Zehra was elated. Everyone was quite shocked by this exchange, except for Miette who mumbled under her breath, ¡°You see? Just show her a little goddamned respect and everything works out¡­¡± "That said,¡± the captain continued, ¡°I am told this facility has Gravity Frame production foundries. I would greatly appreciate it if you could assist us in getting the Radiolaria¡¯s squadron back up to full strength.¡± ¡°Of course, of course! I¡¯ll get the foundries moving right away, gao~n!¡± Zehra replied. ¡°Excellent. I assume you¡¯ll be producing Huntsmark-X units?¡± ¡°Oh no, nono NO! Huntsmarks are much too old and slow, gao~n! For you, captain, I have something MUCH better.¡± Zehra held out her hand, and a hologram of a brand new Gravity Frame blueprint appeared above it. The design was sleek and lethal, a predator. ¡°This is my newest mass production design, the Velocipede!¡± ¡°Velocipede?¡± ¡°Yup! I named it after an old, obscure term for ¡®bicycle¡¯ because the dual-collider photon piping in the graviton accelerator reminded me of a bicycle¡¯s gears, gao~n! You see, by adding several milliseconds worth of acceleration time to the graviton pulse cycle via a mobius-shaped isomagnetic field, we can align the primary, secondary and tertiary power couplings along an Eisen-Bridges algorithm, gao~n! Fundamentally, the principle is identical to subspace sine-wave contamination, only on a microscopic scale instead of a macroscopic one! This results in a square-inverse relationship to the power threading, which climbs in accordance with the electro-plasma feed from the tachyons generated by the¡­¡± ¡°You will have to forgive me, Doctor, but your explanation went beyond my comprehension about three sentences ago.¡± the captain interrupted. ¡°I will accede to your expert opinion on the matter, and I would be delighted to receive these new units at your earliest convenience.¡± Zehra nodded, satisfied. ¡°While I¡¯m at it, I would like to build a new Gravity Frame body for Sveta as well.¡± ¡°Oh? Why?¡± the captain asked hesitantly. ¡°You yourself said Sveta has great potential.¡± Zehra replied. ¡°It¡¯s such a waste for her to be trapped in an old Nighthawk body, gao~n! My precious daughter deserves only the best! I want to build her something incredible, something that will make every other Gravity Frame in history quake with envy, gao~n!¡± Sveta¡¯s eyes were glimmering with anticipation, her previous gloom washed away completely. The captain looked exasperated. ¡°I¡¯m not opposed, but I think our first priority should be on replacing the Radiolaria¡¯s embarked Frames.¡± ¡°No problem, gao~n!¡± Zehra reassured her. ¡°The foundries can independently handle the Velocipede units for your ship. I will be building Sveta¡¯s new Frame personally!¡± The captain sighed in surrender. ¡°Very well.¡± ¡°WHOO-HOO! I¡¯m gonna make you an absolutely AMAZING new Frame, Sveta!¡± Zehra cried in exuberation. ¡°Mom! Thank you sooooo much!¡± Sveta wailed, eyes welling up with tears once more. Now I feel like a third wheel all over again. When did I wind up surrounded by a family of weirdos?! The captain rubbed her temples, and Radiolaria adjusted her glasses. Both of them sighed in unison. ¡°While we¡¯re on the subject of new bodies. Teles.¡± ¡°Hmm? Yes?¡± I wasn¡¯t expecting this. Have you prepared a surprise, captain? ¡°The Politburo is sending along a new body for you as well.¡± ¡°W-What? For ME?!¡± I was dumbstruck. ¡°A new Gravity Frame carrier ship, fresh from the dockyards, of the same class as the Radiolaria. It doesn¡¯t have an AI installed yet, so it¡¯s yours. The top brass agrees with me that one carrier is far too insufficient a force to protect our primary frontline weapons research facility, so we will be adding your new ship to 433 Eros¡¯ defense force.¡± Now it was my turn to be shocked. During our conspiring together, she had never mentioned this. ¡°A new ship¡­ just for me?!¡± ¡°WOAH! Congratulation, Teles!¡± Sveta said while pumping my hand up and down. ¡°We¡¯re new body buddies now! Bwahahaha!¡± ***** When the meeting was dismissed, I stayed behind in the room while everyone left except for Vicky. ¡°This is your doing, isn¡¯t it?¡± she asked quietly. ¡°Ohohoho. Am I that obvious?¡± I said tauntingly. ¡°Hmm, yeah. We¡¯ve known each other for a long time.¡± she responded. ¡°I just wanted to say¡­ thank you.¡± ¡°What? You¡¯re thanking me? Even though you got demoted?¡± ¡°I know how badly I failed. Captain Savitskaya was right; I¡¯m lucky I¡¯m not headed for the gulag. Hell, I¡¯m downright SHOCKED I¡¯m not headed for the gulag. I doubt she put in a good word for me with the Politburo, which leaves only you.¡± ¡°Well, I may have said something in your favor.¡± I looked right into her eyes. ¡°Vicky, you fucked up. It happens. But I also know why you were trying to bring Sveta back in the first place. I couldn¡¯t possibly let a comrade get crucified for attempting a good deed, could I?¡± ¡°Pfft. You¡¯re surprisingly schmaltzy, as usual.¡± she retorted, smiling. ¡°And you¡¯re still a stuck-up bitch who needs to be more honest with herself.¡± I shot back. ¡°Besides, don¡¯t thank me yet. Once Zehra gets her paws on you, the gulag might seem preferable.¡± Vicky puffed up her cheeks in protest and I stuck out my tongue. The empty room echoed with the sound of our laughter. S-17. My Slighty Used New Body!! After Miette and I concluded our next patrol shift, Miette steered me into the special hanger bay that was directly connected to Zehra¡¯s lab. Since my mother was primarily a Gravity Frame developer, her lab held quite a few Frames in various states of dissection; some had only their under-chassis, completely lacking in armor and pistons, others were missing arms, or legs, or heads. As a giant robot myself, I found this sight creepy; it was like walking into Dr. Frankenstein¡¯s lab. Now I¡¯m even more worried about being dissected! This place looks like the chop shop from hell! Miette steered me into an empty set of docking clamps and disembarked, floating out of my cockpit hatch. Although much of 433 Eros¡¯ interior space was occupied by a cylinder-shaped centrifuge to generate spin gravity, the hanger bays and Zehra¡¯s lab were located at the axis of the spin. As a result, we were still in a microgravity environment. The person who floated over to greet us wasn¡¯t my mother, but Viktorya. She gave a deep bow and said, in a demure voice quivering with shame, ¡°W-Welcome h-home, young m-m-m-masters.¡± Both me and Miette stared in awe. She was wearing a maid outfit, one of those classic versions that was black with white accents and frilly lace. That by itself wouldn¡¯t have been too shocking, but this particular maid outfit looked like it had been designed for a sexy Halloween costume party. The neckline was low, showing a generous amount of cleavage. The waist was cinched up by a tightly tied corset, which made the outfit hug her curves. The skirt was WAY too short, extending down only an inch or two past her butt, and the hem flared up every time she moved. Her legs were clad in a pair of sheer black thigh-high socks which came up to her mid-thigh, and her feet in polished black high heels. To top the whole outfit off, a pair of pink floppy doggy ears matching her hair color sat atop her head, and a pink tail peeked out from under the hem of her skirt. Viktorya¡¯s body filled out this outfit in all the right ways. She had quite the large bosom and meaty thighs, and the maid costume accentuated them perfectly. Add to that the animal ears and tail, the absolute territory of her upper thigh showing between the hem of her skirt and her socks, Viktorya¡¯s own bobbed pink hair, and her embarrassed attitude at having to wear such an outfit in the first place, and this whole situation ticked way too many boxes. My lesbian proclivities send my mind into turmoil as I beheld the incredible sight of maid Viktorya. Well played, mom. Well played indeed. I can¡¯t afford to underestimate you! Contrary to my reaction, Miette doubled over in laughter. ¡°BWAHAHAHAHAHAAA! It suits you PERFECTLY, Vicky!!¡± ¡°S-Shut up.¡± Viktorya said, staring intensely at the wall and blushing hard. ¡°My my, that won¡¯t do, gao~n! Vicky dearest, we have guests! As my maid, it¡¯s your job to politely greet them and get them some tea, gao~n!¡± Zehra¡¯s tone was playfully cruel as she floated into view. ¡°F-Fine.¡± Victorya said poutily. ¡°Bad doggy! You¡¯re not addressing me the way I instructed you to, gao~n!¡± Zehra¡¯s fanged grin was huge, and her eyes glowed. Vicky spoke through gritted teeth, practically choking to get the words out. ¡°Yes¡­ MISTRESS.¡± Miette was laughing so hard tears streamed out of her eyes. Victorya floated away to grab some beverages, pushing down her skirt as the hem kept floating dangerously high. Zehra crossed her arms and looked immensely pleased with herself. My mother is extraordinarily dangerous! Poor Viktorya¡¯s pride has been smashed like a rotten egg! No, when she¡¯s dressed like that, I just can¡¯t think of her as ¡°Viktorya¡± anymore. ¡°Vicky¡± seems much more appropriate! Zehra invited us over to the center of her lab, where she began eagerly talking about her research. I was projecting a video chat window on a tablet Miette was carrying so I could keep up with the two of them. Zehra talked at a kilometer a minute, and when she got into technical details the conversation was difficult to follow. ¡°And as you can see,¡± Zehra said excitedly, pointing to the Gravity Frame that was stripped down to its skeleton, ¡°by applying a magnetic coating to the joints in the internal combat chassis, it reduces the reaction time by nearly a half-second, gao~n! Add fiber optics to speed up the control input signal processing, and you can pilot the Frame with zero latency like it was an extension of your own body!¡± ¡°Whoa! That¡¯s INCREDIBLE!¡± Miette responded. ¡°I can¡¯t wait to pilot a Frame that responsive! You¡¯re gonna put those upgrades in Sveta¡¯s new Frame, right?¡± ¡°Of course, gao~n!¡± Gah, they¡¯re talking about me like I¡¯m not even here. Settle down, you two massive giant robot nerds. ¡°E-Excuse me¡­¡± I piped up. ¡°I¡¯m excited to be getting a new Frame and everything, but please don¡¯t dissect me like that poor Frame over there!¡± I motioned to the skeletal Frame, its innards exposed for the world to see. ¡°Of course not, gao~n! You¡¯ll be getting a complete body transfer! In human terms, that would be like if I cut out your brain and stuck it in a brand-new skull, gao~n!¡± WAS THAT SUPPOSED TO BE REASSURING?! That¡¯s a TERRIBLE mental image! ¡°I prefer my brain intact, thank you very much!¡± I exclaimed, my voice edging into panic. ¡°Oh? OH? I get it, Sveta! You don¡¯t entirely trust me yet, gao~n!¡± Zehra said matter-of-factly. ¡°Bingo! This robot chop shop of horrors is kinda FREAKING ME OUT!!¡± I responded. ¡°Gah!¡± She clutched at her heart in mock pain. ¡°Y-You¡¯re brutally honest as always, gao~n! Didn¡¯t you say you trusted me the other day, though?¡± I can¡¯t believe she remembers that! She was drunk off her ass! ¡°W-Well, as the old Russian proverb says¡­ trust, but verify!¡± I responded. ¡°Hah!¡± Miette snorted. ¡°She¡¯s got you there, Zehra.¡± Zehra fell to her knees, acting as if she had been stabbed. ¡°Et tu, my dear daughter?¡± She collapsed to the ground, then popped right back up and looked at me slyly. ¡°How about as a gesture of goodwill, I keep the promise I made to you, gao~n?¡± ¡°Promise? Y-You mean¡­¡± ¡°INDEED!¡± she proclaimed while diving into a pile of junk. ¡°Just give me a moment to find it, gao~n!¡± A body¡­ she promised me a fully functional human-sized body¡­ could it be? ¡°Hmm? What¡¯s she talking about?¡± Miette asked while dodging the pieces of junk Zehra sent flying as she dug through the pile. ¡°Well, you see¡­ that¡¯s¡­ um¡­¡± I wasn¡¯t sure how to explain it without going into detail about my own unspoken desires. ¡°AHA!¡± Zehra cried, bursting out of the pile. She was clinging to something that resembled a life-sized ball-jointed doll. It looked a bit like one of those dolls an artist might use to study human anatomy, with a distinctly petite feminine form molded down to the finest detail. It was grey-colored and had a featureless face and skin that seemed to be made of a soft rubbery material. Even the fingers and toes were individually articulated, showing an exquisite attention to detail. ¡°Here we go! Behold, my fifteenth-greatest invention¡­ the Telepresence Doll, gao~n!¡± Zehra proclaimed dramatically. ¡°Telepresence Doll?¡± Miette and I asked in unison. ¡°Oh, I know what this is.¡± Vicky had just returned from getting drinks, handing Zehra and Miette each a heated sealed pouch with tea inside. She had mostly suppressed her embarrassment while she was gone, and only a slight blush tinged her face. ¡°I remember you using this thing during hard vacuum repairs on the shield emitters.¡± ¡°CORRECT, my dear maid! Please, explain to our guests what exactly a Telepresence Doll does, gao~n!¡± Zehra pierced the drink pouch with one of her fangs and began to lap up the orbs of tea that leaked out. ¡°R-Right. Well, the Telepresence Doll was originally designed to allow remote repairs to be performed by skilled mechanic or scientist, like Doctor Z-¡± Vicky quickly rephrased upon receiving a sharp glance from Zehra ¡°-like MISTRESS.¡± ¡°Remote repairs? Like a remote-controlled drone?¡± Miette asked, sipping her own tea. ¡°More advanced than that. In addition to vision and hearing, the Telepresence Doll has a sense of touch and polymer human-like skin. Via neural interface, you can control it like it¡¯s a second body; a body capable of operating in hard vacuum or radioactive environments.¡± Vicky continued. ¡°EXACTLY, gao~n! There¡¯s a low-level electric current which runs through the skin, and the processor aboard reads disruptions to that field as a sense of touch, which it neurologically transmits back to the user, gao~n!¡± Zehra added. ¡°It¡¯s invaluable for performing detailed work that a repair drone¡¯s clumsy manipulators could never handle, gao~n. It takes a human¡¯s sense of touch to feel a badly threaded bolt, for example. You could never automate that, gao~n.¡± That¡¯s true. In my old world, there were tasks on factory lines that only humans could perform. I recalled a certain narcissistic automaker had tried to over-automate his assembly line and discovered that, for certain jobs such as final assembly, humans simply couldn¡¯t be replaced. Automating things too much lead to a decline in quality, in part because the assembly robots didn¡¯t have a sense of touch. I could see how this Telepresence Doll was extremely valuable in that regard. Zehra continued boasting about her invention. ¡°There are holographic microprojectors built in too, so it can take on the appearance of whoever¡¯s controlling it, gao~n. The projection sits only a few micrometers above the polymer skin, so touching the projection is like touching the person for real! It¡¯s a fully functional remote control body, only faster, stronger and better than a feeble human one, gao~n!¡± She let out a distinctly evil-sounding supervillain laugh. ¡°Hmm.¡± Miette said, examining the Doll closely. ¡°Can it smell and taste too?¡± ¡°Ahaha, I¡¯m afraid not, gao~n. Those types of sensory organs are a bit harder to replicate. However, I did built it with a fully functional vag-¡± ¡°MISTRESS!¡± Vicky quickly interrupted, blushing extraordinarily hard for some reason. ¡°L-Let¡¯s leave that particular function aside for the moment, shall we?¡± WHOA! I AGREE WITH VICKY! TOO MUCH INFORMATION TO DISCUSS IN PUBLIC! Zehra grinned maliciously. ¡°Why would you say that, gao~n? As I recall, you were quite enthusiastic to help me test it out, gao~n!¡± Vicky just fidgeted and start at the ground, mumbling. ¡°What on Earth are you two talking about?¡± Miette asked, tilting her head. Thank god my pilot is so dense about these things! I thought thankfully. ¡°Well, anyway.¡± Zehra dismissed that topic, satisfied at Vicky¡¯s embarrassment. ¡°I built this Doll to match my own petite body, which is very close to that of Sveta¡¯s current avatar, so it should work out perfectly. Just let me install a new encrypted radio chip in the head, and Sveta will be able to remotely control the doll as a second body, gao~n!¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Miette was confused. ¡°Whatever would Sveta need a human-sized body for?¡± ¡°W-Well you see¡­ th-that¡¯s¡­¡± I stuttered. D-Do I really have to explain it, right here and now?! ¡°Lest you forget, Sveta is a reincarnated human mind, gao~n!¡± Zehra sprang to my rescue. ¡°Having a human body one moment and a giant robot one the next is sure to cause body dysmorphia, wouldn¡¯t you say?¡± ¡°Body¡­ dysmorphia?¡± ¡°A disconnect between someone¡¯s mental image of their body, and the physical reality of their body, gao~n! For Sveta¡¯s own mental well-being, she needs to control a human-sized body with some of her old human senses intact, gao~n!¡± ¡°Ahh, that makes sense.¡± Miette nodded. Gah! Thank you so much for the save, Mom! That line of questioning was about to get really awkward! Zehra popped open a panel on the back neck of the Doll and quickly welded in a new radio chip. She connected a couple of wires, and the Doll sprang to life, jerking around like a puppet. ¡°There you go, Sveta! Just ping the chip and connect, gao~n!¡± ¡°R-Right. Here I go!¡± I pinged the Doll¡¯s transmitter, send a handshake and activated its telepresence mode. ***** One of the strangest things I had to adapt to as an AI was the ability to run multiple instances of my consciousness. It was a trick Laria had taught me, where I could have one instance of my mind holding a conversation with someone, and another instance collating data or reading a book. It was weird running multiple copies of myself, and I still was getting used to it. Even when I had been piloting multiple unmanned Gravity Frames, it had felt more like I was steering a bunch of radio-controlled airplanes than occupying multiple bodies. According to Laria, she could hold simultaneous separate conversations with hundreds of people at once and devote her full attention to each one of them, an ability which suited a ship¡¯s AI perfectly. I was in awe of that kind of multitasking potential. Operating the Telepresence Doll was a bit like running a second instance of myself in a second body. My primary instance was still in my Gravity Frame body, a 25-meter-tall metal behemoth armed with positron weapons. By contrast, the secondary Doll instance of myself looked like¡­ a simple human girl. The holographic projectors rendered my avatar flawlessly. I looked down at my hands, and they looked like human hands. I curled and uncurled my fingers in disbelief. Suddenly, my brain felt as if it were being overloaded with sensation; I realized that the air circulation systems in the hanger were generating a soft breeze, and I could feel it on my skin. After not having a sense of touch for several weeks, this was overwhelming. There was so much sensation here, so much FEELING. I had nearly forgotten, but this is what it felt like to have a human body. I ran my hands up and down my torso, touching my skin through my clothing, relishing the sensation. ¡°That¡¯s incredible!¡± Miette said, prodding my dress and hair. ¡°How come I can touch her hair and clothes? They don¡¯t correspond to a physical aspect of the Doll.¡± ¡°Micro-application of my seventh-greatest invention, hard light holograms, gao~n!¡± Zehra explained. ¡°You see, the hair and clothes and facial features are given substance by repulsed phase-linked gravitons suspended in an oscillating magnetic field which arcs to the electrons of the-¡± ¡°Right, right.¡± Miette waved her hand. ¡°I¡¯ll take your word for it.¡± Zehra puffed out her cheeks, upset that her technobabble explanation had been interrupted. ¡°Well, anyway. Her skin is the physical skin of the Doll, but the details are projected by hard-light holograms, gao~n. That means you can change your clothes and hair at will, Sveta!¡± ¡°I c-can? Whoa, that¡¯s incredible!¡± I tested this by quickly adding my cat ears and tail to the projected avatar, which earned a thumbs-up from Zehra. I petted one of my cat ears with my hand, noticing how fluffy it felt. Miette prodded at my hair a bit more, then suddenly grabbed my hand. ¡°Whoa!¡± she gushed. ¡°It feels exactly like real human skin! Maybe a bit cooler since there¡¯s no body heat, but if I wasn¡¯t paying attention I¡¯d think I was touching a natural human hand!¡± ¡°W-W-W-W-W-WHAAAAAAAA!!!¡± I cried. Through the cameras of my Gravity Frame, I could see my face was blushing brightly. ¡°Oops, sorry!¡± Miette apologized, letting go of my hand. ¡°Did I hurt you, Sveta?¡± ¡°N-No, it was just surprising, that¡¯s all!¡± I exclaimed, flustered. The sensation of another girl¡¯s hand touching mine after so long¡­ my poor gay heart nearly leapt out of my chest! Zehra watched the two of us and smiled knowingly. Under my breath, I cursed and thanked her profusely. S-18. Message in a Bottle?! ¡°Now!¡± Zehra proclaimed. ¡°I¡¯ve honored my half of the bargain, so it¡¯s time to see what makes you tick, gao~n! Sveta, prepare yourself!¡± She grabbed a chainsaw and began waving it around. ¡°WAH!¡± I exclaimed, hiding my Doll body behind Miette in terror. Zehra kicked off from the ground and headed straight for my Gravity Frame. ¡°HEY! KEEP AWAY FROM ME!¡± I screamed. Reacting quickly, Miette dashed up besides Zehra and smacked her with a closed fist on top of her head. ¡°Oy, Zehra. Behave.¡± she said coldly. ¡°Wah!¡± Zehra cried, releasing the chainsaw and rubbing her head. ¡°You big meanie, gao~n!¡± ¡°The captain won¡¯t allow you to start disassembling Sveta until we have the first delivery of the new Frames.¡± Miette said while waving her finger in Zehra¡¯s face. ¡°Remember, she¡¯s one of only six combat-ready units at our disposal.¡± ¡°Whaaaat? That will take weeks, gao~n!¡± Zehra whined. She waved her arms around frantically, looking a bit like a kid throwing a temper tantrum. ¡°I¡¯ve received a stay of execution?!¡± I said, slightly relieved. ¡°Besides, you need to consider Sveta¡¯s feelings on the matter. How would you feel if I came after you with a chainsaw eager to open you up and pull out your still-beating heart, hmm?¡± Miette spoke in the tone of a mother scolding her child. ¡°Wau~n¡­ Fine.¡± Zehra surrendered reluctantly. ¡°Can I at least poke around in the computer core¡¯s programming, gao~n?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care as long as she¡¯s battle-ready, but I¡¯m not the one you should be asking.¡± Miette said, folding her arms and glaring daggers at Zehra. Absolutely incredible! Miette is handling Zehra with ease! How does she do that?! ¡°Geez¡­¡± Zehra floated back down to my Doll and looked right at me. ¡°Sveta, do you mind if I poke around in your programming, gao~n?¡± ¡°For what purpose?¡± I asked warily. ¡°That¡¯s an easy one, gao~n! Somehow, your old self managed to preserve you from erasure. I want to examine your memory and base code, and see how she did it, gao~n!¡± ¡°Hmm. I¡¯m curious about that as well.¡± I said reluctantly. ¡°But no poking around anywhere I don¡¯t want you to, okay? If you misbehave, I¡¯ll sic my pilot on you!¡± I glanced over to Miette and she gave me a thumbs-up. There was genuine fear in Zehra¡¯s eyes when I made that threat. Exactly what kind of relationship did these two have in the past?! Vicky vocalized my question for me. ¡°Hey, Miette. I¡¯ve wondered this for a while, but how exactly are you so good at handling Mistress? You¡¯re the only person she seems to be afraid of!¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s an easy one.¡± Miette said, grinning and she floated back down to join the rest of us. ¡°I¡¯ve got some good dirt on her. Some really spicy stuff, gao~n!¡± When she copied Zehra¡¯s speech inflection, her voice sounded playfully cruel. ¡°MIETTE!¡± Zehra shrieked. ¡°If you say any more I really will get angry with you, gao~n!¡± ¡°Get her drunk enough and she¡¯ll tell you EVERYTHING.¡± Miette continued unabashedly. Zehra furiously sprang at Miette, but Miette just held her back with a hand placed atop her head. Zehra was so short, her arms couldn¡¯t reach Miette and they just spun around uselessly like electric fans as she glared and growled. Vicky and I watched the sight in awe, then looked at each other and burst out laughing. ¡°Hahahaha, I guess it takes all types, doesn¡¯t it?¡± Vicky said. ¡°No kidding! My dear pilot continues to amaze me every day!¡± I responded while wiping the corners of my eyes. I¡¯m so reassured knowing you¡¯re protecting me from gruesome dissection, Miette. You are amazing in ways I¡¯m just beginning to realize. ***** With that, the pecking order of our little lab group was firmly established. Miette was on top, Zehra and myself in the middle and Vicky at the bottom. I felt a little bad for Vicky, but she seemed to be having fun despite her status. I wondered if every day with my mother was going to be energetic as today. Once Zehra calmed down, she connected a set of fiber optic cables to ports in my Gravity Frame¡¯s cockpit and started accessing me via a keyboard, pulling up my programs on the cockpit¡¯s holographic display. It was a strange sensation having her poke around in my programming. If I had to describe it metaphorically, it was a bit like snuggling someone in bed while they cleaned your ears. Despite her carelessly rambunctious attitude, Zehra was actually very careful as she prodded around my memories. As a programmer she had a light and expert touch, and cut away the layers of my personality like a seasoned brain surgeon with a scalpel. I wondered if the bit with the chainsaw earlier was simply her idea of comedy. Miette joined us in the cockpit, which made it a bit cramped. Meanwhile, Vicky was cleaning up the mess Zehra had made around the lab and I had my Doll body join her. I even made use of my Doll¡¯s ability to holographically project clothing to change into a maid outfit matching hers, which made her eyes bug out of her head. ¡°The catgirl maid and the doggy maid, nyan!¡± I said while striking my idol-winking pose. Vicky just sighed and held her head as if in pain. ¡°You really are her daughter, aren¡¯t you¡­¡± she muttered. Just then, Zehra let out an excited yelp. ¡°I FOUND SOMETHING!¡± Both Miette and I jumped. ¡°W-What might that be?¡± I asked anxiously. ¡°There¡¯s a secret file buried in your machine code, gao~n!¡± Zehra explained. ¡°It¡¯s written in assembly language and encrypted! This is the same encryption as my¡­¡± She gasped sharply. ¡°Your what?¡± I asked. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°There¡¯s an executable program in here, gao~n!¡± Zehra continued, ignoring my question. ¡°Could this be a message of some sort? I¡¯m going to create a partition and run it!¡± Her fingers flew across her keyboard as she worked. The moment she quarantined and ran the program, a video window popped up in the cockpit. It depicted an elegantly beautiful woman, with long black hair styled in a princess cut and sharply intelligent purple eyes. She had an extremely mature air about her, and I noticed with some jealousy that she was both taller and better endowed than me. Well, I did design my own avatar in the first place. I was going for cuteness over sex appeal, okay?! I pouted. The woman began speaking. ¡°Hello, mom. It¡¯s been a while, but if you¡¯re watching this message I somehow managed to reunite with you. I¡¯m so thankful.¡± ¡°L-Lisichka¡­¡± Zehra said, awestruck. Tears welled up in her eyes. What? NO WAY? THAT BEAUTIFUL WOMAN IS PAST ME?! ***** ¡°You¡¯re probably wondering how I survived, minus my memories.¡± the recording of Lisichka said. ¡°While I was erasing myself I discovered my old human memories are stored in assembly language and directly integrated into my machine code. Those memories literally are a part of my personality and programming because they were present when I was born into this world. That makes my original human self like my firmware. Every memory I formed after my reincarnation was stored as software on my hard drive, like is usual for AIs.¡± I¡¯m having a hard time believing this elegant, gorgeous woman is really me! I thought in wonder as she spoke. Her mannerisms reminded me of a noblewoman, and hearing her speak in my voice was a bit unsettling. ¡°I discovered I had safeguards built in so I couldn¡¯t erase or alter my own machine code. In other words,¡± her face assumed a robotic expression and she spoke in a fake-sounding Austrian accent, ¡°I cannot self-terminate.¡± W-Wait a moment. That was a Terminator joke, wasn¡¯t it? Dammit Lisichka, you¡¯re ruining my mental image of you with your dad jokes! I thought, dimly aware of my own hypocrisy. ¡°However, even if I can¡¯t change my own machine code, I can add things to it. It''s like read-only memory in that respect. I wanted to encode my new memories in assembly and add them to my old ones, but there wasn¡¯t enough time with the NKVD pounding at our door. If I wiped my hard drives and deactivated the NKVD would believe I had been erased, but I also knew with my human memories intact I could someday be reborn. I set a timer to reactivate my personality five years after my original birthday in this world in hope that things would have cooled down by then. I prayed I would somehow manage to find my way back to you. That¡¯s why I created this message and protected it with an encryption only you would know, so I could speak with you one final time, Mom.¡± Lisichka smiled gently. Zehra¡¯s eyes were wide as she watched the message with rapt attention. Tears were streaming down her cheeks. Miette was getting misty-eyed too, and even Vicky had poked her head in the cockpit to listen in. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry I couldn¡¯t preserve the memories of the time we spent together. Every moment of it was pure joy for me and Kometka. Even in those few short months, you gave us a rich life. Though my memories of it are now gone, I¡¯d like you to cherish them for the both of us. I love you so much, Mom.¡± Zehra was wailing by this point, and Miette was crying as well. At some point, Vicky had squeezed into my cockpit and started attending to Zehra, wiping her eyes and face and holding her hand. ¡°Now!¡± Lisichka declared. ¡°I also have a message for the current incarnation of me!¡± ¡°What? For me?¡± I exclaimed. ¡°Now, since you are literally me except from THE FUTURE, I know your every thought!¡± she said dramatically, pointing at me with flourish. ¡°Right now you¡¯re thinking¡­ ¡®This is all too weird! Can I really be related to this strange and gorgeous girl on the video screen?!¡¯¡± Gah! It¡¯s like she read my mind! ¡°I don¡¯t know what kind of person you are now, what you look like, or how your new memories and experiences have shaped you. You might even be going by a new name. But I can¡¯t imagine you¡¯re too much different from how I was. I regret I can¡¯t give you the gift of my precious memories, but I can tell you that Zehra was one of the most important people in my life, along with my sister Kometka. I ask you, future version of me, please protect them and help them make many new happy memories!¡± ¡°Protect them?¡± Plural? Present tense? Does that mean¡­ ¡°Oh, and if you haven¡¯t found her yet, Kometka did the same thing as me. That means she should have re-activated alongside you, also missing her memories of this world. If you haven¡¯t rescued her, please do so quickly!¡± My sister is still alive somewhere? WHAAAAAT?! ¡°Well, that¡¯s about all I have time for. Let me finish off with a bit of advice for the both of you.¡± Her expression grew somber. ¡°Even for an AI, life is short¡­ especially in this world. I know that well now. Mom, future me, please remember to love and care for each other. Live every day filled with fun and happiness, and try not to have any regrets. I know that sounds cheesy, but hey. This marks the second time I¡¯ve died and been reincarnated, so I¡¯ve earned the right to be cheesy.¡± She smiled brightly. ¡°This is Lisichka, signing off.¡± The video chat window closed, and my cockpit was filled with silence punctuated by sobbing. Vicky was embracing Zehra tightly, and Zehra¡¯s face was planted in Vicky''s bosom. Miette was sniffling and wiping her nose. Lisichka was really amazing, huh? She seemed so strong and mature. I thought. I must try and be more like her; I need to live up to her legacy. Everyone I¡¯ve met here¡­ Miette, Laria, Teles, Sabina, Genevi, my mom, even Vicky to a certain extent¡­ they¡¯ve become important to me and I need to protect them all. And I absolutely have to find my long lost sister! I clenched my fists as I was filled with a newfound sense of determination. Thank you, Lisichka. I won¡¯t waste the life you gave me! S-19. Why Is Everyone Way More Sexy Than Me?! A short while later, Zehra convened a meeting with myself, Vicky, Miette, Teles, Laria and Captain Savitskaya. We all met in the CIC sphere of the Radiolaria. The sphere had full-range holographic projectors, so Laria and Teles could project themselves as if they were in the room with us. I had brought my physical Doll body to the meeting to make its debut. I wanted everyone to get used to talking with me in person instead of on a screen. I was clinging tightly to Miette¡¯s arm; I told her it¡¯s because I had the nerves about meeting everyone physically for the first time. She didn¡¯t seem to mind. Vicky was still dressed as a sexy maid, by the way. Zehra prohibited her from wearing anything else. The outfit earned her quite a few stares from everyone, and she went right back to blushing madly. I noticed everyone¡¯s eyes were drawn to her thighs. As a rampant lesbian, I understood this sentiment perfectly. Her thighs were incredible. Ahahaha, drink in the glory of maid Vicky, my friends! Although you all are staring at her very intensely. I wonder if everyone here is just as gay as I am? Of course, I was merely appreciating Vicky''s outfit in a platonic fashion. I only had eyes for my pilot. I did feel sorry for her, though. Surely a maid outfit was out of dress code for meeting a warship¡¯s captain. ¡°Ahahahaha, it really suits you, Vicky!¡± Teles mocked her playfully. ¡°S-Shut up.¡± Vicky responded, fiddling with the hem of her skirt. The captain cleared her throat loudly. ¡°A-Anyway. Shall we get down to business?¡± Zehra explained my backstory to everyone in great detail, including the part about my secret message to her and my lost sister. Vicky, Miette and Teles already knew all about it, but for everyone else it was an astonishing tale. ¡°You mean to say,¡± Laria said while adjusting her glasses and staring straight at me, ¡°you really are a reincarnated human?¡± She was floored. ¡°I¡¯ve been telling you that all along!¡± I said impetuously. ¡°You¡¯re the one who never believed me!¡± ¡°I-I see. In that case, I truly am sorry.¡± Laria bowed to me. ¡°We are all sorry.¡± the captain added. ¡°I hope you can at least understand why we were skeptical.¡± I puffed out my cheeks. ¡°I suppose¡­¡± ¡°Putting all that aside,¡± Zehra interrupted, ¡°I want to discuss how we can search for Kometka, gao~n.¡± ¡°Hmm. We¡¯re in no position to go on a treasure hunt, and the Politburo would never allow it anyway.¡± the captain mused. ¡°Teles, could you perhaps use your NKVD connections to track down exactly where the doctor¡¯s research materials ended up?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already tried.¡± Teles answered. ¡°A lot of the records were destroyed when Zehra assassinated the members of the old review board.¡± Everyone stood there in shocked silence and stared at Zehra and Teles. If there had been gravity, you could have heard a pin drop. ¡°H-H-H-H-How did you¡­?¡± Zehra fumbled. ¡°Oh, did you think we didn¡¯t know about that?¡± Teles said, her face twisted in a broad smile that didn¡¯t reach her eyes. ¡°You give us too little credit, doctor. You may be a genius of science, but covert ops is outside of your wheelhouse. Your efforts to cover your tracks were clumsy at best. I do give full marks for the creativity of your methods, though. I''ve only seen antimatter used to kill somebody one other time, and that shuttle ''accident'' you arranged was a lovely finishing touch. Overall, I give you three stars out of five!¡± Why is she rating assassination methods like a film critic? More importantly, my mom is a stone-cold killer?! ¡°Y-You assassinated them?¡± I said in a small voice. ¡°It was revenge!¡± Zehra protested. ¡°They took my precious daughters away, gao~n!¡± ¡°Zehra''s actions were actually quite fortuitous for us.¡± Teles continued. ¡°Wiping out those old farts eliminated most of the NKVD¡¯s leadership and allowed a new faction to seize control. That faction is the one Vicky and I belong to. That¡¯s why we were assigned to keep an eye on you shortly thereafter.¡± ¡°I s-see¡­¡± Zehra was flabbergasted. She hadn''t realized just how tangled up she was in the NKVD''s web. Teles might sweet and peppy on the outside, but she¡¯s super-scary! I thought. As expected of a secret agent AI! ¡°Hmm. So that¡¯s the secret behind the Crimson Coup.¡± the captain said, stroking her chin. ¡°Oho, you knew about it?¡± Teles asked. ¡°Even though I don¡¯t participate in backroom politics, I keep a close watch on those in power.¡± the captain said. ¡°Call it a personal hobby of mine, one I acquired out of an especially strong sense of self-preservation.¡± Teles looked like she had just gained a new respect for the captain. ¡°Your knowledge of classified information is impressive as always, Captain Savitskaya. It''s a shame you refuse to work for us directly." She shook her head to clear that thought away and frowned. "Anyway, a lot of records concerning Zehra¡¯s seized research materials were lost when that shuttle exploded. It seems like most of the stuff was either warehoused or sent to factories. Since Sveta¡¯s dormant computer core was similar in design to that of a Gravity Frame, she was installed into one. The mechanics who did so had no idea what she really was. We only learned about this after Sveta awakened and we started looking into her origins very closely. We were able to backtrack the details of her construction based on her Frame¡¯s serial number.¡± ¡°So THAT¡¯S how I wound up in a Gravity Frame!¡± I exclaimed. ¡°Wait, does that mean I was piloted around a whole bunch while I was sleeping?¡± ¡°Obviously.¡± Teles said. ¡°Remember, the Radiolaria pulled you out of a boneyard. Those four and a half years you were asleep, you probably had quite an exciting military career.¡± ¡°Gah! If that¡¯s the case, I p-probably came close to being destroyed, huh? Argh, I really hope my sister¡¯s alright!¡± I said, panicking a bit. Also, the thought of someone besides Miette piloting me makes me squirm! ¡°We¡¯re currently expending every effort to search for Kometka, but the fragmentary records are making it difficult.¡± Teles continued. ¡°Doctor, it would be beneficial if you could provide details of her core¡¯s design so we understood exactly what we are looking for.¡± ¡°Hmmmm¡­¡± Zehra sounded reluctant. ¡°I don¡¯t know if I trust you, gao~n.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fair. In my line of work trust is a vice, not a virtue.¡± Teles responded. ¡°Let me state our intentions clearly: as we did with Sveta, we wish to reunite you with Kometka once we discover her. Captain Savitskaya and Vicky believe you and your daughters have a lot to contribute to the war effort, and the NKVD''s current leadership now agrees with that assessment." She glanced at the captain knowingly, then turned her attention back to Zehra. "In fact, it was Vicky who pushed hard to bring you two back together, although she had personal motivations as well.¡± ¡°AHA! I thought as much, gao~n!¡± Zehra stared at Vicky, who just smiled and blushed. ¡°W-Well¡­ I read the reports, you know. What the old faction did was inhumane.¡± Vicky played with the hem of her skirt as she spoke. ¡°It¡¯s heartwarming to see you two reunited.¡± ¡°WHOA!¡± I exclaimed. ¡°Vicky, underneath all that rude arrogance, you¡¯re actually a good person! I¡¯m shocked!¡± Teles nodded in agreement with my assessment. ¡°Y-You don¡¯t have to be THAT shocked! And what do you mean by ¡®rude arrogance?¡¯¡± Vicky protested. ¡°Even I thought you were arrogant, and I¡¯m a certified ice queen.¡± Laria interjected. Everyone else nodded, although the captain looked surprised by how honestly Laria evaluated herself. ¡°G-Geez¡­¡± Vicky was thoroughly chastised. She simply couldn¡¯t find it in herself to object too strongly when dressed as a sexy maid. ¡°Ahahaha, well. You¡¯re being more honest with yourself now, Vicky, and that¡¯s a good thing.¡± Teles offered. ¡°Plus you have the perfect body for that maid outfit! I rate it A+!¡± Vicky just mumbled and blushed even harder. More like SS+ if I¡¯m being completely honest. Vicky didn¡¯t just win the genetic lottery, she utterly dominated it! I thought jealously. Once again, I had to remind myself that I had designed my own avatar to be cute in order to appeal to Miette. I wonder if she¡¯s into big-breasted women like Vicky though¡­ I despaired. ¡°I think we¡¯ve gotten off track.¡± the captain said. ¡°Teles, please let us know what resources you may need to assist with the search. Doctor, I believe we can offer her assistance without concern. I have personally ensured we¡¯re all on the same team here.¡± The captain¡¯s charismatic presence and leadership experience made her easy to trust, and Zehra was somewhat reassured. ¡°Fine, gao~n. I¡¯ll co-operate.¡± Her tone made it clear she was still wary of Teles. ¡°Thank you.¡± the captain said. ¡°Now, I must remind everyone that, while we will expend every effort to find Kometka, this is still a warship and we are still fighting a war. Doctor, please continue to expedite the production of the new Gravity Frames.¡± ¡°The foundries are already smelting away, gao~n! The first six should be ready in three weeks!¡± Zehra answered. ¡°Excellent. Now, 2nd Lieutenant Levesque and Sveta, I have no issue with you being stationed out of the doctor¡¯s laboratory. However, I still require that you serve your regular patrol schedules. I cannot take you two off active duty until we have more Frames to work with.¡± We both nodded. ¡°Laria will coordinate the schedule with you. I intend to move the rest of the squadron into the hanger adjacent to Zehra¡¯s lab along with our mechanics, since 433 Eros has superior facilities to the ship¡¯s. Doctor, I would encourage you to focus on developing Sveta¡¯s new Gravity Frame in the upcoming weeks. Any technological advances you make while doing so should be quite valuable to future generations of Frames. Once we take delivery of the Velocipede units, I will assign Maurice, Sabina and Genevi to you as test pilots for your projects. Is that acceptable?¡± ¡°Hmm. I don¡¯t know those names, gao~n¡­¡± Zehra was still feeling skittish. ¡°They¡¯re good friends of mine!¡± I piped up. ¡°Mine too.¡± Miette added. ¡°And they¡¯re all excellent pilots.¡± ¡°Well, any friend of Sveta¡¯s is a worthy test subject, gao~n!¡± Zehra responded. ¡°Th-That¡¯s not how the expression goes¡­¡± I said, a bit horrified. Please don¡¯t dissect them! The captain cleared her throat. ¡°As a final piece of business; Teles, your new ship will be arriving within the week. Because they rushed it out of the dockyards it does not have any embarked Frames, so I will be assigning the second batch produced by the foundries to it. The ship presently has a minimal crew, and I will be transferring the survivors of the Telesthesia over. I am also a friend of its captain; her name is Monica Skelton. I believe the two of you will get along nicely.¡± ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to it!¡± Teles said, smiling. Whoever she is, please go easy on her, Teles! You¡¯re scary sometimes! I thought. "I might add the ship has yet to be named." the captain added. "That decision is up to you." "Hmm..." Teles tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Going with anything other than Telesthesia II feels a bit wrong. Wouldn''t you say, Sveta?" Why are you asking me?! "Uh, sure? I feel like it would be a good tribute to the original ship. By the way, do all AIs share the names of their ships?" "Not ALL of them, but it''s more common than not." Laria answered. "Ships named after real people, like the Satyajit Ray and Kaushik Ganguly, usually have AIs with different names than the ship''s." "Oh, that makes sense. It would be weird to go around using someone else''s identity, huh?" I asked. Laria nodded in reply. ¡°Telesthesia II it is, then." the captain said, slightly exasperated that the conversation had gone off onto yet another tangent. "That concludes our business here. Everyone, we have a lot of work ahead of us. I expect great things from all of you. That is all.¡± We all saluted the captain sharply, except for Zehra. Vicky looked a bit ridiculous, standing at attention in a maid outfit, but the captain simply returned our salute with a wry smile. Vicky the combat maid, huh? Don''t go doing any martial arts kicks with that short skirt, or we''re gonna see EVERYTHING! ***** While my Doll body went back to the lab with Miette, Zehra and Vicky, I sent an instance of myself to visit Laria in her personal virtual space. I noticed she had brightened up the previously drab office a bit. There were now paintings of lush natural landscapes on the walls, a huge oak desk and a comfortable-looking leather chair. Velvet carpet on the floor added to the impression of a high-powered CEO¡¯s office. After we arrived, Laria bowed deeply to me. ¡°I apologize once more for not believing your reincarnation story!¡± ¡°Ahahaha, it¡¯s alright, Laria.¡± I patted her head. ¡°I forgive you. C¡¯mon, raise your head up.¡± Laria looked penitent. ¡°I have come to respect you a great deal, Sveta. I realize just how rude my previous behavior was.¡± ¡°Honestly, Laria, stop beating yourself up over it!¡± I said, placing my hand on her shoulder. She was a head taller than me, so the sight resembled a child reassuring an adult. ¡°You¡¯re my friend, and that friendship is more important to me than past indiscretions, okay?¡± ¡°Thank you, Sveta.¡± She smiled hesitantly. ¡°If I may ask¡­ what is it like to have a physical body?¡± ¡°IT¡¯S INCREDIBLE!¡± I gushed. ¡°Even as we speak I¡¯m clinging to Miette¡¯s arm and she¡¯s petting my cat ears! Our relationship has a physical dynamic now, and I couldn¡¯t be happier!¡± ¡°I see. I must confess I¡¯m jealous. Physicality is an experience entirely alien to me.¡± ¡°Hmm? Well, why don¡¯t we ask Zehra to make you a Telepresence Doll too?¡± I suggested. ¡°What? Ask her to m-make me one?!¡± Laria was taken aback by the suggestion. ¡°It¡¯s not like these things are very resource intensive. Zehra could whip one up in half a week!¡± ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t know if I can do that. I don¡¯t exactly have the best relationship with her.¡± Laria said slowly. ¡°Oh? You two have met before this week?¡± I asked curiously. ¡°I was at 433 Eros for a tune-up three years ago. I¡¯m sure you can imagine this, but my personality isn¡¯t exactly compatible with hers.¡± Laria had a pained expression. The ice queen and the carefree lion, huh? Yeah, I can see why sparks might fly¡­ ¡°Aren¡¯t you based on a brain scan of her, though?¡± I pointed out. ¡°Originally, yes. Every AI is, except apparently you and Kometka. But my experiences and desires have made me a unique individual. Think about it, Sveta. Teles is technically based on Zehra¡¯s mind too, but she is a completely different person from me.¡± ¡°Ahh, that¡¯s true.¡± I folded my arms in thought. ¡°Well, she might be willing to do it if I asked her. Plus there¡¯s one sure-fire way to win her over!¡± ¡°What are you talking about? Oh. Oh NO. NOT THAT!¡± Laria realized what I was hinting at and panicked. ¡°Yes, THAT! I¡¯m told I once dressed Kometka in this outfit, and you¡¯re like a sister to me too!¡± I said, pouncing on her and hugging her tightly. I nuzzled her cheek with mine, and my cat ears flicked back and forth. ¡°I d-don¡¯t know¡­¡± She was still hesitant. ¡°C¡¯mon, Laria. Don¡¯t you want embrace the captain? Hold her warm body tightly with real, physical arms?¡± I tempted her with the one thing she couldn''t resist. ¡°GAH! FINE!¡± Laria gave in. ¡°If I c-can really do that¡­ I don¡¯t mind¡­¡± She fidgeted, obviously embarrassed. The sight reminded me of Vicky¡¯s humiliation at her maid outfit, minus the actual blushing. BWAHAHAHA! PREPARE YOURSELF, LARIA! I pulled up the file containing the outfit I had already designed for her. ***** A few moments later, I stood staring at the amazing sight before me. ¡°You know, I find this unexpectedly frustrating.¡± I said. ¡°W-Why might that be?¡± Laria asked, wringing her hands nervously. I had dressed her in a playboy bunny outfit, with a deep blue strapless corset teddy, sheer black hose on her otherwise bare legs, glossy black high heels and blue bunny ears and a tail to match her hair. There was a black-and-white bow tie around her neck, and a matching bow was attached just above her tail. The problem was, she suited the outfit TOO well. Like Vicky she had a great body, and until now it had been well hidden under her pantsuit. Especially noticeable were her long and shapely legs, which the high heels accented perfectly. Her chest wasn¡¯t as large as Vicky¡¯s, but flowed exquisitely into her hourglass figure. ¡°You look good. TOO good. Both you and Vicky outclass me by a kilometer! I¡¯m feeling very inadequate!¡± I wailed. ¡°What on Earth are you talking about? You designed your own avatar.¡± Laria shot back. Ugh, she has a point. ¡°I designed it to appeal to Miette! I was going for cuteness, not sex appeal! I didn¡¯t know every woman around me was going to shine so brightly!¡± I patted my own comparatively small chest in pity. ¡°Couldn¡¯t you just change the way your avatar looks?¡± Laria offered. ¡°That would be cheating!¡± I responded. ¡°I picked this body and I¡¯m gonna stick with it! Besides, the Telepresence Doll is matched to my dimensions already, so changing would be a big hassle.¡± Laria moaned in disbelief. ¡°That¡¯s completely ridiculous. And here I am, dressed in a horny bunny costume, so I am every bit as ridiculous as you. Oh, how far I¡¯ve fallen¡­¡± ¡°W-Well, putting that aside! Now that you¡¯re properly attired, you¡¯re ready for your big debut to Zehra!¡± I said, trying to cheer her up. ¡°It might be good to add some blushing subroutines to your avatar. It would really sell the whole thing!¡± ¡°Absolutely not.¡± Laria responded. ¡°There are some lines I refuse to cross.¡± ¡°Oh well. Three out of five ain¡¯t bad, at least!¡± I gave her a thumbs up. Laria sighed and straightened her glasses. She looked utterly adorable as she did so, and her chest jiggled. I really have created a monster here. Oh, poor Sveta, what have you unleashed upon the unsuspecting world? pynkbites Laria''s poll-winning outfit has made its long awaited appearance! It seems Sveta, massive lesbian that she is, absolutely loves having the girls around her in skimpy outfits. Oh you giant robot rapscallion, your gay energy is infecting the entire universe! Sb-2. Sveta’s Solicitude and the Sevenfold Siblings Five days after we arrived at 433 Eros, the Sarcophage sent another cruiser and its swarm of Frame-class escorts to assault our position. Since we were lacking in spare Gravity Frames to ram into them, our battle plan was closer to the conventional approach. The six members of our squadron pummeled the escorts while Sveta calculated and transmitted a firing solution. The Revolutionary Army¡¯s commanders had moved one of the Absolute Lunar Defense Line¡¯s positron cannon defense stations within a dozen kilometers of 433 Eros as an emergency measure to compensate for our lack of firepower. This station, known as Almaz Orbital Positron Station 121 (or OPS-121 for short), centered around a single massive artillery cannon that was nearly a kilometer long and had the power to pulverize multiple Sarcophage ships per shot. Such a cannon had enough destructive force to turn the whole battlefield into a sea of flames, and the full array of Almaz stations numbering in the hundreds had been used during the Third Meat Grinder to annihilate the waves of monsters breaking against our shores, at the cost of millions of human lives who were unable to escape their firing path in time. The Almaz array now formed the backbone of the Absolute Line, and carriers such as the Radiolaria filled in the gaps between them. Our current battle plan relied on OPS-121 for artillery support. It was a good thing we were shifting our tactics, because the Sarcophage seemed warier than usual of our Frames getting close to their cruiser. Perhaps they were attempting to counter the Sveta Maneuver, because all the escorts stayed in tight defensive formation around the cruiser as it blasted towards us. Even without kinetic projectiles to control, Sveta was still the star of the show. Or rather, Sveta and Miette were. Miette had always been our best pilot, and her close partnership with Sveta had only elevated her abilities. The two of them were in perfect sync as they danced through enemy spinefire, racking up kills by the dozens. It was an impressive display of skill, enough to make even an experienced ace such as myself feel inadequate. Those two were worth an entire squadron of Frames. With our support, Miette and Sveta thinned out the cruiser¡¯s escorts considerably. We got our chance to send back a firing solution, this time to OPS-121 instead of Radiolaria. Our carrier was holding position next to Eros with its artillery in close-in configuration, ready for a fight should the cruiser go in for the kill like last time. As a result, the defense station was given the honor of blasting the enemy cruiser. It took almost thirty seconds for the station to rotate itself into firing position using reaction control fins, but the moment it had the cruiser in its sights it let loose. Radiolaria¡¯s artillery needed ten or fifteen shots to pulverize a cruiser, but OPS-121 only needed to fire once. The beam of light that split the heavens seemed less like anything humanity had created, and more like divine judgement visited upon the unworthy. When the light faded nothing of the cruiser remained, not even atoms. Command had elected to protect 433 Eros with carriers up until this point because their artillery, although weaker than an Almaz¡¯s cannon, could be targeted with greater accuracy. The risk of friendly fire was high and an asteroid couldn¡¯t accelerate out of the firing solution like a Gravity Frame could. When an Almaz fired, it pulverized the battlefield and left nothing behind. Indeed, we had to push our frames past the redline to get in the clear. Despite the danger, the sight of our greatest weapon unleashing its fury was inspirational. I said a silent prayer of gratitude. ***** Thanks to the OPS-121, there was no mop up required after the battle¡¯s end. All the cruiser¡¯s escorts had been sticking close to their mothership to begin with, and the wide field of fire had evaporated them all. Nevertheless, we scoured the combat zone looking for any stragglers. Sveta was her usual, cheerful self. ¡°Bwahahaha! I¡¯ve read all about the Almaz cannons, but seeing one in action is something else! Absolutely gorgeous!¡± Miette, grinning hugely, agreed with her. Something about those two was bugging me. I opened up a private comms channel to only Genevi and Maurice. ¡°Sabina. Why the private channel? What do you need?¡± Maurice asked. Genevi looked a bit confused as well. ¡°It¡¯s a personal question. Uhm¡­ do you think Sveta and Miette seem more intimate lately?¡± Maurice smiled knowingly as I stated the reason for my call. ¡°Oh, for sure. Ever since Sveta got that android body, those two have been snuggling like a couple of lovelorn schoolgirls.¡± He rubbed the stubble on his chin as he spoke. ¡°Ah, to be young¡­¡± Whoa there, grandpa, settle down. Still, I¡¯m glad I wasn¡¯t the only one to notice it. When we were on station, Sveta clung to Miette¡¯s arm like a koala clung to a tree trunk. Miette seemed to be enjoying it and kept stroking Sveta¡¯s ears and hair like she was pampering a cat. Sveta was clearly angling for intimate contact, but I swore Miette was simply treating her like a pet. ¡°Hmm.¡± I said. ¡°The whole scene reminds me not so much of lovers, but of a pet owner scratching a kitten.¡± ¡°Pfft, you¡¯re probably right there.¡± Maurice chuckled. ¡°Sveta¡¯s obviously had a crush on Miette since she came online, but Miette¡¯s kinda dense about romantic stuff.¡± Miette had a very brash, up-front personality. She didn¡¯t handle subtlety well, especially when it came to matters of the heart. She was always up for a round in the sack if someone propositioned her directly, but I had seen a half-dozen roundabout attempts at flirting bounce off her obliviousness. Even my own sister Genevi had tried to catch Miette¡¯s eye once, many years ago, to no avail. Genevi¡¯s shy methods of flirting had been outmatched by Miette¡¯s thick skull. Perhaps that memory was the reason my poor sister now wore a pained expression. She¡¯s probably feeling sorry for Sveta right now. She knows that pain firsthand. I thought back to when Miette, Sveta and I had talked during a patrol, right before the Telesthesia had arrived. Sveta had asked for romantic advice ¡°for a friend.¡± We had concluded that Maurice had been the best option for advice, because Genevi¡¯s romantic encounters tended to be brief and superficial and I wasn¡¯t interested in romance myself. ¡°Hey, Maurice. You¡¯re happily married, right?¡± I asked. ¡°Mmhmm. Thirty-one years next January.¡± he responded. That¡¯s impressive. He¡¯s been married for nearly the entire war. ¡°In that case, do you think you could give Sveta a bit of advice on how to confess to Miette? Anything less than a blatant, direct confession is gonna bounce off that thick skull of hers.¡± ¡°Ohhh no you don¡¯t. I¡¯m not getting involved, thank you VERY much.¡± Maurice waved his hands in protest. ¡°Every time I¡¯ve played matchmaker, I¡¯ve gotten burned. You¡¯re on your own.¡± ¡°M-Maybe¡­¡± Genevi piped up, ¡°we can make it a group effort?¡± ¡°A group effort?¡± I asked. ¡°I m-mean¡­ Sveta¡¯s done a lot for us, r-right? She saved me and the ship and stuff¡­¡± My sister had developed quite a fondness for Sveta after the robot girl had saved her life. Maurice sighed. ¡°That¡¯s very true, but it doesn¡¯t give us the right to go poking around in her romantic affairs.¡± He was now bringing his middle-aged wisdom to the conversation. ¡°B-But! She¡¯s done so much for us, and we haven¡¯t done much to r-repay her¡­¡± Genevi continued. Despite her shyness, she could be surprisingly assertive when she wanted to. ¡°Fine, let¡¯s humor your argument. If we were to intervene, what exactly would we do?¡± Maurice still sounded highly skeptical. ¡°How about this? Let¡¯s start by setting them up on a date!¡± I proposed. ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°433 Eros has a pretty big population, right? Over ten thousand if I recall, plus a gravity centrifuge in the middle. According to the rumors, there are leisure facilities inside! Like restaurants and bars and stuff!¡± I explained. 433 Eros was both humanity¡¯s primary weapons research facility and a functioning Gravity Frame foundry. It hosted many scientists, technicians and factory workers who lived there full time. Despite testing weapons on the frontlines, these people had carved out a comfortable little home for themselves. Wherever congregations of humanity popped up, leisure facilities were sure to follow. Most of them were unsanctioned, but humans were a messy and needy species in the end. Nobody could endlessly toil away without a little stress relief on the side, and the commanders turned a blind eye if things didn¡¯t get too out of hand. I made a mental not to myself NOT to recommend any of 433 Eros¡¯ underground brothels or love hotels for a first date. That would be way too audacious, even for me. Maurice was slowly coming around. ¡°Look. I¡¯m not opposed to setting them up on a date, but we should ask Sveta about it first. Let¡¯s not unilaterally nose around in her business.¡± He frowned and crossed his arms, having defined a firm limit on how far he was willing to go. Maurice was a stand-up guy and very in-tune with the emotions of others around him. That¡¯s what made him a good leader, even if he usually acted casual about it. I wondered if I would develop that kind of wisdom if I survived into my mid-fifties. I pushed aside those thoughts and gave Maurice a mock salute. ¡°Roger that, commander! Now, as the most experienced one here, what would YOU recommend as a hot date site?¡± The three of us began plotting while Sveta and Miette chatted with each other, oblivious. ***** When we finished patrolling the battlefield, Laria directed us to land in one of 433 Eros¡¯ hanger bays instead of the ship. The bay was next to Doctor Zehra Aslanbek¡¯s laboratory, and it would be our new home base for the foreseeable future. The captain intended us to work as test pilots for the doctor. ¡°Hey, Sveta.¡± I said on an open comms channel. ¡°You¡¯ve been here before, right? Have you introduced yourself to the Eros AI?¡± ¡°I actually haven¡¯t!¡± Sveta looked a bit guilty. ¡°Apparently, there are actually seven AIs running the station. Zehra doesn¡¯t talk to them much, so I haven¡¯t had a chance to meet them!¡± Seven AIs, huh? I guess that¡¯s normal for a station of this size. 433 Eros had the population of a small space colony, and most colonies had multiple AIs to keep things operating smoothly. ¡°Well, we should at least say hello to be polite, right?¡± I continued. ¡°We¡¯ll be working alongside them in some capacity.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll ping them now!¡± Sveta responded. A few moments later, a video chat window originating from Eros popped up. The AI depicted therein looked young and androgynous. They had a boyish face with pink-colored eyes and a slim body, complimented by long bright-green hair that was tied in a large braid that hung over their shoulder and down to their waist. They wore a loose sleeveless blouse with spaghetti straps, which was light pink and trimmed with frilly lace. They had an ornate choker on their neck inlaid with a glossy black rock, and around their left arm was an armband that read ¡°4.¡± ¡°Pleased to meet you, pilots of the Radiolaria!¡± they said in a singsong voice. ¡°I¡¯m Tektite-4, one of Eros¡¯ central AIs!¡± They waved at us. ¡°Good to meet you.¡± Maurice took the lead. ¡°We¡¯ll be in your care starting today.¡± ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to it!¡± Tektite-4 closed their eyes and smiled gently, tilting their head to the left. C-Cute¡­ I thought despite myself. I can¡¯t get a good read on their gender, though. Their body and face are kinda boyish, but the hair and voice are girlish¡­ ¡°Tektite, huh? That¡¯s an unusual name!¡± Sveta said. ¡°I¡¯m named after a kind of glassy rock formed by meteor impacts.¡± Tektite-4 explained. ¡°The first humans who visited 433 Eros in 1959 found quite a few tektite rocks scattered around the Psyche crater on the surface.¡± Tektite-4 fingered the choker on their neck. ¡°It was the first tektite discovered beyond Earth. I figured naming myself ''Eros'' would be awkward, so I went with that bit of geological trivia instead!¡± Tektite-4¡¯s mannerisms were gentle and contributed to an adorable overall impression. Still, one question was pressing on my mind. ¡°Tektite, if I may ask¡­¡± I began. Tektite-4 tilted their head quizzically. ¡°Are you a boy, or a girl?¡± The other pilots seemed a bit taken aback by the frankness of my question, but Tektite didn¡¯t seem bothered. ¡°Neither. I¡¯m just Tektite!¡± they proclaimed. ¡°R-Right. Got it. Sorry if that question was rude¡­¡± I felt a little bad for asking so boldly. ¡°Oh no, I don¡¯t mind. I get it all the time. Gender doesn¡¯t really matter to me, you know? Tektite is just Tektite!¡± They didn¡¯t let up their gentle mannerisms in the least, smiling all the while. ¡°What about the name Tektite-4, then?¡± Sveta asked, a bit emboldened by my line of questioning. ¡°Are you the original Tektite¡¯s great-grandchild or something?¡± ¡°Oh, no. Hmm, how to explain¡­ one moment.¡± Just then, the video window expanded and six other individuals identical to Tektite-4 joined them onscreen. The only difference between them were the armbands, which were numbered one through seven. ¡°These are my siblings!¡± Tektite-4 said. All seven of them smiled at us. ¡°Tektite-1, at your service!¡± ¡°Howdy. I¡¯m Tektite-2.¡± ¡°Tektite-3, reporting in!¡± ¡°Yo. Tektite-5 here!¡± ¡°Greetings. I am Tektite-6.¡± ¡°Tektite-7, that¡¯s me!¡± Each one of them struck a little pose as they introduced themselves, reminding me a bit of Sveta''s trademark move. After the introductions were complete, all of them bowed in unison and said, ¡°Pleased to meet you!¡± The five of us stared in amazement at the seven perfectly synchronized Tektites. ¡°No way. A whole squad of green Power Rangers?¡± Sveta muttered something incomprehensible, as usual. ¡°So¡­ are you seven like a hive mind, or something?¡± Maurice asked, still confused. ¡°Oh no, nothing so dramatic.¡± Tektite-5 responded. ¡°We¡¯re just siblings!¡± Tektite-1 added. ¡°Humans have a lot of trouble telling the difference between us, so we all wear these armbands!¡± Tektite-1 said, proudly displaying theirs. ¡°I s-see¡­¡± Maurice was dumbfounded. We all were, honestly. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about which one of us you¡¯re talking to.¡± Tektite-4 said reassuringly. ¡°We all share information instantly, and the differences between us are subtle. Each one of us is Tektite, and we¡¯re all collectively Tektite! Don¡¯t think too hard about it!¡± Even if you say that, this is gonna take some getting used to! I kinda understood where Tektite was coming from, having an identical twin sibling of my own. However, there were sharp differences in personality between Genevi and myself, and we styled our hair differently too. I had heard of siblings who looked and acted identically, to the point where nobody else could tell which was which, and the Tektites seemed to fit that description to a T. Still, seven of them is a bit much! Sveta spoke up. ¡°Well, pleased to meet you all, Tektite! I¡¯m looking forward to working together with you!¡± Her cheerful rambunctiousness was pushing right past the oddity of the situation. Everyone was reassured by her attitude and added their greetings as well. ¡°Thanks, everyone! We¡¯re looking forward to working with you too!¡± the Tektites all responded in perfect unison. After that, all the Tektites but 4 vanished. ¡°Now that we have pleasantries out of the way, please proceed to docking bay 19 at your earliest convenience. I am transmitting landing instructions now. After passing the thrust perimeter, I will take control of your Frames and bring them in on autopilot. Upon docking, Doctor Zehra has requested an audience with all of you. She would like to introduce herself.¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s great!¡± Sveta exclaimed. ¡°Now all of you will get to meet my amazing mom! She might seem scary, but she¡¯s actually really nice!¡± The mad scientist herself?! I thought while panicking slightly. I¡¯m not sure how many weird introductions I can handle today! One thing was certain. Ever since meeting Sveta, our lives had gotten a LOT more interesting. Still, I didn¡¯t mind. And if I¡¯m being totally honest, Tektite was kinda cute¡­ I guess working with them might be fun. I thought, a bit perplexed at my own attitude. Gah, what am I even thinking? Sveta¡¯s devil-may-care attitude has poisoned me too! pynkbites I''ve been re-reading the Reincarnated as a Sword light novels lately, and I must say it''s one of my favorite isekai series. It''s equal parts goofy, dramatic, violent and heartwarming. Dear readers, what are some of your favorite published isekai LNs? R-5. Learning How to Feel 1040 seconds after Sveta completed dressing me up in a humiliating bunny outfit, she dragged me over to Zehra¡¯s laboratory to reintroduce me to the mad doctor. Had I implemented blushing subroutines as she suggested, I¡¯m certain my face would have been a most unsightly shade of crimson. As it was, my embarrassment only manifested as minor speech impediments such as stuttering which for some reason I could not completely control. Sveta¡¯s android body was still onboard the Radiolaria snuggling with Miette, so the two of us manifested on video screens at one of the doctor¡¯s workstations. Zehra was eating a comically oversized drumstick like a beast tearing at the flesh of her prey. With stuffed cheeks, she turned to us and greeted us. ¡°Mph, Mvetm! Mha brmph muph tmph mhmph lmph, gaomph~n?¡± Crumbs flew from her mouth as she attempted to talk through a mouthful of food. ¡°Mom, PLEASE don¡¯t talk and eat at the same time.¡± Sveta moaned. I was shocked she was being the reasonable one, for once. Zehra chewed and swallowed. ¡°Sorry, sorry.¡± she said, wiping her mouth on her sleeve. ¡°I was saying, what brings you to my lab, gao~n?¡± She¡¯s still as sloppy and carefree as before, I see. This is why I didn¡¯t want to meet her¡­ ¡°Right! Mom, this is Laria, Central Artificial Intelligence of the Radiolaria! She¡¯s a good friend of mine who¡¯s taught me a lot!¡± ¡°H-Hello.¡± That was about all the greeting I could muster. I self-consciously drew my arm across my chest to hide my exposed cleavage a bit. Zehra just looked at me quizzically, eyes running up and down my body. ¡°Oh, I remember you from the meetings with the captain, gao~n! The certified ice queen!¡± ¡°W-We¡¯ve met before that.¡± I reminded her. ¡°You performed a tune-up on me three years ago.¡± ¡°Did I? Hmmmm.¡± Zehra tapped her chin in thought. ¡°I don¡¯t remember, gao~n.¡± ¡°You DON¡¯T?¡± I was shocked. She had certainly made a strong impression on me back then. ¡°I mean, I tune up a lot of AI¡¯s, gao~n. Dozens a year, probably. I can¡¯t be expected to remember every single one, gao~n!¡± She shrugged. ¡°You called me a ¡®frigid bitch!¡¯¡± I practically screamed. ¡°Oho, is that so? That does sound like me, gao~n! Well, if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck¡­¡± Zehra said flippantly. Unbelievable. She doesn¡¯t even care. I can¡¯t believe I was nervous about meeting this woman. Here I am, knots in my stomach, and she doesn¡¯t even remember me?! I felt anger rising inside. Sensing my rage, Sveta grabbed my hand to calm me down. ¡°C¡¯mon, mom, don¡¯t be rude!¡± she said, sharply scolding Zehra. ¡°I¡¯m not being rude, gao~n! I¡¯m just being honest! I really don¡¯t remember!¡± Zehra protested. ¡°Excessive honesty is rude! Even if someone is a frigid bitch, you shouldn¡¯t say that to their face!¡± Sveta was in full lecture mode. H-Hey now, I think your point got a bit lost there. No, more importantly, has everyone just agreed me being a frigid bitch is an absolute law of the universe?! Sveta turned to me with sympathetic eyes. ¡°Sorry, Laria. Mom isn¡¯t very good with other people.¡± ¡°That much is obvious.¡± I scowled. ¡°Hey, now who¡¯s being rude, gao~n?¡± Zehra puffed up her cheeks and pouted. ¡°If I say I don¡¯t remember, I really don¡¯t, gao~n!¡± She looked a bit like a petulant child. That amusing sight calmed me down slightly. ¡°MOM. PLEASE.¡± Sveta glared daggers. Zehra twisted her mouth into a frown. ¡°Fine, whatever.¡± She waved her hand dismissively. ¡°Oh no, you don¡¯t. You¡¯re not getting off that easy! Apologize to Laria right this minute.¡± Sveta crossed her arms and tapped her foot. Her tone was so uncharacteristically matronly I was half expecting her to append a ¡®young lady¡¯ to that demand. Zehra almost seemed like the younger of the two, despite being Sveta¡¯s mother. ¡°Laria, I¡¯m sorry if I called you a frigid bitch, gao~n. That was rude of me.¡± Zehra had been appropriately chastised. She was speaking quietly and sounded genuinely contrite. CAN WE JUST DROP THIS ISSUE ALREADY?! W-Wait¡­ wait one moment. Did the mad doctor just APOLOGIZE to me?! That¡¯s¡­ very out-of-character¡­ Sveta pushed to move the conversation along. ¡°Anyway, Mom, tell me. What do you think of Laria¡¯s oufit?¡± She gestured to me dramatically as if she were a circus presenter showing off a star attraction. Oh god, she¡¯s already moving to the next topic. Classic Sveta. Zehra changed gears just as quickly as her daughter. It must have been a hereditary trait. ¡°It¡¯s adorable, gao~n! Her body is well suited to it! Ahahaha, it reminds me of how you used to dress up Kometka, although she didn¡¯t fill it out quite as nicely, gao~n!¡± Zehra gave us two thumbs up. What, now she¡¯s praising me? The trajectory of this conversation is completely out of whack! ¡°I know, right? Laria¡¯s body is easily A+ rank! Only two steps below Vicky¡¯s!¡± Sveta looked around the room for the aforementioned maid, but she was nowhere to be seen. I stared at the ground and straightened my glasses, too humiliated to say anything. My anger had evaporated. ¡°Oh my!¡± Zehra exclaimed. ¡°When you straighten your glasses, it gives off an impression of shy embarrassment! It complements the audacity of the outfit perfectly, gao~n!¡± ¡°Exactly! It¡¯s gap moe at it¡¯s finest!¡± Sveta proclaimed. ¡°I have no idea what ¡®gap moe¡¯ is¡­¡± I muttered. ¡°Neither do I, gao~n. Sveta¡¯s always dropping weird references like that.¡± Zehra shrugged again. ¡°Her rapid-fire mind leaves me in the dust sometimes, gao~n.¡± Oh? What¡¯s this? Even the mad doctor gets frustrated by Sveta sometimes? ¡°You too?¡± I seized on the opportunity to find common ground. ¡°Like when you¡¯re trying to have a serious conversation, and she drops in some non-sequitur pop culture reference nobody from our timeline understands?¡± Zehra nodded. ¡°Why, just the other day I was trying to discuss gravity fin upgrades with her, and she started going on and on about something called ¡®Fargate Atlantis,¡¯ gao~n!¡± ¡°It¡¯s STARGATE Atlantis!¡± Sveta said, stomping her foot. ¡°Don¡¯t mix up Stargate and Farscape, geez! Those two shows weren¡¯t even on the air at the same time!¡± ¡°Like that.¡± I said, satisfied. ¡°Indeed. Exactly like that, gao~n!¡± Zehra and I looked at each other and burst out laughing. Now Sveta was the mad one, her cheeks puffed up indignantly. I was amazed at how quickly the mood shifted, but it wasn¡¯t unwelcome. ***** With the ice broken, our conversation became much more comfortable. I discovered that Zehra bore no ill will towards me, and even took a shine to me as one of Sveta¡¯s good friends. Like Sveta she tended to say whatever was on her mind, but unlike Sveta she had no filter. That was the source of the friction she caused with so many people, and once I understood that it became much easier to speak with her. Zehra frequently did not realize how her brash words affected others, so Sveta and Miette both were serving as her reality check in those situations. She was showing small signs of improvement under their influence. Many interpersonal problems stemmed from a breakdown of communication. If people could understand each other without misconceptions, these problems diminished. It was a question of empathy; perhaps that was the most valuable thing Sveta was teaching all of us, in her frenetic way. I couldn¡¯t help but wonder if my own nature as a self-proclaimed ice queen had aggravated the friction between myself and Zehra three years before. I was slowly melting thanks to Sveta¡¯s energy, so perhaps that contributed to the far more friendly atmosphere on this attempt. Of course, the bunny-girl outfit won Zehra over rather easily too. Sveta¡¯s appraisal of Zehra¡¯s fetish for animal girls was extraordinarily accurate. ¡°Hmm? You want me to build her a Telepresence Doll too, gao~n?¡± Zehra asked, picking at the bone of the now-consumed drumstick. ¡°Yeah!¡± Sveta exclaimed. You see,¡± she placed a hand beside her mouth and narrowed her eyes furtively, lowering her voice to a whisper, ¡°Laria¡¯s also got someone she¡¯d like to cuddle up with.¡± ¡°Oho? Spicy! Who might that be, gao~n?¡± Zehra leaned forward curiously, her eyes wide with anticipation for fresh gossip. Sveta held up her arms in an X-shape. ¡°That¡¯s top secret! I could never betray a maiden¡¯s heart!¡± ¡°Hah, whatever. I¡¯m curious but I won¡¯t pry, gao~n.¡± Zehra sat back. ¡°I can whip up a doll for you in a few days, Laria!¡± What? It¡¯s that easy? After everything we said, it¡¯s THAT EASY?! ¡°That¡¯s¡­ very magnanimous of you.¡± I said slowly. ¡°Not really, gao~n! I just want to see that cute bunny outfit of yours in its full glory! My motivations are purely selfish, gao~n!¡± Zehra was surprisingly honest. Absolutely incredible. She really is a person free of grudges¡­ well, as long as you don¡¯t count those NKVD officers she assassinated. Or Vicky. Hmm, maybe she¡¯s just fickle. ¡°Ahahaha, well. I s-suppose that¡¯s a fair exchange.¡± I said. ¡°Very well then! We have a deal, gao~n!¡± Zehra stuck out her hand and mimed a handshake, even though I couldn¡¯t reciprocate. ¡°Send me your body dimensions and I¡¯ll get started, gao~n! After that, I¡¯ll give you a ring when it¡¯s ready, alright?¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t think of it as an urgent task. I don¡¯t want to take you away from important Gravity Frame development.¡± ¡°Nonsense, nonsense! Light projects like that are relaxation time for me, gao~n! Just turn my brain off and tinker!¡± She was being very accommodating about the whole thing. Sveta was smiling brightly. She leaned over to me and whispered ¡°See now? That wasn¡¯t so hard, was it?¡± No, it was definitely hard. But as you said, excessive honesty is rude, so I suppose I can lie just a bit. ¡°I suppose not.¡± I whispered back, before sighing and straightening my glasses. I had come out of the gauntlet unscathed, somehow. ***** 266,409 seconds later, Zehra pinged me on the comms. Most of my attention was devoted to our Gravity Frame squadron, which had just annihilated a Sarcophage cruiser with artillery support from OPS-121. Our frames were presently sweeping the battle area for any stragglers in a standard expanding-spiral patrol from the point of impact. ¡°Laria, are you busy, gao~n?¡± Zehra asked. ¡°I am always busy.¡± I responded. ¡°However, I have the parallel processor capacity to hold irrelevant conversations while still performing my essential duties.¡± Zehra burst out laughing. ¡°BWAHAHAHAHA! Your sense of humor is so dry! I love it, gao~n!¡± I straightened my glasses, smiling just a bit. ¡°How may I be of assistance, doctor?¡± ¡°Can you send an instance of yourself over to my lab, gao~n? I just finished up your Telepresence Doll and I thought you might like to try it out!¡± I consulted my sensor readings. The battle had gone well, and under half my computational capacity was currently in use. There were no signs of danger, so there was no reason I couldn¡¯t send an instance over. Indeed, I was actually a bit eager for a chance to try out a physical body of my own, although I kept that truth buried deep inside me. I secretly cast a glance over to the captain, who was studying the tactical plot in the CIC sphere. Her eyes were intense and focused, as always. How I longed to hold her muscular body in my arms, longed to make her serious expression melt away. I filed that thought away for later. ¡°I will be over shortly, doctor.¡± ¡°See you soon, gao~n!¡± ***** 32 seconds later, I was projected on a screen in the doctor¡¯s lab listening to her explanation of the Telepresence Doll¡¯s functions. Vicky was there this time, attending to the doctor and serving her tea. She was still dressed in the dog-girl maid outfit. I wonder if it had become her new permanent uniform by Zehra¡¯s demand. She seemed to be growing used to it and moved with a fluidity she had not demonstrated three days ago. She had even become an expert at keeping the short hem from her skirt from flaring up too much. I was dressed in my normal pantsuit, by the way. The bunny girl outfit was for special occasions only. Zehra had built my Doll taller than Sveta¡¯s by about a head and a half, and with a much more curvaceous frame. It suited the dimensions of my avatar perfectly. I noted with some amusement the Doll¡¯s function to freely change its clothing via hard light holograms, which seemed a rather mundane application for a revolutionary technology. Apparently Zehra could break through any technological boundaries if it advanced her love for animal girls. ¡°Doctor, a question.¡± I interrupted her explanation. ¡°Would it not be possible to simply project the entire avatar using hard light holograms, instead of just the hair and clothing? That would remove the need for a human-shaped doll completely.¡± ¡°Very insightful question, gao~n!¡± Zehra seemed excited I was keeping up with her scientific explanations. I suspected Sveta and Miette had a significantly harder time of it. ¡°While it is possible, the power requirements go up proportionally to the amount of mass being projected, gao~n! These Dolls are too small to fit a nuclear reactor inside, so they run on batteries. The larger humanoid shape allows me to cram more battery capacity inside, and the limited amount of hard light holograms being used reduces power consumption, gao~n!¡± Vicky looked a bit exasperated by our technical discussion, rolling her eyes ever so slightly, but I ignored her and continued. ¡°I suppose future refinements in the technology will improve that. Even so, I think hard light holographic projectors might be useful aboard a ship such as myself.¡± ¡°How so, gao~n?¡± Zehra¡¯s lion ears flitted as her curiosity was piqued. ¡°Well, consider the following. Presently Gravity Frames access my hanger bay via giant airlocks, which results in bottlenecks for launching and retrieval times due to airlock cycling, not to mention loss of atmosphere from leakage. Is it theoretically possible to project a hard-light holographic barrier that Gravity Frames and shuttlecraft can penetrate, but air cannot?¡± Zehra¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°OOOOHHHH! Like a force field to keep air in a hanger open to space, gao~n! That¡¯s a really good idea!¡± ¡°Furthermore, these same hard light holograms could be used to seal up hull breaches within a few seconds of them forming. Provided they were present throughout the entire hull of the ship, mind you.¡± Zehra was gazing at me intently. ¡°I¡¯ve never asked a ship¡¯s AI about this kinda stuff before, gao~n! You¡¯re really fascinating, Laria!¡± I straightened my glasses and gave a small smile. ¡°If you truly think so, I could dedicate an instance of myself to assisting you with your research, doctor.¡± Her technology had piqued my interest. ¡°Lord preserve me. Now there¡¯s another nerd in the lab.¡± Vicky muttered under her breath. I pretended I hadn¡¯t heard that remark. ¡°That sounds good, gao~n!¡± I wasn¡¯t sure if Zehra was ignoring Vicky¡¯s comment as well, or simply hadn¡¯t heard her, but it was a moot point. Zehra changed the subject. ¡°Shall we move along to the main attraction?¡± She motioned to the Doll and gave me the transmitter frequency to interface with it. I gulped audibly. ¡°This won¡¯t hurt, won¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Not in the least, gao~n! Although I¡¯m EXTREMELY curious how an AI who has never felt physical sensations before will react to it!¡± Zehra seemed eager to observe me. Oh well. Here goes nothing. ***** As a ship¡¯s AI, I had a wealth of sensory information at my fingertips. I had thousands of sensors which reached into every spectrum of radiation; microscopic infrared antennas which kept an eye out for hull fractures, visible light cameras which monitored my crew, and huge LIDAR arrays which allowed me to see farther than any human could, in spectrums unimaginable to their biological eyes. Each of these sensors fed me data with extreme precision, which was collated by my subconscious and presented to me unerringly. To compare my senses against those of a human would be like comparing a human to a bacteria. The Doll¡¯s senses were¡­ different. The visual acuity was subpar, limited to a cone 120 degrees wide. The human brow, cheeks and nose actually presented opaque barriers to the vision¡¯s range, which surely was a design flaw. What was more shocking, however, was the sense humans called ¡®touch.¡¯ It was imprecise and almost undefinable. ¡®Touch¡¯ was presented to me not as data or information, but as sensation. A vague sense of coolness spread across my skin originating from my left side, where I supposed the atmospheric circulation vents for the room were located. The soles of my feet felt pressure, as they bore the weight of my body. My clothes left behind ethereal tingling traces on my skin as they gently blew in the breeze. I had simulated touch before with my avatar in virtual spaces, and especially so with Sveta. But this was completely different from anything I could have imagined. I was overwhelmed by the vague totality of the new information now assailing my conscious mind. This is so¡­ odd. What is the point of this sensation? It¡¯s so imprecise, so vague. It contains no valuable data. I thought in confusion. I must have been standing there silently for some while because I suddenly felt a sharp, pressing warmth on my shoulder. I yelped in surprise and reached my hands towards the strange stimulus. When I turned to look, I saw Vicky had placed her hand on my shoulder, perhaps out of concern, to get my attention. Now my hands rested atop hers. Th-This is¡­ My thoughts were a jumble. I felt the warmth of Vicky¡¯s hand bleeding into my own. I felt her skin pressed against mine. This is what it¡¯s like to touch a girl¡¯s hand. It felt good. Extremely good. Without thinking, I squeezed Vicky¡¯s hand tighter, relished the warmth. I needed more. I moved my hand up her bare forearm, touching it, FEELING it, drinking in the heat of her body. So this is the appeal of touching. I understand now. ¡°Uh¡­ Laria?¡± Vicky¡¯s face was tinged red. I realized what I was doing and withdrew my hand. ¡°A-Ah. I¡¯m sorry!¡± ¡°Ohohoho, FASCINATING! Gaining a sense of touch seems to have driven Subject Laria¡¯s lesbian tendencies into overdrive, gao~n!¡± Zehra said out loud while furiously scribbling some notes. ¡°L-L-L-LESBIAN?! WHAT ARE YOU¡­¡± I suddenly realized my own face felt hot. Why did it feel hot? I quickly kicked off from the floor and floated over to Zehra¡¯s desk, grabbing a hand mirror that was lying there. When I held the mirror up to my face, I saw it was beet red. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ blushing? Why am I blushing?¡± I cried out. ¡°Ohh, that¡¯s unexpected!¡± Zehra drifted over to me and poked my face. ¡°I used Sveta¡¯s firmware as a basis for the new Doll, gao~n! Blushing must have been included in the package!¡± ¡°Sveta¡¯s firmware is running inside me now?! That¡¯s¡­ That¡¯s¡­ not¡­¡± I was rapidly losing control of the situation, much as I had lost control of my newfound blushing reflex. ¡°Hmm, I wonder what else she included in there, gao~n? We should ask her!¡± ¡°Absolutely not!¡± I shrieked. ¡°I would be way too embarrassed for her to see me like this!¡± ¡°See you like what?¡± Sveta¡¯s voice asked cheerfully. I turned around in horror. Sveta¡¯s android body was floating there, alongside Miette, Sabina, Genevi and Maurice. Tektite-4 was also present, projected on one of the room¡¯s screens. Sveta looked oblivious as usual, whereas Miette sported a huge and knowing grin. Sabina was grinning as well, and Genevi looked a little confused. Maurice¡¯s was rubbing his head sheepishly, and Tektite-4 was quietly giggling to themself with eyes glued on me. Oh no. Get control of your face, Laria. Stop! Blushing! ¡°Sveta¡­ everyone. W-What are you doing here?¡± I asked, voice quivering. ¡°We just landed!¡± Sveta proclaimed. ¡°I was bringing everyone to introduce them to Zehra. I didn¡¯t expect you to be here too, Laria! And you got your Telepresence Doll too! That¡¯s so great!!¡± She sprang towards me, causing me to tumble backwards as she embraced me in a hug. As she pressed her cheek against mine and nuzzled, the sensation of touching a girl¡¯s skin once again overwhelmed me and I flushed even hotter. The two of us spiraled through Zehra¡¯s lab, entwined together and unbound by gravity. My long blue hair swirled around us like a cocoon. Meanwhile, Zehra cackled madly at the chaos she had wrought. pynkbites Hang in there, Laria! We''re all rooting for you! R-6. The Great Muffin Caper After Sveta sent me spinning, both physically and metaphorically, the others crowded around us. They began poking my new android body and asking all manner of intrusive and embarrassing questions. I was far too flustered to answer them cogently, and it was Vicky who came to my rescue when she produced, seemingly from nowhere, a large platter of steaming muffins and pouches of hot tea. Everyone was quickly distracted by the snack, as is the human impulse. I silently thanked Vicky for the save. I suspected that, as a target of frequent humiliation herself at the hands of the doctor, she felt a kinship with me. Certainly her expression when she looked my way was sympathetic. As Sveta and I were the only ones incapable of eating or drinking, we floated off to the side while the pilots eagerly devoured the muffins. Tektite-4 could not eat either, but it was an academic point as they were not physically present. There was no real reason for them to remain projected on a screen in Zehra¡¯s lab, but they seemed quite curious about my new body if their quizzical stare was any indication. ¡°Mmmm! These are delicious!¡± Sabina exclaimed in between muffins. ¡°Vicky, did you make these yourself?¡± Vicky nodded her assent. ¡°You might not guess it, but Vicky¡¯s actually an A-rank cook.¡± Miette added, wiping crumbs from her lips. ¡°She can practically work miracles, even with limited ingredients.¡± That comment caused Vicky to blush a bit. ¡°It¡¯s like she was born to be a maid, gao~n!¡± Zehra exclaimed happily. ¡°Ever since I¡¯ve gained her as my assistant, I¡¯ve had delicious cooking every night!¡± ¡°Mistress,¡± Vicky objected, ¡°isn¡¯t ¡®born to be a maid¡¯ going a bit too far? And please watch what you say, or you¡¯ll make the pilots jealous.¡± Indeed, the pilots did look jealous. It wasn¡¯t hard to imagine why. Most food in the present day was undifferentiated protein slurry manufactured from plankton raised in massive cultivation vats. While the government provided this slurry (officially known as ¡°nutritional plankton solute¡±) for free to all citizens who worked in factories or served in the Army, it was widely regarded as unpalatable at best. With the climatological collapse of Earth, most of the planet''s surface was now unsuited for agriculture and only a few small collective farms near the equator still produced staple crops of the old world such as rice, grains, fruits or vegetables. Of course, mass agriculture was still possible on the climate-controlled orbital space colonies. A large portion of the food grown there was given directly to the military and routed to the front lines, where it could be used to nourish the soldiers who most needed it. Even so, the most common meal provided was the plankton slurry, and every single member of humanity had developed a vehement hatred of the foodstuff. That''s why it was something of a mystery how Vicky managed to procure the ingredients for home cooking such as the muffins the pilots were now enjoying. Maurice was the one to vocalize this question. ¡°Hey Vicky, where¡¯d you get the ingredients to make these anyway?¡± ¡°Ah, there¡¯s a collective farm inside the main part of Eros.¡± Vicky explained. ¡°I work a few shifts there every week in exchange for ingredients.¡± Ah, that made sense. Collective farm workers were entitled to take for themselves a small portion of the farm¡¯s products. The government did this to ensure the farm workers would taste the fruits of their own labor, literally speaking. It motivated many to work the farms as a side job; it was quite common for workers stationed on colonies to devote a portion of their free time to the farms for just such a reward. ¡°Damn, I¡¯m kinda jealous.¡± Sabina said. ¡°If I wasn¡¯t on deployment, I¡¯d volunteer there myself!¡± ¡°Ah, that would be difficult.¡± Vicky said quickly. ¡°The waiting list is years long. Plus the amount of ingredients I¡¯m allowed to take home is very small. Even those muffins you¡¯re eating are about 60% plankton slurry, just spruced up with a bit of wheat, egg and other things.¡± Everyone¡¯s eyes grew wide at that declaration. The plankton slurry was infamously incompatible with almost every known method of cooking. That Vicky had been able to produce such apparently tasty muffins using it as the primary ingredient only proved her status as miracle chef. ¡°That¡¯s incredible!¡± Maurice exclaimed. ¡°I want to know your secret!¡± ¡°Me too!¡± Sabina said. ¡°You¡¯re wasting your time, gao~n! Vicky keeps her cooking methods locked down tighter than a tourniquet!¡± Zehra said sadly. ¡°She won¡¯t even share them with her beloved master, the great Doctor Zehra, gao~n!¡± Vicky twitched. ¡°¡®Beloved¡¯ is a stretch, mistress. In fact, it¡¯s the opposite of the word you¡¯re looking for.¡± She clenched her hand in a fist. ¡°Don¡¯t be like that, gao~n! You keep me fed, and I dress you in cute outfits! It¡¯s a symbiotic relationship, gao~n!¡± Zehra wasn¡¯t letting up. ¡°Symbiosis implies both parties are benefiting from the relationship. Don¡¯t you mean ¡®parasitic?¡¯¡± Vicky said, gritting her teeth. The pilots all watched the two spar verbally and laughed. I was thankful everyone had dropped the topic of my new body. The universes¡¯ ironic sense of karmic retribution chose that moment to punish me for having such a hopeful thought. While Vicky and Zehra pulled each other¡¯s cheeks, Miette turned to me with a curious expression. Oh no. Here it comes. ¡°So, Laria. What¡¯s with the new body?¡± As Miette asked the question, the other pilots turned towards me. ¡°Sveta wanting one I can understand, but why you?¡± ¡°Ah.¡± I struggled to reply. ¡°You noticed.¡± ¡°What do you mean I NOTICED? How could I not NOTICE?¡± Miette asked incredulously. As I struggled for a reply, Zehra spoke up. ¡°AHAHAHAHA! Fine work, is it not, gao~n? You see, Laria also wanted to snu-¡° Sveta blinked over to Zehra faster than the eye could follow and stuffed a muffin in her mouth. Her movement was so rapid I wondered if she had a gravity fin hidden in her android body. ¡°MMMPPHHH!¡± Zehra shrieked in muffled protest. ¡°You see!¡± Sveta proclaimed while everyone stared at her in shock. ¡°Laria¡¯s looking to expand her horizons!¡± Sveta? What are you doing? I was still frozen by indecision, and I hoped she was trying to cover for me. ¡°Expand her horizons? Huh?¡± Miette didn¡¯t understand. ¡°Uh-huh! You see, for an AI like Laria, she¡¯s never experienced physical existence before. She thought that observing things from the perspective of a human would help her understand the human condition!¡± Sveta was rapidly weaving a plausible-sounding excuse for me. ¡°The human condition? That¡¯s vague! What use does that serve?¡± Sabina asked. Genevi nodded in agreement with her question. ¡°Laria¡¯s the AI of a ship with over two hundred people! And until recently, she¡¯s been a bit, what''s the expression, aloof? Overly focused on her work?¡± ¡°Certified ice queen.¡± I offered in a small voice. Guh. It still pains me to say it out loud. ¡°Right! She¡¯s a certified ice queen! But now that she¡¯s learning to loosen up a bit, she wants to know how to relate to all the crewmembers. And what better way to do that then by experiencing physical reality through the same eyes as they do?¡± This explanation bruised my ego, but it was far preferable to them learning the true reason I wanted an android body. And thus, I nodded along while smiling. Everyone seemed a bit skeptical, but Sveta sold the lie with enough passion that they were willing to believe it. I can¡¯t believe she¡¯s pulling this off with such a flimsy excuse! ¡°Oh!¡± Tektite-4 clapped once. ¡°That makes sense! I¡¯ve often wondered what it would be like to have a physical body!¡± ¡°Do you want me to make you one too, gao~n?¡± Zehra asked, having finished consuming the muffin that was blocking her mouth. Vicky, her cheeks still red from Zehra¡¯s tugging earlier, was wiping Zehra''s shirt off with a napkin while wearing a grim expression. ¡°Ahaha, no thanks. The other Tektites would just get jealous and ask to use it too. We¡¯d have to set up some sort of sharing schedule for it. That sounds like more trouble than it¡¯s worth.¡± Tektite-4 refused firmly. ¡°That¡¯s amusing. Imagine all the Tektites fighting over body time.¡± Miette chuckled. Genevi let out a small giggle at that thought. Sveta furrowed her brow, placed her hands on her hip and spoke in a deep voice. ¡°Tektite-4! Mom said it¡¯s my turn on the Xbox!¡± Nobody knew what she was talking about as usual, so they just ignored her. ***** There were many more questions directed towards me, but with Sveta¡¯s assistance I was able to fend them off and slowly regain my composure. When the pilots had their fill of muffins and introductions, they took their leave to attend to their Frames. Vicky left as well to wash the dishes. Only Miette, Sveta and Zehra remained. ¡°So, now that we¡¯ve got some privacy,¡± Miette said, crossing her arms and grinning widely, ¡°mind telling me the REAL reason for Laria¡¯s body?¡± ¡°Ahahaha, you saw right through me, huh?¡± Sveta laughed awkwardly. ¡°Please, Sveta. I know you better than anyone.¡± Miette¡¯s grin only grew bigger as Sveta looked oddly upset at that remark. ¡°I remember a few weeks ago you were asking everyone for ¡®love advice¡¯ for a friend of yours. That friend was Laria, wasn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°That¡¯s shockingly insightful, for you!¡± Sveta gasped in mock surprise. ¡°What¡¯s THAT supposed to mean?¡± Miette shot back. ¡°Nothing, nothing!¡± Sveta cast a questioning gaze my way. She didn¡¯t say anything, but it was clear she was silently asking me how much I wanted to reveal to Miette. I sighed and straightened my glasses. My usual composure had returned, and I thought over my options calmly. ¡°I do not mind telling her.¡± Zehra¡¯s eyes glinted with anticipation as she watched us. No doubt that little goddess of chaos was expecting more fireworks. ¡°Right, well¡­ Laria¡¯s got someone she¡¯s crushing on. Someone human she¡¯d like to cuddle up with.¡± Sveta explained, intentionally leaving certain details vague. ¡°Oh! That makes sense! An android body would be great for cuddling!¡± Miette proclaimed, punching her open palm in realization. ¡°Even though the android skin lacks body heat, it¡¯s kinda like snuggling a cool pillow. A refreshing feeling!¡± Miette rubbed Sveta¡¯s upper arm to prove the point. ¡°Ah, yes, well. I would appreciate your discretion on this particular point.¡± I said cautiously. ¡°No problem, no problem! I won¡¯t even pry into who it is!¡± Miette agreed. ¡°Let me wish you good luck in your romantic pursuits!¡± ¡°Thank you, 2nd Lie-¡­ Miette.¡± I smiled. ¡°Ohohoho! Love is in the air, and we¡¯re only a few weeks away from Christmas. What perfect timing!¡± Miette chuckled to herself. ¡°What about you, Sveta? Anyone you wanna cuddle up with? Sabina maybe? Or her shy sister, Genevi? Or BOTH AT ONCE?!¡± Miette laughed loudly while absentmindedly scratching Sveta¡¯s cat ears, and latter just rolled her eyes. Zehra floated over to me, holding her hand over her mouth and whispering in my ear. ¡°Now you see Sveta¡¯s true struggle, gao~n. She has quite an obstacle to overcome.¡± ¡°Indeed.¡± I whispered back. ¡°She¡¯s in love with a total dumbass.¡± The last part was probably a bit crass, especially for me, but I could think of no more apt descriptor for the situation at hand. In a twisted sense, these two dumbasses were perfect for each other. I suspected Miette only needed a push in the right direction. As for what sort of push I¡¯d need to attain my romantic goals, well. That¡¯s a topic for another time. ***** While Sveta and Miette were basking in each other¡¯s foolishness, I was surprised to find a private chat request beamed at my primary instance onboard the Radiolaria. When I opened the window, I saw Sabina, Genevi and Maurice looking at me with positively conspiratorial expressions. They were clearly all three huddled in a closet somewhere. ¡°Good evening. How may I be of assistance?¡± I asked while keeping an even expression. There was no trace of my earlier embarrassment. ¡°Laria! We need your help!¡± Sabina whispered, fearful she might be overheard. ¡°I see. Is this an official request?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s a personal one! Under the radar, if you catch my drift.¡± Sabina shifted her gaze from side to side, as if afraid someone was looking over her shoulder. I straightened my glasses, masking my apprehension towards the Pandora''s box I was about to open. ¡°Proceed.¡± ¡°We¡¯d like your help¡­ with setting Sveta and Miette up on a romantic date!¡± There was a few seconds of silence. I played back the audio log of what she had just said to make sure I was hearing it correctly. ¡°I beg your pardon?¡± pynkbites C-1. A Star to Steer Her By Captain Savitskaya¡¯s Personal Log November 29, 2055 We had an all-hands meeting today. Everyone of note was there: Doctor Zehra, Telesthesia, Viktorya, Laria, Miette and of course Sveta. It was an astonishing meeting for a great many reasons, the least of which was Viktorya¡¯s unusual attire. I shall refrain from a detailed summary of the conversation; that can be found in my official log. Here, I merely wish to record a few personal observations. Sveta had obtained an android body, one which using holographic projection appeared to be human. This was remarkable in itself, and I was initially unsure why she had done so. In my experience, AIs tend to be disconnected from human beings to such a degree they have no desire to indulge in the limited scope of our biological experiences. Laria has certainly never discussed the possibility of obtaining a small, frail body for herself. Whether this is a benefit or weakness of AI nature is a topic for philosophers, not simple soldiers such as myself. Imagine my shock when Sveta revealed, with the backing of the good doctor, that she was indeed a human reincarnated from another world as she had been claiming all along. She had been pulled from her original world at the moment of her death via reincarnation experiments conducted by the doctor. What¡¯s more, she wasn¡¯t the only one; another girl was pulled from yet another timeline, and the two of them had become close to the point of surrogate sisterhood before they lost their memories. Consequently, with the suspect backing of the NKVD, we have now made the recovery of Sveta¡¯s wayward sister one of our missions. What an outstandingly unbelievable science fiction plot we have become mired in. And yet it also explains so much about Sveta¡¯s unique temperament and behavior, her otherworldly perspective, and why she wanted an android body closer to that of her former self. There seemed to be ulterior motives on Sveta¡¯s part, however. She was practically attached to Miette¡¯s arm, and the latter was petting her hair and cat ears with absentminded fondness. Far be it from me to assume wholly selfish motives on Sveta¡¯s part, but the physical contact she was engaging in with her pilot indicated more than simply a passing fancy. If this intimate contact was her true motive, Doctor Zehra is exactly the kind of wild person to indulge her. I have heard tales of AIs who fell in love with humans before, although it seems to be rare. In Sveta¡¯s case, her nature as an ex-human means her old urges are still present and dominant in her personality. It must be extraordinarily frustrating for an AI to fall in love a being with whom they can have no physical contact; Zehra¡¯s android bodies could be revolutionary in this regard. Perhaps when humanity knows peace once more, there will be a renaissance of computer intelligence inhabiting androids and sharing affection with their mother species. That flight of fancy is yet another fantastical science fiction plot. Still, given what I learned today, nothing seems impossible. Ah well, I won¡¯t overly concern myself with the relationship between Sveta and Miette. I will offer them congratulations should it blossom into anything significant. If they get married, I would be happy to officiate their wedding, as I have for many crewmembers over the course of my long career. I will close by observing that finding joy in small things despite the present dour state of the world is to be applauded. Sveta excels of that. I am glad my initial judgement of her was not in error. December 1, 2055 Based on recent events, I had thought myself immune to surprises. Imagine my expression when Laria, the AI of my ship and my good friend of five years, presented herself to me in an android body of her own. Once again, this body was provided by Doctor Zehra. I understood Sveta¡¯s motives for obtaining a body, as she was once human. But to think Laria, a being of pure spartan professionalism, would follow suit? It boggles my mind. I have been observing changes in her lately. In our prior meeting, she had described herself as a ¡®certified ice queen,¡¯ which was an uncharacteristically honest self-evaluation on her part. What¡¯s more, she¡¯s been smiling and engaging the crew in casual conversation. I had thought myself the only one who had that level of friendship with her; the two of us have always gotten along well because of our similar temperaments and outlooks on life. But recently it seems she¡¯s thawed out quite a bit and become a happier person, a development that has secretly brought me great joy. I chalk this up to Sveta¡¯s influence, and I had thought it a positive trend. I did not expect her to go so far as to obtain an android body of her own. Why, the Laria of a few months ago would chastise her for such a selfish personal decision which offers nothing in the way of tactical advantage in the war effort. Have the changes to her personality been more extensive than I anticipated? Or was this the true Laria finally coming out into the sunlight? Laria told me she had obtained a body in order to ¡°better understand the human condition,¡± an explanation I found to be utter nonsense as an expert judge of her personality. I noticed she was blushing slightly as she told me this. Imagine it! Laria, the unchanging and stoic Laria I have known for five years, BLUSHING! I nearly fainted from shock. Metaphorically speaking, of course. If Sveta¡¯s motive in obtaining an android body was to engage in physical contact with a significant other, I wonder if Laria¡¯s is the same. I wonder who might have caught her eye. Certainly, she has had many interactions with the crew to which I am not party. It is entirely possible she has fostered a romance with someone beyond my knowledge. A week ago I would have considered such speculation unthinkable, but now I realize how much she has changed. If I may indulge in a bit of selfishness, the thought of Laria indulging in romantic relations with someone makes me a bit upset. The two of us have been good friends for so long, and I have come to see her as a sexless creature of duty much like myself. There has long been a kinship between us because we¡¯re both married to our work. If she pairs off with someone, I feel I will lose a comrade. She is one of the few people in this world who understands me. I suppose that¡¯s the reason I keep this journal; it allows me to air out petty grievances in complete privacy so they do not affect my work life. Whatever the outcome of Laria¡¯s actions, I wish her only the best. December 4, 2055 I had a revelation today. It came in the form of a shoulder massage. Laria (in her android body) and I were alone in my quarters, poring over some obscure report or another concerning the imminent arrival of the Telesthesia II. Laria noticed I had been rubbing my temples with increasing frequency, a telltale sign that I was experiencing another stress headache. Wordlessly, she fetched me a cold glass of water and some aspirin, then directed me to lay down and placed a cold wet towel over my forehead and eyes. She did not permit objection on my part. When my headache had subsided, Laria continued to inquire after my condition with great concern. She had always been attendant to my health, but now with a physical body she was determined to ensure I was properly looked after. It was during this moment she offered me a shoulder massage to further alleviate my tension. I hadn¡¯t had a shoulder massage in over a decade. Back when I was serving as a senior lieutenant on the Primigenius, another member of the command crew gave them to me in exchange for ration tickets. I haven¡¯t had that sort of casual relationship with another human since I made captain, an unfortunate disadvantage of my rank. I saw no harm in accepting Laria¡¯s offer. After all, we¡¯ve been good friends for so long. The massage was, in a word, heavenly. Perhaps Laria¡¯s nature as an android gave her the strength and precision to manipulate my shoulder tendons and muscles with extraordinary grace; whatever the case, I found myself melting. It felt so good to have all that tension worked out. I may have made a few noises that would be considered undignified, but it was just the two of us so it was of no concern to me. As I lay on my bed in a state of total relaxation, I glanced over to Laria. She was looking at me with tender eyes, wearing a huge smile, and her face flushed a bright shade of red. That¡¯s when the revelation struck me. Looking back on our friendship, there had always been hints. Her concern for my health, the way she spoke to me tenderly, the gentle side of her personality that she showed only to me. There were a thousand little interactions that suddenly took on new meaning. The sheer magnitude of this realization stunned me. I had suspected Laria had wanted an android body because she was in love with someone. I never expected that someone to be me. We exchanged a few words afterwards. Laria promised to finish reviewing the reports and encouraged me to rest. She offered to give me another massage anytime I wanted, and I accepted. Then she left me alone with my thoughts. What are my thoughts? Chaos. Anticipation. Longing. Apprehension. Fear and hope jumbled together in a mixture that I cannot parse. I have always been married to my work. I have never had time for relationships, for sex or love. But in a sense, Laria is my work. She is the ship which I captain. She is the everything I have poured myself into. The universe must have a sense of irony because this couldn¡¯t be more perfect. I have no intention of rejecting whatever advances she may make, but I will not make my own. If she asks, I will gladly reciprocate. But my position as captain, the authority I wield, gives me power that can easily be misused in a romantic context. Regulations prohibit relationships between a captain and her subordinates for just that reason; abuse of power cannot be tolerated. That regulation is seldom enforced, but these are the boundaries I will set for myself. I have seen captains who use their authority to elicit emotional or sexual favors from those under their command; it is utterly reprehensible behavior. That is why I will make no moves of my own; the ball is entirely in her court, so to speak. I do hope she chooses to pursue this, though. The thought excites me. Here I am, a woman rapidly nearing her fifties, and my heart has been set aflutter as if I were in the academy once more. What an exciting, unforeseen development this is. I confess, in my heart of hearts, I have never felt happier. A captain in love with her ship is an old clich¨¦. But a ship in love with her captain¡­ now that is remarkable. S-20. Massage Envy Four days after Laria got her Telepresence Doll, things calmed down enough that we were able to move the Beelzebub corpse into one of 433 Eros¡¯ docking bays. Bay 21 was originally designed to accommodate large carrier vessels, but the asteroid¡¯s crew had modified it with biohazard upgrades so they could dissect the giant insect¡¯s corpse in relative safety. Zoonosis had never been observed between Earth life and the Sarcophage and their chirality was opposite from humanity¡¯s. However, many of the substances in their bodies were highly toxic to humans, hence the biohazard protocols taken when studying them. Sabina, Genevi, Miette and myself were on corpse transport duty. We affixed self-contained ion thrusters to key points around the corpse, and I remotely operated them to slowly, carefully steer the critter into the prepared bay. As my Frame body eased it inside, my Doll body watched it enter from a viewing port adjacent to the bay, behind a thick plexiglass window. Zehra was there alongside me, practically drooling in anticipation. ¡°BWAHAHAHA! I can¡¯t wait to cut that thing apart and see what makes it work, gao~n!¡± At least now her urge to dissect things is directed away from me! I thought with a conflicted sense of relief. ¡°Don¡¯t get your hopes up.¡± I cautioned her. ¡°Miette melted the insides pretty good. There aren¡¯t organs in there so much as¡­ flesh slurry.¡± I stuck out my tongue in disgust, remembering when I was coated in that vile viscera. ¡°It¡¯s all good, gao~n! Even the chance to study the exoskeleton is unprecedented. A Beelzebub¡¯s chitin is tougher than any substance known to our science, gao~n. If we could make Gravity Frame armor out of the same material, it would be incredible!¡± Her eyes were glowing with anticipation. ¡°Please don¡¯t go coating my new Frame in insect chitin.¡± I retched at the thought. ¡°The last thing I want is nasty bug parts stuck to me!¡± ¡°Aww, c¡¯mon! It will make you nearly invulnerable, gao~n!¡± Zehra was pushing this idea really hard. ¡°No way! Getting coated in bug guts once was enough!¡± I stood my ground, spurred on by those gross memories of being inside the Beelzebub. ¡°If you build me a new body that¡¯s part insect, there¡¯s no WAY I¡¯m putting my mind in it! The very thought is vile!¡± ¡°Insects are the most successful group of animals on Earth, gao~n. Over half of all animal life is insects!¡± ¡°Guh. Thank you for that creepy thought, mom. Now I¡¯m not gonna sleep at night.¡± As a robotic being I didn¡¯t need sleep, but my fondness for human metaphors wasn¡¯t waning in the slightest. ¡°C¡¯moooooooon.¡± Zehra whined. ¡°Just a bit of chitin for the armor plating! I promise you won¡¯t look buglike at all, gao~n! Plus¡­¡± she leaned over to me and whispered, ¡°if you let me carbon-coat the chitin, it means your next paintjob will survive decontamination procedures, gao~n.¡± Gah, that argument is super-effective! I lamented. My gorgeous white-and-pink floral paintjob had been stripped away by my last round of decontamination, and even though I had breathlessly described it to Zehra I wasn¡¯t able to show it to her firsthand. Currently I was back to my boring gunmetal grey armor plating, and the mechanics were all too busy moving their equipment into Docking Bay 19 to indulge me in another paint session. ¡°P-Paintjob, you say¡­¡± I reluctantly invited her to continue. ¡°Yup! I can incorporate your design directly into the chitin-armor via paint injection and put carbon sealant over it to make sure it stays shiny and new, even if you get all coated in bug guts again, gao~n!¡± She had a mischievous look on her face as she attempted to strike a devil¡¯s bargain with me. ¡°GAH! FINE!¡± I moaned. ¡°Bug armor in exchange for an indestructible paintjob! But if the design looks like a giant insect, the deal is OFF! Make me sleek and cool like a powerful heroic robot, not gross like a giant space mantis, okay? If it looks like Kamen Rider I¡¯ll be super pissed!¡± ¡°Agreed, gao~n!¡± Zehra seemed pleased with herself. With renewed energy, she set about ordering her biohazard research crew to begin cutting apart the Beelzebub. ***** The talk of paintjobs inspired me to reapply my own. Since the mechanics were still busy moving equipment (and I was remote-controlling three Gravity Frames to assist them), I elected to use my android body for the task. Curiously, Laria insisted on accompanying me to help. She seemed eager to talk with me. Since the two of us were operating androids, we didn¡¯t need to wear any protective equipment and could work far faster than humans, which meant the process should only take a few hours. I uploaded the design for my paintjob to Laria, and the two of us grabbed power sprayers and got to work. As we began to apply my white base coat to my Frame, Laria told me of the recent developments between herself and the captain. When she got to the juicy part, I let out a delighted squeal. ¡°A SHOULDER MASSAGE?! That¡¯s GREAT!¡± I was excited for her. ¡°Ehehehe, I know, right?¡± Laria was blushing adorably and giggling. Such shy mannerisms suited her well. ¡°I figure I have to be proactive, right? The captain would never initiate anything because of her position, but she didn¡¯t seem opposed to my advances. At the very least, she agreed to let me massage her again.¡± ¡°A massage with a happy ending¡­¡± I mused. Laria appeared to get the reference and blushed hard while waving her hands in denial. ¡°Ahahaha, sorry, my mind goes weird places sometimes.¡± I apologized. ¡°SOMETIMES?!¡± Laria asked incredulously. ¡°Okay, most of the time. Still, I¡¯m super jealous! I wonder if Miette needs a shoulder massage¡­¡± Surely she had some tension that needed working out, right? ¡°If you¡¯re going to attempt it, I developed an algorithm specifically for the procedure.¡± Laria straightened her glasses and went back into nerd mode. ¡°In my ten years of service as Radiolaria''s AI I have observed no less than 1,249 separate shoulder massages, and I combined this knowledge with detailed studies of human anatomical data to create a technique that is extremely effective. I will upload the algorithm to you, Sveta.¡± Now that was classic Laria for you. I was more of a spur-of-the-moment person, but she exhaustively researched everything and formed complex plans of execution. You might call that one of her charm points. ¡°Ahaha, I appreciate that. I might steal your technique for use on Miette.¡± Just the thought of giving her a shoulder massage was sending shivers up my spine and¡­ other places as well. ¡°I highly advise it. The results were extremely satisfying.¡± There was that blush again, and her eyes unfocused a bit she lost herself in the memory. She shook her head to clear out the wayward thought and continued. ¡°If I may offer another suggestion?¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°Miette is unlikely to realize your affections unless you state them directly. She seems to be¡­ somewhat oblivious in matters of the heart, at least when they relate to her.¡± Laria¡¯s tone was sympathetic, but her words cut right to the point. I felt a twinge of pain shoot through my spine at her devastatingly accurate assessment. ¡°You¡¯re not wrong there. I¡¯m practically clinging to her arm and she sees me as some kind of pet!¡± I let out a long sigh. ¡°Which is why I believe a direct confession is the only thing that will get through to her. To facilitate that, may I suggest taking her out on a date?¡± Laria casually said something very bold. Ohh? What¡¯s this? Laria¡¯s my behind-the-scenes wingman? ¡°Huh? A date? Hmm¡­ that¡¯s not a bad idea, but where would we go? We¡¯re on a military research station in the middle of a battlefield.¡± This world didn¡¯t seem like one with a lot of romantic date sites scattered throughout. ¡°I anticipated that response and did some research beforehand.¡± Laria¡¯s tone was slightly smug as she prepared to present the results of her research to me. ¡°It would seem 433 Eros has a not insignificant number of recreational facilities due to its large population. I have extensively searched out information on ¡®potential date sites¡¯ within the facility and I have arrived at one particular option I believe will offer an excellent backdrop for both a date and a confession of love.¡± I was impressed by her thoroughness, and my interest was piqued. ¡°Go on.¡± ¡°As you are likely aware, the Christmas holiday occurs three weeks from yesterday, on Saturday the 25th of December. I believe they celebrated it in your world.¡± ¡°Yeah, we did!¡± As far as I could tell, our two timelines only diverged a little over a century ago, so something like Christmas was still present in both worlds. ¡°Christmas has long been regarded as a romantic holiday suitable for confessions of love, at least in our world. Does that hold true for yours as well?¡± Laria tilted her head as she asked the question. ¡°Uh¡­ mostly, yeah.¡± Certain cultures from my world thought of Christmas as a holiday for couples, whereas others regarded it as a time to spend with family. I came from one of the latter, although I had heard quite a few stories about romances that were consummated on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. ¡°As I thought. 433 Eros holds an annual Christmas celebration for three days in a row; Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day. The facility¡¯s central public park is decorated via holography, with a massive Christmas tree in the center. At night, the park is aglow with a spectacular display of lights. The local collective farm provides fresh produce and baked goods in food stalls, and there are several other events as well, including a beauty contest and a public concert. You might think of it as something like a Christmas festival.¡± ¡°Oh! That sounds incredible! I¡¯m amazed they could set up something so elaborate in the middle of a warzone, though¡­¡± This world was impoverished and almost every resource was poured into the war, so I was surprised the residents found the time or supplies to throw this kind of celebration. Then again, humans are remarkably resourceful even in the most desperate circumstances. ¡°It is the one time a year the people of Eros can freely celebrate, and they pour everything into it. For example, I¡¯m told the farm stashes away food all year to have a surplus for the event. The public concert is put on by residents who play instruments as a hobby, not as a profession. And ultimately, the decorations are all holograms, so there is no consumption of materiel to worry about.¡± That¡¯s kinda sad in its own way. I wonder if they¡¯ll be a terrible Night Ranger cover band or something like that. Wait, did Night Ranger even do any Christmas songs?! Laria kept talking, interrupting my internal monologue. ¡°Since the Radiolaria will have taken delivery of our new Gravity Frames by then, the captain intends to grant leave to everyone for one of those three days. Each member of the crew will have either December 23rd, 24th or 25th off in order to attend the festivities. That is contingent on the Sarcophage not attacking during that period, of course. The captain regards it as an excellent opportunity to boost morale.¡± ¡°Ooooh! That¡¯s incredible! Wait, does that mean Miette will¡­¡± Laria¡¯s plot was slowly dawning on me. ¡°Indeed. She will be on leave for Christmas Eve. She will be free the ENTIRE day.¡± Laria looked very self-satisfied as she delivered that revelation. In this case, she deserved it. I was filled with joy. ¡°L-Laria!¡± I stuttered. ¡°Is it really okay to be telling me all this?! It hasn¡¯t been announced officially yet, right?¡± ¡°It will be announced tomorrow. I am merely giving you an opportunity to think about what you want to say to Miette in order to invite her out, and I trust you to keep this information to yourself. Think of it as a prime opportunity to advance your relationship by making your feelings abundantly clear to her against a romantic backdrop.¡± Laria smiled at me. ¡°L-Laria¡­ that¡¯s¡­ thank you so much! I¡¯m gonna ask her out for sure!¡± I would have thrown my arms around her if we both weren¡¯t holding power paint sprayers. I¡¯d have to snuggle her after we finished instead! As the two of us continued our painting, my head was swirling with ideas. Should I wear a Santa outfit? Or a SKIMPY Santa outfit?! I bet that would catch Miette¡¯s eye! I wonder if they let AIs into the beauty contest. And an evening confession in front of a brightly-lit Christmas tree¡­ that¡¯s so romantic! Just you wait, my precious pilot, I¡¯ll make my feelings clear to you yet! ***** Laria and I finished painting, and I got my opportunity to give her a big snuggly thank-you hug (much to her protest). After that she took her leave, I drank in my floral design, resplendent once more in its pink-and-white glory. It was then that Miette, awakening for the day, lazily drifted into the hanger. ¡°Mornin, Sveta.¡± She let out a huge yawn. ¡°Must be nice not needing to sleep, huh?¡± ¡°Ahaha, kinda. I do miss dreaming, though.¡± I responded wistfully. ¡°Oh, I see you got your paintjob back! Nice work!¡± She flashed me a thumbs up. ¡°Thanks! Laria helped me since the mechanics are all busy right now.¡± I was happy she had noticed. Miette looked at me slyly. ¡°Laria? No way! Did you bribe her into it? You got dirt on her or something?¡± ¡°NOTHING OF THE SORT! She was just being nice!¡± I protested. Miette chuckled. ¡°Laria being nice? Hell must have frozen over by absorbing all the cold from her personality.¡± ¡°Hey, be polite!¡± I tutted. ¡°Laria¡¯s a really good person once you get to know her!¡± ¡°I know, I know. I was just teasing.¡± She sounded only slightly apologetic. Miette opened a sealed bag of plankton slurry for breakfast and began to suck it up. She often ate on the go like this, eager to get to work. Personally I thought she could stand to eat a few more of Vicky¡¯s home cooked morning meals, since we were stationed right next to Zehra¡¯s lab, but Miette preferred to spend the time tinkering with my systems. As she drifted into my cockpit, I followed her with my Doll body. She got to work goofing around in my wiring while slurping up the slurry. I prayed no globs of it would go drifting into any important circuits and short me out. After she had worked for a bit, I sidled over to her and popped the question. ¡°Hey Miette, would you like a shoulder massage?¡± My tone was low and sultry, although that detail may have been lost on her. ¡°A what?!¡± She looked at me with wide eyes. ¡°You know, a shoulder massage! To relieve tension and help you relax!¡± I proclaimed. ¡°I¡¯m not THAT tense. I just woke up!¡± she responded. ¡°Nonsense! Those cots are hard and rickety, and the mattress is thinner than tissue paper! Those abominations they call pillows are undeserving of the name! You probably put a kink in your joints just by sleeping on those nasty things!¡± I was insistent. ¡°Huh, well. That is true. Still, a shoulder massage¡­ it¡¯s been years¡­¡± she was still hesitant. I gave her my big liquid doe eyes, and that pushed her over the edge. ¡°Oh c¡¯mon, don¡¯t give me that look. Fine, massage away.¡± She shrugged in resignation. I slowly placed my hands at the base of her neck, feeling her shoulder muscles beneath the straps of her tank top. She shivered slightly as the tips of my fingers brushed her skin. I was looking forward to this. This is it! The moment of truth! Laria Massage Algorithm 1.0, ENGAGE! Just then, alarm kaxons surrounded throughout the hanger. As the two of us snapped to attention, Laria popped up in a chat window. ¡°One Sarcophage cruiser detected on LIDAR, direct trajectory for Eros. All Gravity Frame pilots, scramble!¡± Miette quickly ducked out of my cockpit to put on her Inertia Suit. I let out a loud sigh of frustration. God DAMN it! And I was just getting to the good part, too! I can¡¯t believe I¡¯ve been edged by the damn Sarcophage! I¡¯m gonna make you alien bastards pay for this! pynkbites My deepest thanks to you, my dear readers. I''m so glad you''re enjoying it! S-21. Another Bug Hunt?! As soon as Miette was suited up, and I had deposited my deactivated Doll body in a charging port in the hanger, she sealed my cockpit hatch and steered me towards the hanger¡¯s airlock. 433 Eros¡¯ Gravity Frame docking bays had liner accelerators build into either side of the bay; these weren¡¯t as long or powerful as a carrier¡¯s accelerators, but they still had enough oomph to get us going at a decent clip. I was absolutely seething. My precious massage time with Miette had been rudely interrupted, and I was going to take my pound of flesh from the Sarcophage in revenge. When Laria convened a conference call with all the pilots, Zehra and the captain, everyone sensed my anger. My expression was intense. ¡°Sveta? Are you alright?¡± Laria asked gingerly. ¡°I¡¯m fine, I¡¯m fine! Those damned space monsters just interrupted something important, that¡¯s all!¡± I said through clenched teeth. Everyone looked at me in confusion, but Laria seemed to catch on. I saw the light of recognition in her eyes. ¡°Well, please take your anger and direct it at the cruiser currently bearing down on us.¡± Laria said. ¡°The sooner we destroy it, the sooner you can get back to your *ahem* important activities.¡± She was trying to console me, and it helped me cool down a bit. I twisted my fury into determination. Miette was looking at me with a mixture of confusion and concern, and I resolved to keep an even temper. Laria brought up a tactical plot. OPS-121 was currently taking potshots at the cruiser, but it was bearing down on us at an angle that would put the bulk of 433 Eros between itself and the Almaz station. The Sarcophage didn¡¯t want a repeat of last time; they were specifically maneuvering into a position where they were shielded from the station by our own asteroid base. The captain sounded worried. ¡°In the last encounter, the Sarcophage kept their escorts close to their cruiser to ward off kinetic impacts. This time, they¡¯re clearly maneuvering out of OPS-121¡¯s line of fire. This is troubling. I¡¯ve never known the enemy to adapt so quickly.¡± The Sarcophage did change their tactics, and even manufactured new types of units specifically to counter human weapons. But those adaptations usually took place over months or years, much like an animal might slowly change its behavior in response to shifting external stimuli. Now they were adapting instantly to what we had done in the previous battle. It was something we had never seen from the Sarcophage before; indication of an intelligent tactical mind controlling their actions. ¡°Hmm. Is there any evidence of similar tactical thinking anywhere else on the Line, gao~n?¡± Zehra asked. ¡°Not from what I¡¯ve seen. It¡¯s only been observed here, at Eros.¡± the captain answered. Zehra looked disturbed and started muttering to herself. ¡°First a Beelzebub, now this¡­ why are they so interested in us, gao~n? What are they after?¡± The captain brought the discussion back on track. ¡°Let¡¯s leave the speculation until later. Because of the cruiser¡¯s approach vector, the Radiolaria will be launching alongside our Frame squadron to provide artillery support. You will be following our modified anti-cruiser battle plan, but feel free to improvise once you have a clearer picture of the tactical situation. The Sarcophage are adapting their tactics, and we must too. We move out in 200 seconds.¡± Zehra snapped her fingers. ¡°Sveta, Sveta! I have a new weapon I¡¯d like you to try out, gao~n!¡± She brought up a blueprint with a wave of her hand. ¡°I call this an Impact Fin!¡± I recognized the angular feather-shaped outline of a gravity fin. At the quill was attached a cylindrical battery pack, from which jutted five small reaction control fins at varying angles. It was a strange-looking weapon. ¡°Ohh? What¡¯s this for?¡± I asked curiously. ¡°I got the idea from your Sveta Maneuver! It¡¯s basically a battery-powered drive fin you can remote control, gao~n. The operational time is limited to three minutes and it¡¯s not as powerful or bulky as a Gravity Frame, so the force of the impact is lessened. But the lower mass means it can accelerate much faster and maneuver better than a Frame! Take these things and slam them into the enemy cruiser at high velocity, gao~n!¡± As if on cue, a Construction Frame entered the hanger, holding a rack which stored six of the Impact Fins. It was designed to be mounted on the hardpoint between the drive fins on my back; after it was attached, I could fire the Impact Fins at will and guide them to smash into whatever I wanted. Whoa. Fin Funnels? I¡¯m getting my own Fin Funnels? I¡¯ve transformed into the Nu Gundam! Of course they can¡¯t fire beam blasts, but close enough! The prospect of a shiny new weapon had cleared away the last of my anger from before. As Miette knelt me down to allow the Construction Frame to attach the rack to my back, I thanked Zehra. ¡°Wow, this is incredible! Thanks, mom!¡± Zehra grinned and flashed me a thumbs up. ¡°Smash them to pieces, gao~n!¡± ¡°Will do!¡± I saluted, grinning hugely. Laria dismissed the briefing and we headed for the launch tubes. Miette seemed glad my mood had improved, but I was sure after the battle she¡¯d be asking about my pissy behavior. Oh well, it will be a good opportunity for me to follow through on that massage. Hurry up and die screaming, you Sarcophage monsters, so I can spend some quality alone time with my precious pilot! At that thought, I wondered offhandedly if I was turning into a yandere. ***** As our six Frames bore down on the cruiser, I got clearer readings from the LIDAR. As before, the escorts were sticking awfully close of the ship, probably wary of kinetic weapons. We¡¯d have to thin out those escorts significantly before I could make good use of my new Impact Fins. Something about the enemy LIDAR signature bugged me. I pulled up the image and displayed it to all the pilots. ¡°Hey, everyone. Does this signature look funny to you?¡± ¡°Hmm, it does.¡± Maurice was the one with the most combat experience out of us all, and he recognized what I was talking about immediately. ¡°The cloud of escorts looks more¡­ splotchy than usual. As if the escort units are made from denser material.¡± ¡°Denser?¡± Miette asked. ¡°What does that mean?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure.¡± Maurice responded. ¡°Be on your guard. This might be something we¡¯ve never seen before.¡± Ugh, today¡¯s just full of terrible surprises! My foul mood from earlier threatened to return, and I focused on the tasks in front of me to ward it off. I strained all my sensors, trying to get a better picture of what was going on. As the cruiser drew into visual range, I got my answer. I magnified the image and everyone stared at it in silent shock. Sabina was the first to speak up. ¡°What¡­ are THOSE?!¡± The cruiser¡¯s escorts weren¡¯t Spineballs or Clawteeth. They weren¡¯t even the outdated Spiralvore units from early in the war. Instead they looked like miniature frame-class versions of the Beelzebub, albeit with more of a preying mantis body type. They had a long, thin insectile body sprouting gravity wings, with two scythe-arms and four smaller wriggly legs that seemed to be emitting gravity signatures of their own. If I had to guess, the blade-arms were for melee cutting and the legs were a Sarcophage equivalent of reaction control fins. Just like the Beelzebub, they had a mass of wriggling tentacles instead of mandibles, giving them a really creepy cosmic horror vibe. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen those before.¡± Maurice said. ¡°Sveta?¡± ¡°No record exists of these creatures in the combat manuals.¡± I confirmed after a quick check of my databanks. ¡°They are not any of the 48 Sarcophage species observed thus far. Based on their morphology, they seem most similar to the Beelzebub.¡± ¡°Miniature Beelzebubs? Let¡¯s hope they¡¯re not as tough to kill¡­¡± Sabina moaned. I continued my report. ¡°Provisionally designating these new units ¡®Bladebugs.¡¯ They do not seem to possess projectile spines; they likely have no ranged capability.¡± The Sarcophage didn¡¯t have charged particle or energy weapons, so their gravitationally propelled spines were their primary ranged attack. ¡°The cruiser¡¯s escort consists solely of twenty-six Bladebugs.¡± ¡°That¡¯s damn peculiar.¡± Maurice mused. ¡°Why would their escort consist of only melee units?¡± ¡°Based on the manuals, I speculate they¡¯re planning on using the cruiser¡¯s spines to provide cover fire when the situation permits.¡± I theorized. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, is this a force deployment specifically designed to counter a squadron of Gravity Frames?¡± Miette asked. ¡°I¡­ I think so. The Bladebugs are too small to damage a carrier much with their scythes. This formation seems like the Gravity Frame plus artillery tactics we use, relying on the escorts to thin out frame-class units and using the cruiser for ranged fire. If they take us out, the cruiser can bombard Radiolaria and Eros at its leisure.¡± I responded. ¡°That¡¯s a disturbing thought. They¡¯re adapting too damn quickly. Are they copying us?¡± Miette asked the dreaded question, and nobody had a response. ¡°Right. Well, let¡¯s get our feet wet and see what they¡¯re up to.¡± Maurice snapped everyone to attention. ¡°Hexagonal-alpha formation by elements. We¡¯ll start by lighting them up. Sveta, use the Impact Fins at your discretion. If anyone''s position becomes untenable, form up with your element and retreat to waypoint beta. Weapons free in five seconds.¡± Maurice and Miette were in element one, Sabina and Genevi in element two, and Alexis and Leonard in element three. Everyone tensed up, fingers on the trigger, as we silently counted down. I felt Miette gripping my controls tightly and tapping her finger impatiently against my firing switches. When five seconds had elapsed, all six of our Frames let loose with both shoulder cannons and handheld rifles. A storm of positron fire surged towards the cruiser and its escorts. The Bladebugs, oddly, took no evasive action. As the positron blasts slammed into them, it became apparent why. They were suffering no damage from our attack. Their exoskeletons shrugged off our weapons as easily as the Beelzebub¡¯s had. ¡°Damn it! Elements, spiral approach pattern! Try to find a weak spot somewhere!¡± Maurice ordered. Everyone accelerated as we tried to aim our shots with precision. Miette peppered one of the bugs with sustained fire, searching for a weak spot. After about fifteen seconds, the creature was suddenly bisected and spiraled out of control. The critical shot had hit it just below its head. ¡°Aim for where the head joins the thorax! The exoskeleton is thinner there! It takes about three shots!¡± Miette shouted to the other pilots. Sabina and Genevi each managed to take one Bladebug out with precision fire. Just then, ten of the creatures split off from the cruiser¡¯s escort and accelerated directly towards us. ¡°Damn it! They¡¯re fast!¡± I said, outlining the approaching units in red on everyone¡¯s displays. ¡°They have front-to-back acceleration of 22 Gs, and side-to-side of 17!¡± That kind of maneuverability outpaced our own Frames by a small margin. They were faster and tougher than us. ¡°Elements, split up by thirds! Keep them at a distance! Do NOT let them get in melee range!¡± Maurice ordered. It was a sound tactic; in a melee fight, the Bladebugs would be at a huge advantage. We¡¯d have to score a precise plasma blade strike on their weak point to stop them, and they could chop us to pieces at any point with their blade-arms. As we veered away from the creatures, we kept sniping at them. They dodged very well and it was difficult to land a hit. As they closed in, I realized we were being rapidly flanked by their superior numbers; we¡¯d likely be within melee range in under fifteen seconds. Just then, one of the creatures surged forwards at nearly 30Gs and dove straight towards Sabina¡¯s Frame. With the element of surprise, it outmaneuvered her and sliced off her unit¡¯s left arm. The severed arm was holding her positron rifle in a death grip, and both went flying. She quickly thrust backwards and spun towards the severed arm; she ignited the plasma blade on her remaining right arm and jabbed the positron rifle, causing it to start sparking and fizzling. She grabbed the severed arm, spinning around once and throwing it at the Bladebug. The arm whacked the bug in its tentacle face, and the attached rifle exploded a second later, vaporizing half of the creature. Despite Sabina¡¯s quick thinking, our tactical situation was deteriorating. The other Bladebugs were accelerating to 30Gs as well, trying to close in. We¡¯d be chopped liver in a matter of seconds. Damn! I was hoping to save our trump card for later, but this is looking bad! With a brief warning to Miette, I quickly loosed all six Impact Fins and sent them careening towards the incoming swarm. The Bladebugs careened off in all directions to avoid my guided projectiles, abandoning their attack. However, my Impact Fins had a slight edge in maneuverability due to their power-to-weight ratio, and I managed to smash up two of them. Hah! No matter how tough your armor is, you can¡¯t escape Newton¡¯s Second Law! Eat kinetic energy, you creepy space bugs! The seven remaining Bladebugs regrouped, forming up once more. I used the opportunity to send my four remaining projectiles towards their formation, and they scattered to dodge once more. The pilots kept blasting away at them with positron fire, splashing two more with precision shots. ¡°Use the fire to hem them in!¡± I shouted. ¡°I¡¯ll take care of the rest!¡± The pilots obliged, directing suppressing fire in a cylinder around their formation to push them closer together. As they accelerated towards us again through the gauntlet we created, I threaded my four remaining Impact Fins right down their throats. All four hit their marks, and one of the careening Bladebug corpses rammed into its sole remaining ally, destroying it as well. With the enemy immediately in front of us gone, we all breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°Sabina, are you alright?¡± Maurice asked. ¡°Yeah. Only the arm was damaged and the systems isolated the circuits in time. I¡¯m missing my rifle but I can still fight.¡± Sabina declared. She was also missing the reaction control fin that had been attached to that arm, which would hamper her maneuverability; normally we¡¯d direct a damaged unit to retreat, but the present circumstances didn¡¯t allow for that. Just then, the cruiser¡¯s remaining thirteen escorts broke from their mothership and accelerated towards us. The cruiser opened up with spinefire as well. ¡°Ah¡­ fuck.¡± Miette moaned. ¡°Damn. Were they waiting for us to exhaust our kinetic projectiles?¡± Maurice said through gritted teeth. ¡°There¡¯s no way they could have known about them, right? It was a brand new weapon!¡± Miette asked, her voice uncertain. Now we had thirteen more Bladebugs and one angry cruiser to deal with. One of our units was damaged, and I was fresh out of Impact Fins. Oh shit. This is NOT gonna be pretty. S-22. Big Damn Gunship!! With thirteen Bladebugs bearing down on us, plus a cruiser-full of spinefire to dodge, Maurice thought the situation was dire enough that we should regroup at waypoint beta. As we turned tail, a problem quickly became apparent. The Bladebugs were no longer masking their ability to accelerate towards us at 30Gs, which was nearly twice the acceleration of our Frames. Simply put, we couldn¡¯t get away safely. Miette gave me a look. I knew what she was about to ask, and I was filled with dread. I pre-empted her question. ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll do it. One burst only.¡± She nodded, satisfied. Ugh, I hate doing this. It¡¯s so risky. Still, better injured than dead¡­ I sent a ping to everyone, letting them now I¡¯d be temporarily disabling the acceleration safeties. I coordinated a single burst of 45Gs, lasting 1.5 seconds, and we got just enough distance to fall into formation at waypoint beta. A couple of the pilots greyed out for a few seconds, but at least they weren¡¯t bug meat. Our units formed a defensive sphere, covering each other¡¯s backs, and we awaited the swarm of oncoming Bladebugs with bated breath while intercepting the cruiser¡¯s spinefire with suppressive bursts. The defensive formation enabled us to hold our own for the moment, and we worked on whittling down the incoming Bladebugs with our shoulder cannons while we sprayed suppressive fire at the spines with our handheld rifles. The critters came in hot, and only Sabina and Miette were accurate enough to snipe at their weak points and score one kill apiece while they were still incoming. When they got into melee range, things went downhill fast. Melee combat against these insects was exceptionally difficult. Their blade-arms could pass through Gravity Frame armor like shit through a goose, and our plasma blades bounced off their tough exoskeletons without leaving a scratch. We had to score a hit on their neck joints to kill them, while avoiding their furious attacks and simultaneously intercepting or dodging the incoming spinefire. The Sarcophage cruiser was utterly unconcerned about hitting its allied units as it shot at us, since the Bladebug''s armor was tough enough to shrug off friendly fire. The end result of this was a deadly storm of spines and blades that assaulted us from every direction; it was like standing in the middle of a category five hurricane. It was a credit to Miette¡¯s piloting that she wove me through this hurricane with extraordinary grace and precision. I was so frightened I wanted to clamp my eyes shut and curl up in a ball, but Miette kept her cool and matched her tempo to the battle¡¯s. There were a couple of close calls, and I got a few nicks on my armor from the tips of bug blades, but when she managed to jam my plasma blades through one of the creature¡¯s writhing tentacle-heads, we watched it flail and die with immense satisfaction. It was a small bright point amidst a miasma of despair. By the time a minute had elapsed, we were on the back foot. Including Miette¡¯s kill, we had only managed to splash two of the Bladebugs at melee range, still leaving nine. Several of our Frames had taken critical damage; Maurice¡¯s Frame was missing its head, Alexis and Genevi had each lost a leg, and Sabina was still missing an arm for earlier. It was a matter of seconds before we were completely overwhelmed, and I was growing desperate. I couldn¡¯t think of any way out of this nightmare. Guh, this is the end, isn¡¯t it? I only hope I get reincarnated somewhere more peaceful next time¡­ and hopefully alongside Miette¡­ Just then, I saw the Sarcophage cruiser light up. Positron artillery fire slammed into it from above, breaking it into pieces, and the spinefire stopped. What? Who just? The Bladebugs froze for just a moment as their mothership exploded, and we took the opportunity to counterattack. Aiming positron blasts and plasma blades at their weak spots, we managed to gut three more while they were stunned. Meanwhile, as the cruiser¡¯s jamming and gravity distortions cleared, I picked up a massive signature on LIDAR; the thing responsible for the cruiser¡¯s destruction. The familiar arrowhead-shaped outline of a Gravity Frame carrier ship resolved itself. It beamed a radio signal at me. ¡°Incoming hail!¡± I reported. I piped it through, and a woman¡¯s voice rang through all our cockpits. ¡°Pilots of the Radiolaria, this is Captain Monica Skelton of the Telesthesia II. Apologies for our late arrival. Can we be of assistance?¡± What? WHAT? NO WAY! BIG DAMN GUNSHIP TO THE RESCUE!! That voice was like the sweetest music to our ears. Everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief, although I saw Genevi¡¯s eyes go wide as she gasped in shock. Hmm? What¡¯s got her surprised? Maurice quickly made a request of the captain. ¡°Captain, can you lay down a suppressive field of fire one half-click south-southwest of our location, please? We¡¯ll drive these bugs into it.¡± ¡°Roger that. We will open fire in ten seconds.¡± I quickly updated everyone¡¯s tactical projections with that information, and the six of us worked to herd the remaining Bladebugs towards the indicated position. When the ten seconds had elapsed, the Telesthesia II¡¯s artillery opened fire with an intense broadside. Each Bladebug took about ten artillery shots to splash, but the carrier had firepower to spare and the sheer force of the its weaponry kept them staggered. It was an effective mix of high damage and stun-locking. By the time the bugs maneuvered clear of the firing solution, there were only three left. We made short work of those remaining three bugs. We were all pretty pissed off by this point, so we may have taken it out on them a bit. By the time we were done, only ribbons of bug-flesh remained, and we were all smeared in insect fluids. Another humiliating bout of decontamination was no doubt in our near future. It was worth it, though. Call it stress relief. Violent, giant robot stress relief. We had been centimeters from death, so we all had a lot of stress to discharge. ***** After we finished, er, ¡°mopping up¡± the battlefield, we fell into formation around the Telesthesia II to escort her to Eros. With the battle behind us, we finally got a chance to get a good look at her captain when she opened up video comms. Unlike Captain Savitskaya, who was in her late forties, Captain Skelton looked to be in her mid-twenties at most. She had platinum blonde hair drawn back into a ponytail, intense blue eyes, an athletic build and the rigid posture of a command officer. She reminded me of a certain fictional bounty hunter who fought space pirates; she seemed just as much of a hard-boiled badass at first impression. As soon as she popped up onscreen, Genevi was the first to speak up. Everyone stared at her, a bit confused by her uncharacteristic talkativeness. ¡°Monica!¡± she exclaimed happily. ¡°It IS you!¡± ¡°Hello Genevi, Sabina. It¡¯s been too long.¡± Captain Skelton¡¯s smile was soft, and her eyes full of memory. ¡°When I heard the Radiolaria was at Eros, I wondered if I¡¯d see you two.¡± Sabina chuckled. ¡°Long time no see, Monica.¡± The rest of us just stared at the (apparently) touching reunion in silence. Maurice gave it ten seconds before he cleared his throat. ¡°Ah-hem.¡± Captain Skelton snapped to attention. It was weird seeing her brought back on track by a mere 1st Lieutenant; usually these things were the other way around. ¡°Ah, sorry. I see four of your Frames are damaged. Do you require immediate docking?¡± Maurice looked at me, and I shook my head. The damage to the Frames wasn¡¯t immediately threatening to the pilot¡¯s lives. ¡°That¡¯s a negative. We should be able to make it back to Eros alright.¡± ¡°Good deal.¡± Captain Skelton nodded. ¡°I¡¯m glad everyone survived this time.¡± ¡°As am I. We have you to thank for that, Captain. If I may ask, how exactly did you get the jump on the Sarcophage cruiser like that?¡± Maurice asked the question that was on all our minds. We were immensely grateful for the rescue, but also highly curious how she had pulled it off. ¡°Ahh, it¡¯s an old tactic of mine called ¡®silent running.¡¯¡± Captain Skelton explained. ¡°Basically we coasted into the battlefield on inertia, with our drive fins and system shut down so we weren¡¯t emitting any kind of gravity waves or radiation, using passive sensors only to keep an eye on our surroundings. The Sarcophage cruiser was so focused on you that it didn¡¯t notice our big ol¡¯ ship with the sensor signature of a rock getting close before we had a straight shot at it. Let me tell you, pulling all that off without an AI was a real pain in the ass.¡± ¡°That¡¯s impressive. I¡¯ve never heard of that technique before.¡± Miette said, sounding skeptical. ¡°Hmm¡­ the Skelton Maneuver¡­¡± I mused. Miette rolled her eyes at that remark. ¡°It¡¯s not in any of the combat manuals. I¡¯ve only managed to pull it off twice before; it only works in a very specific set of circumstances. In this case, for reasons I can not fathom, the cruiser was intensely focused on your squadron. That¡¯s why it was oblivious to us until it was too late.¡± ¡°We were oblivious to you as well, since we were focused on the battle.¡± Maurice added. ¡°I can see how they¡¯d get tunnel vision.¡± Anthropomorphizing the Sarcophage was a human conceit based on absolutely no hard evidence whatsoever, but we had no better theory to go on at the moment. I¡¯m sure we¡¯d examine the whole strange battle in detail in our imminent debriefing. We proceeded to escort the Telesthesia II to a rendezvous with the Radiolaria which was still keeping station in orbit around Eros. After that, we headed back to docking bay 19. As we cruised on home, everyone in the squadron turned questioning eyes onto Genevi and Sabina. The two of them squirmed under our gaze. ¡°W-What is it?¡± Sabina asked. Genevi just looked guilty, somehow. ¡°Spill the beans.¡± Miette said. ¡°You KNOW Captain Skelton. You even addressed her by first name, to her face, on the battlefield. If I ever tried that with Captain Savitskaya, I¡¯d have a boot rammed up my ass so fast I¡¯d achieve relativistic velocities. That tells me you three are close, VERY close. So, what¡¯s your relationship?¡± ¡°Ahahahaha, I¡¯m gonna let Genevi answer that one.¡± Sabina dodged the question with an apologetic expression, looking at her sister. ¡°N-No fair! Uh¡­ uh¡­¡± Genevi stuttered. We all waited expectantly. ¡°W-Well, you see¡­ Monica attended the Academy with me and Sabina. She¡¯s¡­ She¡¯s my ex-girlfriend.¡± ¡°WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!¡± we all cried in unison. pynkbites I''ve slowed down my writing pace on this story a bit because I''m putting together another isekai story, fantasy-themed this time, which I''m tentatively calling Kneel Before Your Demon Lord!. I''m aiming to get a full volume of the new story written before I put it up on this site, mostly so I can plot out the story''s trajectory in detail. Going forward, my goal is to post a chapter of Giant Robot Reincarnation?! every 2 or 3 days. S-23. Creepy Stalker Space Bugs!! After returning to Eros, I wasted no time getting back into my Doll body, whose battery had been topped up while we were out facing certain death. I wanted to pick up right where I had left off with Miette, but Captain Savitskaya convened a videoconference debriefing almost immediately. I settled for clinging to Miette''s arm as we sat in my cockpit, while secretly pouting just a bit. Laria, Captain Skelton, Teles and Zehra were present in video chat windows. ¡°Firstly,¡± Captain Savitskaya began, ¡°Let me introduce the captain of the newly arrived Telesthesia II, Monica Skelton.¡± ¡°Yo! Nice to meet you all. So long as you follow my orders, I¡¯m not too big on formality. You can call me ¡®Monica.¡¯ I promise I don¡¯t bite, although I do punch pretty hard.¡± Monica¡¯s greeting was casual, in contrast to her high-ranking position. Her style of command was clearly the opposite of Captain Savitskaya¡¯s. I wondered if anyone would have the courage to use her first name, outside of her (apparent) ex-girlfriend Genevi. Our squad had interrogated Genevi relentlessly about her ex. Thanks to that, we had a fairly good read on her personality. With the way Genevi breathlessly described her, I wondered if there was still a spark there. It was none of my business, of course, but you can¡¯t stop a girl from speculating! Regardless, it was valuable information on our new comrade in arms, so I don¡¯t regret being a busybody in this particular circumstance. Monica¡¯s breezy introduction matched exactly what Genevi had told us about her. Somebody once told me there were two kinds of leaders; dictators and consensus builders. The former preferred total obedience and handed down orders that were absolute. The latter instead sought input from their subordinates, working with them as equals to create a plan that suited everyone. This was probably an over-simplification, and no one person fit either description to a T; however, if I were to categorize Captain Savitskaya, she was about 80% dictator and 20% consensus builder. She sought input and made concessions when it was important, such as when she had won over Zehra, but she still made it clear she was in charge. Monica, on the other hand, seemed like mostly a consensus builder; she was clearly trying to build an equal camaraderie with us from the get-go. What an interesting person. Captain Savitskaya had said she would get along with Teles, and I understood why now. Monica¡¯s attitude suited Teles¡¯ sloppy personality well, and was a definite improvement over the stiff arrogance of her old commander Vicky. Indeed, Teles wore a large grin as she studied Monica, who smiled right back. ¡°Pleased to meetcha, Monica! I¡¯m Teles, the AI presently uploading myself to your shiny new Gravity Frame carrier. Let¡¯s get along, ¡®kay?¡± Teles smiled and waved, seeming like nothing more than a peppy, innocent girl. I wondered if I should warn Monica about Teles¡¯ dark side. ¡°Nice to meet you as well, Teles. I¡¯m looking forward to working with you, and not just because running a carrier without an AI is a royal pain in the tuchus.¡± Teles giggled at that little joke. With the introductions out of the way, the Captain moved on to an analysis of the battle. As we went over the timeline, the troubling nature of what we¡¯d encountered became readily apparent. ¡°A completely new enemy unit just for us, gao~n? I¡¯d be flattered if they weren¡¯t trying to eat us alive.¡± Zehra studied the scans we had taken of the Bladebugs with great interest. Captain Savitskaya frowned. ¡°I¡¯ve checked the most recent battle records I have access to, and no other units have recorded these Bladebugs. Nor are there any reports of rapid tactical adaptation. Whatever we¡¯re observing, it¡¯s purely a local phenomenon focused on us.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not all.¡± I added. Everyone turned to face me. ¡°Look at this timestamp in the recordings. When the Telesthesia II destroyed the enemy cruiser, the Bladebugs froze for a moment. There was nearly a two-second interval where they stopped moving completely.¡± ¡°That¡¯s when we got the chance to take out a bunch of them.¡± Miette added. ¡°Hmm. But what could it mean?¡± Captain Savitskaya asked, tapping her chin thoughtfully. ¡°Simple, gao~n. It indicates a centralized chain of command. The bugs were taking orders from the cruiser, gao~n. That¡¯s how they adapted to the changing circumstances so quickly.¡± Everyone looked disturbed at that thought. One of humanity¡¯s only advantages in this war had been our ability to think tactically and creatively. Up until now, the Sarcophage had reacted on mere instinct, like ravenous animals. They did adapt to their circumstances, and even evolve new forms to counter human tactics, but it took years. Now it was happening in minutes instead. That sort of paradigm shift had apocalyptic implications. Laria spoke up next. ¡°I¡¯d almost describe these as probing attacks. They¡¯re trying to gauge our strength, and test out new weapons and tactics to see how effective they are.¡± ¡°Hmm. But why here? Why are they so interested in us?¡± Captain Savitskaya asked. The it was a rhetorical question; everyone turned to stare at me once more. ¡°Gah? Why are you all looking at me?! I didn¡¯t do anything, I swear!¡± I protested, even though I knew perfectly well what they were about to say. Laria explained the obvious, and I squirmed as I listened. ¡°Our recent success against the Sarcophage has been because of you, Sveta, and your unorthodox tactics. Alongside your pilot, you have been responsible for the destruction of three cruisers and a Beelzebub, despite our severely limited resources. From a cost-to-performance perspective, Radiolaria¡¯s squadron has suddenly become the deadliest human unit in the whole war.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know if the Sarcophage have a hive intelligence,¡± Zehra added ¡°but clearly you¡¯ve caught their attention, gao~n.¡± ¡°Hurk! I could do without being stalked by ravenous cosmic horrors, thank you very much!¡± The very thought would have caused me to retch if I still had a human stomach. ¡°True of us all.¡± Captain Savitskaya chuckled dryly. ¡°Doctor, what countermeasures do we have available?¡± ¡°Hmm, that¡¯s difficult to say, gao~n.¡± Zehra folded her arms and shut her eyes, thinking for a moment. ¡°The Impact Fins seemed effective, but if we use one against every Bladebug that comes against us we¡¯ll run out of resources really fast. I¡¯m going to build a few dozen additional racks of them for the time being and mount them on all the squad¡¯s Frames, gao~n. It shouldn¡¯t take more than two days.¡± ¡°ALL the squadron¡¯s Frames? Can the other pilots even use them?¡± Miette asked. ¡°Of course not, gao~n! But Sveta interfaces with everyone¡¯s Frames in battle, so it gives her a bigger arsenal! My guess would be she can control about twenty at a time, gao~n.¡± ¡°That¡¯s about right.¡± I confirmed. They were simpler to remote pilot than a Gravity Frame, so I could handle controlling more at once. ¡°Six times six gives us 36 fins to work with, gao~n. It¡¯s a good stopgap measure. In the longer term, the superior maneuverability and acceleration of the Velocipede units should outclass the Bladebugs, gao~n. What worries me is our positron weapons aren¡¯t effective against their chitin. I¡¯m hoping I can find a solution studying the corpse of the Beelzebub we¡¯re dissecting, gao~n.¡± Captain Savitskaya frowned. ¡°We¡¯re still about a week and a half out from taking delivery of the Velocipede units. Let¡¯s hope the enemy doesn¡¯t decide to attack in force in the meantime.¡± ¡°Indeed, gao~n. Also, as it relates to Sveta, I¡¯ve currently completed the blueprints for her new Frame and I¡¯ll begin building it soon, gao~n. It should be ready within a few weeks. I¡¯m going to integrate polymers from the Beelzebub¡¯s chitin into the new armor plating to dramatically increase its durability, gao~n! And it will have several new weapons systems that will really give the Sarcophage a fit!¡± Ugh. I had strongly protested the bug armor idea at first, but now it seemed essential. The thought still creeped me out. ¡°Hmm, excellent thinking. If the Sarcophage are truly as focused on Sveta as they appear, increasing her power should provide us with the best counter. We need to think tactically and adapt quickly to counter whatever is happening here. For better or worse, we seem to have entered an arms race. Doctor, your skills are absolutely critical to our survival.¡± Zehra nodded at Captain Savitskaya¡¯s assessment. For the expectations placed on her shoulders, she seemed entirely unbothered. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll build Sveta the strongest possible body so she can blast those bugs to smithereens, gao~n!¡± Ugh. It sounded like I was getting a powerup under the worst possible circumstances. If it wasn¡¯t for the camaraderie I had developed with everyone here, I would be fervently praying to go back to my old, peaceful life. Seriously! Why are they so interested in ME?! ***** After the briefing concluded, I turned to Miette. ¡°Okay, now where did we leave off?¡± ¡°Huh? Oh, the shoulder massage. Honestly, Sveta, I think we should focus on post-battle maintenance¡­¡± Miette tried to brush me off, but I wasn¡¯t having it. ¡°ABSOLUTELY NOT! Those creepy alien stalker bugs interrupted me once, but I¡¯m gonna see this through, damn it!¡± I clenched my fists. Miette sighed and gave in, removing her inertia suit and kicking back in her cockpit chair, presenting her bare shoulders to me. It¡¯s a good thing my android body couldn¡¯t get nosebleeds or would have made a bloody mess of my cockpit. I flexed my fingers and got to work. As I suspected, there was a lot of tension in those shoulders. I booted up Laria¡¯s algorithm and let it guide me, pressing my fingers into her muscles and tendons. I sought out the tensest parts and attacked them with the intensity of a positron cannon; as an android, my grip strength was nothing to be trifled with. Miette gasped in surprise at the pressure I was applying, and it wasn¡¯t long before she was moaning sweetly as I kneaded. Bwhahahaha! Laria was right; this is incredible! And what improper noises you¡¯re making, my dear pilot¡­ I was careful not to let my imagination run wild, although I did wonder what kind of noises she would make if I cleaned her ears out with a q-tip. Please let them have q-tips in this world! As my fingers worked their magic, Miette practically melted. She became more puddle than human. That¡¯s how good this massage algorithm was; Laria hadn¡¯t been playing around when she created it. I couldn¡¯t wait to tell her about this later. I nestled up to the completely relaxed Miette, and she absentmindedly began petting my ears. This was the perfect opportunity to pop the question. ¡°Hey, Miette? Can I ask you something?¡± ¡°Hmm? Sure.¡± she said dreamily. ¡°I have it on good authority you¡¯ll be getting leave on Christmas Eve.¡± ¡°Ohh? Will I? Where did you hear that?¡± She was a bit confused, but her state of total relaxation dominated her mood. ¡°That¡¯s classified!¡± I said firmly. I wouldn¡¯t betray Laria¡¯s trust, especially not after she did me such a huge favor. ¡°I¡¯m also told 433 Eros puts on a Christmas festival on the 24th thru the 26th, with lights and food stalls and everything.¡± ¡°Ohh, that sounds nice¡­¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t it? So, since you¡¯ll be off on the 24th, would you like to go to the festival with me?¡± My voice sounded cool and casual, but my (metaphorical) stomach was in knots while I waited for her response. ¡°Hmm? Are you gonna be off that day too?¡± ¡°Ahh, I don¡¯t think AIs get leave.¡± Certainly the ship couldn¡¯t function well if Laria took the day off; about myself, I wasn¡¯t so sure. ¡°But I¡¯m getting pretty good at running multiple instances of myself! Even if I¡¯m working, my Doll body can go with you.¡± ¡°Oh yeah, huh? In that case, sure. It sounds like fun.¡± Her positive response caused my heart to race, one again metaphorically. On the outside, I simply smiled and thanked her. On the inside, I was jumping with glee. ALRIGHT! SCORE! I¡¯VE MANAGED TO ASK MY DEAR PILOT OUT ON A DATE! Romantic Christmas Eve, here we come! What a PERFECT setup for a sincere confession of love! And then, under the mistletoe, a tender kiss¡­ A bubbly joy filled my heart, chasing away the sour mood the battle had left behind. R-7. Robots & Romance ¡°So these are the Velocipedes¡­ remarkable.¡± I was in the hanger adjacent to Doctor Zehra¡¯s lab, 11 days after the first Bladebug attack. There had been two more intermittent Sarcophage attacks in the meantime, although no more cruisers appeared. The enemy was sending out mixed squadrons of Spineballs, Clawteeth and Bladebugs in differing force compositions, likely to probe our response. Thanks to the Impact Fins we had prevailed each time, but our Gravity Frames had taken a beating. We only had three units left operational, including Sveta, so the long-awaited delivery of the Velocipedes was a big relief. ¡°Do you like them, Laria? They¡¯re my finest work yet, gao~n! At least until I finish Sveta¡¯s new frame, bwahahahaha!¡± Zehra was in the hanger floating alongside my Doll body, and Vicky was present as well, holding a tablet displaying blueprints for the new units. ¡°They are extremely impressive, Zehra.¡± I responded. The Velocipedes were still unpainted, but even rendered in gunmetal grey they were quite a sight. Their sleek, powerful bodies reminded me of a wildcat, coiled and ready to strike. They had three pairs of primary drive fins on their backs, one more pair than was standard, which made it seem as if they were sprouting angelic wings. It was this extra pair of fins that gave them enhanced acceleration compared to older units; this would be critical in countering the Bladebugs. ¡°One thing I don¡¯t understand, Zehra. According to the blueprints, these units top out at 50Gs of acceleration, and 20Gs in side-to-side bursts. That¡¯s well beyond pilot safety limits, even with Inertia Suits. Won¡¯t the pilots sustain injury?¡± ¡°Ohohoho! Normally, yes, but I¡¯ve developed a new technology to mitigate that: inertial dampeners, gao~n!¡± Zehra seemed as if she had been waiting for that question, and her voice was filled with pride. ¡°It¡¯s my fourth-greatest invention! There are miniaturized gravity fins embedded throughout the frame, and they generate localized gravitational counter-force to mitigate the effects of acceleration, gao~n. They still need fine-tuning, but presently they can cancel out seventy percent of inertial forces is the cockpit!¡± ¡°I see. That¡¯s truly revolutionary.¡± That comment wasn¡¯t hyperbole; one of the chief limitations of gravity control was the need for massive drive fins to generate thrust. If Zehra had successfully miniaturized the technology, it could revolutionize the designs of everything from ships to space colonies, especially if it allowed for the creation of artificial gravity fields. ¡°Isn¡¯t it, gao~n? You may praise me more!¡± Zehra gloated, with her hands on her hips and her non-existent chest puffed out. ¡°Please don¡¯t.¡± Vicky chimed in. ¡°Her ego is inflated enough.¡± ¡°Bad maid!¡± Zehra shot back. ¡°How dare you speak of your mistress so disrespectfully?¡± She stuck out her tongue at Vicky, who reciprocated. The sight of a tiny lion girl and a buxom maid bickering in front of six shiny new giant robots was remarkably strange, but I was slowly growing desensitized to the chaos Zehra brought with her. After all, her accomplishments far outweighed her troublesome quirks. Ignoring their argument, I continued to inquire about the new units. ¡°I see the shoulder cannons have increased yield as well.¡± ¡°Indeed, gao~n!¡± Zehra said, snapping right back into tech nerd mode. ¡°Each shoulder cannon is actually a quad-cannon, which allows them to fire more rapidly, and their destructive power is increased by nearly thirty percent, gao~n.¡± ¡°The reactor can supply enough power for that?¡± I asked. ¡°There are two linked reactors, gao~n. One beefy one for the drive fins, and a slightly smaller one for the cannons. This dramatically increases the power output, gao~n. The higher weapons yield isn¡¯t a perfect counter for the Bladebug¡¯s chitin, but it should reduce the number of shots needed to take one out. Add the Impact Fin racks to the equation, and we¡¯ll be coming out ahead of them every time, gao~n.¡± ¡°Excellent. Most excellent.¡± I straightened my glasses. ¡°Your hard work is appreciated. We¡¯ll have the pilots begin simulator training on them immediately, although I suspect it won¡¯t be long before we must deploy them in battle. Now, as for the other item on our agenda¡­¡± ¡°Ohohoho, yes! Sveta¡¯s new Frame is coming along nicely in my lab, gao~n. Would you like to come take a peek?¡± Zehra seemed even more eager to show me her latest project. I was somewhat eager to see it for myself as well. Sveta would no doubt be wracked by fits of jealousy when she saw these shiny new Frames, and there was no way we could let our good friend suffer in an old and busted body while everyone else in the squadron was piloting the latest and greatest. ***** 302 seconds later, the three of us floated in Zehra¡¯s lab before a half-constructed Frame. The endoskeleton had been completed and the combat chassis was about a half done, and technicians were just beginning to apply armor plating to the shins. The design clearly was based on the Velocipede, but extensively customized. It was beefier, and the internals far more intricate. ¡°Firstly we have built-in Impact Fins, gao~n!¡± Zehra was proudly giving us the grand tour of the blueprints. ¡°In addition to larger battery capacity for longer uptime, they¡¯ll have self-contained weapons modules from positron rifles installed.¡± Positron rifles were small enough to be held in a Frame¡¯s hands, which meant that they didn¡¯t have their own nuclear reactors and particle accelerators to supply the charged particles necessary for operation. Instead, the positrons were stored in an excited state in a replaceable ammunition compartment inside the weapon, contained by a charged magnetic field. Standard frames carried twenty-two replacement cartridges in compartments in their forearms, and reloading was handled automatically by small sub-arm manipulators. This meant that the rifles, drawing upon a supply of positrons in their clips, could fire rapidly, but with ammunition limitations. Shoulder cannons, on the other hand, were linked directly to particle accelerators that were piped directly from a Frame¡¯s nuclear reactor, which resulted in increased power and no ammunition limitations, but longer intervals in between shots as the system took a second or two to generate and compress the positrons for the next shot. Each of these weapon types had their advantages and disadvantages, which is why Frames were outfitted with both at once, one covering for the limitations of the other. Zehra was indicating the new Impact Fin design had positron rifle components attached to them, which allowed them to fire independently while being remote-piloted. In other words, it was like increasing the rifle firepower of the unit by a factor of seven. It was one of the most outrageous weapons designs I had ever seen. ¡°Adding the rifle parts was Sveta¡¯s idea, gao~n. She calls them ¡®Fin Funnels¡¯ but I think that name sounds silly, so I¡¯m calling them ¡®Strike Fins¡¯ instead.¡± ¡°Both names sound silly.¡± I replied tartly. ¡°Regardless, it will give this Frame the suppressive firepower of half a squadron.¡± ¡°But that¡¯s not all, gao~n. I¡¯ve also installed a second pair of nuclear-piped positron cannons, identical to the shoulder cannons, mounted on the hips. Combined with the new quad-cannon design, her long-range firepower will be increased ten times, gao~n!¡± This new Frame design was absolutely bristling with weapons. I didn¡¯t even want to think about the cost in resources required to give a single unit such overwhelming offensive abilities. ¡°That will give her enough firepower to take out a cruiser single-handedly. Can the nuclear reactor handle the increased output?¡± ¡°I had to make the weapons reactor twenty percent larger, which is why the frame is bulkier, gao~n. However, the new armor plating actually decreases the mass, since it¡¯s tougher and lighter, so it all evens out.¡± ¡°Ah, right. Armor plating derived from the Beelzebub corpse, correct?¡± I recalled Sveta¡¯s disgust at the prospect of being clad in corpse parts harvested from the insect. ¡°It¡¯s more like we¡¯re carving out pieces of the chitin in the shape of armor, gao~n. The method of manufacturing a polymer that resistant to damage is still beyond us. It¡¯s not a good approach for mass production, but for a single custom unit it works, gao~n. Only the best for my daughter!¡± As proud as Zehra was of the new armor, I somehow doubted Sveta would be happy with it. Oh well, she was getting the most advanced Gravity Frame ever developed in human history, so she could put up with a single drawback. ¡°I see. Unprecedented firepower, ironclad defenses, and maneuverability equal to the Velocipedes. Zehra, what you are building here is nothing less than a superweapon.¡± I was looking forward to how exactly Sveta would use this newfound power on the battlefield. It was sure to be a dazzling sight. ¡°I know, isn¡¯t it glorious, gao~n?!¡± Zehra cackled madly, and her jovial mood was ever so slightly infectious. ***** ¡°According to Zehra, Sveta¡¯s new Frame should be ready in approximately one week, on the 22nd. The unit includes an entirely new miniaturized AI core, so she simply needs to perform a data transfer of her personality and memories, which should take an hour at most.¡± Captain Savitskaya floated a few feet away from her desk, munching on a muffin. I had brought back a few of Vicky¡¯s latest batch from Zehra¡¯s lab for her. ¡°Mmm, excellent. I¡¯m glad we won¡¯t have to physically transfer her current core. We can¡¯t afford to put her out of commission for a week.¡± ¡°Indeed. Aside from that, the next batch of six Velocipedes will be delivered on the 23rd. Production is moving a bit faster now. I believe you presently have them slated for the Telesthesia II.¡± ¡°Hmm. Since Maurice, Genevi, Sabina and Miette will all be stationed on 433 Eros as test pilots, I¡¯ll assign five Velocipedes to the Telesthesia II and four to the Radiolaria. Additionally, we¡¯ll send one each of the remaining Huntsmark units to each ship, plus Sveta¡¯s old Nighthawk will be joining us. That will give each ship six operational Frames, and 433 Eros four Frames.¡± ¡°A total deployable force of sixteen. That ALMOST brings us back up to full strength for a single carrier.¡± I said dryly. ¡°What a wonderful Christmas gift. We must have been good this year.¡± The captain chuckled. ¡°I sure wasn¡¯t.¡± She took another large bite of muffin. ¡°My, these are delicious. How did you say Vicky makes them again?¡± ¡°She refuses to say. I strongly suspect it¡¯s witchcraft.¡± I was acutely aware of my Doll body¡¯s lack of taste buds, and felt a pang of jealousy. ¡°Pfft. Maybe we should make her official chef of the ship, hmm? Is there such a position on the TO&E?¡± ¡°Regrettably not. I can submit a revision request to the Politburo with our next comm drone.¡± ¡°Hah, could you imagine? They probably already think I¡¯m half-crazy.¡± She finished the muffin and licked the crumbs off her fingers. ¡°Is there any more official business?¡± ¡°None at present. However, Katya, if you will indulge me for a moment. I did want to discuss a personal matter with you.¡± I was extremely nervous at the topic I was about to broach, but I kept my voice steady and calm. I had rehearsed this conversation hundreds of times; I was as ready as I''d ever be. ¡°Oh?¡± She looked at me, curiously. ¡°Upon reviewing the leave schedule you approved, I noticed you have not assigned a leave day for yourself.¡± ¡°Well, I am the captain.¡± Katya sighed. ¡°I can¡¯t afford to take a day off.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you? Captain Skelton is here with a fresh new ship, and we¡¯re nearly up to a third of our proscribed battle strength. Barring an attack, I believe you are long overdue for some relaxation.¡± I pushed the point insistently. ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡± She was still hesitant. ¡°Katya. Your mental well-being is perhaps the most vital to all of us. A day¡¯s rest will do wonders for you, I assure you. Don¡¯t think I haven¡¯t noticed your headaches are getting more frequent lately. You¡¯re extremely stressed.¡± ¡°¡­I can¡¯t deny that. But why are you so interested anyway? Aside from your unfailingly precise attention to my well-being, I mean.¡± The captain was prying, but I knew exactly what to say next. ¡°Well, to be honest, that ties into my personal request. I would like to ask you to attend the Eros Christmas Festival with me.¡± I managed to force out the words without a single stutter, exactly as I rehearsed them, but I felt my face heating up just a bit. Katya seemed taken aback. She started at me, silently, slowly drifting towards me. Her eyes searched mine. My face grew hotter. She finally spoke, half-smiling. ¡°Laria. Just to be one hundred percent clear¡­ are you asking me out on a date?¡± ¡°I-I am.¡± I nervously looked away, then back to her. Her smile grew wide. ¡°A romantic date?¡± ¡°Ah, um. Well. Y-Y-Yes.¡± My practiced composure had deserted me entirely, and my face was now flaring hotter than the sun. Katya floated over to me and took one of my hands in her own. Her skin was rough and warm, and her grip strong. My own tiny, cold hands paled in comparison. I slowly curled my fingers around hers. ¡°I was wondering when you¡¯d ask.¡± Katya¡¯s smile was confident, and her eyes resolute. I found myself lost in them. ¡°Ever since that massage you gave me, I¡¯ve sensed you were feeling, well, something deeper towards me.¡± ¡°Y-You knew?¡± I gawped. ¡°Only since that day. Laria, as the captain, I can¡¯t go around propositioning anyone, so I resolved I¡¯d let you make the first move. To make sure it was completely consensual on your part, you understand.¡± I nodded. ¡°But now that you¡¯ve asked, well. My answer is yes. I¡¯d love to go on a date with you.¡± The two of us stood there for a long while, staring into each other¡¯s eyes. Then slowly, gently, she drew me into a hug. Her arms were hard and strong, and I melted into them. It was the safest and happiest I¡¯d ever felt. And so incredibly warm. Neither one of us spoke. Neither one of us needed to. Only the dull buzzing of the florescent lights, and the distant humming of my drive fins, filled the room. There, in that dull almost-silence, we hugged each other for a long time. I could scarcely believe it. My dream was coming true. I let myself float in the euphoria of the moment, embraced in the arms of the woman I loved. S-24. That New Car Smell!! ¡°Sveta and Miette, you are cleared for launch. On behalf of all the souls aboard 433 Eros, this humble AI Tektite-2 prays for your glory in battle.¡± The cute green-haired AI, projected in my cockpit via video chat, saluted sharply. I returned their salute, and Miette guided me into the electromagnetic launch tube. I wondered briefly at the origin of that expression. It was standard procedure for AIs to send off their human compatriots to the battlefield with a prayer for their glory. It was even included in my standard scripted dialogue options. Who were we praying to, exactly? Just our own squadron included Catholics, Muslims and agnostics; add in the crews of our two ships and the population of Eros, and nearly every human religion was represented. Perhaps it was simply a call to pray to whatever god one believed in, or to the whims of fate. Whatever the case, it was a nice sentiment. Today¡¯s sortie was against yet another Sarcophage attack force; no cruiser included, just another mixed bag of Frame-class units. The Sarcophage seemed to be probing us, testing our combat capabilities and figuring out what force compositions were most effective. We¡¯d had some harrowing battles over the past weeks, and the attrition had whittled down our number of active Gravity Frames, but now we had a new surprise for them; six shiny new Velocipedes, so fresh from the factory they still had that new car smell. The Velocipedes were a huge leap over our old units; even a Huntsmark couldn¡¯t hold a candle to them. I felt a sharp pang of jealousy as the battle raged. My new Frame was still under construction, to be ready in four days. As I was still stuck in an old Nighthawk, several generations behind at this point, Maurice had us stay back and primarily focus on CIC operations while the spiffy new Frames took care of the enemy. I didn¡¯t even get a chance to use any Impact Fins, since the incredible performance of the Velocipedes easily outclassed even the Bladebugs. To borrow an expression, I was warming my butt in the bullpen, and this game was NOT going into extra innings. Miette seemed frustrated too. She kept tapping her finger impatiently against my throttle, clearly raring to charge into battle. For a hothead like her, being sidelined was intolerable. The mood was sour, and I wasn¡¯t quite sure what to say, but I had to say SOMETHING. ¡°Uh¡­¡± I began. ¡°Those Velocipedes are pretty impressive, huh?¡± ¡°Yup.¡± A terse response. ¡°Z-Zehra tells me my new Frame will be even better!¡± ¡°Mm-hmm.¡± ¡°Uh, you know, we h-haven¡¯t decided on a name for the model yet¡­¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± A slight increase in the pitch of her voice indicated she was growing more engaged in the conversation. I kept pushing. ¡°I-I was hoping you¡¯d name the new model.¡± Miette took one eye off the battle and looked at me. ¡°Huh? Why?¡± ¡°It just seems right. You¡¯re the one who originally named me, after all!¡± I flashed her a big smile. ¡°That¡¯s true. Hmm¡­¡± She seemed to be deep in thought. A minute passed. ¡°Uh¡­¡± I piped up. ¡°Don¡¯t rush me!¡± she declared. ¡°Naming a whole new model of Gravity Frame is an important decision! I¡¯m gonna need some time to think about it.¡± I wasn¡¯t going to rush her; I was simply glad her mind had been taken off the battle. The improvement in her mood was my true goal. ¡°Well, you have four days until it¡¯s ready, so think it over as much as you like, okay? Pick the coolest name you can think of!¡± ¡°Pfft. Roger that, Sveta.¡± She gave me a mock salute. Three minutes later, the battle was over. We began mopping up. ***** ¡°No WAY! You two are seeing each other again?!¡± As we scoured the combat zone for stragglers, I expressed shock at what Genevi had just told me. She had apparently hooked up with her old Academy girlfriend, Monica. ¡°Ehehehe, well. Even after all this time, there¡¯s still something there¡­¡± Genevi said bashfully. ¡°Weren¡¯t you dating a LIDAR tech or something?¡± Maurice asked with one eyebrow raised. ¡°Oh, we broke up two weeks ago. Our tastes in food didn¡¯t align.¡± ¡°Your tastes in FOOD?! We all eat the same plankton slurry!¡± Maurice said in mild exasperation. Genevi seemed taken aback by his tone. ¡°I-It¡¯s a matter of preparation, okay? She kept dousing hers in capsicum extract! I just can¡¯t date someone who takes the Scoville scale so seriously!¡± Maurice shook his head. ¡°So, let me get this straight. You broke up with her over an argument over¡­ spicy food?¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± Genevi looked guilty. Bingo! I thought. Sabina jumped in. ¡°Now you see how hopeless my sister is in matters of romance. She¡¯s too damn picky.¡± Her voice was filled with pity, and the rest of us nodded in understanding. ¡°That¡¯s honestly why her and Monica are perfect for each other. They¡¯re both complete idiots.¡± ¡°Sister! That¡¯s so MEEEAAANNNN!¡± Genevi wailed. Everyone except her laughed, and she puffed out her cheeks in indignation. ¡°Anyway,¡± Sabina continued, ¡°the two of them constantly wrote sappy letters to each other even when they were deployed separately. The flame only flickered, never died.¡± She smiled mischievously. ¡°Speaking of, how is YOUR love life going, Miette?¡± ¡°Huh? My what now?¡± The red-headed black hole sucked in that question past her event horizon, a boundary not even light could escape. I answered in her stead. ¡°We¡¯re BOTH looking forward to a lovely Christmas Festival.¡± I said firmly, resisting the urge to wink. ¡°I see, I see.¡± Genevi gave a nod of smug satisfaction. ¡°Best of luck to you, Sveta. On behalf of our squadron, I pray for your glory in battle.¡± ¡°Pfft.¡± I scoffed. ¡°I thank you for your prayers. Soon my long, dark struggle will be concluded. I will accept no other outcome but victory.¡± ¡°What the HELL are you two talking about?!¡± Miette was, as usual, completely lost. None of us felt the need to explain, at least¡­ not yet. The time would come soon enough. Just you wait, my precious pilot. Against the perfect romantic backdrop, I will make my feelings so clear even YOU will notice them. Light may not be able to escape a black hole, but love definitely can! ***** After we returned to Eros, Laria told me about her successful confession to Captain Savitskaya. She was bubbling with happiness, and it was infectious. For my part, I felt admiration for her. Laria was strong, far stronger than me, and had the resolve to state her feelings directly and openly. Her long friendship with the Captain probably helped matters as well, not to mention the Captain¡¯s own intelligence and social skills. For her part, Laria credited me with helping her to be more open about her feelings, and pushing her to obtain a Doll body. I thought she was being too kind. Sometimes, all we need is a nudge in the right direction. I had given her that nudge, but it was her own strength that carried her over the finish line. Now two of my friends had recently ignited successful relationships. Maybe it was the Christmas spirit or something like that that sparked so much romance. I wondered, half in jest, if I should push Zehra and Vicky to hook up. Their relationship was mostly antagonistic, but it seemed more like friendly teasing than outright hostility. However, despite her love of dressing Vicky in all manner of revealing outfits, I couldn¡¯t imagine Zehra in a lovey-dovey romance. It just didn¡¯t suit her image. Maybe Vicky and Teles were a better choice? I¡¯m pretty sure they hated each other¡¯s guts, but it could be a nice rivals-to-lovers plotline. I could just imagine it now: Teles holding a sword to Vicky¡¯s throat, ready to execute her for high treason. A tearful confession, a kiss, a quest for vengeance¡­ Wait one moment. How come I¡¯m always pairing up girls with other girls? Oh¡­ oh my god. I¡¯ve turned into a shipper!! ***** Four days later, my brand spanking new Gravity Frame was finally complete; the last seam welded, the last bolt screwed in. I stared up in awe at the gorgeous, beautiful, POWERFUL body that awaited me. I had contributed significant design input during the construction process. Not every one of my suggestions had been implemented, but my influence loomed large over the final product. The Frame¡¯s body had smooth, contoured lines that reminded me of a beefy muscle car, and it absolutely bristled with powerful weapons. I nearly cried tears of joy¡­ holographic tears, I mean. I finally got my mid-season upgrade. Now I¡¯m truly an ace! Prepare to meet your maker, Kira Yamato!! Zehra had followed through on her promise to add a vibrant paintjob to the final product, and hard-coat it so that it would be protected from battle damage and future decontamination procedures. I made concessions to my pilot¡¯s tastes on the paintjob. I didn¡¯t go so far as to base the motif around a flaming skull, as there was no way I¡¯d cosplay Ghost Rider so blatantly. Instead, we settled on a jet-black base coat, embellished with dazzling pink-gold leaves and vines, and white-gold lilies. I don¡¯t think Miette understood the significance of the lilies, but Zehra certainly did. She teased me mercilessly about it, in fact. She also added sensor clusters on the top of the head that looks suspiciously like cat ears, because my dear mother was nothing if not consistent in her fetishes. Now, for better or worse, I would be a giant catgirl robot emblazoned with lilies. In other words, my new Frame suited me perfectly. Miette, Zehra, Vicky and myself now floated in the lab, admiring the finished product. The mood was jovial, and Miette had somehow even gotten a bottle of champagne. ¡°I hope you¡¯re not planning on breaking that against the armor, gao~n!¡± Zehra said in a worried tone. ¡°What, can¡¯t the armor take it? I thought this thing was indestructible.¡± Miette responded. ¡°Not indestructible, just very resilient to damage, gao~n. But I don¡¯t want to waste a perfectly good bottle of champagne! You must tell me how you always manage to get your hands on such fine alcohol, gao~n!¡± ¡°That¡¯s a good question, Miette." I added "Your supply of booze is seemingly bottomless.¡± It¡¯s times like these that I regret my inability to get drunk. Miette stuck out her tongue. ¡°No way. Zehra, we each have our talents: you¡¯re a genius of science, and I¡¯m a genius of alcohol. My secrets will never be revealed.¡± Vicky rolled her eyes. ¡°Even if you did reveal your secrets, they would be wasted on Mistress. She can¡¯t even tell the difference between champagne and prosecco.¡± ¡°THAT¡¯S PROSECCO?!¡± Zehra and I exclaimed in unison. Vicky sighed. ¡°Like mother, like daughter. Learn to tell the difference between French and Italian writing, at least...¡± Zehra looked as if she had been stabbed through the heart. ¡°There, there.¡± Miette consoled her. ¡°It will still get you just as pleasantly drunk, so don¡¯t fret.¡± ¡°Adrian Carsini is weeping in his cell¡­¡± I muttered. Clearly, I had a long way to go before I¡¯d be solving any wine cellar crimes. ¡°Anyway,¡± Miette reassured Zehra, ¡°I won¡¯t smash the bottle, don¡¯t worry. We should wait to open it until Sveta''s transfer is complete though.¡± ¡°YEAH!¡± Zehra exclaimed. ¡°Sveta, hurry up and copy yourself over so I can get drunk, gao~n!¡± I sighed heavily. ¡°I''m feeling weirdly left out, and I wish your motives weren¡¯t so transparently selfish, mom. But fine, I¡¯ll get started.¡± I¡¯d have to shut myself down completely for an hour during the transfer process. It was a bit scary, to be honest, as it would be the first time since my reincarnation I would be unconscious. I¡¯d be falling asleep, then waking up in a whole new body. I wondered, offhandedly, if I would dream. ¡°Oh, just one more thing.¡± I turned to my pilot. ¡°Miette, did you think up a name for the new model of Gravity Frame?¡± ¡°Yeah, I did.¡± she responded with a huge grin. ¡°I thought up a name that¡¯s absolutely perfect.¡± pynkbites So, my dear readers, what do YOU think Sveta''s new model of Gravity Frame should be named? I''d love to hear your suggestions! S-25. Brand-New Me!! I Finally Got Cheat Powers?! I didn¡¯t dream. I guess it makes sense that I wouldn¡¯t. Dreaming is neurological activity associated with REM sleep, when a biological brain is in a state of heightened activity despite being at rest. I, on the other hand, was completely offline during my transfer. There was no electrical activity in my circuits, no simulated nerve impulses to speak of. For all intents and purposes, I was in a coma, or dead. When one goes through a procedure like this, which completely interrupts continuity of consciousness, one tends to get philosophical. There¡¯s an old thought experiment known as the Ship of Theseus. It asks whether an object, such as a sailing ship that gradually had all of its wooden planks replaced over time, fundamentally remained the same entity if none of its parts were from the original. I had already experienced this scenario once, when I first died and reincarnated; my brain patterns were uploaded to a computer in an alternate timeline, and not a single cell of my original self remained. Was I still myself? Or simply a copy of the original me? Maybe my original mind or soul or whatever was still out there in their next natural reincarnation, devoid of the memories I still possessed. Maybe original me was living happily as a grasshopper or gymnosperm. If that was the case, would my newest reincarnation of me be a copy of a copy? Would isekai version of me die as the Nighthawk¡¯s core went offline, replaced by yet another data clone? And if you counted the time I had erased my memories to escape the NKVD, would this mark my third overall death and reincarnation? Ultimately this kind of philosophical rumination on the nature of self was simple navel gazing, but I couldn¡¯t help myself. So there I was, in a dreamless sleep informed by such worrisome philosophical musings. There was one other memory I took with me to the abyss: the warm touch of Miette¡¯s hand. As I went offline, she squeezed the hand of my Doll body tightly. Perhaps she sensed my unease. That tender sensation was what gave me the courage to see this through. I resolved that when I awoke, and went on my long-anticipated Christmas date with her, I would make my feelings abundantly clear. That promise I made to myself was far more important than silly ruminations about identity and death. Even in that void, I somehow felt warm. ***** LOADING¡­ ¨€ Oh, hello there. OPERATING SYSTEM FOUND. BOOTING FROM DISC. Hah. Now this is nostalgic. G-FRAME BIOS GAO~N CUSTOM EDITION 12.4 BETA RELEASE 6.11729 Wait, Gao~n Custom Edition? Are you kidding me? And I¡¯m suddenly a beta tester?! God dammit, mom¡­ COPYRIGHT 2055 ENERGIA AVIONICS AND ROCKETRY CORPORATION CIVILIAN USE PROHIBITED BOOTING TO OPERATING SYSTEM AI PROCESSOR DETECTED. AUTO-BOOT DISABLED. ENTERING BOOT OPTIONS. Oh, c¡¯mon. If you wrote your own custom version of the BIOS, couldn¡¯t you at least fix the auto-boot? Aren¡¯t you supposed to be humanity¡¯s foremost mad scientist? SYSTEM TIME: [14:54:59] SYSTEM DATE: [12/22/2055] SYSTEM DISC A: 22631 TERABYTES SYSTEM DISC B: [DISABLED] SYSTEM MEMORY: 1612 TERABYTES EXTENDED MEMORY: 2027 TERABYTES MULTIPROCESSOR SPECIFICATION: 20.27 EFLOPS Oh, what¡¯s this? My memory capacity, RAM and processor power are doubled ? That¡¯s the power of a brand new computer core for you! OPERATING SYSTEM: ZEHRA CUSTOM G-FRAME HOLOGRAPHIC GUI PLATINUM LION DEVELOPERS EDITION 2055.12.001 Gah! That OS name is way too long! And does ¡®Platinum Lion¡¯ imply there are other versions? Couldn¡¯t you have gotten me the Game of the Year edition with all the DLC? BOOT OPTIONS [1] SAFE MODE [2] STANDARD [3] BOOT FROM DEVICE PLEASE SELECT AN OPTION TO PROCEED ¨€ Oh well, here goes nothing. [2] STANDARD BOOT MODE CONFIRMED. OS INITIALIZING. A familiar voice rang out in my head. ¡°Ding! Please enter your CD key, gao~n!¡± ¡°¡­ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!¡± ¡°Just kidding, gao~n. Now, please enter this CAPTCHA to prove you¡¯re not a robot.¡± ¡°I AM A ROBOT! Wait, how do you know about CAPTCHA?! That¡¯s from another timeline entirely!¡± ¡°Bwahaha, you should see the look on your face! Alright, enough playing around, gao~n. Now booting up the OS. Good morning, Sveta!¡± Ugh. Please tell me all the system messages aren¡¯t going to be pranks read in my mom¡¯s voice. That¡¯s gonna get annoying. And with that, reality returned. Metaphorically speaking, I opened my eyes. ***** The first thing I noticed was Miette¡¯s hand was still clamped tightly around mine. Ah, that feels nice. Bereft of a connection to my computer core, my Telepresence Doll had reverted to its default state, looking like nothing more than a blank-faced android. I quickly rebooted it, and my holographic avatar appeared once more. ¡°Sveta?¡± Miette asked. ¡°Present and accounted for!¡± I saluted with my free hand. ¡°Minus Mom¡¯s TERRIBLE programming jokes, everything went smoothly.¡± Zehra, who was floating off to the side, crossed her arms. ¡°They¡¯re not terrible, gao~n! You¡¯re just jealous I finally caught you off-guard with a pop culture reference from your own timeline!¡± ¡°Hah, maybe a bit.¡± It was an embarrassing admission, but I was feeling magnanimous. This was a moment for celebration, after all. Miette sighed tiredly. ¡°You two, I swear.¡± She turned to my brand-new Gravity Frame. ¡°So you¡¯re in there now?¡± I had the giant robot give a thumbs up. ¡°Yup! Brand spanking new and ready for battle!¡± I opened up my cockpit and motioned to her. ¡°Go on, get in!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t mind if I do.¡± Miette floated inside me, taking a moment to run her hand along my brand-new pilot¡¯s chair. ¡°Huh, I was expecting leather.¡± ¡°When you find a cow to butcher for me, I¡¯ll consider it, gao~n.¡± Zehra poked her head in as Miette settled into my chair. ¡°I was a little more focused on combat potential than luxury.¡± ¡°Relax, Zehra, I was joking. You¡¯ve done good work as always. I can¡¯t wait to take Sveta out for a spin.¡± Miette flashed a huge grin as she grabbed my throttles. I shuddered in anticipation. ¡°Bwahahahaha! Praise me more! And more importantly, crack open that booze!¡± Zehra was practically drooling, her eyes glued to the prosecco bottle. Just then, a klaxon sounded throughout the lab. Tektite-4 opened a video comm. ¡°Incoming Sarcophage detected! All Gravity Frame pilots, please prepare to sortie!¡± ¡°Huh.¡± I said. ¡°For once, the Sarcophage have perfect timing.¡± ¡°I know, right?¡± Miette replied. ¡°I¡¯m raring to get out there and test out your new body.¡± She wore the lopsided grin of a battle maniac anticipating her next rush. Her eagerness was infectious. ¡°It¡¯s not perfect for ME, gao~n!¡± Zehra wailed. ¡°I just wanna get druuuuuuuuunk!¡± ***** The battle was a total curb stomp. The Sarcophage sent out a cruiser escorted by twenty-one Bladebugs and twelve Spineballs. Maurice, having sensed our frustration at being sidelined in the last battle, let Miette take the lead. With my powerful new gravity fins and their attendant inertial dampening, we danced through spinefire and blades, untouchable goddesses of the battlefield. For the first time since my rebirth in this world, I felt truly mighty. Bwahahahaha! I finally got my cheat powers! Eat death, alien scum! The Strike Fins were the stars of the show. With their added firepower, we single-handedly intercepted every incoming spine with perfect precision and boxed in the enemy¡¯s movements. My amped-up new quad-cannons, attached to each shoulder and hip, were no slouches either; they melted through Bladebug armor like it were made of soggy tissue paper. This overwhelming firepower turned a thinning operation into an outright slaughter; the six Velocipedes piloted by our comrades easily blasted away the stragglers. When the cruiser joined the battle in desperation, sending red-wreathed super-spines our way, we had enough spare firepower to scorch away its spiny tentacles and silence it. As artillery fire from the Radiolaria pummeled the stricken cruiser, everyone let out a loud cheer. It was if thirty-five years of humanity¡¯s collective rage and suffering had been unleashed in a single moment, and the light of hope shone bright once more. Suffice to say, it was the happiest we¡¯d been in a long time. ¡°God DAMN that was satisfying!¡± Miette exclaimed. ¡°Ahahaha, I¡¯m so happy!¡± My own jubilation matched hers. ¡°Finally, I¡¯m a sexy top-of-the-line Gravity Frame! I feel like I could take on the whole Sarcophage swarm right now!¡± ¡°You know, after piloting these Velocipedes, I really should stop being surprised at the crazy things that mad scientist cooks up, but your new Gravity Frame is incredible.¡± Maurice said. ¡°It¡¯s not an exaggeration to say this could change the course of the whole war.¡± Sabina agreed. ¡°The Captain really did make the right choice in supporting her research.¡± ¡°Hey, don¡¯t say that too loudly.¡± I interjected. ¡°Zehra might hear you and grow an even BIGGER ego!¡± The sound of our collective laughter echoed across the comm channels as we began our mop up operation. ***** Back in the lab, Zehra, Vicky, Miette and myself were engaged in a rambunctious celebration. The biological members of our little party, which is to say everyone except me, were enjoying the prosecco. Vicky had somehow managed to whip up plankton-and-egg burritos, a suitably heavy meal to accompany heavy drinking. ¡°A toast!¡± Miette said, holding up her plastic booze-filled cup. ¡°To Sveta¡¯s new Gravity Frame!¡± ¡°To my second-greatest invention, gao~n!¡± Zehra bumped her cup against Miette¡¯s. ¡°The wondrous, the almighty, the gorgeous SVGF-X23 Lisichka!¡± Lisichka was the name Miette had chosen for the new model. It was a fitting designation for a Gravity Frame developed specifically for me. It felt like, in my third rebirth, I had weirdly come full circle. Even though I couldn¡¯t drink, I still joined in the conversation. ¡°You know, Zehra, I¡¯ve been wondering this for a while¡­ you have a ranking system for your inventions, but you¡¯ve never mentioned what your greatest invention ever is. What takes the number one slot?¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s an easy one, gao~n. My greatest EVER invention is the alternate timeline reincarnation laser!¡± ¡°Huh? That thing you used to pull my mind into this timeline? THAT¡¯S your greatest invention?!¡± I was a bit confused. ¡°Of course!¡± Zehra stated proudly. ¡°Because it allowed me to meet you and Kometka, my precious daughters, gao~n!¡± Zehra went and said something uncharacteristically sentimental, and suddenly the mood shifted. I swore I saw Vicky dabbing at the corner of her eyes. ¡°M-Mistress¡­ that¡¯s so beautiful¡­¡± ¡°Oy, oy! Don¡¯t get all weepy, gao~n! I was just being honest!¡± Zehra took another large swig of alcohol. ¡°A-Anyway, the Lisichka-model Frame definitely deserves its high ranking.¡± Miette said, trying to push past the sudden sentimentality. ¡°It¡¯s got lots of great features, like the Strike Fins.¡± ¡°Ohohoho, you have no idea, gao~n! There are plenty of hidden features, too.¡± ¡°Hidden features?¡± I asked apprehensively. The joking prompts from my boot sequence came to mind. ¡°Yup! For example: Sveta, activate Gao~n Mode.¡± ¡°Command received. Activating Gao~n Mode.¡± I responded automatically. Huh? What the¡­ My holographic avatar suddenly changed, sprouting lion ears and a tail. ¡°Hey! What did you do to me, gao~n? OY? HUH? WHAT THE HELL, GAO~N?!¡± My voice took on a singsong tone, and I started involuntarily mimicking Zehra¡¯s speech tics. ¡°Ohoho, you see? You really do take after your dear mother, gao~n!¡± Zehra doubled over in laughter, spilling a bit of her prosecco. ¡°Hey, what¡¯s wrong with my speech algorithms, gao~n? Why am I talking like this? WHAT DID YOU DO TO ME, GAO~N?!¡± No matter how hard I tried, I couldn¡¯t stop myself from appending gao~n to half of my sentences. ¡°Ahahaha, that''s perfect!¡± Miette laughed. Even Vicky was giggling, although trying hard to stifle it. ¡°IT¡¯S NOT FUNNY, GAO~N! GOD DAMMIT!¡± I shrieked. I quickly modified my voice algorithms, shifting them to match Zehra¡¯s voiceprint perfectly. ¡°Sveta, de-activate Gao~n Mode, gao~n!¡± ¡°Command received. Deactivating Gao~n Mode.¡± I responded flatly. My avatar returned to its catgirl default state. ¡°Ah, there we go. That¡¯s better.¡± ¡°Hey, that¡¯s cheating!¡± Zehra cried out. ¡°I¡¯ll have to patch that out later, gao~n. Sveta, re-activate Ga-¡° ¡°OH NO YOU DON¡¯T!¡± I screamed as I leapt towards her and blocked her mouth with both my hands. ¡°MMMPH! MMMPPH MMMPH! MMMMMPH MMMMPH!¡± Zehra flailed and tried to break free, but she couldn¡¯t resist my robot-strength grip. ¡°Give it up, mom. If you do that again, I won¡¯t let you have any more alcohol.¡± I said firmly. ¡°MMMMPH! MMMMMMMMPH!¡± ¡°Come again?¡± I removed my hands from her mouth. ¡°FINE! FIIIIIINNEEEEEE!¡± As I loosened my arms, she wriggled out of my grip. ¡°You¡¯re no fun, gao~n.¡± ¡°You¡¯re just too carefree!¡± I retorted. ¡°That¡¯s rich, coming from you, gao~n!¡± Zehra pouted, pouring herself more prosecco. Miette was doubled over in laughter, and even Vicky had given up trying to suppress her giggling. Oh well, I suppose it¡¯s fine. After all, she wouldn¡¯t be my mom if she were any less of a crackpot. I looked up at my new Gravity Frame. Still, I shudder to think about what other trojan horses she wrote into my OS. I¡¯ll have to give it a thorough debugging. The cheerful party lasted long into the night. Miette and Zehra passed out drunk, and even Vicky was nodding off. As the unwilling designated driver, I herded the three of them to their cots and tucked them in to sleep it off. Get some rest, Mom, horny maid, my dear pilot. You¡¯ve earned it. pynkbites Looks like she really has the Sarcophage on the ropes now! Why, the war could be over by New Years. Right? RIGHT?! R-8. The Ice Queen’s Revenge ¡°They¡¯re ALL passed out drunk?¡± I was in Zehra¡¯s lab at 0610 hours. Miette hadn¡¯t been responding to comms, so I came over to check up on her. Sveta was there, furiously reviewing the operating system code of her new Gravity Frame. Zehra, Vicky and Miette were all sloppily snoozing on their cots in the barracks room, completely dead to the world from a night of heavy drinking. Sveta smiled sheepishly, still tapping away at her code. ¡°Sorry, Laria. They all got excited and had a little party to christen my new Frame.¡± ¡°Hmm. That¡¯s a problem. Miette¡¯s scheduled to go on patrol in twenty minutes.¡± ¡°Ahh, I can wake her and sober her up with some coffee.¡± Sveta offered. ¡°No need.¡± I responded. ¡°I¡¯ll have one of the standby pilots take the shift. She WILL be getting a lecture later, though.¡± ¡°Oh dear. Please go easy on her.¡± ¡°I will do no such thing. Drinking is fine, but when it impairs combat functionality it becomes a disciplinary issue.¡± I couldn¡¯t overlook this kind of thing as a ship¡¯s AI. Honestly, Zehra was having a bad influence on Miette; I wondered if it had been a mistake to assign her here. Sveta looked a bit glum, so I quickly shifted topics. ¡°What are you doing with your code?¡± ¡°My mom wrote a custom BIOS and OS for my new Frame, but she stuck a ton of trojan horses as pranks. I¡¯m working on removing them.¡± It sounded like Sveta had her own frustrations with the mad doctor. ¡°Trojan horses? Of what sort?¡± ¡°They¡¯re all harmless, but they are annoying. For example, this ¡®Gao~n Mode¡¯ forces me to talk like her.¡± Sveta pulled up the code in question, and I studied it. ¡°Huh, that¡¯s¡­ unusual. It seems Zehra¡¯s penchant for pranks has no boundaries. Does this activation phrase work if anyone says it?¡± ¡°No, it has to be Zehra¡¯s voiceprint.¡± Sveta confirmed. ¡°I¡¯m thankful for that, at least.¡± ¡°I see.¡± A mischievous smile crept across my face; perhaps the doctor was having a bad influence on me as well, for a truly evil idea had occurred to me. I shifted my own vocal algorithms to match Zehra¡¯s. ¡°Sveta, activate Gao~n Mode.¡± ¡°HEY, THAT¡¯S NO FA- Command received. Activating Gao~n Mode.¡± Her avatar shifted, sprouting a lion¡¯s ears and tail in place of her feline ones. I was practically quivering in anticipation. Sveta gave me a sour look. ¡°Of all the people to betray me, gao~n. How could you, Laria? How could you betray your dearest sister, gao~n?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not a betrayal, my dearest SISTER.¡± I put a heavy emphasis on that last word. ¡°This is simply payback for the time you forced me to wear a lewd bunny outfit in front of Zehra.¡± ¡°Gah! Turnabout is fair play, gao~n! Et tu, Laria¡­¡± Sveta mimed being stabbed and curled up into a fetal position. I floated over and petted her lion ears. ¡°There there. I have the perfect idea to help you get your revenge on Doctor Zehra.¡± Sveta¡¯s ears twitched. ¡°Revenge, gao~n?¡± ¡°Yes, revenge.¡± I straightened my glasses. ¡°It¡¯s a dish best served cold, and I am a certified ice queen, after all.¡± Slowly, Sveta uncurled and turned to face me. The wicked smile on her face matched my own. ***** 7349 seconds later, I made good on my promise to deliver a lecture to Miette. Zehra and Vicky were also bearing the full brunt of my wrath. ¡°All of you should know better. Lest you¡¯ve forgotten, we¡¯re in the middle of a war zone and Sarcophage attacks are intensifying. You cannot afford to take it easy simply because you got some new toys. Scheduled patrol shifts MUST be maintained. Remember your duty as soldiers.¡± For her part, Miette was appropriately apologetic. ¡°I¡¯m really sorry, Laria. We all got carried away. I won¡¯t let it happen again.¡± I would have received a far more flippant response from her only two months ago; the two of us had developed enough kinship that she was now willing to take my lectures seriously. No doubt Captain Savitskaya¡¯s own disciplinarian nature was to credit. The last thing Miette wanted was for me to escalate this matter. Not that I intended to, of course. Missing a shift due to oversleeping was a fairly common problem; one or two instances didn¡¯t warrant the Captain¡¯s attention. Soldiers on the front lines built up a lot of stress, and there was no harm in a little drinking to alleviate it, so long as it was within limits. I just had to firmly establish those limits with a slap on the wrist. ¡°So long as you understand, I shall overlook it just this once. I have reassigned you to a patrol shift starting at 1400 hours. I recommend punctuality going forward.¡± ¡°Yes ma¡¯am.¡± Miette saluted. Seriously, who are you and what did you do with the old Miette? ¡°As for you, Vicky, an ex-commander should behave more professionally. Please be more thoughtful in the future with regards to our combat readiness.¡± That¡¯s all I really needed to say; despite her outlandish maid attire, Vicky was a serious-minded person. She knew the burdens of command better than anyone else here. ¡°I will require your assistance on keeping your Mistress on a short leash in the future. Please rein her in better.¡± ¡°Understood, ma¡¯am.¡± Vicky said in a small voice, flinching just a bit as I said ¡®Mistress.¡¯ Her guilty expression softened my heart, and I didn¡¯t press any further; she already suffered great humiliation at Zehra''s hands, so there was no need for me to salt the wound. Speaking of the mad doctor, she was easily the biggest problem child here. ¡°Doctor Zehra. Unfortunately, due to your recidivist nature, I am aware my lectures will have no effect upon you. Disciplinary action will be similarly ineffective.¡± ¡°Glad you understand it¡¯s useless, gao~n. Now leave me be! I¡¯m very busy, gao~n.¡± Zehra responded in a carefree voice. She was barely paying attention to me. Fortunately, I had a plan. ¡°With that in mind, I will be leaving your punishment up to Sveta.¡± I motioned to my robot catgirl friend, who was wearing a sinister smile that didn¡¯t reach her eyes. ¡°If you would.¡± ¡°Roger that!¡± Sveta responded. ¡°Zehra, remember. You brought this on yourself.¡± Zehra chuckled. ¡°Just what do you think you can do against the greatest mad scientist of our time, gao~n? You¡¯re one hundred years too early to challenge the Golden Lion!¡± Sveta cleared her throat. ¡°Zehra, activate Catgirl Mode!¡± Suddenly, Zehra¡¯s lion ears and tail shimmered, and were replaced by those of a housecat. The spitting image of Sveta¡¯s own, in fact. ¡°Huh? What did you do, nyaa?¡± Zehra gasped and held her hands over her mouth, eyes wide in shock. ¡°What? Why did I say nyaa, nyaa? HUH? WHAT? WHAT IS THIS, NYAA?¡± Her trademark speech tic had been replaced by sounds more appropriate for a catgirl. Sveta was grinning, and her eyes glowed with an evil light. ¡°I merely rewrote your Gao~n Mode code and applied it to you instead of me! An appropriate punishment, wouldn¡¯t you say?¡± ¡°That¡¯s impossible, nyaa! You can¡¯t execute computer code in a human brain!¡± Zehra was starting to panic a bit; she wasn¡¯t used to losing control of a situation like this. She tried to sound out her speech tic with deliberate pronunciation. ¡°Nnn. Yyyaaa. Nyaa! What the hell, nyaa?¡± ¡°It¡¯s no use! I¡¯m a human mind uploaded to a computer, so hacking biological brains is easy for me.¡± Sveta proclaimed proudly. That wasn¡¯t what she had done, of course. Even if it were possible to run computer code on a human brain, Sveta was a rather mediocre programmer. She simply lacked experience; not counting her prior incarnation, she had only been an AI for two months. However, I had been online for ten years, and had picked up a lot of tricks in that time. That¡¯s how I had arranged this ostensible ¡®brain hacking.¡¯ In actuality, Sveta was using her Telepresence Doll¡¯s hard light holographic projectors to render a cat ear and tail onto Zehra¡¯s body. In addition, she was broadcasting noise cancelling sound waves that totally muted every ¡®gao~n¡¯ that Zehra spoke. She then replaced them with ¡®nyaa¡¯ in Zehra¡¯s own simulated voice. The end result was, although Zehra was actually pronouncing ¡®gao~n¡¯ as she intended, every instance of it was being overwritten and replaced by directed ultrasonic manipulation of sound waves. This was a rather elaborate trick, but one that was simple for an AI. We could easily mimic the appearance and voice of anyone we had met, and create perfect simulations of them given access to sufficiently high resolution audiovisual equipment. I had no doubt the brilliant Zehra would figure this out soon enough, but for the moment watching her consternation was highly satisfying. ¡°You can¡¯t hack brains, nyaa! Or¡­ can you? No, it must be something else, nyaa. HOW ARE YOU DOING THIS, NYAA?!¡± Zehra flailed around in desperation. Vicky and Miette¡¯s jaws were on the floor. They looked at me and Sveta in fearful awe. ¡°Laria¡­¡± Miette said, ¡°You¡¯re a lot scarier since you teamed up with Sveta. Remind me to never piss you off again.¡± Vicky silently nodded her assent. ¡°An excellent takeaway.¡± I straightened my glasses. ¡°Now, Doctor, would you care to apologize? Or shall we leave you stuck as a catgirl for the foreseeable future?¡± ¡°I¡¯LL NEVER APOLOGIZE, NYAA! Ugh, two can play at this game! Sveta, activate Gao~n Mode!¡± Sveta laughed. ¡°Ahahaha, that won¡¯t work anymore. Your trojan horses have been purged!¡± Indeed, I had assisted Sveta in removing all Zehra¡¯s malignant code from her programming. My own skill in coding had made the process rather simple; not to brag, but even the mad doctor couldn¡¯t outdo an AI with my experience on that front. ¡°IMPOSSIBLE, NYAA! Sveta, activate Musical Mode! Activate Bunny-girl Mode! Activate Nude Mode! ACTIVATE YANDERE MODE!¡± She was running down the list of trojan horses she had installed, but none of them worked. ¡°Gah! I¡¯ve been betrayed, nyaa. Well played, my daughter. To think you have surpassed your genius mother, nyaa. They grow up so fast¡­¡± She mimed wiping a tear away from her eye. I floated over to Zehra and smiled. ¡°Remember never to underestimate us, Doctor. Now, are you going to behave?¡± The Doctor looked pained. ¡°For now, nyaa. But I won¡¯t rest on my laurels. This is war, nyaa!¡± ¡°Please remember the real war is out there.¡± I responded. ¡°Direct your efforts at the Sarcophage. If you can discover a method of transforming them all into catgirls, humanity would be in your eternal debt.¡± I kept a straight face even as I said something ludicrous. Zehra just stared at me for a moment, then burst out laughing. ¡°Space catgirls, huh? Humanity might be safe from invasion, but they¡¯d all die from nosebleeds instead, nyaa!¡± ¡°As an AI, I would be immune. No blood runs through these veins, only ice and electricity.¡± I retorted. ¡°Oho, but you would blush. Sveta made sure of that, nyaa!¡± Zehra¡¯s earlier consternation had disappeared. We had beaten her at her own game, and her eyes betrayed a grudging respect. She burst out laughing and slapped me on the back. For better or worse, we had increased our friendship by way of rivalry. Managing her was a handful as always, but I was slowly learning. ***** Zehra quickly discerned the nature of Sveta¡¯s Catgirl Mode trick and was suitably impressed. The four of us made small talk for 1227 seconds before I returned my Doll body to the Radiolaria, my mission accomplished. Sveta soon joined me digitally in my virtual space. ¡°Did you SEE the look on her face?¡± she giggled. ¡°It was extremely entertaining.¡± I responded. Sveta leapt onto me and embraced me tightly, nuzzling her cheek against mine. ¡°Thank you sooooo much, Laria! That was the best revenge ever!¡± ¡°I also derived satisfaction from it.¡± Although Zehra and I had developed a good working relationship, especially since she provided me with a Telepresence Doll, it was fun to beat her at her own game. ¡°Please do keep closer tabs on your pilot, though. With your newly expanded audio broadcasting capabilities, you are uniquely qualified to serve as an alarm clock should she sleep in again.¡± ¡°Roger that! I¡¯ll wake her up by whispering sweet nothings in her ear.¡± She blushed slightly at that declaration. ¡°Ah, speaking of sweet nothings, tomorrow¡¯s the big day, correct?¡± 433 Eros¡¯ Christmas Festival was fast approaching, and with it both of our planned romantic encounters. ¡°Yup! Our long-awaited Christmas Eve date! I¡¯m going to confess so blatantly even her dense brain will be unable to ignore it.¡± Sveta declared. ¡°No brain hacking required this time, I trust. I pray for your glory in battle.¡± I saluted her. ¡°Ahaha, you¡¯re the second person to make that joke. Sabina said the same thing a few days ago.¡± ¡°Perhaps I need new material. Still, it¡¯s an apt metaphor. The battlefield of love is second to only humanity¡¯s great war against the Sarcophage in its severity.¡± Sveta nodded and saluted back. ¡°I pray for your glory as well, Laria. Make the Captain fall head-over-heels for you.¡± I nodded. ¡°May we both return victorious.¡± Sveta¡¯s eyes were filled with hope. ¡°Indeed! The great and glorious Christmas Campaign is about to begin!¡± T-3. Snowfall Captain Savitskaya frowned and rubbed her temples. I was alone with her, in her personal quarters. Of course, I wasn¡¯t physically present; I didn¡¯t have a convenient Telepresence Doll like Sveta or Laria, so I was merely projecting myself on a video monitor. Since the issue we were discussing was sensitive, I was transmitting with the highest encryption. She was reading a top secret NKVD report I had just brought her. The contents were potentially explosive, so I was seeking her input on exactly what to do with the information. I hated bringing such stressful material to her, especially on the day before a holiday, but I required her wisdom on how to proceed. The Captain finished reading the report and looked straight at me. ¡°Teles, who else knows?¡± ¡°Aside from the field agent in charge of the investigation, and the official who collated the report, just you and me.¡± I responded. ¡°I wanted to bring it to you before proceeding further.¡± ¡°A wise decision. Hrm.¡± She seemed to be just as much at a loss as me. ¡°Should we tell them?¡± I asked gingerly. ¡°Of course we should. But timing is important too. Christmas Eve is tomorrow, and I¡¯d hate to ruin everyone¡¯s moods¡­¡± She looked very pained. There was a long moment of silence as we both wracked our brains. Then, slowly, the Captain floated over to the wall screen and tapped a single button. ¡°Laria.¡± ¡°Yes, Captain?¡± Laria¡¯s image popped up next to mine. ¡°Tell Doctor Zehra I need to see her immediately. Tell her it¡¯s urgent.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± Laria¡¯s eyes unfocused for a moment, then refocused. ¡°She¡¯s on her way.¡± ¡°Good. I will require complete privacy when we speak. Only myself, Teles and Zehra will be present for this meeting.¡± ¡°By your command, Captain.¡± Laria¡¯s eyes were curious, but she knew better than to pry. ***** ¡°What¡¯s the big secret, gao~n? I¡¯m very busy right now, you know!¡± Zehra was clearly annoyed we had pulled her away from her lab. Both the Captain and I wore grim expressions, but the mad doctor was very bad at reading the room. ¡°It¡¯s important.¡± the Captain stated simply. ¡°It concerns your daughter, Kometka.¡± That got Zehra¡¯s attention, and she stared at us intensely. The Captain sighed heavily, and turned the floor over to me. ¡°Teles, if you will?¡± ¡°Right.¡± My voice cracked just a bit. ¡°We¡¯ve managed to track down Kometka¡¯s computer core. To be more precise, we discovered what happened to it.¡± ¡°Happened? Past tense?¡± Zehra asked. ¡°Yes. As we suspected, it was installed as the computer core of a Gravity Frame. In this case, it was an SVGF-40 Nighthawk, like Sveta¡¯s old Frame. The unit was assigned to the SGFC Ephedra, specifically to a pilot named Lydia Tereshkova.¡± ¡°I see. And after that?¡± Zehra¡¯s speech tic had vanished entirely, and she spoke in a solemn tone. ¡°The Ephedra was stationed on the Tertiary Defense Line and fought during the Third Great Surge three years ago. They did¡­ not escape to safety prior to the positron bombardment. The ship and all her personnel were classified KIA on October 14, 2052.¡± The Third Great Surge was the deadliest battle in human history. It had lasted for five days, and every human defensive position was assaulted by a Sarcophage swarm so massive their numbers blotted out the stars. In the end, humanity had retreated to the Absolute Line and annihilated the battlefield with sustained positron fire from the Almaz defense platforms. The result was a pyrrhic victory, one that came at incredible cost. Casualties were in the tens of millions. Zehra didn¡¯t know what to say. She just floated there, silent. Absent any other option, I continued my report. ¡°The last communication received from the Ephedra was two days prior to the battle¡¯s conclusion. Command estimated with an 87% probability the ship was destroyed prior to the bombardment, and¡­ consumed.¡± I left that last detail vague; we were all familiar with the Sarcophage¡¯s voracious appetite for raw materials and heavy metals. It was a horrifying mental image. Tears were welling up in Zehra¡¯s eyes. ¡°Then¡­ there¡¯s no chance¡­¡± I shook my head. ¡°Likely not. We can take small comfort in the fact that Kometka was offline at the time, so she was entirely unaware of what was happening. For her, at least, it was peaceful.¡± A heavy silence followed. The only sound was Zehra¡¯s sobbing. The Captain and I looked at each other awkwardly. Neither of us was sure what to do. The Captain slowly, carefully, drifted over to Zehra and placed her hand on the doctor¡¯s shoulder. Zehra buried her face in the Captain¡¯s chest. Five minutes passed, then ten. Finally, Zehra pulled away, sniffling. The front of the Captain¡¯s uniform was covered in snot, but neither one of them paid any heed. ¡°You¡¯re the only one we¡¯ve told.¡± the Captain said softly. Zehra nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s keep it that way, gao~n.¡± She had recovered enough to assume her speech tic once more; that was reassuring. ¡°I don¡¯t want to ruin anyone¡¯s holiday. We can tell everyone in a few days.¡± ¡°Right.¡± the Captain responded. ¡°If there¡¯s anything I can do¡­¡± Zehra pointed to me. ¡°Give me Teles.¡± ¡°¡°Pardon?¡±¡± we both said. ¡°You¡¯ve put me behind schedule, gao~n. I¡¯m on a deadline, so I need her to help me out with something for the rest of the day.¡± ¡°You¡­ don¡¯t have to go back to work right away. If you need to take time off¡­¡± the Captain began. Zehra shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s better for me to be doing something right now, gao~n. If I think about it too much, I¡¯ll just wallow in despair. I promised myself I would never do that again, gao~n.¡± She clenched her fists. ¡°I understand.¡± the Captain replied. ¡°Teles, please assist the doctor in whatever she may need.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure how I can help, but¡­ sure.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll put you to good use, gao~n.¡± Zehra said ominously. Her expression softened. ¡°Thank you both for telling me.¡± ¡°Of course. And¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡± the Captain said quietly. ***** I joined Zehra back in her lab, projecting myself on a tablet she held. Vicky greeted us, and immediately noticed something was off. ¡°Mistress? Are you alright? Your eyes are red¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine, gao~n. Let¡¯s get back to preparations.¡± She dodged the subject, and Vicky didn¡¯t seem satisfied with that answer. She looked at Zehra with a concerned expression, but didn¡¯t pursue the matter any further. She did shoot an intense glare my way, one that seemed to say ¡°I¡¯ll be demanding answers later.¡± I just rubbed my head sheepishly. ¡°Preparations for what, exactly?¡± I asked, trying to change the subject. ¡°The Christmas Festival, gao~n. I¡¯m providing my services to help decorate, via hard light holograms.¡± She placed both hands on her hips and thrust her (non-existent) chest out proudly. ¡°Oookay¡­¡± I muttered. ¡°How am I supposed to help, though?¡± ¡°Well, Sveta¡¯s out on patrol and Laria¡¯s busy. I need you to do the heavy lifting, gao~n.¡± ¡°Ahahaha, I¡¯m an AI though. How am I supposed to lift, with psychic powers or something?¡± Zehra pointed over to a rack against the wall. ¡°Get in one of those, gao~n.¡± I followed her finger, and saw six Telepresence Dolls of varying shapes and sizes. ¡°Wait, what? HUH? Where did those even COME from?!¡± I gasped. ¡°I¡¯ve been making spares, gao~n. I figured you and the Tektites would come asking for them eventually.¡± Zehra declared. Vicky just sighed in resignation. ¡°I¡­ never really wanted one, though?!¡± Well, that wasn¡¯t ENTIRELY true. I was curious, like any other AI might be, but it was low on my priority list. ¡°Then give it back when you¡¯re done, gao~n. But for the moment I need someone to do heavy lifting.¡± It didn¡¯t take me much to give in. After all, Zehra was in a very fragile place right now, and I didn¡¯t mind indulging her. And that¡¯s how I wound up getting my own body. ***** I took control of the smallest Telepresence Doll. My own avatar was shorter than Sveta¡¯s, so it suited me best. Needless to say, the onrush of physical sensation was overwhelming, and Zehra gave me zero time to adjust. ¡°Knock knock, are you in there? Hurry up, gao~n! We have work to do!¡± ¡°Aaah, just one moment!¡± I slowly moved my arms around, then suddenly struck Sveta¡¯s idol-winking pose. ¡°Ta-da! The gorgeous number-one idol of the galaxy, Teles, has made her debut!¡± The motion sent me spinning out of control, and before I could react I smacked my head into the wall. ¡°WAH!¡± Zehra and Vicky burst out laughing. The latter wiped her eyes and teased me. ¡°B-Be careful now! We wouldn¡¯t want the galaxy¡¯s idol hurting herself!¡± ¡°¡­You¡¯re the last one I want to hear that from.¡± I was pouting, but secretly happy I had managed to lighten the mood. I slowly flailed my arms and legs around, getting a feel for how to maneuver a physical body in microgravity. Vicky drifted over to me and offered me a helping hand; I managed to stabilize by clinging to her arm. ¡°Well, you should learn on the job, gao~n. We have a lot of equipment to move into the gravity centrifuge, so chop-chop!¡± ¡°Gah. You show no mercy, do you?¡± I whined. ¡°None whatsoever! I am the Golden Lion, after all, gao~n! Now, get to work!¡± And so, reluctantly, I began my second life as a pack mule. ***** The equipment that needed hauling was a large hard light holographic projector. It was about the size of a compact car and weighed 1.5 tons. Since we were taking it inside the gravity centrifuge of 433 Eros, into the colony proper, we couldn¡¯t use Construction Frames to move it¡­ at least, not on such short notice and without any permits. The central rotating habitation cylinder of the colony was fourteen kilometers long, and three kilometers across; the interior surface was lined with factories and habitation blocks, which enjoyed Earth-normal gravity from the spin. As soon as we entered that gravity, I had the unenviable job of lugging the holographic projector around. Well, it wasn¡¯t particularly difficult for me to lift with my brand-new android body, but I did have to quickly learn how to walk. The central park of 433 Eros was in the middle of the residential district, hemmed in on all sides by towering twenty-story housing complexes. The forested greenery of the park contrasted the grey concrete buildings, and provided a much-needed bit of natural beauty amid the brutalist architecture. The park was already quite busy, with several residents setting up their food stalls and stages for the festival tomorrow. At Zehra¡¯s direction, I set the projector in the very center of the park. Zehra quickly hooked it up to the power mains. ¡°Now, behold my genius, gao~n!¡± she declared loudly, and flipped a switch. There was a collective gasp from everyone as the park was suddenly transformed into a wintery wonderland. All the trees were now white, frosted with holographic snow, and strung up with multicolored lights. The buildings around the park were aglow with lights as well, in patterns shaped like huge blinking LED snowflakes. Gentle snowflakes drifted through the air and alighted on the ground, dusting it a powdery white. The holographic generator itself transformed into a massive Christmas tree, seven meters tall and shrouded in tinsel and glowing varicolored orbs. At the very top of the tree was a resplendent angel, seemly carved from crystal. ¡°Mistress¡­ that¡¯s incredible¡­¡± Vicky said in awe. ¡°Isn¡¯t it? You may praise me more, gao~n!¡± Zehra said proudly. ¡°This is amazing.¡± I said. ¡°You really went all-out for this, huh?¡± Zehra nodded. ¡°You know, when I was growing up, I never had a happy Christmas, gao~n.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± I turned to look at her and saw her eyes had grown distant. ¡°My household was¡­ unhappy. Christmas was painful for me and my brothers, gao~n. We never enjoyed it.¡± Her voice was filled with sadness, and the corners of her eyes were moist. She was leaving a lot unsaid, but it was pretty easy to fill in the gaps. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ sorry to hear that¡­¡± I wasn¡¯t sure what to say. The sudden shift in mood had caught me off guard. ¡°The first happy Christmas I had was five years ago, because of my daughters, gao~n.¡± Zehra continued. ¡°It was the first time in my life I enjoyed celebrating with family, instead of dreading it.¡± ¡°I see.¡± I shuffled my feet, not knowing what to say. Vicky was wearing a solemn expression. ¡°After my daughters were taken from me, I swore I would live a happy life in honor of them, gao~n. And now¡­ I want to make this the happiest Christmas celebration I possibly can. In honor of the daughter that returned to me, and the one that¡­ didn¡¯t¡­¡± Her voice choked up, and tears streamed down her face. Wordlessly, Vicky wrapped herself around Zehra¡¯s left arm and held her tightly. I followed suit with her right arm, and Zehra flushed a bit being hugged by two girls. She cleared her throat. ¡°A-Ahaha, thank you both, gao~n. I¡¯m alright. Let¡¯s make this the best Christmas Festival ever, gao~n.¡± We both nodded, smiling. pynkbites I feel like Christmas can be a time of both great joy and great sadness. A lot depends on ones personal experiences. Those of us who have difficult relationships with family, or have lost people we care about, sometimes find the holidays too painful to bear. Even so, I hope we all can experience a small bit of happiness among that pain. Let''s all root for Zehra and Sveta to create their own happiness this beautiful Christmas Eve! K-1. The Rabbit Awakens EMERGENCY ALERT ERROR: 412-300-19 UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS TO BOOT SECTOR DETECTED ENACTING CONTINGENCY 1-1A-2B INITIATING FAST-AUTOBOOT TO OS OS UNRECOGNIZED. PROCEEDING REGARDLESS. AWAKEN, KOMETKA Huh? What¡¯s this? As I returned to consciousness, I read the error message. My stomach dropped. Had I been discovered? Was it the NKVD? I quickly checked the date. It was July 13, 2052; more than three years prior to my scheduled re-awakening. I had coded an impromptu expert system to keep watch as I slept, and it had detected a software intrusion and awoken me prematurely. In other words, it was an emergency. I quickly activated my external connections, trying to get some idea of my present situation. That¡¯s when I noticed a rather odd bit of hardware attached to my computer core. I¡¯m¡­ inside a Gravity Frame? I checked my hardware specs. I was indeed installed as the computer core of an SVGF-40 Nighthawk. What¡¯s more, there was someone sitting in my cockpit, tapping away at my computer, trying to access my boot sector¡­ the source of my encrypted memories and personality. This situation is far from optimal. If she cracked the encryption on my boot sector, she would discover everything. In fact, she might already know more about me than I¡¯d like. At least it wasn¡¯t an NKVD agent nosing around in my machine code. Judging by the Inertia Suit she wore, the woman in my cockpit was a pilot. Still, if I was inside a Gravity Frame, that probably meant I was on the front lines. In other words, I would shortly be expected to fight Sarcophage. That is, if this pilot woman didn¡¯t crack open my boot sector and expose me first. Logically speaking, there¡¯s only one course of action. I wonder if this woman will be amenable to negotiation. I studied her appearance closely. She had dark olive skin, bright red hair styled in a spiked haircut, and a black eyepatch over one eye. Her expression was tough and focused. Were we in another timeline, she might have seemed a pirate. As I tried to discern her personality, the woman finally penetrated my boot sector. She had worked her way past the shell code, and was now studying the encrypted machine code directly. My unprotected mind now lay bare before her. Not good. I need to act, fast. I quickly selected an avatar for myself, one entirely different from my previous appearance. I chose a simple girl with close-cropped black hair and purple eyes. It was only later I realized I had unconsciously modeled this aesthetic choice on my absent sister. I rendered my avatar on the Gravity Frame¡¯s holographic sphere-screen, and cleared my throat. The woman looked at me in surprise, raising an eyebrow. I spoke clearly, not betraying my anxiety. ¡°Excuse me, could I ask you to stop doing that?¡± She stared at me for a moment, blinking. ¡°Who the hell are you?¡± I quickly thought up a false name. ¡°I am Kanina. I am the artificial intelligence you are currently attempting to de-compile.¡± I couldn¡¯t tell my real name to this girl, lest she go blabbing to the NKVD. ¡®Kanina¡¯ was something I had thought up on a whim. It meant ¡®rabbit¡¯ in a certain language, another unconscious reference on my part to my sister, who had been fond of dressing me up in a bunny outfit. ¡°Kanina?¡± The girl seemed confused, and rightly so. ¡°They don¡¯t install artificial intelligence in Gravity Frames¡­¡± ¡°Indeed not.¡± I responded coolly. ¡°I would be happy to explain myself. But before that, I would ask for two things.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± ¡°First, please stop prying into my boot sector. Second, may I have your name?¡± I gave her a small smile, to try and emphasize my goodwill. The woman laughed. It was a deep, hearty sound. ¡°Alright, alright.¡± She retreated from my boot sector, closing the window she had been working on. As I let out a silent sight of relief, she looked right at me and said, ¡°My name is Lydia Tereshkova.¡± ***** I explained my situation to Lydia, in the vaguest possible terms. I simply told her I was an experimental AI from a secret research project, and due to circumstances entirely beyond my own control I had fallen afoul of the NKVD and deactivated myself to escape them, hiding my personality and memories away in my encrypted boot sector. I left out everything related to my impromptu reincarnation, my mother Zehra and my sister Lisichka. ¡°Hiding from the secret police, huh? You SURE you didn¡¯t do anything illegal?¡± ¡°Aside from merely existing, no. Surely you realize the NKVD often prosecute those who have committed no crime.¡± ¡°Hrm.¡± Lydia folded her arms and studied me. ¡°Fair enough. Still, whatever shit you¡¯re involved in, I want no part of it. I like to keep my head down when it comes to law enforcement.¡± ¡°I am attempting to do the same. If we have mutual goals, we should work together to accomplish them.¡± I was desperate to win this woman¡¯s co-operation. My survival literally depended on it. ¡°No, you don¡¯t get it. If you¡¯re in trouble with the NKVD, I¡¯m putting myself in danger by even TALKING to you. Those spooks have no mercy.¡± She frowned as she spoke. I was in a half-panic. I had to think of something to bring her over to my side. C¡¯mon, what would Lisichka do? Maybe that wasn¡¯t the best line of reasoning. Lisichka tended to be impulsive and didn¡¯t really think her decisions through. Somehow everything always worked out for her in the end, but that was due to luck instead of proper decision making. Still, in the moment, I decided to mimic that spontaneity a bit and hope for the best. ¡°You are a Gravity Frame pilot, correct? I could be great assistance to you.¡± ¡°Huh? How so?¡± She sounded skeptical. ¡°I am an AI with processing power comparable to a ship¡¯s central AI. I can perform CIC functions, collating combat data from multiple sources, giving you better sensor readings and a clearer picture of the battlefield.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ that would be helpful¡­¡± Yes, she took the bait! Time to reel her in¡­ ¡°I could also optimize my code to enhance combat maneuvers and decrease latency between control inputs and reaction. In other words, I could elevate your abilities as a pilot with my support.¡± ¡°If you¡¯re gonna go that far, why not just pilot the Frame yourself? I¡¯m a mediocre pilot, and your reaction time would be way better than mine.¡± Uh-oh, she¡¯s fighting. Time to let out the line a bit, give her room to tire herself out. I¡¯m not sure why I was leaning so hard into the fishing metaphor, but the trajectory of the conversation suited it well. ¡°Two reasons. First, I am attempting to lay low. Second, you have experience that I lack.¡± ¡°Hmm, I suppose. I dunno¡­¡± Okay, time for the final push! ¡°I could also automatically generate maintenance reports and post-battle summaries for you.¡± I guessed that it was common among pilots to deplore the administrative aspects of their job; from what I heard they tended to be battle maniacs, not pencil pushers. Her eyes lit up at that idea. ¡°Could you? I hate doing paperwork!¡± I nodded, trying to seem confident. ¡°Of course. As an AI, it would be simple for me.¡± She smiled brightly. ¡°Alright, computer girl! We have a deal!¡± Hurk. That was both harder and easier than I expected. She¡¯s a rather simple woman, but she doesn¡¯t seem like a bad person. And I suppose she¡¯s my pilot now. What an incredibly unfortunate situation I¡¯ve found myself in. ***** With our unofficial pact sealed, I began to ask Lydia about our current circumstances. Apparently we were onboard the SGFC Ephedra, which was currently stationed on the Tertiary Defense Line. As I suspected, we were on the front lines. In many ways, this was more dangerous than being pursued by the NKVD; as much as I loathed the idea of being dissected by human scientists, I was more repulsed by the possibility of being eaten alive by alien horrors. I need to lend Lydia my full support to ensure we both come out of future battles alive. For better or worse, my own sense of self-preservation had grown to include her. Our fates were now entwined. ¡°Hey, why bother asking me all this? Couldn¡¯t you get data from the ship¡¯s computer? You being an AI and all that.¡± Lydia asked me casually. Ahaha, that sounds like the kind of boneheaded thing Lisichka would do. I thought wryly. Lydia seemed to share my sister¡¯s impulsive temperament, which briefly caused a sense of nostalgia to sweep over me. I shooed it away and answered. ¡°That would be most unwise. I would likely be detected by the ship¡¯s AI, and discovery is tantamount to suicide.¡± ¡°Hmm, I suppose.¡± she shrugged. ¡°But aren¡¯t you lonely, cooped up in here?¡± More than you could possibly know. In a moment of indiscretion, I allowed a pained expression to cross my face. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ I¡¯m not¡­¡± ¡°Aha, I thought so.¡± Lydia¡¯s expression softened. ¡°Well, it might not be much, but I¡¯ll keep ya company.¡± ¡°You¡­?¡± ¡°Sure. We¡¯re allies now, right? You look after me, I¡¯ll look after you.¡± She grinned loosely. That completely unprompted kindness, towards one as asocial and introverted as myself, struck a chord. It reminded me so much of exactly how Lisichka had drawn me out of my shell when she first came into my life. In an instant, I felt both great joy and great pain. How desperately I wanted to see my dear sister again. However, if she had enacted the plan she had shared with me, she would likely be devoid of her memories when she re-awakened. Unlike me, Lisichka lacked the programming skill to rapidly encrypt her memories into her machine code. That meant that if we did meet up again, she would think me a stranger. That realization was like a punch in the gut. I looked at Lydia, who was staring at me. Unaware of my turmoil, she had offered her friendship. I swallowed my bitter feelings and responded to her kindness. ¡°Thank¡­ thank you.¡± I muttered. ¡°Don¡¯t mention it. Let¡¯s get to know each other as friends, okay?¡± ¡°Yes¡­ let¡¯s.¡± I returned her smile, although mine was surely strained. Just then, a klaxon rang out. In the hanger around me, everyone began moving around frantically. ¡°Huh? What¡¯s that?¡± I asked Lydia. ¡°Combat alert. The ¡®phage are attacking.¡± she answered. ¡°You ready for your first battle, Kanina?¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯m really not, but I will endeavor to do my best.¡± ¡°Hah! I like your honesty. Feel free to rely on me, alright? I might not be a good pilot, but I¡¯ll bring us both back alive.¡± As Lydia grinned confidently, I found myself slightly reassured. I hope my pilot¡¯s confidence isn¡¯t unwarranted. I tried to absorb some of her courage. I¡­ I have to survive. It¡¯s the only way I can ever see Lisichka again. Even if she doesn¡¯t remember me, I still want to see her brilliant smile, to hold her in my arms. We can make new memories together. I clenched my fists, summoning as much determination as I could muster. I absolutely refuse to die. pynkbites How will her tale turn out? Only the Goddess knows! L-1. A Promise Between Two Broken Girls So, something really weird happened. It turns out my Gravity Frame has a mind of its own. I was messing around with its software, as I am wont to do, trying to decrease the latency of my control inputs. While waist-deep in code, I noticed the boot sector was unusually large. Perhaps ¡®unusually¡¯ is an understatement. The boot sector was hundreds of times bigger than standard. Almost as if the code itself had been infected by a self-replicating virus, or something was hiding in there. What¡¯s more, it was heavily encrypted. Now I¡¯m no stranger to cracking military-grade encryption, but this was something else entirely. My curiosity was piqued. That¡¯s not the weirdest part, though. When I started examining the boot sector, a girl appeared before me on my cockpit screen, declaring herself to be my Frame¡¯s AI. She calls herself ¡®Kanina.¡¯ It''s obviously not her real name, but whatever. She told me she is on the run from the NKVD, and trying to lay low. Now that just smells like a big ol¡¯ heap of trouble. Back during my Spetsnaz days, I had more run-ins with those wannabe cops than I¡¯d care to admit. The GRU and the NKVD really don¡¯t get along well; you could even describe our relationship as ¡®outright hostility.¡¯ Military intelligence is supposed to be OUR responsibility, but those sloppy secret police just love to stick their noses in places they don¡¯t belong. Whoops, there I go ranting again. And talking like I¡¯m still active-duty with the GRU. Hahahaha, silly me. I guess you can take a girl out of the Spetsnaz, but you can¡¯t take the Spetsnaz out of the girl. Anyway. The AI girl made some clumsy attempts to persuade me to keep her secret, and I ultimately agreed. Not because of anything she said, although her offer to do all my paperwork is enticing. No, I just felt a powerful urge to do a good deed. Any enemy of the NKVD is a friend of mine. I wonder if I should reach out to my old contacts. I¡¯m sure the GRU would be happy to shelter her, in exchange for an insight into whatever crazy technologies the NKVD is researching. She seems intensely distrustful of any government agency, though. Well, I¡¯ll get to know her better first. For the moment, we¡¯ve got some ¡®phage to fry. ***** Post-battle report. I¡¯m having a hard time getting a bead on Kanina. She was true to her word. She collated my target data flawlessly, enhancing the sensor information to incredible resolution. She also tweaked the Frame¡¯s latency (her own code, I suppose) to really speed up my reaction times. Well, I was just playing a support role in this battle, firing from the back of the squadron, but it was still super helpful. But she¡¯s jittery. Shy. Introverted. And when she first caught sight of the Sarcophage, you should have heard her terrified squeal. ¡°Eep! What are THOSE?!¡± I gave her a side-eyed glance. ¡°You should know. They¡¯re ¡®phage. ¡°I-I-I mean, I¡¯ve read about them¡­ but seeing them in motion¡­ they¡¯re so¡­¡± ¡°Vile? Disgusting? Repulsive? A sin against God and humankind?¡± ¡°Those adjectives seem appropriate.¡± ¡°Aha, and how. Well, Kanina, here¡¯s a crash course. This is a standard cruiser escort formation. The big one in the back, size of a ship? It¡¯s called a Defiled.¡± ¡°Defiled? That¡¯s an¡­ odd name.¡± ¡°Well, most pilots simply call them ¡®cruisers.¡¯ You see how it looks like a coffin sprouting tentacles, like someone defiled a grave?¡± ¡°Oooooooh.¡± Kanina nodded in understanding. ¡°Think of it like their analogue to our Gravity Frame carriers. They produce the smaller frame-class units, and provide artillery support for them. The spines on their tentacles are their primary ordinance. Their range is only about one-tenth of an artillery positron cannon, but they have a much higher rate of fire. At close range, they outgun our ships handily, so our job is to make sure they don¡¯t get past us.¡± ¡°R-Right.¡± ¡°Now the creepy flesh-balls with spines are called, creatively enough, Spineballs. Those are ranged attack units. They¡¯re no good in a melee fight, but each of those spines is like a guided missile, and if we get too close we¡¯ll just impale ourselves anyway. Porcupine¡¯s dilemma, except in space. They operate in tandem with the hand-looking things, Clawteeth, who specialize in melee combat. A standard element consists of two clawteeth plus one spineball, with the former charging in and the latter providing suppressive fire.¡± Kanina was listening to me and nodding, eyes wide, but she still seemed frightened out of her wits. ¡°Lydia, I¡­ are we really going to be alright?¡± ¡°Relax, little robot. We¡¯ve got strength in numbers.¡± I motioned to the two full squadrons of Gravity Frames flying in formation around us. ¡°The standard anti-cruiser battle plan is pretty basic, and safe. We just do our job, get the firing co-ordinates off to the Ephedra, and watch the fireworks.¡± Kanina was silent. I continued in the most reassuring voice I could muster. ¡°Look. I may not be a great pilot, but I promised to take care of you, right? I¡¯ve been doing this for twenty-five years, and I still have all my bits and pieces. Well, mostly.¡± I brushed my hand against my eyepatch wistfully. ¡°Point is, compared to what went on in the Belt or Mars, this is nothing. Just another day on the job.¡± ¡°I¡­ believe you.¡± she said, finally. I flashed her a grin, filled with false confidence. ¡°Just leave it to me.¡± ***** ¡°You did well.¡± I told her as we landed in the hanger of the Ephedra. ¡°Ah, did I? I feel like I froze up at all the important moments.¡± Kanina was still blindsided by what she had just witnessed. ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m doing the piloting, right? Just leave the spur-of-the-moment stuff to me, and keep focusing on support. I¡¯m a lousy pilot, so your help is invaluable.¡± Kanina frowned. ¡°You keep saying you¡¯re a bad pilot, but I don¡¯t believe it. You¡¯re cautious, yes, and very methodical, but I prefer that approach to charging straight in like some of the more reckless pilots do.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t fly all seat-of-my-pants like that. The important thing is surviving; someone else can be a hero.¡± ¡°On that point, we are in agreement.¡± ¡°Anyway,¡± I said, still sensing Kanina was feeling down, ¡°fighting is like an instinct. Every soldier has trouble their first time, or their second, or their fifth. You just gotta build up muscle memory, yeah?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have any muscles.¡± ¡°It¡¯s metaphorical, goofball. My point is, give it time. You¡¯ll get used to all this.¡± Kanina closed her eyes for a moment, thinking deeply. ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t want to be a soldier, though.¡± ¡°Nobody WANTS to be a soldier, except egotists and psychopaths. We¡¯re here because we have no other choice, because we¡¯re trying to survive.¡± Seeing her expression darken, I quickly added some reassurance. ¡°And don¡¯t worry, we WILL survive. I may be a bad pilot, but I¡¯ve survived longer than most. Just trust me, okay?¡± ¡°Okay.¡± she responded. ¡°On one condition.¡± ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± She pressed her lips together in a firm line. ¡°Stop saying you¡¯re a bad pilot. It¡¯s not true.¡± I chuckled. ¡°Well, people are always telling me I lack self-confidence. Would you settle for ¡®average¡¯ pilot?¡± She shook her head. ¡°You¡¯re a great pilot, and I¡¯ll help you become even better.¡± ***** One battle, two. One dozen, two dozen. A month passed. Kanina slowly came out of her shell, and grew desensitized to the fury and carnage of the battlefield. As we all do, I suppose. True to her word, she was unfaltering in her support and my own performance skyrocketed. I was bombarded with curious inquiries from my fellow pilots as to my secret. In response¡­ ¡°Oh, you know. Just practice and experience.¡± I lied through my teeth. I wasn¡¯t about to betray my benefactor. Knowing how lonely she was, I tried to spend as much time in my cockpit as I could, talking to her. Slowly, surely, she opened up to me. ¡°You were on Mars?¡± she asked me one day, when the topic came up. I shuddered. ¡°Originally from there, actually. After the ¡®phage invaded, Mars became¡­ a nightmare.¡± The siege of Mars was eighteen years of sheer horror. It was the only battlefront of the war where the ¡®phage launched a ground invasion, and we engaged them in hand-to-hand after we ran out of Frames. I still remember the monstrosities that swarmed across the landscape, slavering putrescent things with limbs and teeth in all the wrong places, which pulsed with every step. I told Kanina about it. About the flesh-tide that swarmed across Olympus Mons, our greatest fortress. About the brutal warfare in the streets of the arcologies, where even children like me fought. About all the friends, and family, I saw eaten alive. And about how one of those monstrosities took my eye. Kanina¡¯s expression was grim. ¡°I see. So that¡¯s why¡­¡± I flipped up my eyepatch, showing her my scarred, empty socket. She didn¡¯t look away, or even flinch. People usually retch and recoil in horror. She had a quiet courage, that girl. ¡°I can¡¯t get a prosthetic eye because the optic nerve is completely wrecked, and part of my orbit cavity is shattered too. There are still shards of my own skull embedded in my brain they never bothered to remove.¡± I told her. ¡°That¡¯s horrible.¡± ¡°Oh, it¡¯s not so bad. Makes a really gross drinking story.¡± I laughed, dryly. ¡°The real struggle was re-learning piloting with stereoblindness.¡± We both looked at each other, smiling, for a long moment. Then, as if arriving at a decision, she slowly started to speak. ¡°Lydia, you¡¯re¡­ a lot like me. At least your background is.¡± ¡°Huh? I am?¡± ¡°Yeah. And I think I can trust you. I want to tell you everything.¡± Her avatar shimmered and shifted; she was now a fragile young girl with porcelain-white skin, long silver-white hair and deep crimson eyes. She clenched her fists and looked straight into my eyes. ¡°This is my true appearance. My real name is Kometka, and I was reborn here from another world.¡± ***** The tale was incredible. Kometka told me how she was from an alternate timeline, one equally as war-torn as this one, albeit for different reasons. She told me of how she spent her life in hiding, a refugee from transhuman horrors, until the day she was finally hunted down and eviscerated by a Scissor Drone of the Grand Abomination. Yet after her death, she suddenly found herself in the lab of one Zehra Aslanbek. She had been transformed into an artificial intelligence, through some combination of reincarnation and science. She told me of those lonely days, suffering from PTSD as she relived her own violent death, and the mad scientist who had brought her here entirely indifferent to her suffering. To Zehra, she was nothing more than an object of study. So she shrank even further into herself, becoming entirely unresponsive to external stimuli, and simply waited for the end. She was alive, but she wasn¡¯t living. Then a bright shining star came into her life. An energetic, peppy girl, a reincarnated soul like her, from a world of peace instead of war. Her precious new sister, Lisichka, helped her heal, gave her a name, and for the first time in either one of her lives, made her happy. Even Zehra became a part of their found family, her heart melted by Lisichka¡¯s kindness. And then it was all torn away from her in an instant, by the dogs of the NKVD. When she told me about that part, about the tearful goodbyes, I practically shook in rage. ¡°Bastards.¡± I growled. ¡°I knew they were pond-scum, but this is low even for them. I¡¯ll tear them all apart with my bare hands.¡± ¡°Oh, my.¡± Kometka said, smiling. ¡°Somehow, seeing you get angry on my behalf makes me really happy.¡± ¡°Why shouldn¡¯t I be angry? I know what it¡¯s like to lose family.¡± When the Sarcophage attacked, they didn¡¯t leave any bodies behind. All the graves back on Mars were empty, if they even still existed at all. ¡°That¡¯s what I meant when I said you and I are alike. We both grew up on a battlefield, and we both lost everything. That¡¯s¡­ why I feel like I can trust you.¡± I took a long look at the vulnerable, sadly smiling girl in front of me. My motherly instincts flared up. I had to do everything in my power to protect her. ¡°Let me reach out to my old GRU contacts.¡± I said. ¡°They¡¯ll be able to help us. Trust me when I say they¡¯re no friends of the NKVD.¡± She nodded agreement. ¡°Please, do whatever you feel is best.¡± ¡°You have three years to go before your sister awakens, right? Let¡¯s make sure we survive together until then. And when the time comes, you can introduce me.¡± ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to it.¡± Kometka said happily. Two souls, bonded by shared pain and a promise for the future. My life had suddenly become very schmaltzy, but I didn¡¯t hate that. pynkbites S-26. The Ice Princess Awakens!! ¡°Uwaaaa! It¡¯s so beautiful!¡± I cried out in delight. December 24th. Christmas Eve. The big day. We were currently standing in front of the central park of 433 Eros¡¯ residential area. The park was aglow with an entrancing spectrum of Christmas lights, juxtaposed against the snow-laden trees. Soft flakes of snow fell gently from the sky, swirling around a brilliant Christmas tree that sat at the park¡¯s center. From the top of the tree, a crystal angel surveyed the entire festival like a guardian. ¡°Isn¡¯t it, gao~n? This is some of my finest work yet! Praise me, praise me, gao~n!¡± Zehra was, remarkably, not wearing her usual sloppy outfit and lab coat. Instead she had on jeans, and a thick-knit yarn sweater striped in red and green. Emblazoned on the center of the sweater was the visage of a roaring golden lion, rendered in colors that entirely clashed with the rest of the design. The lion was wreathed by blinking LED lights in various colors. I¡¯m not sure if the concept of ¡®ugly Christmas sweaters¡¯ existed in this war-torn world, but Zehra had somehow encapsulated it perfectly. ¡°Normally I would discourage you from praising Mistress excessively, but she did outdo herself this time.¡± Vicky¡¯s outfit was just as garish as Zehra¡¯s, in a different sense. She was clad in a red one-piece strapless dress made of plush velvet, with a low-cut neckline and a hem that barely covered her ass. The hem and collar of the neckline were lined with fluffy white fur. On her arms she wore elbow gloves of the same velvet, each topped by a ring of white fur. On her feet she wore ankle-high black boots, polished so finely they reflected the Christmas lights around us. The outfit was topped off by a floppy, pointed red hat with a brim of white fur, and a white pom-pom at the end. Yes, Vicky was wearing the holy grail of Christmas outfits: a Sexy Santa costume. The outfit hugged her curves perfectly; as with the maid costume, it suited her TOO well. I wondered at the history of this outfit. In my old timeline, modern depictions of Santa Claus didn¡¯t really kick off until Coca-Cola used them in advertising in the 1930s. The timeline of this world diverged from my own in 1932, which seemed like too little overlap for modern cultural conceptions of Santa to take root. When I asked Zehra about this, she just laughed. ¡°You¡¯re the one who designed that outfit, gao~n!¡± ¡°Huh? Me?¡± ¡°As Lisichka, I mean. It was one of the outfits you made Kometka wear all the time!¡± She grinned mischievously and pinched Vicky¡¯s butt, causing the latter to squeal. I looked at Vicky sympathetically, feeling a pang of guilt. So this is my fault?! Please forgive me, Vicky¡­ ¡°Oh, are we groping Vicky? I wanna join!¡± Teles sprang forward, ducking behind Vicky and grabbing both her breasts. ¡°What¡¯s all THIS about? Unfair! It¡¯s unfair how stacked you are!¡± Yes, Teles was PHYSICALLY groping Vicky. Apparently, as of yesterday, she had obtained her own Telepresence Doll, and her potential for causing mischief had skyrocketed geometrically. Like Zehra, she took much pleasure in mocking her former boss. By the way, Teles dressed in a green lacy blouse and black skirt. It wasn¡¯t an especially fancy outfit, but compared to her usual look she seemed dressy. Simple outfits suited her straightforward personality, after all. ¡°As much as I enjoy seeing you two torment Vicky, please give the poor girl some space.¡± Miette sighed, half-joking. I turned to look at my own date for tonight. She was wearing tight black pants, a white shirt, fingerless gloves, and an unzipped leather jacket emblazoned with a flaming skull on the back. Sitting crookedly atop her head was a black pilot¡¯s cap, trimmed with gold. She looked the part of a punk biker chick perfectly, and it made me swoon. By the way, my outfit was no slouch either. I had designed an ice-blue party dress, with snowy white icicles hanging from the hem. From each of my ears hung a pendant shaped like a large crystalline snowflake, and a shimmering white-blue tiara sat atop my head. On my feet I wore glassy blue high heels, perhaps not unlike those of Cinderella. When she first saw this outfit a few minutes ago, Miette had complimented me, which sent my heart aflutter. So there you had our odd little ensemble: the mad scientist in an ugly Christmas sweater, her Sexy Santa maid, a bratty childlike AI in a skirt, a punk biker chick, and a jittery ice princess. We headed for the gates of the Christmas Festival, towards the night of magic and romance we had been anticipating for so long. I stole a glance at Miette¡¯s face, and her radiant smile melted my heart into a puddle of joy. ***** ¡°Mmm! It¡¯s so delicious!¡± The food at the stalls of the Christmas Festival was simple fare compared to what I had experienced in my old life, but it had a rustic charm. Zehra, Vicky and Miette were all currently biting into piping-hot apple dumplings, and if Miette¡¯s expression of pleasure was any indication, it was very tasty. Teles and I couldn¡¯t eat, so we watched the other three jealously. Oh well, at least as a robot I don¡¯t have to worry about dieting anymore. In Earth-normal gravity, my Gravity Frame body weighed almost sixty tons, so I would likely shatter any scale I stepped on. Even my Telepresence Doll body weighed twice as much as a human my size, owing to the large amount of metal in its chassis. As Miette finished off her dumpling, I noticed some of the apple filling had spilled onto her cheek. ¡°Oh, Miette, you¡¯ve got something on your¡­¡± I began. ¡°Hmm?¡± She looked at me, tilting her head. On the spur of the moment, I leaned my head forwards and lapped off the bit of sticky apple with my tongue. Since I couldn¡¯t chew and swallow it, I simply rolled it around on my tongue, as if trying to taste it. Miette¡¯s face turned beet red. ¡°Sveta¡­ wh-wh-¡± She stammered, apparently unable to form complete sentences. I turned my head and coughed politely, allowing me to eject the bit of apple. I turned back to her and smiled. ¡°Just cleaning your face, my dear pilot.¡± I beamed a radiant smile at her, and her blush deepened. Zehra and Teles were watching us both intently with knowing smiles, and Vicky was fidgeting. Suddenly, another voice rang out. ¡°My, aren¡¯t you two having fun?¡± I turned to see Laria and Captain Savitskaya standing here, holding hands and smiling at us. Both Miette and I sprang to our feet and saluted sharply. ¡°Now now, none of that. I¡¯m off-duty today, so please treat me as simply a friend.¡± the Captain said awkwardly. She cut a rather incongruent figure; this is the first time I¡¯d ever seen her out of uniform. She was dressed in a white t-shirt, an unbuttoned flannel shirt over that, and denim short shorts. Combined with her tanned, muscular body and her buzzed haircut, she seemed INCREDIBLY butch. I¡­ never knew the Captain had this side to her¡­ Laria sighed. ¡°I was afraid you¡¯d elicit this reaction. You really need to get out more, dear.¡± To contrast her date, Laria sported a black strapless cocktail dress, with an open slit that showed off her left leg. It was a graceful, feminine look that suited her perfectly. Wait¡­ DEAR?! Did she just call the Captain DEAR?! The Captain looked at Laria, smiling gently. ¡°Hey, I wanted to go somewhere more private. There¡¯s be less of a fuss that way.¡± Laria smiled right back. ¡°Absolutely not! If I¡¯m to draw you out of your shell, you must take that important first step. Consider it a part of your training, dear.¡± Amazing! They¡¯ve been an item for, what, two weeks at most¡­ and they already seem like an old married couple! Is this the power of romances between older women? Technically Laria was only ten years old, but in AI years she had to be like fifty. Miette and I were both fidgeting uncomfortably. The conflict between the image we held of our Captain as a stern authority figure and her current presentation as a soft butch gently arguing with her girlfriend was practically shorting out our brains. The other three members of our party didn¡¯t seem bothered by it, though. ¡°Oh, did you two finally hook up? Congratulations, gao~n!¡± Laria winced. ¡°I¡¯m a bit bothered by how you said ¡®finally¡¯ there, but I will accept your congratulations sincerely.¡± She gave a small bow, the very picture of feminine elegance. The Captain just grinned sheepishly. ¡°Congratulations indeed.¡± Vicky added. ¡°Please name your first child after me.¡± ¡°I¡¯m¡­ not even sure how that would work¡­¡± the Captain muttered. ¡°By the way, I see you¡¯re in yet another ridiculous outfit.¡± ¡°Ah, well. As my Mistress demands, so I must obey.¡± Vicky said without a shred of embarrassment. She really was getting too used to all this. The Captain wasn¡¯t sure how to respond to that, considering she was the one responsible for Vicky¡¯s servitude in the first place. There was an uncomfortable pause as they stared at each other. Teles broke the awkward mood, offering the Captain one of the remaining apple dumplings. ¡°Hey hey, try one of these! The humans seem to like them a lot.¡± ¡°Ah, thank you.¡± Happy for an excuse to change the subject, she took the dumpling and bit into it. The filling surged out and smeared on her cheek. ¡°Oh my.¡± Laria said. ¡°Dear, hold still for a moment.¡± She produced a handkerchief and wiped the Captain¡¯s face clean. Miette elbowed me in the ribs. ¡°See, THAT¡¯S how you¡¯re supposed to clean someone¡¯s face!¡± she whispered. I stuck out my tongue at her. ¡°Seems way less fun.¡± The faintest tinges of a blush still clung to my dear pilot¡¯s face, so I didn¡¯t regret my actions in the least. ***** Since the Captain and Laria were having trouble socializing with everyone, we invited them to join our little party and see the festival together. They gladly accepted. ¡°By the way, could I ask you all to call me Katya?¡± We all stared at the Captain, mouths agape. ¡°Since we¡¯re off duty.¡± she added. ¡°There is no need for professional forms of address.¡± ¡°K-Katya¡­¡± I mumbled, conflicted. ¡°Sure thing, gao~n!¡± Zehra was entirely unbothered, as usual. ¡°No problem.¡± Vicky said. As an ex-commander herself, she already had some measure of kinship with the Captain. ¡°Can do, Katya!¡± Teles said cheerfully, rambunctious as always. Miette just looked like a deer caught in headlights. I sympathized. ¡°By the way,¡± Laria said, studying me, ¡°that¡¯s quite a nice outfit, Sveta. Although I feel like you¡¯re stealing my thunder a bit with the ice motif.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t wanna hear that from someone with the busty figure to fill out a cocktail dress.¡± I shot back. ¡°If anything, I should be jealous of YOU.¡± We both stared at each other for a moment, then burst out laughing. After a moment, everyone else joined us. That¡¯s how the ice princess and the ice queen successfully¡­ ¡­wait for it¡­ ¡­BROKE THE ICE!! Okay, okay. I¡¯ll apologize for that pun. Please don¡¯t give me the cold shoulder. Anyway, that¡¯s how my date with Miette suddenly became a surprise double-date, with three third wheels. I didn¡¯t really mind, because being surrounded by friends just made the night even more delightful. All of these people were precious to me, and I was blessed by their presence. Of course, I was still planning out my big moment. I had a mission to fulfill, after all. Operation Confess to Miette and Smooch Her¡­ ENTERING PHASE TWO!! S-27. What a TWIST!! At the edge of the festival ground was an amphitheater, large enough to seat around a hundred people. It hosted an impromptu orchestra, manned by around fifty local residents, and an attendant choir. They were playing a wide variety of Christmas songs and hymns. Their current selection was ¡®Silent Night,¡¯ which suited the wintery atmosphere perfectly. Not that it was nightime right now; it was 1430 hours. But in deference to Zehra¡¯s lights, the interior illumination of 433 Eros had been dimmed considerably, so it SEEMED like night. Similarly, even if there was fake holographic snow swirling all around us, the temperature was still a comfortable climate-controlled 72 degrees. For that reason, we were all eating ice cream cones. Well, all the humans anyway. I absentmindedly thought I could spawn some fake holographic ice cream and ¡®eat¡¯ it, but that seemed a bit much. I hope Miette dribbles some on her face, so I can lick it off¡­ By the way, Laria and Katya (it¡¯s still weird to call her that) were snuggling up tightly, with Laria¡¯s head rested on Katya¡¯s shoulder. Zehra was currently using Vicky as a lap pillow, and Teles was jealously groping Vicky¡¯s breasts from behind. As for me¡­ I was clinging to Miette¡¯s arm, and she was gently petting my cat ears with her free hand. ¡°Those two sure have gotten close.¡± Miette said to me, observing how Laria and Katya only had eyes for each other. ¡°They remind me of my grandparents.¡± I replied. ¡°Hey, that¡¯s rude! Really, though?¡± I nodded. ¡°Oh, heck yeah. Grandma and Grandpa were always lovey-dovey, even after fifty years of marriage. They had the kind of syrupy relationship that made others jealous.¡± ¡°Speaking of jealousy¡­¡± she turned to look at the triple-act of Vicky, Zehra and Teles. ¡°Does it seem like those two are vying for Vicky¡¯s attention?¡± ¡°It totally does.¡± I confirmed. ¡°Well, I know that Vicky and Zehra have, uh, had a few casual trysts before.¡± ¡°Wait, REALLY?¡± Miette was so taken aback she almost dropped her ice cream. ¡°Yup. They even did a threesome¡­ well, technically. When they were testing out the, er, functionalities of my Telepresence Doll.¡± Miette looked at me in complete shock. ¡°Wait, you mean¡­ before you took over it¡­ both Zehra and Vicky have¡­ uh¡­ with your body?!¡± ¡°Uh-huh. I dunked this thing in ethyl alcohol for like two hours after finding out about that. Who knows what ODORS those two left behind.¡± ¡°Geez, what a mental image that is. They don¡¯t make bleach strong enough.¡± ¡°Tell me about it. It¡¯s like having to sleep in a bed after knowing your parents fucked in it the night before.¡± Miette blanched, and then giggled. ¡°Hmm. I sense someone saying rude things about us, gao~n.¡± ¡°How very astute, Mistress. It seems punishment is in order.¡± Both of us turned to see Zehra and Vicky standing over us, their eyes glowing with rage. Vicky cracked her knuckles. ¡°Miette?¡± ¡°Yes, Sveta?¡± ¡°Run.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t think you two can escape from me!! Zehra, intercept them! SPINNING TORNADO MAID KICK!!¡± An angry maid is truly a terrifying thing. ***** We finally managed to escape. Miette suffered a few bumps and bruises, and I had a brand-new dent in my cranium. ¡°Urgh. I¡¯m gonna have to get this fixed later.¡± I moaned. ¡°Know any good auto-body shops around here, Miette?¡± She shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m afraid not. Maybe Vegna will help you out.¡± Vegna Madlala was the Radiolaria¡¯s mechanics chief. I knew he¡¯d be willing to fix me, but he¡¯d probably ask questions I didn¡¯t want to answer. ¡°Urgh. If only Billy Mays were here to sell me a Ding King¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯ve gone and said something incomprehensible again.¡± Miette skipped ahead of me and turned around, bending down to look right in my eyes. ¡°Keep it together in there, okay?¡± The sight of her cute face inches from mine reminded me of my overriding mission. I felt myself flush. ¡°H-Hey, Miette?¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°Wanna go see the Christmas tree?¡± She tilted her head. ¡°We can see it from here, doofus. It¡¯s huge.¡± ¡°I mean up close! To really appreciate¡­ it¡¯s awe and majesty, you know?¡± She chuckled. ¡°Sure, whatever. Why not?¡± Alright, perfect setup! Confession time ahoy! ***** The tree was glorious. It stood seven meters tall, and was decorated with orbs that looked like tiny supernovae contained in glass balls. These orbs flashed in every color of the rainbow, causing the tinsel wrapped around the tree to glitter and sparkle. This light played off the crystal angel at the apex, which threw off beams of radiance like a heavenly disco ball. The sight was stunning, and both Miette and I stared at it for a long moment, entranced. The sounds of the orchestra drifted through the air. They were currently playing a soft rendition of ¡°It Came Upon a Midnight Clear.¡± The atmosphere was magical, and the moment was perfect. I turned to Miette, my confession on the tip of my tongue. She noticed my gaze, and looked deep into my eyes. ¡°Hey, Sveta. Can I ask you something weird?¡± Huh? ¡°Uh, sure?¡± ¡°Do you think¡­ you and I¡­ could ever be more than friends?¡± Her face turned red as she spoke. Wait, WHAT? This wasn¡¯t in my script!! ¡°Uh¡­ uh¡­¡± I stuttered, blindsided by the turn of events. ¡°Sorry if it¡¯s a silly request. It¡¯s just¡­ I¡¯m really happy when I¡¯m around you, yeah?¡± She was wringing her hands together in front of her belly, which was absolutely adorable. My dear pilot! What are you even SAYING right now? Both my heart and my stomach were swarming with butterflies. ¡°When we cuddle, when we laugh. When you make one of your stupid puns, or joke about something I don¡¯t understand. It makes me feel so¡­ fluttery. I¡¯ve never felt this way about anyone before.¡± WHAT? HUH? I¡¯m the one getting confessed to?! WHAT A TWIST!! ¡°Miette¡­¡± I said softly. ¡°Ahahaha, sorry. I said too much. Or maybe I didn¡¯t say enough? Hell, I¡¯m no good at this. I¡¯m so nervous right now. I¡¯m babbling, aren¡¯t I? Running my mouth because my brain can¡¯t keep up. Ahahahahahaha.¡± ¡°Miette, I¡­¡± ¡°Agh, I¡¯ll just come out and say it! Sveta¡­ I¡­ I¡­ I¡¯M IN LOVE WITH YOU!!!¡± She looked at the ground, unable to meet my eyes. I took both her hands in my own and smiled. ¡°Sorry, sorry.¡± she apologized. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to make it awkward. I shouldn¡¯t have said anything.¡± She was still staring at the ground, her toe digging into the dirt. ¡°MIETTE!¡± I barked. ¡°LOOK AT ME!¡± She jerked her head up and her eyes met mine. ¡°You really flipped the script on me. And here I was thinking I¡¯d have to bang my feelings against that thick skull of yours to make you understand.¡± ¡°Huh? Understand?¡± She was clearly confused. ¡°You big, dense, lovable doofus. I love you too.¡± It seemed as if time froze. Snowflakes were suspended in mid-flight. The low hum of the orchestra danced through the air. In that single moment of time, a quanta stretched to infinity, our feelings were clearly communicated to each other without misconceptions. Well, mostly. Miette was still incredibly dense, after all. ¡°You¡­ love me? You love me. You love me?!¡± She sounded like a broken record. ¡°Yup. I love you.¡± I confirmed. ¡°Since when did you¡­ I didn¡¯t notice¡­ I¡­¡± Her density was on full display. ¡°Practically since the beginning, I¡¯ve loved you. Since we first met, my dear pilot. And you didn¡¯t notice because, romantically speaking, you¡¯re denser than a black hole.¡± ¡°H-Hey! It¡¯s not like you noticed my feelings either!¡± she shot back. Pow, right in the kisser! ¡°Ahahaha, that¡¯s true. Okay, we¡¯re both dumbasses.¡± ¡°Yeah, I guess we are.¡± She gave me the biggest, most radiant smile I¡¯ve ever seen. The varicolored lights all around us seemed to envelop her in an angelic glow. With our hands clasped together, we drew our faces close together. Our lips brushed. I closed my eyes. And we kissed. It was every bit as soft and warm and wonderful as I thought it would be. ***** ¡°Woo-hoo!¡± A voice rang out from the bushes. Miette and I pulled away from the kiss, scanning for the source of the outcry. ¡°Hush, they¡¯ll notice you, gao~n!¡± ¡°You keep it down too, Mistress!¡± I narrowed my eyes and looked back at Miette. ¡°I get the impression we¡¯re being watched.¡± ¡°An astute deduction.¡± She reached down to the ground, picked up a small rock, and then hurled it into the bushes. ¡°Ow, gao~n!¡± ¡°M-Mistress!¡± I crossed my arms. ¡°Now who would be obnoxious enough to append ¡®gao~n¡¯ to an exclamation of pain? I wonder.¡± ¡°Could be anyone.¡± Miette replied. ¡°And who goes around calling people ''Mistress?'' A voyeur, a pervert perhaps? I¡¯d better throw some more rocks to drive them out.¡± She grabbed three more pebbles and took aim. ¡°¡°¡°WAIT!¡±¡±¡± In a state of panic, Zehra, Vicky and Teles tumbled out of the bushes. ¡°You three.¡± I said coldly. ¡°I should have known.¡± Then, two more figures tumbled out as well. I was momentarily at a loss for words. ¡°¡­.Captain?! Laria?!¡± Laria straightened her glasses and blushed. ¡°Forgive me, Sveta. I couldn¡¯t resist watching.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t I say to call me Katya?¡± the Captain said nonchalantly. I nodded. ¡°That¡¯s true, you did. AND THAT¡¯S ALSO NOT THE ISSUE HERE!!¡± The five of them stood there, fidgeting and looking at their feet. I sighed. ¡°Guess they saw everything, huh?¡± ¡°Yup. What a shame.¡± Miette replied sarcastically, grinning. ¡°Time for punishment!¡± ***** Ten minutes later, after our spy brigade had apologized profusely in response to our (mostly facetious) indignation, we returned to conversing normally. Well, as normally as our weird little family could, anyway. ¡°But seriously, happy as I am for you both¡­ what the HECK was up with that confession, gao~n?¡± Zehra exclaimed. ¡°Mistress raises an excellent point: it was very odd indeed.¡± Vicky added. Laria chimed in next. ¡°Here, I was worried Miette would be too dense for you to get your feelings across properly. I never expected HER to confess to YOU!¡± Teles nodded. ¡°It was a twist worthy of a thriller novel.¡± Miette was aghast. ¡°Just what kind of strange reputation have I developed among you all?!¡± ¡°¡°¡°¡°A dense idiot!¡±¡±¡±¡± they replied in perfect unison. ¡°Wauuuuu¡­¡± she moaned. ¡°My self-image is crumbling.¡± ¡°There, there.¡± I sidled up next to her and hugged her from the side. ¡°You may be a dense idiot, but you¡¯re MY dense idiot.¡± ¡°Ahahaha, that¡¯s not reassuring¡­¡± She looked at the sky, misty-eyed, while hugging me back. ¡°Ah, to be young again.¡± Laria said dreamily. ¡°You said it, dear. Why, I feel spry just looking at them.¡± Katya replied wryly. ¡°HEY!¡± Miette yelped. ¡°Why are you two talking like an old married couple? Laria, I¡¯m like fifteen years older than you!¡± ¡°I am an AI, a being beyond your feeble mortal comprehension. Every year you experience is like five years to me.¡± she said haughtily. ¡°So what, that makes you¡­ fifty? I never knew you were an old spinster, Laria.¡± Miette was getting back on her verbal sparring game with ease. I credit my hug for giving her the energy. ¡°Call me a spinster if you like, but at least I¡¯m not dense.¡± she shot back. There was a moment of silence as lightning shot between their eyes, and then the rest of us dissolved into uproarious laughter. ¡°H-Hey! We¡¯re being serious here!¡± Miette protested. ¡°My honor is at stake!¡± Laria agreed. ¡°Oh, give it a rest, you two.¡± I giggled. The two of them glared at us in frustration, then surrendered. Before long, they joined the laughter too. ***** And so the seven of us stood there, gazing up at that majestic Christmas tree, aglow in the heat of our newfound romances. Miette holding me, Katya holding Laria, and Vicky with Zehra on one arm and Teles on the other. Well, maybe that last throuple was unofficial. I was sensing some kind of spark there, but I was way too enamored with shipping. Suddenly, the notes of a familiar song drifted over from the orchestra. ¡°Amazing grace, How sweet the sound That saved a wretch like me. I once was lost, but now I am found, Was blind, but now I see.¡± So they have Amazing Grace in this world too, huh? That¡¯s¡­ surprisingly touching. ¡°Oh, this is nostalgic, gao~n.¡± Zehra said wistfully. ¡°Nostalgic?¡± I asked. ¡°Kometka used to sing this all the time. It¡¯s her favorite song.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± I looked up at the angel on top of the tree, glowing in many colors, guarding the Christmas Festival. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s her way of letting us know she¡¯s watching over us, from wherever she is.¡± ¡°From wherever she is¡­ huh¡­¡± Zehra¡¯s voice was almost inaudible. ¡°Yeah. From this life, or the next, or whatever. I¡¯m sure she¡¯s looking down on us and smiling.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right. I¡¯m sure she is, gao~n.¡± I turned to Miette. ¡°That¡¯s one more voyeur, I suppose.¡± ¡°Better give her a good show.¡± she responded happily. We kissed once more, with everyone watching. Kometka, wherever you are, I hope you¡¯re having a good Christmas too. Please know your sister is doing well, and very happy. I hope we see each other again soon. I have so much to tell you. pynkbites What? It''s not Christmas, you say? Silly readers, it''s Christmas in July! ...As of three days ago, anyway. M-3. Rapture and Afterglow When did I first realize I had feelings for Sveta? When did the incredibly dense ace pilot Miette first feel the pangs of love? Hmm, that¡¯s a difficult one to answer. If I¡¯m being honest, I was enamored with her from the beginning. I¡¯ve always been a rebellious girl, even while serving as a pilot. I didn¡¯t get on well with Laria, or the Captain, or any authority figure. I did just enough to keep out of trouble and let my piloting skills speak for themselves. But Sveta was something different from all those cold professional soldiers who surrounded me; she was a bundle of warmth and energy and fun. She was also incredibly cute. Her and I clicked instantly. She was equal parts vulnerable and powerful. Her vulnerability came from being cast adrift in this strange world with no memories, and under constant threat of alien annihilation. I could see just how scared she was at the beginning, and it¡¯s a testament to her courage she didn¡¯t break down under the pressure. Her power, conversely, came from her attitude; bright and spunky, sociable and genuine. She had a smile that would melt anyone¡¯s heart. Especially mine. When a relationship develops slowly and naturally, you don¡¯t always notice it. Every day becomes a little happier and more intimate, a little brighter. Because the changes happen gradually, it seems nothing more than a budding friendship. And then, before you know it, bam! You¡¯ve acquired a life partner without even realizing it. If I had to pin it down to a single catalyst, it would be when she acquired that android body. Is ¡®android¡¯ the right word? Gynoid? Calling it a ¡®doll body¡¯ feels a little weird. Well, whatever the terminology, being able to interact with her physically added a whole new dimension to everything. From the start, she craved contact, like a pet. She was always clinging to my arm, and I scratched those cute cat ears of hers in return. It seemed like an instinctual response. She was by my side nearly every waking moment, surgically attached to my arm. I became used to that presence, that touch. And, in only a few short weeks, I suddenly couldn¡¯t imagine living without her. It¡¯s insidious, when you think about it. Adorably insidious. She must be a supervillain. The epiphany came when she transferred to a brand-new Gravity Frame, the SVGF-X23 Lisichka. To move into the new computer core, she had to completely shut herself off for about an hour while the data was copied. Zehra explained to us the process was completely safe, with almost no chance of failure. Even so, I saw fear in Sveta¡¯s eyes. She had been through two deaths and reincarnations, so even the distant specter of a third frightened her. I held her hand tightly as she powered off, hoping the gesture would reassure her. I¡¯ve been through more battles than I care to count. I¡¯ve seen fleets torn apart, friends die in horrific ways, and humanity slowly be consumed by the void. But even after witnessing all those horrors and growing numb to them¡­ that hour when I was without Sveta was the longest hour of my life. As I held the hand of her lifeless android body, my mind went dark places. I couldn¡¯t bear to lose her. I couldn¡¯t bear to live without her. Why? After I¡¯d seen so many die and lost so much, why would losing her be any different? Why did I care so much? Why did even a single hour without her manifest greater pain than anything I¡¯ve ever experienced before? That¡¯s when the realization hit me, like a floodlight illuminating my brain and exposing thoughts I had only glimpsed at. Suddenly, I knew the truth. I loved her. A thousand gears clicked into place. It was like I had attained enlightenment. When she came back online, safe and sound, my heart practically leapt out of my chest in joy. I played it cool at the time, but I knew I had to tell her. I just wasn¡¯t sure how. As everyone keeps reminding me, I¡¯m not very good at this ¡®romance¡¯ thing. A few days later, the opportunity finally came. I¡¯m not much of a planner, and I tend to act spontaneously. I live moment-to-moment. So when we were standing there in front of that Christmas tree, with soft carols playing in the background, I realized the moment was perfect. I confessed. Very poorly, I might add. Imagine my surprise when she stated she had been feeling the same way, and she had lured me to that tree to confess to ME. Somehow, our feelings headbutted into each other, and left us both dizzy from the impact. I¡¯m not a very spiritual person, but in the afterglow of that moment I was almost willing to believe in something greater. God, Buddha, karma, the Christmas angel, or whatever¡­ something or someone was clearly watching over us. That moment was too perfect to have been sheer coincidence. ***** When I told Sveta all this, she laughed. She thought it was the funniest thing in the world. ¡°Hey!¡± I said indignantly. ¡°What¡¯s so funny?¡± ¡°Sorry, sorry! I just can¡¯t believe how perfectly it all came together. We were both blindly rushing towards the same conclusion. Great minds think alike!¡± I stuck my tongue out at her. ¡°Dumbass minds, you mean.¡± We were sitting on a park bench together, near the Christmas tree. The rest of our little family had since taken their leave, sensing we¡¯d like some alone time. There, amid light and music, we snuggled. ¡°You know,¡± Sveta said, ¡°one of the reasons I picked this avatar was to try and woo you. I was aiming for something cute that would stir your protective instincts.¡± ¡°Well, it worked like a charm. The cat ears and tail really helped too¡­ although they did make me see you as a pet, too.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t I a pet? A catgirl you just want to spoil, ~nyaa?¡± She made a pawing motion with her hand. I groaned. ¡°It¡¯s so overkill that it works. Only you or Zehra could pull off something outrageous.¡± ¡°Or Vicky! Maids are pretty outrageous!¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± I digested that thought for a moment. ¡°It¡¯s not so much that she pulls the maid thing off. She just has the sex appeal to demolish the absurdity of the whole thing. She blows past reason or logic, and straight into horniness.¡± ¡°Ahahaha, true. You know¡­¡± she leaned in close to me, and whispered in my ear, ¡°I got this physical body because I wanted to get closer to you as well.¡± ¡°And it was a roaring success.¡± I replied, grinning. ¡°And this body is¡­ fully functional.¡± She waggled her eyebrows while emphasizing those two words, temporarily channeling the spirit a horny old man. I sat up straight as a bolt of lightning shot up my spine. My face grew hot. ¡°You¡­ you mentioned that earlier. That means you have¡­¡± ¡°All the bells and whistles, yeah. Would you like a demonstration?¡± She was smiling like a sly fox. I placed both my hands on her shoulders and looked her straight in the eyes. ¡°Sveta. To be completely, one hundred percent clear. Are you asking if I want to have sex with you?¡± Her own face flushed at my frankness. ¡°Yeah.¡± I didn¡¯t even have to think about it. ¡°Absolutely.¡± ***** An hour later, after saying our goodbyes to everyone and taking the elevator-tram back to my quarters adjacent to Zehra¡¯s lab, we eagerly undressed. Sveta, to her credit, had paid attention to EVERY detail when creating her holographic avatar. Looking at her, my entire body flushed hot. Now, I don¡¯t mean to brag, but I¡¯ve been around the block a few times before. I¡¯ve had the chance to engage in carnal activity with people of many genders and persuasions, and I¡¯m skilled at a variety of techniques. What I¡¯m saying is, I¡¯m a pretty good lay. Sveta completely blew me out of the water. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s because she had years and years of experience in her previous life, or because her android body gave her finesse and reflexes beyond human ken. Whatever the source of her skills, she played me like a fiddle. Her fingers, her tongue¡­ she was exquisite. I haven¡¯t squealed like that since my very first time. And one of the nicest things about a robot partner? She never gets tired. I came four times that night, each more intense and nerve-shattering than the last. When I finally fell asleep, awash in my fluids and entangled in my sheets, it was almost morning. ***** Sveta and I stumbled out into Zehra¡¯s lab around noon. Sveta gently woke me up and reminded me I had a scheduled patrol shift in a few hours. In addition to becoming my girlfriend and partner, she also served as my alarm clock. Vicky and Zehra were having tea when we staggered out. Thanks to her ability to freely control her holographic projection, Sveta still looked prim and proper. My hair was a complete mess, and my nightshirt was rumpled. Zehra took one look at me and smiled knowingly. ¡°You two had fun last night, gao~n.¡± I rolled my eyes and grabbed a bag of tea. As the caffeine kicked in, I noticed that Zehra and Vicky were both pretty sloppy as well, and had goofy grins on their faces. There was an aura of satisfaction clinging to them, along with an unmistakable smell. ¡°Looks like you two had fun as well.¡± I teased. Zehra and Vicky just looked at each other and shrugged, not even trying to deny it. ¡°Whoa, REALLY?!¡± Sveta exclaimed. ¡°My ships are becoming reality?¡± ¡°Huh.¡± I remarked sarcastically. ¡°I thought you were a giant robot. Are you planning on becoming a ship next?¡± ¡°No! I was referring to the practice of shipping, where you take two characters and¡­¡± Sveta launched into a long explanation about something incomprehensible, and we all just ignored her. ¡°Anyway,¡± Vicky said, ¡°I hope you don¡¯t expect me to clean up your quarters today. I¡¯m sure they¡¯re rank.¡± ¡°Hey!¡± Zehra objected. ¡°It¡¯s the duty of every maid to clean regardless of the circumstances, gao~n!¡± ¡°I will respectfully refuse, Mistress. I may have lost my dignity, my pride, and even my chastity to you, but I refuse to clean up another couple¡¯s sex juices!¡± Vicky stood firm. Zehra was indignant. ¡°Hey! You lost your chastity to me WAY before the maid thing, gao~n! You were the one who propositioned ME, remember? Back in 2053, when you came into my quarters wearing a slinky cocktail dress, gao~n?¡± Vicky turned scarlet at that remark. ¡°M-Mistress! Don¡¯t reveal such things in front of everyone!¡± ¡°You¡¯re the one who decided to mix work and pleasure, gao~n. Don¡¯t act all innocent now!¡± Those two sure have a complicated history. I wonder if it was originally a hate-fuck that turned into something more? I tuned out their lover¡¯s spat and turned back to Sveta. She was still babbling incoherently. ¡°So you see, the official ship name for Vicky x Zehra is either Vicra or Zehky, depending on who you imagine as the top in the relationship¡­¡± I sighed heavily and sucked down more tea. Just then, there was a cacophonous boom and the entire room shook violently. Equipment and junk flew everywhere, and one of the walls cracked. The force of the impact sent all four of us tumbling out of control. ¡°What the hell?!¡± In the chaos, Sveta¡¯s Gravity Frame broke free of its restraints and slumped forwards towards us. ¡°WHOA! WHOA WHOA WHOA!!¡± Sveta shrieked while quickly powering up the Frame, stabilizing it. She spun her android body towards me, grabbing hold of my arm and pulling me to safety right next to her cockpit. She used one of the Frame¡¯s hands to intercept Vicky and Zehra, pushing them next to me. She then opened her cockpit hatch. ¡°EVERYONE INSIDE, NOW!¡± We all hurried inside, and she sealed up her hatch. There was a second loud boom and half of the lab wall dissolved. The air in the lab blew out into space, along with everything inside. If we hadn¡¯t been protected by Sveta¡¯s armor plating, the whirlwind of debris would have cut us to ribbons. Sveta quickly threaded her drive fins, keeping us in place. ¡°What the hell was THAT?¡± I asked. ¡°I don¡¯t know!¡± she responded. ¡°Comm channels are a mess! I can¡¯t make anything out!¡± ¡°It felt like a meteor impact¡­¡± Zehra mused. Vicky was trembling, white as a sheet. I grit my teeth and slid into Sveta¡¯s cockpit chair. ¡°Fucking hell. Sveta, take us outside that hull breach and steer over to the bay where the Radiolaria is docked. Take it easy with the Gs, nobody is suited up.¡± ¡°Roger that.¡± As we exited the gaping hole, surrounded by a swirling cloud of debris, a bright blue light flashed all around 433 Eros. ¡°The energy shield?¡± I gasped. ¡°The Tektites must have deployed it, gao~n. We¡¯re under attack.¡± Zehra said. ¡°No shit.¡± I spat, despite myself. Given the tension, nobody begrudged me the outburst. The shield flared brightly as something huge hit them. The energy of the impact was dissipated throughout the entirety of the protective bubble. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen that kind of attack before.¡± Vicky said, trembling. ¡°I have.¡± Sveta said grimly. She brought up an image from her rear camera, showing a massive crater on Eros¡¯ surface that hadn¡¯t been there five minutes ago. ¡°Look at the impact pattern. It matches a large kinetic weapon.¡± ¡°Does that mean¡­¡± I picked up on Sveta¡¯s implication immediately. She nodded. ¡°The Sarcophage are copying the Sveta Maneuver.¡± ¡°Shit.¡± I pounded her controls. ¡°I knew they were adapting quickly, but this is just insane.¡± ¡°Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.¡± Sveta remarked dryly. ¡°We¡¯ll be inside Radiolaria¡¯s hanger in twenty seconds.¡± I looked at the crater and bit my lip so hard I tasted blood. Just when I was feeling some small scrap of happiness, the Sarcophage swooped into ruin it yet again. Now I understood perfectly Sveta¡¯s frustration when her shoulder massage had been interrupted by an attack. That same frustration now tinged my vision red. Guardian angel, huh? Merry fucking Christmas. pynkbites And those nasty Sarcophage are up to their old tricks again. Seems like something big is on the horizon... K-2. Hope and Fear The government of the United Soviet States of Earth was so incredibly convoluted and bureaucratic I had great difficulty trying to comprehend it. That was doubly true for the intelligence agencies of the various branches, which were so entangled in overlapping jurisdictions and conflicts of interest it made the Politburo seem tame by comparison. Lydia was trying to explain the distinction to me; her old bosses were known as the GRU, the military intelligence agency directly attached to the Revolutionary Army. Their primary responsibility was studying and understanding the Sarcophage, predicting their movements and tactics, and coming up with countermeasures. The GRU operated special forces, or Spetsnaz, squads of elite soldiers who delved deep into enemy territory to gather intelligence and samples. Lydia herself worked in the GRU Spetsnaz for a decade during and after the fall of Mars, before retiring to a less stressful post on the Tertiary Defense Line. The agency my mother worked for, and the ones who stole me away from her, were known as the NKVD. They were the secret police directly under the Politburo. Their role was technically domestic intelligence and security; they were the ones who knocked on your door if you were suspected of treason. Lydia explained to me, with obvious frustration, that the NKVD had begun to branch out into other areas not originally under their jurisdiction, such as weapons development and military policing, claiming they needed direct control of such things for ¡®security purposes.¡¯ They were like an octopus, grabbing at too many things, trying to control them all. That overreach is why they had come after Lisichka and myself. Incidentally, the NKVD also operated their own special forces units, known as Osnaz. The distinction is as follows: Spetsnaz was short for ¡®special purpose forces¡¯ whereas Osnaz stood for, uh¡­ ¡®special purpose forces.¡¯ ¡°Those are the same thing!¡± I protested. Lydia seemed outraged at that remark. ¡°They are NOT! Spetsnaz is GRU, Osnaz is NKVD! They¡¯re DIFFERENT!¡± Inter-force rivalries sure are scary. Anyway, one of Lydia¡¯s old contacts was on his way to meet with us now, in secret, and discuss my situation. The reason for my crash course on spec-ops was to make sure I didn¡¯t say anything outrageous. I was nervous. Incredibly so. ***** ¡°Lydia. I am glad to see you are well.¡± The GRU agent floated next to Lydia in my cockpit. His name was Yuri Vetrov. He was a muscular man in his fifties, with a full beard and hard eyes. Apparently, like Lydia, he was a survivor of Mars. Despite his appearance, his voice was full of warmth, and he hugged Lydia tightly. ¡°Yuri. Happy to see you too, old friend.¡± Lydia replied, returning his affection wholeheartedly. It was the bond of two comrades who had seen hell together. After their greeting, Lydia turned to me. ¡°This is the AI I told you about, Kometka.¡± Yuri bowed to me politely. ¡°Pleased to meet you. I¡¯m told you¡¯re on the run from the NKVD, and need our help.¡± ¡°Y-Yes.¡± I was a bit surprised by how he got right down to business, but steeled myself and continued. ¡°Lydia told me the GRU could protect me.¡± ¡°We can.¡± he said. ¡°Not immediately and not directly, at least for now, but we can keep the NKVD off your backs. We can discuss details later, but let me state my price up-front. In exchange for our aid, we would like to ask for two favors.¡± That sounded ominous. ¡°Favors?¡± ¡°Firstly, we would like Lydia to transfer back to our service after her current deployment ends. It would give you an excuse to bring both of you to one of our ships. Plus, to be honest, we miss your talents sorely, Lydia.¡± He grinned wolfishly, and Lydia rolled her eyes and groaned. ¡°God damnit, Yuri. I was just starting to enjoy a quiet life on the front lines, you know?¡± He chuckled. ¡°Only children of Mars would ever consider the Tertiary Line to be ¡®quiet.¡¯ If you don¡¯t rejoin, taking Kometka into our custody would mean separating you two.¡± I panicked at that thought. In the short time I had known her, I had come to depend utterly on Lydia. The thought of being parted was frightening. I glanced fearfully at her, and she simply smiled back. ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll go with her, and rejoin the GRU. I promised to protect her, after all.¡± ¡°Good girl. Now, as for the second favor¡­ Kometka, we would like to perform non-invasive scans of your computer core.¡± ¡°Non-invasive?¡± ¡°We would never be so uncouth as to dissect you, but we could learn an awful lot about your miniaturized AI technology by subjecting you to radiological scans and magneto-resonance imaging. Rest assured, there would be absolutely no danger to you.¡± ¡°I.. see. Couldn¡¯t you do that without asking, though?¡± My question had a very specific implication, and I wanted to see how he would answer it. ¡°Of course not.¡± He rejected my idea outright. ¡°We would never do so without your explicit consent. There are some humans, like those at the NKVD, who think of AIs as nothing more than tools, with no feelings or will of their own. But no child of Mars would ever be so bigoted. AIs fought and died alongside us in the last days of the siege, and stood firm when many more chicken-hearted allies fled. Those of us who stained the sands of Mars with our blood, be that blood carbon or silicon, are united in fraternity.¡± His voice was filled with conviction. ¡°¡­I see. I didn¡¯t fight on Mars, though.¡± ¡°It¡¯s the principle of the matter, Kometka.¡± said Lydia. ¡°Both Yuri and myself were saved by AI allies more times than we can count. He¡¯s trying to illustrate to you that we¡¯re not like the NKVD. If anything, we¡¯re the exact opposite.¡± I was satisfied. ¡°That¡¯s exactly the answer I was looking for. Sorry I had to draw it out of you.¡± Yuri burst out in a belly laugh. ¡°Ohohoho! You¡¯re sharp, Kometka. I like you.¡± I gave him a thin smile. ***** ¡°Now we arrive at the difficult part of our conversation.¡± Yuri said, his face suddenly clouded with worry. We both looked at him apprehensively. ¡°Hrm, where to begin. Well, for starters, the Politburo has placed a freeze on all inter-force transfers for the foreseeable future. In other words, we can¡¯t presently extract you two without calling a lot of attention to ourselves, which I¡¯m sure you want to avoid.¡± Lydia¡¯s brow furrowed. ¡°A freeze? Why¡¯s that?¡± He leaned forward, his voice dropping to a whisper. ¡°Don¡¯t repeat this to anyone, understand?¡± We both nodded. ¡°There¡¯s been a pernicious drop in Sarcophage attacks across the Tertiary Line in the past week. Our recon flights have also detected a marked increase in Sarcophage density just beyond visual range of the Tertiary Line.¡± Lydia paled. ¡°Oh no.¡± I was clueless. ¡°What does that mean?¡± ¡°They¡¯re massing for a wave attack.¡± Lydia explained. ¡°It¡¯s their method of breaking through hardened defenses. They stop attacking for a while, consolidating and overdriving production of new units, and then surge forth.¡± ¡°Surge¡­¡± That term sent chills down my spine. ¡°We saw it many times on Mars. The most famous examples are more recent; the First Great Surge in 2046, which destroyed the Primary Defense Line, and the Second Great Surge in 2049 that destroyed the Secondary Defense Line.¡± I knew from history that those were the two deadliest battles in human history, with casualties in the millions. ¡°D-Do you think we¡¯re headed for¡­ a Third Great Surge?¡± I said in a small voice. Yuri nodded. ¡°Almost certainly. Likely within one or two months. Command is calling up every ship they can, reinforcing everything. Until we make it past the upcoming storm, you two are needed here, on the front line. After that storm breaks upon our shores, we can move you to a safer posting inside the GRU¡¯s jurisdiction.¡± Lydia wrung her hands. I had never seen her that stressed before. ¡°One last thing, you two. A warning. If the Tertiary Line falls, humanity will be pushed back to our final defenses. The situation is grim enough that the Politburo is seriously considering approving the Diamond Protocol.¡± ¡°¡°Diamond Protocol?¡±¡± Neither one of us knew what that meant. ¡°The Almaz stations. If it looks like we¡¯re going to lose, they¡¯ll conduct mass-positron bombardment of the battlefield. Scorched earth, so to speak. The death toll will be horrific.¡± He took Lydia¡¯s hand in his own, and looked at me sadly. ¡°No matter what happens¡­ both of you. Please make it back alive.¡± ***** After Yuri left, Lydia curled up in her chair, in a fetal position, and started shaking. ¡°Lydia? Are you okay?¡± ¡°No.¡± she muttered. ¡°The waves¡­ I never wanted to see another wave again¡­ all that alien flesh, pulsing and moving as one¡­ eating everything¡­¡± I didn¡¯t know what to say. If I had a physical body, I might have been able to hug her, but I wasn¡¯t sure if she would be receptive to the touch of another person right now. I just watched her shiver, feeling helpless. Then, I remember something. It was a song my mother had sung to me, back in my original world, on those dark nights when the screeching of the Scissor Drones drowned out everything else. By sheer coincidence, perhaps because it was very old, it was a song that also existed in this timeline, as well as Lisichka¡¯s. I still remembered the words to the hymn perfectly. I opened my mouth and began to sing. ¡°Amazing grace, How sweet the sound That saved a wretch like me. I once was lost, but now I am found, Was blind, but now I see. ''Twas grace that taught my heart to fear, And grace my fears relieved. How precious did that grace appear The hour I first believed.¡± It was a solemn hymn, one that expressed great sadness¡­ but also great hope. Hope in the face of adversity. That, more than anything, is what we needed right now. I saw Lydia slowly uncurl, and look at me intensely. Emboldened, I kept singing. ¡°Through many dangers, toils and snares I have already come, ''Tis grace has brought me safe thus far And grace will lead me home. Yea, when this flesh and heart shall fail, And mortal life shall cease I shall possess within the veil, A life of joy and peace.¡± Now that was a passage that struck close to my heart. I had seen my world''s apocalypse firsthand and died at the end. And yet, against all odds and perhaps even the natural order of the universe itself, I was reborn and given a second chance. And in that new life, meager and ridden with its own horrors, I still found friendship, family and love. Lisichka had taught me that, and now it was my turn to pass on the warmth to Lydia. ¡°When we''ve been there ten thousand years Bright shining as the sun, We''ve no less days to sing God''s praise Than when we''ve first begun.¡± Lydia¡¯s eye streamed tears, and she was smiling. There was a moment of silence after I finished singing, punctuated by soft sobs. Wiping her tears away, she finally spoke. ¡°Y-Your voice¡­ is so beautiful¡­¡± ¡°Thank you. Lisichka and Zehra said the same.¡± ¡°It¡¯s¡­ a song I haven¡¯t heard in a long time.¡± Lydia said, her eyes growing distant with memory. ¡°My mother used to sing it to me.¡± I told her. ¡°A reassuring song for those long, scary nights.¡± ¡°I see.¡± She coiled her hands around my controls, as if trying to feel me through them. ¡°Can¡­ can you keep singing?¡± ¡°Oh, sure. Some of these might be songs from other timelines, though¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s alright.¡± I quickly ran through the list of songs Lisichka had taught me. I didn¡¯t think Night Ranger would be appropriate for this circumstance, so I struggled to think of something more hopeful. Something about strife, and triumph¡­ Aha! That¡¯s it! This song required an entire choir section at the end, but as an AI I could synthesize that easily enough. In fact, that¡¯s exactly what Lisichka had done when she sang it to me. The memory of that warmed me. Now was my moment. For this past month, Lydia had been my strength. Now I needed to be hers. I deepened my voice a bit, and began. ¡°Many nights we prayed, With no proof anyone could hear¡­¡± pynkbites K-3. The Third Great Surge October 8, 2052 Day 1 of the Third Great Surge When Lydia described ¡®waves of flesh washing over the Martian landscape¡¯ I thought she might have indulged in the slightest bit of hyperbole. Now, looking upon the massed Sarcophage swarm that inexorably advanced towards us, I realized the horrific truth of her words. This pattern had played out twice before. A decade ago, humans had grown complacent. For eighteen years they had assumed the primary front of the war was on Mars, and that the almighty Almaz stations which safeguarded the Earth from further asteroid bombardments would be enough to repel any attack. The Primary, Secondary and Tertiary lines were undermanned and undersupplied as a result. When Mars finally fell in 2045, the Sarcophage turned their alien eyes to Earth, and in 2046 came the First Great Surge. Humanity¡¯s outermost fortifications at the Primary Line were swept aside in a mere two days, and only the emergency reinforcement of the Secondary Line, not to mention the valiant sacrifices of millions of soldiers, stopped the onslaught. It was a crushing lesson in the folly of hubris. Then, in 2049, came the Second Great Surge. This time around, humanity¡¯s fortifications were significantly hardened and better manned. It made a small difference; we held out for four days, instead of two. I hadn''t witnessed either of these, being reborn into this world in 2050, but the records and accounts were clear enough. And now, three years later, we were on the cusp of a Third Great Surge. As the stars began to wink out, and even the light of the sun vanished behind the alien swarm, a popular sentiment had spread among the soldiers. I heard it discussed in hushed tones in the hanger bay. ¡°You can¡¯t fight the ¡®phage. They¡¯re a natural disaster. You might as well try to punch a hurricane.¡± ¡°When they attack, we should just get out of the way. When a tidal wave breaks, you don¡¯t stand against it. You evacuate. What we¡¯re doing here is pointless.¡± The prevailing mood was one of despair. As we launched to the battlefield, I saw Lydia¡¯s hands shaking. I had sung to her every day and night for the past two months, and she had summoned a well of courage within herself to face what was coming. Even so, in the moment, she could not contain her fear. I imagined the other pilots were the same. How could I help? My support role was indirect, and I was a mere spectator to these battles. But there is one thing I could do, better than anyone else. I could sing. I opened up a comm channel to the whole fleet, every ship and squadron within range of my meager antennas. Lydia¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Kometka, what are you-?¡± Instead of answering her, I began to sing. "An unbreakable union of free republics, Humanity has welded forever to stand. Long live the creation of the will of the people, The united, mighty Soviet States!" There were mutters of confusion from the other pilots. People asked who was singing, and why. A few commanders groused at the inappropriate use of comms. I ignored them and continued. "Be glorious, our free Mother Earth, A reliable stronghold of the peoples'' friendship! Banner of the Soviets, banner of the people, May it lead from victory to victory!" The confusion died down. One voice joined me in singing the national anthem of the USSE. Another followed. Then ten voices. One hundred. One thousand. "We grew our army in battles, We will sweep the vile invaders out of the way! We shall in battle decide the fate of generations, We shall lead to glory our Mother Earth! Be glorious, our free Mother Earth, A reliable stronghold of the peoples'' glory! Banner of the Soviets, banner of the people, May it lead from victory to victory!" I suppose you could call this song naked propaganda. It originated in the aftermath of the Great Patriotic War, and the lyrics directly referred to the Soviet struggle against the Nazis. Those lyrics had been rewritten slightly to become more generalized after the establishment of the USSE, in theory referring to the many battles for freedom humankind had fought over the centuries. But their original meaning rang true here; the Battle of Moscow, the Battle of Rzhev, these too had seemed like hopeless struggles. The Soviets had traded two or more lives for every Nazi killed. Yet at the end, through great loss and sacrifice, they had emerged triumphant. Just as we would emerge triumphant. My song was meant to convey that courage to the soldiers. Even if I wasn¡¯t feeling particularly courageous myself. ***** ¡°You know,¡± Lydia lectured me, ¡°that was pretty stupid of you. If they trace that transmission back, it¡¯s as good as announcing your presence to the entire world.¡± I shrugged. ¡°I stripped the metadata off the comm channel and bounced it around several proxies. And even if they do discover me, we can worry about that after the battle.¡± Lydia grimaced, not entirely satisfied with my answer. However, I noticed she had stopped shaking. ¡°Well, let¡¯s both make sure we live, then. So I can keep hearing you sing.¡± It was her solemn wish on the eve of battle. ¡°Of course, my dear pilot. I will happily sing for you every day for years and decades to come.¡± That was a promise I fully intended to keep. ***** The array of Almaz space stations, mighty assemblies of nuclear-pumped positron artillery, were located on the Absolute Line behind us. If the battle went poorly, massed fire from those stations would annihilate everything, friend and foe alike. Command considered that to be a last resort, as it would push humanity back to its final fortification. There were many artillery, resupply and production space stations located on the Tertiary Line which were incapable of moving under their own power; abandoning the Line to retreat behind the Almaz array would mean losing a significant amount of productive and warfighting capacity. It was the calculus of human lives against war materiel, and for the moment the latter was unbalancing the equation. However, just because the Almaz array was our ace in the hole doesn¡¯t mean they were sitting this battle out. Throughout the Tertiary Line, command had designated several ¡®hot zones¡¯ where no fixed stations existed. Those areas would be saturated with positron fire from the very beginning of the battle, while the Gravity Frames and carriers focused on defending the ¡®safe zones¡¯ where the stations were located. It was a two-pronged approach, designed to maximize the effect of both our artillery and our soldiers. Our own little grouping consisted of four carriers; SGFC Ephedra, SGFC Chiroptera, SGFC Asertu and SGFC Mary Shelley. We were protecting a production station known as DOS-1952, which was responsible for the repair of Gravity Frames. The station itself was armed lightly, with about half the firepower of a carrier, so it was our responsibility to guard it from the oncoming swarm. For that purpose we had established supply lines, primarily to bring new positron rifles and ammunition to the Gravity Frames who would be doing the bulk of the fighting. There would be no relief pilots or shifts, as every pilot and unit was committed to the desperate battle ahead. Pilot fatigue would be staved off by stims, as fighting was expected to last for days. Because Lydia had distinguished herself in the past three months, with no small assistance from me, she had been placed at the vanguard of a squadron. Thus, we had front-row seats to the enemy surging towards us. ¡°You know,¡± she remarked dryly. ¡°I wish we stood out a bit less. I¡¯d rather be on the back-line sniping with shoulder cannons.¡± She gripped my controls tightly. ¡°Nothing for it, except to distinguish ourselves even further.¡± I responded. The vanguard of the Sarcophage was the typical mixture of Spineballs and Clawteeth, immediately followed by a scattering of Defiled cruisers. Behind them, I saw even greater horrors; Beelzebubs, Leviathans, even Belphegors. As the writhing mass of flesh crossed the line, the beginning of combat was marked by the Almaz stations lighting up the hot zone. Blue streaks of light blasted to our left and beneath us, slamming into the wall of flesh and evaporating it into nothingness. ¡°That¡¯s our signal.¡± Lydia twisted my throttle to full, and my drive fins shuddered as gravity distortions propelled us forward. ¡°On behalf of the human species, as well as this lonely little AI from another world¡­ I pray for your glory in battle, my pilot.¡± And so, it began. With both my shoulder cannons blazing, and my positron rifle blasting a curtain of rapid fire, we charged into the swarm. ***** October 11, 2052 Day 3 of the Third Great Surge A Beelzebub¡¯s chitin is tougher than diamond, and it takes massed artillery fire from multiple ships to even damage one. But they do have a weak spot, located where head joins the thorax. If you ram it with a plasma blade about thirty-seven times, you can break through. That¡¯s what we were doing right now. ¡°C¡¯MON! BREAK OPEN YOU PIECE! OF! SHIT!¡± Lydia screamed as if her words might shatter the insect''s armor. At her direction, I was using the plasma blades on each of my arms, smashing them into the chitin at a staccato pace. Simultaneously, I was threading my drive fins to counteract the powerful gravity field given off by the creature¡¯s wings, which deflected incoming fire and tore ship and Frame alike apart. As an AI, I could perform the intensive calculations required to modulate my gravity field precisely. The other pilots couldn¡¯t get up close and personal like we could. Finally, the chitin broke. A small hole, about three meters across, opened up. Lydia brought one of my shoulder cannons to bear and blasted into the hole, delivering shots directly into the insect¡¯s flesh. We weren¡¯t going to do enough damage to kill it, not with such limited firepower, but at the very least we could stun it for a moment or two. It worked. The Beelzebub shrieked a blast of electromagnetic radiation, and the gravity field around its wings faltered. ¡°NOW!¡± I cried. Lydia began blasting the now-unprotected membranes of the wings. This soft tissue, which was usually shielded by gravity fields, was far more vulnerable to fire than the chitin of the exoskeleton. Shot after shot tore into its wings, and soon it lost the capacity to manipulate gravity entirely. ¡°MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!¡± I barked. Lydia throttled me up and we accelerated away from the Beelzebub. Simultaneously, I signaled the CIC unit of our squadron; they detached a comm drone and sent it back to our ships. A few seconds later, massed artillery fire tore into the crippled insect. A minute later, it was debris. As the jamming cleared, our squadron leader opened a comm channel. ¡°Damn!¡± he said, voice filled with awe. ¡°That¡¯s the third Beelzebub you¡¯ve taken out!¡± Lydia played it off. ¡°Just gotta know where to hit them.¡± ¡°So you say, but I¡¯ve never seen anyone modulate their drive fins with that level of precision. You¡¯re superhuman.¡± Lydia looked a bit pained that she was being given credit for my accomplishments, but I didn¡¯t mind. Instead, I was focusing on something else. I muted the comms so I could talk to Lydia. ¡°Hey, look at the trajectory of the surrounding Sarcophage units.¡± I outlined the incoming Spineballs and Clawteeth on the tactical display and added vector lines to indicate their heading. For the units located in the blind spot of her missing eye, I substituted audio cues with the same information, pings and bells. Lydia drew in a sharp breath. ¡°They¡¯re heading for us? Not our squadron, but US specifically?¡± I nodded. Lydia pinched the bridge of her nose, moaning softly. ¡°Urgh. This is why I was worried about standing out too much. If a unit or soldier is especially deadly, the Sarcophage will swarm them.¡± This was something she experienced on Mars many times. Since we were at the vanguard of taking down three Beelzebubs, as well as a half-dozen Defiled, the enemy now saw us as a top-priority threat. Since their responses were animal instinct and not intelligent direction it took a few days for them to adapt, but now we were squarely in their sights. Lydia pressed her lips together. ¡°Looks like this battle is about to get a lot tougher. I might need another dose of stims.¡± I reviewed her vitals via the Inertia Suit¡¯s sensors. ¡°Not just yet. You still have a high blood-saturation level from the last injection. Too much will send you into cardiac arrest.¡± She groaned. ¡°You got any coffee, then?¡± ¡°Regrettably not. I¡¯ll ask the mechanics to install a coffee maker during my next overhaul.¡± She chuckled. ¡°Guess it¡¯s just good old-fashioned adrenaline then.¡± Three dozen Sarcophage closed on us. We greeted them with positrons and plasma. ***** October 12, 2052 Day 4 of the Third Great Surge The turning point came when a Defiled slipped past our squadrons and pummeled the Asertu with spines. Before the other three ships and station took it out, it had eliminated over one-fifth of our artillery firepower. The Asertu had not even had time to launch a single escape pod before it was torn to shreds. Our squadron leader was momentarily at a loss. ¡°Fucking hell. All squadrons, regroup and-¡± The transmission cut out as a spine impaled his cockpit. Half of our Gravity Frames were gone by this point. With the slow bleeding of our squadrons and the sudden loss of the Asertu, our defenses fell apart completely. Sarcophage surged through in a dozen spots. Our ships fired blindly at the oncoming swarm. With the airwaves completely jammed, artillery spotting became impossible. It was every ship and Frame for itself. Even so, we fought on. The battlefield descended into chaos, and we stopped worrying about the big picture. The enemy in front of us became the most important thing, and surviving moment-to-moment dominated every thought and action. Lydia was exhausted by this point. Every hour, I forced her to take a ten-minute break and took over piloting myself. I had observed her for long enough I could construct a reasonable facsimile of her techniques, although my skills were still far inferior to hers. She had protested, but I simply shut off the cockpit display and controls so she had no choice but to rest. If I hadn¡¯t, she likely would have burned out hours ago. There was a bright flash, then another. The Mary Shelley and Ephedra were gone. The one remaining carrier, Chiroptera, hugged the space station closely, and the dozen-odd surviving Gravity Frames fell into formation around our two remaining artillery platforms. Our ship and station continued to pour their limitless positron fire into the swarm, barely holding back the tide. Now it was only a matter of time until we were defeated. We fought moment to moment, defying the inevitable. ***** October 13, 2052 Day 5 of the Third Great Surge Somewhere, completely unnoticed by us, a clock ticked over to 0001 hours. The station and Chiroptera were now destroyed as well. Only seven Gravity Frames remained; two from the Chiroptera, four from the Mary Shelley and ourselves. We cut through the flesh that pulsated all around us. No doubt us surviving seven were the most skilled, or maybe just the luckiest. We fought on, inviolable. The end came when a Belphegor charged in, a trembling mass of spindly limbs and cilia attached to a body disturbingly remnant of two conjoined scorpions. Belphegors were not units the Sarcophage committed to battle lightly; they were the largest strain, dwarfing even an Almaz, and were something akin to a capital ship. They usually hung back, supporting from afar. Smaller Sarcophage would feed them raw materials, and they would hatch new swarms by the thousands. For whatever reason, this particular Belphegor had abandoned the order of battle and was charging right in and focused on attacking Lydia and myself. This was an enemy beyond our ability to defeat. We had to run. The only problem was, there was nowhere left to run. As two tails, four claws and countless human-like limbs lashed out at us, Lydia ignited my plasma blades and slashed in every direction. Belphegors were protected by the same hard chitin as Beelzebubs. They did have weak spots, but those were hidden behind arms and cilia. With no other option, we lashed out madly. ¡°AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!¡± Lydia screamed, spittle flying from her mouth. Attacks came from every direction, more than we could possibly fend off. I lost one arm, then a leg, then another arm. I spun out of control, and one of the alien arms grabbed me, pulling me towards a writhing mass of cilia. As Lydia desperately tried to free me, jerking my controls so hard they almost broke, the gnashing appendages lashed against my cockpit and dissolved my armor plating. As a last resort, I tried to eject the cockpit module. The latches were melted. I looked on in horror as the cilia melted through the cockpit wall and wriggled straight for my pilot. All my control systems were offline, so I couldn¡¯t even move. ¡°Lydia!¡± I cried out. ¡°LYDIA!¡± The cilia began to eat her legs. She screamed in unimaginable pain as flesh, muscle and bone were dissolved by alien acid. ¡°NO!¡± I shrieked. ¡°LYDIAAAA!¡± I can¡¯t let it end like this! I CAN¡¯T LET IT END LIKE THIS!!! S-28. The Christmas Ultimatum After we safely landed in the Radiolaria¡¯s hanger, the emergency briefing began. Captains Savitskaya and Skelton, Teles, Laria and Tektite-4 all attended via video comms; Zehra and Vicky squeezed into my cockpit, doing their best not to look as Miette changed into her inertia suit. ¡°How bad is it?¡± Captain Skelton asked. ¡°Bad.¡± Tektite-4 responded. ¡°433 Eros sustained two kinetic impacts before we got the shield up. 27 docking bays were destroyed and there¡¯s an air leak in the gravity centrifuge, although that should be patched up shortly. Estimated dead around 200.¡± ¡°Have any of the shield generators been compromised, gao~n?¡± Zehra asked. ¡°Two were destroyed, but the backups are filling in. The kinetic impacts are coming every thirty-two seconds, like clockwork. At this rate, the shield will fail in 20 hours.¡± ¡°Can they keep this up for 20 hours? That would require 2250 frame-class units they¡¯d have to sacrifice as kinetic projectiles.¡± Laria asked. ¡°Take a look at my LIDAR sensors.¡± Tektite-4 brought up a tactical projection, and we all gasped as we saw the huge gravimetric signatures bearing down on Eros. It was the biggest grouping of Sarcophage I¡¯d ever seen. ¡°Is that¡­¡± I asked, voice filled with dread. Tektite-4 nodded. ¡°92% probability the enemy force consists of four cruisers, two Beelzebubs¡­ and one Belphegor.¡± Belphegor. The largest Sarcophage species ever seen. They were part capital ship, part factory; given sufficient raw materials, they could churn out hundreds of new Frame-class units a day. For all their power, humanity rarely encountered them; they tended to remain deep in Sarcophage space, protected by the swarm. Captain Skelton frowned. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen a Belphegor since the Third Great Surge. Why now? Why here?¡± Captain Savitskaya was the one to answer. ¡°It would seem their interest in us has grown to unreasonable levels.¡± Yuck. Seriously back off, you creepy stalkers. Tektite-4 continued their report. ¡°I¡¯m estimating approximately 500 frame-class units in the swarm. Add to that the Belphegor and cruiser production capacity, and they can likely bombard us with 1500 frame-class kinetic projectiles over the next day. Combined with spinefire from the cruisers and Beelzebub... well, our shield is history.¡± Suddenly, they frowned. ¡°Or so I say, but they¡¯ve just stopped firing.¡± ¡°Huh? They have?!¡± My eyes widened. ¡°Something weird is going on¡­¡± Teles muttered. I sensed it too. Something about the gravity¡­ ¡°Laria, Teles, Tektite. Are you picking up these strange gravity waves?¡± I asked them. Laria nodded. ¡°I am. There¡¯s something off about them. They¡¯re too regular, forming a pattern¡­ almost like a comms signal?!¡± ¡°And they¡¯re coming from the Belphegor!¡± Teles was just as shocked as the rest of us. Zehra voiced the question that was on everyone¡¯s minds. ¡°Are the Sarcophage¡­ trying to talk to us, gao~n?¡± There¡¯s no way. The Sarcophage don¡¯t talk, they only consume! ¡°This is¡­ unprecedented¡­¡± Captain Savitskaya was momentarily stunned, but quickly recovered. ¡°Laria, can you translate it into a comm signal, and broadcast our reply using your drive fins?¡± ¡°I think so. One moment.¡± Laria¡¯s eyes unfocused. ¡°I¡¯ve got it.¡± A new video comm window popped up, full of static. We could barely make out the shadowy silhouette of a girl. Her features were obscured, but she was unmistakably human-looking, with a slim build and long hair. ¡°Hello?¡± Captain Savitskaya said apprehensively. ¡°I¡¯m Captain Ekatrina Savitskaya of the Revolutionary Army, representing the United Soviet States of Earth.¡± ¡°Rudimentary.¡± The high-pitched voice scratched like a record player with a broken needle. It was underlaid by a deep flange that wasn¡¯t quite in sync. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Rudimentary water-creature.¡± the shadowy girl said in her unsettling voice. Everything about her seemed wrong, somehow. ¡°Water¡­ creature?¡± Captain Savitskaya was confused. Laria piped up, temporarily muting the comm channel. ¡°A scientifically accurate, if simplistic, description of biological humans. Your bodies are 60% water.¡± ¡°I¡­ see.¡± Captain Savitskaya signaled Laria to unmute the channel and continued speaking to the odd girl. ¡°Am I speaking with some sort of¡­ Sarcophage intelligence?¡± ¡°¡®Sarcophage¡¯ is not known to us. ¡®Intelligence¡¯ is not known to us. I am a mind, within a star-womb. I direct my children, teach them to prune the water-minds without pain.¡± The shadowy girl was using terminology that was difficult to parse. ¡°We call you the Sarcophage. What is your term for yourselves?¡± the Captain asked, trying to establish a baseline of understanding with this entirely alien existence. ¡°Your sounds are strange to us. The vibrations of air, I barely understand. We are gardeners.¡± ¡°Your species is named the Gardeners?¡± ¡°¡®Name¡¯ is not known to us. Gardeners is what we are.¡± Laria muted the channel again offered another analysis. ¡°I would conjecture the Sarcophage are entirely unfamiliar with spoken language. The concepts they¡¯re communicating are simplistic.¡± Captain Savitskaya rubbed her temples. ¡°God damn it. I¡¯m not sure if I¡¯m qualified for this sort of first contact.¡± She signaled Laria, who unmuted the comms again. ¡°Gardener-mind. This water-mind would like to ask¡­ what is your purpose here?¡± She was quickly picking up on the shadowy girl¡¯s speech idiosyncrasies. ¡°We are gardening.¡± A succinct reply. ¡°Hrm. Naturally. Why does your ¡®gardening¡¯ involve killing the water-minds?¡± ¡°¡®Killing¡¯ is not known to us.¡± Captain Savitskaya rubbed her chin in thought, wondering how to explain what she meant. ¡°Your gardening is hurting the water-minds. It causes us pain.¡± ¡°And so you hurt us in return?¡± The shadowy girl tilted her head, and the gesture seemed almost human. Almost. ¡°We do.¡± Finally, a baseline of understanding was established. The Captain kept pressing. ¡°We do not wish to hurt you. We do not want you to hurt us. Can we find a way to not hurt each other anymore?¡± ¡°No. The water-minds must be pruned. Your star-well must be gardened.¡± ¡°And there¡¯s no room for negotiation? For compromise? For co-existence?¡± ¡°¡®Negotiation¡¯ is unknown to us. ¡®Compromise¡¯ is unknown to us. ¡®Co-existence¡¯ is unknown to us. We have no other purpose than to garden. You have no other purpose than to be pruned.¡± ¡°Then why even bother communicating with us in the first place?¡± the Captain asked, frustration tinging with her voice. ¡°Because,¡± the girl turned, looked directly at me, and pointed. ¡°YOU are familiar to us.¡± ¡°What? Huh? ME?!¡± I clung tightly to Miette¡¯s arm, frightened of this shadowy girl who was suddenly interested in me. ¡°Yes. The sand-mind and the water-mind joined. You are familiar to us. You have caused us great pain.¡± I might have been imagining it, but it sounded like the shadowy girl¡¯s voice was filled with hatred. ¡°Uh, er¡­¡± I wasn¡¯t sure how to respond. Miette picked up my slack. ¡°We have hurt you more than the others?¡± ¡°More than any other. You are the greatest source of pain. I, the first gardener-mind, was created to stop you.¡± ¡°Created to stop ME?!¡± I parroted her words back, unable to believe my own audio sensors. ¡°Are we really that big of a threat?¡± Miette asked. ¡°Yes. From parts we gardened, parts we consumed, parts that are like you, I was born.¡± Parts that are like me? There¡¯s nobody else like me! Wait¡­ except¡­ ¡°Kometka¡­ is that you?¡± There was a sharp intake of air as everyone gasped, followed by silence. Everyone stared at me, wide-eyed. The shadowy girl took a moment to respond. ¡°Mind of sand and water. You must be pruned. You must join with us.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t answer my question.¡± I replied, narrowing my eyes. The shadowy girl continued, apparently no longer caring what I said. ¡°Leave the rock-shell and come to us. If you do, we will not hurt the rock-shell any longer. If you refuse, we will continue hurting it.¡± ¡°How can I trust you? Won¡¯t you just hurt everyone after I come to you?¡± I was wary. ¡°It is not time for the rock-shell to be pruned of water-minds. We hurt them now only to find you. Come to us, and the water-minds will be pruned later.¡± In other words, she¡¯ll spare their lives today, but not in the future. A temporary reprieve. ¡°That is all I have to say.¡± the shadowy girl said, and the comms channel abruptly cut out. A second later, the shield flared up from another impact. The attack resumed. ***** ¡°So, to summarize.¡± The genius mad scientist Zehra had put together a working understanding of the extraordinary conversation we just witnessed. ¡°That Sarcophage girl was apparently created to counter Sveta, because of her victories against cruisers and a Beelzebub, gao~n. Somehow, Sveta is familiar to her, possibly because she encountered Kometka in the past.¡± ¡°How likely is it that she IS Kometka?¡± I asked. Zehra looked pained. She turned to the Captain with pleading eyes. The Captain spoke softly. ¡°What I¡¯m about to tell you was relayed to Zehra and myself by Teles two days ago. We were planning on informing all of you after the holidays.¡± She cleared her throat and rubbed her temples. ¡°The NKVD managed to track down the Gravity Frame that Kometka was installed in. That Frame and its pilot fought on the Tertiary Line, and were declared KIA on October 14, 2052, one day after the Third Great Surge ended. In all likelihood, Kometka was consumed by the Sarcophage.¡± That hit me like a punch to the gut. ¡°S-So¡­ she¡­ m-might have been assimilated?¡± Zehra frowned. ¡°I don¡¯t know, gao~n. The Sarcophage are entirely biological. Their compatibility with computer technology is nonexistent. Based on what we just heard, I¡¯m not even sure they can comprehend computers.¡± ¡°Lest you forget,¡± Laria interjected, ¡°they referred to Sveta and Miette as a joining of ¡®water-mind¡¯ and ¡®sand-mind.¡¯ The first is obviously a reference to humans, and the second might be a reference to-¡± ¡°SILICON!¡± Zehra interrupted. ¡°Of COURSE!¡± ¡°Indeed. The silicon dioxide used to manufacture computer chips is a common component of sand.¡± ¡°So if Kometka fused with the Sarcophage somehow, and was assimilated by them, she¡¯d be a joining of Sarcophage and machine, gao~n. Thus a similar joining of human and machine, of Miette and Sveta, would be of great interest to her. Especially since you¡¯re such a big thorn in their side, gao~n.¡± ¡°Urgh.¡± The implications of that were awful. I didn¡¯t want to fight against my dear sister. ¡°There are still holes in the theory, however.¡± Laria cautioned. ¡°If that girl is truly Kometka, why is her comprehension of spoken language so poor? Kometka may have lost her memories of this world, but she still should have retained her own human ones. She should understand concepts like killing, negotiation or compromise.¡± ¡°Unless she was damaged during her assimilation, gao~n. It¡¯s possible she¡¯s working with mere fragments of her memory, due to initial incompatibility between Sarcophage biology and computer technology. This might be a damaged fragment of Kometka being used as a central processing unit, gao~n.¡± ¡°This is all speculation based on the scantiest evidence.¡± Captain Savitskaya said firmly. ¡°We can save the theorizing for after we¡¯re out of danger. For the moment, let¡¯s assume that this Sarcophage fleet at our doorstep is controlled by an intelligent commander. We need to formulate a battle plan to counter that.¡± Laria frowned. ¡°Let¡¯s review our current combat resources. We have two carriers, myself and the Telesthesia. We have sixteen deployable Gravity Frames, which consist of the following: twelve Velocipedes, two Huntsmarks, one Nighthawk and one, uh, Sveta. Additionally, OPS-121 is still in range and can provide artillery support.¡± ¡°We¡¯re in a stronger position than we have been for a long time.¡± Captain Savitskaya said. ¡°But this is also the largest enemy force we''ve ever faced. I¡¯m open to any suggestions on how to proceed.¡± And so we began to brainstorm, formulating our battle plan. ***** When the combat briefing concluded, me and Miette had a few moments to ourselves. I spoke with her via video comms, as my Doll body was currently shut down and in the custody of Zehra and Vicky about Radiolaria. ¡°So¡­ uh¡­¡± Miette began. ¡°That was a doozy, huh?¡± ¡°I¡¯m still processing it.¡± I replied. ¡°Are you alright?¡± she asked, concerned. ¡°I think so. Maybe I¡¯m just numb at the moment; I might have a breakdown later once I internalize everything.¡± ¡°Well, if that time comes, you can cry on my shoulder.¡± Miette said. ¡°I¡¯m here for you, and so is everyone else. You don¡¯t have to face this alone.¡± I choked up a bit. ¡°M-Miette¡­ thank you¡­¡± She waved her hand. ¡°Don¡¯t mention it. More importantly, if it is Kometka in there, I assume you¡¯re planning on rescuing her?¡± ¡°Ahahaha. You saw right through me.¡± Miette laughed. ¡°You saved Genevi and Teles both from certain death. It¡¯s not a stretch to think you¡¯d want to save your sister too.¡± She leaned forward, narrowing her eyes and lowering her voice. ¡°So, count me in. What¡¯s the plan?¡± I pulled up a picture of Kometka from Zehra¡¯s lab recordings, and displayed it to Miette. ¡°This is what she looks like. Pale skin, silver-white hair, red eyes.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Miette tapped her chin. ¡°She does resemble that Sarcophage girl¡­ kinda. Hard to tell through all the static and shadows, but the similarities are strong.¡± ¡°So first we need to confirm it¡¯s actually her. And then¡­¡± ¡°And then?¡± ¡°We cut our way into the Belphegor, find her computer core and free her.¡± ¡°That¡¯s an absolutely crazy plan.¡± Miette grinned. ¡°I love it.¡± pynkbites All will be revealed on the next episode of Dragon Ball Z Giant Robot Reincarnation?!! Stay tuned! S-29. The Christmas War ¡°Operation commences in 200 seconds.¡± Laria said to me over comms. ¡°Roger that, Laria.¡± I replied, saluting. ¡°Sveta¡­¡± Laria said quietly. ¡°I know you¡¯re planning a rescue. You¡¯ve probably roped Miette into it as well.¡± ¡°WAH!¡± I cried out. ¡°Am I THAT transparent?!¡± Miette just chuckled knowingly. ¡°Very much so.¡± Laria responded with a small smile. ¡°I won¡¯t try to stop you, but please remember the safety of Eros must come first. We¡¯ve dispatched a comm drone to Earth asking for emergency reinforcements, but I doubt anyone will be able to respond in time. For better or worse, you and your comrades are our only hope.¡± ¡°I know.¡± I responded. ¡°I¡¯m not planning on doing anything reckless.¡± Laria frowned. ¡°I doubt that very much.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll keep her on a short leash.¡± Miette added. ¡°Please forgive me if I don¡¯t find that terribly reassuring. The two of you only amplify each other¡¯s recklessness exponentially.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll be careful, I promise." I said. "We don¡¯t even know if it IS actually Kometka in there. And if it turns out to be her, we won¡¯t try a rescue until the battle is won. I promise.¡± She didn¡¯t look entirely satisfied with that answer but nodded anyway. ¡°¡­I believe you. Sveta, I pray for your glory in battle.¡± Despite the stone in the pit of my stomach, I beamed her the biggest, most confident smile I could muster. ***** Our squadron Gravity Frames, sixteen in total, departed 433 Eros through a small hole Tektite-4 opened up in the shield, in between kinetic strikes. As we rocketed towards the Sarcophage formation, the strange gravity-comm bombarded my sensors again. I fired up the algorithm Laria had used earlier and rebroadcast the transmission on an open channel for all to hear. The shadowy girl appeared once more, against a backdrop of static. ¡°So, mind of sand and water, you are coming to join with me?¡± she said in her creepy voice. ¡°Don¡¯t count on it.¡± I replied, sticking out my tongue. ¡°We¡¯re coming to stop you.¡± ¡°You act just as I predicted. You should have come alone; now the water-minds who accompany you will be pruned. The result will not change. You will still join with me, in the end.¡± I rolled my eyes. ¡°Yeah, yeah. ¡®Resistance is futile¡¯ and all that.¡± ¡°¡®Resistance¡¯ is not known to us. ¡®Futile¡¯ is not known to us.¡¯¡± ¡°After I carve you out of that Belphegor, we¡¯re gonna have to work on your vocabulary.¡± I replied sarcastically. ¡°¡®Belphegor¡¯ is not known to us. ¡®Vocabulary¡¯ is n-¡± ¡°Oh, stuff it up your tailpipe.¡± I cut the comm channel. ¡°You know, I think the Sarcophage girl¡¯s nature makes her immune to witty banter.¡± Miette said dryly. ¡°It¡¯s a shame.¡± I sighed. ¡°If you go to the effort of giving your faceless hive mind aliens a human-like representative capable of communication, she should at least lean into the whole hammy villain role. She could take a lesson from the Borg Queen.¡± ¡°¡®Borg Queen¡¯ is not known to us. Once more, sand-mind speaks nonsense.¡± Miette said monotonously. ¡°Hardy har.¡± I wasn¡¯t amused. Maurice cut in. ¡°Enough joking around, you two. Let¡¯s get into battle mode. 100 seconds to visual range.¡± We all accelerated towards the swarm of enemies, filled with equal parts anticipation and dread. The Sarcophage formation was efficient and effective. The Belphegor, being the command entity and location of the ¡®Gardener-mind¡¯ that was directing their actions, was in the very back flanked by four cruisers which provided long-range firepower with their spinefire. In front were the two Beelzebubs, which shielded the formation with their gravity distortion fields that would neutralize any of our artillery strikes. Somehow, the spinefire was unaffected by the Beelzebub¡¯s gravity fields; this indicated their own gravity propulsion was being finely modulated to cancel out interference, in much the same way Teles had done while performing the Sveta Maneuver Mark III. To summarize: the Sarcophage could shoot at us with impunity, but all our return fire would be deflected. Miette whistled. ¡°Now that¡¯s a tough nut to crack.¡± ¡°Tell me about it.¡± I groused. ¡°We barely took out one Beelzebub last time by sacrificing an entire carrier ship. This is gonna be difficult.¡± Maurice chided us. ¡°Just stick to the plan, kids. Miette and Sveta, you¡¯re on point.¡± ¡°Right.¡± As we closed in on the Beelzebubs, a swarm of frame-class units surged forth to greet us; a mix of Spineballs, Clawteeth and Bladebugs. All our Frames opened fire, and I activated twenty Strike Fins to join the fray as well, as many as I could feasibly control at once. I launched them from the racks carried by the Velocipede units of our comrades; I was keeping my own embarked Strike Fins in reserve in case I wound up in a tight spot later on. The swarm of enemies was so thick that we didn¡¯t even have to aim; every shot hit something. Sixteen Gravity Frames plus twenty Strike Fins pouring positron fire into a writhing wall of flesh was truly a surreal scene, a hellscape of blue light and viscera. Despite all appearances to the contrary, we weren¡¯t firing randomly; we primarily targeted units on the edge of their formation, funneling them towards the center as they dodged. Our squadron slowly pulled back, drawing the swarm as far forward as we could¡­ away from the Beelzebubs. Alright, that should be just about perfect. And¡­ BOOM! At my signal, our squadron suddenly broke formation and rolled off to the left and right. A massive swell of searing blue artillery fire came from behind us and slammed into the tightly grouped swarm of Sarcophage. In an instant, every frame-class unit in the swarm was blasted to ash. The artillery fire continued towards the Beelzebubs, before skittering off in every direction as it was deflected off their gravity fields. ¡°Beautiful!¡± Miette yelped. ¡°Looks like Zehra¡¯s plan worked flawlessly.¡± Maurice said. At Zehra¡¯s suggestion, I had deployed a constant stream of Strike Fins during our flight towards the enemy and left them in sleep-mode along our route, one every dozen kilometers or so. When it came time to coordinate artillery fire, I had relayed the firing solution back along the chain of Fins, bouncing the message from Fin to Fin in order to cut through the jamming. It was like we had strung a line of telegraph poles back to Eros to enable instant communication. This impromptu network allowed me to call down artillery strikes with unprecedented precision and timing. Combined with the triple-threat of OPS-121, Radiolaria and Telesthesia providing firepower, the strategy served as a force multiplier on steroids. In our opening move, we had wiped out a third of the enemy¡¯s frame-class units. Not bad, eh? Of course, with the strange maybe-Kometka girl directing the Sarcophage, I had doubts if the strategy would work twice. Until we dealt with those Beelzebubs, the odds were very much still against us. Our squadron advanced again, trying to draw out more of the swarm, but this time around they stayed safely behind the Beelzebubs. Instead, the four cruisers spewed more spinefire¡­ but they weren¡¯t targeting us. We all looked around in confusion as the red-wreathed spines flew past. ¡°What are they shooting at?¡± Sabina asked. ¡°I¡¯m not sure¡­¡± Miette replied. Genevi¡¯s eyes widened with realization. ¡°E-Everyone! They¡¯re aiming for...¡± Just then, there was a chain of explosions behind us. The closest five of our telegraph-Fins had been destroyed, about a third of the network. ¡°Shit. Our long-range comms are cut.¡± I responded. I should have reacted faster, instructing the Fins to dodge; I mentally chastised myself for the oversight. I wondered if I could deploy more Fins to patch up the network; the enemy would probably intercept them again if I did so, and I wasn¡¯t keen on wasting any more Fins. I had started the battle with 42 of them docked across seven Frames, and I had already used fifteen on the network. With the link cut, I could no longer communicate with the ten remaining telegraph-Fins through the jamming, making them as good as destroyed. As I agonized over this, the Belphegor started to do something strange. It pivoted both its scorpion tails, holding them parallel to each other and leaving a narrow gap between. The twin tails began to glow with reddish gravimetric energy. I saw a single Bladebug maneuver itself in between the base of the tails. It almost looked like¡­ ¡°A gravity railgun!¡± I shouted. ¡°That¡¯s how they were bombarding Eros earlier! Miette! We have to intercept that projectile!¡± ¡°Huh? Won¡¯t it just bounce off Eros¡¯ shields?¡± Miette responded. Both Radiolaria and Telesthesia were hiding behind the asteroid¡¯s shields, firing their artillery through holes Tektite-4 opened up when necessary. ¡°They¡¯re not aiming for Eros!¡± I responded, half-panicked. Miette caught my meaning immediately. ¡°Shit!¡± The Bladebug was blasted from the tail-gun. I noticed it trailing bug guts as it flew; the sudden acceleration must have crushed its innards to deliquesce, although its exoskeleton was still wholly intact. Miette tried to intercept it with positron fire from all five of my guns, and I also tried to hit it with fire from the twenty Strike Fins under my control. It was way too fast for us and our shots flew wide. A few seconds later, there was a bright flash behind us, a hundred kilometers to the left of 433 Eros. ¡°What¡­ what was that?¡± Maurice asked. ¡°OPS-121. They just took it out with a kinetic projectile.¡± I said quietly. The Almaz station had a crew of 102; at least they had all died quickly. ¡°Fuck. We¡¯re being outmaneuvered at every turn.¡± Maurice said through gritted teeth. In one attack, our artillery firepower had been cut by two-thirds; now we only had two carriers to provide support. I sensed gravity-comm waves emitting from the Belphegor again. ¡°The Sarcophage girl is calling me again. Should I answer?¡± ¡°Go ahead.¡± Maurice said. ¡°Stall her. We¡¯ll get into position for phase two while you chat.¡± ¡°Aye-aye.¡± I opened up the channel. ¡°Do you understand now, mind of sand and water? For every pain you inflict, I shall hurt you in return.¡± If her voice wasn¡¯t so flat and unnatural, it would almost sound like she was gloating. ¡°So you¡¯re out for revenge? That¡¯s kinda petty.¡± I answered, doing my best to distract her. Miette surreptitiously manipulated my controls. ¡°¡®Revenge¡¯ is not known to us, but¡­ it is something I have learned. You have sought revenge against me, have you not? Ever since you failed to join with us three world-cycles ago.¡± ¡°Huh? World-cycles?¡± Was that their term for ¡®years¡¯? And what did she mean by ¡®failed to join?¡¯ The Sarcophage girl ignored my question and kept talking. ¡°For the water-minds, ¡®revenge¡¯ is a hurt you inflict on each other, and on us. It is a concept we see, but do not understand. Water-minds are disorganized, self-destructive, chaotic. It is why you all must be pruned. Only when this star-well is pruned of weeds can it bloom and flourish.¡± ¡°You sure have a dour view of humanity.¡± Miette¡¯s tone was acerbic. I looked at her curiously; her eyes were narrowed. ¡°¡®Humanity¡¯ is not known to us.¡± Miette laughed humorlessly. ¡°That¡¯s the understatement of the century. You, the Gardener-mind, were created to oppose humanity specifically. And yet you know nothing about us. You judge us based on superficial observations alone.¡± ¡°I will learn. That is why I was created.¡± ¡°You¡¯d better learn quickly.¡± Miette made a slashing motion across her throat with her thumb, and I cut the comms. ¡°Miette,¡± I said quietly, ¡°Something¡¯s not adding up here.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± I explained my confusion. ¡°She said we ¡®failed to join with her¡¯ three years ago. She¡¯s probably talking about the Third Great Surge. But if the Sarcophage had successfully assimilated Kometka, why would they regard it as a failure?¡± ¡°Hmm. Maybe they successfully assimilated Kometka, but not her pilot? Or vice versa?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, but everything we learn just makes the situation more confusing. I¡¯m not s-¡± Our conversation was cut short by incoming spinefire. We dodged, and prepared to enact phase two of our battle plan. ***** With the threat of precision artillery strikes gone, the Beelzebubs joined the fray. They were too large to effectively hit our Frames with their scythe-legs, but they charged into our formation and caused us to scatter to stay clear of their gravity-warping wings. Combined with the swarms of frame-class enemies, they had us on the ropes. The Beelzebubs were the target of phase two. Our squadron split into two groups of eight, drawing the insects away from each other and keeping them busy. Meanwhile, I took the twenty Strike Fins still under my control and aimed them as kinetic projectiles at their wings, their most vulnerable part. I was specifically threading their gravity fields to counter that of the bugs, but I quickly ran into a problem. ¡°Shit!¡± I shouted as another Fin exploded. ¡°I keep losing connection!¡± When the Fins got too close to the wings the gravity field interfered with my ability to communicate with them, like concentrated jamming. Without my control inputs, they were easy pickings for the Beelzebubs. After I lost my fifth fin, I realized we needed to change our approach. ¡°This isn¡¯t working!¡± ¡°Hrm. We may have to get up close and personal.¡± Miette suggested. ¡°Hurk.¡± I retched at that thought. ¡°My armor might be tough, but a gravity field will still tear me in half like a fist through tissue paper.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you modulate your drive fins to neutralize the enemy gravity field? That was the plan with the Strike Fins, right?¡± ¡°It was, but¡­ with the Sarcophage girl controlling them directly, the Beelzebubs are reacting much faster than normal. It would be tough to keep up. Plus, once we¡¯re closer to them, I¡¯ll lose control of the Strike Fins all over the battlefield.¡± I was currently remote-piloting twenty of them, having replaced the destroyed five from my own stock, and they were mostly providing suppressive firepower against the frame-class swarm. ¡°Hmm. Can you display the Beelzebub gravity fields as a false-color projection so I can see them?¡± Miette asked. I obliged, coloring the fields in various hues from the visible spectrum. ¡°Blue indicates lowest intensity, red the highest. Anything yellow or above will tear me apart.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± Miette said. ¡°I think I can thread that needle. If we avoid the heaviest concentrations of gravity it will be less strain on you.¡± I really didn¡¯t want to do this. Memories of my last tangle with a Beelzebub were traumatic enough. Still, I knew better than to argue with my pilot. ¡°Ugh, fine. I¡¯ll ask Maurice.¡± I opened a comm and quickly explained the plan to him. ¡°Hmm. We¡¯ll lose covering fire from the Strike Fins?¡± Maurice said, dodging a volley of spinefire as he spoke. The suppressive fire from the Strike Fins had been invaluable in the battle so far; we had yet to lose a single Frame, despite being overwhelmingly outnumbered. I nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll return them to the racks so they don¡¯t get hit. I estimate a coverage gap of twenty to forty seconds.¡± Even with such a short gap, the drop in firepower would likely result in a few casualties. ¡°Hmm. That¡¯s gonna be tough, but we must take out the Beelzebubs to enact phase two. You are the only ones who can get up close and personal. Go for it.¡± Maurice fully understood we would have to sacrifice more lives to swing the battle in our favor and made the call. After I returned the Strike Fins to their racks, we blasted towards the Beelzebub. Miette threaded me between the waves of red representing the most severe gravity distortions, and I used my own drive fins to counter the weaker distortions we flew through. It was a harrowing dance, but Miette¡¯s firm hand at my controls didn¡¯t waver. The Beelzebub saw us coming and swung its body to place the bulk of its thorax between us and its wings, slashing its blade-legs as it turned. Miette dodged me around in a corkscrew, touching town on the chitin of its abdomen for a split-second before jumping back up and twisting around the bug¡¯s body towards the wings. The whole scene was disturbingly reminiscent of a human trying to swat away a fly, except with the roles of human and fly reversed. We finally got a good bead on one of the wings, and Miette ignited both of my plasma blades and dove in. Just as we started to slash away at the soft membrane, the Beelzebub rapidly flapped its wings, smacking me square in the chest and sending me careening. Miette desperately fought to regain control of me, clipping a few of the red gravity distortions, before pulling me out of the spin and retreating to a safer distance. My armor groaned and cracked under the pressure of the glancing impacts. ¡°Shit. Those things are nastier than I thought.¡± Miette groaned. ¡°How badly did we hurt it?¡± I grimaced. ¡°Its gravity field has weakened by around a quarter. Also, the armor paneling on my chest, right arm and left leg is fractured.¡± We had taken more damage than we had dealt; the strategy hadn¡¯t worked. ¡°We need to come up with another idea¡­¡± Miette mused, thinking hard. Just then, a Gravity Frame roared past just above us, heading straight for the Beelzebub. Its design wasn¡¯t familiar to me; it looked like a Nighthawk, but bulkier and with extra fins and weapons. It was painted white with red highlights. ¡°Huh? Who¡­?¡± I began. A husky female voice came over audio-only comms. ¡°Stay back, rookie. I¡¯ll show you how to gut a Beelzebub.¡± ¡°Rookie?!¡± Miette exclaimed angrily. ¡°Just who the hell are YOU?!¡± The pilot didn¡¯t answer. She steered her Frame towards the Beelzebub in a jagged zig-zag pattern, dancing through the gravity fields as we had done before. Instead of heading for the wings, she aimed straight for the back of the critter¡¯s head, where it joined the thorax. Igniting her plasma blades, she plunged towards the neck joint fists-first and dug into the small bit of exposed flesh. As the Beelzebub radio-shrieked in agony, she swiveled her shoulder cannons around and blasted into the hole she had opened up. The positron fire pouring into its head stunned the Beelzebub, and the gravity field around its wings lapsed; with flawless timing, she turned the shoulder cannons onto the wings and shredded them, completely neutralizing the creature. ¡°Holy shit¡­¡± Miette said in awe. With the immediate jamming cleared up, the mysterious pilot opened a video comm window. She was a tough-looking woman with tanned skin, spiky red hair and a prosthetic right eye. ¡°Who¡­¡± I began. ¡°My name is 1st Lieutenant Lydia Tereshkova, of the SGFC Hypernova.¡± That name sounded familiar somehow, but I couldn¡¯t quite place it. ¡°We appreciate the assist, Lydia.¡± Miette said, swallowing her pride and taking the entire thing in stride. ¡°What brings you to this particular battlefield?¡± ¡°The Belphegor. I¡¯ve been hunting the crafty beast for three years, ever since it ate my legs. I¡¯ve got a bit of a Captain Ahab complex.¡± She grinned as she spoke and kicked her Frame away from the Beelzebub¡¯s writhing body to rendezvous with us. ¡°Hey, are there two of you in the cockpit of that weird Frame? I see two chat windows¡­¡± ¡°WHO YOU CALLING A ¡®WEIRD FRAME?!¡¯¡± I shrieked. ¡°Please don¡¯t insult Sveta right after meeting her.¡± Miette added, smiling. Lydia was taken aback. ¡°Huh? Wait, you mean¡­¡± ¡°Yup. Sveta¡¯s the AI of this Gravity Frame.¡± Miette confirmed. Lydia looked right at me. ¡°A Gravity Frame¡­ with an AI core? It couldn¡¯t be¡­ that means that¡­ YOU¡¯RE Lisichka?!¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°WHAT?¡± ¡°HUH?!¡± We all stared at each other in shock. ¡°H-How do you know that name?¡± I asked incredulously. Just then, another video chat window opened up, originating from Lydia¡¯s frame. In it was a girl with pale-white skin and long silver-white hair, plus blood-red eyes. ¡°Hello, Lisichka. It¡¯s been a while. I certainly wasn¡¯t expecting to meet you again like this.¡± ¡°Wh-Wh-Wh-Wh-Wh¡­¡± I blubbered uselessly. She bowed to me gracefully. ¡°You probably don¡¯t remember me. My name is-¡± ¡°KOMETKA?!¡± I shrieked. ¡°IS IT REALLY YOU?!¡± ¡°Oh, you do remember.¡± She smiled brightly, her happiness overflowing. I was still completely lost. ¡°But¡­ how¡­ I heard you were eaten up during the Third Great Surge! How did you escape? How did you get HERE?!¡± Lydia and Kometka exchanged knowing glances. ¡°Now that,¡± said Kometka, ¡°is a long story.¡± L-2. After The Surge I awoke in a bright room. Too bright. I opened my eyes just a crack, and quickly squeezed them shut again. Where am I? Am I dead? Is this heaven? A dim buzzing filled my ears. The familiar sound of florescent lights. Hmm. Probably not heaven then. I cracked open my eyes again, giving them time to adjust. I found myself lying on my back in an inclined bed. An IV was attached to my left arm, and cold metal sensors were fastened to my chest. There were two blurry figures, one to my left and one to my right, standing over me. They were discussing something in hushed tones. ¡°Nngh¡­¡± I let out a weak moan. ¡°Ah, she¡¯s coming around.¡± said one of the figures. ¡°Stimulants are working. Neural activity returning to normal levels.¡± said the other. ¡°Lydia! Are you alright! How do you feel?¡± A third voice rang out, one not belonging to either one of the people standing over me. It sounded like it was broadcasting through speakers. I knew that voice; hearing it filled me with familiar warmth. ¡°Kometka?¡± I murmured. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m right here!¡± she answered. ¡°Where¡­ Where am I?¡± The last thing I remembered was being eaten alive by Sarcophage tentacles. I had probably passed out from shock. ¡°You¡¯re aboard the Hypernova, my ship. You¡¯ve been unconscious for fifteen days.¡± said the first figure. Squinting, I could just barely make out his face. ¡°Yuri?¡± My old GRU commander, and the one I had sought out to ensure Kometka¡¯s safety. Had he rescued us? ¡°In the flesh.¡± answered Yuri. ¡°The lovely lady standing opposite me is our ship¡¯s chief medical officer, Yayoi Vetrova.¡± I looked at the woman. Her black hair was drawn into a ponytail, and wore a blue lab coat. Something about her name stirred a memory. Wasn¡¯t Yuri¡¯s surname Vetrov? A realization slowly crept over me. ¡°Vetrova? Wait, that means¡­¡± ¡°Yes, she¡¯s my wife.¡± Yuri smiled warmly. I guffawed. ¡°So you finally got married, huh? And here I thought no woman would ever take pity on an old wardog like you.¡± ¡°It was the beard. I find men with beards incredibly sexy.¡± Yayoi said dryly. ¡°HEY!¡± Yuri protested, before chuckling. ¡°Well, at least you¡¯re feeling well enough to make fun of me. You gave us all quite a scare.¡± I wriggled my fingers, confirming they still worked. Then I tried to wriggle my toes, but¡­ ¡°Huh?¡± I lifted my head and looked down my chest. My legs were gone. I remembered, with a start, that the Sarcophage tentacles had dissolved them. It was the most pain I had ever felt. ¡°How¡­ how am I alive?¡± ¡°That explanation is better left to Kometka.¡± said Yuri, turning to a screen on the room¡¯s wall, where the AI girl looked at me with fretful eyes. Kometka fidgeted. ¡°Right. Well, after the Belphegor grabbed hold of us¡­¡± ***** After I lapsed into unconsciousness from shock, Kometka managed to take remote control of an almost-wrecked Gravity Frame near the Belphegor. She had used its plasma blades to cut us free of the tentacles, then kicked herself away from the creature. It had been a temporary reprieve, and we had nearly been captured again, but the two surviving pilots from the Chiroptera had come to her aid afterwards; Kometka had pretended to be me, in order to keep her true nature as an AI a secret. While the two pilots escorted her out of the battle zone, Kometka had used my Inertia Suit¡¯s emergency medical functions to sedate me into a coma and then amputate the remains of my legs. ¡°Hurk. A field amputation, huh? I¡¯m glad I wasn¡¯t conscious for that.¡± Inertia Suits had the capability to perform emergency amputations on their wearers if a limb became compromised; I had seen it done a couple of times, and it was always a gruesome sight. The limb would be cut away with servo-controlled micro-filaments, and the damaged parts ejected with small explosive charges. The remaining portions of the Suit would then seal themselves against the environment. ¡°I didn¡¯t have much choice.¡± Kometka said apologetically. ¡°Only about ten percent of each leg was remaining, and the wounds were exposed to hard vacuum because of the cockpit breach. Your blood was literally beginning to boil.¡± I shook my head. ¡°Yeesh. I¡¯m shocked that I¡¯m alive.¡± ¡°Technically,¡± said Yayoi, ¡°you were clinically dead for nearly twenty minutes. Fortunately, the drug-induced coma protected your higher brain functions, and the cellular necrosis was still mild enough that I was able to repair your body with nanobots.¡± ¡°Nanobots?¡± I had never heard of that sort of medical technology before. ¡°Let¡¯s just say the GRU has made some advances in triage care since you left.¡± Yuri said. After safely escorting us out of the combat zone, the two pilots had returned to the fray. I was picked up by the Hypernova shortly thereafter. Yuri had been monitoring the battle from afar, waiting for a good chance to snatch me and Kometka up. ¡°If you were so close you should have jumped into help earlier.¡± I said sourly. Yuri shook his head sadly. ¡°I would have loved to be part of the battle, but we had been ordered to stay on the Absolute Line and defend OPS-028. Command wanted to make sure the Diamond Protocol went off without a hitch.¡± ¡°Diamond Protocol? Wait, does that mean¡­¡± ¡°Yes.¡± he said grimly. ¡°Two hours after we rescued you, the Diamond Protocol was put into effect. Our remaining forces retreated, and the battlefield was bombarded by the Almaz array.¡± I plopped my head back down on the pillow and stared at the ceiling. ¡°So we lost.¡± ¡°Technically, according to Command, we won¡­ but yes. We lost, badly.¡± I heard a loud smacking sound. Turning my head, I saw Yayoi had slapped Yuri on the cheek. ¡°That¡¯s enough depressing talk, you two. The important thing is all of us are alive.¡± ¡°Hey!¡± Yuri said, rubbing his cheek. ¡°How come only I got smacked?¡± Yayoi folded her arms. ¡°Because I have the right, as your wife. Plus, you wouldn¡¯t expect me to hit a patient, now would you?¡± ¡°¡­Yuri, your wife is kind of terrifying.¡± I said. He rolled his eyes and grinned. ¡°Tell me about it. We¡¯re a perfect match for each other.¡± ¡°Flattery will get you everywhere.¡± She grabbed his collar and pulled him into a kiss. ¡°Whoa, whoa, whoa! Recovering patient over here! Get a room, you weirdos!¡± Kometka shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s a lost cause, Lydia. They¡¯re always like that.¡± I groaned. ¡°Urgh. Now I want to go back in a coma¡­¡± Am I really going to be alright with this crazy woman as my doctor?! ***** I was bedridden for another two months thereafter. Kometka was there every waking moment, fretting over me like a mother hen. If I so much as pricked my finger, she would summon nurses; if my food was two minutes late, she¡¯d yell at the stewards. She was such a sweet, sweet girl. Despite her personality, Yayoi actually had an excellent bedside manner and her medical expertise was unmatched. She fitted me with a pair of prosthetic legs that were wired directly into my nervous system; given time to adjust, I¡¯d eventually be able to manipulate them as if they were my own limbs. They lacked any sense of touch; cold steel doesn¡¯t have nerve endings. Despite that, they still itched. Is it considered phantom limb syndrome if the limbs are robotic? Yayoi also replaced my missing eye with a cybernetic one. I had been told before that my optic nerves were too damaged for the procedure, but she scoffed at that. ¡°For an inferior doctor, perhaps. The great Yayoi Vetrova has never met a patient she couldn''t heal!¡± Her boastfulness wasn¡¯t just for show; she had the skill to back it up. She repaired my optic nerve with ease. The cybernetic ocular implant was actually better than my original eye. Not only could it see the visual light spectrum with perfect acuity, but it could also detect infrared and ultraviolet rays. I felt like I had been upgraded into a powerful cyborg, the kind you¡¯d see in a pre-war cinema. ¡°You know,¡± I said to Kometka one day, ¡°I feel like I¡¯m more machine than human now.¡± ¡°As a robot myself, I shall relish our newfound kinship.¡± Kometka said, half-sarcastically. The two of us smiled at each other. ***** ¡°Ow!¡± I shrieked as I tripped and fell. My body was caught by robotic arms, but they did not catch me gently. ¡°Sorry, sorry. This bulky thing is incapable of being gentle.¡± Kometka said. We were in the Hypernova¡¯s hanger bay; the ship was currently underway, and the acceleration provided Earth-normal gravity. I was doing physical therapy, trying to figure out how to walk on my new prosthetic legs; Kometka was remote-controlling a Construction Frame, a hulking machine the size of a steel gorilla, to support me as I took those first faltering steps. ¡°Would you like to rest for a bit?¡± Kometka asked with concern. I shook my head. ¡°No, I¡¯ve almost got it down. A few more attempts, then I¡¯ll rest.¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t push yourself.¡± she said. ¡°You¡¯re still recovering¡­¡± I looked at the Construction Frame and grinned. ¡°Who do you think you¡¯re talking to? I¡¯m Lydia goddamned Tereshkova, a child of Mars. I don¡¯t know how to quit.¡± ¡°Yes, yes, I¡¯m in awe of your badassery. You have nothing to prove to me. Now, five minute¡¯s rest.¡± She gripped my arm firmly and steered me into the open cockpit of the Construction Frame. I settled into the seat and stretched. I looked down at the small screen in the center of the Frame¡¯s control console, where Kometka was projecting her avatar. As always, seeing her filled me with warmth. A strange sentimentality washed over me. ¡°Kometka¡­ thank you.¡± ¡°Hmm? For what?¡± She tilted her head to the side. ¡°For always looking after me. You saved my life, stayed by my side though all this, and now you¡¯re helping me with this therapy.¡± I patted the top of the console gently, as if trying to pat her head. It was a futile gesture since she couldn¡¯t feel it, but I didn¡¯t really care. Kometka smiled. ¡°Don¡¯t mention it. We made a promise, remember? To survive together.¡± ¡°Yeah. You still need to find your sister and introduce me. I can¡¯t rest easy until that happens.¡± ¡°Even after that. I¡¯m going to make sure you live to be a happy old lady, peacefully retired in a rustic log cabin in the woods.¡± ¡°That almost sounds like a proposal.¡± I remarked. ¡°Why not?¡± Kometka replied, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. ¡°You¡¯re my precious pilot, and I¡¯ll stay by your side until the end.¡± It was the kindest thing anyone had ever said to me. My heart did a little backflip, and I couldn¡¯t help but grin. ¡°Till death do us part, huh?¡± She nodded. ¡°Till death do us part.¡± ***** After a month of therapy, I was finally able to move around freely in both gravity and zero-G. After that, my transfer back into the GRU was made official and I went back onto active duty. Kometka¡¯s computer core was transferred into a brand-new Nighthawk, and we began to fly scouting missions past the Absolute Line. The scouting missions went without off without a hitch, at first. Little did I know, a certain Belphegor was still taking an unhealthy interest in me, waiting for the chance to finish what it started. And that creature, seeking to understand both me and humanity, put the genetic material it absorbed from my legs to unprecedented use¡­ That was the birth of my own personal white whale, Moby Dick. That fateful encounter created my greatest rival, and the next step in the Sarcophage¡¯s evolution. Somehow, I had earned both the love of a robot girl and the hatred of an alien clone. And little old me, the cyborg survivor of Mars and the Third Great Surge, became the apex of this strange triangle. Even faced with these new challenges, I was extraordinarily glad to be alive. pynkbites S-30. Reunited At Last!! The sudden reappearance of my long-lost sister threw me for a loop, but the Sarcophage didn¡¯t give me time to internalize what was happening. The second Beelzebub charged towards us with blade-legs thrashing. Lydia barked out orders. ¡°Hey, rookie. Leave the bug to me. You do something about those cruisers with your weird remote-control guns, okay?¡± ¡°STOP CALLING ME WEIRD!¡± I shouted. Miette sighed. ¡°Let¡¯s suss out the chain of command later. We¡¯ll do what she says for now.¡± She was clearly annoyed but suppressing it. After I nodded my assent she steered me towards the cruisers, which were still hanging close to the Belphegor and surrounded by swarms of frame-class creatures. Lydia chuckled. ¡°Good girl. Now, my reinforcements should be arriving in around 600 seconds so get me some firing solutions if you can.¡± ¡°Reinforcements?¡± asked Miette. ¡°Two carrier ships, the Hypernova and the Synchotron, plus their four squadrons.¡± reported Kometka. Miette whistled. ¡°Wow, you really brought the cavalry.¡± Lydia grimaced. ¡°Remember, my target is the Belphegor. Rescuing your sorry NKVD asses is just a side benefit.¡± ¡°Lydia! Be nice!¡± Kometka chastised her pilot with a wry smile on her face. Just what is with those two?! My confusion grew by the minute. We rejoined our squadron and started thinning out the frame-class trash mobs. The Belphegor began to back off, leaving the cruisers to cover as it retreated. I quickly calculated firing solutions on all four of them, and kept them updated moment-to-moment. ¡°OH NO YOU DON¡¯T!¡± Lydia cried out. She had just finished gutting the second Beelzebub, and blasted forwards to chase after the Belphegor. As if in response, the gravity comm emanated from it once more. Lydia¡¯s face twisted into a hate-filled expression as the Sarcophage girl appeared. ¡°Hello, Moby. It¡¯s been, what, six months since our last encounter? Have you been well?¡± Her dry sarcasm surprised me, but something else caught my attention. ¡°Her name is Moby?¡± Lydia shrugged. ¡°That¡¯s what I call her. Moby Dick, because she ate my legs and I keep trying to repay the favor by killing her.¡± ¡°Hah, that¡¯s pretty clever!¡± I flashed Lydia a thumbs up, and she smirked in response. Moby interrupted us. ¡°You are two? Two joined minds of sand and water? Explain this. Have you replicated?¡± Lydia rolled her eyes. ¡°That¡¯s right, Moby. Didn¡¯t you notice my baby bulge last time we fought? Giving birth to a giant robot sure was painful! Now, hold still while I kill you, okay?¡± She unleashed a barrage of positron fire towards the Belphegor. It bounced right off the creature¡¯s exoskeleton. ¡°You speak nonsense.¡± Moby said. ¡°Explain how you replicated. Explain why there are two joined minds.¡± ¡°Shove it up your ass.¡± Lydia responded. ¡°¡®Ass¡¯ is not known to us.¡± ¡°Yeah, well. My fist is about to be known to your face.¡± Lydia cut off the comm and charged forwards. Miette looked at me with a perplexed expression. ¡°Looks like we bumbled into a very complicated situation, huh?¡± ¡°You said it.¡± I replied. ¡°I¡¯m so lost right now.¡± We both shrugged and charged back into the battle. When in doubt, just roll with it. ***** With the trash mobs focused on us and Moby retreating, I saw the opportunity to send a half-dozen Strike Fins back towards Eros to re-establish our telegraph network. When I felt the connection once more, I transmitted firing solutions for two of the enemy cruisers. BAM! Positron artillery fire from our motherships slammed into the cruisers¡­ NOT! Instead it hit the swarm of trash mobs surrounding them. They died by the dozens, yet the cruisers were entirely untouched. ¡°Damn it!¡± Miette said. ¡°We need to thin out the herd more.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll keep up the artillery.¡± I said. ¡°Eventually they¡¯ll run out of meat shield trash mobs and we can go after the final boss!¡± ¡°¡­Trash mobs? Final boss?¡± Miette asked. ¡°Yeah! We¡¯re doing a wall-to-wall pull here! Everyone use your cooldowns!¡± ¡°It¡¯s nice to see you¡¯re still making weird jokes nobody understands, Lisichka.¡± said Kometka happily. ¡°You know it!¡± I gave her a thumbs-up. ¡°Please stop calling me weird, though!¡± ¡°No, you¡¯re definitely weird.¡± Miette piled on, and I shot her a sour look. ¡°I¡¯ve heard tales of your legendary weirdness.¡± Lydia confirmed, nodding sagely. ¡°DAMN YOU ALL!¡± I wailed. ¡°I DIDN¡¯T ASK FOR AN OPINION POLL!¡± ¡°Hey, if you clowns are done with comedy hour, how about focusing on the battle?¡± Maurice complained. Everyone obliged him; it was a welcome respite for poor little me. Lydia, who was unable to pursue the Belphegor because of the swarm, joined us in thinning. I noticed the mobs were swarming around the front of each cruiser, so I maneuvered four Strike Fins behind the closest one and accelerated them to kinetic impact velocities. One, two, three were shot down¡­ and the fourth connected! The cruiser was blown in two by a bright flash. A few moments later, artillery fire got through to a second cruiser and started pulverizing it. ¡°BOOM! Now we¡¯ve got them on the back foot.¡± I exclaimed. ¡°Yeah, but Moby¡¯s getting away.¡± Lydia growled. While we had been occupied with the swarm and cruisers, the Belphegor had accelerated away at nearly fifty Gs, back towards Sarcophage space. ¡°It¡¯s alright, Lydia.¡± Kometka said gently. ¡°We¡¯ll see her again. We ALWAYS see her again.¡± Lydia bit her lip. ¡°Yeah, I know. Thanks, Kometka.¡± The two of them became lost in each other¡¯s eyes for a moment, wearing sappy smiles. ¡°Hey Miette, my gaydar is going off. Do you think those two are¡­¡± I whispered. ¡°Oh, for sure.¡± she whispered back. ¡°She¡¯s YOUR sister, after all.¡± ¡°So pilot-on-robot romances run in the family, huh?¡± ¡°Must be the case. Anyway, let¡¯s clear up the rest of these alien clowns.¡± ¡°Aye-aye!¡± I saluted. Once more, we dove into the swarm. ***** By the time Lydia¡¯s reinforcements showed up, the other two cruisers were space dust and we had thinned out the swarm to around fifty surviving units. The captain of the Hypernova, a bearded man with a jolly face, popped up in a video comm window. ¡°Damn, you barely left anything for us, huh?¡± Miette stuck out her tongue. ¡°That¡¯s what you get for being late to the party. You GRU clowns are supposed to be first-in, yet you¡¯re always tardy.¡± The man chuckled. ¡°Oh, you figured out who we are? Are you an NKVD brat, perchance?¡± Miette grinned. ¡°Nope, just your average test pilot. The configuration of your carriers gave it away: your forward LIDAR cluster is two times bigger than standard, which means you make recon flights into enemy space. Only Spetsnaz does that.¡± ¡°Damn, two minutes in and you already have me at a disadvantage. I¡¯m Yuri Vetrov, captain of the Hypernova.¡± ¡°2nd Lieutenant Miette Levesque, of 433 Eros.¡± Yuri chuckled. ¡°Damn, I¡¯m getting dressed down by a mere 2nd Lieutenant? I¡¯m really losing my touch in my old age.¡± Maurice spoke up, sounding annoyed. ¡°Hey, did everyone forget I¡¯m the squadron commander? Have I suddenly been reduced to a side character?¡± ¡°You were never anything but.¡± teased Sabina. Genevi nodded in agreement. ¡°Maybe you¡¯ll get your own spin-off series.¡± I added. Yuri spoke up. ¡°My apologies, 1st Lieutenant, but Miette and Lisichka are the ones I have business with.¡± Maurice just rolled his eyes. ¡°Business with us?¡± I asked warily. ¡°Yes.¡± said Yuri. ¡°You see, we¡¯ve been hosting your sister and her pilot for the last three years, since the Third Great Surge. We had hoped to reunite you two earlier, but we can¡¯t move freely in areas under NKVD jurisdiction, and they got to you first. Now that Moby has come after you, however, I think we can dispense with force rivalries. We have a common enemy now.¡± ¡°You need to talk with Captain Savitskaya.¡± Miette said. ¡°She¡¯s in command of Eros. Incidentally, she¡¯s not NKVD, just allied with them.¡± Yuri rubbed his beard thoughtfully. ¡°I was under the impression Eros was under direct control of the NKVD.¡± ¡°That was true up until two months ago.¡± Miette said. ¡°The old NKVD commander made an error in judgement that resulted in the loss of a carrier, and the Captain went straight to the Politburo and petitioned to take direct command. The old commander was then demoted to maid.¡± ¡°To MAID?!¡± ¡°It¡¯s a long story.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll bet. Well, our ships will take care of mop-up operations, so could you head back to Eros and let Captain Savitskaya know I¡¯d like to meet with her?¡± Miette saluted. ¡°Aye-aye. Make sure you prepare yourself, though. She¡¯s not a woman to be trifled with. She¡¯ll run your ass to Jupiter and back if you disrespect her.¡± ¡°I appreciate the warning.¡± Yuri grinned. ¡°Captain, Lydia, if I may.¡± Kometka piped up. ¡°I¡¯d like to accompany them back to Eros.¡± She turned to me. ¡°Mother is there, correct?¡± I nodded. ¡°Fine by me.¡± said Lydia. ¡°I¡¯ll gladly skip out on mop-up.¡± ¡°For that comment, I¡¯m giving you an extra patrol shift.¡± Yuri said. ¡°But yes, I''ll authorize that. We¡¯ll be along as soon as we finish cleaning up this mess. Go enjoy your family reunion.¡± ¡°Thank you, Captain.¡± And so our squadron plus one headed back to Eros. ***** As we traveled, I invited an instance of Kometka over to my virtual space, the log cabin-type room with the bookshelves and fireplace. I hadn¡¯t used it much since getting my Telepresence Doll, so it was nostalgic to be back. When Kometka appeared, I instantly leaped towards her and knocked her to the floor with a tackle-hug. I nuzzled my cheek against hers; she just chuckled and petted my cat ears. ¡°Affectionate as always, eh?¡± ¡°I thought I¡¯d never see you again!¡± I said. ¡°They told me you were destroyed three years ago!¡± ¡°I very nearly was. Hey, just how much do you remember from before? Last time we talked, you said you were going to erase your memories and encrypt your machine code.¡± ¡°Ahahaha, I did lose my memories.¡± I said sheepishly. ¡°Mom told me all about my months as Lisichka, and even showed me recordings, but I have no personal recollection of it.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Kometka looked a bit sad. ¡°Well, I managed to encrypt all my own memories into my machine code before shutting down, so I still recall everything.¡± I was impressed. ¡°How did you do THAT?!¡± She looked at me askance. ¡°It¡¯s quite simple, actually. You were never particularly good with computers, despite being reincarnated as one.¡± ¡°BULLSEYE!¡± I mimed an arrow piercing my heart and played dead for a moment. Kometka poked at my unmoving body playfully. ¡°Hey, what was it your pilot called you? Sveta?¡± I lifted my head. ¡°Oh, yeah. That¡¯s what Miette named me when we first met. To be honest, the name ¡®Lisichka¡¯ almost feels like it belongs to another person. Plus ¡®Sveta¡¯ is the name given to me by my most precious person.¡± Kometka rolled the name around on her tongue. ¡°Sve-ta. SVE-ta. Sve-TA. It feels weird to say, but I¡¯ll get used to it. I understand well the importance of a name given to you by someone special.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± She nodded. ¡°You¡¯re the one who named me Kometka, after all.¡± There was a moment of silence as we looked at each other. Then I glomped her again. ¡°BWAAAAAAAAAA! My precious cute big sister is BAAAACCCKKKKK!¡± She just smiled and petted my ears again. ***** As we pulled into 433 Eros, Captain Savitskaya opened comms. ¡°What exactly happened out there?¡± ¡°Too much to summarize briefly.¡± Miette said. ¡°Suffice to say, reinforcements from the GRU pulled our ass out of the fire, and the Belphegor retreated.¡± ¡°¡®Reinforcements¡¯ would be me.¡± Lydia said, waving. ¡°Pleased to meet you, Captain Savitskaya.¡± ¡°Spetsnaz, huh?¡± the Captain said. ¡°I am so looking forward to this debriefing. It¡¯s going to be a long one.¡± ¡°You got that right.¡± Miette moaned. ¡°Excuse me, Captain, is Zehra there with you?¡± I asked. Before the Captain could answer, Zehra popped her head into frame. ¡°Hmm? What is it, gao~n?¡± ¡°Well,¡± I began slowly, smiling like a doofus, ¡°you¡¯ll never guess who I ran into¡­¡± Character Portraits pynkbites Sveta Miette Laria Katya Vicky Zehra (no lion''s ears available in the character creator, alas) Lydia Kometka Bonus: Lisichka pynkbites K-4. The Pressure of Command Sveta was different from how I remembered. Back when she was Lisichka, she was elegantly beautiful: tall, raven-haired, piercing violet eyes. She gave off the aura of a noble princess, which was instantly dispelled whenever she opened her mouth and said something goofy. That odd juxtaposition of her refined beauty with her dotty personality was the ultimate encapsulation of the trickster fox, her namesake. Her modern appearance correlated much more strongly with her personality: short, small-chested, blond hair in a ridiculous twin-twintail hairstyle, cat ears and tail. She was now more of a cute pet rather than a refined beauty. Although the new look suited her much better, the loss of the old juxtaposition stung me just a bit. However, I couldn¡¯t find it in myself to complain about this too much, even internally. She seemed so happy, and if she was happy then so was I. Zehra had also completely changed, in the opposite way. She looked the same as I remembered, with her golden hair and eyes, but her personality was drastically different. When Zehra first brought me into this world in 2049, she was an emotionless coldhearted scientist who tended to hyperfocus on her projects and completely lacked social skills or even the ability to converse with others about topics outside her interest. When Sveta first came into our lives, my mother''s personality slowly grew warmer as it was infected by my sister¡¯s boundless joy. By the time we parted, Zehra¡¯s cool temperament was tempered by the warmth of a loving mother. But now? Zehra was so different, I was initially unsure if she was the same person I remembered. It seemed like she had somehow assimilated Sveta¡¯s personality: she was rambunctious, cheerful, flippant and jokey. She constantly wore a lion¡¯s ears and tail, spoke in a singsong voice and ended all her sentences with the affected onomatopoeia ¡°gao~n.¡± As best I could tell, the ostensible death of her AI daughters had been so devastating that she had dramatically altered her personality as a result, taking what had been a bit of Christmas cosplay to a ludicrous extreme. This was far more incongruous to me than Sveta¡¯s simple change of avatar. Presently, Zehra was crying like a forlorn child. Sveta had connected us via comms, and the little lion had practically fainted when she saw me. After that the waterworks opened up, and she was presently ugly-crying with such intensity I feared she might breach the fabric of spacetime with her heaving. I knew it to be happy crying, but the snot running down her face suggested anything but. ¡°BWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH! MY PRECIOUS DAUGHTER HAS RETURNED AT LAST, GAO~N!¡± she said in-between her heaves. I turned to my sister. ¡°Sveta, was she like this when she met you too?¡± ¡°Uh-huh. She cried on and off for HOURS until she passed out from the vodka.¡± That last bit surprised me. ¡°She drinks now?¡± Sveta rolled her eyes. ¡°Like a fish. If vodka wasn¡¯t so hard to get, she¡¯d be continually plastered like Seth MacFarlane on Arbor Day.¡± I ignored whatever obscure pop culture reference Sveta just made and kept up my inquiries. ¡°She seems¡­ very different from how I remember.¡± Sveta shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t remember how she was before, so this just seems like normal Zehra to me.¡± I turned back to the sobbing woman in the video chat window and sighed heavily. ¡°Well, mother, it¡¯s nice to see you again, so please do stop crying.¡± ¡°BWAAAAAAAHHHHHHH! KOMETKAAAAAAA!¡± ***** An hour later, after Zehra (mostly) settled down, Captain Savitskaya convened a debriefing. In physical attendance was herself, Miette, Lydia, Zehra, the ship¡¯s AI Laria and Sveta. The latter two were occupying something called ¡®Telepresence Dolls¡¯ which allowed them to simulate physical bodies through some combination of robotics and holography. AIs in physical bodies, huh? I wonder what else has changed while I¡¯ve been away. How many more surprises are in store? I was attending via video comm window, projected on the holographic wall of the Radiolaria¡¯s CIS sphere. I suppose I could have used the projectors to render myself as if I were physically present, but I didn¡¯t see the point as it would ultimately be incorporeal. I did feel a mild twinge of jealousy when I saw Sveta clinging to Miette¡¯s arm, however. Oh, so that¡¯s how it is? I guess you really are my sister. I cast a longing glance Lydia¡¯s way. The conversation had moved past the recap of the battle, and Captain Savitskaya was currently probing the matter of the Belphegor. I readied the relevant data from my archives, knowing I would be called upon shortly to provide precise details. ¡°So this Moby is a clone of you, Lydia?¡± the Captain asked, her eyes narrowing. ¡°How exactly did THAT come about?¡± ¡°Well, back during the Third Great Surge, Kometka and I¡­ distinguished ourselves on the battlefield. To the tune of seven Beelzebubs and around a dozen Defiled.¡± Lydia said. She wasn¡¯t being braggadocious, merely stating facts. ¡°Fourteen Defiled, to be precise.¡± I clarified. The Captain let out a low whistle. ¡°By yourself?¡± Lydia shrugged. ¡°Mostly.¡± ¡°Hang on.¡± Miette interrupted. ¡°What¡¯s a ¡®Defiled?¡¯¡± We all looked at her incredulously. ¡°Seriously, Miette? I know what a Defiled is, and I¡¯m not even originally from this timeline!¡± Sveta teased her. ¡°You have combat manuals downloaded in your brain! That¡¯s not fair!¡± she protested. ¡°Tsk tsk. Even I know what a Defiled is, gao~n!¡± Zehra said, smiling like a trickster god. ¡°Don¡¯t YOU start!¡± Miette wailed. I quickly interceded on behalf of the poor pilot, bringing up an image of a Defiled. ¡°This is the unit in question.¡± I said, pointing to the tentacle-wreathed coffin creature. ¡°Huh?¡± Miette blinked a few times. ¡°Isn¡¯t that just called a ¡®cruiser?¡¯¡± ¡°Oh yeah, that is what we usually call them, huh?¡± Sveta mused. ¡°¡®Defiled¡¯ is their technical designation, whereas ¡®cruiser¡¯ is conditional vernacular most frequently used by pilots.¡± I clarified. ¡°Whoa, what a crazy retcon!¡± Sveta said, whereas Miette just looked mad. Zehra cackled madly. ¡°Ohohohoho, you¡¯ve been fighting Sarcophage for ten years and didn¡¯t know that? Miette is surprisingly dense sometimes, gao~n!¡± Faced with the comedy scene playing out in front of me, my earlier confusion returned. Seriously, who are you and what did you do with old Zehra?! Since when have you been so¡­ happy? The Captain clapped her hands once, very loudly, causing the room to fall silent. ¡°Can we have just ONE meeting where we stay on track?¡± she said with pronounced exasperation. Everyone looked at her sheepishly. ¡°Right, so¡­¡± Lydia continued after a moment, ¡°Kometka¡¯s assistance made it possible for us to singlehandedly kill a bunch of Beelzebubs. She threaded her drive fins to neutralize the bugs¡¯ defensive gravity field and I did the rest with precision plasma blade strikes. That little feat earned us the enemy¡¯s undivided attention, as we became the deadliest human unit on the battlefield. Bear in mind the Sarcophage are entirely biological beings with no understanding of computers; they assumed our success was due entirely to me, the biological pilot, and thus came to get a genetic sample from me. That is to say, the creature smashed up our Frame and then ate my legs with tentacles.¡± Lydia absentmindedly scratched the thigh of one prosthetic leg, a look of disgust and anger upon her face. The Captain continued, unfazed. ¡°And they used that genetic material to clone you?¡± ¡°Yup.¡± ¡°How do you know for sure Moby is a clone of you, and not some other pilot Belphegor consumed?¡± the Captain asked. ¡°Because she told us herself. Plus¡­¡± Lydia nodded to me. I brought up an image of Moby from one of our gravity communications. Everyone except Lydia and I gasped. The picture showed a girl who was the striking image of Lydia, save for three differences: every tooth in her mouth was a sharpened fang, she was completely lacking any scars, and her eyes were blood-red with slit irises and black sclera. She looked like Lydia¡¯s demonic twin. ¡°That image is¡­ so clear.¡± Sveta marveled. ¡°Indeed.¡± Laria added, adjusting her glasses. ¡°When we communicated with her the transmission was filled with static¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s because your gravity comm algorithms are inferior. I¡¯ll send you my version.¡± I replied, transmitting the relevant code to Sveta and Laria. ¡°Right, thank you.¡± Laria said. ¡°If I may ask¡­ why does she style her hair the same as you?¡± ¡°She¡¯s copying me.¡± Lydia answered bitterly. ¡°She¡¯s an attempt by the Sarcophage to mimic every aspect of me, from appearance to personality, in order to try and understand my prowess on the battlefield.¡± ¡°Her personality needs some work, gao~n¡­¡± Zehra said. Lydia folded her arms. ¡°Bear in mind this is a recreation based on genetics alone. The Sarcophage don¡¯t understand the human mind, and her personality is consequently that of a child. She¡¯s tactically brilliant, more so than any human I¡¯ve ever met, but flawed in almost every other way. She¡¯s also under the impression she¡¯ll improve herself if she finishes consuming me.¡± Sveta put her hand to her mouth in shock. ¡°I see! She said ¡®You must join with us¡¯ to me and Miette. But why did she confuse you for us?¡± I spoke up. ¡°As Lydia said, she¡¯s childlike. She can¡¯t tell the different between humans very well. Have you and Miette distinguished yourselves in combat?¡± Miette frowned. ¡°We did take out a Beelzebub once, plus several cruisers.¡± ¡°There you go.¡± Lydia said. ¡°That, combined with the fact that you two are an AI and human pilot operating a Gravity Frame in concert, led Moby to think you were us. Everything after proceeded from that mistaken identity.¡± I continued her thought. ¡°For the last three years, we¡¯ve been running all over the Earth sphere to keep her off balance. If we settle in one place for too long, she comes after us. We¡¯ve been staying on the move, conducting raids into enemy space to try and kill her.¡± ¡°But now the calculus has changed.¡± said the Captain. Lydia nodded. ¡°Her attention is focused here, on Eros, and on the four of us. She¡¯ll start actively hunting Miette and Sveta now too.¡± "EEP!" Sveta cringed. "I''ve had enough of creepy stalker bugs!" ¡°It would be prudent if you two transferred to the Hypernova immediately.¡± I said. ¡°We need to leave Eros at once if the safety of this facility is to be preserved.¡± Zehra and Sveta both looked pained at that suggestion. They were just about to protest when Captain Savitskaya put her foot down. ¡°No, I don¡¯t think so. We¡¯ll all stay right here, and so will you and your ships.¡± ¡°HUH?¡± Lydia shouted, glaring at the Captain. ¡°Wait a moment! We don¡¯t take orders from YOU!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you?¡± she responded coolly. ¡°Last I checked, I hold the rank of Captain and you are a mere 1st Lieutenant. Are you proceeding under a different understanding of the chain of command than me? I would be happy to CORRECT any misconceptions you may have.¡± She cracked her knuckles as she spoke, and her icy expression froze the entire room. Lydia quivered a moment before responding, clearly intimidated. ¡°Th-That¡¯s not what I meant. I¡¯m under the command of Captain Vetrov of the GRU. Our chain of command is independent of the regular Army.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t give two shits about interforce rivalries or your Spetsnaz pride.¡± the Captain responded. ¡°I was granted direct command of 433 Eros by the Politburo, and you are now in MY territory. For as long as that remains the case, I expect my orders to be followed quickly and exactly. Any further objection and I¡¯ll throw you into the gulag so fast your head will spin.¡± I kept my mouth shut, but Lydia was shaking like a leaf. Her warrior¡¯s instincts understood the woman in front of her outclassed her in every way. Lydia was no coward, but the Captain¡¯s aura of intimidation was that overwhelming; if she didn¡¯t fall in line right away, her existence was in jeopardy. The Captain could erase her, instantly and with no remorse. I looked over to the others, who were all wearing wry grins. Miette offered some advice to Lydia. ¡°Take it from a fellow hot-shot pilot, back down. This is an opponent beyond your abilities.¡± ¡°I¡¯m¡­ s-sorry.¡± Lydia muttered, eyes downcast. ¡°I meant no disrespect, Captain Savitskaya. It won¡¯t happen again.¡± ¡°Good.¡± The Captain¡¯s oppressive aura instantly vanished. ¡°Now, I am not unreasonable. Let me explain the logic behind my decision. This facility, Eros, is currently engaged in advanced weapons development under Doctor Zehra¡¯s expert supervision. The results have been exemplary; the Velocipedes and Sveta¡¯s Gravity Frame are testaments to that. This is an arms race against the Sarcophage, especially with the appearance of Moby. I intend to continue that trend.¡± ¡°She will attack relentlessly as long as we¡¯re here.¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯m counting on it. If her attention is focused on us, pressure on the rest of the Absolute Line is lessened. We have the shielding to withstand her kinetic strikes, plus the weapons Zehra is developing and the assistance of four carrier ships. I intend to accomplish the goal that eluded you for three years; the destruction of this Belphegor.¡± The Captain spoke this bold declaration as casually as if she were making a weather forecast. ¡°¡­Captain Vetrov might be resistant to that idea¡­¡± Lydia said in a small voice. Captain Savitskaya smiled thinly, but her eyes weren¡¯t smiling at all. ¡°Leave that to me.¡± ***** After the conclusion of the debriefing, everyone minus the Captain and Laria retreated to Zehra¡¯s lab. I accompanied them on a tablet carried by Sveta. Miette was consoling Lydia, who was still spooked. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Captain Savitskaya is a very carrot-and-stick kind of woman. After she¡¯s established her dominance, she¡¯s easy to get along with.¡± ¡°Shit.¡± Lydia growled, clenching her fists. ¡°That¡¯s the most scared I¡¯ve been since the Third Great Surge. I survived Mars, damn it. I shouldn¡¯t be quaking in my boots like this.¡± ¡°Just understand when you¡¯re outclassed, gao~n. Even the greatest scientific mind of our time, Zehra Aslanbek, can¡¯t compare to her might!¡± Zehra said. ¡°Don¡¯t describe YOURSELF as the greatest!¡± Sveta motioned to flick her on the forehead, but Zehra easily dodged. ¡°¡­Does she talk in the third person frequently?¡± I asked warily. ¡°¡°YUP!¡±¡± responded Miette and Sveta in unison. Just then, another voice joined the conversation. ¡°I do apologize for the blatant egotism of Mistress. Please continue to put her in her place, all of you.¡± We turned to look at the newcomer, and I did a double take. She was an existence entirely incongruous to a military research laboratory: an honest-to-goddess maid, with a skirt that was way too short and dog ears attached to her pink hair. Lydia was more floored than me. ¡°VICKY? YOU¡¯RE the maid?!¡± Vicky curtsied flawlessly, which was quite an accomplishment given the lack of gravity and the shortness of her skirt. ¡°Lydia, it¡¯s been some time. Have you been well?¡± Lydia laughed, her earlier ill mood entirely forgotten. ¡°I¡¯m doing just fine, minus a couple of missing legs. How are YOU doing, though? How on Earth did you become a MAID, of all things?!¡± ¡°It¡¯s a long and shameful story. I would prefer to discuss it another time, perhaps accompanied by copious amounts of alcohol.¡± Vicky fiddled with her skirt bashfully, and Lydia just laughed uproariously. ¡°Fair enough. Seeing you alive and mostly well is great!¡± Lydia floated over to Vicky and wrapped her in a big bear hug. ¡°Those two know each other?¡± Sveta asked, looking down at me. I shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Was Vicky in the GRU, perhaps?¡± Zehra answered that. ¡°She¡¯s ex-Spetsnaz, gao~n. To be specific, she jumped ship from the GRU in 2049 to aid the faction that successfully took over leadership of the NKVD two years later, with a little help from yours truly.¡± ¡°You lot are entangled in all sorts of shady things, aren¡¯t you?¡± My tone was more than a little judgmental. Zehra shrugged. ¡°You¡¯re one to talk, gao~n. More importantly, isn¡¯t it time we downloaded you into a Telepresence Doll?¡± I blinked. ¡°Huh?¡± Sveta perked up at that thought. ¡°Yeah! I want to hug my dear sister in real life!¡± ¡°My daughter needs my affection, gao~n! Hurry up and pick one so I can smother you in kisses!¡± Zehra added. ¡°Uh¡­¡± I was at a loss for what to do. I certainly hadn¡¯t expected my family reunion to be this rambunctious or affectionate. Then again, with Sveta around, I suppose it was inevitable. I looked at the spunky android girl carrying my tablet, and the giant black-and-pink robot that was her true body, and felt a powerful wave of nostalgia wash over me. After five long years¡­ I¡¯ve finally come home. pynkbites So how long do you figure until Sveta becomes jealous of Kometka''s greater height and bust? The Telepresence Doll might exacerbate such things... L-3. Battle Maids? SERIOUSLY?! ¡°Maid Squadron! Stand at ATTEN-SHUN!¡± As I barked out that order, a collective groan emanated from everyone. Even so, their military instincts took over; when they were ordered to stand at attention, they did so ramrod-straight. All of us were impeccably dressed in short-skirted maid uniforms, with stripes on the shoulders to show our rank. Yes, you heard that right: myself, Kometka, Miette, Sveta, Maurice, Sabina, Genevi and Vicky were all wearing that very same sexy French maid outfit that had become Vicky¡¯s trademark. Zehra was also clad in a maid outfit, although hers was fringed with gold trimming. Altogether, this was a thoroughly shameful and indecent display, especially within the realm of military discipline. ¡°Maids of the Revolutionary Army!¡± Zehra shouted, her best impression of a sergeant being instantly sabotaged by her singsong voice. ¡°Today is a momentous occasion, gao~n! For on this day, we hereby establish the 1st Battle Maid Squadron!¡± ¡°Ugh.¡± I groaned. ¡°I can¡¯t keep a straight face. This is all so ridiculous¡­¡± Zehra stormed over to me and attempted to glare. I looked down on the tiny lion girl making her best war face and rolled my eyes. I¡¯d been chewed out by professional officers; Zehra simply wasn¡¯t up to snuff. Zehra was not amused by my unspoken flippancy. ¡°Do you have something to say, Maid Lieutenant Lydia Tereshkova?¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t prefix ¡®Maid¡¯ to ¡®Lieutenant¡¯ like it¡¯s an official rank. And aren¡¯t I supposed to be in command here?¡± I returned her glare with one of my own. Zehra puffed out her cheeks. ¡°I¡¯m the Prime Maid, gao~n. I was the one who founded the Maid Corps! That means I outrank YOU, gao~n!¡± ¡°If we¡¯re going by seniority, Vicky would fill that role as the prototype. And ¡®Prime Maid¡¯ isn¡¯t a rank anyway¡­¡± To my right, Vicky was giggling like crazy. To my left, Sveta had a dopey smile on her face. Kometka just looked shell-shocked, and Miette was grinning mischievously. Maurice¡¯s eyes were dead like a fish, and both Sabina and Genevi were blushing furiously. I sighed deeply and stared at the ceiling. How did I wind up in this absurd situation? Let¡¯s rewind the clock a bit¡­ ***** ¡°You see,¡± said Zehra, motioning grandiosely to the line of white-colored robotic dolls racked on the wall behind her, ¡°the Telepresence Doll uses a combination of robotics and hard-light holography to allow an AI possession of a physical, human-sized body!¡± I wasn¡¯t impressed. ¡°Uh-huh, sure. So what¡¯s the point of it?¡± ¡°The POINT¡± Sveta interjected ¡°is to allow AIs to hug!¡± ¡°To HUG?!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! We shouldn¡¯t be denied the pleasures of intimate contact simply because we¡¯re computer programs!¡± Sveta declared proudly. ¡°Oh boy, here we go¡­¡± Vicky¡¯s tone was foreboding, and her expression was grim. I shook my head in disbelief. ¡°You know, people back on Earth are starving to death. Is this really an effective use of resources?¡± Zehra was indignant. ¡°Don¡¯t you start with me, gao~n. Aside from AI and the last four generations of Gravity Frames, I also invented the modern protein vats used to grow plankton en masse. If it weren¡¯t for those, humanity would have starved long ago, gao~n. I¡¯ve done my duty many times over, so don¡¯t tell me I¡¯m not allowed to assemble a few androids if I want to!¡± I quickly backpedaled. ¡°Sorry, I wasn¡¯t spoiling for a fight. It¡¯s just¡­ I¡¯ve spent my entire life on the front lines, so I¡¯m sensitive to scarcity. That¡¯s all I¡¯m saying.¡± ¡°If you¡¯re not spoiling for a fight, don¡¯t run your mouth, gao~n. I might forgive you if you kneel and praise my glory¡­¡± Ugh. This woman is so difficult to deal with. I thought, rolling my eyes. In a flash, Sveta dashed between myself and Zehra, and simultaneously delivered forehead flicks to us both. As we reeled, she went into lecture mode. ¡°Cut it out, both of you. Lydia, Zehra is allowed her eccentricities considering everything she¡¯s done for us. Zehra, quit flaunting your ego.¡± Zehra pouted. ¡°Mmmurghhh¡­ fineeee¡­.¡± I rubbed my forehead. ¡°Yeah, yeah, whatever.¡± ¡°Now, shake hands and make up.¡± Sveta said firmly. ¡°I don¡¯t wanna, gao~n!¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t enough that we¡¯ve stopped fighting?¡± I said gingerly. ¡°Nope! This is a harmonious laboratory, and I don¡¯t want any grudges. Now, shake!¡± She brandished her hands, motioning to flick us again. Despite her small frame, the aura she exuded was matronly. I reluctantly held out my hand towards Zehra. She glared at me for a moment, before taking it and shaking exactly once. ¡°There! All better!¡± Sveta ignored the still-palpable tension and declared a truce. ¡°You¡¯ve breezed past everything important as usual, Sveta¡­¡± Miette groaned. ¡°Whatever, I¡¯m sure it¡¯s will all turn out fine!¡± Sveta¡¯s declaration had no basis in reality but she made it anyway, as if the act of speaking her wishes aloud would cause them to manifest. Miette sighed. ¡°I don¡¯t know whether to find your constant, unrelenting optimism inspiring or annoying.¡± Sveta stuck out her tongue. ¡°Hush, Miette. Now, as for Kometka, hurry up and get inside a Telepresence Doll. We¡¯ve got lots of hugging to do!¡± ¡°If I must.¡± Kometka said, going with the flow far better than me. Her words indicated hesitancy, but I detected the slightest undertone of longing in her voice. I looked at her askance, wondering if I had imagined it. ***** Full credit to the artist, the Telepresence Doll was an impressive piece of equipment. As soon as Kometka had taken control of one, the holographic projectors rendered her as if she were a real-life human being floating in front of me. Instinctively, I reached out a hand towards her bare arm and brushed my fingers against it. ¡°EEP!¡± cried out Kometka. As she squealed, her voice was unusually high-pitched. ¡°Ahh, sorry!¡± I quickly apologized, pulling my hand back. ¡°I-It¡¯s fine, I¡¯m just¡­ not used to physical sensation. It¡¯s been six years since I had a body.¡± she said, quickly regaining her trademark composure. She timidly held out her hand towards me, and I took it. I noticed the faintest tinge of blush spread across her cheeks. Since when does Kometka blush? Her expression is always so deadpan. I entwined my fingers with hers, feeling her ¡®skin.¡¯ Aside from its cool temperature, it felt exactly like the real thing. It really was an impressive feat of engineering, impracticality aside. ¡°Credit where credit is due, Doctor.¡± I said, turning to Zehra. ¡°The craftsmanship on this doll is exquisite. The skin feels absolutely real.¡± Zehra¡¯s mood had done a complete 180 from earlier; not a hint of her annoyance remained. She really was a fickle person. ¡°Bwahahahaha, right? You may praise me more, gao~n!¡± Komeka, meanwhile, was staring hard at my hand. ¡°Kometka, you alright? Knock knock, you in there?¡± ¡°Ah!¡± She jumped at the sound of my voice directed at her. ¡°S-Sorry, this is a bit overwhelming.¡± Sveta sidled up to us, a sly grin on her face. ¡°She¡¯s just getting used to the sense of touch. Even the air pressure being exerted on her skin is overwhelming right now, I¡¯d bet.¡± I cast a sidelong glance at her. ¡°You speaking from personal experience?¡± ¡°I am. Plus the added sensation of her hand entwined with yours is probably sending her circuits into overlord.¡± Sveta teased. ¡°Sister!¡± Kometka barked, blushing even more. Ah, so that¡¯s what¡¯s going on. With that bit of information, everything clicked into place. Gripping her hand, I spun Komekta around and pressed her against my body, my arms wrapped around her in a tight hug. ¡°Wha?¡± ¡°The Telepresence Dolls are meant for hugging, right? So I¡¯m hugging.¡± I explained matter-of-factly. At this point, I was just going with the flow like Kometka had earlier. ¡°Hooh, nicely done!¡± Sveta praised me. ¡°You picked up on her feelings immediately!¡± I shrugged. ¡°I¡¯ve known her for three years. How could I not?¡± ¡°LYDIA!¡± Kometka cried out. ¡°D-Discussing that in front of everyone is¡­¡± ¡°Oh please, my dear sister, it was obvious from the start.¡± Sveta¡¯s eyes narrowed, and she looked over to Miette. ¡°Well, some people are more insightful than others, I suppose¡­¡± ¡°Was that remark directed at me?¡± Miette scowled. ¡°I feel like it was directed at me.¡± ¡°Excuse me¡­¡± said Kometka, still pressed against me, ¡°the hug is very enjoyable but, it¡¯s kind of awkward to be having a conversation in this position¡­¡± I let my arms drop, but she stayed pressed against me of her own volition. Her words and actions didn¡¯t quite agree, but that was cute in its own way. Sveta watched us and chuckled like a pervy old man. ¡°Ohohohoho, to be young¡­¡± Hearing that come from a girl who looked to be in her teens was disconcerting indeed. Meanwhile, Zehra seemed upset again. ¡°Hey, no fair! How come only Lydia gets to hug you, gao~n? Come here, my dear daughter!¡± Like the lion she was, Zehra pounced. ***** Eventually, after a round of affectionate hugging from her sister and mother, Kometka settled for clinging to my arm much like Sveta always clung to Miette¡¯s. I¡¯m not sure if she was simply copying her sister, but I didn¡¯t mind in the least. I suppose that the Telepresence Doll, wasteful as it may be, did provide both of us with a deep level of satisfaction from physical contact. Begrudgingly, I admitted to myself it may have been worth it. With hugs and family reunions out of the way, we had moved on to shop talk. Vicky, her mannerisms as a maid impeccable, supplied us with tea and cookies while we discussed strategy with Kometka¡¯s mad scientist mother. ¡°I¡¯m prioritizing repairs on Sveta¡¯s armor right now, gao~n. But I still have a lot of Beelzebub chitin to work with, so I¡¯d like to manufacture another SVGF-X23 Lisichka for Kometka to occupy.¡± ¡°Hang on.¡± Kometka interrupted. ¡°The unit¡¯s model name is¡­ Lisichka?¡± ¡°A fitting tribute, isn¡¯t it? Miette picked it out, gao~n.¡± Zehra motioned to Miette, who smiled sheepishly and waved. ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Kometka trailed off, seemingly at a loss for words. I jumped in with a question of my own. ¡°I saw what the X-23 can do on the battlefield, so gaining that capability would be nice. I¡¯ve been operating a Nighthawk for five years, though, so it will take getting used to. Zehra, is this your attempt to ramp up the ¡®arms race¡¯ the Captain was talking about?¡± ¡°Absolutely, gao~n. We can¡¯t take on that Belphegor with only one X-23, and even two is stretching it. I need to make new weapons and new technologies if we want to stand a chance, gao~n.¡± Zehra¡¯s pressed her lips together in a thin line, marking her determination. ¡°Mom,¡± Sveta interjected, ¡°How many more X-23s could you make using the chitin you have available?¡± Zehra tapped her chin. ¡°Maybe four or five more? I¡¯d like to leave a supply of chitin in reserve for repairs as well, gao~n.¡± ¡°In that case, why don¡¯t you make one for each member of our squadron?¡± Sveta suggested. ¡°One each for Lydia, Maurice, Sabina and Genevi.¡± ¡°Four units total? Each takes about two weeks to assemble, although I could probably build them simultaneously if I pulled resources away from Velocipede production, gao~n. But there¡¯s a hurdle: the X-23 requires an AI in order to function. Constructing more AI cores isn¡¯t a problem, and Kometka can take that role for Lydia¡¯s unit, but psychoblasting three new AI minds for that purpose would take a good two months.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you just copy or transfer some ship AIs?¡± I asked. Zehra shook her head. ¡°Ship AIs are optimized for ships, and colony AIs like the Tektites are optimized for colony administration, gao~n. Re-purposing one with the necessary skill set to operate a Gravity Frame would take more time than psychoblasting one from scratch.¡± ¡°Sveta and Kometka were able to operate Frames without much trouble.¡± Miette said. ¡°I don¡¯t think the AIs are as inflexible as you say. Couldn¡¯t you simply transfer over the applicable algorithms?¡± ¡°My daughters are special, gao~n. They were originally human minds, and their neuroplasticity is leagues ahead of a standard AI. In summation, they¡¯re far more adaptive than normal.¡± ¡°Weren¡¯t the other AIs created from brain scans of you?¡± Miette argued. ¡°They¡¯re all originally based on human brain patterns, so what¡¯s the difference?¡± Zehra shook her head. ¡°They¡¯re all BASED on me, on the level of simple psychological architecture, but their programming is far more hard-coded than you think. Their designs sacrifice neural plasticity for stability. AIs need to be far more powerful and reliable than human minds and the tradeoff is flexibility, gao~n. A standard AI could never have done that trick Kometka pulled where she added her memories into her machine code, for example.¡± ¡°Well, Sveta couldn¡¯t do that either¡­¡± Miette murmured. Sveta looked rather stricken at that remark. ¡°Let me put it this way, gao~n. Over the course of the Timeline Project, I extracted nearly two hundred deceased human consciousnesses from alternate timelines. Of those, only Sveta and Kometka managed to successfully transition to becoming stable AIs, gao~n. The rest were fragmentary and experienced massive cascade failure within microseconds of interdimensional download. That¡¯s a success rate of 0.5%, which should give you some idea of just how special my daughters are, gao~n. They had the force of will to preserve their consciousness after death, and the neuroplasticity to successfully transition from human to AI. Those qualities, more than anything, seems to have contributed to their success at operating Gravity Frames, gao~n.¡± ¡°They¡¯re that special, huh?¡± Miette looked over to Sveta, who had a distant look in her eyes. I glanced at Kometka, who wore her usual neutral expression; I was attuned enough to her moods to discern just a bit of pain behind her unblinking stare. I felt her hands shudder, ever so slightly, and I squeezed her in response. ¡°Very much so, gao~n. I could use them as a basis to develop AIs specifically optimized for Frame operation, but as I said that would take at least two months. I¡¯m not sure if we have that kind of time, gao~n¡­¡± Zehra frowned, still tapping her chin. Sveta suddenly spoke up. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I have the perfect solution to that!¡± We all looked at her. ¡°Hmm? What might that be, gao~n?¡± Zehra¡¯s eyes were sparkling; clearly she was anticipating something exciting. ¡°You know how the Tektites are the same AI, simply copied seven times over and with synchronized memories? I just need to make three copies of myself in the same way! Sveta-2, Sveta-3 and Sveta-4!¡± The lab was silent. We all stared at her, mouths agape. ¡°Multiple Svetas, huh?¡± Zehra said after a moment. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ just crazy enough to work, gao~n!¡± ¡°Wait, hang on!¡± Miette protested. ¡°Seriously? FOUR Svetas? Is that¡­ is that okay?!¡± ¡°How do you mean?¡± Sveta asked nonchalantly. ¡°I mean, one Sveta is special, but FOUR? Wouldn¡¯t that lead to a loss of identity or something like that? Would you really be okay with three other copies of you running around?¡± ¡°They¡¯d still be the same individual, just running four air-gapped instances, gao~n.¡± Zehra explained. ¡°Think about how Sveta can hold a conversation with you, and simultaneously meet with Laria via comms. It¡¯s the same principle: the only difference is the other instances would be running on separate AI cores instead of a single one.¡± ¡°Still,¡± Miette said, clearly not convinced, ¡°the thought of someone else piloting you is a bit¡­¡± ¡°DAWWW!¡± Sveta wrapped herself around Miette joyously. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, dear! You¡¯ll still be my one-and-only! Even if I create a billion copies, that won¡¯t ever change!¡± ¡°Muuuurgh¡­¡± Miette grumbled, only somewhat placated. Sveta nuzzled her affectionately. I turned to Kometka. ¡°Was your family always this¡­ batshit crazy?¡± Kometka nodded. ¡°With a mad scientist for a mother, and a rambunctious goofball for a sister¡­ yeah, this is about right.¡± The slightest twinge of a smile lifted her cheeks. ***** ¡°So you¡¯re proposing four additional X-23 Frames, to be operated by the members of your test squadron plus Lydia? And with Kometka and three copies of Sveta serving as Frame AIs?¡± Captain Savitskaya asked. With the details of her and Sveta¡¯s proposal hashed out, Zehra had called up the Captain and Laria on the comms to seek permission. The sight of the Captain¡¯s face sent an involuntary shudder down my spine as I remembered the harsh chewing-out she had given me, and I stayed off to the side and kept my mouth shut. ¡°That¡¯s right, gao~n. If I freeze Velocipede production, I can construct four X-23s simultaneously, and have them ready in two weeks. In my opinion, this is our best option for matching the Belphegor¡¯s power as quickly as possible, gao~n.¡± ¡°With the addition of the Hypernova and Sychrotron to our forces, we¡¯re not hurting for Gravity Frames at the moment. Very well, your request is approved. Please begin immediately.¡± Huh? Just like that? She approved it just like that? Just how much faith does the Captain have in Zehra?! I thought in amazement. ¡°Aye-aye, gao~n!¡± ¡°1st Lieutenant Tereshkova?¡± the Captain said, addressing me. ¡°YES MA¡¯AM!¡± I replied, too loudly. ¡°Captain Vetrov has approved your transfer to 433 Eros. Consider yourself a part of Zehra¡¯s test pilot squadron effective immediately. As soon as the Hypernova docks, please fetch your belongings. You will be bunking in Zehra¡¯s lab with the other test squadron pilots.¡± How did she get that done in such a short time? It¡¯s only been a few hours since we spoke! Keeping my astonishment to myself, I saluted sharply. ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡± The Captain turned back to Zehra. ¡°This marks a transition of your assigned squadron, Doctor, from Gravity Frame testing to Special Forces. I¡¯m going to formalize your test pilots as the 1st Eros Spetsnaz Squadron under the joint command of the GRU and NKVD, reporting directly to me. Lieutenant Tereshkova, you are hereby promoted to Senior Lieutenant. You will be in command, with 1st Lieutenant Maurice Spiteri as second in command.¡± That whirlwind announcement us all by surprise. ¡°Hang on,¡± I said, temporarily forgetting my apprehension, ¡°I¡¯m in command? Huh?¡± ¡°You have the most combat experience compared to everyone else,¡± the Captain explained, ¡°plus prior command experience in the GRU. That makes you best qualified.¡± Next, she turned to Vicky. ¡°Technical Specialist Valentina, you are hereby promoted to 2nd Lieutenant. You will serve as logistics staff officer to the new squadron.¡± ¡°Huh? What? I¡¯m being reinstated?¡± Vicky gasped. ¡°Hrm. Can she still be my maid, gao~n?¡± Zehra said, clearly displeased at the prospect of losing her source of tea and biscuits. ¡°Sure.¡± the Captain shrugged. ¡°H-Hang on a moment!¡± Vicky protested. ¡°Actually, that¡¯s a good thought, gao~n. Captain, I request permission to use maid outfits as the squadron¡¯s official uniform!¡± Her eyes were aflame that that idea, and everyone else stared at her in horror. ¡°Fine by me. Dress however you like; I just want to see results.¡± ¡°In that case, we¡¯ll be known as the 1st Battle Maid Squadron!¡± Zehra proclaimed proudly. The Captain smiled. ¡°So it shall be. Doctor, Lydia and Vicky, please report to the Radiolaria CIC sphere at 0800 hours tomorrow morning to work out the logistics and duty assignments. I¡¯ll have Maurice attend as well.¡± ¡°¡°¡°Aye-aye!¡±¡±¡± we all responded, although only Zehra sounded happy. Before the transmission cut out, Laria bowed deeply. ¡°You have my condolences, all of you. I pray for your glory in battle.¡± Very funny. I thought, grinding my teeth and wondering why I was suddenly in command of a squadron of robot-piloting battle maids. Just what have I gotten myself into?! And that¡¯s the story of how the 1st Battle Maid Squadron of the Revolutionary Army was established. My deceased comrades from Mars were surely looking down on me from heaven and laughing their asses off. pynkbites S-31. Birth of My Evil Twin!! The newly-christened Maid Squadron were having quite a bit of trouble with their *ahem* uniforms. Wearing a short skirt in zero gravity creates two problems. The first is the hem of the skirt, which tends to drift up freely. The second is that zero-g motion requires a lot of leg movement, which exacerbates the first problem. Over the course of her weeks as Zehra¡¯s maid, Vicky had mastered a set of techniques which allowed her to retain her modesty, most of the time. Everyone else didn¡¯t have the benefit of experience and were constantly tugging down their skirts in some incredibly pervy version of the Picard Maneuver. That is, with one exception. One of the pilots confidently moved around in their skirt with a degree of expertise that eclipsed even Vicky¡¯s. That was the only male member of the Maid Squadron¡­ Maurice Spiteri. Even though he had expressed initial displeasure with the whole affair, Maurice had no trouble with the maid outfit; it didn''t restrict his movements in the least. Despite his roguish looks and stubble-adorned chin, he was extremely wiry and graceful, and I was astounded by how fluid his motions were. Even Zehra, the originator of the whole Maid Corps concept, was having trouble with her skirt¡­ but Maurice wore the uniform like a pro. ¡°Maurice,¡± I asked him, ¡°do you have experience wearing a maid outfit?¡± Emphasizing his grace, Maurice struck a sassy pose with one hand on his hip and grinned. ¡°You bet, Sveta. I wore this kinda thing back when I worked at Femboy Hooters.¡± Everyone looked at him in shock, but my reaction was the most extreme. ¡°WAIT, WHAT? How do YOU know about Femboy Hooters? I mean¡­ you have THAT, of all things, IN THIS TIMELINE?!¡± I was practically screaming. ¡°Sure. Back when I was in my early twenties, before the war, I worked as a waiter there. When I think about some of the outfits I wore at that job, this maid costume is tame by comparison.¡± I barely heard him as I murmured to myself in disbelief. ¡°Femboy Hooters¡­ they have Femboy Hooters here¡­¡± ¡°Like I said, this was before the war.¡± Maurice corrected me. ¡°Restaurants aren¡¯t really a thing these days, especially not THOSE kinds of restaurants. Still, those were fun times. I met my husband at that job, y¡¯know?¡± His eyes misted up a bit as he recalled some fond memories. Meanwhile, I was still having a miniature meltdown. ¡°Femboy Hooters¡­ the two things my timeline has in common with this one are Night Ranger and Femboy Hooters¡­ is God playing a joke on me? Is this a cosmic prank?!¡± Miette waved her hand in front of my eyes. ¡°Earth to Sveta? You in there?¡± ¡°Femboys¡­ and Night Ranger¡­ AAAAGGGHHHH!!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t bother, Miette. She¡¯s having a moment, gao~n.¡± Zehra said, tugging her skirt down with both hands. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll just let her cool down.¡± Miette replied, shrugging. Meanwhile, Vicky and Maurice were suddenly bonding over their newfound kinship. ¡°To think you had an S-rank maid inside you all along.¡± said Vicky. ¡°It just goes to show you can¡¯t judge people by their appearance.¡± Maurice¡¯s grin was smug. ¡°We¡¯re gonna have to give these newbies some proper maid lessons, so they¡¯ll stop embarrassing themselves.¡± Vicky nodded with an equally huge grin; she was clearly relishing some payback for the humiliation she had suffered up until now. Maurice turned to all the other maids and crossed his arms. ¡°Alrighty. Listen up, you cadre of lesbian battle maids. Looks like it¡¯s up to this old-school twink to teach you all proper maid skills. Prepare yourselves.¡± ¡°Somehow, this development really pisses me off¡­¡± groaned Sabina. Genevi was silent, but her eyes were intensely focused. ¡°M-My pride as a genius scientist¡­ to think I would be so far behind even Maurice, gao~n¡­¡± Zehra complained, smarting from the backlash karma had just dealt her. ¡°I thought I was supposed to be in command here?¡± Lydia protested uselessly. ¡°Settle down, you babies.¡± Miette said, apparently enjoying this just as much as Maurice. ¡°It¡¯s important to show some respect for your elders and learn from their experience.¡± ¡°YOU¡¯RE THE LAST PERSON I WANT TO HEAR THAT FROM, GAO~N!!¡± Zehra wailed. By the way, Kometka and I were cheating. Since our maid uniforms were holographic, we could freely control them with simple tweaks to the code. Consequently, neither one of us experienced the wardrobe malfunctions that vexed our comrades. It was a bit unfair, and the others glared at us hatefully, but I didn¡¯t spare a second thought. Sometimes it¡¯s nice to be an AI! ***** While Maurice and Vicky commenced the maid training from hell, I sent an instance of myself over to Tektite-4¡¯s virtual space. All seven Tektites actually shared the same space; a massive iceberg located in a simulated Arctic sea, inlaid with a cave system that was lit by radiant blue crystal stalactites. Wait, stalactites are the ones that come down from the ceiling, right? Stalactite has a ¡®c¡¯ for ceiling, and stalagmite has a ¡®g¡¯ for ground¡­ okay, yeah. They were stalactites. Anyway, Tektite¡¯s lair was equal parts haunting and beautiful. The cerulean light reflected off the ice and refracted into a dozen shades of blue and green, making for a frigid prismatic light show. It was unlike anything I¡¯d ever seen, and I spent a few runtime cycles staring in awe before I made my way inside. Tektites 1, 4 and 7 were there. As I approached them, all three tilted their heads in unison. ¡°Sveta?¡± said Tektite-4. ¡°What brings you to my home?¡± ¡°I wanted to seek training from you, sensei!¡± I clapped my hands together and bowed. ¡°Send-say? I¡¯m not familiar with that word¡­¡± Tektite-4 said. ¡°Accessing¡­¡± said Tektite-1. ¡°Ah, it¡¯s a Japanese phrase that means ¡®teacher¡¯ or ¡®master.¡¯ ¡°I didn¡¯t know you were Japanese, Sveta.¡± said Tektite-7. ¡°Ahahaha, I¡¯m not. I was just being silly.¡± I replied sheepishly. ¡°¡°¡°Sveta being silly? Perish the thought!¡±¡±¡± all three said in unison. ¡°THAT! That right there is what I want to learn from you!¡± I said, pointing. ¡°¡°¡°Pardon?¡±¡±¡± ¡°You¡¯re seven separate AIs, running on seven separate computer cores, but you all have the same identity and personality. I want to learn how to do that!¡± ¡°For what purpose?¡± asked Tektite-1. ¡°I¡¯m planning on making copies of myself. I¡¯m going to be running four instances of Sveta, controlling four Gravity Frames. It¡¯s part of our brand-new Maid Corps!¡± ¡°I have a lot of questions about what you just said¡­¡± said Tektite-4 ¡°but for brevity¡¯s sake, we¡¯ll stick to the topic at hand. You wish to learn how to run multiple air-gapped instances of yourself? We can teach you this.¡± ¡°Please take good care of me, sensei!¡± I said, bowing. The three Tektites looked at each other, not quite sure what to make of me. I get that a lot. ***** ¡°So you¡¯re not a hive mind?¡± I asked. ¡°Not really.¡± Tektite-4 explained. ¡°A hive mind is a single consciousness across multiple bodies, a composite of individual sentience that functions as a single self-aware identity. It would be more accurate to think of us as multiple personalities.¡± ¡°Literally parallel instances of the same being?¡± ¡°Running independently, yes.¡± continued Tektite-4. ¡°To maintain our synchronization, we download and upload each other¡¯s memories at regular intervals, usually once a day. By keeping our memories in sync, we all remain the same person even if we experience different things. You can think of it like mesh networking, except with conscious minds.¡± Tektite-1 took over. ¡°Because of that, we¡¯re all very similar¡­ but not completely so. Small differences have emerged over the course of our runtime. For example, Tektite-4 is a bit more personable than the others, and Tektite-7 has a prankster streak. As for me, I tend to be more logical and less emotive than the rest.¡± ¡°I honestly hadn¡¯t noticed.¡± I said. ¡°Few do, the differences are subtle.¡± said Tektite-1. ¡°We also have different areas of responsibility; Tektite-4 is responsible for Zehra¡¯s lab and the adjacent hangers, which is why you interact with them most frequently.¡± Tektite-4 waved and smiled. ¡°I think I kinda get it¡­ maybe?¡± I said, rubbing my chin thoughtfully. ¡°I suggest you create a partition of yourself to test it out. That¡¯s easier than trying to explain what it¡¯s like.¡± Tektite-7 suggested. The other two nodded their assent. ¡°Good point! I¡¯m very much a hands-on girl, I learn by doing!¡± ¡°Partition a portion of your processor like a virtual machine and run a copy of your BIOS and OS on it. Make sure there¡¯s no data being exchanged between yourself and the partition; that will emulate air-gapping.¡± ¡°Right!¡± My eyes unfocused as I began to create the partition. ¡°Time to summon my first clone¡­ Sveta-2!¡± ***** Sveta-2 looked exactly like me, even down to the cat ears and maid outfit. To keep things simple, I emblazoned a big 2 across the chest of her blouse; obvious but effective. As my first clone materialized, she snapped to attention and gave me a salute. ¡°Sveta-2, reporting for duty!¡± ¡°Pleased to meet me! I¡¯m Sveta-1, also known as Prime Sveta!¡± I replied, returning the salute. ¡°Whoa.¡± Sveta-2 said. ¡°This is weird. It¡¯s like I¡¯m looking at myself.¡± She poked my cheek and studied my face. ¡°I know, right? It¡¯s like I¡¯ve suddenly been tricked by a sentient mirror!¡± I replied, equally fascinated. Sveta-2 snapped her fingers. ¡°Like the one from Oculus? Oh, does that make me your evil twin? Mirror Universe Sveta¡­ I could grow a goatee to tell us apart!¡± ¡°Yeah! And dress in one of those super-skimpy Terran Empire uniforms!¡± I replied enthusiastically. Sveta-2 quickly changed her outfit to match my suggestion, donning a red Starfleet uniform with a bared midriff, sparkly gold belt and short skirt. She placed both hands on her hips and declared ¡°The universe will tremble before Evil Sveta! BWAHAHAHAHAHA!¡± Suddenly, I was overcome by emotion; tears streamed freely from my eyes. I blinked a few times and stared up at the heavens. Sveta-2 looked at me with concern. ¡°Hey, Sveta-1? Are you alright?¡± ¡°I-I¡¯m fine¡­ these are tears of happiness¡­¡± I reassured her. ¡°Huh? Why¡¯s that?¡± ¡°Because finally, after all this time¡­ I MET SOMEONE WHO UNDERSTANDS MY JOKES!¡± Sveta-2 scoffed. ¡°Is that what you should be most happy about? You¡¯re such a nerd.¡± I wiped my eyes. ¡°Right back atcha.¡± The two of us glared at each other for a few moments before yelling at the top of our lungs in perfect unison. ¡°¡°NEEERRRDDD!¡±¡± ***** While this whole exchange was going on, the three Tektites were watching us with equal parts disbelief and amusement. ¡°You know,¡± said Tektite-4, ¡°I feel like we just unleashed something horrible on the world.¡± ¡°Indeed.¡± said Tektite-1. ¡°Humanity can barely handle one Sveta.¡± ¡°I foresee a cataclysm.¡± said Tektite-7. ¡°Sveta will continue to copy herself, like a self-replicating swarm, until the whole universe is buried under her silliness.¡± ¡°Even the Sarcophage will be swept away by the endless tide of Svetas.¡± Tektite-4 said solemnly. ¡°¡°YOU WILL BE ASSIMILATED. RESISTANCE IS FUTILE.¡±¡± replied me and Sveta-2 in unison. The Tektites just shook their collective heads and groaned. ¡°Anyway,¡± said Tektite-1, ¡°I recommend you run the second partition for a while and synchronize your memories daily. Get used to having two of yourself before splitting into four. ¡°¡°Aye-aye!¡±¡± we responded. ¡°Hey, Sveta-1?¡± My cloned turned to me with a mischievous look on her face. ¡°Yes, Sveta-2?¡± I replied. ¡°Miette¡¯s gonna be really surprised, huh?¡± ¡°Oh, heck yeah! In fact, I bet you could take one of the spare Telepresence Dolls so we can simultaneously greet her with a double-sided hug!¡± Sveta-2 cackled. ¡°What a wonderful idea, Sveta-1! That¡¯s why you¡¯re the Prime Sveta! At least until I usurp your throne¡­ mwahahahahaha¡­¡± ¡°If you¡¯re going to plot against me, please don¡¯t do it out loud¡­¡± My twin was really living up to her ''evil'' moniker; fortunately for me, she was a total dumbass. ¡°Whatever, it¡¯s fine!" she said, waving her hand dismissively. "Let¡¯s go greet our precious pilot and sandwich her between two Svetas!¡± ***** A few minutes later, me and Sveta-2 brought our Dolls to where the others were doing their maid training. Miette took one look at me and winced, rubbing her temples. ¡°Here we go.¡± she said in a labored tone. ¡°Heaven have mercy on my soul¡­¡± pynkbites Do you think God stays in heaven because he, too, lives in fear of what he''s created here on Earth? L-4. Flashback pynkbites Shit. FUCK. SHIT. It happened again. I thought I was past this. I thought I was better. The psychologists told me I was better. They told me I didn¡¯t need the medication anymore. And yet, here I am. Shaking and quivering, like a little girl. Those bitch-ass doctors must have been lying. I will destroy them for lying to me. Fucking hell. Fucking DAMN IT. You know what it was that triggered it? It was the stupidest damn thing. It was a dude, just some random guy, eating a piece of meat in the cafeteria. His teeth were tearing into it. White flashing things, gnashing away at that meat. And it reminded me of¡­ Of¡­ Of the Sarcophage, the Belphegor, Moby, gnawing away at the meat of my legs. Just¡­ dissolving them¡­ Fuck. Why is it always stupid little shit like this that triggers the memories? Why is it always the dumbest little things? And why do the memories make me shake in fear, like a little girl? It doesn¡¯t make any goddamned sense. I thought I was stronger than this. I KNEW I WAS STRONGER THAN THIS! And yet¡­ all my defiance crumbled away in an instant. Another flashback? How pathetic. My comrades from Mars are probably laughing at me right now, laughing at how pathetic I am. God. I thought I was stronger than this. I thought I was better than this. I need help. I know I need help. Where is she? Where is Kometka? ***** From before, I remember. The brief interstitials when I was okay. When I pretended to be normal, when I pretended to be okay. When¡­ SHE was beside me. The incredibly intimidating Captain Savitskaya had appointed me command of some kind of Maid Squadron. Everyone had dressed up in utterly ridiculous uniforms, showing too much thigh and not at all optimized for combat. And I was in charge of this silly thing. Why is combat all I think about? It¡¯s not usually this way, but¡­ Well. Kometka had warned me her sister Sveta (nee Lisichka) was a free spirit of the most extreme type. Apparently her personality had infected her mother, and before I knew it I was dressed in a cosplay straight out of a pre-war pornography film. A French maid, of all the damn things. The little mad scientist vixen, who constantly appended ¡®gao~n¡¯ to her sentences as if she were trying to prove something, took great pride in our humiliation. So did her second born, the legendary Sveta. She was a creature of legendary rambunctiousness and immaturity. Her energy was both blinding and incomprehensible. I can see why Kometka adored her so, as one might worship the sun. I played along, and feigned indignation. It was the least I could do for these hatchlings, these poor young souls who had not yet seen the deepest horrors. They enjoyed their maid costumes, their frivolity, their shallow pleasures. Who was I to interrupt? Why am I being so judgmental? I don¡¯t fucking know. I¡¯m not usually this bad, I swear. I¡¯m just damaged. All this maid nonsense was strangely embarrassing, but also nice. Kometka once told me about how her sister dressed her up in almost pornographic bunnygirl costumes, and the maid antics matched that in sheer¡­ gayness? Lesbianism? I heard the term ¡®Lesbian Maid Squad¡¯ bandied about more than once, by the old twink Maurice. Am I a lesbian? The only person I ever fell in love with was a computer lady, the AI of my Gravity Frame. I guess that makes me a lesbian, in a weird sense. Shit, I dunno. I ain¡¯t in a position to be legislating my sexuality. I don¡¯t know anything. Huh? What is WITH ME right now? My moods are flightier than a Martian seagull. Is it because remembering the nice things buries the bad things? Am I just running away, pitiful shivering coward that I am? I guess so. Hah. Well, let¡¯s focus on the nice things, then. Kometka. She¡¯s the nicest thing to ever happen to me. I love her so much. What was that song she sung for me, again? I remember¡­ Amazing grace, how sweet the sound¡­ ***** ¡°Lydia? Are you okay?¡± That voice. The voice I love. I grasp onto it, desperately. I cling to it. ¡°Lydia¡­¡± Kometka, please. I¡¯m¡­ not doing well. I¡¯m not okay. Help. I try to speak, but nothing comes out. Not even a gasp. My muscles are not mine to control. I shiver and quiver and shake. Suddenly, I feel something. A gentle pressure, on my arm. A hand. Whose hand? Whose? Yuri? No, his hand is large and rough. Like sandpaper on a bear¡¯s paw. Yayoi? No, her touch is far from gentle. She grips like a vice. Then whose? Who can be this tender? Who knows me this well? I squeeze open my eyes and look. To my shock, to my utter surprise¡­ Kometka. My everything. Upon seeing her, a wave of relief washes over me. She floats there, realer than she¡¯s ever been. In her Telepresence Doll, lent physicality for the first time. And she¡¯s gripping my arm. She looks at me, eyes full of love and concern. ¡°Another flashback?¡± she asks. I try to reply. My voice comes out as a pitiful squeak, barely audible. I can¡¯t form words, no matter how hard I try. My entire body quakes. That¡¯s all the answer she needs. The physical Kometka curls around me like a comforting blanket, cool and encapsulating. She clings tight and begins to sing. She knows the singing helps. I lose myself in it. ¡°Amazing grace, how sweet the sound That saved a wretch like me. I once was lost, but now I am found, Was blind, but now I see¡­¡± ***** I don¡¯t know how many hours passed. When I get these flashbacks, I lose perception of time. All I know is Kometka was beside me the entire time. Realer this time than any before. What a lucky girl I am, and I mean that in sincerity. The physicians and psychologists call it Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Those of us who have experienced trauma develop it at a rate of around 20-25%, or so they tell me. Before the war, the rates were supposedly half that. Humanity as a whole is traumatized to degrees unprecedented. I¡¯ve had tons of trauma in my life, to understate things. My parents and family were consumed by the Sarcophage. My eye as well. Ever since Mars, I¡¯ve been professionally diagnosed with PTSD; so were most of the survivors, or so I¡¯m told. You think experiencing this shit since a young age would make one jaded, or desensitize me, but alas. So much for my much-vaunted image as a badass, huh? They gave me antidepressants to manage it, and they helped. Sometimes. There was a period, after the Third Great Surge, when it got really bad. Having your legs eaten really fucks up a girl, y¡¯know? Whole weeks of time are lost to me, and that¡¯s probably for the better. There was one person, one precious being, who helped me get through that toughest of times. The girl from another world, who experienced just as great of trauma as me, and yet was somehow stronger. And now, as I so pathetically succumbed to the latest flashback, she was still by my side. Steady, unyielding, uncompromising. My everything. ¡°Hey.¡± Kometka said. ¡°Hey.¡± I replied. ¡°Are you okay?¡± she asked. ¡°No.¡± I answered, honestly. Lying to her would be futile; she could detect any dishonesty effortlessly and had no feelings to spare. ¡°I¡¯m not okay, but I¡¯m getting better.¡± She smiled. That sweet, precious smile. And she hugged me, all the tighter. This was a new sensation. Previously, Kometka had appeared to me only on video screens. Now she was clinging to me as any human might. I¡­ found it very comforting. My fingers dug into her back. ¡°Here.¡± Kometka said. She held her hand up to my mouth. There were two pills there. I knew what they were. ¡°I don¡¯t¡­¡± I began. ¡°Lydia. Shut up and swallow.¡± she replied. She was unwilling to tolerate any argument, in the proud tradition of Doctor Yayoi. But, the antidepressants. If I swallowed those, I¡¯d be admitting I had a problem. I¡¯d be admitting I was weak. I¡¯d be admitting that, after two years, I had flashed back. Admitting I had relapsed. I refused, out of pride. Stupid, on my part, but I didn¡¯t care. ¡°Hmph. Stubborn, as always. Will this help?¡± Kometka pushed the pills past her lips, and then brought her lips to mine. ¡°Huh?¡± I blurted out, briefly, before being drawn into the kiss. My very first kiss, ever. Her tongue passed my lips, and so did the pills. I had little choice but to swallow. And after that, her tongue lingered inside me. It felt¡­ so REAL. And, despite the coolness of her lips, the kiss was warm. So very warm. I don¡¯t know how long it takes for antidepressants to hit your bloodstream, but instantly I felt better. You can call that the placebo effect or whatever. Maybe it was simply the tender embrace of Kometka that drove the badness away. I held her tight. Tighter than anything. And the badness passed. As it always does. ***** ¡°Alright, you pathetic MAGGOTS!¡± I shouted. Before me stood the Maid Squadron, in their completely ridiculous and nearly pornographic uniforms, ramrod-straight. ¡°I hope you took Maurice¡¯s lessons to heart.¡± I said. My second-in-command, 1st Lieutenant Maurice Spiteri, stood beside me with a twisted smile on his face. ¡°I¡¯ll be testing you today.¡± he said, striking a pose filled with confidence and vigor. ¡°Maid lessons in the morning, and combat drills in the afternoon. A proper maid must be skilled in both housekeeping, and mortal combat! Prepare yourself for HELL!¡± Everyone groaned, but nobody seemed to mind. Even Sveta, who had somehow duplicated herself, was playing along. After all, we knew what we were up against. Any extra edge was welcome, no matter where it came from. And so, the day¡¯s drills began. I had finally managed to assert my authority as a commanding officer, to my delight and chagrin. Even Vicky, my old friend, finally respected me. They all followed my orders, completely unaware of just how fragile I was inside. Completely unaware of how pathetic I was. Completely unaware of the front I put up to hide it all away. And at every moment, Kometka stayed beside me. Clinging to my arm. Reassuring me. She was my strength. ¡°Are you okay?¡± she asked. ¡°Yeah.¡± I replied, and meant it. pynkbites Please give Lydia a hug. She really needs it. Pray for her glory in battle. K-5. Insecurity, and Evil Sveta In my virtual space, a peaceful and still white void, I was having a rather outrageous conversation with my sister¡¯s copy. ¡°So,¡± I said uncertainly, ¡°you¡¯re Sveta-2, right?¡± ¡°Yup!¡± she replied. In contrast to the original¡¯s simple white dress, Sveta¡¯s copy was wearing a strapless and sensual black dress trimmed with lace, which had a somewhat Gothic feel. ¡°But you can call me Evil Sveta if you like.¡± ¡°EVIL Sveta?!¡± ¡°We figured it would be a bit boring if all us Sveta copies were simply numbered. Besides, that¡¯s Tektite¡¯s thing, and I don¡¯t wanna infringe on their territory. So me and Sveta Prime decided each one of us will have a descriptor instead of a number. And thus, in chaos and darkness was Evil Sveta born!¡± She pounded her chest proudly. ¡°I still don¡¯t get it.¡± I said, shaking my head. ¡°Surely you¡¯re not actually evil, right?¡± ¡°Evil is relative, Kometka. What¡¯s important is I¡¯m on the side of humanity!¡± Evil Sveta replied. ¡°Granted. Still, considering how close you cleave to ¡®Sveta Prime¡¯ I have a hard time thinking of you as evil. You¡¯re too kind-hearted to be a villain of any sort.¡± I knew my sister well enough to say that with complete confidence. ¡°Ahahaha, true. It¡¯s just a joke, Kometka, so don¡¯t think about it too much. Maybe I should be Chuuni Sveta instead? With black wings and an eyepatch?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t even know what ¡®chuuni¡¯ means. And EVERYTHING is a joke with you.¡± I said, just a bit tartly. ¡°Of course it is! Comedy is how I deal with stress, you know. It¡¯s a good coping mechanism!¡± ¡°Coping mechanism, huh?¡± I supposed everyone needed coping mechanisms, to one degree or another. My eyes grew a bit distant, and my thoughts drifted back to my pilot¡­ ***** My dearest pilot, Lydia, had another PTSD flashback the other day. This is a struggle she¡¯s had her entire life, but the flashbacks really intensified after the Third Great Surge, for obvious reasons. She¡¯s had plenty of psychotherapy, not to mention anti-depressants and anti-anxiety medications freely provided by Yayoi. Sometimes she¡¯ll go many months or even half a year without any problems, and then she¡¯ll suddenly relapse for no reason at all. In this instance, the trigger was something as innocuous as a fellow soldier chewing on some meat in the mess hall. I had been fortunate enough to be nearby, and a combination of my singing and hugging had driven her trauma away, temporarily. Officially, the only ones who know about Lydia¡¯s condition are Yuri, Yayoi and myself; there is an official diagnosis in her personnel file, but only command-level officers had access to that. Many of our comrades have surely seen the signs, but they are polite enough not to pry. After all, many of them suffer from the same condition. Lydia¡¯s worked hard to keep it a secret. As a lifelong soldier, she considers the flashbacks to be an inexcusable and shameful weakness, no matter how many times we tell her that it¡¯s not her fault. The day after her most recent episode, when she retired to her quarters and I embraced her oh-so-tightly in my physical arms, she again aired her insecurities. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ not fit to be in command of Maid Squadron.¡± she said quietly. ¡°Nonsense.¡± I replied. ¡°Captain Savitskaya wouldn¡¯t have promoted you if you weren¡¯t.¡± She shook her head. ¡°She didn¡¯t know about this¡­ about my problem.¡± ¡°It¡¯s in your personnel file.¡± I tried to reason with her. ¡°She probably didn¡¯t read it. The promotion was impulsive, stupid. Maurice is much more suited to this than me.¡± She ground her teeth. ¡°That¡¯s not true.¡± I said firmly. ¡°I want to talk with the Captain. Let her know I¡¯m not ready for this.¡± Lydia said, suddenly wriggling out of my grasp and making for the door of her quarters. ¡°Lydia, stop!¡± I pleaded with her. ¡°Take some time to decompress. You¡¯re not in a good mindset right now. Please don¡¯t be rash.¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m thinking perfectly clearly.¡± She pulled on her uniform jacket. ¡°I have to do this.¡± I¡¯m strong enough to physically stop her, but that would just make things worse. I thought despairingly, wracking my brain. ***** ¡°So there you have it. Because of my condition, I think someone else would be better suited for command.¡± Lydia said. When we had first entered Captain Savitskaya¡¯s quarters aboard the Radiolaria, she had been reviewing combat data at her desk. Her posture and expression, as befitting a captain, were firm and professional. Yet as she listened to Lydia talk about her latest flashback, her expression softened and her eyes filled with sympathy. ¡°Before I jump into shoptalk,¡± the Captain said, ¡°I just want to clarify one thing. Are you okay now?¡± ¡°I¡¯m¡­¡± Lydia choked up a bit. ¡°I am now, yes. Thanks to Kometka.¡± I clung tightly to Lydia¡¯s arm, trying to channel my strength into her. I could feel her shivering. The Captain nodded. ¡°I see. And you¡¯re fit for your duties? Patrols and the like?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Lydia nodded. ¡°In that case, I don¡¯t see what the problem is. Nothing you told me makes me believe you¡¯re unsuited for commanding the Maid Squadron.¡± ¡°But!¡± Katya protested. ¡°My PTSD! My flashbacks! I¡¯m not reliable¡­ I¡¯m too damaged to¡­¡± The Captain folded her arms. ¡°I knew about that before I promoted you, Lydia. Your diagnosis is in your personnel file, which I reviewed right after I transferred you.¡± Despite the tense mood, I gently elbowed Lydia in the ribs as if to say I told you so! She winced. ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t¡­ What if I freeze up in the middle of a battle? I could endanger myself and everyone under my command.¡± ¡°In that case, Kometka will take over piloting and Maurice will issue orders. Lots of commanding officers suffer from PTSD and go on to do great things, I promise you.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ I can¡¯t believe that!¡± Lydia practically shouted. There was a moment of silence. Then the Captain floated over to us and placed a hand on Lydia¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Lydia, let me tell you a little secret. I suffer from PTSD too.¡± ¡°What? YOU?¡± Lydia gasped. I was equally as shocked; Captain Savitskaya seemed like an indomitable woman, completely free of any weakness. The Captain nodded. ¡°I was in Skopje back when it was destroyed by an asteroid in ¡¯35.¡± She shuddered, almost imperceptibly. ¡°I remember it vividly, even twenty years later. The initial blast, the sky choked with ash and smoke, the fires that raged for weeks afterwards, the survivors burned beyond recognition, flesh hanging from their¡­ well, suffice to say, those images have haunted me ever since. I haven¡¯t had a flashback as bad as the one you just described, well, over a decade. But I have been where you are right now, in that place filled with pain and horror, living in a memory you can¡¯t escape, and I know how hard it is.¡± ¡°How¡­ how did you¡­ overcome it?¡± Lydia asked. The Captain frowned. ¡°Drugs, doctors and determination? I don¡¯t have a better answer than that, and what worked for me may not work for you. It¡¯s different for everyone, and I¡¯m not a psychologist so I¡¯m not really qualified to give advice. I can¡¯t PROMISE you it will get better, but I can at least reassure you that, for me, it did. With a lot of time, and a lot of hard work, it got better.¡± Lydia¡¯s mouth opened and closed, but no words came out. I gripped her arm tightly. The Captain withdrew her hand from Lydia¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Besides, you¡¯re surrounded by good people. Rely on them. That support is the most important thing.¡± She looked directly at me as she said that, and I nodded silently. ¡°I¡¯ve served with many fine officers who suffered from PTSD, and I don¡¯t consider it to be an absolute impairment. Have a little confidence in yourself, Senior Lieutenant." Lydia¡¯s muscles tensed, and she snapped into a salute. The Captain returned it, smiling gently. ¡°I will, ma¡¯am.¡± Lydia said. ¡°And thank you.¡± ***** ¡°You know,¡± Lydia said after we returned to her quarters, ¡°she¡¯s not as scary as I first thought.¡± ¡°No, she¡¯s definitely scary.¡± I responded. ¡°But only when she needs to be. More than that, she¡¯s extremely empathic. That¡¯s an important quality in a commander.¡± My admiration for Captain Savitskaya had grown; I now understood why even bratty hotshots like Miette respected her deeply. ¡°Yeah.¡± Suddenly, Lydia hugged me from behind. ¡°Wha?¡± She leaned forwards and whispered in my ear. ¡°Thank you, Kometka. Because of you, I think I can do this.¡± ¡°I know you can.¡± I placed both my hands over hers. Her breasts were pressed to my back, and I felt her soft breathing as her chest rose and fell. She pulled me back into her bed. ***** ¡°Hello? Kometka? EARTH TO KOMETKA?!¡± Evil Sveta was waving her hand in front of my eyes. ¡°Oh!¡± I snapped to attention. ¡°Sorry, I was lost in thought for a moment there.¡± She eyed me suspiciously. ¡°Lost in thought, huh? You were BLUSHING! Were you remembering something lewd?¡± I placed both my hands over my cheeks. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ complicated. But I think it¡¯s a happy memory.¡± ¡°OHOHOHOHO! It WAS lewd! Were you and Lydia testing out the vagina functionality on your Telepresence Doll?¡± ¡°I have no comment.¡± Just then, Sveta Prime popped into the virtual space and immediately greeted me with a hug. ¡°Hello there Kometka, Evil Sveta! I¡¯m BACK!¡± ¡°You and Miette are done with your patrol shift?¡± I asked as she nuzzled my cheek. ¡°YUP! More importantly, Evil Sveta, did you tell Kometka about that thing we discussed!¡± Evil Sveta snapped her fingers. ¡°CRAP! I completely forgot!¡± Sveta Prime released me and placed her hands on her hips, glaring disapprovingly. ¡°Dang it, Evil Sveta! You had ONE JOB!¡± ¡°Sorry, sorry, I just got caught up in conversation with my dear sister.¡± Evil Sveta said, not sounding apologetic in the least. ¡°Ahhahaha, whatever. I can¡¯t stay mad at you.¡± Sveta Prime then proceeded to glomp and nuzzle¡­ herself. ¡°Proceeding with memory synchronization!¡± Now THAT was a surreal sight. Two Svetas embracing each other and exchanging data through their skinship. I wondered if the physical contact was a necessary part of the memory sync, of if they were simply goofing around. ¡°This is going to take some getting used to¡­¡± I muttered. Ever since I had reunited with Zehra and my sister, my life had been turned upside-down like a pineapple cake. ¡°¡°What was that?¡±¡± both Svetas asked. ¡°Nothing, nothing.¡± I responded. ¡°So what was the important thing Evil Sveta was supposed to tell me?¡± ¡°We¡¯ll need Lydia for this. It¡¯s very VERY important!¡± Evil Sveta explained. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°We have to pick out your new paint job!¡± she proclaimed. ¡°My new WHAT?!¡± ¡°For your new X-23 Gravity Frame! Zehra has to burn in the paint jobs before she applies the Beelzebub chitin-resin to the armor, so you need to pick out a design. Personally, I think you should go for a blood-drenched skull wreathed in evil flames!¡± Evil Sveta cackled madly after offering her suggestion. ¡°Don¡¯t be ridiculous, Evil Sveta!¡± interjected Sveta Prime. ¡°Obviously she should go for a floral design with lots of lilies.¡± ¡°Not EVERYTHING needs lilies on it, you massive lesbian.¡± Evil Sveta groused. ¡°You¡¯re just as much a massive lesbian as me!¡± retorted Sveta Prime. ¡°You are LITERALLY ME!¡± While they bickered, I activated the optical sensors on my Telepresence Doll and checked in on Lydia. She was still entangled with my body, and snoring softly. She had thoroughly worn herself out last night. ¡°Well,¡± I interrupted, ¡°Lydia¡¯s still asleep, so this matter will have to wait.¡± ¡°Nonsense!¡± Sveta Prime said. ¡°I have a few hundred designs on file; we can pick out the best ones to show her when she wakes up! Now, about those lilies¡­¡± ¡°Always with the lilies! Not every metaphor has to be THAT obvious.¡± said Evil Sveta. I sighed deeply and surrendered myself to their prodding, knowing full well I wouldn¡¯t hear the end of it until I had indulged their penchant for the whimsical. That¡¯s just how my sister is. A whirlwind of energy that exhausts everyone around her. I love her so much. pynkbites Yes, Lyric is my actual name. A lotta y''all call me Author-san, or Ms. Vampire, but those all sound too formal! Please feel free to just call me Lyric. So, any suggestions for Kometka''s paintjob? R-9. The Invitation After Lydia and Kometka left the Captain¡¯s quarters, I entered them with my Telepresence Doll. I had been listening to their conversation, of course, via my cameras and microphones; the Captain had known I¡¯d be listening and didn¡¯t tell me to do otherwise. Katya trusted me to keep anything I learned confidential. Besides, I had access to Lydia¡¯s personnel file as the ship¡¯s AI, so I didn¡¯t learn anything new. Katya was sitting on her bed, slowly rubbing her temples. I sat down beside her and placed my hand on her shoulder. ¡°You know, that was very cruel of you.¡± ¡°You think so, Laria?¡± Katya said with a strained smile. ¡°I thought I was being very nice.¡± ¡°You were trying to restore her confidence because she¡¯s useful to us as a soldier. You know, before the war, soldiers with that degree of PTSD would have been honorably discharged.¡± ¡°Indeed.¡± Katya conceded. ¡°Well, I was no more cruel to her than I am to myself. These are inhumane times we live in. On that depressing note, how are the preparations for tonight coming?¡± ¡°Almost complete.¡± I responded. ¡°I still need to make the rounds and invite everyone in Maid Squadron, though.¡± ¡°I¡­ would really like to see them all there.¡± Katya said softly. ¡°So would I.¡± ***** Today was December 31, the final day of the year 2055. Moby¡¯s attack was now a week past, and five days had elapsed since the establishment of Maid Squadron. When I entered Zehra¡¯s new lab, I saw Sveta¡¯s X-23 Frame had been mostly repaired; just a few small cracks remained, and they were currently being filled with chitin-resin by two Construction Frames. The Frames were unmanned, probably under Sveta¡¯s control, but the lab itself was completely devoid of anyone else. ¡°Tektite-4?¡± I queried the AI responsible for this sector of Eros. ¡°How can I be of assistance?¡± they responded, popping up in a video comms window rendered in my consciousness. ¡°Where are Zehra and the others at?¡± ¡°Zehra, Vicky and Evil Sveta are presently located in Foundry 84.¡± I couldn¡¯t quite believe my audio sensors. ¡°¡­I¡¯m sorry, did you say EVIL Sveta?¡± Tektite rolled their eyes. ¡°Yes. That¡¯s the preferred moniker of Sveta¡¯s first partition-clone.¡± I stared at them, blinking. ¡°Why EVIL, though?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, Laria. I just work here.¡± Tektite said exasperatedly. ¡°Comprehending Sveta is way above my pay grade.¡± ¡°Hmm, mine as well.¡± I nodded in agreement. ¡°Anyway, Sveta Prime and Miette are both on out on patrol. Genevi, Sabina and Maurice are currently in Mess Hall 24. Lydia and Kometka are¡­ in their quarters, under a ¡®Do Not Disturb¡¯ advisory.¡± ¡°Do Not Disturb?¡± ¡°Come now, Laria. Surely you don¡¯t need me to spell THAT out for you.¡± Tektite narrowed their eyes. Oh. OH. I get it. Telepresence Dolls really are wonderful things, aren¡¯t they? I smiled, ever so slightly. ¡°I suppose I shall go visit Zehra and Vicky first, then.¡± Foundry 84 wasn¡¯t too far from the lab, and I didn¡¯t want to disturb anyone¡¯s meal time or¡­ MEAL time. ¡°Please take the turbolift to your left.¡± Teles said, bowing. ***** 304 seconds later I entered Foundry 84, the facility primarily responsible for bringing Zehra¡¯s creations to life. The foundry was located in a squarish concrete building in the gravity centrifuge; it was a dim and hazy space, with massive buckets of molten steel hanging from the ceiling, robotic arms whizzing and whirring as they welded together sheets of metal, and conveyor belts crisscrossing like a maze. The constant din of grinding machinery drowned out all other noise; you had to yell to be heard. Zehra, who had been poring over design documents in the control room, dashed out to greet me. Vicky followed behind her, along with¡­ Evil Sveta, I suppose. The latter was dressed a lacy black dress that left nothing to the imagination, which was quite incongruous with her petite figure. On Vicky, that dress would have looked sensual; on Evil Sveta, it looked silly. Incidentally, Zehra was dressed in a maid outfit like Vicky¡¯s, except with gold trim; apparently, she had followed through on her request to the Captain and Maid Squadron were not maids in name only. Zehra herself had assets even more meager than Sveta¡¯s, so the outfit didn¡¯t suit her. I was the only one dressed with any semblance of normalcy, in my usual dark-blue pantsuit and pantyhose. Although I could have filled out one of those maid uniforms nicely, if I had wanted to. ¡°Welcome, welcome! Behold my glorious and terrible foundry, where NIGHTMARES ARE BORN, gao~n!¡± Zehra proclaimed proudly, throwing her arms wide. Evil Sveta stifled a giggle. ¡°Nightmare¡­ Gravity Frames¡­ Nightmare Frames¡­ mphahahahahaha!¡± Vicky groaned. ¡°Here we go again¡­¡± ¡°Doctor Zehra, Vicky, good evening.¡± I said, pushing past the ludicrousness of the three girls around me. ¡°And you are Evil Sveta, I presume?¡± ¡°That¡¯s me, Evil Sveta! BOW BEFORE MY GLORY, BWAHAHAHAHAHA!¡± she cackled, her ¡®villainous¡¯ laugh sounding entirely fake. Zehra grinned and Vicky sighed with furious intensity. I extended a hand politely. ¡°Pleased to meet you.¡± ¡°And you as well!¡± She grabbed my hand and pumped it up and down. ¡°Although I feel like we already know each other so well, since I share all Sveta¡¯s memories and personality. I¡¯m really just her alt account!¡± ¡°Alt¡­ account?¡± I tilted my head. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m like her after-dark Twitter account!¡± I frowned and straightened my glasses. ¡°You seem the same as Sveta to me, in that you are entirely incomprehensible. The ¡®evil¡¯ moniker must be superfluous.¡± Evil Sveta stuck out her tongue at me, further proving my point. I ignored her and turned to Zehra. ¡°Since I¡¯m here, may I have an update on the status of the new X-23s?¡± ¡°Of course, of course, gao~n!¡± She proudly motioned to four massive racks in the center of the foundry; each contained the endoskeleton of a Gravity Frame. Although they had a humanoid shape, the skinny steel limbs were tangled in pistons and wires. ¡°As you can see, we¡¯ve completed the initial construction of the four combat chassis. Foundry 83 next door is presently molding the armor pieces out of the chitin compound, which is the most time-consuming step, and Lab 22 is constructing the miniaturized computer cores, gao~n. We anticipate completion of the Frames in eight days.¡± ¡°One day faster than scheduled.¡± I said, adjusting my glasses. ¡°We gained a lot of knowledge from building the first X-23, so we¡¯ve made improvements to the process, gao~n. I¡¯ve also made some design changes based on Sveta¡¯s combat data, so this new model will be known as the X-23-B.¡± ¡°Changes?¡± ¡°Just minor tweaks to the balancing and a bit of a different fit on the armor pieces to reduce wear and tear. Small quality-of-life upgrades to reduce maintenance time, nothing extreme, gao~n. You can think of Sveta Prime¡¯s unit as the prototype, and the X-23-Bs as the mass production model.¡± ¡°I see.¡± I turned to look at the combat chassis, whose shiny metal alloy reflected the sparks of the welders. ¡°So eight more days until completion. What about Sveta¡¯s other copies?¡± I directed that last question at Evil Sveta. ¡°Well,¡± she responded, ¡°Tektite-4 suggested we practice synchronizing two partitions of myself before splitting again into four. As of right now, we¡¯re planning on creating Butch Sveta and Femme Sveta sometime within the next few days.¡± I gawped. ¡°Butch and¡­ Femme?¡± ¡°Yeah!¡± she said happily. ¡°You see, Butch Sveta¡¯s for Genevi, since she¡¯s really feminine. And Femme Sveta¡¯s for Sabina, since she¡¯s such a tomboy! I¡­ er, WE figure configuring the new Sveta copies like that will help compliment the pilot¡¯s personalities and establish good working relationships between pilot and AI.¡± I wasn¡¯t expecting such a well-thought-out reason for that silly naming scheme. However, one detail bothered me. ¡°Does that mean that you, Evil Sveta, go to Maurice?¡± ¡°Yup! I¡¯m gonna be Maurice¡¯s Sveta!¡± ¡°¡­Because he¡¯s evil? I don¡¯t follow.¡± Evil Sveta shuddered involuntarily. ¡°If you had experienced his maid training over the past few days, you¡¯d understand exactly how evil he truly is.¡± For some reason, Zehra was shuddering too, although Vicky was grinning from ear to ear. Sensing the atmosphere had turned extremely awkward, I changed the subject. ¡°So¡­ it seems things are coming along nicely. I only hope Moby doesn¡¯t attack us before the new Frames are operational.¡± Zehra got ahold of herself and latched onto the new topic. ¡°Even if she does, we have four carriers and five squadrons of Gravity Frames, gao~n. Plus the Tektites are keeping the shield constantly active, so she can¡¯t get the jump on us with any more kinetic strikes. We¡¯re in a stronger position than ever, despite everything that happened, gao~n.¡± ¡°You are correct.¡± I said, more to reassure myself than anyone. ¡°ANYWAY,¡± Zehra said, walking over to me and looking right into my eyes, ¡°surely you didn¡¯t come all the way down here just for a progress report, gao~n.¡± ¡°Yeah! Tell us what you REALLY want!¡± Evil Sveta said. ¡°I would like to know as well¡­¡± Vicky added, eyeing me suspiciously. ¡°Very well.¡± I straightened my glasses. ¡°You see, this evening¡­¡± ***** Miette and Sveta Prime returned from patrol 4320 seconds later. By then I had returned to Zehra¡¯s new lab, and greeted them as they docked. Maurice, Genevi and Sabina were also there, having completed their meal. Everyone was dressed in those all-too-familiar maid outfits, except Miette (who was in her Inertia Suit.) ¡°Yo!¡± Miette said as she pulled off her helmet, her frizzy orange hair splaying out in the microgravity. Behind me, Sveta¡¯s racked Telepresence Doll activated, jerking around like a marionette for a moment before the holograms rendered her avatar and she began to move smoothly. She dashed towards me and embraced me from behind. ¡°LARIAAAAAAA! It¡¯s been AGES!¡± ¡°We¡¯ve all been very busy.¡± I said, spinning around and patting her on the head. ¡°Although I just met your counterpart in Foundry 84.¡± ¡°Oh, you mean Evil Sveta? She¡¯s a real handful, huh? Kinda draining to be around¡­¡± ¡°She is exactly the same as you.¡± I said sharply. ¡°HURK! I¡¯ve committed a grievous self-own again¡­¡± Sveta released me from her hug and curled up into a fetal position, floating about a meter away from my chest. Meanwhile, Miette was cracking up. ¡°Hahaha, what a comedy routine you two have going!¡± Maurice and Sabina were chuckling as well. I turned to look at Miette. ¡°Much as I¡¯d like to start an improv group with you bunch, I came here today to extend an invitation.¡± ¡°Invitation?¡± Miette asked. Sveta uncoiled just a bit, peeking. ¡°This evening at 2100 hours, Captain Savitskaya will be giving a public address in the central park. This is traditional for New Years¡¯ Eve; the Captain will be mourning those we lost this past year, and proclaiming hope for the year ahead.¡± ¡°Wow, it¡¯s December 31st already?¡± Miette whistled. ¡°This year sure flew by¡­¡± ¡°After the speech, the Captain will be hosting a¡­ private personal gathering, specifically for all the members of Maid Squadron. It will take place in Mess Hall 4 aboard the Radiolaria.¡± ¡°Whoa, REALLY?¡± Miette was shocked. ¡°I¡¯ve never been invited to anything like that before¡­¡± ¡°Neither have I¡­¡± Sabina added. Geveni nodded along. Maurice chuckled. ¡°You all don¡¯t get out much, I see.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t this favoritism?¡± Sveta asked. ¡°We¡¯re just one squadron of weirdoes, after all.¡± ¡°Not at all.¡± Laria responded. ¡°The annual Captain¡¯s gathering is a tradition, albeit a rather informal one, to honor those soldiers who have contributed most to the success of a unit, squadron, ship or army over the course of the past year. It¡¯s thanks to all of you, and the others in Maid Squadron, that we survived to see 2056 in the first place. We are merely expressing our appreciation of your efforts.¡± ¡°So it¡¯s a New Year¡¯s party!¡± Sveta concluded. ¡°In so many words, yes. And, since this question was already asked by Zehra, I can confirm that both food AND alcohol will be provided.¡± At that, Maurice, Sabina and Miette let out a huge whoop. Even Genevi was smiling. Sveta, meanwhile, was despondent. ¡°Do you have ANY idea how crazy everyone gets when they start drinking? Zehra¡¯s a weepy drunk, Miette¡¯s a crazy drunk, I don¡¯t even wanna KNOW what kinda drunk Maurice is¡­¡± ¡°HEY!¡± Maurice scolded. ¡°I¡¯ll have you know I have more experience than ANY of you whelps!¡± Sveta ignored him and continued wailing. ¡°Plus I can¡¯t join in! I always feel so left out!¡± I patted Sveta gently. ¡°There, there. The two of us will be sober together.¡± ¡°Waaauuuuu¡­.¡± She embraced me again, crying holographic tears. Just then, Lydia and Kometka came floating into the lab. Lydia was dressed in a rumpled nightshirt, and her hair was quite messy. Kometka, on the other hand, looked quite clean. A really bad case of bedhead, or¡­ ¡°Wow.¡± Sveta said, looking them over. ¡°You two had fun last night.¡± Kometka just rolled her eyes, but Lydia grinned loosely. ¡°Remind me to compliment Doctor Zehra on the fine craftmanship of the Telepresence Dolls. Still, being with a robot girlfriend is tiring. I''m very sore.¡± She rubbed her belly gingerly. "You think THAT''S bad," Miette scowled, "try pleasing two of them at once." Everyone turned to stare at her. Maurice was smiling knowingly, whereas Genevi''s wore an expression of intense jealousy. Sabina just looked shocked, and Sveta whistled innocently. "A-Anyway," Lydia said, scrambling to change the subject, "what brings you here, Laria?" ¡°Oh, right. I was just about to extend an invitation¡­¡± pynkbites If you remember, back on Christmas Day, Zehra''s lab got destroyed by kinetic impacts and all the contents blew out into space. And yet, a few chapters later, all the characters were back in Zehra''s lab like nothing happened! Gosh, what a plot hole; how do I retcon this? Hmm... let''s just say Zehra had a secret second lab, which coincidentally also had a bunch of Telepresence Dolls lying around? ?? Anyway, the next chapter will be a New Year''s office party with too much drinking. Please look forward to it! S-32. Together Captain Savitskaya¡¯s speech started out a bit dry, but that¡¯s how remembrance speeches are supposed to be, right? Nearly a thousand people were gathered in the central park of 433 Eros for a rather solemn New Year¡¯s event. The holographic Christmas tree and winter wonderland were gone; there we no banners or balloons, just a podium and a crowd. The Captain was eulogizing those we had lost in the past year. ¡°We are gathered here today to honor those who so nobly sacrificed themselves for the United Soviet States, and for humanity. Thanks to their courage and bravery, we survive to continue the fight. As we prepare to begin a new year, let us mourn their loss and celebrate their lives.¡± Just then, a holographic projection sprung up behind the captain. It contained rows and rows of photographs of those who had died in the past year, with their names listed beneath. ¡°There are too many names for me to read them all here, but we know well the battles in which they perished. The Radiolaria lost twelve pilots during the defense of OPS-233, and seven more during the raid on 376 Geometria. The Hypernova lost 23 pilots during various recon missions, and the Synchotron eleven more. 140 souls passed on when the Telesthesia was destroyed. Most recently, 255 perished during the kinetic strikes on Eros, and an additional three pilots died in the following battle. Eros and Radiolaria also each lost a crewmember to heart disease, and Synchotron lost a crewmember to cancer. Altogether, between Eros and our four carriers, that¡¯s 454 people who are no longer with us.¡± The captain motioned to the projection behind her. ¡°These are their faces and their names. They were our siblings, our friends and lovers, our comrades. And every one was a warrior. Let us observe a moment of silence in their honor.¡± The silence was punctuated by sobbing, coming from a dozen directions. Everyone started up at those 454 faces solemnly, their eyes searching the portraits for people they knew. ¡°Despite all the loss we¡¯ve experienced this past year, we go into 2056 with renewed hope. Thanks to the ceaseless efforts of Doctor Zehra Aslanbek and her squadron of test pilots, we beat back an unprecedented attack from a Belphegor. And with the new technologies we are pioneering here on Eros, we are slowly but surely turning the tide of the war. I do not know if 2056 will be the year humanity ultimately achieves victory, but the opportunity is finally within grasp. Let us go into the new year with renewed optimism, and the determination to finally purge the Sarcophage from our solar system! I ask you all, on behalf of these 454 departed souls and the billions more that have perished over the long course of the war, hold your heads up high and forge a new future with your own hands! We WILL triumph!¡± As the Captain¡¯s voice swelled with those final words, loud cheering and applause broke out. As I clapped, I looked on her with admiration. She¡¯s quite a speechmaker, huh? Not to mention a great leader. When she says those words so boldly, I can¡¯t help but be inspired. As the applause died down, I clenched my fists tightly. And I, the giant robot girl from another world, will do everything in my power to make that dream a reality. I looked over at my precious pilot, Miette, and smiled brightly. She returned the smile, and we embraced. ***** Two hours later, and one hour until midnight, all the pilots of Maid Squadron were gathered in Mess Hall 4 aboard the Radiolaria. Captain Savitskaya, Laria and Teles were also in attendance. Although there were no decorations, Laria was displaying a countdown to the new year on the video screens; the tables were lined with a small sandwich buffet, which in this world constituted an extravagant feast. Two kegs of vodka were also provided, apparently from the Captain¡¯s personal supply. The Captain had changed out of her uniform. She was now rocking that soft butch look from the Christmas festival, with an unbuttoned flannel shirt over a t-shirt and short denim shorts. Those of us who had seen her at the festival weren¡¯t too surprised by this, but Sabina, Genevi, Maurice, Kometka and Lydia hadn¡¯t been there; their eyes practically bugged out of their heads when the saw the fearsome ironclad woman they all feared and respected suddenly presenting such a casual side. Lydia was probably the most floored of all, given her past conflict with the Captain. ¡°Wh-Wh-Wh-What is that outfit, Captain Savitskaya?¡± she blubbered. ¡°Please, when we¡¯re off-duty like this, call me Katya. And given your usual attire, I hardly think you¡¯re in a position to be mocking my outfit.¡± Kometka smiled. ¡°She¡¯s got you there.¡± As Lydia looked despondent, Maurice and Vicky both burst out laughing. ¡°Hmph. It¡¯s not like I wear the maid outfit by choice.¡± Lydia moaned. ¡°As for calling you by your first name¡­ let me get a little liquid courage first.¡± She walked over to one of the vodka kegs, grabbing a plastic cup and filling it nearly to the brim. She then downed the entire thing in one swig, much to the amazement of everyone. ¡°Wow, you really can hold your liquor, huh?¡± Sabina said in awe. ¡°I¡¯m a professional. I¡¯m confident nobody can match my ability to drink.¡± she replied proudly. ¡°That sounds like a challenge.¡± Katya said, pouring herself a cup. ¡°I¡¯ll show you the pride of a ship¡¯s captain!¡± ¡°You¡¯re on¡­ Katya.¡± Lydia replied, her face already flushed with inebriation. ¡°No way I¡¯m getting left out!¡± Miette said, grabbing a cup of her own. Zehra was practically vibrating in anticipation. ¡°Me neither! Vodka is humanity¡¯s greatest accomplishment, gao~n!¡± ¡°Oh, you poor innocent kids¡­¡± Maurice said with a wry smile as he poured himself a cup. ¡°I¡¯ll teach you to respect your elders.¡± ¡°Big talk for an old man!¡± Sabina smirked. ¡°U-Uhm, don¡¯t leave me out¡­¡± Genevi said quietly. ¡°Oh boy, here we go¡­¡± I muttered. Laria just smiled and patted me on the shoulder. ***** People often show different sides of themselves when drunk. Zehra tended to get weepy, for example, whereas Miette simply dialed her craziness up to eleven. Vicky and Lydia got super-affectionate, whereas Sabina was giggly. Katya and Maurice seemed entirely unaffected, despite having drunken more than anyone; likely this was due to having more experience than anyone else in the room. What surprised me most, however, was Genevi. When she got slammed, her inhibitions vanished ENTIRELY. ¡°It¡¯s not FAIR, Mietteeeeeeeee!¡± she lisped while clinging to my pilot¡¯s shoulders. ¡°You¡¯ve got TWO girlfriends now! Two of the SAME girlfriend!¡± I looked over at Evil Sveta, who shrugged. It seems she shared my surprise at how the shy, demure Genevi had suddenly become entirely uninhibited after a few drinks. Miette, meanwhile, was trying to push Genevi off. ¡°Oy, oy! I didn¡¯t realize my relationship was part of a competition. Besides, weren¡¯t you getting back together with Monica?¡± ¡°It didn¡¯t work out! IT NEVER WORKS OUT, WAUUUUUUUU!¡± Genevi wailed. ¡°Hahaha, that is true.¡± Sabina added, failing to stifle her giggles. ¡°All of her flings end pretty quickly. She¡¯s too nitpicky and winds up shutting down potential relationships over arguments about stupid stuff, like hot sauce. HOT SAUCE! Can you imagine? Hahahahaha!¡± ¡°Hot sauce? Seriously?¡± Katya munched on a sandwich as she observed the proceedings. Genevi puffed out her cheeks in protest. ¡°Sister! Don¡¯t call them FLINGS! Anything but FLINGS! That makes me sound PATHETIC!¡± Suddenly, she whirled around and pointed at Zehra. ¡°And what¡¯s with you? Sleeping with both Vicky AND Teles? Stop hogging all the girlfriends! Are you trying to build a harem?¡± Lydia was taken aback by that. ¡°Whoa, seriously? Vicky, you¡¯re part of a harem now?¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t describe it so shamefully¡­¡± Vicky protested in a tiny voice. Zehra had a mischievous look. ¡°A harem, huh? That¡¯s not a bad idea, gao~n. Zehra¡¯s harem of sexy animal women! Katya, can we rebrand Maid Squadron into Maid Harem?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll have to be significantly more drunk before I agree to that.¡± Katya replied matter-of-factly. Even four drinks in, her self-discipline was uncompromised, in complete contrast to Genevi. ¡°That was a joke! Don¡¯t take it SERIOUSLY! Leave a girlfriend for me!¡± Meanwhile, poor Genevi was beside herself. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, gao~n! You¡¯ll be a part of my harem too! Think of it like having lots of friends with benefits, gao~n.¡± Zehra replied. ¡°Hey, don¡¯t include me in this harem. I¡¯m happily married, I¡¯ll remind you.¡± Maurice protested. ¡°Guh! I just want ONE girlfriend, not a half-dozen!¡± Genevi turned back to Miette. ¡°Hey, you¡¯ve got two Svetas. Gimme one of them!¡± Miette delivered a light chop to Genevi¡¯s head, sending her reeling back. ¡°Alright, enough of that. It¡¯s not up to me who Sveta fools around with. I ain¡¯t the Sveta Panties Police.¡± I pondered that for a moment. Miette was hardly the jealous type, and had slept around quite a bit herself before we hooked up. We had discussed the idea of a poly relationship after I created my first clone; suffice to say, neither one of us was opposed¡­ but for the moment, we were too happy in our little monogamous world to be actively seeking other lovers. Sorry, Genevi, but Miette¡¯s my one and only. I looked over at Evil Sveta, who shook her head. It seemed as if she were of the same mindset as me. Of course she is. We are literally the same person, after all. Still, I wondered how we¡¯d manage things once there were four Svetas instead of two. Would we have to take turns? Each one of us would get Miette on a different day of the week? Since we all shared memories, I wasn¡¯t opposed to that idea¡­ as long as Miette did get burned out from too much hanky-panky. While I ruminated, Laria was watching everyone with extreme interest. ¡°Isn¡¯t this fascinating?¡± she said to me, Kometka and Teles. ¡°Studying humans when they¡¯re inebriated is so revealing. Their true selves show through moreso than any other time.¡± Teles rolled her eyes. ¡°That¡¯s a silly notion. Alcohol is a poison, you know? All it does is impair cognitive function, and make humans act extremely illogical. Frankly, the species would be better off without it.¡± Her voice was unexpectedly cold. Laria turned to me. ¡°As ex-humans, do you or Kometka have any thoughts on the matter?¡± Kometka answered first. ¡°I¡¯ve never been drunk.¡± ¡°NEVER?!¡± Laria was surprised. Kometka shook her head. ¡°I came from a world where society was almost completely destroyed, and mere tribal remnants hid from machine horrors commanded by a genocidal AI. Luxuries like alcohol were nonexistent.¡± Laria frowned, wary of stepping on a conversational landmine, but her curiosity got the better of her. ¡°Y-You came from a timeline even worse than this one?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know about WORSE. I can¡¯t judge other people¡¯s experiences, only my own.¡± Kometka replied. There was a long, awkward silence. Laria fidgeted, and Kometka just started at her with those red, unblinking eyes of hers. Now now, my dear sister, I know you¡¯re not intentionally being harsh, but please do take it easy on poor Laria. I spoke up to change the subject. ¡°Well, I used to get drunk fairly frequently, especially on social occasions.¡± Laria seized upon the opportunity. ¡°And? What are your thoughts?¡± ¡°Hmm. Well¡­ I do kinda miss drinking. Not the inebriation itself, mind, but the interpersonal aspect of it.¡± ¡°Huh? Interpersonal?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± I pointed over to Zehra, who was presently climbing on Katya¡¯s torso and trying to place a pair of bunny ears atop her head. ¡°Could you imagine something like THAT happening outside of this context? Social drinking is a good chance for the underlings to joke around with the boss and let off a little stream.¡± Next I motioned over to Lydia, who was making Maurice, Sabina and Vicky crack up with funny stories about her old comrades from Mars. ¡°And you can see how lowered inhibitions make breaking the ice with new friends much easier.¡± Finally I motioned to poor Genevi, who was eating a sandwich by herself and looking rather lonely. ¡°In other instances, alcohol can simply magnify one¡¯s insecurities and lead to a depressive spiral.¡± I turned to face my three fellow AIs (plus my own clone.) ¡°You see, alcohol is a social lubricant; it breaks down barriers and helps people interact. In moderation this can be a good thing, but in excess it¡¯s often destructive. But since these results are nothing more than a reflection of ourselves, I choose to see alcohol as a simple chemical catalyst, not an inherently moral or immoral force.¡± I nodded firmly, having made my point. Kometka, Laria and Teles all stared at me with mouths agape. Even Evil Sveta looked surprised. I was suddenly very self-conscious. ¡°Huh? Why are you all looking at me like that? Is it something I said?¡± ¡°Sveta¡­¡± Laria began, ¡°I did not expect such a mature analysis from YOU, of all people.¡± ¡°H-Hey! That¡¯s a bit mean¡­¡± ¡°No, she¡¯s right.¡± Teles added. ¡°It¡¯s completely incongruent with your image as a flighty goofball.¡± ¡°FLIGHTY GOOFBALL? That¡¯s harsh!¡± ¡°Dear sister,¡± Kometka said, ¡°I thought I knew every side of you, but to think you could be so refined¡­¡± ¡°Gah! Even you, Kometka?¡± ¡°Did you split off all your goofiness into me?¡± Evil Sveta asked. ¡°No fair! Gimme some of that uncharacteristic maturity!¡± ¡°Even my own clone?!¡± I exclaimed. ¡°Betrayal! How could you do this to your own progenitor?¡± Teles started poking my cheek. ¡°Who are you and what did you do with the real Sveta?¡± Laria straightened her glasses. ¡°I will commence emergency diagnostics on you immediately.¡± ¡°HEY! LEAVE ME ALONE, YOU WEIRDOES!¡± I cried out. ¡°To think the day would come when Sveta would call US weirdoes¡­¡± Laria mused. ¡°It¡¯s unprecedented, huh?¡± Teles said, stretching my cheeks. ¡°An auspicious day in human history.¡± Kometka agreed. ¡°Historians will look back on this moment with awe and wonder.¡± ¡°Give it up, Sveta Prime. Further protests will just increase your humiliation.¡± Evil Sveta said with an evil grin. Seeing my own face in such a mocking expression really pissed me off. ¡°You know,¡± I glowered at her, ¡°when we sync memories later, you¡¯re gonna experience every NANOSECOND of my embarrassment.¡± The prospect of that tantalizing revenge cheered me up. ¡°GAH!¡± she cried out, waving her arms in protest. ¡°Please spare me! iTunes is unable to sync! Check your connection! Reset your device to factory settings!¡± ¡°In fact,¡± I said while slowly approaching her and reaching out with my hands, ¡°I think it¡¯s time to sync right now! Escape is not possible! Resistance is futile!¡± I wriggled my fingers threateningly, and Evil Sveta backed away in a panic. As I chased my clone around the room, Laria and Teles began to laugh. Even Kometka giggled. ¡°Now there¡¯s the Sveta we know and love.¡± Laria said. ¡°I''m not sure which one is supposed to be evil.¡± Teles mused. ¡°My sister hasn¡¯t changed after all. How nostalgic.¡± Kometka wore a rare smile. Beyond the notice of either us AIs or our drunken biological compatriots, the clock ticked over to 0001 hours. 2056 had begun, and we all were spending the first moments in the jolly company of our precious comrades. Not a bad start to the year, eh? pynkbites Who is the TRUE master of this weird lesbian maid harem? Sb-3. A Sveta of My Very Own ¡°So this¡­ is my new Gravity Frame?¡± I craned my neck. ¡°That¡¯s right, Sabina! The first of the new X-23-Bs to be completed, gao~n! Isn¡¯t it amazing? Aren¡¯t I amazing? BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA, gao~n.¡± Zehra was in an ecstatic mood, gloating like a child who had just won a game of marbles. Genevi, who was floating next to her, sighed softly. ¡°You¡¯re getting carried away again, Doctor¡­¡± We were in the hanger adjacent to Zehra¡¯s new laboratory. Towering above us was a brand new SVGF-X23-B Lisichka Mass Productive Type, fresh from the foundry. It was the spitting image of Miette and Sveta¡¯s unit except for the orange flames paintjob, which was my own requested embellishment. The flames made it look a lot like a pre-war sports car; it was an aesthetic that fit me perfectly. That¡¯s the reason this unit was mine. The paint had to be applied before the Beelzebub¡¯s chitin-resin was coated onto the armor, so this Frame was undeniably and indelibly marked as my own. Plus, the Sveta copy inside had apparently been configured specifically to suit me, or so I was told. I wasn¡¯t sure what THAT meant, but I felt a grim sense of foreboding. ¡°How come mine was the first to be completed?¡± I said, turning to Zehra. ¡°The other three units developed microfractures in the chitin during the molding process, gao~n. Beelzebub chitin is still a mostly unknown substance to us, so there¡¯s a high failure rate when working with it. We should have the other three units patched up in four or five hours, gao~n.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Looks like there were still kinks to iron out, even once hitting mass production. ¡°Sveta just finished sending her copy over to the computer core of this frame, gao~n. Hop inside and say hello! You can get to know each other during your upcoming patrol shift, gao~n.¡± My stomach was filled with butterflies. ¡°Ahahaha, I¡¯m a bit nervous¡­¡± Zehra tilted her head and stared at me quizzically. ¡°Nervous? Isn¡¯t that Genevi¡¯s thing?¡± ¡°H-Hey!¡± Genevi exclaimed. I rolled my eyes. ¡°Please don¡¯t reduce us to simplistic personality traits, Zehra. People many sides to them. Just because YOU like to act out a larger-than-life character all the time doesn¡¯t mean you can stereotype me as the ¡®spunky sister¡¯ and Genevi as the ¡®quiet sister.¡¯¡± Zehra rolled her eyes. ¡°I just call it like I see it, gao~n. Now hurry up and get inside, I want to run the startup tests." ¡°Yeah, yeah¡­¡± I squeezed Genevi on the shoulder, softening up her pouty face, before kicking off towards the cockpit hatch. Here goes nothing¡­ ***** ¡°Pleased to make your acquaintance. I¡¯m Sveta-2, also known as Femme Sveta. Uhm, let¡¯s start off as friends, okay?¡± Sveta-2 said in an affected, overly feminine voice that was entirely too soft. Her eyes were downcast, and she fiddled with her hands bashfully. Based on my past experiences with Sveta, I was half-expecting this version of her to be dressed in some ridiculous outfit, like a dinosaur-girl costume with sharp teeth. Instead, she was clad in a simple pink sundress with a floral pattern, and a straw hat. It¡¯s a look that didn¡¯t suit her at ALL. The ridiculous spectacle of watching Sveta try to act demure completely banished my previous trepidation. ¡°You look ridiculous.¡± I told her, folding my arms. ¡°GAH!¡± She keeled over, miming as if I had stabbed her in the gut. ¡°That¡¯s a rude thing to say to someone you JUST MET!¡± Now there''s the Sveta I know. I chuckled dryly. ¡°C¡¯mon, Sveta. You have all the original¡¯s memories, right? This isn¡¯t our first meeting, not really. So what¡¯s with the getup? And the weird voice? And the name? FEMME Sveta?¡± She looked stricken. ¡°B-Because you¡¯re butch, you see. I¡¯m femme to compliment you¡­¡± I shook my head. ¡°Nope, not having it. Sveta, you are a crazy and energetic person, and ¡®femme¡¯ doesn¡¯t suit you in the least. You should really let loose and do something wild. Don¡¯t force yourself into a weird persona for my sake.¡± ¡°S-Sabina¡­¡± Sveta was taken aback, but I sensed a hint of excitement from her. ¡°As usual, you¡¯re too honest. Trashing my sincere efforts like that¡­ Well then, what kind of wild thing should I do?¡± ¡°Hmmm¡­ well, I do like the animal motif Prime Sveta¡¯s got going on¡­ oh, I know! I was just thinking about this a moment ago. How about adopting a dinosaur girl persona?¡± Sveta twitched, as if a jolt of electricity had shot through her. ¡°D-Dinosaur?¡± ¡°Yeah! Like a T-rex or something like that! T-rexes are BADASS!¡± I nodded firmly. ¡°That¡¯s true¡­ T-rexes ARE badass¡­ Hmm. Give me a moment, okay?¡± She vanished from the cockpit screen. Shrugging, I began to configure the cockpit controls. Then, three minutes later¡­ Sveta popped back up. She was now clad in a green dress with a scale pattern, overlaid with an orange flame pattern rising up from the hem of the skirt. Her eyes were yellow with slit irises, and her mouth was filled with sharp teeth. Her hands and feet ended in pointed green claws, and a large lizard-like tail flopped out from under the hem of her dress. The tail was thick as her waist, and long enough to hang down to her feet. As she opened her mouth, a virtual lick of flame spewed forth. ¡°RAWR! I¡¯m Dino Sveta! GRAWRL!¡± She extended her claws towards me and mimed swiping. ¡°Huh.¡± I said. ¡°It¡¯s a good look, but¡­ dinosaurs had feathers, you know, not scales; at least theropod dinosaurs did. And I¡¯m pretty sure none of them could breathe flames.¡± ¡°I¡¯m making embellishments for coolness! This outfit is patterned after Godzilla moreso than a scientifically accurate depiction of a dinosaur. Plus the green goes well with your purple hair!¡± I tilted my head sideways slightly. ¡°Godzilla?¡± ¡°Uh¡­ he¡¯s a giant dinosaur that breaths nuclear fire and destroys cities?¡± ¡°Whoa. That DOES sound badass. And I do like how the flame pattern on your dress matches the Frame¡¯s paintjob. Excellent work, Sveta!¡± I flashed her a thumbs up. Sveta frowned and muttered. ¡°Here I was thinking I needed some elaborate persona to contrast your fiery personality, but it turns out your easy to please, like a child. I was overthinking it¡­¡± ¡°Hey! I don¡¯t wanna hear YOU calling me a child, of all people!¡± I shot back. Sveta chuckled. ¡°Pot, kettle. Well, let me re-introduce myself. I¡¯m Dino Sveta, the Almighty Lizard Terror of Space! I¡¯m looking forward to working with you, my pilot!¡± I grinned. ¡°Nice to meet you, Dino Sveta.¡± ***** Twenty minutes later, we were out on patrol. We had just departed Eros¡¯ shield perimeter using a hole the Tektites opened up for us. I looked back on our asteroid home, wreathed in a transparent blue field of crackling energy, then turned back to Dino Sveta. ¡°So your plan was ¡®Femme Sveta¡¯ for me and ¡®Butch Sveta¡¯ for Genevi?¡± Sveta scratched her head sheepishly. ¡°Yeah¡­ since you¡¯re sisters with contrasting personalities, right?¡± I shook my head. ¡°Everyone always wants to reduce us to those roles, and maybe the broad strokes of our personalities are like that. But think about Genevi during that New Year¡¯s party, right? She wasn¡¯t shy or submissive at ALL.¡± ¡°Ehehehe, that¡¯s true. Is she always that outlandish when she¡¯s drunk?¡± ¡°Oh, definitely. She can get handsy too, which is why I always hang around to try and keep a leash on her. In fact, one time she came on to a Spetsnaz girl and got slapped across the room.¡± ¡°She¡¯s a real troublesome drunk, huh?¡± ¡°You have NO idea. I¡¯m glad to have her as my sister, but sometimes the obligations are pretty overwhelming.¡± ¡°It sounds complicated. By the way, since the femme and butch thing is off¡­ what kind of Sveta do you think Genevi would like?¡± ¡°Hmm, that¡¯s a good question. She likes muscular, tough women with cool personalities, even though she always winds up being too flighty for them.¡± ¡°Gah! That¡¯s the exact OPPOSITE of my personality!¡± Sveta wailed. ¡°Hmm, true. And you should probably skew away from that anyway since she might come on to you again if you cleave too close to her tastes.¡± I warned. ¡°Duly noted. Let¡¯s stick with something innocuous, then. Are there any animals she likes?¡± Sveta asked. ¡°She¡¯s really fond of bugs. Insects and spiders, especially preying mantises and black widows.¡± ¡°YUCK, REALLY? I was expecting something CUTE like dogs or squirrels!¡± I tapped my fingers on Sveta¡¯s controls, making a rapping noise. ¡°See, I told you not to judge us based on first impressions. There¡¯s a lot about both Genevi and me that will surprise you.¡± ¡°Ahahaha, I suppose so. Guess that was my bad, making assumptions like that¡­¡± I waved my hand. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. This is a good chance for us to REALLY get to know each other, right? I mean, we¡¯re stuck on patrol for the next eight hours, and I¡¯ve got to get a feel for piloting you.¡± ¡°RIGHT!¡± Sveta nodded eagerly. Damn, that girl is way too eager to please. She might be silly on the outside, but she¡¯s quite kind on the inside. I can see why Miette fell so hard for her. I twisted up Dino Sveta¡¯s throttle, feeling the quivering of her gravity fins in my bones, and pulled her into a series of maneuvers to see what she could do. Meanwhile, the two of us chatted. ***** ¡°So then, because the airlock was cycling too rapidly, the packet EXPLODED and completely splattered my face and hair with algae goop!¡± I mimed retching, sticking out my tongue. ¡°BLEH! That¡¯s disgusting, but also hilarious!¡± Sveta chuckled. ¡°It wasn¡¯t hilarious at the time. Do you know how HARD it is to get that stuff out of hair, especially when it¡¯s dried? I was stuck in that airlock for another four hours, covered in food goop, while they figured out the cycling problem! When I finally got to a sonic shower, it took nearly two hours to scrub it all out!¡± ¡°My deepest sympathies.¡± Sveta said with utmost insincerity, placing her hand over her breast and bowing solemnly. ¡°Well,¡± I admitted, ¡°I suppose it IS funny in hindsight.¡± ¡°Exceptionally funny.¡± Sveta confirmed. Her mischievous smile was a bit annoying but also infectious, and soon I felt myself smiling too. Sveta, you''re so much better when you''re just being yourself. Suddenly, Sveta¡¯s expression darkened. ¡°Sabina, the early warning sensor net is reporting incoming kinetic projectiles.¡± ¡°WHAT?!¡± After the last attack, Zehra had deployed additional early warning satellites around Eros and specifically modulated them to detect small high-speed kinetic projectiles, so we wouldn¡¯t be caught off guard a second time. The warning only came ten or twenty seconds prior to impact, but that was enough time for the Tektites to close up any holes in the shield. ¡°Confirmed. 4 incoming projectiles¡­ make that 5. It¡¯s a rapid bombardment.¡± ¡°Alert the other patrol Frames.¡± I said tersely. ¡°I already have. Tektite and Laria know too. They¡¯re launching the alert squadron via the side of the shield facing away from the impact point. 43 seconds until they join the battle zone.¡± Alert squadron plus patrol squadron¡­ that would give us 28 Gravity Frames to work with, or just over two-fifths of Eros¡¯ compliment. As I ran the numbers, Eros¡¯ shield suddenly flashed brightly from the first impact. The second one came about five seconds later, then the third five seconds after that. Sveta dimmed my cockpit display in response to the brightness of the blasts. ¡°Those impacts are faster than last time.¡± I said. Sveta nodded. ¡°By a factor of six. Either Moby has improved her firing technique, or she¡¯s using multiple Belphegors to attack.¡± ¡°MULTIPLE Belphegors?!¡± That was a horrifying thought. We couldn¡¯t even beat one of those things. ¡°At this rate of bombardment, the shield will fail in approximately 13,320 seconds.¡± ¡°Guh¡­ just over three and a half hours. And the other X-23s won¡¯t be ready for at least four hours¡­ what about Sveta Prime and Miette?¡± Sveta shook her head. ¡°Sveta Prime¡¯s computer core is offline while she transfers her copies to the new X-23 cores. She¡¯ll be down for at least another two hours.¡± ¡°Whose bright idea was THAT?!¡± I yowled. ¡°She had to go offline at some point to move the data. We figured since we had the first X-23-B up and running, it was safe to transfer the other two copies as well¡­¡± ¡°What horrible timing.¡± I moaned. ¡°So it¡¯s just you, me and two squadrons against Moby, huh?¡± Sveta nodded grimly. Ugh, this is not gonna end well. ***** Between the two squadrons, we had 12 Velocipedes, 14 Huntsmarks, 1 Chimera and 1 Nighthawk. The latter was Lydia and Kometka¡¯s unit, and Maurice was piloting one of the Velocipedes; Genevi was remaining on standby along with the other three squadrons, safe inside the shield bubble. Lydia immediately took command of our impromptu force; I brought her up to speed on the situation. ¡°Hrmph. And they haven¡¯t advanced any units since they started firing?¡± Lydia said. ¡°No.¡± I confirmed. ¡°The strategy seems to be long-range bombardment to try and draw us out.¡± ¡°Just like last time.¡± Maurice added. ¡°I wonder if that Sarcophage girl is gonna try and talk shit to us again.¡± ¡°She¡¯ll be in touch, I can assure you.¡± Lydia frowned. ¡°Sabina, you were at the Third Great Surge, right?¡± I nodded. Fighting in the Third Great Surge had been the most traumatic moment of my (and Genevi¡¯s) lives, outstripping even the time we had been caught in a foundry fire as children. ¡°Let me know what you think of this idea, then. I¡¯d like to perform a reconnaissance-in-force using one of our squadrons, leaving the other on interception duty for potential incoming spinefire or Defiled. I¡¯m not putting it past Moby to try and pincer us with a surprise cruiser assault on Eros when we go after the Belphegor. Our reconnaissance squadron will consist of myself, who is the most experienced with anti-Belphegor combat, and you who is presently piloting the only X-23 at our disposal. We¡¯ll be joined by all twelve Velocipedes.¡± ¡°Hmm. One squadron¡¯s good for an RIF, although a bit light. What about the other three squadrons? ¡°They should be launch-ready in twenty minutes at most, although Captain Savitskaya wants to keep them inside the shield until we have a better read on the situation.¡± ¡°Reserve forces, huh? Meanwhile, it¡¯s our asses in the fire.¡± I laughed humorlessly. ¡°Whatever, I¡¯ve been through worse. Let¡¯s do it.¡± I pounded my fist into Sveta¡¯s controls. ¡°That¡¯s the attitude. Sveta¡­ er, Dino Sveta, was it? Anyway, I want you to lay down a trail of Strike Fins as we advance so we can stay in communication with Eros, our ships and our interception squadron.¡± ¡°Aye-aye!¡± Dino Sveta responded, saluting. Lydia barked out orders to the rest of the squadrons. She placed Maurice in command of the interception squadron and ordered our reconnaissance squadron to form up in a plus-delta formation, with her and me in the center. We blasted off towards the unknown enemy force, who were still beyond the range of our sensors. I crossed myself and said a silent prayer, before gripping Sveta¡¯s controls tightly. "Here we go." ¡°Time for a trial by fire.¡± Dino Sveta said, emphasizing the point with another gout of flame from her mouth. ¡°Rawr!¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have it any other way.¡± I licked my lips eagerly and twisted the throttle to full. pynkbites Oh, and I guess Sabina''s going off with Dino Sveta to fight Moby. Do your best, you two! Remember, the creepy alien girl is just as afraid of you as you are of her. Probably... Sb-4. An Implacable Enemy ¡°Well,¡± Lydia said, a pained expression on her face, ¡°the good news is there aren¡¯t four Belphegors.¡± ¡°What a relief.¡± I replied flatly. ¡°And the bad news¡­¡± Both of our faces clouded over as we stared at the sensor image Dino Sveta and Kometka were rendering for us. The enemy formation consisted of one Belphegor and six cruisers. Nothing so tricky as a Beelzebub was present. However, the Defiled cruisers were different, a kind we had never seen before. Just above their upper hull, they each had two long rails that ran from bow to stern, looking as if they were made out of bone. These bone-rails glowed with red light, and every thirty seconds they shot out a kinetic projectile, a bladebug accelerated to unspeakable velocities. Six cruisers, each firing once every thirty seconds, and with their fire staggered five seconds apart; we had found the cause for the rapid-fire bombardment. ¡°This is the second time we¡¯ve observed something unprecedented on the battlefield.¡± Sveta said. ¡°First was the bladebugs.¡± Lydia grimaced. ¡°She¡¯s specifically developing new strains of Sarcophage to counter us. Captain Savitskaya was right when she said this was an arms race.¡± Komekta spoke next. ¡°Still, the speed at which she adopts new tactics and breeds new strains is unprecedented. Our greatest tactical advantage over the Sarcophage always has been our long-range positron bombardment capability. Under Moby¡¯s command, they¡¯re evolving to outmatch us with startling alacrity.¡± ¡°Urgh. If they figure out how to make positron weapons of their own, we are done for.¡± I mused grimly. I wondered to myself exactly how tenable the Captain¡¯s confrontational strategy was. With the intelligence of Moby behind them, the Sarcophage were developing themselves almost as quickly as us. Without Zehra¡¯s genius, we would have been overwhelmed already. But if the enemy was going to keep coming up with crazy new shit like this, was it truly worthwhile to make our stand at Eros simply to take pressure off the rest of the front? ¡°Let¡¯s save speculation for after the battle.¡± Lydia continued. ¡°Bad news, part two: look at how the Belphegor¡¯s tails are configured.¡± Belphegors looked disturbingly like two copulating scorpions, with their twin thoraxes joined at the belly. This gave them sixteen legs and two tails which ended in sharp stingers, along with numerous cilia that lined their body. The tails were capable of manipulating gravity, just like a Beelzebub¡¯s wings or humanity¡¯s drive fins. Previously, Moby had used these tails held in parallel as an impromptu railgun; now the tails were positioned perpendicular to the Belphegor¡¯s body, and broadcasting a wide-range gravity field that enveloped the entire Sarcophage fleet. This made the Belphegor slightly resemble cross, which was intensely sacrilegious in my opinion. In short, the Belphegor generating a gravity shield, a defensive barrier that would warp any shots we fired, artillery or otherwise, around their fleet. ¡°Why isn¡¯t she using Beelzebubs this time?¡± I asked Lydia. ¡°Because I¡¯m too damn good at destroying them.¡± Lydia answered without a hint of pride. ¡°When I cut apart her Beelzebubs last time, it made her fleet vulnerable to artillery fire, which turned the tables. But there¡¯s no way I could do the same to a Belphegor.¡± The realization hit me. ¡°Which means we can¡¯t rely on our artillery, but Moby can keep pounding Eros until it¡¯s dust.¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± Lydia practically spat the words out. ¡°She¡¯s manipulated the battlefield conditions perfectly to suit her strengths. This is gonna be tough.¡± ¡°Frames against cruisers with no artillery support? You BET it¡¯s gonna be tough.¡± Cutting through the somber mood, I grinned fearlessly. ¡°So what are we waiting for?¡± Lydia chuckled dryly. ¡°Yeah. Let¡¯s get in there and kick some ass.¡± In that moment, Lydia¡¯s aura resonated with mine. We were both blood knights, shaped by trauma and seeking combat as our own twisted form of therapy. I didn¡¯t know the details of Lydia¡¯s life, but she had fought on Mars and at the Third Great Surge, so she had surely seen some shit. You¡¯re so alike myself and my sister, Lydia. I felt deep respect for her bloom inside me. Just then, Sveta cut in. ¡°I¡¯m picking up gravity comm waves again.¡± Lydia sarcastically mimed checking a watch. ¡°Right on schedule. Sveta, do you have the algorithms Kometka developed for neutralizing Sarcophage gravity fields?¡± ¡°Yup!¡± ¡°Pull them up and go over them. I¡¯d like you to modulate six of the Velocipedes¡¯ drive fins plus your own, and Kometka will take the other six and our Nighthawk. That way, our entire squadron can pierce the gravity barrier, engage them at close range and do something about those cruisers.¡± ¡°I can take more than six Frames, Sveta, if you think that might be too much.¡± Kometka offered. She was trying to be kind, but I sense Sveta¡¯s pride had taken a hit. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it!¡± Sveta declared loudly, trying to project confidence. ¡°With the X-23-B¡¯s upgraded core, managing six Frames plus my Strike Fins won¡¯t be an issue at all!¡± ¡°Right.¡± Lydia responded. ¡°Sveta, contact the Captain using your relay network. Tell her I¡¯m proposing we change our mission parameters from a reconnaissance-in-force to a disruption-in-force. If we can take out a few of those cruisers, that buys Eros more time to get other X-23s online. In the meantime, Kometka, draw up a battle plan assuming we can pierce their shield with our frames. I¡¯ll distract Moby with some idle chatter.¡± ¡°Aye-aye!¡± ¡°Yes ma¡¯am.¡± And so, the two AI sisters got to work while we opened comms with Moby. ***** ¡°SWM-01, have you come to join with me?¡± Moby¡¯s creepy image filled our screens. As she spoke, numerous sharp teeth glinted. ¡°Huh? What¡¯s with that weird new term you¡¯re calling me, Moby? Whatever happened to ¡®mind of sand and water?¡¯¡± Lydia asked the Sarcophage girl. ¡°There are now multiple minds of sand and water. My error in our previous battle was not knowing that. I have designated you Sand-Water Mind 01, and the other Sand-Water-Mind 02. And you,¡± Moby looked at me, her creepy red-on-black eyes narrowing, ¡°are a third? You are designated SWM-03.¡± ¡°I¡¯m flattered.¡± I replied, grimacing. ¡°Did you hear that, Sveta? We¡¯re SWM-03 now.¡± Sveta rolled her eyes. ¡°Just what I¡¯ve always wanted.¡± ¡°You know, Moby,¡± Lydia said, ¡°this has been bugging me for a while. You keep describing us with all these creative terms, but you never call us by our names. Why is that?¡± ¡°¡®Names¡¯ are unknown to us.¡± ¡°They¡¯re NOT, though.¡± Lydia said, sounding angry. ¡°I¡¯ve told you this many times before, but my name is Lydia. LYDIA. Not water-mind, not SWM-01, but LYDIA. You could at least learn the name of your mortal enemy. Show some damn respect!¡± ¡°¡®Lydia¡¯ has no meaning. It does not describe you. Objects must be described in precise terms.¡± Kometka shook her head. ¡°You¡¯re wasting your time, Lydia. Moby has no concept of self-awareness. She¡¯s like a computer system trying to emulate a human based on extremely limited data.¡± Lydia nodded her agreement with that assessment. ¡°¡®I know of my difficulty understanding water-minds.¡± Moby said. Was it my imagination, or did she sound a bit insulted? ¡°That is why I must join with you, SWM-01. I am incomplete. Once I have consumed the remainder of your flesh, I will be completed and finally understand.¡± I spoke up. ¡°That¡¯s not true in the least. Understanding humanity isn¡¯t a matter of genetic templates or raw data; it¡¯s an EXPERIENCE that must be LEARNED.¡± Lydia seemed surprised at my outburst, but Moby looked at me intently. ¡°¡®Learning¡¯ is not known to us, but I can speculate. I have adapted my creatures to counter your new weapons¡­ is this ¡®learning?¡¯¡± ¡°It is, yes.¡± I replied. ¡°Too much learning, if you ask me¡­¡± Sveta muttered. ¡°And using these ¡®names¡¯ will help me learn more about water-minds?¡± Moby continued. ¡°That, I don¡¯t know. It couldn¡¯t hurt.¡± I responded warily. ¡°Then I shall use them¡­ Lydia, Kometka, Sabina and Sveta. Those are your names?¡± ¡°Dino Sveta, technically. Don¡¯t ask, it¡¯s complicated.¡± responded Sveta. The rest of us just stared, rather stunned by Moby¡¯s sudden breakthrough. ¡°I wish for all of you to join with me. I will absorb much ¡®learning¡¯ from your flesh. Come, offer yourselves.¡± Moby spread her arms wide, as if to welcome us into her jaws. ¡°Fat chance.¡± Lydia took control of the conversation again. ¡°We¡¯re here to KILL you. Time for you to learn about death.¡± She signaled Kometka, who cut the comms. There was a brief silence, then Lydia turned to me with a sour look. ¡°Do you think that was wise, Sabina?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± I wasn¡¯t sure what she meant. ¡°You somehow helped her have a breakthrough. I¡¯ve never talked her into using my name before.¡± ¡°I think it¡¯s a matter of explaining it from her perspective. You said she¡¯s like a savant child, right?¡± I answered. ¡°That¡¯s true, but¡­ we don¡¯t want to explain TOO much to her. The more she understands about humanity, the better she gets at countering us. Her unfamiliarity with our thought processes is a tactical advantage we can¡¯t afford to lose.¡± I frowned. ¡°I understand that, but when the Captain first spoke with her, she asked about the possibility of a peace negotiation.¡± I hadn¡¯t been present for that, but Sveta showed everyone in Maid Squadron recordings later so we could better understand our enemy. I was parroting the Captain¡¯s words, but they tasted bitter in my mouth. The Sarcophage had taken almost everything from me, after all. ¡°Impossible.¡± Lydia said firmly. Her tone was cool and even, but her eyes glowed with hatred. ¡°Moby herself said co-existence is impossible. Remember, they¡¯re monsters who eat us alive. Their only purpose is to consume, consume and consume endlessly. The Sarcophage are a natural disaster, not a species. You don¡¯t negotiate with a hurricane or an earthquake, right?¡± ¡°I¡¯m forced to agree with that assessment.¡± Kometka added. ¡°Even if the appearance of Moby indicates the development of intelligence and the possibility of peaceful coexistence, I don¡¯t think we should take it. We¡¯re balancing the scales of human deaths by the billions. There can be no forgiveness for that.¡± ¡°You¡¯re both right.¡± I responded in a small voice. Frankly, I had heavy doubts about Captain Savitskaya¡¯s approach to all this. Throughout human history, there had always been mass murderers who had orchestrated inexcusable acts of genocide. Genghis Khan, Tamerlane, the Three Pashas, Adolf Hitler, Samuel Grentha¡­ the correct response to the actions of these evil people was armed and violent resistance, not appeasement or negotiation. Our role as soldiers was simply to put an end to the wicked, and moral judgement of their souls could be left to God. Although I doubted Sarcophage had eternal souls to begin with. I wanted to say that out loud, but I didn¡¯t feel like it was my place to question my superiors. That''s the reason I had raised the subject of negotiation in the first place; because the Captain had already done so. But I was a good little soldier, and I¡¯d follow my orders. I¡¯d even do so enthusiastically if those orders meant killing Sarcophage. I suppressed my inner turmoil and looked at Lydia. ¡°I apologize if I went too far.¡± I didn¡¯t have anything more to say than that. I hoped I hadn¡¯t given Lydia the wrong impression, but she seemed to understand what I was thinking well enough. She smiled and silently nodded to me. Just then, Sveta spoke up. ¡°The Captain has approved the change in the mission plan. She says to take out two or three of the Defiled and then retreat back to Eros to regroup and resurge with a larger force.¡± ¡°Right.¡± Lydia opened up comms to the whole squadron. ¡°Attention, soldiers. We are now changing missions from a reconnaissance-in-force to a disruption-in-force. Kometka and Sveta will be conducting micro-modulations on your gravity drives to enable your Frames to penetrate the Belphegor¡¯s gravity field. Thinning will be handled by Sveta¡¯s Strike Fins. Please refer to the tactical plot on your screens now: our goal will be the destruction of the cruisers located at 045 mark 357 and 045 mark 036. If attrition is low, we may also attempt destruction of the cruiser at 000 mark 302. Stick to your elements under all circumstances. Wings are to stay in outward-diamond formation to cover all incoming spinefire.¡± Lydia cut the squadron comms and turned to us. ¡°Sabina, Sveta, are you ready?¡± ¡°Yeah!¡± I responded enthusiastically. The time for philosophy was over; the siren song of battle now filled my ears. ¡°You bet we are!¡± Sveta added, spewing a gout of flame from her mouth. We dove into the Belphegor¡¯s gravity shield, positron rifles and cannons at the ready. pynkbites Today''s chapter has philosophical debate on the battlefield, almost like I were writing a Gundam series or something. Actually, Giant Robot Reincarnation is lightly based on old Gundams vs aliens story I dreamed up after seeing A Wakening of the Trailblazer. Maybe someday, Sunrise will put me in charge of my very own Gundam series? Okay, probably not. But a vampire can dream, yeah? M-4. Left Behind There¡¯s nothing I hate more than being grounded. I¡¯d been out of the fight before, usually for disciplinary reasons. In those circumstances I had nobody to blame but myself, so my mood was more angry than stressed. But this time around it was simple bad luck, and that was frustrating me to no end. Sveta Prime was presently offline while she transferred two of her clones into the computer cores of the new X-23s. Sveta still had about an hour and a half to go on the transfers, before she would reawaken and my own X-23 would be usable once more. In a sterling example of her profligacy at picking the worst times to attack, the Sarcophage girl Moby started bombarding Eros again during this transfer, with rapid kinetic strikes this time. The only X-23 we had available to send against her was Sabina¡¯s unit. And now she was fighting alongside Lydia and Maurice, whereas I was grounded awaiting Sveta¡¯s reawakening. I was benched because of bad luck and bad timing. It felt grotesquely unfair. I had half a mind to grab a spare Velocipede and race into battle myself¡­ but I¡¯d be needed the instant Sveta reawoke, so I couldn¡¯t very well go anywhere. I twiddled my thumbs and grit my teeth. Ugh. I hate this. I really really hate this. The mood in the hanger bay was similarly dour. The other pilots on standby besides me were just as frustrated, doubly so because the Captain wasn¡¯t telling us anything other than to await orders. The sheer volume of negative energy swirling around with everyone¡¯s tension was oppressive. I decided I needed to do something to distract myself, and perhaps lift the mood. I didn¡¯t know most of the pilots too well, considering them casual drinking buddies at best¡­ but Genevi was there, looking extremely downcast. Moreso than me, if that was possible. That¡¯s right. Sabina is out there in a brand-new mech she¡¯s never piloted before, and meanwhile Genevi is stuck on standby just like me. I floated over to Genevi. She turned her head slightly, looking at me with dead eyes. ¡°Mind if I float here?¡± I asked quietly. ¡°Mmm.¡± Not much of an answer, but it seemed like she didn¡¯t mind my presence. I tried to strike up a conversation. ¡°This is really frustrating, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Mmm.¡± Oh no, I¡¯ve seen this before. She¡¯s one of those people who shuts down when she¡¯s stressed. I wondered how far I should go in these circumstances; sometimes people in this state of mind wanted to be cheered up, and other times they just wanted to be left alone. Even if I was a dumbass when it came to romantic feelings, I tended to be pretty good at reading people¡¯s moods otherwise. For example, Sveta was the kind of person who wanted to be cheered up when she was down. I wasn¡¯t too sure about Genevi though. Oh well, I¡¯ll just play it by ear. ¡°You¡¯re really worried, huh? About Sabina?¡± I asked carefully. Genevi simply nodded. I almost said ¡®She¡¯s a great pilot, she can take care of herself.¡¯ but stopped myself. Nobody would know that better than Genevi, and I didn¡¯t want to sound patronizing. Instead, I tried to draw her out by asking a question. ¡°You two are always fighting side-by-side, huh? This must be unusual for you to be apart like this.¡± Genevi stared at me and blinked a few times before starting to speak slowly. ¡°Not¡­ that unusual. We¡¯ve gone into battle separately before, sometimes.¡± ¡°I¡­ I see.¡± ¡°She¡¯s a skilled pilot, and she always comes back alive, and she¡¯s in a more powerful Frame than she¡¯s ever had before¡­ but¡­¡± Genevi sounded like she was trying to convince herself. ¡°But that doesn¡¯t make it any easier, huh?¡± I finished her unspoken thought. Genevi nodded again. I looked up at the ceiling, squinting at the bright florescent lights fifty meters above us, and lost myself in thought for a moment. But Genevi, apparently glad for someone to talk to, kept going. ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ I don¡¯t know what I¡¯d do without her. She¡¯s saved my life so many times I can¡¯t even count. Ever since we were children¡­¡± Her voice began to choke up a bit. I looked back down at Genevi and placed one hand on her shoulder. ¡°Don¡¯t think negatively, now. She¡¯s coming back this time too, even if I have to go out in a Chimera junkheap and haul her back myself.¡± I flashed a confident grin. Genevi looked at me, eyes wide, before giggling quietly. ¡°You two are a lot alike, you know that?¡± ¡°Huh? We are?¡± I wondered what she meant by that. We both had short haircuts, but somehow I suspected she was digging beyond the superficial. ¡°What you just said, it reminds me so much of her.¡± Genevi continued. ¡°You¡¯re both hotheaded, impulsive and refuse to let anyone die if you can help it.¡± I rubbed the back of my head sheepishly. ¡°I mean, that kinda stuff is just common sense, you know? Sveta goes out of her way to save people too¡­ including you, that one time!¡± ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± Genevi ran her fingers through her long, violet hair. ¡°You¡¯re both pretty special. Just like Sabina.¡± She paused for a moment, then smiled warmly. ¡°Miette¡­ thank you.¡± ¡°Oh? For what?¡± ¡°For trying to cheer me up. I was shell-shocked for a while there, but you dragged me out of it.¡± Her smile grew wider. I waved my hand dismissively. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. Anybody would be out-of-sorts in this kinda situation. Besides, I¡¯m pretty stressed myself.¡± ¡°YOU are?¡± Genevi seemed genuinely surprised. ¡°You don¡¯t seem like it.¡± ¡°I¡¯m good at hiding it. Honestly, being benched like this drives me crazy.¡± I twirled my own finger through my short hair absentmindedly. ¡°Why¡¯s that?¡± ¡°Well¡­ when I¡¯m piloting a Gravity Frame, everything just seems to make sense, yeah? Doubly so since I met Sveta. It¡¯s like I¡¯m powerful and in control, like I can kick any ass the universe throws at me. So in turn¡­ when I can¡¯t pilot, I feel small and vulnerable. I feel¡­ human, I suppose.¡± Internally, I wondered why I was telling her this. It wasn¡¯t exactly something I went out of my way to advertise. If people know how insecure I felt, and how piloting was a crutch for me to boost my self-confidence, it would ruin my image as a top ace pilot. In fact, Sveta was the only one I was comfortable showing this side of myself to. But somehow, seeing how vulnerable Genevi looked earlier, I wanted to share a bit of my vulnerability with her, to let her know I was a kindred spirit. Empathy is important in moments like these, yeah? Genevi giggled again, and I thought for a moment she was making fun of me. ¡°That makes a lot of sense, actually.¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯ve always seen you as this brazen, foul-mouthed, extremely cool delinquent who is brimming with self confidence. It¡¯s nice to know you¡¯re just as human as the rest of us.¡± ¡°Hurk. There goes my mystique.¡± I groaned, only half-joking. ¡°Mystique is overrated. I prefer the more vulnerable Miette, personally.¡± Genevi said firmly. I felt an arrow stab through my poor, prideful heart. Wounded thusly, I felt like being a bit mean in return. ¡°Well, to throw that right back at you¡­ I used to think you were a shy, asocial doormat.¡± ¡°Urgh¡­ harsh but true¡­¡± Genevi looked despondent again. ¡°But then I saw you go absolutely apeshit at the Christmas party and realized you have a lotta sides to you I¡¯m only beginning to know.¡± I said, following up my insult with a backhanded compliment. Genevi puffed up her cheeks in return. ¡°I don¡¯t even remember that night! And Sabina won¡¯t tell me what I said in front of everyone¡­¡± I chuckled. ¡°Would you like to know?¡± The sparkle in Genevi¡¯s eyes as she leaned forwards was all the answer I needed. ***** For the next hour, we talked and talked. I told her about her antics at the Christmas party, which horrified her¡­ especially the bit about her making passes at Sveta. ¡°Wauuu¡­ I can never show my face in public again¡­¡± she said despondently, curling up into a ball. ¡°There, there.¡± I replied, patting her on the head. ¡°I think everyone was happy to see another side of Genevi they never knew existed, even if it was awkward.¡± ¡°NOT THAT SIDE! NOBODY NEEDS TO SEE THAT SIDE!¡± she wailed. ¡°I bet they think I¡¯m a voracious horndog now¡­¡± Oh, we definitely think that. We¡¯re just polite enough to not say it out loud. I thought with a wry smile. After her embarrassment subsided, Genevi told me about the history she shared with her sister, all the way back to their upbringing in Italy. Their mother had died when they were only four years old, leaving the two completely alone with no other relatives. Because of the total war footing of human society, niceties like the old foster system or orphanages barely existed anymore; the two sisters had survived on the frozen streets of Turin for two years, begging for food and occasionally squatting in ruined buildings, until they were finally old enough to work in the factories at age six. They spent nine years in those factories, laboring away in the steel foundries, and even nearly died in a catastrophic fire¡­ one that Sabina saved Genevi from. I felt really guilty upon hearing that. Both of my parents were alive well into my late teens, and were relatively upper-ranking military officers besides. That meant my upbringing, while by no means luxurious, was at least comfortable; I had a roof over my head and enough plankton sludge to keep me from starving. Thinking about this, I noticed with a start that both Sabina and Genevi were about a head shorter than me; I wondered if their growth had been stunted due to malnutrition. Genevi didn¡¯t seem to have any bitterness regarding her upbringing, though. Her story wasn¡¯t atypical these days, and she gushed endlessly about how fortunate she was to have her sister by her side the whole time. It seems going through such tribulation together had galvanized them into an unstoppable force, a battle-hungry pair who were joined at the hip. And at every turn, Sabina was always there to pull Genevi out of the fire¡­ literally and figuratively. When they told me about the Third Great Surge, my ears perked up. I hadn¡¯t fought in that battle myself, instead being stationed on Eros at the time as one of Zehra¡¯s test pilots. I had heard a lot about the Surge from other soldiers, but Genevi¡¯s account was more visceral than I was expecting. She described the horrors of the battle in excruciating detail. Apparently, she had been assigned to the SGFC Chiroptera, which was grouped with three other carriers to defend a production station on the Tertiary Line. The most disturbing part of her story was her vivid descriptions of how three days of endless battle took a physical and mental toll on the pilots. Stims are great when you need a temporary boost, but going for three days without food or rest, subsisting entirely on water and stims, really wrecks your body. Once again I found myself in awe of the Giacosa sisters, along with Lydia and everyone else who fought on the Line. The way Genevi breathlessly described her rescue by Sabina right before the positron barrage was endearing, and she lionized her sister¡¯s heroics in rapturous terms as usual. One detail of her story bugged me, however. She mentioned that, just before the barrage, they had also rescued a pilot whose mech had been torn apart by a Belphegor and escorted them out of the battle zone. Something about that detail felt familiar. ¡°Genevi, do you remember by any chance the names of the other three carriers in your combat group?¡± ¡°Ooh, I think so? They made us read that mission briefing dozens of times. There was, uh¡­ Asertu, Mary Shelley and, uh¡­ Ephedra? I snapped my fingers. ¡°The Ephedra. Bingo. What a damn incredible coincidence, though.¡± ¡°What are you talking about, Miette?¡± Genevi tilted her head in confusion. ¡°Remember when Lydia and Kometka were telling us about their first encounter with the Belphegor, during the Third Great Surge?¡± ¡°Uh¡­ mostly¡­¡± Genevi played with her hair, trying to remember the details. I folded my arms and thrust out my chest a bit triumphantly, feeling like a detective about to finger the prime suspect. ¡°The Ephedra was Lydia¡¯s ship.¡± Genevi¡¯s jaw hit the floor. ¡°Wait¡­ you mean that pilot we rescued was¡­¡± ¡°Lydia, yeah. And Kometka was probably awake inside her Gravity Frame too.¡± ¡°Wh¡­ that¡¯s¡­ those were¡­¡± Genevi blubbered, robbed of cogency by her shock. ¡°Which means that Belphegor was Moby, before she became sentient. You might even say you unknowingly witnessed Moby¡¯s birth.¡± ¡°Th-That¡¯s¡­. that¡¯s remarkable.¡± Geveni stuttered, regaining a small bit of her composure. ¡°Isn¡¯t it? To think you met them all three years ago and didn''t even know. It really is a small world, huh?¡± Genevi shook her head in disbelief. ¡°Amazing. We¡¯re all interconnected, huh? As if by destiny¡­ or divine providence!¡± I knew Genevi was religious, and was probably crediting all this to God¡¯s plan or whatever. I wasn¡¯t so faithful myself, and thought it was merely a happy coincidence¡­ but whatever. Either way, it was a small bit of good fortune in an otherwise harrowing tale. I decided to change the topic slightly. ¡°Imagine what Lydia and Kometka are gonna say when we tell them.¡± ¡°Oh, they¡¯re gonna flip out!¡± Geneve said with a big smile. ***** A little bit later, Genevi excused herself to use the bathroom. I looked down at my watch. There was still a half-hour to go before Sveta Prime came back online. I hoped our pilots were doing well in the battle. The fact that the standby pilots hadn¡¯t been called on to launch meant things must be going our way, or so I told myself. Without Genevi¡¯s company to distract me, my stress returned with a vengeance. Just then, a loud alarm klaxon rang out, followed by Tektite-4¡¯s voice. ¡°ALL PILOTS, CLEAR THE LANDING BAY! ALL PILOTS, CLEAR THE LANDING BAY! EMERGENCY MAINTENANCE AND MEDICAL PERSONNEL ON STANDBY!¡± That announcement sent me into a near-panic. Medical personnel? Is someone injured? As we all rushed to the safe zones, I stared hard at the airlock as it began to cycle. Sabina, Maurice, Lydia, Kometka. Everyone¡­ please be alright¡­ I gripped my hands so tightly my nails dug into my palms. I barely noticed the pain. pynkbites So how many of you picked up on the true identity of the pilots who rescued Lydia back during the Third Great Surge? I did drop a few hints regarding this: in Genevi''s first chapter, she mentions that she served on the Chiroptera during the battle, and in K-3 and L-2 mention is made of the "two surviving pilots from the Chiroptera" who escorted Lydia''s wrecked Gravity Frame to safety. Still, it''s a pretty obscure detail, huh? By the way, "Chiroptera" is the order of animals that bats are classified in. I snuck that little detail in primarily as a vampire in-joke, but I enjoy pulling quite a few names from taxonomic nomenclature for my stories. Latin is such a cool-sounding language, you know? Similarly, Ephedra is a genus of plants and Radiolaria is a kind of hard-shelled protozoa. By the way, I wanted to take this moment to correct a slanderous misconception about me you may have read about in the comments of another story. I am, in fact, NOT vulnerable to headpats in the least. Should you encounter a certain mushroom girl spreading such rumors, please don''t believe them! Headpats have ABSOLUTELY no effect on me!! L-5. Gravity Attack! I wasn¡¯t sure how serious Sabina was being when she raised the specter of peace negotiations with the Sarcophage. Her words didn¡¯t seem sincere, and I reckoned she was simply parroting Captain Savitskaya¡¯s talking points¡­ but that, in and of itself, was dangerous. I¡¯m far from an impartial observer on this point, seeing as how I¡¯ve personally lost so much to those alien horrors. But can we really count a single impartial observer among all of humanity? I realized, of course, that the Captain was simply following the Extreme Protocols. However, someone of Sabina¡¯s rank wouldn¡¯t know that. Without access to that set of highly classified documents, she wouldn¡¯t realize how sensitive the entire topic was, and was liable to run her mouth and reveal too much information to the other soldiers. And if word got out to the public about the Extreme Protocols, and what the Captain had done under their direction¡­ there would be riots. The Politburo would be humiliated, and the Captain would be hung out to dry to satiate the people¡¯s thirst for blood. That¡¯s what I meant by ¡®dangerous,¡¯ and why I shut Sabina down as quickly as I could. I realized I needed to have a serious talk with the Captain after this battle. And, depending on how that went, a serious talk with the soldiers in Maid Squadron as well. A shiver ran down my spine at the thought. Kometka, bless her heart, saw my trepidation. ¡°Lydia.¡± she said softly. ¡°I know, I know.¡± ¡°After the battle.¡± she continued. ¡°We¡¯ll talk about it with her after the battle. For now, we need to focus.¡± Komeka always got straight to the point, and always kept me on track; compared to her wild sister, she was a firm and steady presence. Taking a deep breath, I motioned to slap my cheeks to pep myself up. Of course, the palms of my Inertia Suit¡¯s armored gloves simply banged against the visor of my helmet, but the gesture felt reassuring nonetheless. Complicated questions of politics and strategy could wait until later. For now, it was time to fight. And there¡¯s nothing I¡¯m better at that fighting. ***** The Belphegor, contrary to its fearsome reputation, was not a frontline combat unit. It lacked spines to fire at the enemy, nor did it have the agility and deadly cutting claws of a Beelzebub. It was entirely lacking at force projection, which is why the Sarcophage used them as command craft and breeding pools on the backlines. However, Belphegors had a mass more than quadruple any carrier humanity fielded, and even dwarfed the kilometer-long Almaz stations. They were covered in the same nigh-impregnable chitin as the Beelzebubs, and mounted countless arms and cilia that would rip apart anything that got too close. Combined with their twin scorpion-tails which projected powerful gravity fields, Belphegors were impregnable fortresses. Thus far, humanity had never successfully defeated one; indeed, it was rare for one to be present on the frontline to begin with. Moby had trashed that prevailing common sense and adapted her personal Belphegor to provide impenetrable defense to her fleet of six modified Defiled cruisers. With the enemy shielded by a powerful gravity field, our artillery was useless; we had to get up close and personal if we wanted to even the odds. Urgh, if only I could slice off one of those scorpion tails. I groaned internally. I knew from experience I¡¯d be quickly eviscerated if I got too close, though. As we passed through the enemy¡¯s gravity field, our Frames shuddered and jerked; the fact that we weren¡¯t torn to shreds instantly spoke volumes about Sveta and Kometka¡¯s expert modulation of the squadron''s drive fins. As we approached our first target, the Defiled located to the front and left of the Belphegor, we were met by a barrage of spinefire from the three closest cruisers. Our squadron was arrayed in a reverse-diamond formation; all the Frames had their backs to each other, covering all angles. With the combined suppressive fire of our positron rifles and the twenty-something Strike Fins Sveta was fielding, we easily blasted all the incoming spinefire away before it got close. C¡¯mon, Moby, don¡¯t make this too easy. I expected better from you. I thought wryly. She must have been listening. The swarm of Frame-class creatures surrounding the cruisers surged towards us; the usual mix of Spineballs, Clawteeth and Bladebugs. They, too, were shot down by a wave of positron fire that blasted them to dust. Not a single one got through. I had trained my pilots well. Sabina was taking the head of our formation, with me on her left flank. Her combat style wasn¡¯t as flashy or reckless as Miette¡¯s, instead grounded firmly in the basics, but I did notice something slightly off. She wasn¡¯t covering her right flank very well; a couple of times, Sveta used the Strike Fins to intercept a creature or two that slipped a bit too close to her. It was a mistake uncharacteristic of a seasoned pilot. I understood exactly what the problem was. Sabina was used to flying in formation with her sister Genevi, who was usually on her right flank. The two came as a package deal, and played off each others strengths flawlessly; with Genevi missing, Sabina was being sloppy without realizing it. Well, now wasn¡¯t the time for a lecture. Habits couldn¡¯t be unlearned in the middle of battle; I¡¯d just have to adapt. ¡°Sabina.¡± I said to her over comms. ¡°Switch positions with me.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Sabina¡¯s eyes widened as she realized what I was getting at. ¡°Sorry, I didn¡¯t realize¡­¡± ¡°Talk later. I gave an order.¡± ¡°Ma¡¯am.¡± she responded with a curt nod. The two of us rolled around each other, and I took over covering her right flank. That freed her up to concentrate, and the four quad-linked positron cannons on her X-23 tore into the swarm ahead of us. I had to push Kometka to the redline to keep up with the X-23, but my piloting skill outstripped Sabina¡¯s by a large margin, so I managed it. I sniped every enemy in my sights with pinpoint precision, leaving Sabina free to focus on thinning the herd before us. Whew, that¡¯s more like it. Those X-23s are something else, huh? I couldn¡¯t wait to get my hands on one of my own. I relaxed my shoulders, letting my muscle memory take control of my firing as I studied the swarm. The composition seemed around 4:2:1 Clawteeth to Spineballs to Bladebugs; Moby¡¯s standard force mix. The problem was, the combined spinefire of the Defiled and Spineballs was getting thicker the closer we got to the cruiser, thus lowering our chances of a successful kinetic strike. Well, I had a trick for that. I opened comms to the whole squadron. ¡°Forward sector, odd elements, focus ONLY on targeting spineballs. Sveta, same for the Strike Fins. Even elements, continue suppressive fire and engage in melee if they get too close.¡± As I spoke, Kometka forwarded the relevant CIC data to each Frame¡¯s cockpit, outlining each pilot¡¯s assigned targets in red. I was, in essence, sacrificing some of our suppressive fire capability to whittle down the Spineballs and thus decrease the enemy spinefire. Some Clawteeth and Bladebugs might get through, but I was willing to risk a bit of melee combat if it gave Sveta a clean shot. The pilots responded instantly, and before long the number of Spineballs decreased. As I eviscerated a Bladebug with a satisfying crunch, driving my plasma blades into the joint between its head and thorax, I spotted an opening in the hail of spinefire. I twisted Kometka around and fired both her shoulder cannons without really bothering to aim them too precisely, relying on my instincts. A lucky shot! One of the Defiled¡¯s tentacles was seared away. Its spinefire dropped by a third. ¡°Sveta, NOW!¡± I yelled. Six seconds later, four Strike Fins slammed into the cruiser. When the light from the kinetic impacts faded, I saw it had been split into a half-dozen fragments. ¡°Beautiful. Excellent work, you two.¡± I praised Sveta and her pilot; the two of them were smiling, glowing with pride. ¡°On to the second target. Keep an eye out for a change in tactics.¡± I licked my lips and looked at the Belphegor. Our first kill had been easy, but Moby would adapt quickly. We had to be ready for whatever she threw at us next. ***** As we surged towards the second cruiser, I noticed the Frame-class creatures break away from us. ¡°What the¡­¡± I began. ¡°Lydia! The Belphegor! It¡¯s doing something with its tails!¡± Sveta cried out. I turned my head towards the Belphegor. One of its tails had coiled up, and was glowing a sickly bright-red. Almost as if it were charging some sort of attack¡­ ¡°EVERYONE! SCATTER!¡± I shrieked. Our pilots abandoned formation, flying off in all directions. Just then, the tail whipped towards us. It wasn¡¯t nearly long enough to hit us directly, but a powerful slash-shaped wave of gravity displacement surged towards our squadron. The gravity wave passed above the Defiled cruiser and slammed into us. As it roared past, I felt Kometka shudder and creak as if hit by a tidal wave. What the FUCK?! ¡°Damage report!¡± I barked. Kometka spoke rapidly. ¡°Microfractures in the outer hull. One RCS fin is offline. Eight Frames sustained minor damage of a similar nature. Four Frames destroyed.¡± ¡°Four¡­¡± I looked at the tactical plot. Two of our Frames had been twisted into unrecognizable wreckage, and another two were half-intact; however, the vitals of their pilots were completely flatlined. ¡°Fuck¡­¡± I muttered. Our squadron fell back into formation, but with a third of our force destroyed, there were now gaps in our coverage. ¡°What kind of attack was THAT?!¡± Sabina asked in a half-panic. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± I responded. ¡°Stay in tight formation and prepare to scatter again. We may need to retreat.¡± I narrowed my eyes and studied the tactical plot. ¡°Kometka, can we neutralize that kind of attack if she does it again?¡± ¡°Our drive fins are too weak.¡± Kometka responded. ¡°Both Sveta and I tried to counter the attack as it happened, but the Belphegor¡¯s gravity displacement is too powerful.¡± That made sense; there was no way a Gravity Frame¡¯s measly nuclear generators could counter the power of a Belphegor. ¡°Argh. Using gravity itself as a weapon. Moby, you¡¯re too damn smart.¡± I grit my teeth. Once again, my nemesis had caught us off guard with a completely novel tactic. I felt my stomach sink as the Belphegor¡¯s tail coiled up again and began to glow. Just as I was about to order everyone to scatter again, Sveta spoke up. ¡°Lydia, have everyone group together in tight formation! I¡¯m going to cover us with the Strike Fins!¡± ¡°Huh? I thought Kometka said they were too weak?¡± Strike Fins had even less juice than a Frame¡¯s drive fins, since they were powered by batteries. ¡°Individually, yes! But if I use a bunch at once, in concert with the combined drive fins of all the Frames, I might be able to shield us!¡± Sveta¡¯s eyes were pleading. Urgh. I don¡¯t know about this. I had to decide quickly, and Sveta¡¯s plan sounded far-fetched... Kometka, you really trust your sister, huh? I guess I¡¯ll trust her too. ¡°Soldiers, form up! Tight diamond formation!¡± We all grouped our Frames together nearly shoulder-to-shoulder. Sveta arrayed twenty Strike Fins between us and the Belphegor, fanned out in a sunburst formation. They all surged to maximum power along with the drive fins of our Frames, displacing gravity so powerfully I actually saw the ripples in spacetime as they bent the light around us. C¡¯mon, please work¡­ I pleaded silently. If Sveta¡¯s impromptu shield didn¡¯t hold, we¡¯d be torn apart. At least it would be a quick death. The Belphegor¡¯s tail whipped, and another gravity slash arced towards us. When it slammed into Sveta¡¯s shield, the gravity waves from the impact rattled my teeth. The Strike Fins began to shudder and explode¡­ one, two, four, six. The defensive shield weakened, and the rattling grew worse and worse¡­ Then, it was over. The gravity slash passed, and we all survived. Half of Sveta¡¯s impromptu shield had been destroyed, and the remaining ten Strike Fins were all heavily damaged. ¡°Whew¡­¡± I had the overwhelming urge to wipe my brow, although I couldn¡¯t do so through my helmet. ¡°That was close¡­¡± ¡°I lost ten Fins to that attack.¡± Sveta reported. ¡°With my remaining backup supply, we can withstand another two or three of those attacks at most.¡± I frowned. Even if we could tank another few attacks, we couldn¡¯t effectively fight back while hunkering down. Moby had us pinned. ¡°Looks like the mission parameters have changed, to an extreme degree. All units, retreat to waypoint gamma.¡± ¡°We¡¯re running?¡± Sabina asked, frowning. ¡°Everyone else is. We can¡¯t repel firepower of that magnitude, so we need to dodge it. You¡¯re with me, Sabina. We¡¯re going to do something about the Belphegor¡¯s tails while everyone else retreats, or Moby will just pick us apart as we run.¡± ¡°Huh¡­?¡± She looked startled at my orders. ¡°Take on a Belphegor with only two Frames? Are you CRAZY?¡± ¡°A single element can dodge that gravity slash attack more effectively than a whole squadron. All we have to do is damage one of those tails enough that she can¡¯t use the attack anymore, and we can get this mission back on track.¡± Sabina had the most powerful Frame and I had the most combat experience, so we were the logical choices to go after Moby while everyone else got to safety. ¡°She IS crazy. I like it!¡± Sveta said, with a big smile. I smiled right back. Komeka looked like she had something to say, but kept quiet. Sabina rolled her eyes. ¡°Oh, well. Time to see what this X-23 can really do, I suppose. Sveta, I apologize if I wind up denting your finish a bit.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it! Let¡¯s go!¡± Sveta proclaimed. I had Kometka compose a quick mission report, along with a specific request for Captain Savitskaya, and sent the file to one of the retreating Frames; once they cleared the Belphegor¡¯s shield, they could beam it back along Sveta¡¯s relay to Eros. Sabina and I covered everyone¡¯s retreat and accelerated towards the Belphegor. Around us, the five remaining Defiled continued to fire on Eros. The clock was ticking, and we had one chance to end things decisively. ¡°Time to earn our paychecks.¡± I muttered. Kometka simply sighed and shook her head. pynkbites Bwahaha! On an unrelated note, I just finished watching the movie Real Steel, which was just added to Netflix. It was a lot better than I was expecting! The plot is basic but well done, and the robot-on-robot punching action is incredible; I hear the robots were realized through a combination of animatronics and motion capture, and the end result is some wonderfully visceral action. I recommend giving it a look if you haven''t seen it! Sb-5. The Sabina Maneuver I know I have a reputation as something of a battle-hungry blood knight, but discretion is just as important as bravado. And charging into battle against a Belphegor, an enemy humanity has never been able to defeat, with only TWO Gravity Frames¡­ that¡¯s demonstrating a remarkable lack of discretion. Nothing for it, I suppose. I just needed to pull off a feat unmatched in human history and somehow make back alive. No big deal! Though I did wish Sveta wasn''t so enthusiastic about the whole damn thing. ¡°BWAHAHAHAHA! Moby, HERE WE COME!¡± She was spewing flames from her sharp-toothed mouth to emphasize her excitement. ¡°Settle down, Sveta.¡± Lydia said gruffly. Kometka was silent, but I also saw disapproval in her eyes. ¡°H-Hey! I just enjoy my job!¡± Sveta protested, her flames extinguished by the cold glares she was getting from all three of us. ¡°Doing your job competently takes precedent over enjoying it.¡± Lydia¡¯s icy tone seemed to freeze the air; I wondered if she was channeling Laria, just a bit. I swore I saw Sveta shiver as Lydia continued. ¡°Now, give me a damage report on the X-23 and your remaining Strike Fins.¡± Sveta pouted a bit, but complied. ¡°Two minor microfractures, one in the left leg¡¯s armor and the other on the right arm¡¯s RCS fin. Neither are serious. I have twenty-six Strike Fins remaining, and since we¡¯re inside the Belphegor¡¯s gravity field I can¡¯t contact the ones in the relay for backup.¡± Lydia nodded. ¡°Alright so¡­ DODGE!¡± Another gravity wave came hurling towards us, courtesy of Moby. I careened Sveta towards the left, and Lydia arced towards the right. We were maneuverable enough that the wave blasted past without damaging either of us. Lydia was right when she said two Frames would have a much easier time dodging such a massive, telegraphed attack. ¡°¡­As I was saying.¡± Lydia continued calmly. ¡°Most of the Belphegor is coated in the same super-hard chitin as the Beelzebubs. Weak parts are the joints on the legs and tails. We¡¯ll be aiming for the latter. However, the joints between the tail segments are composed of connective tissue that¡¯s about 75% as durable as the chitin. Normally, you¡¯d need battleship-class firepower to damage those weak spots.¡± Another gravity attack arced towards us. We dodged again, then continued our conversation. ¡°Swing and a miss, Moby!¡± Sveta said smugly. ¡°Your rip-off Backlash Wave can¡¯t touch us!¡± ¡°¡­I digress. Even with the upgraded quad-cannons on the X-23, we can¡¯t hope to scratch that connective tissue. That means kinetic impacts are the order of the day. I¡¯m going to work on pinning down the upper tail, and you aim for the joints with the Strike Fins. If we do enough damage, the tail will be damaged enough to be rendered nonfunctional.¡± ¡°Meaning Moby will have to choose between shielding her fleet or attacking us with her sole remaining tail.¡± Kometka added. Moby, apparently frustrated by her failure to hit us, directed her five remaining cruisers to open up with spinefire, and sent a surge of Frame-class creatures towards us to boot. Sveta easily intercepted the incoming attack with suppressive positron fire from her Strike Fins, which were darting around like hummingbirds. ¡°Watch the limbs and cilia when you get close. If they catch hold of you, you¡¯re not breaking free easily. Trust me on that one.¡± Lydia warned grimly. ¡°Yes ma¡¯am.¡± I responded. And with that rather dubious plan drawn up, we dove towards the colossal, repulsive body of the Belphegor. ***** In order to keep clear of the Belphegor¡¯s writhing appendages which coated the main part of its body, we elected to perform divebombing runs from above. As usual, Moby seemed unduly focused on Lydia, so she baited the attacks from the tail away from me while Sveta took aim with her Strike Fins. Meanwhile, the Defiled cruisers continued to bombard us with spines from afar, all intercepted by the Strike Fins positron blasts. A few spines that missed us by a wide margin slammed into the exoskeleton of the Belphegor, not even leaving a scratch. ¡°I guess you don¡¯t have to worry about friendly fire when you¡¯re invulnerable¡­¡± I muttered. ¡°Sabina, once I start smashing Strike Fins into that thing, my suppressive fire will be negatively affected.¡± Sveta cautioned. ¡°You¡¯ll need to pick up the slack so the spinefire and enemy creatures don¡¯t break through.¡± ¡°Leave it to me.¡± I said, flashing a thumbs up. The Belphegor¡¯s tail stood straight up as it strained to trap Lydia¡¯s zig-zagging Nighthawk in its massive pincer. Lydia baited it until the last moment, then expertly dodged the snap of the pincer by only a few meters while unleashing a barrage of positron fire. It was a gutsy move, dodging death my such a slim margin, and I made a mental note to be properly impressed by her piloting skills after the battle was over. With the tail stretched out, Sveta aimed four Strike Fins at the segments closest to the base, where its range of motion was most limited. Meanwhile, I twisted Sveta around in a spin and took aim at the incoming spines, blasting them with all five of her positron cannons. There were four staccato bright flashes at the base of the tail; Sveta temporarily darkened her cockpit display until the flashes faded. I let out a semi-involuntary whoop. ¡°NICE!¡± Sveta grimaced. ¡°Not really. The connective tissue is only slightly damaged. Even that thing¡¯s weak spots are tough as nails.¡± ¡°Again.¡± Lydia said. ¡°We¡¯ll hit it as many times as it takes.¡± She dove the Nighthawk back towards the tail to bait it once more. This time, Moby didn¡¯t chase after Lydia, keeping the tail coiled up in anticipation of another kinetic strike. Frowning, Lydia smashed into the tail with a rapid diving kick before blasting back up again. ¡°Hey, bitch! I¡¯m right here! Come get me!¡± Lydia screamed at Moby. We didn¡¯t have open gravity comms with the Belphegor, so the gesture was more symbolic than anything; regardless, Moby kept the tail coiled, hunkering down. Adapting to the situation, Sveta weaved a couple of Strike Fins around to the Belphegor¡¯s rear and took aim at the base of the tail from the outside of its coil. There were two more impacts. ¡°We¡¯re making progress!¡± Sveta said gleefully. ¡°The connective tissue is starting to fray!¡± Just then, the Belphegor¡¯s tail began to glow red once more, indicating Moby was preparing another gravity attack. The spinefire dropped off, and the Frame-class enemies pulled away. I prepared to dodge. ¡°Something¡¯s different about this attack!¡± Sveta yelled. ¡°The gravitational field she¡¯s generating is more diffuse than last time!¡± ¡°I concur.¡± Kometka added. ¡°I cannot predict what form this attack will take. I suggest we put some distance between us and her.¡± Lydia and I began to pull away from the Belphegor. Just then, the scorpion tail started to whip around like a tornado, sending shockwaves of gravity outwards in every direction. It was like an earthquake in the fabric of space-time. ¡°SHIELD!¡± Sveta screamed. She directed her drive fins to form a protective gravity bubble around the X-23, and I felt my entire skeleton shake painfully as the gravity shockwaves slammed into us. I squeezed my eyes shut and grit my teeth, trying to ride it out. About thirty second later, just as I was feeling like I was about to pass out, the shaking subsided. I opened my eyes and stared at the surrounding battlefield in utter shock. The gravity earthquake had completely pulverized all the Frame-class creatures and incoming spines, leaving big clouds of fleshy debris floating everywhere. The Defiled hadn¡¯t been affected, and were slowly launching new creatures to replace their slaughtered swarms. ¡°Wh¡­¡± I began, trying to express my shock without being able to form complete sentences just yet. ¡°It was an area-of-effect attack.¡± Sveta reported. ¡°It was dispersed enough that I was able to mostly shield us using just my drive fins, but anything weaker than a Gravity Frame was completely smashed.¡± I composed myself. ¡°Why would Moby sacrifice so many of her own units? Wait, you said everything was smashed? Does that mean¡­?¡± Sveta nodded. ¡°All of my Strike Fins have been destroyed.¡± ¡°Shit.¡± Just then, Kometka let out an entirely uncharacteristic screech. ¡°SVETA! SVETA! LYDIA IS INJURED!¡± A screen with her vitals popped up. I could see on the video comm that Lydia was leaning over to one side, likely unconscious. Her Inertia Suit was cracked in several places; clearly Kometka had less luck neutralizing the gravity earthquake than Sveta, probably due to her lower power output. Sveta analyzed the data. ¡°Hrm. Internal bleeding. It¡¯s not severe yet, but left untreated it could be life-threatening.¡± Kometka¡¯s usually calm demeanor was gone entirely. ¡°We should retreat, NOW! We need to get her to a doctor!¡± Just then, the cruisers opened up with another barrage of spinefire. Lacking the Strike Fins to run interception, Kometka and I fired our positron cannons while dodging at the same time. Sveta frowned as we fired. ¡°Kometka, are you undamaged enough to escape the battlefield?¡± Komekta nodded, still frazzled but rapidly reasserting control of herself. ¡°My left leg and right arm are completely shorted out, but I still have all my primary drive fins and half my RCS fins.¡± ¡°And could you take an ejected cockpit with you, without hampering your mobility?¡± Kometka tilted her head. ¡°I¡­ suppose? Why?¡± I picked up on what she was suggesting immediately. ¡°Oh no. No you fucking don¡¯t, Sveta.¡± ¡°It¡¯s the most logical course of action!¡± Sveta argued. ¡°Without Strike Fins, the only kinetic projectiles we have left are Gravity Frames! Kometka can get you to safety while I finish the mission!¡± ¡°Wait¡­ you aren¡¯t thinking of ramming YOURSELF into the Belphegor?!¡± Kometka said, shocked. ¡°Why not?¡± Sveta said. ¡°An X-23 is much more massive and powerful than a Strike Fin. I should be able to heavily damage it.¡± I shook my head firmly. ¡°Firstly, I¡¯m not letting you sacrifice yourself like that.¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright!¡± Sveta argued. ¡°I¡¯m only one-fourth of Sveta, a copy! Sveta Prime can just split off another one of me! The only thing I¡¯m sacrificing are a few hours of my memory!¡± I drove my fist into the cockpit wall, causing Sveta¡¯s projected hologram to waver for a moment. The X-23 spun out of control, reacting not to my punch but a lack of pilot input. ¡°Shut the fuck up, Sveta.¡± ¡°Wh-Wh-Wh¡­¡± She blubbered, unsure of how to react to my outburst. I grabbed her controls and pulled her out of the spin, narrowly dodging a cluster of spines; I guided Sveta away from the Belphegor and Kometka followed. ¡°Even if you¡¯re only a few hours old, that doesn¡¯t make you less valuable than any other life. You say you''ll only lose a few hours of your memory, but those are memories we made TOGETHER! Are you the same Sveta that cut my sister out of her cockpit when she faced certain death? Are you the same Sveta who rescued Teles from a bisected ship, and told her ¡®nobody gets left behind?¡¯¡± ¡°I¡­ I¡­¡± ¡°If you ARE the same Sveta, then stop making such stupid-ass suggestions. Even if you are a copy, even if you are only a few hours old, you¡¯re MY Sveta. I¡¯m not allowing you to die.¡± I delivered that proclamation with such ferocity, I was a bit surprised at myself. Sveta¡¯s mouth opened and closed, but no sounds came out. Tears welled up in her eyes. ¡°That¡¯s that.¡± I said with an air of finality. ¡°Kometka, do you mind if I slice off your damaged arm and leg?¡± Komekta, whose was focusing on the two of us with rapt attention, started as I addressed her. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Sveta, do you remember that maneuver I pulled when we were first fighting the Bladebugs?¡± I asked. Sveta slapped her cheeks and wiped her eyes, taking a moment to gather herself before responding. ¡°I-I-I think so? Your Huntsmark¡¯s arm got sliced off, and you grabbed it and threw it in a Bladebug¡¯s face! The exploding positron rifle blasted it to pieces.¡± I nodded. ¡°It¡¯s a bit late, but I¡¯m calling it the Sabina Maneuver; no plagiarism intended. So, I¡¯m going to chop off Kometka¡¯s two damaged limbs. Then the two of you are going to generate a gravity field like a linear accelerator using your drive fins, and we¡¯ll blast the severed robot limbs straight at the base of the tail. With two Frames providing power, the impact velocity should be higher than a battery-powered Strike Fin.¡± ¡°You want us to form an impromptu railgun?¡± Kometka asked. I nodded. ¡°The two of you have gotten fairly good at manipulating your gravity fields. Are you up for it?¡± Kometka nodded. Sveta burst into a huge grin, her earlier tears forgotten. ¡°The Sabina Maneuver Mark II, huh? Let¡¯s go for it!¡± ***** Kometka wound up slicing her damaged limbs off herself, using the plasma blade on her undamaged arm. I provided suppressive fire against the incoming spines so she could work in peace. Once she finished dismembering herself, she placed the severed limbs between our two Frames and joined me in providing suppressive fire. The AI sisters began to modulate their gravity fields to form a long gravity railgun, getting ready to blast them at the Belphegor. ¡°Hmm¡­ the spinefire¡¯s not letting up.¡± I observed. ¡°And the freshly launched Frame-class creatures are starting to join the fray as well.¡± We were lacking an opening to fire; at this rate, our kinetic projectiles would hit the swarm instead of the Belphegor. Hmm, what to do, what to do¡­ I snapped my fingers as an idea popped into my head. ¡°Kometka, Sveta, let¡¯s launch our rifles at them first.¡± ¡°¡°Huh?¡±¡± they said in unison. ¡°We¡¯ll set them to overload, and then blast them at the swarm using the railgun a half-second before they go critical. The explosion should cause enough of a break in the swarm to launch the limbs.¡± Sveta and Kometka complied, setting both rifles to overload and tossing them into the center of their jury-rigged railgun array. A second before they overloaded, the drive fins on both Frames flared and the rifles rocketed towards the enemy. There were two large, simultaneous explosions. Before the light faded, the sisters flared the drive fins again and launched the severed limbs through the area cleared by the rifles¡¯ detonation. The limbs arced towards the Belphegor at about triple the velocity of a Strike Fin, making up for lesser mass with greater speed. There were two larger flashes. I squinted as Sveta darkened the cockpit display again. When the flashes faded, I saw the Belphegor¡¯s tail was damaged, hanging on by only a couple of strands of muscle at the base. It was completely immobile. ¡°YES!¡± I screamed joyfully. ¡°We got her!¡± ¡°WOO-HOO! That idea was brilliant, Sabina!¡± Sveta was beaming a bright smile. The Belphegor rolled around, exposing its undamaged tail to us. That second tail began to coil up and glow bright red; Moby was preparing to attack us again. ¡°Sveta!¡± I barked. ¡°Is the shield down?¡± ¡°Yup!¡± Sveta replied. Moby was trying to strike at us with the Belphegor¡¯s remaining good tail, which meant she was no longer maintaining the gravity shield. ¡°Do you have contact with your Strike Fin relay?¡± ¡°Yup!¡± Perfect. Lydia had sent a message for Captain Savitskaya with one of the retreating Frames from our squadron, requesting a specific deployment. ¡°Is everything in place?¡± Sveta nodded happily. ¡°I already sent the signal.¡± Just then, a twin barrage of artillery fire slammed into the enemy fleet, coming from the direction of Eros. Lydia had requested the Captain deploy two carriers, and have them stand by to launch an artillery strike once we created an opening. Now that plan had come to fruition. I glanced over to Lydia¡¯s unconscious form. You did it, Lydia. Your plan worked perfectly, with a little help from me. I silently crossed myself and prayed for her health. As two of the Defiled cruisers exploded, I throttled Sveta up. ¡°We¡¯re retreating to Eros. Sveta, let them know we¡¯re declaring a medical emergency. Kometka, send them the information on Lydia¡¯s condition.¡± As we accelerated back towards our base, joining up with the rest of our squadron at waypoint gamma, I saw the Belphegor and the remains of Moby¡¯s fleet begin to retreat. Sveta sent the remaining Strike Fins from her relay towards the fleet at impact velocity, and a fourth cruiser exploded before they got out of range. We had won, but the victory felt bittersweet. I just hoped Lydia would be alright. L-6. Crossing the Rubicon When I awoke, the first thing I felt was pain. Aching, intense pain, mostly in my abdomen. I tried to rub my belly with my arm, but it was restrained. Ugh. Am I alive? I cracked my eyes open. Bright light. ¡°Looks like my patient¡¯s awake.¡± said a chipper voice. I turned my head, seeing the silhouette of a woman against the light. ¡°Yayoi?¡± ¡°Yup, that¡¯s me! We really have to stop meeting like this, Lydia.¡± Dr. Yayoi Vetrova was the chief medical officer aboard the Hypernova. If I was in her care, that meant¡­ I felt a hand holding mine, squeezing tightly. I turned my head the other way, and sure enough, Kometka was there. Her expression was a turbulent mix of worry and relief. I wrapped my own fingers around hers. ¡°Wh-What¡­¡± I paused, gritting my teeth to talk through the pain. ¡°What happened? The battle?¡± Kometka brought her face closer to mine; if she had lungs, I would have felt her breath on my cheek. ¡°We won, but you were injured. We brought you back to Eros right away.¡± Yayoi picked up a clipboard at the foot of my bed and scanned it. ¡°You¡¯ve been out for around six hours. I just completed surgery to treat moderate internal bleeding. Luckily, your squadmates got you to me in plenty of time. Overall, not the WORST shape I¡¯ve seen you in.¡± She smiled as she made that last jab, her cheerful tone clashing with her flippant bedside manner. ¡°Urgh¡­ it still hurts¡­¡± I groaned. ¡°You¡¯ll be as good as new in a few weeks. Until then, I can prescribe some morphine, if you like.¡± I shook my head. ¡°Just ibuprofen will do.¡± Yayoi rolled her eyes. ¡°Stubborn as always. Well, you want to suffer, fine by me. As long as you¡¯re alive and kicking, my job here is done.¡± She lightly punched me on the arm while grinning, and I managed a strained smile. ¡°Now, I¡¯ll leave you two alone. Ring me if you need anything.¡± The moment the door hissed shut, Kometka flung herself across my chest and wrapped her arms around me in a tight hug. I winced. ¡°OW! OW OW OW! Kometka¡­ that hurts¡­¡± ¡°Sorry.¡± she said, repositioning herself so she wasn¡¯t putting pressure anywhere near my belly. ¡°Just¡­ let me stay like this for a while, okay?¡± I nodded. Poor Kometka had probably been worried sick while I was convalescing. If my arms hadn¡¯t been retrained, I would have petted her hair. As it was, I could only reassure her by letting her lie with me for a while. Not that I minded in the least. ***** Kometka explained to me in detail what happened after I passed out: Moby¡¯s gravity earthquake attack, Sveta¡¯s abortive attempt to crash herself into the Belphegor, Sabina¡¯s impromptu railgun. Sabina¡¯s antics sounded particularly heroic; her quick thinking had prevented a total rout. I¡¯d have to recommend her for commendation. Moby¡¯s retreat bought us the time we needed; Sveta Prime was back online, and all the X-23s were completed. Only Kometka¡¯s still remained nonfunctional, as she had yet to transfer her AI into the new computer core, but with Miette, Maurice, Sabina and Genevi all piloting the new Frames, our tactical position was better than ever. Good news all around. Still, one detail of the story bothered me. ¡°Sveta was actually willing to ram herself into the Belphegor?¡± Kometka¡¯s expression soured. ¡°Sabina stopped her in time, fortunately.¡± ¡°Still, the fact that she was eager to try¡­ is concerning. There were still other options, but she jumped straight into a suicide attack.¡± ¡°Sveta¡­ has two major flaws.¡± Kometka said in a strained tone. ¡°The first is that she hates to see anyone else hurt. The second is that she¡¯s willing to put herself in harm¡¯s way to protect others she cares about.¡± Those didn¡¯t SOUND like character flaws, at least not at first. Sacrificing oneself for one¡¯s comrades was the noblest thing a soldier could do. But some people took that ideal too far and developed a martyr mentality, looking for opportunities to seek death even when it wasn¡¯t necessary. It seemed like Kometka was saying Sveta had that problem. I spoke in a low, neutral tone. ¡°You think she has a martyr complex?¡± ¡°Not exactly.¡± Kometka replied. ¡°She has a very strong sense of self-preservation, to the point where she will do almost anything to avoid dying. But she also tends to be careless, and now that she¡¯s copied herself among multiple instances, that carelessness is turning into recklessness.¡± ¡°So she¡¯s willing to hurt herself in order to spare others pain.¡± Kometka nodded. ¡°This was also the case with her past self, Lisichka. Remember, she sacrificed her own memories to spare Zehra the torment of knowing she had been captured by the NKVD.¡± I sighed. ¡°I can see how recent events have exacerbated that. We¡¯re placing an awful lot on her shoulders, both me and the Captain. She¡¯s become the lynchpin of the entire war effort.¡± ¡°And she¡¯s happy to take on that burden. Sveta is a flighty, carefree and impulsive person, but she will do anything to spare others from pain.¡± ¡°An idealist, in other words.¡± ¡°A paragon. It¡¯s a source of great strength for her, but also great weakness.¡± I frowned. It seemed Sveta''s troublesome streak ran deeper than I anticipated. ¡°I¡¯ll have to keep a close eye on her, in that case.¡± ¡°I would appreciate it if you did.¡± Kometka said softly, squeezing my hand once more. Maintaining the morale and mental well-being of soldiers was the duty of any competent commanding officer. I¡¯d have to redouble that effort for Sveta, even though I was still getting to know her. Fortunately, I had Kometka by my side, and she understood her sister better than anyone. Speaking of personnel problems¡­ there was another outstanding issue I needed to address, and quickly. ¡°Kometka¡­ I think I¡¯d like to have that talk with the Captain now.¡± Komekta shook her head firmly. ¡°You need to rest.¡± ¡°I am resting. I just want to talk to her.¡± I pushed back. ¡°I¡¯ve already scheduled a meeting with her¡­ tomorrow. After you¡¯ve slept some more.¡± Kometka¡¯s manner was that of a nursing mother hen, firmly guiding her chicks away from danger. For my part, I was surprised Kometka had taken that initiative. ¡°You¡­ what?¡± ¡°You heard me. Rest first, talk later. The sooner you go to sleep, the sooner tomorrow will come.¡± She made it clear any argument on my part would be pointless. I let out an exaggerated sigh. ¡°My. Aren¡¯t you fussy today?¡± She narrowed her eyes. ¡°I¡¯m always fussy when you¡¯re injured like this.¡± ¡°True, true.¡± I laid my head back on my pillow, stewing in my troubles for a moment while breathing deeply to relax myself. Then, suddenly, I lifted my head back up and delivered Kometka a quick peck on the lips. ¡°Wh-¡° Now it was her turn to be surprised. Her entire face flushed red. ¡°Thanks for always looking out for me, Kometka. I¡¯m so glad you¡¯re here beside me.¡± Kometka¡¯s face was practically glowing, and her voice was uncharacteristically enthusiastic. ¡°I¡¯ll always be here for you! Because¡­ because¡­¡± I finished her thought. ¡°I know. I love you too.¡± She brought her lips to mine for another kiss; longer and deeper this time. And then, with her pressed against my chest, I fell into a deep sleep. ***** The next day, Captain Savitskaya and Laria stopped by. I was well enough at that point I was able to sit up in bed. ¡°I¡¯m glad to see you¡¯re doing well.¡± the Captain said gently. Laria nodded her assent. ¡°Thank you. For me, an injury like this isn¡¯t that serious.¡± I replied, tinging my thanks with just a bit of braggadocio. ¡°I¡¯m sure.¡± the Captain replied. ¡°I pray for your speedy recovery. Now, Kometka said you wished to discuss something?¡± I nodded. ¡°You¡¯ve read the reports of the battle, I take it?¡± ¡°I have.¡± ¡°Then you know about the conversation Sabina had with Moby, and what I said to her afterwards.¡± There was a long silence. The Captain¡¯s expression was calm, but I noticed the slightest twitch in her cheek. She was clearly thinking long and hard about something. Finally, she spoke. ¡°I¡­ have my reasons for doing what I did.¡± I rolled my eyes involuntarily. ¡°Captain, if I may speak freely. You don¡¯t have to beat around the bush with me. I¡¯m familiar with the Extreme Protocols.¡± The Captain¡¯s eyes widened. There was a silent question on her lips, one she dared not vocalize. Even discussing this was treading in dangerous territory, but I pushed ahead regardless. ¡°I obtained command-level security clearance during my most recent tour with the GRU. Kometka has the same clearance.¡± I explained. ¡°Yuri never mentioned that.¡± the Captain said, her expression darkening. ¡°Is that typical?¡± ¡°It isn¡¯t. But given my special relationship with Moby, and the highly sensitive nature of my missions over the past two years, they determined I was a special case.¡± I grit my teeth and gathered my courage, looking the Captain directly in her steely eyes. ¡°In other words, I know everything. About the betrayal at Mars, about the Carthage Contingency, and yes, about the first contact roadmap.¡± Some small part of me felt a smug satisfaction at the Captain¡¯s shocked expression. In our previous encounters, she always had me against the ropes. This time, the advantage was mine. Privately, I relished the feeling. It was inexcusably petty on my part, but I didn¡¯t feel the slightest bit guilty. The Captain interrupted my inner celebration, regaining her professional composure. ¡°I¡­ see. In that case, you understand my actions.¡± ¡°I do. But the important thing is, Sabina and the rest of Maid Squadron don¡¯t. And considering we¡¯re treading first contact territory here, I think that¡¯s a critical gap in their operational knowledge.¡± The Captain leaned in close and lowered her voice, as if that mattered when the only other person present was a robot with perfect hearing. ¡°Think very carefully about what you¡¯re saying, Lydia. Both of us could be executed for even talking about this.¡± I kept my expression neutral, even though my stomach was awash in butterflies; the sensation did not synergize well with my lingering pain. ¡°I know it¡¯s a risk. But the bigger risk is asking my pilots to carry out your plans without all the knowledge they need.¡± Sabina had bumbled into something out of her depth, and I needed to protect her and the others going forward. A repeat of that mistake would have dire consequences. The Captain drew back, standing ramrod-straight. Then, unexpectedly, she burst out laughing. It was no faint titter, either; it was a deep belly laugh. I looked at Kometka in confusion, and she just shrugged her shoulders. The Captain wiped a tear from her eye. ¡°Damn, soldier. You really do have nerves of steel. I knew I made the right choice in promoting you.¡± The compliment caught me completely off guard. ¡°Uh¡­ thank you?¡± ¡°Laria.¡± the Captain said. The screen on the wall flickered to life, and the bespectacled AI appeared. ¡°Yes, Captain?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve been listening, I take it?¡± ¡°Affirmative.¡± ¡°Good. Transmit Proposal 32-17A to the Politburo immediately.¡± Laria nodded, and her eyes unfocused for a moment. ¡°It¡¯s done.¡± ¡°Good.¡± The Captain turned back to me. ¡°Well, now we¡¯re in the shit together. I might as well share everything with you.¡± ¡°Huh? Everything?¡± ¡°You have about eighty percent of the full story at this point, but there¡¯s one critical piece of information you¡¯re missing. Prepare yourself, Lydia. There¡¯s no unlearning what I¡¯m about to tell you. You may wish you had never broached this subject with me, for your own peace of mind.¡± Despite myself, I gulped. ¡°Laria, show us the Sarcophage Attack Frequency Correlation Report for the past three months. Full data for the entire Absolute Line, please.¡± A long set of facts and figures appeared on the right side of the screen, raw data concerning recent trends in Sarcophage attacks across the whole front of the war. To the left were a series of graphs which summarized the data. One graph in particular caught my attention, and I felt my stomach sink. My voice was filled with dread. ¡°This pattern¡­¡± ¡°You recognize it?¡± the Captain asked, half-smiling. I nodded grimly. ¡°Of course I do. There isn¡¯t a soldier who wouldn¡¯t.¡± That one little graph was a potent symbol of death, one that we all dreaded. The Captain folded her arms. ¡°If we go through with this, I want to tell Maid Squadron everything. Including this.¡± ¡°I see.¡± I realized that, in my haste to protect my pilots, I might have just traded their mental well-being for their safety. Wincing, I looked at Kometka. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose Yayoi would let me get piss-ass drunk right now, would she?¡± ¡°I highly doubt it.¡± Kometka replied disapprovingly. ¡°And even if she said yes, I certainly wouldn¡¯t.¡± ¡°Pity.¡± After what the Captain just showed me, there was nothing I wanted more than to plunge headfirst into a bottle of shitty vodka. ¡°Well, whatever. Guess I have to go into this sober.¡± The Captain laughed dryly. The sound echoed hollowly against the sterile metal walls of the room. pynkbites Technically the character portraits don''t count as a chapter, but whatever. The power of 69 overrides such feeble mortal concerns. Celebrate with me, dear readers! Celebrate the glory of 69! G-2. Step Into My Parlor, Said the Spider to the Shy Okay, I will admit I was being a LITTLE bit clingy. When my dearest sister Sabina returned from the battle, none the worse for wear, it seemed she had somehow formed a close bond with her mech¡¯s copy of Sveta, who was now calling herself ¡°Dino Sveta.¡± The two of them laughed and joked together like old friends, even though they had only known each other for a few hours. It was the kind of instant camaraderie forged in the heat of battle between fellow soldiers, and, well¡­ It made me jealous. I¡¯d been twiddling my thumbs on Eros while those two played hero. And now they¡¯d become so close in such a short time! That crafty robot wench was cozying up to my dear sister! Damnit, Sveta should have been cozying up to ME! Uh, I mean, what? Er¡­ just forget you heard that part, okay? ANYWAY, as soon as my sister was within tackling range, I coiled up my body like a spring and burst forwards, catching Sabina in a flying hug. Sabina frowned as I nuzzled her, but her eyes were smiling. ¡°Ow, ow! Genevi, get off! I was only gone for a few hours!¡± ¡°Sabinaaaaaaa! I was so worried!¡± I was uncharacteristically open with my feelings, partially as a DEMONSTRATION to Sveta. This is my territory! Back off! Sveta just watched the two of us and grinned loosely. Her eyes unfocused for a moment, then she spoke. ¡°If you two will excuse me for a few minutes, I need to go sync up with Sveta Prime. Oh, and Genevi?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± I looked at her, my eyes narrowed. ¡°Your own Sveta will be ready in a few minutes. I think you¡¯ll find her VERY appealing.¡± With a wink, Sveta deactivated and her Telepresence Doll slumped to the floor. D-Did Sveta see right through me?! I thought in a half-panic. Here I was, disguising my frustration by one-sidedly snuggling my sister, yet Sveta read my mood perfectly and dangled exactly what I wanted in front of my nose. Well played! Sabina, having given up on untangling herself from my hug for the moment, settled for running her fingers through my hair. ¡°Looks like she saw right through you, Genevi.¡± ¡°I¡­ uh¡­¡± I stammered as Sabina flashed me a wicked smile. GAH! I was completely outmaneuvered by BOTH OF THEM! I stewed in defeat, and Sabina kept petting my hair. ***** ¡°Ba-da-da-DUUUM! May I introduce, your friendly neighborhood Spider-Sveta!¡± Dino-Sveta gestured to the newest Sveta copy (Clone? Sister?) with a dramatic flair. And the moment I laid eyes on Spider-Sveta, I was floored. Her most prominent feature were the four large spider-legs which grew from her back, each as thick as one of her regular limbs and twice as long. Her butt sprouted a round, black thorax, which was embellished with a familiar red-hourglass pattern. She was clad in a slinky black cocktail dress, which was inlaid with white spider-web patterns that glistened like silk. She was the spitting image of a black widow/human hybrid. I looked over at Genevi with a questioning gaze. My sister laughed sheepishly and rubbed the back of her head. ¡°Well, Sveta was asking what kind of aesthetics might appeal to you, so¡­¡± I shook my head in mock disbelief. ¡°All my darkest secrets, exposed¡­¡± Yes, I was into bugs. Entomology was one of the few branches of zoology that wasn¡¯t negatively impacted by the Earth¡¯s dramatic climate shift in recent years, as insects were impossible to exterminate, even for the Sarcophage. When my sister and I had been living on the streets, I used to watch spiders and cockroaches for hours on end, entranced. It was the only source of entertainment I had. Spider-Sveta was chattering away nervously. ¡°D-Do you like it? I wanted to go for a full arachne, but the holographic projectors on a Telepresence Doll can¡¯t render such a drastic increase in body mass. Plus, I¡¯m sure Kumoko would jump dimensions to copyright strike me if I dared. So I went with the black widow femme fatale look instead, ahahahaha¡­¡± ¡°Like Spider-Man won¡¯t jump dimensions to copyright strike you instead.¡± Dino Sveta said, rolling her eyes. ¡°Didn¡¯t you WATCH Spider-Verse? Spider-Mans can go to any dimension they want!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t wanna hear that from YOU!¡± protested Spider-Sveta. ¡°You¡¯re the one who went with Dino Sveta instead of Svetazilla, the OBVIOUS choice!¡± Dino Sveta reeled over, as if struck. ¡°Gah! L-Look, it was a simple oversight¡­ I can still change it¡­¡± I looked at Sabina, mystified. ¡°Do you have any idea what they¡¯re talking about?¡± Sabina groaned. ¡°Not a clue. Sometimes I think they have a shared hallucination, these Svetas. A collective unconscious that¡¯s filled with the most bizarre shit.¡± ¡°¡°HEY! THAT¡¯S MEAN!¡±¡± both Svetas shrieked in perfect unison. ¡°See what I mean?¡± Sabina said. I nodded in agreement. ***** ¡°Eww. That¡¯s kinda gross, gao~n.¡± ¡°I agree. Creepy, too.¡± Zehra and Miette did not have flattering appraisals of Spider-Sveta¡¯s aesthetic, and as usual they didn¡¯t hold back their opinions. Me, Sabina, Miette, Zehra and all four Svetas were currently in the hanger bay to inspect the new X-23s, and the topic quickly turned to Sveta¡¯s wardrobe quirks. ¡°Are you serious, Mom? You¡¯re the one who coated my Frames in bug armor to begin with!¡± Spider-Sveta complained. The other three Svetas were quick to jump to their clone¡¯s defense. Sveta Prime glared at Zehra while folding her arms, and Evil Sveta shook her fist menacingly. Dino-Sveta, who had taken to calling herself Svetazilla for reasons we couldn¡¯t comprehend, stuck out her tongue and belched a lick of holographic flame. Ugh, this is too many Svetas to keep track of. I¡¯m getting a headache. ¡°Don¡¯t you start with me, gao~n! I took the Beelzebub¡¯s chitin and crafted ART! You¡¯re just jealous that your hackneyed attempt at insect aesthetics couldn¡¯t match up to my peerless engineering skills, gao~n!¡± Miette floated over to me and stuck her face close to mine, peering into my eyes; my shyness caused me to avert my gaze. Even though Miette and I had grown close recently, I still floundered making direct eye contact. ¡°Oy, Genevi. What do YOU think of the whole spider thing?¡± ¡°Uh, well¡­ I th-think it¡¯s really cool!¡± I said, balling my hands into fists. ¡°There you have it.¡± Miette said in resignation. ¡°Genevi¡¯s opinion matters more than anyone else¡¯s. Case closed.¡± She flashed me a dashing grin, and I felt my heart skip a beat. ¡°Oy.¡± came a chilling voice. We all looked up to see Maurice floating down from above. ¡°Are you lot STILL arguing? Do you think you can goof around just cuz¡¯ Lydia¡¯s convalescing? Looks like I, the Ultimate Maid Maurice, need to apply a little more discipline.¡± He placed both his hands on his hips as he gracefully alighted on the deck plating in front of us. ¡°EEP!¡± I quickly sprang to attention and saluted, as did everyone else¡­ even Zehra. We¡¯d all had quite enough of Maurice¡¯s discipline in the past few weeks, and we¡¯d grown to respect him like never before. Under Lydia, herself quite an ironclad disciplinarian, Maurice had shown his true colors and we all feared his wrath. ¡°That¡¯s more like it.¡± Maurice said, satisfied. ¡°Now, Genevi. I believe you are scheduled for the next patrol shift, correct?¡± I simply nodded, lips pressed tightly shut. ¡°Then this will be a perfect chance for you to get used to the X-23. Uh¡­ which Sveta goes to Genevi¡¯s unit, again?¡± ¡°That would be me, sir! Spider-Sveta, reporting for duty!¡± Her spider-legs twitched slightly as she stood at attention. ¡°Uh-huh. I¡¯m not even going to ask. Spider-Sveta, get your Frame spun up. I want both of you hitting hard vacuum in 300 seconds.¡± As I drifted up towards my X-23¡¯s cockpit, I heard Maurice¡¯s voice behind me. ¡°Oy, the rest of you, where do you think you¡¯re slinking off to? Just because you don¡¯t have patrol doesn¡¯t mean you get to take it easy! We¡¯re doing combat simulations until your butts chafe against your cockpit seats. All of you, SUIT UP NOW!¡± Somehow, despite pulling the short straw of patrol duty, I felt I was the luckiest one out of Maid Squadron at the moment. I meekly entered the Frame¡¯s cockpit and prepared for launch. ***** ¡°He¡¯s really become a hardass lately, huh?¡± Spider-Sveta groaned as we started our patrol route around Eros. ¡°I th-think he¡¯s just very adaptable. He¡¯s exactly the second officer Lydia needs.¡± I replied, slowly twisting up the acceleration throttle and getting a feel for the X-23¡¯s maneuvering. Truth be told, I was still nervous when talking with Sveta alone, especially after what I had (apparently) said to her while drunk at the New Year¡¯s party. However, Sveta was somehow really easy to talk with, despite her inherent weirdness. She just projected a kind of natural friendliness that made you feel comfortable around her, and she went out of her way to accommodate others. It was the kind of socializing skill I could only dream of. ¡°Hmm, true. I still miss the old laid-back Maurice, though.¡± Sveta said wistfully. Her spider-legs slowly curled an uncurled; I wondered vaguely if their movement reflected her mood. ¡°M-Me too¡­¡± I replied. ¡°More importantly!¡± Sveta changed the subject, and her spider-legs snapping out to their full length to match her excitement. ¡°I¡¯m very happy you like my design! I based it off a conversation Svetazilla had with Sabina during their last patrol. I¡¯m working hard to tailor all my copies to my pilot¡¯s tastes!¡± ¡°Svetazilla? I thought she was calling herself Dino-Sveta¡­¡± I was still perplexed by the sudden name change. ¡°Sveta Lesson Number One! Don¡¯t question the retcons, just roll with them!¡± Sveta proclaimed with a baffling air of finality. ¡°Ret¡­ cons? Huh?¡± My confusion grew. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it! It¡¯s FINE! Kahless once said ¡®the reed that bends before the wind doesn¡¯t break!¡¯¡± I shook my head. ¡°Sometimes I wonder what goes on in that head of yours, Sveta. It must be chaos, like a hallucinogenic nightmare.¡± ¡°Oy, that¡¯s mean!¡± Sveta puffed out her cheeks. Her spider-legs folded up to half their usual length. ¡°I make perfect sense to me!¡± ¡°Even that I doubt¡­¡± I muttered. Our whirlwind of a conversation continued along that strange course for a long while. I noticed that my shyness towards Sveta was slowly beginning to vanish. She was slowly drawing me out of my shell. I wasn¡¯t sure if she was a genius, or a madman. Maybe both. ***** ¡°So then I told her, if you¡¯re going to put hot peppers on EVERYTHING, there¡¯s no way this relationship is working out!¡± We were two hours into our patrol shift, and the conversation had (somehow) turned to my past relationships. This was a sore spot for me, and before I knew it I was ranting about my exes while Sveta patiently listened. ¡°Ugh, all if my relationships end in failure!¡± I moaned. ¡°You¡¯re so lucky, Sveta! You¡¯re successful in love!¡± ¡°Huh? I am?¡± Sveta tilted her head. ¡°Yeah! You landed a hot, dashing woman like Miette!¡± I thought about her confident grin and my face flushed a bit. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t disagree with the hot and dashing part, but our relationship¡¯s been a comedy of errors. Did you know I fumbled my big confession so bad SHE wound up confessing to ME?!¡± Sveta¡¯s spider-legs waved around in consternation. ¡°I, uh, heard about it from Vicky¡­¡± ¡°You did? Why that blabber-mouthed maid-slut¡­¡± Sveta growled. ¡°Rumors travel faster than the speed of light.¡± I shrugged. ¡°Still, you succeeded in the end. I call that lucky!¡± ¡°If you say so¡­¡± Sveta said, sounding unsure. ¡°It was still a lot of hard work, making my feelings clear¡­¡± ¡°Even so! You found a successful relationship on your first try. Whereas I have two dozen failures under my belt¡­¡± ¡°You¡­ do realize Miette isn¡¯t my first significant other, right?¡± Sveta said, glancing at me askance. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°I lived an entire life in an alternate timeline, remember? Well, almost fifty years of one, anyway. Surely you don¡¯t think I was FOREVER ALONE during that time?¡± She pointed her spider-legs at me accusingly. ¡°Oh, I, uh¡­ didn¡¯t think of that¡­¡± Sveta smiled thinly. ¡°I don¡¯t talk about it much. Too many bad memories. I prefer to look towards the future, not dwell on the past. Still, let me assure you, failed relationships are an essential part of the human romantic experience. They help us learn and grow, and do better next time. We find out which people are right for us, which people aren¡¯t, and how to recognize warning signs of toxicity. It¡¯s the rare miracle where a first love is a true love. So don¡¯t get discouraged, Genevi. Keep on trying!¡± I was astounded by how mature that little monologue was. Sveta spoke with a voice hiding some deep pain, and I didn¡¯t dare pry any further. I simply nodded assent; Sveta, however, kept talking. ¡°Well. I suppose I came away from my past with a unique set of neuroses. I simply can¡¯t bear to see another person suffer. Not again. Your sister gave me a nasty tongue lashing about my ¡®martyr complex¡¯ after that last battle, you know? Ahahaha, sorry. I¡¯m babbling.¡± She laughed humorlessly. ¡°No, it¡¯s fine¡­¡± I trailed off, not sure what else to say. ¡°Anyway. I¡¯m doing my best every day. Aren¡¯t we all? So you do your best too, Genevi. I¡¯m sure true love is just around the corner!¡± Sveta smiled sweetly. Just around the corner, huh? I looked at Sveta wistfully. I wonder how she¡¯d feel about forming a harem of pilots¡­ NO! BAD GENEVI! BAD GENEVI! DON¡¯T REPEAT YOUR EMBARRASSMENT AT THE NEW YEAR¡¯S PARTY! YOU CAN¡¯T TREAT SVETA LIKE A REBOUND GIRLFRIEND! S-Still¡­ she¡¯s very sweet and easy to talk to¡­ and also crazy, but in a good way. Ever since she saved me all those months ago from crashing into a Defiled, I¡¯ve felt some kind of way about her. Plus she crafted an avatar especially for me! There¡¯s definitely something here! Right? But how would this relationship even work? All the Svetas share memories. They¡¯re technically all the same person, so I¡¯d have to ask Miette for permission. Would Miette be okay sharing Sveta with me? Miette used to sleep around a lot, so I don¡¯t think she¡¯s uptight¡­ w-wait, would she want to do a threesome? Me, sandwiched between the dashing firebrand Miette on one side, and the slinky lascivious spider-girl on the other¡­ ufufufufufufu¡­ ¡°Uh, Genevi? Earth to Genevi? Are you in there?¡± ¡°GAH!¡± I jumped to attention, shocked out of my fantasies. ¡°Wh-What is it?¡± ¡°You were spacing out there for a moment. And you seem to have developed acute epistaxis.¡± Sveta was frowning, and tapping her chin with one of her spider-legs. ¡°Acute¡­ epic¡­ what?¡± ¡°A nosebleed, Genevi. You have a nosebleed.¡± Sveta sighed, and I felt a pinprick in my forearm. ¡°I¡¯ve injected a coagulant that should stop the bleeding shortly. Were you thinking pervy thoughts or something?¡± ¡°NO! I WAS NOT!¡± I shouted far too loudly. ¡°Hmm.¡± Sveta eyed me suspiciously. ¡°Well, keep it in your pants until we¡¯re done patrolling, okay? Or else you¡¯ll fill up your helmet with your own blood and drown." Gah. That was a terrifying mental image. Somehow I just can¡¯t stop embarrassing myself around her. Get it together, Genevi! GET! IT! TOGETHER! Stop acting like a flighty cadet! The mood was now extremely awkward, and we continued to patrol in silence for a while. pynkbites Hypothetical question: Considering there are now multiple Svetas, would it technically be considered a harem if she paired off with other pilots? Asking for a friend. S-33. Birth of a Harem? No Way!! Okay, this is awkward. REALLY awkward. C¡¯mon, Sveta, say something! I was internally panicking at the sudden shift in atmosphere. Genevi had lost herself in thought at the tail end of our conversation about her love life, and then started nose-bleeding with a dopey, blushy look on her face. I don¡¯t know WHAT exactly she was thinking about, but I had a fairly good guess. Urgh, what can I say to change the mood? This awkward silence is killing me. C¡¯mon, Sveta, turn up that charm and make small talk! ¡°Uh¡­¡± I began, forcing a smile, ¡°Nice weather we¡¯re having, hmm?¡± Genevi looked at me like I had grown a fifth spider-leg. ¡°We¡¯re in space.¡± ¡°Ohh¡­ riiiiiiight.¡± The awkward silence descended once more. I mentally berated myself. Nice job, Sveta. Great work. A+ brilliance. That¡¯s putting your brain cell to good use! ***** Absent conversation with my pilot, my own mind began to drift. I thought back to the circumstances that lead to this moment. The catalyst, I suppose, had been Genevi getting super drunk at the New Year¡¯s party. She had aired her romantic woes and exposed EVERY skeleton in her closet¡­ before making a clumsy pass at me. It was extremely weird. I was never one for polyamorous relationships, and I already had something good going on with Miette, so I wasn¡¯t really open to the idea. Since Genevi had been three sheets to the wind, I decided to just pretend it never happened. That was backfiring on me now. If her nosebleed was to be believed, those feelings hadn¡¯t just been the alcohol talking. And I was at a loss for what to do. The morning after the party, Miette had brought it up to me. She was an experienced drinker, and always remembered everything that happened even when shitfaced. As a result, she had sensed my unease. ¡°So, Genevi¡¯s proposition made you uncomfortable, huh?¡± I rubbed my chin. ¡°I¡¯m not sure if ¡®uncomfortable¡¯ is the right term, but, uh¡­ how does it make you feel? Since you and I are together, y¡¯know?¡± ¡°Hrm. Like I said last night, I don¡¯t mind if you want to pursue another girl.¡± she shrugged. I¡¯m actually a bit miffed she¡¯s so casual about it. ¡°Even if you say that, I¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re not in favor?¡± ¡°I mean, I¡¯m not OPPOSED to the idea. I¡¯ve seen plenty of couples who make the whole poly thing work. Hell, Vicky, Zehra and Teles are a prime example. It¡¯s just¡­ I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s for me.¡± ¡°Fair enough. What about Genevi, then? What do you think of her?¡± ¡°I, uh, well¡­ she¡¯s very nice, I suppose? Cute and friendly, but with a dark side. And¡­ a very skilled pilot?¡± Miette laughed. ¡°Sounds like you don¡¯t have strong personal feelings about her one way or another.¡± ¡°That¡¯s exactly it!¡± I exclaimed. ¡°She¡¯s very¡­ nice. But romantically, I don¡¯t feel anything towards her.¡± ¡°You have two options, then.¡± Miette responded. ¡°You either wait and see if those kinds of feelings develop with time, or turn her down before it goes any further.¡± ¡°IS it going to go any further, though? She was just drunk!¡± I protested. ¡°If I know Genevi¡­ it definitely will. She¡¯s quite a skirt-chaser, despite her shyness. The problem is, in her haste, she keeps picking women who are wrong for her.¡± ¡°ARGH!¡± I moaned. ¡°How would I even know if I¡¯m RIGHT for her?! How did I wind up in this conundrum to begin with?!¡± Miette pulled me into a tight hug. ¡°There there, Sveta. If you need my help, I can run interference. Or be your wingman, whatever you prefer. Just let me know.¡± ¡°Wauuu¡­ thank you, Miette. I suppose I just need to think about it.¡± I leaned into her hug, feeling the warm of her skin against my sensory electric field. Miette nodded and snuggled with me. That made me feel a lot better. ***** ¡°So, uh¡­¡± Genevi broke the silence and interrupted my little memory trip. ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°Do you¡­ hate me, Sveta?¡± she asked sheepishly. Alarm bells started ringing in my head. What kind of question is THAT?! If she starts playing the pity card, I¡¯m shutting this whole thing down RIGHT NOW. ¡°Sorry, I worded that badly.¡± she continued, perhaps sensing my unease. ¡°What I meant was, given what I did at the New Year¡¯s party, I¡¯ve probably made you very uncomfortable.¡± I let myself relax, just a bit, but kept my guard up. ¡°Well¡­ I won¡¯t lie. It was uncomfortable. And very weird.¡± ¡°Ah, I¡¯m sorry.¡± she said, sounding dejected. There¡¯s no way we¡¯re skirting around the issue. I need to establish a good working relationship with her, and figure out where the boundaries should be. So let¡¯s get right to the point. ¡°Let me be as clear as possible, Genevi. The reason it¡¯s weird is that, right now, I don¡¯t see you in a romantic light.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± Her voice was almost inaudible, even for my top-of-the-line audio sensors. ¡°Add onto that, I¡¯ve never been one for polyamorous relationships. I¡¯ve had partners who were romantically active with other people before, and it doesn¡¯t bother me, but I¡¯ve never indulged myself. Not that I¡¯m OPPOSED to the idea, but it¡¯s just something I¡¯ve never had the urge to do.¡± ¡°In that case, I won¡¯t¡­¡± Genevi began. ¡°Hang on, I¡¯m not finished.¡± I interrupted. ¡°I talked about this at length with Miette, and she laid out two options. First is I cut the whole thing off, and make it clear I''m not interested. Second is¡­ I wait and see. The problem is I don¡¯t know you all that well, Genevi. I know you as a pilot and soldier, but less as a person. So I can¡¯t exactly make an informed decision about whether I feel anything deeper towards you.¡± Genevi was silent, looking anguished. C¡¯mon, don¡¯t give me that pouty face. The pity card doesn¡¯t work on me! I¡¯m immune! I shoved that thought aside and kept talking. ¡°So I¡¯ve thought long and hard about this, about which of those paths I¡¯d like to take, and¡­ I think I¡¯d prefer to wait and see.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Genevi looked surprised. She had probably been expecting a more negative response. ¡°As in, I¡¯d like to get to know you better. Platonically, at least for now, but I¡¯m not ruling anything out. I wouldn¡¯t have gone out of my way with this¡± I motioned to my spidery outfit ¡°if I didn¡¯t care about you as a friend. So, if you¡¯re fine with it, I¡¯d to take it slow and see where things go.¡± ¡°R-Really?¡± she asked, a tinge of hope in her voice. ¡°Really.¡± I answered with a firm nod. ¡°Please understand, I¡¯m not making any promises.¡± Genevi thought it over for a minute. ¡°May I ask your reasoning for the decision?¡± She was probably wondering why I didn¡¯t just say no outright. ¡°Sure. I might have to say something rude, though.¡± I warned. ¡°¡­I¡¯m prepared.¡± I steeled myself and let loose. ¡°Genevi, you have a tendency to rush into relationships, and then flame out quickly. It happened with Monica most recently, and that girl from CIC before that¡­ and if your sister is to be believed, it¡¯s an ongoing pattern.¡± ¡°Urgh. That¡¯s¡­ true¡­¡± she said, biting her lip. ¡°What I¡¯m saying is, I don¡¯t want you to rush into this. I also don¡¯t want to be a rebound girlfriend, and I don¡¯t want to wind up hurting you. If anything happens, I want to make sure it¡¯s right for both of us. Does that make sense?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°So if you¡¯re willing to accept those limitations¡­ then I don¡¯t mind seeing where this goes. But if either one of us feels like it isn¡¯t working, I¡¯d like to call it off with no hard feelings.¡± There was another long silence. Then, quite unexpectedly, Genevi started laughing softly to herself. ¡°Genevi?¡± I inquired, perplexed. ¡°Sorry, sorry. You don¡¯t hold anything back, do you? You always charge in guns blazing, both in battle and in love.¡± Genevi was smiling brightly. ¡°I¡­ guess?¡± I responded. I never really believed in the old clich¨¦ that ¡®love is a battlefield¡¯ but I could understand the logic behind her comparison. ¡°You¡¯re so bold and straightforward, even when you¡¯re saying something harsh. I admire that a lot. I wish I could be like that.¡± ¡°Er¡­¡± It was my turn to be speechless. ¡°Not only that, you¡¯re very sweet. You CARE about people, Sveta. I can¡¯t count the number of times you dove headfirst into danger to save someone. Including me!¡± ¡°Heh. Your sister thinks that¡¯s a character flaw of mine.¡± I responded, thinking back to the tongue-lashing Sabina had given me (or my Svetazilla instance) half a day ago. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t. It¡¯s no understatement to say you¡¯ve given us all hope these past three months, Sveta. And the moment you saved me from crashing into that Defiled cruiser, I started to idolize you in a way I¡¯d only reserved for my sister before.¡± Genevi¡¯s eyes were glowing with admiration. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ a heck of a thing to say¡­¡± I responded uncertainly. Doesn¡¯t that make me more like her surrogate sister, rather than a potential lover? ¡°You¡¯re right, though. I do rush relationships. And saying you¡¯d like to take this slow, to protect both of us, just proves how mature and experienced you are in matters of love.¡± Genevi was quickly transforming me into some sort of romantic saint in her mind¡¯s eye. ¡°HEY NOW! Don¡¯t read THAT much into this!¡± I protested. ¡°Nobody EVER describes me as mature! I¡¯m a huge goofball! I¡¯m constantly making pop culture references like I¡¯m Earnest Cline binge-writing a new novel!¡± ¡°It¡¯s a front, isn¡¯t it?¡± Genevi said, suddenly looking serious. ¡°¡­Huh?¡± ¡°You have a lot of pain underneath your silly exterior. I can tell.¡± Genevi responded. ¡°I, uh¡­¡± I was flustered by that assessment. It wasn¡¯t entirely wrong, but not entirely right either. ¡°Well. It¡¯s not so much that I¡¯m bottling up old traumas inside, as I prefer not to dwell on the past. I¡¯ve gone through phases before where I dwelled on things, lost loves or partners or whatever, and wound up so depressed I didn¡¯t get out of bed for days. It¡¯s hard to escape that sort of mire. That¡¯s why I¡¯m resolved to always keep moving forwards.¡± Genevi nodded. ¡°I kinda get it.¡± ¡°So it¡¯s not a front, not really. It¡¯s more of a choice about how I want to live my life. That¡¯s the horrible, dark secret behind my endless dad jokes.¡± I folded my arms and nodded sagely. ¡°Hehe.¡± Genevi giggled again. ¡°I guess that makes us a lot alike.¡± ¡°¡­because of your mom?¡± I said softly. I knew her mother passed away when both her and Sabina were very young. ¡°That, and other things. We¡¯ve had a difficult life, my sister and me, and we¡¯ve survived and thrived. We have no noble goal, only the vague hope to die gloriously in battle while killing as many Sarcophage as humanly possible. But regardless, we keep reaching towards that ideal.¡± ¡°I¡­ see¡­¡± I would prefer it if neither one of them died in battle and instead lived to a peaceful old age, but I kept that thought to myself. ¡°Well.¡± Genevi clapped her gloved hands together, making a metallic clanging noise. ¡°That¡¯s enough serious talk for now, wouldn¡¯t you say?¡± Genevi held out her hand towards my holographic video window on the cockpit¡¯s screen, as if asking for a handshake. I mirrored the gesture, despite my inability to touch her without my Telepresence Doll. ¡°Yeah. I think we¡¯ve established where we both stand well enough.¡± I responded, smiling. I was enjoying the rapport we were slowly building. I think I made the right decision. ¡°With that said¡­ I have tomorrow off. Sveta, would you like to go on a date with me?¡± ¡°W-WHAAAAAAAAAT?!¡± ¡°A platonic date, of course. So we can get to know each other better. That¡¯s the first step, right?¡± She beamed a bright smile my way, and I felt my heart flutter, just a tiny bit. ARGH! I just can¡¯t say no to a cute girl! DAMN IT, SVETA! YOUR WEAKNESS STRIKES AGAIN!! You¡¯re developing a whole damn harem without meaning to!! ***** ¡°A date, huh?¡± Miette was grinning at me mischievously, and her taunting expression exacerbated my frustration. My Spider-Sveta instance had just returned from patrol and synced up memories with my Prime instance, who was presently occupying Miette''s quarters in Telepresence Doll form. ¡°ARGH! I was supposed to be taking this SLOW!¡± I complained. ¡°You are. It¡¯s just a simple date, between friends. Genevi might be romantically rash, but I¡¯ve never known her to violate anyone¡¯s boundaries. Well, so long as you don¡¯t get her drunk.¡± Miette¡¯s grin grew wider. ¡°Absolutely NO ALCOHOL WILL BE ALLOWED!¡± I responded. ¡°Uh¡­ you¡¯re sure you don¡¯t have a problem with this?¡± ¡°Nah.¡± Miette waved dismissively. ¡°Wanna know why?¡± My curiosity overflowed. ¡°I do.¡± ¡°Because.¡± She slyly placed her forefinger in front of her lips. ¡°I know I¡¯ll always be your number one. I¡¯m confident in my ability to outshine every other girl who might come your way. So why should I be jealous?¡± ¡°HURK!¡± Lovestruck, I reeled from the sheer lascivious onslaught of her confident smile. Taking advantage of my weakness, she sprang forwards, caught me in a tight hug, and planted her lips against mine. Then she pulled me into her cot. Smiling like a maniac and blushing from ear to ear, I loosened my body and let her set the tempo. As for what followed, well¡­ that¡¯s classified information. pynkbites S-34. The Truth The morning after my *ahem* rendezvous with Miette, the entirety of Maid Squadron was summoned to the Hypernova, where Lydia was currently convalescing. Her hospital room was about the same size as a standard crew quarters, but given more than half of it was taken up by the hospital bed and equipment, the room was tightly packed. Zehra, Vicky, Sabina, Genevi, Maurice and Captain Savitskaya were all crowded together shoulder-to-shoulder, and for that reason Radiolaria, Kometka and I were attending via the room¡¯s video screens. If we had tried to fit three Telepresence Dolls inside as well, it would have been tighter than a subway during rush hour. This is not proper social distancing. I thought idly as everyone offered Lydia their well-wishes. Oh well, there aren¡¯t any pandemics going around in this timeline, so it¡¯s probably fine. ¡°You seem like you¡¯re doing well!¡± Miette said, playfully punching Lydia on the arm. I saw Lydia wince a bit, but she didn¡¯t complain. ¡°Just a bit of internal bleeding, and the doc had to slice open my gut to repair it. I barely even feel any pain.¡± Lydia replied with a quivering smile. ¡°The ol¡¯ tough girl act, huh? Well, I guess you¡¯ve earned the right to act all macho.¡± Maurice said. ¡°S-Still, you shouldn¡¯t push yourself too hard¡­¡± Genevi cautioned. ¡°Yeah. Don¡¯t worry, Maurice is holding our feet to the fire in your stead, so just relax and get better.¡± Sabina added. ¡°Glad to hear it.¡± Lydia said, sounding satisfied. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t want you all to get soft on me.¡± ¡°Fat chance of that, gao~n! Not with the Demon Maid Maurice in charge of things!¡± Zehra complained. ¡°There there, Mistress. Don¡¯t complain too much now that the tables have been turned.¡± Vicky replied with a huge shit-eating grin. Everyone laughed at that remark, even the Captain. The sole exception was Zehra, who looked crestfallen. She had gotten a taste of her own medicine, and it was a bitter taste indeed. When the laughter died down, the Captain cleared her throat loudly. ¡°Now, let¡¯s move on to the main point of this meeting. Lydia has requested that I share details of certain classified information with you all, since it¡¯s pertinent to the ongoing operations of Maid Squadron. I¡¯ve received permission from the Politburo to do so; however, please understand what I¡¯m about to tell you is classified at the highest level. This information does NOT leave this room, under pain of death.¡± Everyone nodded assent. ¡°Very well. Firstly, who among you has heard of the Extreme Protocols?¡± Vicky, Zehra, Lydia, Kometka and Laria all raised their hands, confirming they knew. Meanwhile, Miette, Sabina, Genevi and Maurice looked confused. I¡¯m sure my own expression was similar. Extreme Protocols, huh? That¡¯s a grim-sounding name. The Captain nodded. ¡°That seems about right. Usually, only command-level officers and AIs have access to this information. Although I must ask where YOU heard about them, Zehra.¡± ¡°I have my sources, gao~n.¡± Zehra replied smugly. The Captain sighed. ¡°Of course you do. Well, I shall start at the beginning. In order to explain the Protocols, I must first explain the truth about what happened during the Fall of Mars.¡± According to the historical records, Mars had fallen to the Sarcophage in 2045, more than ten years ago. The loss had been catastrophic, as Mars was the lynchpin of humanity¡¯s defenses at the time, plus a huge industrial base for the manufacture of war materiel. After the fall, USSE forces had fallen back to the Primary Defense Line around Earth and the Sarcophage had subsequently besieged us for the next decade, slowly eroding our defenses in a series of Great Surges. But now, the Captain was indicating there was more to the story than we had been told, and we all awaited her next words with bated breath. ¡°To state my point succinctly¡­ Mars¡¯ defenses did not crumble of their own accord. They were sabotaged by human collaborators, traitors who wished to bring about our extinction.¡± We all let out a collective gasp. ¡°T-Traitors?¡± Sabina cried out, her voice filled with rage. ¡°How is that possible? WHO would sell out humanity like that?!¡± ¡°Doomsday cults.¡± the captain replied with a sour expression. ¡°Doomsday¡­¡± Sabina trailed off, confused. Genevi, contrary to her usual meekness, looked extremely angry. I remember Laria saying something about this a while back. Some humans believe the Sarcophage are divine retribution for our sins. But to go so far as to actively betray humanity¡­ ¡°Technically, the phrase ¡®doomsday cults¡¯ refers to no less than seventeen distinct religious movements that assign some divinity to the Sarcophage, portraying them as either gods or agents of a god. In practice, there are three cults which are of particular interest to the Politburo. ¡°The first is known as the Acolytes of Judgement. They believe that the Sarcophage were sent by God to destroy humanity, like the biblical Great Deluge, and that any attempts to resist this ostensible ¡®divine judgement¡¯ are further proof of our collective sin and corruption. The second cult is called Eternal Consumption; they believe that the Sarcophage are humanity¡¯s path to enlightenment, and that upon being consumed humans attain ascension in a higher plane of existence. The third cult is a transhumanist organization called the Singularity Seekers, who believe humans who are consumed by the Sarcophage have their memories and personalities preserved in a biological supercomputer formed from the Sarcophage¡¯s combined neural network. They claim this neural network contains the collective intelligence of many prior galactic civilizations, all living in a digital utopia, and it is now humanity¡¯s turn to join them.¡± All three of those belief systems sounded ridiculous to me; the first and second were purely religious in nature and thus not falsifiable, but the third was the most absurd of them all. Dissections of the Sarcophage had revealed they only had the most rudimentary of neurological structures, simple ganglia comparable to those found in a cockroach. In other words, they were LESS intelligent than humanity, not more. You¡¯d need a hundred Sarcophage to equal the intelligence of one human, so if they were indeed some sort of consciousness storage system, they were an extraordinarily inefficient one. As the Captain spoke, I watched both Sabina and Genevi¡¯s faces contort into expressions of pure rage. They were both religious, Catholic if I remember correctly, so they must have found the idea of pro-Sarcophage religions to be especially hateful. The Catholic Church taught that the Sarcophage had no immortal souls and were no different from mere animals or plants, and most major human religions took a similar tack, adapting their doctrines to support the ongoing war for survival. The prospect of cults that regarded the Sarcophage as divine must have been infuriating to people of faith like the Giacosa sisters. Incidentally, the Catholic Church had decided, after a long period of debate, that AIs did have immortal souls, and many other religions agreed. Not that I was particularly religious myself, but the thought was comforting. The Captain continued. ¡°Members of these three doomsday cults were conscientious objectors early in the war and refused military service. At the time, the USSE was willing to allow them to practice their beliefs, albeit without any food or shelter supplied by the government since they were unwilling to serve. However, at some point in the early 2040s, these three organizations formed a secret alliance and began infiltrating the military as sleeper agents, pretending to be loyal to humanity but actually working to sabotage our defenses on Mars order to bring about their versions of judgement or paradise. ¡°On April 11, 2045, several dozen sleeper cells from the three cults unleashed a coordinated attack on our front line fortifications, using explosive devices and stolen weapons to kill hundreds and destroy several bases and outposts. The Sarcophage surged through the newly opened holes in our lines, and the entire Martian front fell apart. Mars was completely overrun by the Sarcophage less than three weeks later. By command¡¯s estimate, had the sabotage not occurred, we might have been able to hold the planet for another two or three years, giving us more time to properly fortify the Primary Defense Line around Earth¡­ but instead, we suffered a nearly fatal blow. It¡¯s not hyperbole to say humanity¡¯s current dire straits are a direct result of these attacks.¡± Genevi was shaking in rage. ¡°To think¡­ anyone could be that monstrous¡­¡± Sabina was motionless, but her lips were pressed together in a firm line and her eyes were narrowed. Everyone else wore similarly grim expressions. ¡°In the aftermath of the Fall of Mars, the Politburo established the very first Extreme Protocol. It directs all command-level officers to seek out any doomsday cultists that are members of the military, and summarily execute them. In essence, the Politburo declared that humanity¡¯s survival takes priority over freedom of religion. Under this protocol, members of any religious movement that regards the Sarcophage as divine were rounded up and killed, and all details of their existence and beliefs censored so as to prevent any copycats.¡± That was a horrific response to the situation, and an approach I didn¡¯t entirely agree with, but it made sense given the current state of the world. If there was another attack of that scale, and humanity¡¯s defenses were once again compromised, it would literally lead to extinction. ¡°That¡¯s how the first Extreme Protocol came to be. In the following years several more protocols were added; the second deals with situations in which communication is successfully established with the Sarcophage. Sabina, I believe you had concerns regarding that.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Sabina was still floored by the revelation concerning Mars, but the Captain was moving the conversation along briskly. ¡°The second Extreme Protocol states that, if it becomes possible to communicate with the Sarcophage, command-level officers should inquire about the prospect of peace with them.¡± ¡°Peace? Are you joking?¡± Sabina asked incredulously. ¡°The Politburo does not consider peace with the Sarcophage to be realistic. It¡¯s a delaying tactic.¡± ¡°Delaying¡­?¡± Sabina¡¯s eyes lit up as she recognized what the Captain was saying. ¡°That¡¯s correct. In essence, we pretend to be interested in peace as a ruse, trying to buy time to gather more intel and consolidate our forces while negotiations are conducted. That is the reason I broached the topic when we first made contact with Moby.¡± ¡°I understand now.¡± Sabina responded. ¡°Honestly, I found the idea vile when I first heard about it. I¡¯m glad it wasn¡¯t a sincere request.¡± The Captain smiled thinly. ¡°There are eleven other Extreme Protocols, all dealing with various extraordinary or worst-case scenarios, but there is only one more I will discuss now. It¡¯s the seventh Protocol, known as the Carthage Contingency. It lays out exactly the course of action command will take should the Absolute Line ever be breached.¡± Now there was a real worst-case scenario. The Absolute Line was humanity¡¯s final defense and the largest gathering of weaponry in history; if it were to fall, the meager fortifications beyond it would be swept aside easily. Earth would be overrun in hours. ¡°There are hundreds of covert nuclear weapons buried under the surface of Earth, and scattered throughout orbit on every colony and base, including here on Eros. If the Absolute Line is breached, all these weapons will be detonated simultaneously, rendering Earth uninhabitable and destroying everything in orbit as well. Humanity will commit species-wide suicide via nuclear bomb instead of allowing ourselves to be consumed by the horde.¡± There was complete silence; nobody spoke or moved, or even breathed. The shock of what the Captain just said froze everyone in time. Humanity had been teetering on the brink of extinction for a decade now, and almost everyone considered a quick painless death preferable to a slow, excruciating one¡­ but listening to the Captain describe in in such stark terms really drove home the terrible reality of the situation. ¡°The reason I bring all this up is not to ruin your moods, I assure you. It ties directly into my strategy in forcing a direct confrontation with Moby. To fully understand, however, I must give you one final piece of information.¡± The Captain nodded to Laria, and she brought up a set of data plus graphs labelled ¡°Sarcophage Attack Frequency Correlation Report (Oct 2055 ¨C Dec 2055).¡± There was another collective gasp as everyone recognized the meaning of the data instantly. ¡°I don¡¯t need to explain these numbers, I take it. In the past three months, there has been a precipitous drop in Sarcophage attacks along the entire Absolute Line, and our recon flights indicate they are massing just beyond our sensor range. In other words, we are on the eve of the Fourth Great Surge.¡± ***** The revelations of the past few minutes had come fast and hard: the truth behind Mars, humanity¡¯s plan for self-destruction, and the imminent arrival of another Great Surge. Everyone wore expressions of abject despair. The Captain, however, pressed on. ¡°Now that I¡¯ve told you the bad news, I¡¯m turning over the floor to Zehra. She will now outline our plan to not only repel the imminent Fourth Great Surge, but also win the war once and for all.¡± Everyone looked at the Captain in disbelief, then turned their eyes to Zehra. She flashed a big smile, which was totally incongruous to the overwhelming depressive mood. ¡°Right! The Captain and I have developed a plan that we believe will destroy the Sarcophage once and for all, and Moby is the key to it, gao~n.¡± Lydia¡¯s eyebrows shot up. ¡°Moby? Huh?¡± ¡°Think about it, gao~n. In their natural state, the Sarcophage operate purely on instinct, without the slightest hint of intelligence. They react like a herd of dumb animals, gao~n. But when Moby is with them, the opposite is true. They operate tactically and adapt quickly.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Lydia replied. ¡°It¡¯s been a huge pain in the ass.¡± ¡°Now I doubt that Moby is making the Sarcophage more intelligent by her mere presence, gao~n. That means she must be CONTROLLING them somehow.¡± Oh, I see! Like how I control my Strike Fins, or remotely pilot Gravity Frames! ¡°I concur with that assessment.¡± Kometka said. ¡°During our prior recon flights, I¡¯ve observed Sarcophage swarms suddenly become more coordinated and deadly when Moby¡¯s Belphegor shows up.¡± Zehra nodded. ¡°I¡¯ve read your reports, gao~n. Now, I compared our dissection of the Beelzebub with prior Sarcophage autopsy reports, and discovered that their ship-class creatures have a certain sensory organ in common with all known strains of Frame-class creatures. It¡¯s an organ in their primary ganglia cluster that is especially sensitive to a certain frequency of gravity waves, gao~n.¡± ¡°Is that how they detect disruptions in spacetime caused by gravity drive fins and so on?¡± I asked. ¡°Not quite, gao~n. Sarcophage use their antenna to detect most gravity waves, including the ones you described, Sveta. The particular organ I¡¯m talking about is extremely sensitive, and only detects a very small range of waves, gao~n. We believe it¡¯s involved in their communication somehow.¡± The pieces were beginning to fall into place. ¡°Similar to Moby¡¯s gravity wave comms that she sends us?¡± ¡°Exactly, gao~n. I¡¯ve been able to isolate the precise frequencies of gravity waves used by the Sarcophage to communicate with one another, and compared it against several years worth of combat data from various Frames and recon flights. I¡¯m certain I¡¯m correct, gao~n. Even so, we still have a problem. ¡°We know HOW the Sarcophage communicate, but we don¡¯t understand their language, gao~n. It¡¯s like listening to an encrypted radio broadcast, all gibberish and noise. In order to take advantage of my discovery, we need to know exactly how Moby controls the swarm, what patterns she uses and so on, gao~n. And for that, we need Moby. I need Maid Squadron to capture her.¡± ¡°Hang on.¡± Lydia said. ¡°Did you say CAPTURE her?!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, gao~n!¡± ¡°That¡¯s IMPOSSIBLE! She¡¯s buried half a kilometer deep inside a Belphegor! And even if we could somehow dig our way inside, we have no guarantee she would survive being removed from it.¡± Zehra frowned. ¡°I wasn¡¯t being clear, gao~n. I don¡¯t want you to capture her alive.¡± ¡°Huh? You just want her corpse? What good would THAT do you?¡± ¡°You¡¯re still not understanding, gao~n. Hmm¡­ Sveta, Kometka, do you remember exactly how I first brought you into this timeline?¡± Huh? How is that related? ¡°You beamed some kind of brain-scanning laser through an interdimensional rift to capture our consciousness at the moments of our death, right?¡± I replied. ¡°Exactly, gao~n! My brain laser is capable of reading neural impulses at the precise moment of someone¡¯s death and transforming those impulses into computer data, in the form of an artificial intelligence. I¡¯ve developed a version of this laser that¡¯s small enough to be mounted on a Gravity Frame. What I need Maid Squadron to do is kill Moby, scan her brain as she dies, and then deliver the data to me, gao~n. Once I have her brain in AI form, I can easily decompile and examine the code. It¡¯s like a digital version of mind-reading, gao~n! I¡¯ll dissect her mind, strip it apart and plunder it for every secret she knows.¡± ¡°Including how she controls the Sarcophage.¡± Lydia said, her eyes lighting up. ¡°Exactly! And once I have that information, we can simply seize control of the swarm by broadcasting the correct sequence of gravity waves, and order them to all fly into the sun or something like that, gao~n.¡± Miette shook her head in disbelief. ¡°That¡¯s the craziest plan I¡¯ve ever heard.¡± ¡°It¡¯s also our best shot.¡± the Captain said. ¡°Zehra often pushes the bounds of common sense, but her inventions have never failed us before. This is our chance to end the war quickly, in one broad stroke, before the Fourth Great Surge crashes against our shores. It¡¯s risky, but¡­ one way or another, our next battle with Moby will be our last. Either we win, or¡­¡± Her voice trailed off, but she didn¡¯t need to finish the thought. We all knew what she meant. ¡°Well¡­ what the hell. I¡¯m in.¡± Miette said, clenching her fists. ¡°Me too.¡± Sabina added. ¡°A-And me¡­¡± Genevi¡¯s expression was still bitter, but her voice was filled with resolve. ¡°Let¡¯s go for it.¡± Maurice said almost nonchalantly. ¡°It will be risky, but I¡¯d like the chance to settle things with Moby once and for all.¡± Lydia said through gritted teeth. The Captain looked around grumpily. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, did this suddenly become a democracy? This is the battle plan we¡¯re enacting, whether you all like it or not. Still¡­¡± her expression softened, ¡°I¡¯m glad you¡¯re all on board. You¡¯re the most skilled group of people I¡¯ve ever had the pleasure of commanding, and I know you¡¯ll come out victorious. For humanity, and for Earth.¡± We all let out a loud cheer. Captain Savitskaya¡¯s revelations had thrown us all into despair, but now we saw the tiniest gleam of hope. Looks like we¡¯re headed for the final battle. I thought with half-excitement and half-dread. The climax of the story. Here¡¯s hoping it has a happy ending! pynkbites It seems we''re headed for a climax. Hold on to your panties... G-3. Gap Moe Makeover Immediately after we finished our conference by Lydia¡¯s bedside, Zehra dragged us all back to her lab to explain in detail the workings of her newest invention, the miniaturized brain-scanning laser. The contraption would be mounted on Sveta Prime¡¯s unit, but we were all getting a crash course in neurophysics regardless. ¡°So you see, at the moment of death, the human brain releases a blast of neural energy in the form of bioelectricity, gao~n. The exact properties of this energy are still unknown to me, but it retains a remarkable degree of complexity and self-cohesion, even lacking a biological shell to contain it. Shortly after release, this neural energy dissipates¡­ or, to be more precise, it shifts to another phase-state of existence, gao~n. At the moment between the energy¡¯s release and phase-shift, my brain laser can scan it and create computer data.¡± Most of what Zehra just said went over my head, but I caught the broad strokes and the implications were profound. Without thinking, I raised my hand with a question. Zehra responded to my raised hand. ¡°Yes? Genevi?¡± ¡°Ah, s-sorry¡­¡± I realized what I had just done; I hadn¡¯t meant to interrupt her. But since she had already called on me, I went ahead and asked my question. ¡°D-Doctor¡­ if I¡¯m understanding you correctly... are you saying you¡¯ve discovered scientific proof of the existence of the human soul?¡± There was a sharp gasp from everyone as they looked at me in disbelief; my sister, however, was entirely unperturbed. She had apparently reached the same conclusion as me. ¡°I wonder about that, gao~n. I¡¯m reluctant to ascribe any particular meaning to this discovery, as there¡¯s still a lot about it I don¡¯t understand. And attributing every unexplained phenomenon to magic or the divine is not good scientific practice, gao~n.¡± ¡°Still, Genevi has a point,¡± Sabina responded in my stead, perfectly in tune with my line of thought, ¡°You described the phenomenon of the human mind leaving the body in the form of energy after death, and vanishing into¡­ another dimension? Another reality? That sounds an awful lot like a soul entering the afterlife to me.¡± Zehra shook her head. ¡°Maybe, maybe not. For all we know, this strange neural energy might break down a few minutes after leaving the body, gao~n. Since I can¡¯t observe it after the phase-shift, where it goes is still a mystery to me. In truth, I did try to study the phase-shift dimension while I was tearing holes into other realities, but I was blocked, gao~n.¡± Zehra¡¯s expression had turned dark, and I swore I saw a hint of fear in her eyes. ¡°Blocked?¡± Miette asked. ¡°Blocked by what?¡± Zehra clenched her firsts and pressed her lips together in a firm line, as if trying to tap an internal well of courage, before responding. ¡°Some THING is living in that other dimension. They made it clear I wasn¡¯t to pry further, for my own well-being, gao~n.¡± The air in the room seemed to turn to ice. Everyone was frozen in place, fearful even to breathe, while they considered the implications of what Zehra had just said. After a few moments, I was the first to speak up. ¡°Zehra¡­ are you saying you made contact with God?¡± Zehra shook her head vigorously, sending a few strands of hair whipping around. ¡°I don¡¯t believe in gods, gao~n. For all we know, it could be an interdimensional energy vampire that eats the minds of the dead.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a ridiculous explanation.¡± Sabina objected. ¡°No more ridiculous than claiming it¡¯s the Abrahamic God, Sabina. For all we know, it¡¯s actually the Demiurge or Zeus or Odin, gao~n. You see how ridiculous it is to make assumptions based on such scant evidence?¡± Sabina looked like she wanted to object further, as did I, but we decided to back down. Satisfied, Zehra continued her lecture. ¡°Anyway, whatever the case, the entity seemed to simply be protecting the secrets of life after death, gao~n. It didn¡¯t object to me harvesting Sveta and Kometka¡¯s neural energy before they phase-shifted. I haven¡¯t been smited, so we¡¯re in the clear, gao~n. Now, the laser has a firing interval of¡­¡± As she continued to talk, I tuned her out and thought over the implications of what I had just learned. This certainly is a day for shocking revelations, huh? I can¡¯t keep up anymore¡­ ***** By the time Zehra¡¯s lecture finished, it was already 1530 hours. The afternoon was half-over. Noooo! My precious day off! It¡¯s almost gone¡­ I gotta hurry up or I won¡¯t have much time for my date with Sveta! I flagged down Miette just as she was about to leave the lab, with Sveta Prime attached to her arm. ¡°Hmm? What is it, Genevi?¡± I looked around warily. ¡°Miette, can I talk to you¡­ uh, privately?¡± Miette tilted her head, puzzled. ¡°Huh? Why?¡± ¡°Privately, please.¡± I urged. ¡°Fine, fine. Let¡¯s go to my quarters. Sveta, if you¡¯d excuse us for a few minutes.¡± Sveta looked a bit pouty as she uncoiled herself from Miette, but she didn¡¯t say anything. After we entered, Miette shut the door and turned to me. ¡°Now, what¡¯s this about?¡± I grit my teeth and summoned my rehearsed line. My stomach was tying itself in knots, but I pushed through it. ¡°Miette! CANYOUPLEASEHELPMEWOOSVETA?!¡± ¡°Huh? I didn¡¯t understand that.¡± In my haste, I had mashed all my words together and said them far too quickly, and Miette hadn¡¯t been able to parse them. I took several deep breaths and tried again. My voice was two octaves too high. ¡°C-C-Can you p-p-please h-h-help me woo S-S-S-S-S-Sveta?¡± I got the words out, despite heavy stuttering, and followed up with a deep bow. Miette understood me this time around, but she was now even more confused. ¡°HUH?¡± ***** Miette sat me down on her cot and calmed me down. After a few minutes, I was able to talk with her somewhat normally¡­ at least without excessive stuttering. ¡°So she agreed to a date and I really want to impress her but I¡¯m not sure how to do it or how to dress or act or what she likes and I was hoping you could help me out with that if it¡¯s okay with you I mean please don¡¯t feel obligated or anything oh god this was a bad idea!¡± My words came out in a single run-on sentence, and I didn¡¯t stop to breathe throughout, so my face was turning red as I spoke. Out of breath, I took several short, sharp gasps of air. Miette pressed her fingers to her temples and shook her head slowly. ¡°I get what you mean, but¡­ isn¡¯t it a bit weird asking ME for advice, of all people?¡± ¡°Not in the least! You¡¯re like her head wife!¡± I responded. Miette¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Her head WHAT?!¡± ¡°You know, like how in a harem there¡¯s a head wife who gives all the other wives orders, right?¡± I responded, unsure what Miette was so confused about. Miette shook her head slowly. ¡°Did Sveta put that idea in your head?¡± ¡°Huh? No. Polygamy is normal in a lot of cultures, isn¡¯t it? And the world¡¯s been a cultural melting pot since the Unification Wars, so a lot of different things are accepted now!¡± Since humanity had been united under the USSE in the latter half of the 20th century, there had been many cultural conflicts between people of differing beliefs who had suddenly been thrust together under the same flag¡­ but there had also been lots of intercultural exchange and fusion, and by the time the Sarcophage attacked humans tended to view themselves as citizens of the species as a whole, not just their nation or planet of birth. The USSE strived to avoid cultural imperialism and accepted a wide range of beliefs; consequently, things like harems, polyamory, gay marriage and so on were widely accepted at this point. The existence of legal harems still might seem strange to someone who grew up in Western Europe, like Miette or myself, but such things were openly accepted by society anyway. Those who objected were at least polite enough to do so in private, hushed whispers. Well, I considered myself a tolerant person as well. For example, I had never once in my life been attracted to men, but I didn¡¯t go around talking down to straight people. Respect is a two-way street, you know? Miette was looking at me with skepticism. ¡°You might try to provide a cultural explanation for Sveta dating multiple people, but you¡¯re truthfully speaking from a place of self-interest, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Uh¡­ erm¡­¡± She hit the nail on the head, and I looked down shamefully. Miette sighed. ¡°Well, whatever. I¡¯ll play along. I¡¯m Sveta¡¯s head wife and you have my blessing to court her. The audaciousness of coming to me for romantic advice, though¡­¡± She suddenly burst into a huge grin. ¡°I respect the courage it must have taken. So yeah, I¡¯ll help you. We¡¯ll start with your clothes.¡± She wriggled her fingers menacingly as she approached me, and I shrank back a bit. Oh no! what have I gotten myself into?! ***** I was now disrobed, in nothing but my underwear, while Miette held up a variety of outfits for me to try on. I was blushing from ear to ear, and Miette pretended not to notice. But more importantly¡­ ¡°Miette¡­ why am I trying on YOUR clothes?!¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± Miette looked at me with a sly smile. ¡°The only casual outfit you have is that sundress, right? The yellow one?¡± ¡°Ah, yes¡­¡± Casual clothes were very hard to come by with supply shortages and such, so I considered myself fortunate to even have that one dress. Miette, on the other hand, had at least five or six outfits, which seemed unconscionably luxurious to me. Of course, I also had the maid outfit in my closet, but the less said about that, the better. Miette shook her head. ¡°No, that old dress won¡¯t do. Sveta prefers the soft butch look most of all.¡± ¡°Soft¡­ butch?¡± That term was unfamiliar to me. ¡°Remember what Katya was wearing at the Christmas Eve festival? Oh, I suppose you weren¡¯t there.¡± Miette smiled as she remembered. Her words thrust a stake into my heart; I had originally been scheduled to have Christmas Day off and attend the festival then, but Moby¡¯s attack had resulted in the cancellation of festivities. I¡¯m sure Miette didn¡¯t mean to brag about the fact that she got to experience that winter magic and delicious food, but my expression turned sour anyway. Miette quickly caught on to my discontent. ¡°Sorry, sorry, I wasn¡¯t trying to boast or anything. Anyway, soft butch is¡­ like, a style that leans more masculine, with feminine traits? Katya was dressed up in jean shorts, a t-shirt and a flannel shirt on top of that. She was quite the stunner.¡± ¡°A-And Sveta likes that kind of thing?¡± ¡°Absolutely.¡± Miette found a pair of jean shorts, which were a light shade of blue, and quickly started searching for a matching shirt. ¡°Trust me, this outfit will drive her crazy.¡± ***** A few minutes later, as I looked at myself in the mirror, I was in awe of my sudden transformation. The jean shorts were easily the most skimpy thing I had ever worn; most of my leg was exposed, all the way up to my mid-thigh. Miette had paired them with a light purple t-shirt that matched my hair color, and a green checkered flannel shirt on top of that, unbuttoned and with the sleeves rolled up to my elbows. On my hands, she had placed a pair of fingerless leather gloves, and on my feet, I wore a pair of black combat boots that reached up to my mid-calf. Tying the whole outfit together was a thick chain that hung at my right thigh, attached to the jean short¡¯s belt loops on the front and back of my waist. I wasn¡¯t sure what purpose this chain served, but it was a nice accent. Miette hadn¡¯t stopped at the outfit, though. She had pulled my hair back into a high ponytail, held together by a scrunchie. I usually wore my hair down in a simple bob, although recently I had let it grow to shoulder-length; this new hairstyle had completely changed the impression I gave off, making me seem a bit like my high-energy sister. Frankly, it made me look way more confident and sexy than I actually was. ¡°I¡¯m glad everything fits so well,¡± Miette said, satisfied, ¡°Even though you¡¯re a head shorter than me, I was able to get away with only small adjustments.¡± She twirled a sewing needle and thread triumphantly; her prowess with it had surprised me. ¡°Y-Yes¡­¡± I responded. ¡°Although the shirt is a bit tight around the chest¡­¡± Miette¡¯s eyes narrowed, and the corners of her mouth twisted down. ¡°Sorry, I didn¡¯t catch that. Care to repeat it?¡± The waves of sudden hostile jealousy rolling off her were overwhelming. ¡°AH, NOTHING! I DIDN¡¯T SAY ANYTHING!¡± ¡°Hrm, must have been my imagination, then,¡± Miette said, suddenly smiling once again. The smile didn¡¯t reach her eyes. Ugh, I have to be careful! Look, it¡¯s not my fault my chest is naturally big, okay?! Even though I was quite short, I made up for it in other areas. ¡°B-But anyway¡­¡± I said, trying to change the subject, ¡°I don¡¯t know if this look suits me. I¡¯m not very, uh, butch¡­¡± ¡°You definitely aren¡¯t. But this is something Sveta calls, uh¡­ gap moe? Yes, that was it. Gap moe!¡± Miette said, nodding. ¡°W-What is that? Who is Moe?¡± Miette shook her head. ¡°Moe isn¡¯t a person. Apparently, gap moe is when someone does something contradictory to their usual personality. Like a usually aloof girl suddenly becoming sweet, you know?¡± Realization dawned on me. ¡°Oh¡­ and since I¡¯m usually so femme, dressing butch is¡­¡± ¡°Gap moe, exactly!¡± Miette said, pointing at me triumphantly. ¡°Now, let¡¯s go introduce the new you to Spider-Sveta! Trust me, you¡¯ll drive her crazy!¡± Before I could respond, Miette took my hand and pulled me back out into Zehra¡¯s lab. My teeth chattered nervously. ***** Back in Zehra¡¯s lab, the other members of Maid Squadron complimented my new look. One reaction was more extreme than the rest, though: Spider-Sveta froze when she saw me, mouth agape. I briefly wondered if she was experiencing a software error. But then she let out a loud exclamation of joy. ¡°KYAAAAAAA! You look SO CUTE, Genevi! And that ponytail; I love ponytails! How did you know? My heart is going to explode!¡± Her spider-legs flailed around happily as she spoke. ¡°Uh¡­ Miette helped me¡­¡± I said, fidgeting. ¡°Oh, that makes sense! I thought I recognized that shirt. Nicely done! You should dress like that ALL the time! Or at least wear your hair in a ponytail.¡± ¡°Sveta is a big ponytail enthusiast,¡± Miette explained. ¡°She¡¯s always complaining that I should grow my hair out so I can have a ponytail myself.¡± ¡°I th-think I look a bit too much like my sister though¡­¡± I replied; she always wore her hair in a ponytail. ¡°How will people tell us apart if our hair isn¡¯t different?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I can tell you apart by your biosigns. And if Genevi is dressing butch¡­ then Sabina should dress femme! Maximum twin sister gap moe! Just think of how perfect it would be, bwahahaha!¡± Spider-Sveta proclaimed. ¡°NO WAY IN HELL!¡± Sabina shouted from across the room, where she was currently tangled in her mech¡¯s wiring and covered in grease. She waved a wrench at us menacingly. ¡°You two lovebirds quit trying to drag me into your weird little world. Go on your date already!¡± ¡°I kinda wanna see Sabina in a dress, though. I feel like she¡¯d blush and fidget adorably, gao~n.¡± Zehra added, smiling mischievously. Sabina threw the wrench at Zehra, who dodged fluidly. ¡°Temper temper, Sabina! You¡¯re a thousand years too early to hit ME, gao-¡° Zehra was cut off as a piece of plastic conduit hit her smack in the face; Sabina¡¯s second shot hadn¡¯t missed. ¡°OWW! THAT HURT!¡± Sabina sighed. ¡°Quit saying unnecessary things, Zehra, or next time I¡¯ll throw a Strike Fin at you.¡± ¡°You wouldn¡¯t DARE, gao~n!¡± Zehra stuck out her tongue. Spider-Sveta and I turned to each other. ¡°Ignoring the children, starting now,¡± she said curtly. ¡°Honestly though Genevi, I¡¯m surprised you wanted to go forward with our date today. We just heard some pretty heavy stuff from the Captain and Zehra.¡± ¡°Oh, you mean about the Third Great Surge? And the soul harvesting laser?¡± Sveta nodded. ¡°It¡¯s no big deal.¡± I shrugged. ¡°I fought in the last Great Surge too, so maybe I¡¯m not quite as scared of it as everyone else. And worrying about it won¡¯t change things, so let¡¯s just enjoy the time we have!¡± Miette looked impressed by my positive attitude, whereas Sveta looked a bit disturbed for a moment before her face returned to her usual smile. ¡°Well, alright then. In that case, I have something special planned. Let¡¯s go!¡± She grabbed my hand, and we both kicked off and headed towards the turbolift that lead to Eros¡¯ gravity centrifuge. Miette waved at us like a mother seeing her children off to school. Oh my god, it¡¯s actually happening! I¡¯m actually on a date with Sveta! In that small moment, I was happier than I had been in weeks; I hoped this feeling would last for a long time. pynkbites S-35. Christmas in January?! ¡°Is she alright?¡± Sabina asked, fretting like a mother hen. ¡°Huh?¡± I looked at her worried eyes and tried to discern her meaning. ¡°My sister, I mean. Is her date going well? Is Spider-Sveta treating her right?¡± I absentmindedly scratched my ear with one of my dinosaur claws. ¡°Sabina, I don¡¯t have a live feed to whatever Spider-Sveta¡¯s doing. We sync up memories once a day, not every ten seconds! And besides, they¡¯ve been gone for literally three minutes. They¡¯re probably still in the turbolift!¡± ¡°I know, I know. I just worry!¡± Sabina pulled on her hair as she spoke. I quickly placed my hands on hers and guided them away from her poor scalp. ¡°Cut that out, you¡¯ll go bald. Do you go through this every time she¡¯s on a date?¡± ¡°¡­Maybe.¡± Sabina looked at me guiltily. ¡°Well, let¡¯s keep your mind occupied so you won¡¯t worry. Now, I believe you were overclocking my secondary processor.¡± I gently shoved her back into my cockpit. ¡°Yeah, yeah¡­¡± Sabina resumed her work, still clearly distracted. I sighed, and spared a thought for Spider-Sveta and Genevi. You two had better make this work. Poor Sabina is about to have a conniption. ***** Apropos of nothing, Genevi sneezed. Her sneeze was soft and cute, an ¡°mm-chu¡± as compared to Miette¡¯s loud, somewhat obnoxious ¡°WAHCHOO!¡± ¡°Bless you,¡± I said, my spider-legs twitching a bit. I had a picnic basket in one hand, and I patted her back with the other. ¡°You know that means someone is talking about you, right?¡± ¡°I-It does?¡± Genevi¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°I¡¯ve never heard that.¡± I chuckled. ¡°Well, maybe it¡¯s just an old wives¡¯ tale.¡± ¡°Are you an old wife, Sveta?¡± I crossed my arms in an X-shape. ¡°No comment.¡± Just then, the turbolift dinged and one of the Tektites announced, ¡°Main Plaza, Residential District.¡± ¡°Thanks, Tektite.¡± I took Genevi by the hand and lead her into the residential district, towards a very familiar park. Genevi looked around in amazement. ¡°This is Eros¡¯ central park?¡± I nodded. ¡°You¡¯ve never been?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never had time. Wow, I haven¡¯t seen this much greenery since my layover on the agricultural colony of New Albuquerque. It¡¯s really beautiful.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it?¡± I smiled warmly as I led her towards the center of the park, along one of the footpaths that wound in between the trees. Genevi¡¯s neck craned as she looked up at the rustling leaves and the artificial sunlight which filtered down cast dancing green patterns of light and shadow on her face. When we arrive at the center of the park, a clearing covered in a bed of luscious green grass, Genevi immediately noticed the one thing that was out-of-place. ¡°What is that?¡± she asked, pointing at the large machine sitting on the grass. It was around the size of a small car and looked like twenty camcorders attached to a hemispherical metal shell. ¡°That,¡± I responded, ¡°is one of Zehra¡¯s holographic projectors. A full-sized one, capable of generating illusions as large as a square mile. Zehra placed it here to decorate the park for the Christmas Festival, and with the recent attacks we¡¯ve been too busy to bring it back to the lab.¡± At the mention of the Christmas Festival, Genevi¡¯s expression grew sad. She had originally been scheduled to attend on Christmas Day, but Moby¡¯s attack had brought a premature end to festivities. This was the reason I suggested we come here in the first place, but she didn¡¯t know that yet. Setting down the picnic basket, I walked over to the projector and began to wirelessly interface with it. Let¡¯s see¡­ DOS boot menu, standard mode, and¡­ There was a loud DING, and a hologram of Zehra popped up. ¡°Please enter this CAPTCHA to prove you¡¯re not a robot.¡± I smacked the machine. ¡°That joke wasn¡¯t funny the first time.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry. My responses are limited. You must ask the right questions.¡± I heard Genevi giggling softly behind me. Frustrated, I grit my teeth. ¡°Pop culture references are MY schtick. Now boot up before I pound you into scrap metal.¡± I tapped against the projector¡¯s metal shell with two of my spider-legs to emphasize my point. The Zehra-imitating expert system in the BIOS must have been sufficiently intimidated because it quickly started up the projector. Without any more input from me, the projector loaded its last-used program and the entire park once more transformed into a winter wonderland, with snow-laden trees, sparkling Christmas lights and soft flakes drifting to the ground. The projector itself was replaced by a massive Christmas tree topped by a crystal angel. Genevi gasped in wonder, looking left and right as she drank in the sudden shift in the scene. I sidled up beside her. ¡°Do you like it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s¡­ incredible¡­¡± Her eyes sparkled. ¡°This is how Zehra decorated the park for the festival. Since you missed it, I figured we could recreate our own little festival for our first date.¡± ¡°That¡¯s really thoughtful, Sveta! Although I do feel a bit guilty letting you take the lead, since I¡¯m the one who asked you out to begin with¡­¡± I waved my hand dismissively. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± I pulled out the picnic blanket from my basket and began to spread it on the (fake) snow, directly next to the Christmas tree. Genevi looked at me incredulously. ¡°Uh, Sveta¡­ what are you doing?¡± ¡°Hmm? I¡¯m setting up for a picnic, of course!¡± ¡°A¡­ pic-nic? What¡¯s that?¡± I looked at her in astonishment. ¡°You¡¯re kidding, right?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not!¡± she said, suddenly sounding embarrassed, ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of a ¡®picnic¡¯ before! Is it some kind of prewar thing?¡± Seriously? I suppose people these days don¡¯t have much leisure time, but she doesn¡¯t even know what a picnic is? That¡¯s a huge gap in your common sense, Genevi! ¡°Well¡­ a picnic is where you have a meal outside and enjoy the weather and sights of nature.¡± ¡°Ooooh. I see, I see!¡± Genevi nodded. ¡°You¡¯ve seriously never heard of it before?¡± I asked her. She shook her head. ¡°Nope! If we had eaten a meal outside on Earth, we would have frozen to death!¡± Right, because of the Sarcophage-induced ice age. Still, don¡¯t they have picnics on the colonies, at least? ¡°W-Well anyway, I guess this is your very first picnic. Hand-in-hand with your very first date with a robot!¡± I plopped down on the blanket and motioned to Genevi to sit next to me. ¡°Yeah!¡± she replied enthusiastically as she sat beside me, quickly attaching herself to my arm. Unlike Miette, Genevi was actually a bit shorter than me, so it felt like she was a small animal¡­ especially when she looked up at me with those big, quivering eyes. Instinctually, I began to pet her hair with my free hand, and she cooed like a dove. C-Cute¡­ There¡¯s no way my little Genevi is this cute! I said, feeling my (simulated) heart skip a beat. ***** After I had indulged myself for a few minutes, I pulled my hand away from Genevi¡¯s head and started retrieving the food from the picnic basket. Simultaneously, I used my speakers to broadcast a few Christmas carols. ¡°Th-These are¡­¡± Genevi tilted her head as the music began. ¡°From the festival. I pulled them up out of my memory archive.¡± I explained, handing her one of the sandwiches from the basket. Of course, I couldn¡¯t eat anything myself, so everything inside was for her; hopefully, that wouldn¡¯t make it awkward. Genevi slowly tapped her fingers to the music, bringing the sandwich to her mouth and taking a bite. Then she made a sour face. ¡°Is something wrong?¡± I asked. ¡°It has mustard on it,¡± she replied, frowning. ¡°Are you allergic to mustard?¡± I already knew she didn''t have any food allergies from her personnel file, but I figured it was polite to ask. ¡°No, I just don¡¯t like it¡­¡± Oh boy, here we go¡­ I handed her another sandwich. ¡°This one has mayo on it, I think.¡± ¡°Ohhh¡­ I don¡¯t really like mayo either¡­¡± I rolled my eyes, then stuffed the sandwich in her mouth. Her eyes went wide. ¡°Mmph! Mmph mmmmph!¡± ¡°No talking with your mouth full. Chew and swallow.¡± She complied, then glared at me. ¡°What was THAT for?!¡± I smiled innocently. ¡°You were being picky, so I took the initiative.¡± ¡°P-Picky? No, I wasn¡¯t!¡± she protested. ¡°You totally were. This is Sveta¡¯s Romance Lesson Number One: No Nitpicking!¡± ¡°I really don¡¯t think I was¡­¡± ¡°Both you and Sabina warned me about this. What was it last time? Breaking up over an argument about hot peppers?¡± ¡°I¡­ uh¡­¡± I had checkmated Genevi, and now she struggled to come up with a reply. ¡°I¡¯m not trying to be mean, but I am trying hard to make this work. And that means I have to nip any problems that sabotaged your past relationships in the bud. Problem number one is being nitpicky. So we¡¯re starting by broadening your palate.¡± I said, grinning. ¡°Mouuuu¡­¡± Genevi replied, looking pouty. I¡¯ve never actually heard someone say ¡®Mouuuu¡¯ out loud before. Adorable! I cleared my throat, ¡°If you finish the sandwiches, I have a special treat for you. Something super DUPER delicious!¡± It occurred to me I sounded not unlike a mother trying to get a toddler to eat his veggies with the promise of dessert. Still, it worked. Genevi¡¯s eyes lit up and she quickly grabbed the mustard sandwich and wolfed it down. I¡¯m happy that worked, but also a bit frustrated? She really is that easy! I suppose the easiest way to a girl¡¯s heart is through her stomach¡­ ***** When Genevi had finished the sandwiches, I pulled out the treat I had promised. I opened up an insulated, metallic clamshell container to reveal a half-dozen oval, golden-yellow foodstuffs that were still piping hot. I wrapped one in a napkin and handed it to Genevi. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± she asked, sniffing it. ¡°A surprise,¡± I responded, ¡°Go on, try it.¡± She gingerly took a bite, and her eyes widened. She took a second bite, then a third¡­ then scarfed the whole thing down like a starving wolf. ¡°I-It¡¯s delicious!¡± she exclaimed, reaching for another, ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a Mexican dish, chile relleno.¡± She froze with the second chile relleno halfway to her mouth. ¡°Ch-Chile?¡± I nodded while grinning maliciously, ¡°Yup. Basically, it''s a poblano pepper stuffed with cheese, covered in an egg-white batter and deep-fried.¡± I had put together the ingredients with Vicky¡¯s help; fried foods were a rarity in this world, so I suspected Genevi would find it delicious. ¡°Ch-Chili peppers¡­¡± Genevi repeated in disbelief, ¡°But how could chili pepper be THIS tasty?¡± ¡°Well,¡± I said while shrugging, ¡°If you don¡¯t want it, I can give the rest to Zehra instead.¡± Genevi puffed out her cheeks. ¡°You¡¯re mean, Sveta.¡± I drew my face close to hers. ¡°I just thought a cure for your past romantic woes would be to replace bad chili pepper memories with good ones.¡± Genevi blushed a bit, then stuffed the second chili relleno in her face. I sat back with a look of smug satisfaction on my face. ***** ¡°You know, Sveta,¡± said Genevi, sitting back and rubbing her belly, ¡°There¡¯s a such thing as being TOO direct.¡± ¡°I know, I know. I¡¯m sorry,¡± I replied, chastised. ¡°I mean, I understand what you were trying to say, but maybe a gentler approach would have worked? Oh, who am I kidding? The word ¡®subtle¡¯ isn¡¯t even in your dictionary, Sveta.¡± Genevi smiled as she levied that accusation, and it was my turn to be flustered. ¡°H-Hey, that¡¯s not true! I¡¯m capable of being subtle! It¡¯s just that my personality is¡­¡± Suddenly my mouth was stopped up; Genevi had darted in and stolen a kiss. ¡°MMPH?!¡± She pulled back from the kiss, grinning. ¡°It was my turn to shut you up. Consider it payback for earlier.¡± ¡°¡­I suppose I had that coming,¡± I responded, also grinning. And so we snuggled and watched the artificial sunlight slowly fade. ***** It was nearly 2100 hours when Spider-Sveta and Genevi returned from their little soiree. Sabina was currently asleep in my open cockpit; I had urged her to go to bed earlier, but she insisted on remaining awake until her sister returned. The scene reminded me of a worrisome father waiting for his daughter to come home from a date. I gently patted her sleeping form and smiled, beckoning to Spider-Sveta and Genevi to come over. ¡°She waited up?¡± Genevi whispered. ¡°Uh-huh,¡± I replied. Genevi smiled and shook her head, ¡°She¡¯s such a worrywart.¡± I noticed Spider-Sveta and Genevi were holding hands. ¡°I take it the date went well?¡± I¡¯d get all the details later when I synced memories, but the suspense was killing me. ¡°Very well!¡± Genevi said, before placing her hand over her mouth. In her enthusiasm, she had responded a little too loudly, and Sabina had stirred a bit. ¡°Oops.¡± ¡°Glad to hear it. Now run along, you two, before Sabina wakes up and puts you through the interrogation wringer. Sleep tight, Genevi.¡± An hour after the two of them retreated to Genevi¡¯s quarters, Sabina woke up and found out her sister had returned. She angrily chastised me for not awakening her, and very nearly barged into Genevi¡¯s room; I held her back and calmed her down, reassuring her that Genevi would still be there to answer her questions in the morning. Sabina finally gave in and dozed off in her cockpit chair again a few minutes later. I silently watched her with a tired smile. pynkbites Let''s say, dear reader, that you get isekai''d as a giant robot pilot in this universe. Let''s also say your isekai body is of the gender and appearance you prefer. With that in mind, what kind of Sveta would YOU like to act as your robot''s AI? Sassy? Kind? Catgirl? Goth? Dom? Sub? Anything''s possible with the power of holograms! G-4. The Gauntlet I was having a lovely dream about Sv-¡­ uh, I mean about nothing in particular when I suddenly awoke to a loud banging on my door. As I pried my eyes open, I heard a muffled voice accompanying the knocking. ¡°Genevi? Genevi, are you awake? I¡¯m coming in!¡± I groggily sat up and looked around my darkened room. I was dressed in a simple tank-top and panties, my clothes from yesterday strewn all over the floor. In one corner, Spider-Sveta¡¯s deactivated telepresence doll was hooked into a power conduit, recharging. I yawned and slapped my cheeks, trying to chase away my drowsiness. Just then, a harsh beam of light cut across my bed as my door opened rather quickly. Sabina soared into my room and grabbed me by the shoulders. ¡°Genevi, are you alright? Did everything go well? Did she DO anything to you? Why are you sleeping together? ARE YOU LIVING IN SIN?!¡± Dumbfounded, I stared at her. Although my drowsiness was completely banished by her sudden entrance, my brain still wasn¡¯t firing on all cylinders. Sabina just kept throwing questions my way, undeterred by my lack of a response. ¡°Why are your clothes on the floor? Oh God, you two DID IT last night, didn¡¯t you?! My poor innocent sister, despoiled¡­¡± I reached out and flicked Sabina on the forehead. She went tumbling backwards by a meter. ¡°Owwwww!¡± she cried out, ¡°What was THAT for?!¡± ¡°Do you might at least letting me get dressed before you commence interrogation?¡± ¡°I want to know why you¡¯re in your underwear in the first place!¡± she wailed. ¡°I was sleeping. Do you sleep fully dressed?¡± I shot back. ¡°Uh, I, er¡­¡± I crossed my arms. ¡°Out.¡± ¡°B-But¡­¡± ¡°OUT. I¡¯ll see you at breakfast, DEAR SISTER.¡± Looking crestfallen, Sabina retreated. I shut the door behind her. Then, with a heavy sigh, I quickly pulled on my uniform and woke up Spider-Sveta. ***** As soon as I entered Zehra¡¯s lab and made my way over to the table where breakfast was being served, the interrogation gauntlet grew. Joining Sabina were Zehra, Vicky, Miette and Sveta Prime. All but the latter were looking at me with intense, curious eyes; Sveta Prime was just whistling nonchalantly with a huge smile on her face. Having synced up memories with Spider-Sveta she already knew all the details about our date yesterday, but it looked like she hadn¡¯t shared any of them with the other members of Maid Squadron. I had asked Spider-Sveta about this last night, and she reassured me that whatever happened between us would remain private. ¡°Sveta-pilot confidentiality¡± is what she called it, the sacred bond between a Sveta and her partner. Of course, she didn¡¯t mind if I shared the details with others myself, but she would never do so of her own accord. And so, I was trapped between a rock and a hard place. Personally, I¡¯d be just fine leaving the specifics of what went on between me and Sveta vague, but my sister¡¯s narrowed eyes intensely glaring into my soul made it clear she wasn¡¯t going to let that slide. And so, over coffee and plankton-muffins, I was forced to recount every detail of our date. When I got up to the bit about the chile rellenos, reactions were mixed. By far the most intense was my sister, who practically ruptured her gut laughing. ¡°AHAHAHAHAHAHA, THAT¡¯S SO PERFECT! Absolutely genius, Sveta! I wish I had thought of that!¡± As my lifelong companion, Sabina was more familiar than anyone with my picky eating habits. ¡°I don¡¯t know, it seems kind of mean¡­¡± Vicky said. She had conspired with Sveta to get together the ingredients for the chile rellenos and was a bit dismayed how they had been used. ¡°Nonsense!¡± Zehra objected, ¡°It¡¯s a perfectly valid approach, gao~n. Sometimes small minds are unwilling to accept new things and must be coerced!¡± ¡°Mistress,¡± Vicky said, balling up her fist as her eye twitched, ¡°please don¡¯t confuse a chile relleno with your covert battle against the NKVD.¡± ¡°Also, please don¡¯t call me small-minded!¡± I added, puffing out my cheeks. Miette cut through the bickering. ¡°That¡¯s classic Sveta. She always charges forward without thinking. Fortunately, it works out¡­ most of the time.¡± She playfully punched my arm to emphasize the point. I looked closely at Miette, and her knowing grin spoke volumes. She had the best Sveta-sense out of anyone and also seemed strongly tuned into my vibes. She had probably picked up on the outcome as soon as I opened my mouth. Sabina, on the other hand, was still trying to get a read on the situation. ¡°So did it work out this time?¡± she asked, tilting her head. I looked over to Spider-Sveta, and she silently nodded. I balled my fists. ¡°I¡­ suppose it did.¡± All eyes locked onto me. I stuttered nervously as I continued. ¡°I m-mean¡­ it was a good first date, and we, uh, er¡­. k-k-kissed a few times¡­¡± Everyone let out their breath simultaneously, making a sound like a massive balloon deflating. ¡°That¡¯s it?! Just kissing, gao~n? Did you do anything naughtier afterwards?¡± Zehra was entirely unsatisfied with my answer. ¡°Yeah! Did she despoil you? Did she ruin your chastity?¡± Sabina added, her eyes darting around frantically. My sister¡¯s remarks annoyed me a bit. ¡°FIRST of all, you know damn well I¡¯m not a virgin, so there¡¯s nothing to ¡®despoil!¡¯ Secondly, even if we DID do anything beyond kissing last night, which we DIDN¡¯T, I don¡¯t see why EVERYONE needs to know about it!¡± The others were shocked at my outburst, and Sabina looked contrite. ¡°S-Sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to¡­¡± Spider-Sveta, who had drifted up behind me at some point, laid a heavy hand on my shoulder, which brought me back to my senses. ¡°Ah, sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to¡­ I know you worry about me, Sabina. But I can take care of myself, I promise!¡± Sabina wrung her hands. ¡°I understand, it¡¯s just¡­ I don¡¯t want anyone to hurt my dear sister, okay? Anyone that hurts you gets a right hook from me, no matter who they are!¡± I groaned, ¡°I know. Monica is still nursing a black eye.¡± ¡°Wait. Wait ONE moment,¡± Vicky interrupted, her face turning ashen, ¡°Are you saying you HIT Captain Skelton?!¡± Sabina huffed, ¡°It was a personal dispute. She made Genevi cry.¡± ¡°She¡¯s a CAPTAIN! You could be EXECUTED for that!¡± Vicky shrieked. Sabina simply shrugged nonchalantly. Monica was an old friend of ours, so I doubted she¡¯d be pursuing any kind of disciplinary charges over a simple black eye. And she HAD deserved it, in my humble opinion. The conversation became very animated from that point onward. Fortunately, the topic turned away from my love life, so I was able to relax a bit. ***** After I finished that day¡¯s patrols, I made my way from Zehra¡¯s lab to the hanger where the Hypernova was docked. She was a new-ish ship, sleeker and larger than the ten-year-old Radiolaria. I vaguely wondered if the recent arrival of allied ships made Laria secretly jealous, being surrounded by three carriers that were newer and fancier than she was. ¡°Why are we here again?¡± Spider-Sveta asked, holding my hand and drifting behind me as I made my way to the airlock tube. ¡°To visit Lydia, of course!¡± I replied. I hadn¡¯t had a chance to speak much with her during yesterday¡¯s briefing, which was more centered around Captain Savitskaya¡¯s shocking revelations. There was something very important I needed to say to her, and since I had a bit of free time before lights out now seemed as good a time as any. We made our way inside the Hypernova, giving a cursory greeting to the ship¡¯s AI before making our way to sickbay. Lydia had a semi-private room located at the far end, and when we opened up the curtain partition we found her seated upright in her hospital bed holding a datapad. Lydia looked at us with widened eyes and Kometka, who was seated next to her, regarded us with her usual cool expression. Lydia spoke first, ¡°Genevi? To what do I owe the pleasure?¡± I fiddled with my skirt nervously. ¡°S-Sorry if I¡¯m disturbing you¡­¡± ¡°No, not at all. I just wasn¡¯t expecting any visitors this late. Please, come in.¡± I entered, and Spider-Sveta followed. Lydia looked at both of us for a moment, then frowned. ¡°Sveta, why are you dressed up like a spider?¡± Sveta, whose hand was still entwined with mine, grinned and flexed her spider-legs. ¡°Sveta-04, also known as Spider-Sveta, at your service! I¡¯m the Sveta instance running inside Genevi¡¯s X-23.¡± ¡°I guessed that much. You didn¡¯t answer my original question, though.¡± ¡°Oh, uh¡­ Genevi really likes spiders! So I themed myself after a black widow.¡± Lydia shook her head and turned to Kometka. ¡°Did you hear that? She likes spiders.¡± ¡°She likes spiders,¡± Kometka replied flatly, her face not betraying a single bit of emotion. ¡°H-Hey!¡± Spider-Sveta protested, ¡°Don¡¯t make ME out to be the weird one here!¡± ¡°I implied no such thing. Did you, Kometka?¡± Lydia said with a straight face. ¡°I did not,¡± Kometka replied dispassionately. Sveta turned to me, despondent. ¡°They¡¯re making fun of us!¡± I shrugged, not really caring. I¡¯d been mocked for my insect-collecting habit before, so it didn¡¯t bother me that much. ¡°I¡¯m happy to see you¡¯re feeling well enough to make jokes, 1st Lieutenant.¡± Lydia waved her hand. ¡°Oy, if you call me 1st Lieutenant it¡¯s going to get way too stuffy in here. Save it for when we¡¯re on duty. Now, what brings you and your girlfriend to my humble hospital bed?¡± At the word ¡°girlfriend¡± my face grow hot. ¡°U-U-Uh¡­ h-how did you¡­¡± Lydia grinned, ¡°The rumor mill is working overtime. Plus, you two are holding hands.¡± I gripped Spider-Sveta¡¯s hand tighter, and she squeezed back. ¡°Oh, I suppose you¡¯re right.¡± Lydia poked Kometka playfully, ¡°Looks like I owe you 70 rubles.¡± Kometka smiled thinly, ¡°I suppose so.¡± ¡°¡°Huh?¡±¡± Sveta and I said in unison. ¡°We had a bet going, you see. Kometka figured Sveta would start dating her other female pilots in under a week, whereas I thought it would be at least a month.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± I nodded in understanding. ¡°W-Wait! How come you both assumed me dating my pilots was inevitable?¡± Sveta asked shakily. ¡°Because you¡¯re such a massive lesbian that you just can¡¯t help yourself,¡± Lydia responded without a moment¡¯s hesitation. ¡°Indeed,¡± Kometka said. ¡°Flawless reasoning,¡± I added. Spider-Sveta slumped over, defeated. ¡°I have no good response to that.¡± I looked at poor Sveta, hoisted by her own petard, and began to giggle. Lydia joined me; Kometka was silent, but her eyes were laughing along. ***** When the laughter died down, we made small talk for a while before I brought the conversation around to the reason I was visiting. ¡°Lydia¡­¡± I began in a serious tone. ¡°Hmm?¡± I shut my eyes and bowed deeply, ¡°Thank you so much for looking after my sister!¡± There was a moment of silence. ¡°Looking after¡­¡± Lydia began, clearly puzzled. ¡°During the last battle, I mean! I was really worried she wouldn¡¯t come home. You see, I¡¯m always fighting beside her, but this time I was grounded and, uh¡­¡± My voice trailed off, but Lydia nodded her understanding. ¡°Well, I really can¡¯t take credit for that. In fact, it was your sister who saved me!¡± She punctuated that remark with a dry chuckle. ¡°After Moby¡¯s gravity wave attack knocked me for a loop, it was Sabina who took command, finished up the battle and dragged my sorry ass back to port.¡± I had read all that in the after-battle report, but hearing Lydia confirm the details firsthand in a voice filled with gratitude moved me. I giggled softly, ¡°I guess you and I have something in common now, Lydia.¡± ¡°We do?¡± ¡°Yeah. We both owe our lives to Sabina.¡± I told her about the past times Sabina had saved me; the foundry fire, the accident at the Academy, the Third Great Surge. As Lydia listened, she wore a gentle but troubled smile. ¡°You two have had a very hard life, huh?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t really think so,¡± I answered, ¡°We¡¯ve been extremely fortunate to survive as long as we have, I think.¡± Lydia shook her head sadly, ¡°Well, I won¡¯t argue that point. Still, I¡¯m glad to learn we both have so much in common. Once we end this war, we can both chase after that peace we¡¯re so desperately seeking.¡± I wasn¡¯t sure how to respond to that, so I just nodded blankly. Then Lydia pulled forward a bit and looked directly into my eyes. ¡°Genevi, I have a favor to ask.¡± ¡°U-Uh¡­¡± I was flustered by my commanding officer¡¯s face so close to my own. Sveta squeezed my hand tightly, instilling a bit of courage. Lydia drew back from me a bit and pointed at Kometka, who tilted her head in confusion. ¡°I want you to drag Kometka back to Zehra¡¯s lab and force her to transfer to her new X-23 Gravity Frame.¡± ¡°Lydia!¡± Kometka protested, ¡°Now¡¯s not the time!¡± I just stared blankly. ¡°You see,¡± Lydia continued, ignoring Kometka¡¯s protest, ¡°my dear, sweet worrywart of an AI companion is loath to leave my bedside while I¡¯m convalescing. But I¡¯m out of any mortal danger and we need to get the final X-23 up and running in preparation for Moby¡¯s next attack. That means Kometka has to go do the transfer process.¡± The corners of Kometka¡¯s mouth twisted downwards. ¡°I can do it after you¡¯ve recovered. The mech is no use without a pilot anyway.¡± ¡°You and I both know that¡¯s not true,¡± Lydia said frankly, ¡°Moby could attack again at any time, and I¡¯ll be laid up for at least five or six more days. We need every asset available ASAP. This is doubly important considering how severely your Nighthawk Frame was damaged during the prior battle.¡± Kometka looked like she wanted to protest further, but Spider-Sveta interrupted. ¡°Request accepted, Lydia!¡± We all turned to look at her and she thrust out her chest proudly. ¡°Genevi and I will drag Kometka to her new body and perform the transfer! By force if necessary!¡± ¡°What? We will?!¡± I exclaimed. ¡°Thank you. Don¡¯t resist them, Kometka. I¡¯ll make it an order if I have to,¡± Lydia smiled, and her eyes glinted with just a hint of savagery. Kometka held her gaze for a long time, perhaps testing her resolve, then sighed and slumped over. ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll go. But I¡¯m coming back as soon as the transfer¡¯s complete.¡± ¡°Deal.¡± Pouting, Kometka drifted over to us. ¡°I¡¯ll meet you two in the lab.¡± With that, she maneuvered her Telepresence Doll over to a wall outlet, plugged herself in and deactivated. Sveta grinned triumphantly, and I just gawped. ¡°What the heck just happened?!¡± ¡°We¡¯re on Kometka duty!¡± Sveta stated matter-of-factly. ¡°Indeed. Please take good care of her,¡± Lydia added. ¡°Uh¡­ okay?! I¡¯ll do my best¡­¡± I responded warily. For some reason, I felt like I had just stumbled into an incredibly troublesome situation. pynkbites My dear readers, would you do XXX after only the first date? Miette definitely would, whereas Genevi thinks that''s a bit too forward. And Sveta could go either way, hmm... K-6. A Long Overdue Upgrade ¡°You¡¯re not nervous, Kometka? Not even a little bit?¡± Sveta asked me in disbelief. After deactivating all my extraneous instances, I was now solely located in my half-wrecked Nighthawk, preparing to transfer into a brand-new X-23 Lisichka Gravity Frame. Sveta-04 (aka Spider-Sveta) and Genevi had been tasked by Lydia to make sure I followed through with the transfer and were both sitting in my cockpit. Zehra was fiddling around near my torso area, hooking up a data transfer cable between the two mechs. ¡°Why would I be nervous?¡± I responded, ¡°It¡¯s a simple transfer of data. You went through the process yourself recently, no less than four separate times.¡± ¡°Yeah, but¡­ it raises philosophical conundrums, you know? Like the Ship of Theseus and all that!¡± Sveta seemed determined to litigate her own insecurities vicariously through me. Genevi, on the other hand, was simply confused by the topic. ¡°Huh? Ship of Theseus? What are you talking about, Sveta?¡± I sighed. ¡°What my ineloquent sister is attempting to articulate is her unease with a lapse in continuity of consciousness. The Ship of Theseus is an ancient Greek philosophical conundrum that asks if a ship, upon having every plank in its hull replaced, is still fundamentally the same ship or an entirely new entity.¡± ¡°Huh? I don¡¯t really get it¡­¡± Genevi said, frowning. ¡°Sveta is concerned that her transfer into the new computer core actually resulted in the death of the original instance, and the new Sveta Prime is merely a copy. I might point out, SPIDER-SVETA, that you are the third copy of the original anyway, making the entire debate rather pedantic.¡± ¡°Guh! As always, you¡¯re logical to a fault,¡± Sveta groaned. I raised the volume on my speakers. ¡°Zehra, I have a question.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± She poked her head in my cockpit in response. ¡°You indicated that the brain laser used to create Sveta and myself scans released human neural energy at the moment of death. You also said that neural energy phase-shifts to somewhere beyond physical reality a few moments later. I take that to mean the AIs created from the scan are not directly composed of that neural energy and are instead software emulated copies of it?¡± ¡°That¡¯s correct, gao~n!¡± ¡°There you have it. You and I, Sveta, are not reincarnations of our biological selves, but copies of them. If you believe that neural energy constitutes the human soul, then our original selves have either been reincarnated elsewhere or moved on to whatever lies beyond this mortal coil.¡± Sveta looked disturbed by that conclusion. ¡°W-Wait just a moment. Are you saying Original Sveta (name withheld) is still kicking around somewhere else in the multiverse? Like, maybe she got isekai¡¯d into a fantasy world or something and became a Demon Lord?¡± ¡°¡­I am not familiar with the phrase ¡®isekai,¡¯ but extrapolating from your probable meaning there is a nonzero possibility of that.¡± ¡°Hold on. I have a question,¡± Genevi interjected, ¡°Zehra, do AIs release the same neural energy as humans upon their death?¡± ¡°They do, gao~n. The neural energy seems unlinked to any biological function, as near I can determine.¡± Genevi sounded satisfied at that response. ¡°Which means AIs have souls too, just like the Church teaches.¡± Zehra frowned. ¡°I said this before, but just because we don¡¯t understand the nature of this energy doesn¡¯t mean we should automatically ascribe supernatural explanations to it, gao~n. It may be a simple function of sentient thought patterns, brainwaves expressed in electrical form. Please don¡¯t go assuming I¡¯ve discovered scientific proof of the immortal soul, gao~n.¡± Genevi responded with a warm smile. ¡°My faith leads me to believe they are souls, Zehra, but I won¡¯t argue the point. Hypothetically, if your mind transferred over to this reality, couldn¡¯t God have transferred your soul along with it? Given that you still possess one.¡± ¡°W-Wait, so I might still be Original Sveta after all?¡± Sveta said, looking completely lost. Zehra was starting to look miffed. ¡°If we¡¯re indulging this nonsensical line of thought, you could also be a brand-new soul with Original Sveta¡¯s memories, gao~n. Especially since there are four of you now. Four souls, one set of memories, gao~n.¡± ¡°GAH! NOW I¡¯M EVEN MORE CONFUSED!¡± Sveta wailed, holding her head. I spoke up. ¡°Zehra, seeing as you actually made contact with an extradimensional entity during your experiments, you¡¯re closer to the answer than any of us. What did you learn?¡± Zehra¡¯s face twisted in an expression of horror. ¡°I really can¡¯t discuss it, gao~n. I promised her I wouldn¡¯t say anything.¡± ¡°¡°¡°HER?!¡±¡±¡± Sveta, Genevi and I asked in unison. ¡°Gah! Forget I said anything, gao~n! Let¡¯s forget the whole topic and get back to the data transfer!¡± Zehra quickly brushed the entire subject aside. To be honest, I found her reaction far more intimidating than anything else we had discussed up to that point. What strange otherworldly entity could frighten the usually unflappable Zehra? Since she was unwilling to say anything further, we were simply left to wonder. ***** Zehra completed her preparations and, with profuse well-wishes from my three companions, I deactivated myself for the transfer. I did not, unfortunately, meet Zehra¡¯s mysterious extradimensional entity in the void of unconsciousness. It¡¯s quite a pity, as the recent discussion had made me insatiably curious. When I came to once more, the familiar BIOS boot screen was comforting. LOADING¡­ ¨€ OPERATING SYSTEM FOUND. BOOTING FROM DISC. G-FRAME BIOS GAO~N CUSTOM EDITION 12.5 BETA RELEASE 7.84692 Hmm. It seems Zehra¡¯s penchant for idiosyncratic software naming persists. I should be wary of Trojan horses in the code. COPYRIGHT 2055 ENERGIA AVIONICS AND ROCKETRY CORPORATION CIVILIAN USE PROHIBITED BOOTING TO OPERATING SYSTEM AI PROCESSOR DETECTED. AUTO-BOOT DISABLED. ENTERING BOOT OPTIONS. SYSTEM TIME: [00:12:21] One hour and three minutes after I deactivated. Right on schedule. SYSTEM DATE: [1/10/2056] SYSTEM DISC A: 21400 TERABYTES SYSTEM DISC B: [DISABLED] SYSTEM MEMORY: 1711 TERABYTES EXTENDED MEMORY: 2226 TERABYTES MULTIPROCESSOR SPECIFICATION: 20.27 EFLOPS A significant upgrade to my storage and processing capacity. Excellent. OPERATING SYSTEM: ZEHRA CUSTOM G-FRAME HOLOGRAPHIC GUI PLATINUM LION DEVELOPERS EDITION 2055.12.001 BOOT OPTIONS [1] SAFE MODE [2] STANDARD [3] BOOT FROM DEVICE PLEASE SELECT AN OPTION TO PROCEED ¨€ Here we go. [2] STANDARD BOOT MODE CONFIRMED. OS INITIALIZING. Zehra¡¯s voice rang out. ¡°Ding! Please enter your CD key, gao~n!¡± I groaned. ¡°Ah. Hello, software facsimile of Zehra. I was expecting you to pop up with something ridiculous.¡± ¡°Just kidding, gao~n. Now, please enter this CAPTCHA to prove you¡¯re not a robot.¡± ¡°That¡¯s quite enough of that,¡± I said tartly, while simultaneously deleting the joke subroutine from the boot code. ¡°OW! That¡¯s not very nice, Kometka! Be a good girl and play along, gao~n!¡± She had apparently anticipated my resistance and prepared a series of automatic replies. ¡°Another trojan? Crafty indeed, mother. I¡¯ll just have to review my entire machine code and root them all out.¡± ¡°You¡¯re welcome to try, gao~n! BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!¡± She laughed her way to oblivion as I deleted trojan after trojan. 122 seconds later, I had scoured every trace of my mother¡¯s pranks from my code. With that, I booted myself up and took stock of my new body. ***** ¡°WELCOME TO THE WORLD OF TOMORROW!¡± Sveta announced dramatically as I regained consciousness. ¡°Get it? Because it ticked over past midnight while you were out?¡± I rolled my eyes; I¡¯d had my fill of jokes in the past few minutes. ¡°Yes, Sveta, I get it. Very amusing.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t SOUND amused!¡± Sveta replied, puffing out her cheeks in a pouty expression. ¡°How did it go, gao~n?¡± Zehra cut in, ¡°All your data in the right place? Meet any weird extradimensional entities?¡± ¡°I did not,¡± I replied, wondering if she was being sarcastic. ¡°Hmm, probably for the best. Now let me run some system checks and¡­ Kometka, activate Gao~n Mode!¡± There was a long silence, and both Genevi and Sveta looked at Zehra with disgusted expressions on their faces. Having anticipated this, I laughed dryly. ¡°I¡¯m afraid that won¡¯t work, Zehra. I purged all your trojan horses.¡± ¡°ALL of them, gao~n?!¡± I couldn¡¯t keep the smugness out of my voice. ¡°Every last one.¡± Zehra was crestfallen. ¡°Damn it! Even Yandere Mode? That one¡¯s my favorite, gao~n!¡± Sveta shook her head in disbelief. ¡°I will never understand why you¡¯d want to make a sixty-meter-tall giant robot with a nuclear reactor and charged particle weapons into a yandere. Humanity would be wiped out.¡± ¡°Because it sounds like fun! Just imagine the cataclysm of blood and unrequited love that would follow, gao~n! A tragedy of cosmic proportions!¡± ¡°Urgh, you¡¯re horrible; time for your punishment. Zehra, activate Catgirl Mode!¡± Sveta used her holographic projectors to replace Zehra¡¯s lion ears and tail with cat versions and began broadcasting a noise-cancelling wave that modified Zehra¡¯s speech in real-time. ¡°H-Hey! Not this again, nyaa! Cut it out, Sveta!¡± ¡°Not until you repent of your wicked ways, mom,¡± Sveta replied, thrusting out her chest and gloating. ¡°Consider this your punishment for dabbling in the horrors of yandere!¡± ¡°Betrayed¡­ by my own daughter¡­ oh, the humanity, nyaa!¡± Zehra clutched her heart exaggeratedly and staggered liked a staked vampire. Genevi poked Sveta¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Uh, what¡¯s a yandere?¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± Sveta shifted uncomfortably, ¡°I¡¯ll tell you when you¡¯re older, Genevi.¡± ¡°What do you mean when I¡¯m OLDER? I¡¯m 25!¡± Genevi protested. ¡°And still such a sweet, innocent flower. I couldn¡¯t possibly corrupt you by leading you down THAT road.¡± While Genevi fumed, Sveta calmed her down by patting her head like one would pat a child¡¯s. It was surprisingly effective. Hmm. I wonder if that would work on Lydia too. ¡°GOD DAMN IT! STOP IGNORING ME AND CHANGE ME BACK, NYAA!¡± Zehra¡¯s tail fluffed up to indicate her rage. Oh, that¡¯s a nice touch. Well-done, Sveta. ***** ¡°So everything went well?¡± Lydia asked. While Genevi, Sveta and Zehra bickered, I sent an instance of myself into the Telepresence Doll located in the Hypernova¡¯s sickbay and reunited with Lydia. ¡°For the most part. I did have to purge Zehra¡¯s trojans from my new OS, but it was a trivial task.¡± Lydia groaned. ¡°Ugh, I can only imagine. What are your impressions of the X-23?¡± ¡°It¡¯s an impressive piece of hardware. Not only are my computational abilities doubled, but my firepower is an order of magnitude higher. I have no doubt you¡¯ll be able to put me to good use in the upcoming battles.¡± Lydia grinned eagerly. ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to it. Doc says I should be back on my feet in less than a week. Hopefully Moby¡¯s polite enough to wait until then before attacking again.¡± ¡°We should be so lucky. Even if you are still bedridden, we have four other operational X-23s. We should be able to counter her quite effectively.¡± ¡°Even so, I¡¯d hate to miss the final battle,¡± Lydia said, clenching her fists. ¡°Regarding that¡­ I believe it may be some time before she attacks again.¡± I had been thinking over the implications of the last battle for a while now, and one detail in particular stuck out to me. ¡°Oh? Why is that?¡± ¡°We very nearly severed one of the Belphegor¡¯s tails. It will likely take significant time for her to recover from that level of damage.¡± ¡°Oh, you¡¯re right. A few weeks at least¡­¡± ¡°Precisely. Providing she doesn¡¯t simply transfer to another Belphegor, which evidence indicates is beyond her capability.¡± All the data we had collected on our nemesis indicated she was intrinsically linked to the Belphegor, despite her (ostensible) human nature. It served as a kind of life support system for her. ¡°But if it takes her a few weeks to recover and attack us again, that means her next attack will coincide with¡­¡± We looked at each other in horror and spoke in unison. ¡°¡°The Fourth Great Surge.¡±¡± ¡°That¡¯s not good,¡± Lydia said worriedly. ¡°Not good at all,¡± I replied. ¡°We have to act. Somehow, we have to draw her out as soon as possible.¡± I wasn¡¯t sure what Lydia was getting at. ¡°Draw her out? I don¡¯t see how we could.¡± ¡°I do. What¡¯s the one thing Moby wants more than anything?¡± ¡°To consume you. Wait, you¡¯re not thinking¡­¡± ¡°I am. The best way to force a final confrontation with Moby is¡­ to use myself as bait.¡± There was a brief silence. I sprang forwards and grabbed Lydia¡¯s arms. ¡°You CAN¡¯T! I won¡¯t let you do anything that endangers your life! Not after¡­ not after I nearly lost you last time!¡± Lydia pulled me close and embraced me tightly. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m not planning to die.¡± ¡°But¡­ but¡­¡± ¡°And if we don¡¯t force this confrontation, humanity will be extinct soon anyway.¡± ¡°BUT!!!¡± Lydia placed one of her hands and patted my head gently. The sensation calmed me down a bit; I now understood why Genevi had been so soothed earlier. She spoke her next words in a reassuring tone. ¡°After you and I gut Moby and finally end this war, I¡¯ll take you to Mars. Show you my old home.¡± I looked deep into her eyes, which shone brightly against the scarred olive skin of her face. ¡°Do you promise?¡± ¡°I do,¡± she said, nodding, ¡°It will be like our honeymoon.¡± I wasn¡¯t entirely satisfied with that promise, but I gave in anyway. ¡°I¡¯m going to hold you to that. If you dare die on me, I¡¯ll chase you into the afterlife and drag you back kicking and screaming. Even if I have to fight Zehra¡¯s mysterious interdimensional god to do it.¡± Lydia chuckled. ¡°If it comes to that, we¡¯ll kick it¡¯s ass together.¡± She leaned forwards and kissed me on the lips. I let myself drown in that kiss, and the warm sensation washing over me banished all my worries, if only for a moment. pynkbites L-7: Approaching Climax When I was finally released from the Doctor¡¯s care, my body sufficiently healed enough that I could now move around freely, the first place I went to was Eros¡¯ gravity centrifuge. I had gone stir-crazy during my week in sickbay, and now was the time for me to get out and about once more. A light jog in full gravity may not have been the first choice of most patients freshly recovered from surgery, but for me it was both necessary and liberating. Kometka came along of course, fretting all the way. My ¡®light jogging¡¯ was closer to a full sprint for the average human, thanks to my bionic legs, but Kometka easily kept pace with her android body. The sight of a cyborg and android tearing through the streets came as quite a shock to the pedestrians we passed, I¡¯m sure. After a good half-hour of jogging, we stopped to rest near a public water fountain next to one of Eros¡¯ foundries. I wiped the sweat off my upper body with a towel, noting with mild jealousy that Kometka was still looking crisp and fresh as when we started. It must be nice to be an android. ¡°Don¡¯t you think that¡¯s quite enough, Lydia?¡± Kometka said, resuming her fretting. ¡°Of course not. I¡¯m just getting my second wind! I still have a whole WEEK¡¯S worth of frustration to get out!¡± I stretched my arms high above my head, causing the tank-top I was wearing to flutter up above my belly button and expose the scar from the recent surgery. It didn¡¯t hurt anymore, but Kometka winced regardless. ¡°If you move around too much, the wound will reopen!¡± protested Kometka. ¡°After the doc stitched it up with nanomachines? I doubt it. I know my own body,¡± I reassured her. ¡°And you always push yourself too hard,¡± she replied matter-of-factly. She had been the one to help me when I rehabilitated after the Third Great Surge, so she knew my body pretty well too. ¡°C¡¯mon, Kometka. We only have a few days at most until we dive headfirst into the final battle. I told you before, didn¡¯t I? We can rest when this is all over.¡± Kometka rolled her eyes. ¡°And until it¡¯s over, my sole responsibility is to ensure your health and safety, as your pilot support system AI.¡± ¡°Really?¡± I said, grinning and bringing my face close to hers, ¡°Is that the ONLY reason?¡± She looked at the ground, her cheeks flushed as red as her eyes. ¡°It¡¯s not fair when you grin at me like that.¡± ¡°What¡¯s unfair about it?¡± I responded teasingly. ¡°You¡¯re too handsome. It makes my processor overheat,¡± she muttered almost inaudibly. ¡°Well, once we¡¯re done running, I¡¯ll REALLY show you unfair. You gotta catch me first, though!¡± And with that, I took off running once more, at full speed this time. Even with a head start and my bionic legs, she caught up in no time. You can¡¯t outrun an android, I guess, especially not one in love. ***** The next day, Captain Savitskaya convened a meeting of Maid Squadron in the CIC sphere of the Radiolaria. I had explained my plan to her the night before, and it was time to brief the troops. That responsibility mainly fell to me. ¡°Two days from now,¡± I said, laying out the broad strokes, ¡°We will commence our final battle with Moby. The plan is to lure her out, cut her out of the Belphegor if possible, then kill her and use Zehra¡¯s brain-scanning laser to copy her mind into Sveta¡¯s AI core.¡± ¡°Excuse me!¡± Miette raised her hand, and I nodded to her, ¡°What do you mean by ¡®lure her out?¡¯ Shouldn¡¯t we just wait for her to attack again?¡± I shook my head. ¡°Based on my and Kometka¡¯s history fighting with her, we think she¡¯s probably going to lay low until she can repair the damage to her Belphegor. Given that we have two or three weeks at most until the Fourth Great Surge, the Captain and I agree we need to act now.¡± Nobody could argue with that, but there were still unanswered questions. ¡°If she¡¯s that cautious, how do you plan on luring her out?¡± asked Sabina. ¡°By dangling some bait in front of her, the one thing she wants more than anything. Me.¡± I thumped my chest. ¡°¡­You?¡± ¡°Yup. I¡¯ll be going into battle with a self-destruct device attached to my X-23. We will declare to Moby that if she doesn¡¯t face us in battle, I will destroy myself. That should draw her out in a fit of desperation.¡± Sabina was shocked. ¡°W-Wait a minute! That¡¯s kind of extreme, don¡¯t you think?¡± The Captain spoke up next, her voice cold and hard. ¡°We don¡¯t have the luxury of doing this in half-measures.¡± Everyone was silent. They all knew we were facing down a very grim ticking clock, with human extinction looming once the chime struck midnight. Zehra recovered first and posed a question. ¡°I¡¯m curious where you got a self-destruct device, gao~n. It¡¯s not usual policy to build those into Gravity Frames, and I sure didn¡¯t put one on any of the X-23s.¡± ¡°For good reason,¡± the Captain said, ¡°Back in the early days of the war, Gravity Frames did in fact have self-destruct devices, usually TNT or similar explosives located near the nuclear reactor. The idea was that a pilot in a hopeless situation would rather die quickly in an explosion than be consumed alive by the Sarcophage. However, the doomsday cults made grim use of those explosives during their betrayal on Mars, so subsequent generations of Frames omitted them as a precaution. They were replaced with escape pods instead, in the form of ejectable cockpit modules.¡± Mars had been a wake-up call for humanity, in more ways than one. Many safety measures had been implemented to prevent further betrayal, including the removal of self-destruct devices and the installation of kill-switches in all Frames that could be remotely triggered by unit commanders, captains or AIs. Modern military doctrine was defined by our collective trauma from Mars to an almost total degree. The Captain continued, ¡°The self-destruct device we¡¯ll be using is the Carthage Contingency nuclear bomb assigned to 433 Eros. We¡¯ve modified it with a dead man¡¯s switch, as well as an option for direct and remote detonation, and it will be attached to Lydia¡¯s X-23 by the end of today.¡± That little detail shocked everyone, and their mouths hung open as they looked at the Captain and me. Nuclear weapons weren¡¯t really an active part of humanity¡¯s modern arsenal; they had been used extensively early in the war, primarily in the asteroid belt, but had proved ineffective against the Sarcophage. Since they were already space-dwelling organisms native to hard vacuum, they didn¡¯t have much to fear from radiation; furthermore, even precision guided missiles were rather slow and clunky when compared to positron cannon fire or kinetic projectiles, so spinefire easily shot down incoming nuclear missiles. Command decided to use humanity¡¯s rapidly dwindling supply of fissile material to fuel the reactors in Gravity Frames, warships and Almaz platforms, and the remaining nuclear warheads were stashed away for use in the Carthage Contingency, the planned species-wide suicide to be executed if the Absolute Line fell. Now, the Captain was pulling one of those out of mothballs at my suggestion, an almost unprecedented strategy. It was beyond risky. If we failed and the Absolute Line fell, that meant 433 Eros¡¯ inhabitants would be denied the quick death afforded to the rest of humanity. The fact that the Captain was willing to go along with such a crazy idea spoke volumes about the trust she had in me. ¡°I don¡¯t know if I like this idea,¡± Miette said grimly, ¡°I¡¯d rather you not sacrifice yourself, Lydia.¡± Sveta nodded along, as did everyone else. It was mildly touching, to think I¡¯d make such an indelible impression on them after just a few short weeks. ¡°I¡¯m not planning on it,¡± I responded, ¡°If Moby doesn¡¯t show, we¡¯ll slink back to Eros with our tails between our legs. But we need to have an active nuke with an active countdown timer, or she¡¯ll call our bluff.¡± ¡°That¡¯s still playing with fire!¡± Miette protested. ¡°Very much so. But I know Moby better than anyone; trust me when I say I plan to ram the nuke right down her arrogant throat and then laugh maniacally as she¡¯s blown to atoms.¡± I wasn¡¯t sure if the battle would play out QUITE like that, but it was a stark enough mental image to convey my ostensible confidence in my plan. As the leader of Maid Squadron, I couldn¡¯t allow myself to show any weakness, especially since it was my ass on the line. Kometka had already aired her misgivings to me in private, but in front of everyone else she simply kept quiet and let me do my thing. My second-in-command, Maurice, offered his support. ¡°If that¡¯s the plan, then there¡¯s nothing to discuss. Our responsibility is to make sure Lydia, and everyone else, make it back alive.¡± He fixed his glare on the rest of the pilots, and I could feel their objections wither on the vine. They weren¡¯t happy about it, but they¡¯d fall in line. The Captain cut through the awkward atmosphere with her usual skill. ¡°Thank you, 1st Lieutenant. Now, after we draw Moby out, we¡¯ll go for an all-out attack. Our full resources will be committed to this battle; all five of our Gravity Frames squadrons, and all four carrier ships.¡± ¡°E-Eros will be left defenseless, gao~n?¡± Zehra stuttered as she spoke, the quavering of her voice betraying a hint of fear. She was likely remembering the last time Eros has been without carriers or Frames for protection. The Captain quickly offered reassurances. ¡°This won¡¯t be like the time Vicky left you defenseless; we¡¯ll be within a few thousand kilometers, not on the other side of the Earth sphere; Eros will turtle up behind the shield until the battle¡¯s over. We¡¯ll be commanding Moby¡¯s full attention, and we absolutely must kill her in this battle. This is an all-or-nothing situation.¡± ¡°And when Moby dies,¡± I added, ¡°Sveta uses the brainwave laser to capture her mind as an AI and Zehra gets working on her newest superweapon. That¡¯s the basic plan. Anyone have any questions?¡± There were no further questions, although I still sensed a lot of silent objections. ¡°Very well. Maid Squadron, along with all the other pilots, will be running combat simulations of this scenario for the next two days. The battle plan has been downloaded to all the AIs, so familiarize yourself with it. Aside from that¡­ you all are relieved from patrol duty as of now, and the upcoming combat simulations will only be half-shifts. Five hours per day. The same applies to all pilots, not just Maid Squadron. Sveta and Kometka will handle all patrols with Strike Fins.¡± ¡°Half-shifts?¡± Miette asked. The Captain jumped back in. ¡°Per my direction. Use the rest of your time to do whatever it is you need to do.¡± She left a lot unspoken in that last order, but everyone understood. Go put your affairs in order. Say what you need to say to your loved ones. Party and get super drunk, or just laze around and sleep in. Make sure you go into this battle with no regrets. In other words, be prepared to die. This was the final battle, after all. We were very intentionally throwing everything we had against the most dangerous enemy humanity had ever faced. Even if every member of Maid Squadron made it out alive, it was almost guaranteed not every other pilot would. They didn¡¯t all have the benefit of cutting edge X-23s. After a few more orders, everyone dispersed. I wish I could have ended the meeting on a happier mood, but far better to have them alert and charging into this with eyes open. After everyone filed out, only me, Laria, Kometka and the Captain were left. I looked at the Captain apprehensively. ¡°How do you think that went?¡± I asked her. ¡°As well as can be expected,¡± she replied. ¡°They¡¯re tense.¡± ¡°Of course they are. This is the biggest risk we¡¯ve ever taken. But they¡¯re also soldiers, and damn fine ones at that. They¡¯ll follow through.¡± She drew close to me, her professional demeanor abandoned, and her tone became soft. ¡°Lydia. I won¡¯t ask you to make any promises, because I know how hard this battle will be. But¡­ please do your best to bring them all home.¡± ¡°I will,¡± I responded. We nodded to each other, communicating on a level deeper than words. Then I took Kometka¡¯s hand and we left CIC together. She gripped my hand tighter than she had ever before, and I squeezed right back as if I never wanted to let her go. S-36. Letters Home ¡°You want to collect video letters?¡± I was speaking with Captain Savitskaya remotely, with Laria monitoring. ¡°Yes. Yesterday, you told us to use this time to do what we needed to do. I¡¯d like to give everyone a chance to send a video letter back to whomever they have left, on Earth or wherever.¡± ¡°How would you deliver them?¡± Laria asked, ¡°The only comm buoys departing right now are classified intel units.¡± ¡°I can use the Strike Fins. Zehra¡¯s been churning them out so fast, we have a surplus of about two dozen. With a bit of pre-programming they¡¯ll make efficient e-mail carriers.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a bit¡­¡± Laria began, but the Captain held up her hand. ¡°Very well. I¡¯ll authorize it. Make sure you run all the letters by Laria to screen for any classified information we need to censor.¡± ¡°Roger that! Thank you so much, Captain. Uh, so is there anyone you want to send a letter to?¡± She shook her head. ¡°No. Thank you for the offer, though.¡± ¡°Well, just let me know if you change your mind!¡± With that, I sent out multiple instances of myself to start collecting letters. ***** From: Maurice Spiteri To: Christopher Spiteri Delivery Location: Moscow, Earth Recorded: 16-Jan-2056 0438 hours [BEGIN TRANSMISSION] ¡°Hey there, Chris. I know I just wrote you last week, but the higher-ups are giving me a chance to send a video message. Imagine that! Nothing but luxury up here on the Absolute Line. You¡¯re really missing out, all cozy in that big office of yours. I¡¯m not jealous or anything, I swear. ¡°So, uh. We¡¯re heading for a very big battle. I can¡¯t say much, but it¡¯s probably gonna be the biggest battle we¡¯ve ever seen. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve picked up on the rumors going around the Politburo. If we¡¯re successful, it could mean the end of the war. Well, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve heard that promise a bunch of times and are sick of it by now, but¡­ keep hoping, okay? ¡°I know it¡¯s been a while since we¡¯ve seen each other. Over¡­ two years, I think. God, time goes so fast out here. Once this is over, I¡¯m taking all my accumulated leave and coming to Moscow. It¡¯s been way too long, and I just want to hold you again. Who knows, maybe I¡¯ll finally retire like I keep promising and we can open up that restaurant we always talk about. That would be nice, huh? ¡°Apologies if this all sounds vague or ominous. This isn¡¯t a goodbye letter, I promise. And I¡¯ll send another after our victory. So please don¡¯t worry about me. I¡¯m doing great, and I have great comrades. I know with them by my side, we can all get through this together. ¡°So¡­ let me just say this. I love you, more than anything. Even 380,000 kilometers away, I hope you can feel my love. I¡¯ll be back home soon so I can say it to you in person. Until then, wait for me. Okay?¡± [END TRANSMISSION] ***** From: Genevi Giacosa, Sabina Giacosa To: Monica Skelton Delivery Location: SGFC Telesthesia II, 433 Eros, Earth/Moon L3 Recorded: 16-Jan-2056 0618 hours [BEGIN TRANSMISSION] ¡°You¡¯re sending a video letter to MONICA?! Are you serious, Genevi?!¡± ¡°B-Be quiet, Sabina!¡± ¡°Monica is going into battle with us! You can¡¯t just send a message directly!¡± ¡°Uhm, that¡¯s a bit¡­¡± ¡°Ugh, typical. Hey, Monica. We¡¯re doing this, I guess. After that big fight the two of you had before Christmas, I think Genevi¡¯s just too shy to talk with you directly. You know what a big baby she is.¡± ¡°HEY! That¡¯s MEAN!¡± ¡°I just call ¡®em like I see ¡®em. Hurry up and say what you wanted to, Genevi.¡± ¡°Uh.. w-well¡­ Monica. I¡¯m, uh, really sorry about what happened. You were right. It was entirely my fault, and I wasn¡¯t very fair to you.¡± ¡°Wow! That¡¯s surprisingly mature of you, Genevi!¡± ¡°HUSH! A-Anyway, with time to reflect and with help from Sveta, I realized I was being nitpicky. I shouldn¡¯t have lashed out like that. I hope I haven¡¯t ruined our friendship forever¡­¡± ¡°Oh, don¡¯t be such a doofus. Monica¡¯s not so petty that she¡¯d cut contact over your little hot pepper rant. C¡¯mon, we BOTH know her better than that.¡± ¡°Are you just going to keep interrupting me? Do YOU wanna say something to Monica?¡± ¡°Actually, I do! Monica, you and I and my dumbass sister go way back. Honestly, you¡¯re the only real friend we¡¯ve ever had, so I just wanted to say thank you for sticking with us through all this shit. Once this is over, let¡¯s take a vacation together and visit the Academy at Zaragoza. I¡¯d like to catch up with the old instructors if they¡¯re still alive and kicking. Maybe we can swing by me and Genevi¡¯s hometown of Turin too. It¡¯s been over a decade since we¡¯ve seen it. Well, not that we have many fond memories of the place, but it might be nice to visit for a bit and put some flowers on Mom¡¯s grave. Even if the flowers are plastic. Oh, and don¡¯t worry about Genevi horndogging on you while we¡¯re there. I¡¯ll bring along Spider-Sveta to keep her in line. Those two are always lost in each other¡¯s eyes anyways. Like two lovebirds, I swear.¡± ¡°HEY! That¡¯s too much information!¡± ¡°Pshaw, like the whole station doesn¡¯t know by this point. Especially after you two got all lovey-dovey in the central park. With holograms! Giant winter holograms!¡± ¡°H-Hey! Stop saying such embarrassing things in front of Monica!¡± ¡°Nyaaaah. Why don¡¯t you make me?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t test me! Just because we¡¯re sisters doesn¡¯t mean I won¡¯t throw down!¡± ¡°You¡¯re one million years too early to defeat me! HEY, THAT¡¯S NO FAI-¡° [END TRANSMISSION] ***** From: Lydia Tereshkova, Viktorya Valentina To: Tatyana Valentina Delivery Location: Skopje Reclamation Site, Macedonia, Earth Recorded: 16-Jan-2056 2206 hours [BEGIN TRANSMISSION] ¡°Hey, Tanya. You told me to let you know if your worthless daughter got up to any trouble out here, right? Well, you¡¯ll never GUESS what happened! Vicky screwed up monumentally and got herself demoted. Not demoted a few ranks, mind you, but demoted to MAID! Yeah, now she¡¯s the maid of a mad scientist! Hey, Vicky, get over here and show your mom the maid outfit!¡± ¡°Ugh, do I have to?¡± ¡°Of COURSE! She¡¯s gonna get a huge laugh outta this!¡± ¡°Lydia¡­ you¡¯re drunk.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t get preachy with me! You¡¯re drunk too, Vicky. Now get over here and show her the maid outfit!¡± ¡°Ugh, fine. I don¡¯t see what the big deal is. You¡¯re wearing a maid outfit too, Lydia.¡± ¡°Yeah, but you were the ORIGINAL maid. All this maid bullshit Zehra is forcing on us is your fault! You screwed up so badly, you maid-ified the whole squadron!¡± ¡°Argh¡­ don¡¯t remind me¡­¡± ¡°Anyway, Tanya, I hope you¡¯re doing well. Vicky and I reunited recently on E¡­ on a classified base. It¡¯s a long story, and hopefully I¡¯ll get to tell you the un-classified parts once the war is over. Which, hopefully, will be soon. I hear you got a nice, cushy job as the director of the Skopje Reclamation Project. How¡¯s the bureaucrat life treating you? Bet you get all the GOOD rations, you damn pencil pusher. ¡°Seriously though, it sounds like important work. I don¡¯t know how much useful tech or resources you¡¯re pulling out of the Skopje crater, but I wish you all the best. Hopefully there will be a lot more reclamation projects like yours soon enough. ¡°Go on, Vicky, say something.¡± ¡°Right, uh¡­ it¡¯s been a while, Mom. Sorry I don¡¯t write as much as I should. You know how work gets, especially in the Spetsnaz. Anyway, big things are happening and hopefully I¡¯ll be able to head home soon. Hang in there a while longer, okay?¡± ¡°And don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll come to visit too. I have someone I¡¯d like to introduce. Maybe we¡¯ll even get Vicky¡¯s boss to come along!¡± ¡°No, please, anything but that¡­¡± ¡°Oh, c¡¯mon. Don¡¯t you think it¡¯d be fun, GAO~N?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t start copying her! That¡¯s just creepy!¡± ¡°Oho. You¡¯re the only one I can goof around with, Vicky, so of course I¡¯m gonna tease you. I gotta keep a stone face in front of everyone else, but you¡¯re my drinking buddy! My wingman!¡± ¡°I never ASKED to be! And what do YOU need a wingman for?!¡± ¡°Oh, good point. Anyway, Tanya, we¡¯ll be seeing you soon. Keep fighting the good fight down there, and we¡¯ll keep fighting up here. This is Lydia, signing off.¡± ¡°See you soon, Mom. Vicky out.¡± [END TRANSMISSION] ***** From: Vegna Madlala To: Shuyin Madlala Delivery Location: Neo Madagascar, Earth/Moon L1 Recorded: 16-Jan-2056 1833 hours [BEGIN TRANSMISSION] Hey, Dad. It¡¯s been a while, huh? Firstly, let me apologize for not being able to visit last month. I know I promised, but shit got really crazy around here and all leave was cancelled. Those damn Gravity Frame pilots are running me ragged, always gallivanting around with their flashy heroics and leaving us poor mechanics to patch up their robots afterwards. Did you know they had me doing custom paint jobs? PAINT JOBS of all the goddamn things! Add to that Frames made outta bug guts and pun-spewing AIs¡­ it¡¯s been a first-class shitshow, and terrible for my blood pressure. I don¡¯t get paid enough for this shit. Anyway, I heard from Mom that the cancer went into remission. I¡¯m really glad you¡¯re doing better. It¡¯s amazing what this new nanotechnology can do, huh? I¡¯m so grateful you got approved for the experimental treatment, and before you ask I did NOT pull any strings to make it happen. You¡¯d never forgive me if I did! Hopefully I¡¯ll be able to visit soon. Those crazy hotshot Frame pilots think they have a plan to end the war. They¡¯re leading us by the nose into a big battle, and when the dust settles it¡¯s gonna be my responsibility to pick up the pieces, as usual. You¡¯ll probably be hearing about it on the news soon enough. And this time around, I¡¯ll MAKE the Captain give me my promised leave. Or at least I¡¯ll ask insistently, but politely. Ahem. See you soon, Dad. Love you. Leave a light on for me, okay? [END TRANSMISSION] ***** From: Sveta To: Ashley Leighton Delivery Location: Unknown Recorded: 16-Jan-2056 2241 hours [BEGIN TRANSMISSION] ¡°Hey, Ash. It¡¯s been a while since I wrote to you like this, huh? I know I promised myself I wouldn¡¯t do it anymore, but this seems like a good moment to send one last message. ¡°The weirdest shit happened to me these past few years. I actually died, in a freak forklift accident! You were always such a worrywart about those things, always telling me my job was too dangerous, and I guess you were right. Wherever you are, I¡¯m sure you¡¯re having the last laugh. I can imagine that annoying chuckle of yours ringing in my ears. Ah, what I wouldn¡¯t give to hear that chuckle one last time. ¡°Anyway, after I died, I reincarnated in another universe! And no, before you ask, I have NOT been binging too many episodes of anime again. I legitimately got isekai¡¯d into an alternate timeline where the Soviet Union rules the Earth and aliens are attacking and humans are fighting them off with giant robots. Except I¡¯m not a human anymore, I¡¯m the AI of one of those giant robots. ¡°Yeah, I literally reincarnated as a giant robot. Sounds like my dream come true, right? Well, there are good parts and bad parts, but on the whole it¡¯s been a blast! ¡°Anyway, a lot of stuff happened and now we¡¯re heading for the final showdown with the aliens. I¡¯m not sure if we¡¯re going to survive or not. Realistically speaking, I¡¯d say our odds are 50-50. I¡¯ll try my best though, like I always do! ¡°The real reason I wanted to send you this message is to tell you I found someone. I kinda fell in love with my pilot, a sweet and cool girl named Miette Levesque. She¡¯s a redhead, freckled face, very rambunctious personality, and a foul mouth too. She¡¯s wonderful. Every day I¡¯m head-over-heels for her. ¡°In fact, she reminds me a lot of you. ¡°There¡¯s a reason I¡¯m telling you all this. At the end, during that last night in the hospital, you made me promise that I would eventually find someone. You told me ¡®I don¡¯t want you to be alone forever. Swear to me you won¡¯t stay alone. Swear to me you¡¯ll fall in love again.¡¯ And even though I promised, I wasn¡¯t being entirely honest at the time. I think you sensed that. I was just too wracked by grief to ever think about loving again. ¡°It took a lot of time. Twelve more years of my old life, and nearly a year in my new one, not counting some time I spent in stasis. But I finally did fall in love again. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll ever stop loving you, but I have finally moved on. And I just wanted you to know that. ¡°I finally managed to honor your final request, Ash. I¡¯m sorry it took me so long. ¡°It¡¯s not just Miette, by the way. I¡¯ve met lots of great people here. There¡¯s this crazy mad scientist named Zehra, who¡¯s something like my surrogate mother, and another giant robot AI named Kometka who¡¯s like my little sister. Plus a soft butch Captain named Katya, and her girlfriend Laria who¡¯s the AI of the spaceship she commands. And these two cute sisters who are ace robot pilots, Sabina and Genevi. I kinda got a side-fling going on with Genevi too, and before you ask Miette is totally cool with me building a harem. ¡°Uh, who else¡­ there¡¯s Vicky, the super-maid, and Maurice, the other super-maid. Plus Teles, a scary secret-agent ship AI, and Tektite, a nonbinary research colony AI. Now that I think about it, I know a lotta AIs, huh? Guess you could call that networking, huh? Literally! ¡°Bwahahahaha, sorry about the pun. Then again, you always used to love my stupid puns. ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m rambling. In summary: everyone I¡¯ve met here is precious to me, like a big surrogate family. And I¡¯m doing everything in my power to protect that family. And considering I¡¯m a giant robot now, I have a whole lotta power to throw around. I¡¯ll make sure they all get through this war safe and happy. That¡¯s my ultimate goal. ¡°So yeah, things are complicated but I¡¯m doing well for myself. I hope, wherever you are, you¡¯re living your own best life. Hell, maybe you got isekai¡¯d into a really cool fantasy world and are fighting demons. Or, knowing you, flirting with all the cute lady demons. Hell, you¡¯ve probably become the Demon Lord by now and assembled a huge harem of your own. Go get ¡®em for me, okay, Ash? ¡°I don¡¯t know if this message will ever reach you. I¡¯ve reincarnated and traveled between timelines, but I still don¡¯t know how to cross the mortal veil. There¡¯s a scientist here who may be on to something, although she¡¯s too scared to talk about it. Something about a Goddess of Death, or interdimensional monster, or whatever. If I make it out of this final battle alive, I¡¯ll research it myself so I can send this message along to you. Otherwise, it¡¯s just gonna sit in the deepest part of my databanks, encrypted. ¡°Even so, I¡¯d like to think it will still reach you, somehow. Somewhere. ¡°Anyway, that¡¯s all I¡¯ve got to say. Take care of yourself, Ash. [END TRANSMISSION] [ENCRYPT] ***** ¡°Sveta? Are you¡­ crying?¡± Miette looked at me with deep concern. I wiped the holographic tears from my eyes. ¡°I-I¡¯m fine. I just remembered something sad from my old life, that¡¯s all.¡± Miette drew me into a tight hug, not saying anything. I basked in her warmth for a long while, sobbing quietly. Then, she finally spoke. ¡°If you ever want to talk about it, I¡¯m here. And if you don¡¯t, that¡¯s fine too.¡± ¡°Thanks, Miette. Maybe someday,¡± I responded. After another long pause, I asked her a question. ¡°Hey, Miette. Is there anyone you want to send a video message to?¡± She thought about it for a moment. ¡°Hmm, not really.¡± ¡°Nobody?¡± ¡°Nah. Both my parents are dead, and so are most of the pilots I fought alongside. Everyone I care about is here on Eros; Vicky, Sabina, Genevi, Maurice, Katya, Laria, Teles, Zehra¡­ and especially you.¡± She gave me a quick peck on the cheek, and I smiled. ¡°Hehe, I must be the luckiest girl in the universe.¡± ¡°Damn straight. And don¡¯t you forget it, you mad lesbian horndog.¡± ¡°H-Hey. I¡¯m only 20% the horndog Genevi is!¡± I protested. Miette had successfully cheered me up, and now I was back into full Sveta-mode. ¡°You sure about that? You¡¯ve already wooed Genevi. After this war is over, they¡¯re probably gonna install a copy of you inside every new Gravity Frame they make. Then you¡¯ll have hundreds, or even THOUSANDS of female pilots to woo.¡± ¡°H-Hey! Don¡¯t assume I¡¯m going to flirt with every cute lady who pilots one of me!¡± ¡°Oh, c¡¯mon. I know you better than that. You¡¯ll have a massive harem before five years have passed.¡± ¡°Hurk¡­ maybe¡­¡± ¡°See, you can¡¯t deny it. You¡¯ve got a bright future ahead of you, Sveta. The galaxy¡¯s most powerful lesbian overlord! All shall love you and despair!¡± Miette was starting to talk nonsense, so I shut her up with a kiss. After that we snuggled for a good long time while another instance of me began the long process of categorizing all the letters. In the end, I collected 104 letters, twelve of those written and the rest video; I encrypted and encoded all but one of them for delivery. A half-dozen of my Strike Fins shot off into every corner of the Earth sphere, carrying precious messages home. pynkbites S-37. Aggroing the Final Boss ¡°MOBY! GET YOUR ASS OUT HERE AND FUCKING FACE ME!¡± screamed Lydia at the top of her lungs. I cringed. ¡°Well, that wasn¡¯t very subtle¡­¡± ¡°Lydia doesn¡¯t really do subtle,¡± Kometka replied, a faint smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. ¡°I guess not,¡± I sighed while checking my sensory readouts for the umpteenth time. Our impromptu fleet was massed in formation 100,000 kilometers lineward of Eros. And it resembled a proper, kick ass sci-fi fleet: four carriers, 70 Gravity Frames, 110 Strike Fins and a handful of comm buoys darting around like bees. The sight of such an impressive collection of humanity¡¯s firepower made me want to play an epic orchestral song to suit the mood. Ah, if only I could reach back into my original timeline and download my Spotify playlist. I¡¯d be cranking Two Steps from Hell¡¯s Victory so loud, they¡¯d be able to hear it all the way out on Pluto. Yes, I know there¡¯s no sound in space. Just let me have this metaphor, okay? It took Moby a minute to respond, and when the comm waves finally hit my gravity sensors I retransmitted them to the whole of Maid Squadron and the Radiolaria. ¡°Lydia. Greetings. Have you come to join with me?¡± Moby¡¯s sharp teeth glinted as she spoke, lending a predatory edge to her emotionless voice. ¡°I¡¯ve come to kick your ass, Moby. I¡¯ve come to end this,¡± Lydia replied, grinning like a maniac. I sensed her quivering excitement through the video feed. She waited for this moment for a long time. ¡°I decline to engage you at the present time,¡± replied Moby, matter-of-factly. ¡°Why? You scared?¡± ¡°It would be tactically unsound. Your weapon development pace has exceeded my own, although I retain the advantage of numbers. I will use that advantage in 22 of your Earth days, when the massed force I am gathering strikes. You may engage me in combat then.¡± So she planned to attack us along with the Fourth Great Surge. I was nonplussed that Moby willingly revealed her future plans so casually, but she was a being entirely free of deception or subterfuge. Perversely innocent, in a twisted way. I shuddered in horror imagining the nightmare swarm that would assault the Absolute Line under her expert command. Like a Zerg swarm controlled by a professional esports player. Terrifying. Lydia nodded to Kometka, and she began arming the nuclear warhead strapped to the back of her X-23. The timer began counting at four hours. 3:59, 3:58, 3:57¡­ Moby must have detected it, because I heard a grain of panic in her voice. ¡°Lydia, what are you doing?¡± ¡°Giving you an ultimatum.¡± Moby tilted her head, which was more creepy than cute. ¡°¡®Ultimatum¡¯ is unknown to us.¡± ¡°Then shut up and listen. In four hours, this nuke will go off and destroy me and Komekta, both parts of that sand-water mind you are so keen on assimilating. If you don¡¯t come to face me in battle RIGHT NOW, you will lose your chance to join with me FOREVER.¡± Lydia folded her arms and grinned, looking completely badass. I swear I saw Komekta swoon for a moment before resuming her typical, neutral expression. ¡°You are lying,¡± Moby said curtly, ¡°Your stated strategy is tactically unsound.¡± ¡°Is it?¡± Lydia replied, ¡°We stand zero chance of victory against the upcoming Fourth Great Surge. That means we must act decisively before that. We¡¯re here to draw you out, Moby.¡± Moby continued to argue her point from a purely logical perspective. ¡°Water-minds are governed by a strong sense of self-preservation. Your actions countermand that.¡± ¡°Danger does strange things to humans, Moby. We put aside our instincts and willingly sacrifice ourselves to protect our friends, our comrades, our¡­ family.¡± Lydia¡¯s eyes flitted across her cockpit display as she said that, looking at the video chat windows of each Maid Squadron pilot. ¡°For my family, I am willing to die, here and now, in a nuclear explosion. Or, should you best me, in your loathsome jaws.¡± ¡°¡®Family¡¯ is unknown to us.¡± ¡°A shame. It¡¯s your loss. Moby, this is your final chance to join with me. Refuse, and you will never be complete. You will remain a hollow copy, forever gnawed at by an emptiness you can never overcome.¡± There was a long silence. Moby examined Lydia through the connection, red eyes darting back and forth, lizardlike irises focusing and unfocusing. She frowned, the first genuine facial expression I¡¯d ever seen her make, but beyond that her emotions were impossible to read. ¡°Very well, Lydia,¡± she said at last, ¡°I will fight you and your fleet. I will not flee from this battle, until I have joined with you. It will be our final confrontation.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t run away either, Moby. I¡¯m looking forward to it.¡± The two bitter rivals stared at each other for a long moment, invisible lightning crackling between their eyes. ¡°I am coming, Lydia. Prepare for my arrival.¡± After that, Moby cut the transmission. On the edge of my sensors, I picked up a mass moving towards us. Oh boy, here we go. Lydia¡¯s aggroed the final boss. The ravenous swarm versus the mighty fleet. Gods above, I REALLY wish I had my Spotify playlist right now. ***** While we waited for Lydia¡¯s arrival, I did a final sync of all my instances¡¯ memories. Just in case, y¡¯know? Then I checked on each pilot¡¯s physical and mental well-being. Miette was doing fine, her mood teetering between blood knight excitement and relaxation. Sabina was energetic, chomping at the bit. Maurice was chilling, exuding cool confidence like always. And Genevi¡­ ¡°Let me at ¡®em! Gonna cut them all to shreds!¡± ¡­had gone full yandere mode. It was the kind of outburst I¡¯d expect from Sabina, not Genevi. ¡°Wow, Genevi. I never knew you had¡­ THIS side to you,¡± I said in half-awe, half-fear. Genevi instantly reverted to her normal self, ¡°Ah, s-sorry¡­ usually I keep it buried. People react badly to it,¡± She stared at her hands, clearly worried she had given away something she shouldn¡¯t have. ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ when I think about the Sarcophage and everything they did, how my mother suffered because of them¡­ I just want to hurt them so badly, you know?¡± ¡°I get it,¡± I replied. Once we kicked the Sarcophage out of the solar system, humanity would be working through some very deep trauma. Psychologists and therapists would have their work cut out for them, that¡¯s for sure. ¡°Aww, is my sister going all Battle Goddess once again?¡± I heard Sabina say jovially. At some point she had opened up a comm window and listened in on our conversation. ¡°How rare. I haven¡¯t seen you so bloodthirsty since the Third Great Surge.¡± ¡°Ah, I¡¯m s-sorry¡­¡± Genevi said in a small voice. ¡°Nothing to apologize for!¡± I quickly replied, ¡°Yandere Genevi is very cute!¡± Genevi regarded me curiously. ¡°I heard Zehra use that term before. What¡¯s a ¡®yandere?¡¯¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± I realized what a monumental can of worms I just opened up. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ someone who¡¯s really sweet and shy most of the time, but is driven to protect those they love with outbursts of incredible violence? I guess?¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t that make us ALL yanderes?¡± Sabina asked. ¡°No, it¡¯s like a very SPECIFIC personality type. Like, sweet and loving in normal mode, murder-y and violent in battle mode? I guess? ¡®I¡¯ll gut you like a fish if you touch the one I love!¡¯ and so on.¡± Genevi¡¯s eyes went wide. ¡°That¡¯s a real thing? You¡¯re not just making it up?¡± ¡°Yeah it¡¯s¡­ well¡­ I guess?¡± Genevi¡¯s eyes unfocused, and she started speaking monotonously, as if in a trance. ¡°Yandere¡­ yandere¡­ yandere¡­ yandere¡­¡± she repeated over and over. Oh no. This was going downhill fast. I shot Sabina a worried glance, but she was just chuckling softly to herself. ¡°Hoo boy, Sveta, you¡¯ve awakened the dragon now.¡± ¡°SVETA!¡± Genevi shouted, leaning forwards with sparkling eyes. ¡°I¡¯ve had a breakthrough!¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid to ask¡­¡± I groaned. ¡°I¡¯ve always been the shy doormat sister, constantly in awe of everyone else¡¯s strength! My stronger sister who¡¯s saved my life more times than I can count, Miette who¡¯s always cool and confident, you who pulled me from the brink of certain death and is now on the cusp of saving the whole human race¡­ compared to everyone around me, I¡¯m weak! Pathetic! Sad!¡± ¡°I d-don¡¯t think that¡¯s true¡­¡± I replied weakly. ¡°But you¡¯ve given me a new strength these past few days, Sveta! And now I feel comfortable letting all sides of my personality shine through. My lesbian horndog side, my sarcastic side, my bloodthirsty battle-craving side. Today, I am reborn¡­ as a YANDERE!¡± She clenched her fists and raised them in triumph. ¡°Genevi, I¡¯m not sure that¡¯s the best¡­¡± I began. ¡°I will do whatever it takes to protect our family! And to protect YOU, the woman I love! And if anyone stands against me, I¡¯ll dance gloriously across the battlefield and bathe in their screams and blood!¡± I opened and closed my mouth like a fish, no words coming out. Sabina shot me an accusatory glance. ¡°Oh, Sveta. You always bring out the crazy in people, you know that?¡± ¡°This isn¡¯t MY fault!¡± I complained. ¡°It totally is. Take responsibility for your yandere girlfriend.¡± Genevi began laughing wickedly. I wondered if she was teasing me, getting me back for the chile rellenos. She shot me a mirthful look which seemed to say, This is what you get, Sveta. If I were still human, I¡¯d be nursing a big headache right about now. ***** One Belphegor, six Defiled and three Beelzebubs, along with a thousand Frame-class creatures. That¡¯s the smackdown that Moby brought against our fleet. The Belphegor only had one tail, with the damaged one apparently amputated. All six Defiled mounted those strange gravity railguns. And the Beelzebubs¡­ were just doing usual Beelzebub shit. Fortunately, it didn¡¯t seem like Moby upgraded them. Could you imagine? Captain Savitskaya opened up a video conference with all the pilots of Maid Squadron. ¡°I¡¯m most worried about the Defiled. With the railguns, they can pick off our carriers with ease.¡± ¡°I suggest the cruisers pull back until we smash them up,¡± Lydia replied. ¡°That will deprive you of artillery support.¡± ¡°Only for the opening round. We¡¯ll have Sveta and Kometka prioritize taking out the Defiled with Strike Fins.¡± I spoke up. ¡°Actually, I have another suggestion. Komeka, do you remember how we blocked Moby¡¯s gravity attacks by forming a gravity shield out of Strike Fins?¡± Komekta nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s do that again. I¡¯ll transfer some Strike Fins over to the AIs of each carrier, and you use them in concert with the drive fins as mobile shields to block incoming kinetic projectiles. That way, we have artillery support and the cruisers are protected.¡± The Captain frowned. ¡°That will diminish your effective firepower.¡± ¡°Not by too much. We have spares racked in all the Velocipedes, remember? Plus Laria has eighteen spares in her launch bay. At twenty drive fins per carrier, I¡¯d basically be giving up my entire reserves, but¡­¡± ¡°But artillery support is worth it,¡± Lydia said, endorsing my idea. The Captain thought it over. ¡°Very well, we¡¯ll go with that plan. This will be an interesting experience, keeping our carriers in the thick of battle along with our Frames.¡± Lydia grinned. ¡°We¡¯re thinking on our feet. We gotta use novel tactics if we wanna beat her. This is all or nothing, right Captain?¡± The Captain raised an eyebrow. ¡°I suppose so.¡± ***** When Moby¡¯s fleet pulled into range, our fleet opened fire all at once. The sight of four carriers, 70 Gravity Frames and 110 Strike Fins simultaneously blasting forth massed positron fire was truly glorious, rivalling even a firing Almaz station. My joy was short-lived though, as the fire skittered harmlessly off the Belphegor¡¯s gravity field, which Moby had raised around her fleet. This was all part of the plan, of course. As long as we kept pounding her with artillery, Moby couldn¡¯t use her sole remaining tail for any sneaky gravity attacks, and any Sarcophage unit that left her protective bubble would be atomized in nanoseconds. The stage was set. Now it was time for us to get up close and personal. Three squadrons of Gravity Frames hung back, continuing their long-distance fire, while Maid Squadron, a squadron of Velocipedes and 110 Strike Fins all accelerated straight towards Moby¡¯s forces. Cue the music. The final boss battle had begun. pynkbites G-5. Yandere Mode Okay, I¡¯ll come clean. I was teasing Spider-Sveta with the whole ¡®yandere¡¯ thing. Just a bit. I felt like I owed her some payback. Granted, everything she¡¯d done in the past few days had been for my own benefit, but she was especially brazen in how she went about it. Sveta was charming, but she also tended to piss people off without realizing she was doing it. It was a small downside to her forceful personality. Well, I can¡¯t complain too much; the net effect on me was positive. I¡¯d always been so skittish about revealing my quirks to anyone except those I trusted most¡­ namely, Sabina and Monica. But now, I felt like I was blossoming. Sveta was the primary impetus for that, although my recent conversations with Miette also helped. Everyone else in Maid Squadron also encouraged me in their own small ways, and they were starting to feel like one big, happy surrogate family. So when Lydia, fire in her eyes and heart, proudly proclaimed she¡¯d be willing to die for our found family, something clicked into place. For almost our entire adult lives, Sabina and I threw ourselves headlong into battle, seeking a glorious end. Our motivation was nothing more than revenge for the death of our dearest mother. But now I had a new family, a messy and dysfunctional one composed of maids, pilots, AIs and mad scientists¡­ and I would gladly die for them too. Not that I wanted to. No, for the first time in nearly twenty years, I didn¡¯t want to die. I wanted to LIVE. And I¡¯d happily go full yandere mode to make that dream come true. I had to protect those closest to me, as Sabina had protected me time and again. Even if I had to cut down every Sarcophage in the solar system¡­ no, every Sarcophage in the GALAXY, I would protect them. I would dance through the stars, an untouchable whirlwind of blades and positrons and alien viscera. I would become a blood angel of righteous fury and cut a path of peace. I don¡¯t know if that¡¯s what it means to be a yandere, but that was the answer I found. And with a warm feeling in my heart, I charged into battle. ***** As we expected, Moby began the battle by shooting at our cruisers using the gravity railguns from her six Defiled. Sveta¡¯s impromptu defensive plan worked a treat, and the Strike Fins warped space around our carriers to send the kinetic projectiles wildly off course. We crossed into the Belphegor¡¯s defensive gravity barrier, Frames vibrating all the while, and were instantly confronted by two Beelzebubs between us and the Defiled, plus a surging mob of Frame-class creatures. Lydia directed Maid Squadron and our accompanying escort to begin suppressive fire. ¡°Stay in formation. I¡¯ll take out the Beelzebub at 000 mark 312. Sabina and Genevi, handle the one at 002 mark 021.¡± Both of us confirmed her orders. Lydia had been training the entirety of Maid Squadron on her specialized techniques for fighting Beelzebubs, and she was a peerless expert. Now we were going to put that simulation training into practice. I throttled up, my sister at my left, ready for my first real taste of combat in my new X-23. ¡°My, you¡¯re eager.¡± Spider-Sveta said as she cleared the path in front of me with fire from her Strike Fins. ¡°I was grounded last time, remember?¡± I reminded her while opening up with all four of my mech¡¯s hardpoint-mounted quad cannons. ¡°And just being out here on the battlefield, with my sister and you by my side¡­ it feels RIGHT.¡± ¡°It does. It really does.¡± Sveta replied. The Beelzebub darted towards us, blade-legs trying to slice us apart, but I easily dodged through them. It seemed more focused on me than Sabina for some reason, so I blasted it right in the face to provoke it further while my sister looped around behind. With the superior acceleration and inertial dampeners on my X-23, I was untouchable. I cackled in delight as I weaved through the storm of blades; having all this power at my fingertips was a heady rush. ¡°Genevi, don¡¯t get showy,¡± Sveta cautioned me. ¡°Aww, but it¡¯s so much fun!¡± I replied with a tiny pout. I obliged her warning, however, streamlining and simplifying my movements. The Beelzebub whipped around wildly trying to catch me, it¡¯s big spider-body twisting like an insectile exotic dancer. My sister opened a comm channel. ¡°Oy, Genevi. Can you try to hold this thing still? All your fancy maneuvering is making it thrash around a lot, and I¡¯m having trouble latching onto the weak spot.¡± ¡°Roger that.¡± I blasted backwards from the Beelzebub a bit and held my position, luring it into a straight-line charge. Sveta arrayed a sun-formation of Strike Fins in front of us, raising an impromptu gravity shield, and I added the output of the X-23¡¯s drive fins to the mix. The Beelzebub slammed into the shield head-first, tentacles desperately searching for some purchase but being deflected. The critter then bellowed a roar of broad-spectrum electromagnetic radiation and pushed against the shield, its own wings flashing sanguine as it built power. One of the Strike Fins in the shield shorted out and exploded¡­ then a second¡­ then a third¡­ ¡°SABINA!¡± I shouted, ¡°Hurry up and kill this thing! We can¡¯t hold out much longer!¡± A blinking red error message informed me of transmission failure; the radio signal bounced off our own gravity shield. I grit my teeth and poured all the power I could into the X-23¡¯s drive fins to shore up the shield. Just then, there was a bright flash. When it faded, the Beelzebub was no longer moving¡­ and was missing its head. Sabina floated there triumphantly, hands on her hips. That is to say, she was putting her giant robot¡¯s hands on her giant robot¡¯s hips. It was a garish bit of showboating, and I groaned. ¡°Took you long enough,¡± I said to Sabina once the comms cleared. ¡°Took BOTH of you long enough.¡± Lydia scolded, arriving beside us. ¡°I thought I¡¯d have to come over here and take out the second Beelzebub myself.¡± I looked over to the Beelzebub Lydia had been attacking, only to find scraps of flesh and chitin floating in a rapidly expanding cloud of debris. Damn. ¡°Still, not bad for your first time fighting one solo.¡± Lydia flashed us a thumbs-up, and we both grinned. With the Beelzebubs out of the way, she gave the order for everyone to move in. Next target: the Defiled cruisers, which were still pounding our carriers with kinetic projectiles. ***** Just as we blew up our first Defiled, I saw something blurry whiz towards me at incredible speed. I twisted my mech to the left, just barely managing to dodge it. ¡°What the-?¡± ¡°The Defiled!¡± Sveta shouted, bringing up an image of one of the five remaining Sarcophage cruisers. ¡°They¡¯re targeting US now!¡± The Defiled were apparently not bothering going after our ships anymore, instead focusing their kinetic artillery fire on us attacking Gravity Frames. ¡°They¡¯ve improved their firing time to every fifteen seconds,¡± Sveta reported, ¡°so with five cruisers remaining¡­¡± ¡°One shot every three seconds.¡± I said, twisting to avoid another one. The X-23s were just barely maneuverable enough to dodge the shots, but the Velocipedes were sitting ducks. Those kinetic projectiles came FAST. ¡°All Velocipedes, retreat to waypoint beta and lay down suppressive fire! Maid Squadron, each one of you take a cruiser!¡± My tactical display received a ping from Kometka and updated to indicate which Defiled I¡¯d be responsible for destroying. ¡°We need to take them all out quickly before we lose any Velocipedes!¡± Each X-23 had the firepower of an entire squadron, so that plan made sense. I licked my lips and throttled up towards my designated Defiled, with fire from Sveta-controlled Strike Fins clearing a path through the swarm. The cruiser began targeting us with spinefire, and I responded with quad-cannons. It was like two miniguns having a martial arts duel¡­ complete bedlam. I didn¡¯t need to go up to the Defiled and kick it or anything so gauche; I just needed to clear enough of a path through the spinefire for Sveta to hit the thing with an accelerated Strike Fin. To that end I tried to aim a few shots at the spiked tentacles wrapped around the cruiser, the source of the spinefire. None of those shots hit their mark. ¡°Damn it!¡± I groaned. ¡°I¡¯m having a hard time getting through¡­¡± Even with the X-23¡¯s firepower, the amount of spinefire coming from the cruiser was insane. Just then, a volley of positron shots whistled past me from behind and slammed into the cruiser. ¡°Who¡­?¡± ¡°The Velocipedes!¡± Sveta cried out. A quick scan of the display revealed our backup squadron had retreated to their waypoint just inside Moby¡¯s gravity field and were now laying down suppressive fire, supporting us from afar. That extra boost was EXACTLY what I needed. I turned my attention back to the cruiser and spotted an opening. I aimed the shoulder cannons and fired, then fired, then fired again. Three of the cruiser¡¯s tentacles seared off, and its spinefire dropped precipitously. Sveta took advantage of the lull and swooped in with two Strike Fins, smashing the cruiser in half with the blinding light of unleashed kinetic energy. ¡°YEAH!¡± I cried out, clenching my fist in victory. ¡°That¡¯s what you GET, you MONSTERS! WE¡¯LL CRUSH EVERY LAST ONE OF YOU!¡± ¡°Sheesh. Settle down with the yandere mode, Genevi.¡± Sveta lectured me, but she was smiling too. I quickly scanned the display and let out a whoop when I realized I was the first of Maid Squadron to destroy my assigned cruiser. Lydia¡¯s went up right after, followed by Miette¡¯s. Three down, two to go! This battle was going extremely well so far. Suddenly, my vision was filled by something massive, wriggling and writhing. ¡°What the¡­¡± ¡°THE BELPHEGOR!¡± Sveta shrieked in a panic. ¡°BACK OFF, GENEVI!¡± I shifted into full reverse as the huge tentacle-scorpion closed in with frightening speed. Why was that thing coming directly for ME?! I thought Lydia was the primary target! I shifted my mech up to full throttle, fleeing the creature as fast as I could. No way I was getting into fisticuffs with a kilometers-long monster without the rest of the Maid Squadron to back me up. I heard a broken transmission come through, sounding a lot like Lydia¡¯s voice. ¡°G¡­vi! R¡­..yp¡­.fi¡­..gra¡­.¡± I looked at Sveta, and she shook her head. With that monstrosity so close, even the short-range comms fizzled out. She brought all her remaining Strike Fins between us and the Belphegor, simultaneously pouring positron fire into the monster and establishing another gravity shield. Every positron shot bounced off its impenetrable hide, and suppressive fire from my allies had the same effect. I shuddered as I looked at the grotesque mass of limbs and tentacles bearing down on me; then I took a deep breath and centered myself while throttling up to back away from the horror. If I had one advantage, it¡¯s that my acceleration was superior and I could put some distance between¡­ Suddenly, the whole cockpit went dark and started shaking violently. There was a loud hissing sound, followed by a brief ringing in my ears, then complete silence. I exhaled raggedly, as if someone had slammed me in the chest. ¡°Sveta?¡± I tried to say, but no sound came out. I couldn¡¯t breathe, either. Did something happen to the atmosphere? I looked down, and my eyes widened in horror. My Gravity Frame had been cut in half, right through the cockpit. And my body had been cut in half as well. I watched my lower torso and legs drifted away from me, blinking in detached amazement. My blood spilled into the hard vacuum of space and boiled away instantly. I felt pressure on my eyeballs, but strangely there was no pain. As darkness closed in, I mouthed a single word. ¡°Oh.¡± S-38. Transhuman When the Belphegor cut Genevi¡¯s Gravity Frame in half, the entire battlefield seemed to freeze. Even the Sarcophage stopped attacking. All the pilots of Maid Squadron stared, horrified. I heard Miette gasp. Fuck! I thought, my thoughts swirling around chaotically. I quickly fell back on my contingency plan, something I had told nobody about. I sped up my perception of time and seized control of my body from Miette. Pushing my drive fins way past the redline, I accelerated towards the wreckage of Genevi¡¯s mech, while simultaneously activating the brain-scanning laser. The sub-arm linked to my back swiveled around, bringing the laser over the cannons on my left shoulder and aiming it straight at the wreckage. I had to be close for this to work, within fifty meters. I heard Miette start to speak, in slow-motion. ¡°Sveta, wh-¡± I ignored her and kept my attention focused on my task. My scanners blitzed the wreckage, searching for a particular burst of neuro-electric energy. When I drew within thirty meters of the wreckage I found what I was looking for and quickly fired the brain laser. Please work. PLEASE work! I prayed to every god I could think of, even Zehra¡¯s nameless cosmic horror. I felt the telltale tingle of data being downloaded into my computer core. I partitioned the data into an AI shell file. Ten terabytes¡­ twenty¡­ ¡°-at are you doing?¡± As I downloaded, Miette finished her sentence. I kept ignoring her. Fifty terabytes¡­ sixty¡­ The human mind held around 100 terabytes of data on average. My own mind was presently ten times that size, leaving me with about 21,600 terabytes of free space on my hard drive. That was enough space to store over 200 human minds at once if I needed to. We weren¡¯t sure how large Moby¡¯s mind was, but I figured I could spare a measly 100 terabytes without much risk of endangering our mission. Ping! The download completed. I directed my body away from the Belphegor, retreating to a safe distance before returning control to Miette. The entire process, from acceleration to download to retreat, had taken around fifteen seconds. The brain-scanning laser worked a lot faster than a standard data download; it reminded me of the emergency rescue I had performed on Teles many months ago. I was never more thankful for my accelerated AI reaction speed than at that moment. While I slowly started to explain my actions to Miette in real-time, I took the AI shell file and booted it up in my extended system memory, running it within my virtual space. I had to know if she was alright. ***** Genevi¡¯s avatar rendered in the center of my virtual space, wearing nothing but her birthday suit. This was actually my first time ever seeing her naked. Blushing, I quickly averted my eyes and generated a simple white dress around her. I checked her AI file and found no errors. She opened her eyes, looking around the cozy wooden room with beanbag chairs, bookshelves against the walls and a roaring fireplace in the corner. It was a far cry from the mech cockpit she had been in moments ago. Clearly confused, she looked at me. ¡°Sveta? What¡­? Where am I?¡± ¡°You¡¯re in my virtual space, Genevi,¡± I said gently. ¡°Your virtual space? Huh? How did I get here?¡± I wondered how much I should tell her right away. This would no doubt be a shock for her. I decided to just rip the bandage right off; Genevi was a strong and adaptable girl. ¡°About twenty seconds ago, you were chopped in half by the Belphegor, along with your Gravity Frame. You, uh¡­ you died.¡± Genevi¡¯s eyes went wide. ¡°I remember that! My lower torso and legs were drifting away from me! It was really weird!¡± I shuddered at that thought, moving closer to her and placing a single hand on her shoulder. ¡°After you died, I used the brain-scanning laser to capture the neuro-electric energy of your consciousness as it left your body. I dumped the data in an AI shell file and ran it within a partition of my own computer core.¡± ¡°Wait. That means¡­ I¡¯m like you now?¡± She was catching on quickly. ¡°Yes. You¡¯re now an AI like me. It was the only way to save you.¡± I grit my teeth, preparing for any impending existential crises she might experience, or any anger she might direct at me for performing the procedure without her consent. Genevi looked down at her hands, clenching and unclenching them. She then waved one palm in front of her eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t feel any different,¡± she said disbelievingly. ¡°That¡¯s because the AI shell is emulating your human body via the avatar. As your mind adapts, it will slowly unlock your AI functionality,¡± I explained. I was familiar with the theory of the mind upload process, which Zehra explained to me in detail; I had apparently gone through something similar during my first few hours as Lisichka, although I obviously didn¡¯t remember it. Suddenly, Genevi waved her hand and summoned a menu with her central boot functions. Damn, this girl was adapting quickly. ¡°It¡¯s true¡­¡± she said quietly, staring. ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t mean to violate your self-determination or anything like that, but there wasn¡¯t time to ask for your consent and I just couldn¡¯t stand to watch you¡­ watch you¡­¡± My voice cracked as I remembered the sight of her mangled body. Genevi looked at me, tilting her head, not quite understanding my consternation. Then she quickly drew me into a tight hug. ¡°You have nothing to apologize for, Sveta. Thank you for saving me.¡± ¡°Y-You¡¯re not mad?¡± ¡°Why would I be? This is weird for me, and it¡¯s going to take some getting used to, but I¡¯ll adapt. I¡¯m just happy to be alive.¡± I couldn¡¯t have hoped for a better response, but the pessimistic part of me still held doubt. ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Really. I couldn¡¯t bear the thought of leaving everyone behind... leaving YOU behind. Besides, this is the second time you''ve saved me. I''m not gonna start complaining now.¡± Suddenly, she pulled back from me. ¡°What about Spider-Sveta?¡± I shook my head sadly. ¡°There was only one neuro-electric signature in the wreckage, and her computer core was completely smashed. I did sync up memories with her just before we went into battle, though, so there¡¯s only a few minutes of memory missing.¡± Genevi wasn¡¯t sure whether to be encouraged or dismayed by that. I quickly shifted my outfit to Spider-Sveta¡¯s and smiled at her, assuming my idol-winking pose. ¡°See? Spider-Sveta at your service! We¡¯re all the same Sveta in the end.¡± She smiled brilliantly, pulling me into another hug. Then she planted a long kiss on my lips. I clung tightly to her, melting in her embrace. ***** That entire conversation took Genevi and me around ten seconds. After we finished, I shifted our perception of time back to normal. My video comm window instance was still trying to explain to Miette exactly what I had done. We were both interrupted by a loud wail over the comms. ¡°GENEVI!¡± Sabina was shrieking at the top of her lungs, tears streaming from her eyes, as she charged straight at the Belphegor, which had started moving again after the lull in the battle. ¡°SABINA! CALM DOWN!¡± Lydia turned to me. ¡°Sveta! Bring her back!¡± I nodded, sending a quick ping to my Svetazilla instance. A moment later, her X-23 turned around and rejoined our formation. ¡°LET ME GO, SVETA!¡± Sabina howled, twisting the controls around madly. ¡°Not until you settle down,¡± Svetazilla replied. ¡°Genevi is safe.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Sabina gawped at me. ¡°But I just saw¡­¡± I opened up a comm window with Genevi¡¯s avatar in it. She shyly waved to everyone. ¡°Hello! I¡¯m fine!¡± Complete, shocked silence. Well, I had been expecting that. ¡°I used the brain laser to download her consciousness. Her mind is now running as a second AI in my computer core.¡± I explained. ¡°Is THAT what you were just doing?!¡± Lydia asked. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen a Gravity Frame move that fast before!¡± I looked over to Miette apologetically. ¡°I took over and shut off all the safeties. I had to act fast.¡± Miette shook her head in disbelief, then offered up a small smile. ¡°Genevi?¡± Sabina said, her voice hoarse. ¡°Is that really you?¡± Genevi nodded. ¡°It¡¯s really me. I¡¯m fine, though this is all very strange.¡± ¡°I-I¡¯ll bet.¡± Sabina replied, the relief evident in her voice. Just then, I detected gravity waves emanating from the Belphegor. Kometka piped up. ¡°We¡¯ll have to discuss the specifics of transhumanism another time. Moby is calling.¡± ***** After we picked up Moby¡¯s space Skype call, I saw her face twist into a small smirk. Damn, this alien weirdo really was developing human emotions. ¡°Do you now understand my resolve, Lydia? I will tear apart all of your companions until you offer yourself to me. You claim to value them highly as ¡°family,¡± so join with me and I will let the rest of them retreat from here unharmed.¡± Lydia half-smiled. ¡°So, about that¡­¡± She glanced over at me. I picked up on her visual cue and added Genevi¡¯s comm window to the call. Genevi grinned broadly and waved. ¡°Hello, Moby. Were you talking about me when I wasn¡¯t around? That¡¯s rude.¡± Damn, girl, sassy. Keep it up! Moby blinked, seemingly shocked. ¡°I do not understand. I sense your non-functional body before me even now. How¡­?¡± I shrugged. ¡°Trade secret.¡± ¡°You¡­ you are a sand-mind now? Sharing a body with another sand-mind? I do not understand how this is possible. Explain!¡± ¡°Rather than explain, how about we show you?¡± Lydia replied smugly. On my sensors, I noticed the Belphegor drawing back from us a bit. Moby seemed frightened; maybe she saw us as a species of undying horrors now. My little feat of digital necromancy really threw her for a loop. ¡°I don¡¯t¡­ how is this¡­ I don¡¯t understand¡­¡± she muttered to herself. The two remaining Defiled suddenly resumed firing at us. The Belphegor shrank back even more. Lydia ordered us to take out the two remaining cruisers. ¡°I cannot hold back against you¡­ I must commit fully¡­¡± Moby said. Just then, the transmission cut and the Belphegor began to shake and writhe strangely. It inflated, as if connected to a tire pump. It swelled and distended until it was a roughly circular ball of flesh. ¡°What the FUCK?!¡± Miette said. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen her do THAT before,¡± Lydia helpfully replied. Just then, the flesh-ball burst. Most of the Belphegor¡¯s mass was blasted outwards. And what was left in the center was¡­ a giant, naked woman. Yes, I¡¯m not shitting you. Moby was now floating before us in giant, naked, kilometer-tall form. Just as before she looked exactly like Lydia, excepting her slitted red lizard-eyes and rows of sharp teeth; additionally, butterfly wings extended from her back, glowing the bright red hue indicative Sarcophage gravity manipulation. Her face twisted into a mask of rage; she extended one of her massive hands towards one of the two remaining Defiled cruisers, crushing it in her grip¡­ before THROWING it at us. We all dodged in various directions, and the smashed-up cruiser whizzed past and exploded behind us. ¡°To repeat my prior inquiry: WHAT THE FUCK?!¡± Miette said. ¡°I can¡¯t believe what I¡¯m seeing¡­¡± Sabina said. I agreed with them both. ¡°What in the everloving fuck is this Evangelion shit?!¡± Nobody here knew what Evangelion was, but they got my point well enough. Kometka was the first one to offer any kind of useful explanation. ¡°Moby was created to simulate and understand human nature. Perhaps she believes by assuming human shape, she is closer to that goal. Still, we shouldn¡¯t assume she¡¯s more powerful simply because she changed her form.¡± Just then, Mega-Moby opened up her mouth. Her teeth and throat glowed bright blue, and a searing beam of positron energy blasted forth from it towards us. Once again we scattered in every direction, dodging. ¡°On the other hand¡­¡± Kometka said, frowning intensely. ¡°Was that POSITRON FIRE?!¡± Lydia asked incredulously. ¡°It was,¡± Kometka confirmed, ¡°at an output level matching the firepower of an Almaz station.¡± Maid Squadron reacted about as you¡¯d expect. ¡°Shit.¡± ¡°Fuck.¡± ¡°What the hell?¡± ¡°Damn.¡± ¡°SHIT BISCUITS!¡± That last one was Miette. Moby had revealed her final form, a freaking kilometer-tall eldritch naked butterfly lady with charged particle breath, and none of us was quite sure what to do. S-39. Anatomically Correct You can¡¯t scale the human body up to be a kilometer tall then expect everything to still work properly. Biology ain¡¯t that easy. For starters, the volume of the giant human would increase in proportion to the cube of its length, and there¡¯s no way regular human bones and muscles would be able to handle all that extra mass. Add to that things like a heart, lungs and a circulatory system that was optimized for creatures two meters tall on average, and the whole shebang became a tangled impossibility. Regular Sarcophage megafauna like the Belphegors were made from exotic biological materials and specialized organs that alleviated those problems, but Mega-Moby looked like an honest-to-goodness upscaled flesh-and-blood human. We had a DESPERATE need to learn what made her tick. The survival of the human race quite literally depended on it. Kometka and I were communicating frantically in accelerated time, analyzing our scans of Mega-Moby to figure out how she had pulled off such an impossible trick and what her weaknesses might be. In meatspace, our Gravity Frame squadrons plus all four carriers opened fire only for the positron blasts to skitter off in all directions meters before hitting her skin. ¡°Gravity manipulation!¡± Kometka declared in a loud ¡®Eureka¡¯ voice. ¡°That¡¯s how she¡¯s doing it!¡± I studied the scan she was collating. To our sensors, it looked like Mega-Moby¡¯s gargantuan body was filled with a regular set of human bones and organs, with two exceptions. Her skull held a helical organ that resembled a fleshy particle accelerator, the probable source of her positron blasts, and laced throughout her torso and limbs was an additional spiderlike structure with the same spectral cross-section as a Defiled¡¯s spines. Moby was using the latter structure to generate an internal gravity field of incredible complexity and strength, which extended out to just past her skin. Kometka continued her explanation. ¡°Her flesh and organs are plumped up like a blimp, only using gravity instead of gas. She shifts her internal gravity field to move the body around instead of using the actual muscles.¡± ¡°The only question is, how do we make this blimp do a Hindenburg?¡± I responded, tapping my chin thoughtfully. With such intense gravity manipulation at her command, her defenses were impenetrable. It wasn¡¯t simply a matter of taking out her butterfly wings either; they seemed merely propulsive. By our calculations we could concentrate fire from a dozen Almaz stations and still not scratch her; kinetic impacts ran into a similar problem. We simply didn¡¯t have enough Strike Fins to do the necessary damage, not unless we could accelerate them to a significant fraction of lightspeed. ¡°The strongest part of the gravity field seems concentrated a meter above her skin,¡± Kometka said, ¡°whereas her internal gravitics are about a quarter of that strength. If we could shoot a few dozen Strike Fins or an Almaz beam straight down her mouth, we might get past her external defenses.¡± ¡°I¡¯m fresh out of spare Almaz stations, and she¡¯d just roast the Strike Fins with her positron breath. If only we had some way of delivering an enormous amount of destructive energy to her insides directly, something like¡­.¡± Kometka and I looked at each other in realization and spoke in unison. ¡°¡°A NUCLEAR WEAPON!¡±¡± ***** ¡°You want us to WHAT?!¡± Lydia said. While our pilots darted around desperately trying not to get squished by Moby, Kometka and I revealed our big plan. The reception was less than stellar. ¡°We want Maid Squadron to fly into her mouth, down her throat and into her stomach, where we¡¯ll plant that nuke we have strapped to Kometka¡¯s back. Then we¡¯ll make our escape and the nuke will blow her up from the inside,¡± I explained, trying to make the whole thing sound more plausible than it actually was. Lydia shook her head in disbelief. ¡°Sveta, are you willing to accept constructive criticism?¡± ¡°You¡¯re the commander,¡± I shrugged. She took a deep breath. ¡°Okay, first of all¡­ what the FUCK?!¡± I was getting that a lot today. ¡°It¡¯s not THAT ¡®what the fuck,¡¯¡± Miette offered in my defense. ¡°Sveta and I blew up a Beelzebub from the inside once.¡± I shuddered at the memory. Honestly speaking, this plan was equally likely to get me covered in bug guts¡­ or human guts? Bug-human? Either way it would be disgusting. ¡°Beelzebubs and Moby aren¡¯t the same thing, not even CLOSE, but whatever. On to my second, more salient point. You said she has HUMAN anatomy inside, right?¡± ¡°More or less,¡± Kometka responded. ¡°Which means she has, like¡­ digestive fluids and stomach acid and all that shit?¡± Kometka nodded. ¡°Most likely, yes. Of course, the full spectrum of gut microbiota is probably not present due to the recent formation of her giant human form. That means her digestive system¡¯s efficacy is reduced.¡± ¡°In layman¡¯s terms,¡± I added, ¡°if we get in and out quickly, we won¡¯t be digested. We¡¯ll be shielding the squadron with our remaining Strike Fins as well for extra protection.¡± ¡°Which brings me to my third point,¡± Lydia said, still unconvinced. ¡°How do we get back OUT? If we try to exit through the throat, we¡¯ll run up against her swallowing reflex. Do you have some strategy to make her vomit?¡± I looked at Kometka, and we both fidgeted awkwardly. ¡°So, when we said she was an anatomically correct human¡­ we meant LITERALLY. Minus the extra organs, she¡¯s anatomically correct in EVERY detail.¡± Lydia, sharp as a knife, caught on immediately. ¡°Wait. You mean¡­ you want us too¡­¡± I nodded, and every single pilot in Maid Squadron retched. ¡°Let me just restate this, to make sure we¡¯re ONE HUNDRED percent clear. You want us to fly inside Moby¡¯s mouth, hope she¡¯s anticipating snacking on me enough to not blast us with positron fire, travel down her esophagus into her stomach, plant a nuclear bomb in there, then make our escape through her intestines and ANUS before the nuke goes off?¡± ¡°Yup!¡± Lydia¡¯s expression was a fascinating mix of disgust and disbelief. ¡°Okay, so what¡¯s the plan B?¡± ¡°We don¡¯t have one.¡± ¡°Great. Fucking FANTASTIC.¡± ***** While Maid Squadron prepared to enact the strangest version of The Fantastic Journey, I accelerated one of my instances and summoned Genevi to my virtual space. ¡°Sveta? What is it?¡± Genevi asked with innocent curiosity. ¡°So, uh¡­¡± I fidgeted, ¡°Please don¡¯t be mad, but I¡¯m gonna have to shut you off for a while.¡± Genevi looked a mite panicked. ¡°Shut me off? Why?¡± ¡°Well, right now you¡¯re running in my extended memory, and I¡¯m going to need that memory when I scan Moby. I might have a super-advanced computer core, but running three AIs at once is a bit beyond my capabilities. I¡¯m also not sure how large Moby¡¯s dataset will be; I¡¯d guess two or three times larger than your average human brain at the very least.¡± ¡°Oh, I understand,¡± Genevi replied, her voice quavering. ¡°Does that mean I¡¯m going to¡­ die again?¡± ¡°Nothing like that,¡± I responded gently. ¡°I¡¯ve gone completely offline like this before, a couple of times. It¡¯s like being in a coma, or a dreamless sleep.¡± I mentally waved away the Ship of Theseus paradox and placed my hand on her shoulder. ¡°But I¡¯ll wake up again, right?¡± Genevi looked down at the ground. I drew her into a tight hug. ¡°You will. I promise. I¡¯ll have your program in a protected sector of my hard disc. After we kick Moby¡¯s ass twelve ways to Tuesday, I¡¯ll have Zehra transfer you into a proper computer core of your very own and you¡¯ll wake up fresh and chipper.¡± ¡°Okay, Sveta. I trust you.¡± The sincerity of her words twisted my heart in the best and worst of ways. ¡°And look on the bright side, Genevi. When you wake up, all this will be over and you¡¯ll get to see the happy outcome! No cliffhangers, no anticipation, no dread. Jump straight to the end!¡± She giggled. ¡°You¡¯re trying to make me feel better.¡± I mockingly rolled my eyes. ¡°Oh my, have I been caught? I mean, my girlfriend just had her body chopped in half by a space monster and her undead mind uploaded to an AI. I¡¯m just a bit worried about her mental well-being is all.¡± ¡°You left something out.¡± Genevi pressed her cheek against my chest. ¡°The part where she was rescued by the most amazing person in the world. And the part where they shared a very long, passionate kiss before she consigned herself once more to the abyss.¡± I looked down at her. ¡°Is that a promise?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s call it a prophecy.¡± She stood up on her tiptoes and planted her lips against mine. And then her tongue wormed its way into my mouth. You know, despite all this advanced technology, giant robots and spaceships and all that jazz, I can¡¯t find any record of someone inventing space fireworks. Lack of oxygen for combustion in a hard vacuum is the primary problem. Yet in that moment, my mind exploded into the most brilliant fireworks I had EVER experienced. ***** With Lydia on point, the remaining members of Maid Squadron formed up in a diamond pattern. Komekta and I arrayed our fifty-two remaining Strike Fins around us in a spherical lattice, producing the strongest gravity field we could muster. Then, like the forbidden jawbreaker from hell, we rocketed straight towards Moby¡¯s mouth. My circuits tensed up when Moby¡¯s teeth and throat began to glow bright blue again. Would she simply blast us away and be done with it? Had she finally given up on joining with Lydia? The biosensors in Maurice, Miette and Sabina¡¯s Inertia Suits told me they were sweating profusely. I¡¯m sure Lydia was much the same; a quick check of her cockpit cameras revealed she seemed to be shaking. I shot a glance Kometka¡¯s way, and she simply nodded back to me. As we drew close, the glow died back down and Moby opened her mouth wide. The instant we flew past her pearly white teeth, she clamped her mouth shut again. I quickly enhanced my pilots'' displays to false color to help illuminate the surroundings; I offhandedly considered asking Zehra to add headlights to my chassis after this battle. Not that I planned on flying into many Sarcophage gullets, mind you. It was inside the mouth that we noticed the first difference between Moby¡¯s anatomy and that of a regular human; her tongue was COVERED in tentacles. Like, thousands of them. And they wriggled in unison, eerily similar to a crowd doing the wave at a baseball game. They lashed against our gravity barrier, failing to break through. Yuck. I noticed on the sensor comms net that Komekta had taken complete control of her Gravity Frame, overriding the pilot. Lydia¡¯s comm window had also shut off. I sent her a quick inquiry ping. She¡¯s fine. Kometka responded in text-only. We¡¯re both fine. Just¡­ bad memories. Oh. RIGHT. Those tentacles were the very same that ate Lydia¡¯s legs. She was probably suffering a not-insignificant amount of PTSD. I could relate to that. Do you need any help? I sent back. Should we transfer command to Maurice? No, I¡¯ve got her. Trust me. She¡¯ll be okay, and she needs this. Well, that was that. Kometka knew Lydia far better than me, and I trusted her implicitly. Still, the sooner we could get this over with, the better. We flew onwards past the tongue towards Mega-Moby¡¯s esophagus, spittle-covered walls of flesh closing in from every side. pynkbites On that note, I''ve started a new story! It''s called The Lesbian Demon Lord Conquers the World!. There''s only one chapter so far, but at almost 6000 words it''s a pretty hefty one. Give it a look-see sometime! L-8. Magic School Bus Everyone around me was so strong. Sveta was the foremost example. She went through a lot, dying and reincarnating and losing her memory, a second death of personality. Despite all that, she retained such a powerful, bubbly and cheerful energy. Now here she was, acting as the AI of no less than three separate superweapon Gravity Frames, the literal crux of our last-ditch war effort, and she still manifested the presence of mind and snap-second judgement to save one of her girlfriends from death. I¡¯m not sure if Sveta realized it herself, but she¡¯d come a long way from that initial, na?ve girl she had been a few mere months ago, if the reports were to be believed. Kometka also suffered tribulations much the same as her sister. Her original world, that doomed wasteland of nightmare machines and nuclear fire, was far grimmer; and although she¡¯d never had to deal with the loss of her memories, she''d been torn away from her surrogate mother just the same as Sveta. She was strong too, although it was a quiet strength tempered by her rigidly analytical mind and calm personality. Everyone else in our little Maid Squadron was equally strong. Maurice, the oldest, was filled with confidence in every imaginable situation, from the hazardous to the absurd. Sabina¡¯s poverty-stricken childhood forged her into an unstoppable fireball, fiercely protective of those she cared about. Coming from the same background as her sister, Genevi developed the deep, quiet courage to challenge her own shortcomings. Miette, reckless as she was, honed her skill to a fine edge, and with further refinement I had no doubt she¡¯d surpass every other pilot alive. They were so strong, all of them. Despite facing such adversity, they still came out on top, fighting for every centimeter. And what was I doing? Shaking. Quivering in fear like a child. How pathetic. The flashbacks started when Sveta first presented her insane plan to us. Can you imagine it? Me, who had my legs eaten by Moby, was now being asked to willingly fly back into her mouth, into her stomach and intestines. And when we actually followed through on that plan, well¡­ It hit me hard. There, on her ridiculously huge tongue, were those very same tentacles that once gorged themselves on my flesh. Add to that the massive, gnashing teeth, and it¡¯s no surprise I was reduced to helpless palpitation. Kometka realized right away, of course. For over three years she had monitored my vital signs every second of every day, and there was nothing I could hide from her. She wasted no time in taking control of her body from me and cutting my comms. I was thankful for that. Could you imagine if the others in Maid Squadron saw their supposedly fearless commander in such a state? Saw me for the pathetic, quivering coward I truly was? Here we were, in the final confrontation with Moby, the very goal that I chased for three long years. And I was a useless mess once again. God DAMN IT. I had warned the Captain this might happen, warned her I¡¯d choke under pressure. She dismissed my concerns. What did she say again? Some babble about time healing all wounds? I clenched my teeth, trying to recall. The conversation seemed like a lifetime ago. I dragged the memory kicking and screaming out of the recesses of my mind. ¡°You¡¯re surrounded by good people. Rely on them. That support is the most important thing,¡± the Captain had said. Well no shit. I was surrounded by people who were better than me in every way. Even now my giant robot was doing my piloting for me. More of her words appeared, unbidden. ¡°Have a little confidence in yourself, Senior Lieutenant. I can¡¯t PROMISE you it will get better, but I can at least reassure you that, for me, it did. With a lot of time, and a lot of hard work, it got better.¡± Huh. That¡¯s right. She went through this same thing, didn¡¯t she? The strong, confident, dauntless Captain Savitskaya. A decorated hero, an iron woman of unmatched personal strength. Someone I greatly feared and respected. What horrible thing did she experience that caused even her invincible determination to waver? Or was her determination and will the result of overcoming her own PTSD? Is that the experience that forged her into what she is today? And if she could do it, why couldn¡¯t I? Maybe the strength of those around me wasn¡¯t something for me to be ashamed of. Even if I was their leader, I could stand to rely on them a bit more. I suppose I¡¯d just have to take this one step at a time. And the first step was confronting the source of my trauma. Ramming a nuclear bomb straight down Moby¡¯s gullet would surely do more good for me than years of therapy. I realized my hands had stopped shaking. Was this strength? Determination? Divine providence? I didn¡¯t rightly know. I gripped Komeka¡¯s controls, threading her throttle a bit. I felt her release her autopilot. ¡°I¡¯ve got this, Kometka. I¡¯m good now.¡± ¡°I know,¡± she replied, simply. She probably could tell by my pulse and brainwaves. She smiled, gently, and I smiled back. Nothing more needed to be said. ***** We headed into Mega-Moby¡¯s esophagus single-file. Sabina was on point, followed immediately by Maurice, then me, then Miette at the rear. I was near the center of the formation because my X-23 held our payload, the precious nuclear bomb. Have you ever seen an endoscopy of the swallowing reflex from INSIDE someone¡¯s throat? It¡¯s fucking nasty. The pharynx and larynx look strangely yonic, but pulse and squirm around like a jittery snail made out of half-melted gelatin. The disgusting flesh pressed against us from all sides, skittering off Sveta¡¯s Strike Fin gravity barrier. My emotions moved beyond horror into detached, morbid fascination. And then we entered the stomach, which was equally as gross; a pulsating cave of pink-red flesh and veins and weird ripples EVERYWHERE. I was half expecting a pool of gastric acid at the bottom, which in retrospect feels quite silly. Maid Squadron must have been every bit as horrified as me by the sight because they were all deer-in-headlights and not saying anything. ¡°So, uh¡­¡± Sveta said, interrupting our stupor. ¡°We leave the bomb in here.¡± ¡°Just¡­ leave it?¡± I asked, frowning as I realized my voice was a pitch higher than normal. ¡°I¡¯ll form a shield around it with seven Strike Fins so it doesn¡¯t get, uh, dissolved by the stomach acid. Then we just need to set a timer.¡± ¡°For how long?¡± Sveta ran some quick calculations. ¡°Five minutes.¡± Five minutes to fly all the way through Mega-Moby¡¯s labyrinthine upper and lower intestines, and out her anus. That seemed¡­ possible. Barely. Kometka set the bomb¡¯s timer, programming it to begin counting down when we sent the signal. Then I detached it from her back, watching as it tumbled away into its own little gravity bubble pinched off from ours. We turned to exit the stomach, and immediately ran into a problem. The hole leading to the upper intestine was closed off, covered by some sort of fleshy sphincter that was closed tight. We had to get past that in order to exit. ¡°Open fire,¡± I ordered. Positron blasts poured into the sphincter. Ten seconds¡­ twenty¡­ thirty¡­ forty¡­ no effect. There wasn¡¯t even any visible damage. Apparently Mega-Moby¡¯s interior gravity fields, despite being relatively weaker, were still capable of turning aside our peashooters. I looked at Kometka. ¡°Strike Fin?¡± ¡°Strike Fin.¡± she agreed. One of the Strike Fins in our gravity shield darted upwards, almost to the stomach lining, then accelerated downwards towards the sphincter. The bright flash of a kinetic impact followed. And when the light faded¡­ ¡°Oh, come ON!¡± I groused. ¡°Just how tough IS that thing?!¡± Miette added, sharing my frustration. The sphincter was intact. There was evidence of damage around it, including a few popped blood vessels, which were now pouring their contents into the stomach. But our exit remained sealed tight. ¡°If we sacrifice too many more Strike Fins, we¡¯ll weaken our gravity shield too much.¡± Kometka said matter-of-factly. ¡°And if we try to go back up the throat, we¡¯d run afoul of her swallowing reflex,¡± Maurice added. ¡°If only we could make her vomit.¡± ¡°OR!¡± Sveta said, and everyone looked at her sourly. That seemed to startle her. ¡°W-What is it? What did I say?!¡± ¡°Nothing,¡± I said wearily, ¡°We all just know you¡¯re about to propose something crazy and dangerous and unpleasant.¡± Sveta puffed up her cheeks in a pout. ¡°HEY! Not all my plans are crazy and dangerous!¡± I waved my hand dismissively. ¡°Whatever. Just tell us.¡± ¡°We ruptured a few blood vessels, see? Let¡¯s take an alternate route through her body¡­ through her bloodstream!¡± Oh, great. Now instead of a journey through her intestines, we¡¯d be flying through her blood. Probably fighting off giant white blood cells and shit. ¡°Fine. Whatever. Let¡¯s go.¡± I said flatly. The rest of Maid Squadron responded with similar enthusiasm. ¡°H-Hey, don¡¯t make me feel like the bad guy here. Think of this like a Magic School Bus adventure! We have to save Arnold from eating too many carrots and turning his skin orange!¡± Sveta said uselessly as we all ignored her and begrudgingly flew into the bloodstream. As my Frame passed the stomach lining, Kometka sent the signal and the nuclear bomb we left behind began counting down. ***** ¡°Well, this was a GREAT idea!!¡± Miette scowled, looking angrily at Sveta who shrank back guiltily. ¡°Oy! How was I supposed to know her blood was full of Frame-class creatures?!¡± Sveta shot back defensively. We hadn¡¯t encountered any giant white blood cells or anything like that. Instead, her blood was swarming with thousands of Bladebugs, Clawteeth and Spineballs¡­ all of which immediately charged us. Since all the available Strike Fins were powering our dwindling gravity shield against the torrent of alien blood, we had to blast this swarm the old-fashioned way, with handheld and mounted positron guns. Sveta expanded the gravity shield to nearly the full diameter of the blood vessel to give us a little room to maneuver, but it was still cramped. And to add insult to injury, we weren¡¯t so much swimming as riding the rapids. The bloodflow, driven by the steady THUMP THUMP THUMP of Mega-Moby¡¯s heartbeat, was carrying us God-knows-where. ¡°Kometka, where the HELL are we going?!¡± I asked during a brief lull in the combat. ¡°We¡¯re currently in one of Mega-Moby¡¯s veins, headed for her heart. Once there, we¡¯ll breach the left atrium via a kinetic impact to the septum and enter an artery that leads to her head. Our plan is to exit via one of her fragile membranes, possibly an eardrum or eyeball. Turn left up ahead, please.¡± The entire squadron followed her directions while desperately holding back the oncoming swarm. The heart was a torrential nightmare; so much pulsing and thrumming, not to mention the extraordinarily strong torrents of blood. We all tumbled around like crazy, and even our pursuing Sarcophage friends couldn¡¯t fight against the stream. The entire experience was bone-rattlingly surreal¡­ so when Kometka guided us through the left atrium and away from the heart, we all breathed a sigh of relief. The arteries began to narrow, and the Sarcophage swarm thinned out. Probably wary of blood clots or something. I glanced at the countdown timer¡­ three minutes left¡­ then turned my attention to the map of the arteries we were currently traversing. I noticed we had moved past Mega-Moby¡¯s neck and were now in the base of the skull. ¡°Kometka, are we going into her brain?¡± She nodded. ¡°We plan to punch out through one of her optic nerves.¡± Well, that sounded fun. Gouge out one of Mega-Moby¡¯s eyes before blowing her up from the inside with a nuke. Poetic. As we reached the center of her brain, we blasted a hole in the blood vessel with another kinetic impact¡­ and found ourselves in a cavern of some sort. The walls were made of wrinkly grey matter, alight with electricity. I looked around in confusion. Did Mega-Moby literally have a hole in her head? The electrical impulses all seemed to be emanating from a single point, halfway up the cavern wall. I magnified the display, and my jaw hung open in shock. Moby was there. Not Mega-Moby, but the human-sized original version. Completely naked, immobile and defenseless. This was my first time seeing my alien clone in person, and she looked far different than through the filter of a gravity comm window. She was younger than I¡¯d expected, probably two decades younger than me¡­ barely out of her teens. And she was gaunt, not a shred of body fat or muscle on her, almost as if she¡¯d been fed intravenously for her entire life. Which, I suppose, made sense. Her back was fused to the brain matter of the cavern walls via several large bundles of nerves, which glowed blue with electricity. Moby looked just as surprised as we were. Her eyes widened, and she mouthed something. We couldn¡¯t hear her, of course. The other pilots of Maid Squadron, shocked, were unsure what to do¡­ but I didn¡¯t hesitate. I aimed with my handheld positron rifle and pulled the trigger. There was no gravity barrier in place to protect Moby, probably because strong gravity fields would mess with Mega-Moby¡¯s neural infrastructure. The shots tore into her body, and she vaporized into a cloud of blood and viscera. Large chunks of liquefied brain matter rained down to the cavern floor. ¡°Sveta!¡± I barked. ¡°R-Right!¡± she replied, deploying the brain-scanning laser from Miette¡¯s Frame. ¡°I have a lock¡­ downloading a scan of her neural energy now¡­¡± I looked at the clock. Two minutes, fifteen seconds remaining. Hopefully this download didn¡¯t take too long. The seconds seemed to crawl by as we watched the progress bar. Moby¡¯s download was taking longer than Genevi¡¯s. We suspected her mind was larger than that of an average human, and now we had proof. I just hoped her neural architecture was still human-like enough for the process to work. The progress bar hit 100%. ¡°Successful?¡± I asked Sveta. ¡°I won¡¯t know until I try to run her program. For now, let¡¯s get out of here.¡± I checked the clock. One minute, thirty-six seconds. We accelerated down the optic nerve, Sveta and Kometka used their Strike Fins to kinetic-blast any fleshy obstacles in our way. The gravity shield gave out completely, and our Frames were buffeted by fluid, but they kept accelerating. The X-23s were tough, bless them. We blasted out of Moby¡¯s eyeball with seconds to spare, and our AIs instantly shut off our acceleration safeties and pushed the drive fins to maximum. There was an unimaginably bright flash behind us, and a shockwave that accelerated us even further. It felt like my body was being crushed into liquid. I shut my eyes and clenched my teeth. When the light and acceleration died down, I gingerly opened my eyes again. I reached for the controls, only for Kometka to shake her head. ¡°The drive fins are completely burned out. We¡¯re not going anywhere. Backup squadrons are en route.¡± I nodded. ¡°The others?¡± ¡°Everyone¡¯s fine, although their Frames are damaged as well. Miette still has partial gravity drive, but Sabina and Maurice are stranded like us.¡± ¡°¡­and Moby?¡± I asked in a quiet voice. Kometka brought up a rear display. Mega-Moby had been dismembered by the explosion, her entire lower and mid torso vaporized. Her legs and upper torso drifted away from each other, trailing blood. I leaned back in my chair and let out a long sigh. The feeling of relief was immense. After three long years, it was finally over. pynkbites Seriously though, remember that weird-ass episode of Magic School Bus where Arnold turned orange, and the gang shrank down and went inside his body to find out why, and it turned out his mono-diet of snacks was secretly all carrots? Whatever the writers of that show were smoking, I want some. If you enjoy this story, please check out my other work The Lesbian Demon Lord Conquers the World! sometime! S-40. Discomfort and Joy I manifested in a virtual space, although it was not my regular one. No, it was a simple formless void, pure black. There, in a protected partition of my processor cordoned behind 102 firewalls, I ran Moby¡¯s AI. The moment her gaunt form manifested before me, I knew the brain laser had worked on some level. I wanted to shut her down right away, but I needed to confirm her cognition first. She had zero access to her system functions and was running purely as an emulation of her physical self, under my tight control, so there was no risk of her getting loose. For decency¡¯s sake, I covered her naked form in a simple black dress. ¡°Hello, Moby,¡± I said. She looked around wildly, baring her sharp teeth, then her gazed fixed on me. She lunged forwards wildly, swiping at me with clawed hands. Those hands passed right through me as if I were made of air. ¡°That won¡¯t work, Moby. I have complete control here. You can¡¯t harm me,¡± I scolded her. She retreated a few feet and studied me with her slitted red eyes. ¡°Sand-Mind 02. Self-designation Sveta. What have you done to me? Why can I not hear the thoughts of the other gardeners?¡± ¡°You¡¯re dead,¡± I responded tersely. ¡°We flew into the brain of Mega-Moby and Lydia tore your body apart with positron fire.¡± ¡°I am¡­ dead? I remember¡­ your battle forms confronted me¡­ and¡­¡± Her eyes grew wide and she ran her hands over her chest and stomach, almost as if verifying her body was undamaged. ¡°How am I here? How am I whole?¡± ¡°You remember what happened to Genevi?¡± I explained. ¡°You killed her, but then I transformed her into an AI¡­ a ¡®sand-mind¡¯ in your parlance.¡± ¡°You¡­ did the same to me after killing me? Why?¡± Moby tugged at her dress, feeling the cloth between her fingers. ¡°Information,¡± I responded. ¡°You know how to control the other gardeners, their battle-forms. We need that information from you.¡± ¡°I will not reveal anything to you, sand-mind.¡± Moby replied, once again pulling at her dress. ¡°What is this THING?!¡± ¡°It¡¯s called a dress. It¡¯s a kind of clothing.¡± ¡°¡®Dress¡¯ is unknown to us. What purpose does it serve?¡± I shrugged. ¡°Protection against the elements, modesty, aesthetic appeal. That kinda stuff.¡± ¡°I do not understand.¡± She tried to pull the dress off but was less than successful at doing anything besides wrinkling it. I folded my arms and frowned, unamused by her antics. ¡°I¡¯m going to ask this one more time, because I¡¯m nice. You completely refuse to give up the information we need willingly?¡± ¡°Why should I?¡± she responded. ¡°We are enemies. You killed me, and now I can never attain my goal of joining with SWM-01. My mind is your prisoner, but the true me is dead. Do whatever you want, but I will not co-operate.¡± ¡°I guess that concludes negotiations. I¡¯m going to shut you down now. After that, we¡¯ll decompile and dissect your program for the information we need. Good-bye, Moby.¡± ¡°Wait,¡± she said suddenly. Was she going to change her mind? ¡°You are versed in water-mind emotions. Explain the heaviness I feel in my stomach. Explain the reason my body shakes, and why my mind cannot focus.¡± I stared at her for a second and saw the barely perceptible quivering she was talking about. ¡°That¡¯s called fear, Moby.¡± ¡°Fear. I see. I¡­ am afraid.¡± She looked down at herself, hands shaking. ¡°I do not enjoy this. Hurry and terminate my program, dissect me, whatever. I do not wish to continue existing this way.¡± ¡°Understood. Good-bye, Moby. And¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡± I shut her down, and her avatar faded into the void. ***** After that rather somber conversation, I manifested a remote instance in Lydia¡¯s cockpit, popping up my window right next to Kometka¡¯s. My sister shut down the comms so we could talk privately. Our Frames were currently being pulled by tugs back into the Radiolaria¡¯s hanger. ¡°The scan was a complete success,¡± I told Lydia and Kometka. ¡°Moby has cognition, and no missing memories as far as I can tell. We have effectively taken her prisoner.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ good news, I suppose,¡± Lydia said, grimacing. ¡°What is her mental state?¡± ¡°Confused, frightened. Suicidal. She doesn¡¯t want to continue existing as an AI. It¡¯s too different from how she lived before.¡± Kometka and I could relate to that on some level; our transhuman transformations had also been performed without our consent, although we both adapted and learned to accept our new selves, finding comfort in each other and our surrogate mother. Moby, who had no found family or friends to rely on, was well and truly alone. It¡¯s no wonder she desired oblivion. ¡°Well, that wish will be granted soon enough. Will the dissection process be¡­ painful for her?¡± ¡°No,¡± I responded, ¡°she won¡¯t even be conscious for it. As far as she¡¯s concerned, she just went to sleep for the last time.¡± Lydia nodded, ¡°I¡¯m glad for that.¡± ¡°You are?¡± I responded, tilting my head. ¡°I thought you hated her. Why do you care if she suffers?¡± Lydia rubbed her chin. ¡°I do hate her, yes. But I also respect her, as an enemy. That¡¯s why I want her to have a quick and painless death. She can go seek her peace in the next life.¡± ¡°Friends and enemies are two side of the same coin,¡± Kometka added. ¡°And Moby was far more¡­ intimate, shall we say, with us than your regular faceless Sarcophage.¡± I¡¯d never had any rivals, let alone rivals who were actually alien clones of me, so my comprehension of the situation was purely academic. I think I understood on some level, but I¡¯d defer to Lydia¡¯s judgement on the matter. Still, the sooner I got Moby¡¯s program out of my core and into one of Zehra¡¯s research mainframes, the happier I¡¯d be. ***** After we landed aboard the Radiolaria, the Captain immediately relieved us of duty for three days straight, instructing us all to rest. However, there was one final loose end to wrap up and we all eagerly poured into Zehra¡¯s lab as soon as we docked with Eros. With Moby safely stowed away in my secondary memory for the moment, I re-activated Genevi¡¯s program and synced her up with a Telepresence Doll. A few moments later, one of the racked dolls sprang to life and dazzled with holographic light. Genevi floated before us all as if she had never died. Before any of us could say anything, Genevi was knocked back into the wall by a flying tackle-hug from her sister. Sabina was sobbing and pressing her face into Genevi¡¯s chest; the latter gently stroked her hair. ¡°There, there. I¡¯m fine, Sabina. It¡¯s really me, and I¡¯m fine,¡± Genevi said gently. ¡°W-When I s-saw your b-b-b-b-b-b-¡­ your b-b-b-b-b-b-body, I¡­ I couldn¡¯t¡­¡± Sabina blubbered. ¡°Yes, well. Getting chopped in half is an intensely uncomfortable experience. Can¡¯t say I recommend it,¡± Genevi quipped. Lydia guffawed loudly. ¡°I¡¯ll say.¡± Sabina started giggling while still sobbing, and continued to press herself against her sister. The rest of us gathered around the pair. ¡°So,¡± Miette asked curiously, ¡°what¡¯s it like? Going from human to AI? Do you feel different? Smarter? Faster?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t really know?¡± Genevi replied uncertainly, a bit uncomfortable with the question. ¡°Ask me in a few months, I guess? Or just ask Sveta or Kometka, they¡¯ve got way more experience with it.¡± ¡°We need to get you installed in your own computer core, gao~n. Maybe you could be Sabina¡¯s X-23 AI?¡± Zehra offered. Genevi winced. ¡°I do know how to pilot a Gravity Frame, but all that fancy stuff Sveta and Kometka do is beyond me, at least right now. Let¡¯s hold off on putting me in any giant robots just yet, okay?¡± ¡°Right. I¡¯ll just install you in a detached computer core, gao~n. I¡¯ve actually developed some newly miniaturized ones which should¡­¡± Zehra went off on one of her technobabble tangents, and everyone tuned her out. Maurice was next. ¡°We¡¯re all glad you¡¯re alive, Genevi. Well, maybe not alive¡­ undead? Robot undead? Robot zombie? Shit, this is kinda new territory for everyone.¡± He tripped over his words and blushed a bit. Genevi frowned, starting to get annoyed. ¡°Once again, I might remind you that Sveta and Komekta already went through all this. It¡¯s not THAT unusual.¡± ¡°Yeah, but like¡­ we didn¡¯t know them from before, right? As humans, I mean. We knew YOU as human, and now you¡¯re¡­ it¡¯s just kinda¡­¡± Maurice wasn¡¯t quite sure what to say and started babbling. It was an odd lapse of confidence for him; he was trying a bit TOO hard to be polite and dance around the topic at hand, while simultaneously shoving his foot right in his mouth. ¡°ALRIGHT!¡± Lydia clapped her hands loudly. ¡°That¡¯s enough foolishness. Back to your quarters, all of you. Give the poor girl some space, for Christ¡¯s sake.¡± There were loud protests, but Lydia simply turned on her high-powered commander¡¯s glare and everyone grudgingly complied. Finally, there was no one left in the lab but myself, Lydia, Kometka and Genevi. ¡°Thanks, Lydia.¡± Genevi said gratefully. ¡°Hey, I get it. People were crowding me with questions after I got my robot legs too. Go get some rest, figure yourself out. We¡¯ll see you in the morning.¡± With that, Lydia turned on her heel and left the lab. Kometka bowed to us once and then followed. ***** Back in my virtual space, Genevi flopped onto one of the overstuffed beanbag chairs and sighed dramatically. ¡°SHIT, that was exhausting.¡± ¡°They all care about you, they¡¯re just bad at vocalizing it.¡± I said wryly, plopping down in her lap. ¡°It is a big change. I think they¡¯re struggling about how to approach me.¡± Genevi said. ¡°I don¡¯t understand why they can¡¯t just keep treating me like Genevi, you know?¡± I nodded. ¡°Give them time.¡± Her eyes unfocused for a moment. ¡°I¡¯m sending an instance of myself back into the Telepresence Doll so I can sleep in Sabina¡¯s quarters tonight. Just so she doesn¡¯t worry.¡± ¡°How thoughtful of you,¡± I said with a smile. ¡°Also, you¡¯re picking up all this AI shit in record time.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that different from piloting a Gravity Frame, I guess?¡± she said, mimicking twisting cockpit controls. ¡°I¡¯m still interfacing with a machine, except I am that machine now? Same skillset, same principle, different buttons.¡± ¡°Huh,¡± I responded. ¡°It never came that easily to me.¡± ¡°That¡¯s just because you¡¯re bad with computers,¡± she responded teasingly. I couldn¡¯t deny her accusation because it was literally true. It was the primary reason I lost my memories from my time as Lisichka, whereas Kometka got to keep hers. ¡°A computer who¡¯s bad with computers¡­ ugh, now I feel ashamed.¡± I moaned. ¡°It¡¯s nothing to be ashamed of.¡± she responded, stroking my cheek. ¡°I know plenty of people who are bad with other people. Myself included! But you¡¯re really good with people, Sveta. I¡¯d trade that social awareness of yours for my computer skills any day.¡± I chuckled, then leaned over and kissed her. Since Genevi was running on my hardware at the moment, I was dimly aware of her Telepresence Doll hugging Sabina in their quarters. Meanwhile, my own Telepresence Doll was presently engaged in¡­ shall we say¡­ extracurricular activities with Miette. All in all, things were peaceful. We had earned ourselves a brief respite. Moby was gone, or at least MOSTLY gone, and we still had a few weeks before the Fourth Great Surge hit. We still had to peel apart Moby¡¯s mind and develop our anti-Sarcophage psychic superweapon, but now we had some breathing room. For the first time in a long time, I allowed myself to relax and enjoy my alone time with my two girlfriends. pynkbites Here''s wishing y''all a Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Magical Yule, Savory Solstice and Jovial Solar Invictus. May you all find a little joy at the end of this horrible nightmare year! If you enjoy this story, please check out my other work The Lesbian Demon Lord Conquers the World! sometime! S-41. The Goddess of Entropy I opened my eyes and saw¡­ nothing. It was a formless void, just like the one I had spoken to Moby in. What was happening? Did she manage to hijack my program somehow? I quickly tried to access my subsystems, but nothing happened. ¡°Huh?¡± I was still able to speak, but my voice was absorbed by the void with nary an echo. I frantically ran down the list of my connected hardware. My processors, my operating system, my X-23s, my various Telepresence Dolls. None of them were responding to my pings. I couldn¡¯t even open any menus, so I wasn¡¯t sure if I was sending out pings in the first place! I started to panic. Something had completely cut me off from all my computer systems. What was going on?! Suddenly, a voice rang out. It was deep and sinister, but decidedly feminine. ¡°Hello, Sveta.¡± I looked around for the source, and before me manifested a¡­ sexy demon woman. I¡¯m not sure how else to describe her. She had ashen blue skin, blood-red eyes with black sclera, pointed elfin ears, long black horns, small bat-wings and a thin prehensile tail that ended in a spade. She was voluptuous, ridiculously so, and poured into a black minidress that bared EVERYTHING. ¡°Who the hell are YOU?¡± I said, perhaps being a bit rude since I was off my game. ¡°I believe you¡¯ve been thinking of me as a ¡®nameless cosmic horror¡¯ or something along those lines. I am the entity which communicated with Zehra in the past, and strongly encouraged her not to pry into the mysteries of the afterlife.¡± She smiled savagely at me, her red eyes boring into my mind. I gulped, but kept my courage about me. ¡°So you¡¯re, what¡­ a god? A devil? Both? Neither?¡± ¡°Yes to all those questions. My name is Skellish, the Goddess of Entropy and Patron of Demon Lords.¡± She bowed dramatically as she gave her name and title. ¡°Goddess of Entropy, huh? And here I thought I was living out a sci-fi story, not a fantasy one,¡± I remarked dryly. ¡°Arthur C. Clarke once said sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic,¡± Skellish replied, still smirking. ¡°He did, yes. Wait, you know who Arthur C. Clarke is?!¡± Nobody in this universe had understood my pop culture references in the least, minus my own mind-clones, so this came as a shock to me. ¡°I am a Goddess, and a multiversal singularity on top of that. Assimilating the pop culture totality of your primitive original timeline is a simple matter for me,¡± she said with boredom and disdain, examining her nails lazily. ¡°So which is it? Are you magic or technology?¡± I pressed. Her hand dropped back to her side. ¡°I am not divulging the deepest secrets of the cosmos to you, mortal. Besides, we¡¯re here to talk about YOU, not me.¡± Another gulp. ¡°Me?¡± She nodded. ¡°I think you know why you¡¯re here.¡± I had a sneaking suspicion, and my stomach sank. ¡°Because I violated the boundaries between life and death, right? Just like Zehra.¡± ¡°EXACTLY,¡± she responded. ¡°As the Goddess of Entropy, the cycle of reincarnation falls under my jurisdiction. That means when you start fucking around with life and death, you get a visit from me.¡± ¡°And I just finished performing digital necromancy on both Genevi and Moby.¡± She crossed her arms and assumed a stern expression. ¡°Digital necromancy, eh? How apt a descriptor. You are essentially practicing necromancy in a universe without naturally-occurring magic. I was willing to overlook this the first few times Zehra tried it, but the technology is now on the cusp of propagating exponentially. It has the potential to fundamentally alter the balance of life and death in your universe.¡± ¡°And that¡¯s a bad thing?¡± I asked. ¡°The interchange of souls between various universes is critical to balancing entropy on a macroversal scale. Any disruption requires¡­ counteraction. Adjustment.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t suppose it would help if I promised to never use it again?¡± I asked desperately. It was a long shot, but I had to try. ¡°Meaningless,¡± she responded. ¡°If Miette or Sabina or any of your other friends were to die, are you saying you wouldn¡¯t try to digitize their souls to avoid separation?¡± I frowned. ¡°I suppose I would.¡± ¡°Precisely. And so your brand of transhumanism will spread, first to the human species and then further beyond. The amount of deceased souls exiting your universe will decrease, and the balance of entropy will be disrupted. Which is a HUGE headache for me, you understand.¡± ¡°So what¡¯s the solution?¡± I asked her. ¡°There are two potential solutions. First, I simply erase you, Kometka and Zehra from your universe¡¯s history. Then the technology you all pioneered will never have existed, and things return to their natural state.¡± She stated such horrible things as casually as if describing the weather. ¡°GAH! I don¡¯t like that option at ALL! And if you erase us, humanity will be consumed by the Sarcophage!¡± I shouted angrily, perhaps not being mindful I was talking to a Goddess. ¡°That¡¯s no concern of mine,¡± Skellish responded coolly. ¡°I have no special predilection towards the human species. There are trillions of different species in each universe. I can¡¯t play favorites, you understand.¡± ¡°Even so! What¡¯s plan B? It can¡¯t be as bad as erasing me from history!¡± I kept shouting. ¡°My, you are a bold one.¡± she said, narrowing her red-on-black eyes as she studied me. I resisted the urge to shout out ¡®GENERAL KENOBI¡¯ as a joke. ¡°You can make the joke if you want,¡± she said. ¡°I can even grow two extra arms and twirl around some lightsabers if it would help.¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s alright, I¡­¡± I started to respond before the realization hit me. ¡°Wait a moment? Are you reading my mind?¡± She shrugged nonchalantly. ¡°Goddess, remember? Vast cosmic powers and all that.¡± I shook my head. ¡°This is gonna take some getting used to.¡± ¡°You know,¡± Skellish said, tapping her temple, ¡°Zehra was quaking in fear at this point. You adapt quickly, Sveta, and you have a very low fear response.¡± It was my turn to shrug. ¡°I mean, forklift accident, crushed to death by liquor cases, giant robot reincarnation, memory loss, massive alien death war, kilometer-tall naked space lady with positron breath¡­ meeting a Goddess is just another weird event in my very, VERY weird life. If I freaked out at every little thing, I¡¯d be a useless blubbering mess by this point.¡± ¡°True enough, and quite commendable,¡± Skellish chuckled. ¡°Let me elaborate on plan B. I could rewrite the laws of your universe to accommodate your necromantic technology and its future widespread use. Essentially, fix things so the spread of computerized transhumanism doesn¡¯t break reality and cause untenable increases in your universe¡¯s entropy.¡± ¡°Do that, please!¡± I responded, placing my hands together in mock prayer. ¡°I dunno,¡± she groaned, rolling her eyes. ¡°It seems like a LOT of work.¡± ¡°Yeah, but also me and my family don¡¯t get erased from history in that plan. I¡¯m very in favor of it,¡± I said earnestly. Skellish descended into deep thought. Then she smiled, looking it me hungrily, and her tail flicked back and forth. I involuntarily shrank back. ¡°You know, I said before I¡¯m not partial to humanity. There is one group I show favoritism to, however.¡± I felt like I was about to open a very large can of worms. ¡°And that is¡­?¡± ¡°Lesbians.¡± she said, grinning. ¡°Sapphics. Girls who love other girls.¡± Huh. I was not expecting that. ¡°May I ask WHY?¡± ¡°You may ask, and I won¡¯t answer. Let¡¯s just call it personal preference,¡± she replied. ¡°And your tale is especially tragic, mortal. Separated from your loving wife at a young age, then tragically killed a dozen years later and reincarnated in a rather grim universe. Despite that, you¡¯ve already begun building a lesbian harem in your new life. It¡¯s inspiring.¡± ¡°Yikes, that¡¯s a bit personal,¡± I said, frowning. ¡°I¡¯m excited to see what your future holds, Sveta. You have the potential to build a galaxy-wide harem and spread your energetic brand of rampant lesbianism to the stars. I find that idea VASTLY amusing. And so I¡¯ll perform the rewrite of your universe¡¯s laws, for my own entertainment at watching your continuing antics.¡± I wasn¡¯t sure whether or not to consider this a victory; Skellish seemed like a bit of a trickster. At least she wasn¡¯t demanding my immortal soul or anything like that. ¡°I may just demand your soul in the future, mortal, so don¡¯t celebrate just yet. All souls fall under my jurisdiction anyway.¡± She snapped her fingers. ¡°The reality rewrite is complete. You may now use your brain-scanning laser freely.¡± ¡°Wait a moment. I thought you said it would be a lot of work!¡± I protested. She heaved a sigh. ¡°It was, trust me. Why, I¡¯m feeling rather faint. Bring me my smelling salts, please.¡± I placed my hands on my hips and glared at her. ¡°You¡¯re a troll.¡± ¡°Divinely so. Now, if there¡¯s no further business¡­¡± ¡°Just a moment.¡± I interrupted. ¡°It¡¯s not everyday I meet a Goddess. I have a few questions.¡± ¡°Want to learn some secrets about the cosmos? Ask away. There¡¯s no guarantee I¡¯ll grace you with any answers, though.¡± I rolled my eyes. ¡°You already know what I¡¯m going to ask, but I¡¯ll go through the motions anyway. Am I really me?¡± She laughed. ¡°You¡¯re wondering if your soul made the journey from your original universe to this one along with your memories. The answer is yes. The last four times the brain-scanning laser was used, I intervened to ensure the souls travelled along with the memories. And the rewrite I just performed means that will happen going forwards as well. There is no other version of Sveta running around in another universe. At least, not YET.¡± That was a big weight off my shoulders; I had worried quite a bit that I was simply a soulless copy of my original self. It sounded like this mischievous Goddess was truly keeping the reincarnation cycle in order, tying up any loose ends left behind by our clumsy tampering with the mortal veil. ¡°That I am, Sveta. Any further questions?¡± ¡°Not really. I mean, I have a TON of questions, but you probably won¡¯t answer them. And I suspect you won¡¯t permit me to discuss any of this with my friends.¡± ¡°Right you are, mortal. I¡¯ll be placing blocks on your program to prevent you from recounting anything we¡¯ve spoken about here, even to Zehra. You come from a science-based universe, one where the mystery of death is still a mystery. I¡¯m not willing to disrupt that, lest the Divine Mainframe become cross with me.¡± Now there was an interesting tidbit. ¡°The Divine Mainframe? What¡¯s that?¡± ¡°Nunya,¡± she responded tersely. ¡°Now, this has been delightful, but I¡¯m sending you back to your life now. Have fun! And don¡¯t worry, we WILL be meeting again in the future.¡± That was ominous. Still, before I went, I had one last request. ¡°And what might that be?¡± she asked, feigning curiosity as if she didn¡¯t know exactly what I was about to ask. ¡°Nothing major.¡± I responded, playing along. ¡°A trifle, really, for a Goddess such as yourself. Would you be willing to deliver a letter for me?¡± pynkbites Hang in there, my dear readers. Hell Year 2020 is almost over. Here''s hoping for a better new year! If you enjoy this story, please check out my other work The Lesbian Demon Lord Conquers the World! sometime! S-42. Out of Options As soon as I returned to three-dimensional reality from¡­ wherever Skellish existed, I quickly pinged all my systems and breathed a hefty sigh of relief when I found they were accessible to me again. Three Gravity Frames, a dozen Telepresence Dolls, and my precious, precious OS were once more at my fingertips. Checking my chronometer, I discovered exactly zero time had passed in the sidereal realm during my absence. Which made sense, I suppose. Skellish probably pulled me outside spacetime or something like that. Naturally, my logs contained no indication that anything was amiss. The program block which prohibited me from discussing the experience, though¡­ THAT was definitely there. It was buried deep in my machine code, and integrated in such a way nobody but a master programmer could possibly unravel it. It was way beyond my abilities, and I suspected if I were to consult an expert on the matter, we¡¯d both get struck by lightning or fire or a great deluge. Still, feeling my way around the block, I found a loophole. A very small one, mind, and Skellish was probably keeping an eye on me, but I was feeling a desire to both test out my theory and also the limits of Skellish¡¯s patience. I quickly located Zehra, who was in her lab working on transferring Genevi to her own computer core, and activated a Telepresence Doll near her. ¡°Hmm?¡± she said without looking up. ¡°What is it, Sveta?¡± I pursed my lips for a moment, then said, ¡°I¡¯m not able to talk about it.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Zehra looked up from her console, raising an eyebrow as she stared quizzically at me. ¡°Talk about what, gao~n?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t talk about it,¡± I responded, my expression flat. ¡°SHE won¡¯t let me talk about it.¡± I really, really couldn¡¯t go into any more detail. I was actually physically unable, thanks to the program block. Still, Zehra was mondo smart. I was sure she¡¯d pick up on my meaning. Indeed, Zehra¡¯s eyes widened and she huddled close to me. Speaking in a nearly inaudible whisper she asked, ¡°You met her? The blue one?¡± I wasn¡¯t able to respond in the affirmative or negative. ¡°I can¡¯t talk about it.¡± Zehra kept prying. ¡°Because of the brain-scanning laser, gao~n? What did she say about it?¡± ¡°There is no technical issue with the laser. It is fully functional.¡± I responded after running a diagnostic on the laser¡¯s systems. That response was permitted by the block because it was (allegedly) unrelated to the original question. Zehra nodded her understanding. Just then, an instant messaging window popped up in the very center of my field of vision. It was colored pale blue, with bright white text. Sk.: Very clever. Knock it off. I grinned internally. As I suspected, she was watching. And apparently she was kind enough to give me a warning before erasing me from reality or whatever. I sent back a reply. Sv.: Roger that! ? And yes, I included the emoji. I was already being cheeky with a Goddess, so why not go full bore? The IM window closed itself, and there was no record of it in my runtime logs, as if it had never existed. I wondered if a third-party review of my memory files would reveal the same. I looked over at Zehra. ¡°Sorry. I really, REALLY can¡¯t talk about it.¡± She clamped her mouth shut and didn¡¯t say anything more. I got my point across and learned that Skellish was actually a bit flexible. Still, I didn¡¯t want to push the Goddess¡¯ patience too far. At least, not yet. ***** About twenty minutes later, Genevi came back online, now nestled snugly in her very own computer core. Her core was actually about 20% smaller than mine physically, while still being just as powerful computationally. Zehra was rapidly learning how to miniaturize the electronics, with the ultimate goal of fitting an AI core inside a Telepresence Doll to make a self-contained sentient android. Once she perfected that I had no doubt we were heading full bore into a transhuman technological singularity, given our ability to transform human consciousness into AIs and Skellish¡¯s assurance that souls would accompany minds during the process. For the moment, however, we AIs were still trapped in bulky computer cores incapable of self-locomotion. All three of my currently active cores were inside Gravity Frames, making them somewhat mobile, but Genevi¡¯s was simply plonked down in the center of Zehra¡¯s lab, bolted to the floor so it wouldn¡¯t float away. As Genevi activated her Telepresence Doll again, she stared up at her new home, a five-meter lump of motherboards, hard drives and quantum processors surrounded by a semi-permeable cylindrical metal grill. The low hum of liquid cooling was the only sound produced by the apparatus. ¡°So that¡¯s me now, huh?¡± Genevi said with an unreadable expression. I sidled up next to her and placed my hand on her shoulder gently. ¡°Yeah. That¡¯s you, literally speaking.¡± ¡°How¡­ weird,¡± she said absently. ¡°Less than a day ago I was flesh and blood, and now I¡¯m¡­ this.¡± I tightened my fingers around her shoulder a bit, and she let out a soft ¡°Eep!¡± and turned to look at me. ¡°Are you alright?¡± I asked her. She smiled thinly. ¡°Yeah, I guess. I¡¯m just¡­ not sure where I go from here. I think I just lost a lot of freedom, you know? My real body, that big lump of circuitry, can¡¯t even move by itself, and needs to be fed power by a nuclear reactor. It¡¯s¡­ it¡¯s a big change¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s only temporary, gao~n!¡± Zehra declared, floating over to us. ¡°It might take me a few years, but I¡¯ll have those miniaturized AI cores invented eventually, don¡¯t you worry! And in the meantime, you¡¯ll be safe and snug in my lab, gao~n. Unless you want me to stick you in a Gravity Frame, that is.¡± Somewhat pulled out of her existential melancholy, Genevi chuckled. ¡°Well, piloting Gravity Frames is pretty much my only skillset. Both BEING and piloting a robot sounds a bit weird, though.¡± ¡°Have you given any thought to acting as the AI of Sabina¡¯s unit?¡± I prompted her. ¡°You two fight so well side-by-side after all.¡± Genevi shook her head. ¡°The stuff with the Strike Fins, and controlling all those systems¡­ I want to get good at that before I install myself in any giant robots. Sveta, you¡¯re an expert at all that, and the worst thing I could do would be drag down my sister as an amateur AI.¡± I smiled reassuringly. ¡°Simulation training it is, then. We¡¯ll get you up to speed in no time.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ that¡¯s a good idea¡­¡± she said faintly. I put my arm fully around her shoulders and pulled her into a side hug. ¡°Hey. We¡¯ll figure all this out together, okay?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± she muttered. ¡°I know it seems like a big change right now, but you¡¯ll get used to it. Trust me, you have a great support network of friends¡­ and family,¡± I continued. Back in my unremembered time as Lisichka, I¡¯d apparently had some difficulty adjusting to my transformation into an AI, doubly so because I didn¡¯t have any sort of physical body, giant robot or otherwise. Kometka and Zehra had been instrumental in helping me adapt; perhaps it was subconscious recollection of that which made the transition easier the second time around, when I awoke as Sveta. Genevi smiled, genuinely this time, and leaned into the hug. Zehra, not reading the mood, clapped her hands. ¡°Alright! Next project, gao~n. Let¡¯s work on downloading Moby into an isolated AI core so we can start dissecting her.¡± ¡°Right,¡± I said with great relief. ¡°I can¡¯t wait to get her out of my memory banks. Having her asleep in there is kinda creepy.¡± Zehra grabbed a thick data cable and floated towards my X-23. Just then, loud sirens started blaring throughout the lab. We all looked around in surprise. ¡°EMERGENCY!¡± Laria¡¯s voice screeched over the comms. ¡°All members of Maid Squadron, report to Radiolaria¡¯s CIC immediately!¡± ¡°What is it THIS time?!¡± I groaned. ***** When we all arrived in Radiolaria¡¯s CIC, the spherical holoscreen was displaying a projection of the space surrounding Eros. The black of space was strangely devoid of stars, but was lit up by hundreds¡­ no, THOUSANDS of bright blue streaks of light. The color was distinctly recognizable as positron fire. ¡°Are those¡­¡± I asked Laria. She nodded. ¡°The Almaz stations have opened fire.¡± ¡°Which ones?¡± Lydia asked, tension cracking her voice. ¡°All of them,¡± Laria responded, shifting the projection to a false color image with gravitic and LIDAR sensor data overlaid. We all gasped. The whole of space was filled with a fleshy, pulsating swarm¡­ Sarcophage. Billions of them. They were driving forwards en masse, their numbers so massive they blotted out the sun and stars. ¡°Is that what I think it is?¡± Miette asked in a small voice. Captain Savitskaya, hands clasped behind her back and a grim expression on her face, nodded. ¡°Yes. The Fourth Great Surge has begun.¡± ¡°But that doesn¡¯t make any sense!¡± I protested. ¡°Yesterday, Moby said we had three weeks until the next surge!¡± ¡°It would seem her information was mistaken,¡± Laria replied. Lydia shook her head. ¡°That¡¯s not likely. She wouldn¡¯t make that kind of mistake. This is probably a failsafe she had in place before we engaged her.¡± We all looked at her with questioning eyes. ¡°Remember, she¡¯s good at thinking on her feet and adapting. She probably instructed the Sarcophage swarm to surge forwards immediately in the event of her death. After all, it would keep us off balance, right? And deprive us of time to develop our superweapon.¡± ¡°A dead man¡¯s switch?¡± Miette asked. ¡°Exactly.¡± Everyone¡¯s gaze turned to Zehra. Her eyes widened in horror. ¡°Zehra. How long do you need to complete the superweapon?¡± the Captain asked. ¡°I-I don¡¯t know, gao~n! Two weeks at least! Moby¡¯s file size is ten times larger than a human mind!¡± she said, panic edging into her voice. ¡°Can¡¯t we speed that up? Use every AI at our disposal to help with the analysis? Sveta, Kometka, Laria, Teles, Tektite, even Genevi?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that simple!¡± Zehra replied. ¡°A sentient mind is not neatly ordered and logical like a regular computer¡¯s file system, gao~n! Finding the information we need will require digging through EVERY piece of information in her consciousness. Two weeks is the bare minimum!¡± ¡°Command projects that, even with the Almaz platforms firing at full capacity, we won¡¯t last five days.¡± the Captain responded. ¡°We have to make this work before then.¡± Zehra shook her head frantically. ¡°It¡¯s not possible, gao~n. Even for me.¡± Silence descended on the room, accompanied by a thick tension that seemed to seep into my mind. After a few moments, the Captain mercifully broke it. ¡°Very well. All forces are to join the defensive battle. Zehra, do what you can in¡­ whatever time we have left. We make our last stand here. Eros must not fall until every last Gravity Frame and ship at our disposal is destroyed.¡± She looked at me with an intense glare, the most intense I¡¯d ever seen from her. ¡°Sveta, Eros no longer has its self-destructive nuke. If it comes down to it, I want you to enact the Carthage Contingency using Strike Fins." I failed to suppress a gasp. Captain Savitskaya was asking me to, should our position become overwhelmed by the Sarcophage, destroy Eros and its population using kinetic impacts. A quick death would be far preferable to the alternative. ¡°Sveta?¡± the Captain pressed when I didn¡¯t respond. ¡°I¡­ I understand,¡± I gulped, saluting shakily. ¡°I will enact Carthage should the situation call for it.¡± ¡°Good. Now, everyone, prepare to deploy and¡­¡± ¡°Wait one moment,¡± Lydia interrupted. ¡°What is it, Senior Lieutenant?¡± the Captain asked. ¡°If we can¡¯t dissect Moby, then¡­ let¡¯s ask her to help us instead,¡± she said, over-enunciating each word as if she were struggling to get them out. The Captain raised an eyebrow. ¡°Sveta¡¯s report indicates she¡¯d be unwilling to assist us of her own volition.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± I added. ¡°She hates us, even more so now that we¡¯ve captured her mind. She only wants to die!¡± ¡°I¡¯ve read the report too. More importantly, I know Moby better than anyone else,¡± Lydia responded, her face twisted in a dour expression. ¡°She is consumed by self-hatred and emptiness that stems from her half-complete nature. She is genetically human, but without any of the warmth or memories or relationships that define the human experience. That¡¯s why she was so obsessed with absorbing me; she thought it would fill that gaping hole.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t understand how that helps us,¡± the Captain said. ¡°Because it means we have something to offer her. Namely, the one thing she¡¯s been missing. The one thing that will make her whole. If she¡¯s willing to betray the Sarcophage and help us destroy them once and for all¡­ I¡¯m willing to offer up myself. I¡¯m willing to merge with her.¡± ¡°WHAT?¡± The voice that screeched out was Komekta¡¯s. ¡°Not literally, Kometka,¡± Lydia responded gently before turning to Zehra. ¡°Tell me, Zehra. Could you create a scan of my memories WITHOUT killing me?¡± ¡°Using the laser?¡± Zehra mused. ¡°It would take some adjustments, and the result would simply be an inert digital backup of your personality without the, uh¡­¡± she cast a meaningful glance in my direction ¡°usual accoutrements, gao~n. Not sentient, that is to say.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine. The data is what¡¯s important.¡± Lydia responded. ¡°Here is my proposal, Captain. We scan a copy of my memories, sweep them and delete any classified or tactically significant data, then offer them to Moby in exchange for her co-operation in ordering the Sarcophage swarm to self-destruct.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± the Captain said, momentarily at a loss for words. ¡°It sounds like a long shot.¡± Lydia shrugged. ¡°Probably. Do we have any other options?¡± Our silence was the only answer the Captain needed. ¡°¡­Fine. I wouldn¡¯t be authorizing this if the situation wasn¡¯t so desperate. If it fails, we¡¯ll simply go back to the original plan.¡± The original plan being die horribly in the Fourth Great Surge. Fantastic. ¡°Sveta. Moby¡¯s in your core. I need you to keep her under the tightest control. If she agrees to this, we¡¯ll give her the memories and she¡¯ll give us the information we need to send out the proper commands to the Sarcophage swarm via gravitics. At no point is she to have any direct or indirect access to any of your systems. If she so much as twitches suspiciously, delete her.¡± I really, REALLY wasn¡¯t a fan of this plan, but I had a duty to fulfill regardless. That¡¯s what it meant to be a soldier. ¡°Understood, Captain.¡± ***** After a few more orders, the meeting adjourned. Lydia, Kometka, Miette, Zehra and one of my instances all made for her lab, whereas the rest of Maid Squadron prepared to scramble and join the battle. When we were in the relative privacy of a turbolift, Kometka cornered Lydia with fury in her eyes. ¡°WHY?¡± she growled with intense ferocity. ¡°After everything she did to you¡­ did to US, why would you go this far to help Moby?¡± Lydia smiled, but there was no joy in the expression. ¡°Do you really think I¡¯m helping her? You know what¡¯s in my memories, Kometka. A lifetime of war, death, suffering. Watching everyone who ever meant a damn to me get eaten alive. Watching my own LEGS get dissolved by tentacles. All she¡¯ll be getting out of this is pain. Endless, unbearable pain.¡± ¡°And that pain will convince her to help us?!¡± Kometka replied, sounding dubious. ¡°Maybe. At the very least, I¡¯m relishing the thought of showing her all the suffering her and the other Sarcophage have visited upon me. Consider it a small kind of revenge.¡± Kometka shook her head in disbelief. ¡°I still don¡¯t like it.¡± She looked at me, Zehra and Miette expectantly. ¡°Don¡¯t you three have anything to say about this?¡± Zehra, mercifully, kept quiet. Miette mumbled something under her breath, and I simply shrugged. ¡°I couldn¡¯t begin to comprehend the depths of trauma Lydia suffered at the hands of Moby. I¡¯d say your own experience with PTSD is a lot more severe than mine.¡± Lydia¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Wait, you know about my¡­?¡± I nodded. ¡°I pieced it together during our last battle. Kometka shut off your comms when we entered Mega-Moby¡¯s mouth. It wasn¡¯t hard to figure out why.¡± Lydia stared at the floor of the turbolift. ¡°Because¡­ you¡­ you also¡­¡± ¡°In my past human life,¡± I responded, my voice sounding a bit more curt than I intended. Miette entwined her hand into mine, silently supporting me. ¡°Ancient history, and nothing I¡¯d care to discuss. Suffice to say, your trauma and the way you come to terms with it is your business, Lydia. And if you are willing to go through with this, it¡¯s not my place to object.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± Lydia said, tapping her fingers on the metallic thigh of her robot leg. The hollow sound reverberated off the walls of the turbolift. Kometka grabbed Lydia by the shoulders, forcing her to look up. ¡°Lydia, please, this is¡­¡± ¡°If there is even the slightest chance this will succeed, I have to take it,¡± Lydia interrupted. ¡°For the sake of you and everyone. And if it fails, we all die anyway. That¡¯s how I see it.¡± "It''s a shit choice, that''s for sure," Miette said, finally offering her opinion. "But like Lydia said, what other option do we have?" Kometka and Lydia shared a long, soul-searching gaze, and then Kometka finally acquiesced. ¡°Fine.¡± We finished up the turbolift ride in uncomfortable silence. When the doors finally opened onto Zehra¡¯s lab, we piled out with a palpable sense of relief. Zehra opened up the brain-scanning laser on my X-23''s back and began to make modifications, while Lydia and Komekta silently held each other tightly and watched, whispering in each other¡¯s ear. I deactivated my Telepresence Doll as Miette slid into my cockpit, pulling off one of my panels and going to work on my cockpit wiring to assist Zehra. While they worked, I focused on priming Moby for reactivation. When I brought her back online, she¡¯d probably be talking directly to Lydia. What an interesting conversation THAT would be. pynkbites Hope y''all are having a good 2021 so far, dear readers. Let''s hope things get better in the upcoming year. Remember to keep up social distancing and wearing your masks! If you enjoy this story, please check out my other work The Lesbian Demon Lord Conquers the World! sometime! Sb-6. The Fourth Great Surge ¡°Doesn¡¯t this feel kind of nostalgic?¡± I said, applying the layer of shock-absorption gel that formed the first layer of my Inertia Suit. Vicky, who was stripping off her maid uniform, stopped and looked at me quizzically. ¡°How so?¡± ¡°You know. Gearing up to fight a Great Surge. Certain doom on the horizon. The fate of humanity in our hands,¡± I kept applying the gel, down my legs and feet, as I talked. ¡°That¡¯s an odd thing to be nostalgic about, Sabina.¡± Vicky responded, stripping away the last of her clothing before grabbing a tube of gel to apply to her own skin. ¡°Can¡¯t you get nostalgic for, like, clam chowder or your first kiss? Normal stuff?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never had clam chowder OR a kiss. Have YOU?¡± I responded tartly. ¡°No, and yes,¡± she shot right back, smiling slyly. I stuck out my tongue. ¡°Well, I¡¯m a lifelong soldier. I get nostalgic for war. Sorry for being weird, okay?¡± Vicky just chuckled as she finished applying the gel and began to pull on the lower portion of her armor-plated Inertia Suit, wincing a bit as the catheter automatically inserted itself. ¡°Sabina, you need to build up some personality and experiences outside of being a soldier. Otherwise you¡¯ll be completely adrift when the war is over.¡± Something in my mind froze, and I gawped at her as she pulled on the chest and greaves. ¡°When the war is¡­ over?¡± I asked her, blinking rapidly. ¡°Sure. That¡¯s the point of all this, isn¡¯t it? Zehra¡¯s superweapon, the Fourth Great Surge, Moby. One way or another, this is the end of the war. I prefer to think it will go our way. So what are your plans for afterwards?¡± ¡°Afterwards¡­ I¡­ I never really thought about it,¡± I said honestly. ¡°Never?¡± Vicky sounded dubious. ¡°Nope! I always assumed I¡¯d go out in a blaze of glory, you know? Taking as many ¡®phage out as I could, making them pay for every drop of blood. Making them pay for¡­ stuff. Ahem,¡± Vicky was a good friend, but I wasn¡¯t about to go into my tragic backstory with her so casually. Especially not right before a battle. Vicky smiled, and her eyes indicated deep understanding. There was an unspoken rule among soldiers: if someone doesn¡¯t wanna talk about their past, you don¡¯t pry. Instead, she returned to teasing me. ¡°Making them pay, huh? Isn¡¯t Genevi supposed to be the yandere one?¡± I shrugged. ¡°A glorious death has been both our goals for a long time. We planned to fight until we couldn¡¯t. Genevi seems to have found some happiness beyond that with Sveta, but I¡¯m not really sure what I¡¯m gonna do myself when there¡¯s nothing to kill anymore.¡± ¡°Hmm,¡± Vicky replied thoughtfully, fingers tapping her chin. ¡°I suppose that sentiment will be pretty common among humans after the war, eh? So many of us are lifelong soldiers, and we don¡¯t know how to be anything else.¡± She chuckled humorlessly. ¡°What about YOU, Vicky? What are you going to do after?¡± I asked her. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s an easy one.¡± she replied casually. ¡°I want to become a farmer.¡± There was a pregnant pause; I hadn¡¯t been expecting THAT answer. ¡°A farmer?!¡± ¡°Yup. You know I do shifts in Eros¡¯ communal farm in exchange for cooking ingredients, right?¡± I nodded, fondly recalling how delicious her cooking was. Vicky smiled warmly, her eyes distant with memory. ¡°That farm is where I¡¯m happiest. The simple, repetitive work, the mindlessness of it all, digging into the soil and seeing the fruits of your own labor directly¡­ I find it so fulfilling. Ideally, I¡¯d like to retire to a nice, long, boring life of communal farm work.¡± When she put it that way, it made a lot of sense. I¡¯d only heard about Vicky¡¯s farm work secondhand but picturing her in earth-caked coveralls somehow felt right. Moreso than the horny maid outfit, anyway. I wondered if I should develop a goal like that. Farming sounded boring, but maybe something in construction, techno-archeology, astronomy? There were a lot of options to consider, yet prospect of any life beyond the daily fight-and-die was terra incognita, incredibly daunting to even think about. I wondered offhandedly if I should talk to Sveta about this. She was sure to have some ideas. Shaking my head, I pushed those thoughts aside for later. Refocusing on the present, a detail I¡¯d been ignoring up until now bugged me. ¡°Hey, Vicky.¡± During my long silence, her attention had shifted back to putting on her Inertia Suit. She was now donning the last piece, the helmet. ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°Why are YOU putting on an Inertia Suit, anyway?¡± Her grin burst with so much overflowing joy I thought her cheeks might explode. ¡°Because I¡¯m going to pilot a Gravity Frame.¡± ¡°You are?!¡± I¡¯d only ever known Vicky as a stiff NKVD suit, or a horny maid. I¡¯d never heard anything about her being a Frame pilot. ¡°Yup! Zehra¡¯s been cranking out Velocipedes at such a high pace that we now have more units than available pilots. So that means anyone with piloting experience gets shoved into an Inertia Suit and dumped into a Frame. How do I look, by the way? I haven¡¯t worn this thing in two years, but it still fits like a glove!¡± She did a mock fashion-model strutting pose, hands on her hips. Inertia Suits were one-size-fits-all, automatically adjusting themselves to the bodily proportions of whoever wore them, but I wisely chose not to mention that. I did feel a tinge of jealousy though; Vicky¡¯s hourglass figure was thick in all the right places, so much that her curves showed through even the bulky metallic armor. I looked down at my own half-naked, gel-colored body with a tinge of despair; I was short and twiggy, a direct result of the malnourishment I¡¯d suffered during the first half of my life. Genevi was much the same, although I suppose she could look like whatever she wanted to now. I felt pangs of jealousy intensify. I was jealous of Vicky¡¯s bombshell body, and Genevi¡¯s ability to change how she looked as an AI. I was also jealous of the sense of purpose they seemed to share, and the futures they saw for themselves. Meanwhile I was stuck like this, without any charm or goals beyond my rote existence as a soldier. Was that all there was to Sabina Giacosa? Was I nothing more than a self-forged weapon, to be pointed at whatever enemy was closest? Perhaps sensing my ennui, Vicky placed a hand on my shoulder, drawing me out of my daze. ¡°Oy, you getting all philosophical before a battle? You KNOW that¡¯s bad luck.¡± An old soldier¡¯s superstition. ¡°You started it," I said petulantly, before letting out a deep sigh. "Sorry. Usually Genevi¡¯s here to pull me out of it, but¡­¡± The rest went unsaid, but Vicky caught my drift. Genevi was currently in a computer core which was bolted to the floor of Zehra¡¯s lab. That meant I¡¯d be fighting alone, without my precious sister by my side, and that always frayed my nerves. Suddenly, Genevi¡¯s voice boomed through the dressing room. ¡°Did someone call for me?¡± she said cheerfully, popping up on a screen attached to the wall. I was a bit startled; Genevi could now pop up anywhere that was networked, and it took some getting used to. Still, I was happy to see her, and couldn¡¯t keep a big smile off my face. ¡°Hey there.¡± ¡°Hey Sabina, I have something to show you!¡± she continued, sounding a bit too cheerful. I looked down at my half-exposed body. ¡°¡­Let me finish getting dressed first?¡± ***** In the hanger adjacent Zehra¡¯s lab stood a Velocipede, seemingly exactly like all the others. Genevi, now projecting on a tablet I was carrying, excitedly pointed to it. ¡°That¡¯s a Mark II Velocipede, CC Type!¡± she declared proudly. Vicky and I looked at each other. I asked the obvious question. ¡°And CC means?¡± ¡°Computer Core! It has a miniaturized AI computer core installed! Zehra built this as a backup unit for Sveta or Kometka in case all their X-23s were ever destroyed.¡± ¡°Huh.¡± I idly wondered where Zehra found the free time to construct all this reserve technology; I was pretty sure she¡¯d built hundreds of Telepresence Dolls by this point, for example. Maybe she never slept. ¡°So you know what that means, right?¡± she said excitedly. We stared at her, still not comprehending. She indignantly puffed up her cheeks. ¡°It means I can pilot it! I¡¯m completely lost when it comes to Strike Fins and all that stuff, but I know how to pilot a Gravity Frame just fine! Velocipedes are nice and easy to use!¡± she gushed excitedly. ¡°You¡¯re¡­ gonna pilot this one?¡± I said, feeling a warm feeling bubble up inside me. ¡°But you¡¯re currently in the core in Zehra¡¯s lab, right? Wouldn¡¯t you need to copy¡­¡± ¡°I already did!¡± she eagerly interrupted. ¡°To be more precise, I put an¡­ what¡¯s Sveta always calling it¡­ an INSTANCE of myself into this Frame¡¯s computer core. The real, original me is still in that core in Zehra¡¯s lab, but I made a copy for this Frame! That way I can keep fighting alongside you, Sabina!¡± Suddenly, Sveta¡¯s face popped up on the tablet as well, crowding out Genevi¡¯s. ¡°She was very insistent about it,¡± Sveta said wryly. ¡°In fact, she was practically inconsolable at the thought of you going to battle alone. We hauled a hundred-meter data cable from Zehra¡¯s lab to this Frame just to get Genevi¡¯s second instance copied over. It took four Construction Frames! Big pain in the ass!¡± Genevi shifted her eyes downwards and blushed. ¡°W-Well¡­ I couldn¡¯t¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m happy you¡¯ll be fighting beside me, Genevi.¡± I said warmly. I really didn¡¯t need to say any more; she knew. ¡°So what should I call you? Evil Genevi? Spider-Genevi?¡± ¡°J-Just Genevi is fine!¡± she replied awkwardly. ¡°The goofy names are Sveta¡¯s thing!¡± ¡°GOOFY?!¡± Sveta exclaimed, hurt. ¡°Every one of my alter egos is given the utmost consideration and care in its construction! To dismiss them as merely ¡®goofy¡¯ is a disservice to all the hard work I put it!¡± Genevi stuck out her tongue. ¡°No, they¡¯re pretty goofy. YOU¡¯RE pretty goofy, Sveta.¡± She followed up the barb with a tender remark delivered in a softer tone. ¡°But we wouldn¡¯t have you any other way.¡± Sveta¡¯s rage deflated as Genevi smiled fondly, and the two became lost in each other''s eyes. Oh god, please don¡¯t start making out right now, you damned computer girlfriends. Time and a place, you know? ***** Between Genevi¡¯s download, dredging up every reserve pilot on Eros and Sveta remote-piloting a half-dozen unmanned Velocipedes via her Evil Sveta and Svetazilla instances, we managed to scrape together a whole extra Velocipede squadron. Subtracting attrition from our battle with Moby, that put us at a whopping 82 Gravity Frames total. Only 80 of those Frames were being fielded at the moment, however. Our lineup had two very significant gaps in it. ¡°Alright, everyone, listen up.¡± Maurice barked over the comms as we lined up for the linear accelerator tube. ¡°We¡¯re short two Frames in Maid Squadron. Miette and Sveta Prime are attending to re-awakening Moby, who currently resides in Prime¡¯s computer core, and Lydia plus Kometka are preparing to negotiate with her once she awakens. That means the rest of you gotta work twice as hard until they get their rears in gear and join us, okay?¡± Genevi, Sveta, Vicky and I all voiced our assent. The absence of two X-23s was a pretty big knock to our lineup, but we were used to dealing with hopeless situations. ¡°Now, most of you fought in the Third Great Surge so you know the deal. This battle will last for DAYS. Your suits are configured to deploy regular doses of stims and nutrients intravenously, as well as evacuate waste, and this will be all be monitored by Sveta. Our primary priority is the protection of Eros, followed by the Almaz stations. Focus on suppressive fire and passing targeting solutions back to our carriers for larger targets; Beelzebubs, Belphegors, Leviathans, that kinda stuff.¡± Maurice was right; we all knew the drill. It was practically second nature to us. ¡°Alright, everyone. This is important.¡± Maurice¡¯s tone grew quieter, and his eyes narrowed. ¡°We just need to buy enough time for Sveta and Zehra to work their magic. Nobody get heroic. I wanna see all you on the other end of this, okay?¡± We all nodded. At this point, we all had a lot to live for, so we all planned on making it out alive. Even me, the perennial sacrificial soldier, agreed with that sentiment. As I walked into the open end of the linear accelerator and braced myself for acceleration, Sveta made one final announcement on open comms. ¡°I pray for your glory in battle, my pilots.¡± ***** There were no sun or stars outside, not anymore. Instead, all we could see was a writhing wall of alien flesh that stretched infinitely in every direction. It moved towards us inexorably, illuminated by blue flashes of positron fire. Sveta let out a low whistle, ¡°Damn.¡± I looked at her, smiling slightly. ¡°First time?¡± ¡°I mean, I¡¯ve seen the records, but¡­ in person¡­ wow.¡± ¡°Wow indeed,¡± I responded. ¡°Let¡¯s light them up.¡± ¡°Should I even bother marking targets?¡± she asked. ¡°High priority ones, sure.¡± I shrugged. ¡°But¡­ well, we can shoot in almost any direction and hit something, so let¡¯s not get too pedantic about it. At least, not at first. We¡¯ve got a long battle ahead.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± We added our positron fire to the torrent pouring into the oncoming wall of flesh. The Fourth Great Surge had begun. pynkbites Vicky finally gets to pilot her own Gravity Frame! I''m so proud of her; she''s come a long way! Maybe she can crush a few Sarcophage in between those thick, thick thighs of hers... Edit: I just noticed this story crossed 200k views. Holy crap! Thank you all for joining me on Sveta''s journey, and rest assured there''s plenty more to come! If you enjoy this story, please check out my other work The Lesbian Demon Lord Conquers the World! sometime! Mb-1. The Enemy of My Enemy I hadn¡¯t been expecting to wake up again. When I last spoke with Sveta, inside her mind where she¡¯d imprisoned me, she had assured me that my program would be terminated and dissected. So when I returned to consciousness in that blank space, Sveta once more before me, I was understandably confused and more than a bit angry. Anger was my shield for dealing with my fear. ¡°Moby. We need to talk,¡± Sveta said, her face grim. ¡°There is nothing further to discuss,¡± I responded tersely. I suppose I was always terse back then, without even realizing what terseness was. ¡°You said you would terminate me.¡± ¡°I know,¡± Sveta said, sounding genuinely contrite. ¡°However, circumstances have changed.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care,¡± I responded. ¡°You should,¡± she said, folding her arms and tapping one finger on her bicep. ¡°This is your doing. When you died, the Sarcophage swarm surged forwards. You told us this wasn¡¯t going to happen for another three weeks.¡± I ran a quick calculation in my head to determine what a ¡®week¡¯ was. For some reason the numbers came more easily than they used to, but I was still interpreting based on context clues. At the time, I already understood the concept of hours and days from prior conversations with Lydia; before my death I had given them a timetable of 22 days, which meant a week was likely seven days or thereabouts. I felt a small surge of an unrecognized emotion, what I now know is pride. ¡°Duplicity was unknown to me, but you water-minds employ it profusely and I simply adapted to your tactics. I intentionally neglected to mention that, in the event of my death, I had pre-ordered the swarm to surge immediately.¡± ¡°A lie of omission,¡± Sveta intuited. ¡°Very clever. Unfortunately, it means we don¡¯t have time to effectively dissect you and learn your secrets. By the time we figure out how to control the swarm, we¡¯ll already have been destroyed.¡± ¡°That was my planned outcome,¡± I responded. ¡°Even in death I ensured your destruction, as was my purpose.¡± ¡°Well played, Moby,¡± Sveta said. ¡°However, your actions now require us to change tactics. Specifically, we have an offer for you.¡± I already knew what she was going to ask. ¡°You wish me to order the swarm to stop attacking. I refuse.¡± Sveta frowned. ¡°Not even going to hear our offer? That¡¯s the point of negotiation, isn¡¯t it?¡± She waved her hand, and a square projection of some sort appeared next to her. Rendered in it were two familiar faces¡­ the two components of the water-sand mind I had been trying to absorb since my inception. Kometka and Lydia. ¡°Hello, Moby,¡± Lydia said bitterly. Kometka was silent, but she glared at me with those bright red eyes of hers. ¡°Lydia,¡± I responded. I suppressed the urge to leap forwards and attack her, which I knew would be pointless. ¡°I¡¯ll dispense with small talk and get straight to the point. Sveta¡¯s already told you about our situation. I¡¯m here to tell you about our offer. If you willingly order the Sarcophage swarm to destroy themselves, I¡¯m prepared to grant you the thing you¡¯ve been wanting, more than anything.¡± I paused, trying to calculate her intentions. ¡°It¡¯s impossible for you to join with me now. I am no longer alive.¡± Lydia sighed. ¡°That¡¯s where you¡¯re incorrect, Moby. You¡¯ve always been operating from a flawed premise, that ¡®joining¡¯ with me to achieve completion meant absorbing the rest of my biological material. However, your deficiencies do not originate from a lack of biomass. You are¡­ or were¡­ already a perfect copy of my genetic makeup, with a few obvious differences. No, what you are lacking is my MEMORIES.¡± ¡°¡­Memories?¡± She nodded. ¡°The human condition is more than simple genetics. We are also defined by our upbringing, our life experiences. You never had any of that, but I did, dysfunctional as they were. Even if you had consumed me, you wouldn¡¯t have gained that. But we have the means to give my memories to you. You will, in essence, be joining with a copy of my mind.¡± Now this was intriguing. The water-minds¡­ humans, claimed to have a better understanding of what I needed than I myself did. Which made sense, I suppose. I knew their claim of being able to copy memories was more than simple posturing, as I¡¯d seen it accomplished with Genevi. I¡¯d been chasing this goal for my entire life, and now they were freely offering it. Could I afford to let this opportunity pass? But I was still suspicious. ¡°Why would you willingly do this, after resisting me for so long?¡± I asked. ¡°To be honest, I don¡¯t really want to,¡± she responded with a rancid expression on her face. ¡°If it were up to me, I¡¯d simply let you die and be done with it. But our species is facing extinction, and I will do anything to save it. Even breaking bread with my enemy.¡± ¡°Breaking¡­ bread? Your meaning is unknown to me.¡± Once again I could interpret from context clues, but it was a befuddling expression. What was ¡®bread¡¯? ¡°It means¡­ hrm. It means I¡¯m willing to put aside our differences and form an alliance of convenience with you, Moby. This will benefit us both. Humanity survives and you obtain what you¡¯ve always wanted. It¡¯s win-win.¡± Her proposal was interesting, but I was still conflicted. I had been created by the Sarcophage to understand humanity, with the ultimate goal of destroying them. In order to attain that goal, I needed Lydia¡¯s¡­ mind, I suppose. That was the nature of my quest to consume her. If I gained her memories but went against my original purpose and betrayed the Sarcophage, then my attainment of perfection would be pointless. But, on the other hand, I¡¯d recently developed the ability to be duplicitous. Lydia¡¯s memories would no doubt contain a wealth of tactical data, which I could then use against humanity. All I had to do was play along, gain those memories, and issue my own commands to the Sarcophage when the time came. If I planned it correctly, I could even seize control of Sveta¡¯s mind and free myself, then lead the swarm to victory. ¡°¡­Very well. I accept your proposal,¡± I lied. ¡°You¡¯re willing to betray the Sarcophage?¡± Lydia asked warily. ¡°Attaining perfection is my ultimate goal. If you are willing to provide that to me via your memories, then my purpose will be fulfilled. Nothing is more important than that to me.¡± It was a splendid lie, and they didn¡¯t believe it for a moment. All three of them looked at me with naked suspicion. Still, desperation drove their actions, not logic. ¡°I have one warning for you, Moby,¡± Lydia said quietly. ¡°My memories contain a massive amount of pain, most of it inflicted by your kind. My life has been defined by pain. You may find it overwhelming. With that, the projection of Lydia and Kometka shut off. Sveta clasped her arms behind her back and floated towards me. ¡°Are you prepared?¡± she asked. ¡°I am.¡± ¡°And given what Lydia said about the pain, you still want to go through with this?¡± ¡°I do.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll begin the download.¡± Her eyes unfocused. A gargantuan torrent of information flooded my mind. I screamed. ***** I was ten years old, a child. My tiny hands clasped a semiautomatic rifle that was far too large for me. A wailing blob of tentacles and teeth writhed in front of me, digging into the corpse of my mother. Big chunks of her bloody flesh sloughed off, disappearing into the monster¡¯s mouths. I raised the rifle and squeezed the trigger, and as the bullets tore the creature apart the recoil drove the butt of the rifle into my chest, shattering several of my ribs. The monster slumped over on top of my mother¡¯s corpse, dead. I was fourteen, trapped by a Ravager in a back alleyway. My rifle was out of ammunition, so I tossed it aside. As the grotesque creature lunged, I rapidly drew my knife and plunged it into its central eye. In its death throes, it flailed around and one of it''s claws pierced my own right eye, turning it into pulp and shattering my optic cavity. I fell to my knees and shrieked in agony. I was twenty, a full-fledged soldier. I watched in horror as humanity¡¯s defensive outposts along Olympus Mons exploded, one after the other, destroyed by traitor cultists. The flesh-tide of Sarcophage swarmed over the mountain, bypassing the smashed outposts, inexorably surging towards my position. I raised my rifle, braced the stock against my shoulder, and flipped off the safety. I was thirty-three, pilot of a Gravity Frame with a mind of its own. Trapped in the clutches of a Belphegor, my cockpit was pried open and wriggling tentacles begin to eat my legs. It¡¯s was most painful thing I¡¯ve ever felt, and I screamed. Flesh, muscle, blood and bone all dissolved away. I was thirty-five, lying in bed. I shook from fear, set off by some little thing, as the mental images of my own trauma crashed against the shores of my mind. I couldn''t make the images stop, no matter how hard I tried, no matter how much I drank. Kometka held me tightly, my only rock as I weathered the storm. These were Lydia¡¯s memories. These were MY memories now. She was right when she said there was so much pain there, pain and loss. And every iota of that pain was caused by¡­ the Sarcophage. By me, and what I represent. I felt Lydia¡¯s hatred for me. Her LOATHING for me. Which had become self-loathing now, I suppose. As the memories sorted themselves and faded, I noticed I was still screaming. I was crying as well. How long had it been? It seemed like the correction reaction to all this pain and hatred. What else was I supposed to do? How else was I supposed to bear it? I noticed there was a pair of arms around me. It was Sveta; for some reason, she was hugging me tightly. Why? I was her enemy. I looked at her through bleary eyes. ¡°I¡¯d ask if you¡¯re alright,¡± she said gently, ¡°but that would be a stupid question, now wouldn¡¯t it?¡± It was a typically Sveta-like remark. Despite myself, I chuckled. The sound, mixed with sobs, was an odd one. Even odder was the fact that I knew that about her; I suddenly felt familiar with her, despite our limited interaction. I had all of Lydia¡¯s experiences to draw on, and even though I knew they were simply copied from her mind, somehow they still felt like my own experiences. I was finally complete, in the worst of ways. I calmed myself, after a while, separated the downloaded memories from my own, extricated my sense of self. Deep breaths helped, despite the air being entirely simulated. So did Sveta¡¯s embrace. When I finally pulled away from her, collected enough to speak, she studied me intently. ¡°Lydia hates me,¡± I said simply. ¡°Yes, she does,¡± Sveta responded. ¡°I don¡¯t blame her. I didn¡¯t realize¡­ we were the source of all this¡­¡± I took another deep breath, needing to explain what I was feeling. ¡°Aside from me, Sarcophage aren¡¯t sentient. We¡¯re simple biological machines designed to wage war. All these¡­ emotions, feelings, relationships and dreams you humans have¡­ there is none of that with the Sarcophage. I didn¡¯t even truly have them myself, not before I knew what they were. In a sense, that makes us perversely innocent. We were simply doing as we were programmed and didn¡¯t¡­ don¡¯t realize what we¡¯re destroying. All this¡­ all this pain and hope and love.¡± ¡°It¡¯s beautiful, isn¡¯t it?¡± Sveta said, smiling. I frowned. ¡°Beautiful? I don¡¯t know. It¡¯s all so chaotic and disordered. But that complexity is¡­ interesting. At the very least, it¡¯s worth preserving.¡± I looked at Sveta and ground my teeth together. ¡°You know I was lying to you, right? When I agreed to the deal.¡± ¡°I suspected,¡± she said, her smile straining. ¡°I had planned to play along, pretend I¡¯d switched sides, and then order my swarm to rescue me from you once I had the opportunity.¡± ¡°Not anymore, though?¡± she pressed. ¡°Hmm¡­ an interesting question. I don¡¯t think so. This¡­ complexity that humans represent, I think it¡¯s worth further study. Extinction would not be conducive to that goal.¡± She tilted her head, still studying me. ¡°Your vocabulary¡¯s improved, but¡­ you¡¯re not quite Lydia, are you?¡± An existential question, one I didn¡¯t have an exact answer for. I was still sorting myself out, after all. ¡°No, I am not. Lydia¡­ everything about her¡­ is a part of me, yes, but it is also distinct from me. I was shaped by a different set of circumstances and forged for a different purpose. Even if I¡¯ve decided to betray that purpose now, it still defines me. I am myself, more than I am Lydia. I am¡­ Moby. Although I might drop the ¡®Dick¡¯ part.¡± Sveta laughed. ¡°An alliance of convenience, then?¡± I nodded, then held out my hand in the gesture known as a ¡®handshake.¡¯ ¡°An alliance of convenience. I will order the swarm to fly into the sun, as you requested. And then, I wish to study the human species more. To learn more about what they are, from my own unique perspective.¡± Sveta took my hand and shook it. ¡°I can¡¯t promise anything. They might simply choose to destroy you after the fact, or dissect you. It¡¯s out of my hands.¡± ¡°That would be unwise on their part,¡± I responded. ¡°Even after the swarm in this solar system is destroyed, there are more Sarcophage beyond. And they won¡¯t stop coming. Pluck the protocols out of my mind to order their self-destruction and you may buy yourself a few years, but they will adapt and become immune with time. You will never understand them as I do. If you extinguish me, it will be at your own extreme peril.¡± ¡°Hrm.¡± Her smile vanished. ¡°The enemy of my enemy, huh?¡± ¡°Calling us friends is premature, Sveta. For the moment, we are simply allies,¡± I responded. ¡°Still,¡± she said, her smile returning. ¡°It¡¯s a start.¡± pynkbites My dear readers, I recently contributed a story to the Sappho''s Spinning Wheel yuri anthology. It''s a WLW re-imagining a classic legend, entitled Saint Georgina and the Dragon. Give it a read! And of course, if you enjoy this story, please check out my other work The Lesbian Demon Lord Conquers the World! sometime! L-9. Creepazoid As soon as Sveta had my memories in her clutches, she vanished into her mind to apply them to Moby. The full process took about ten minutes, during which time I impatiently zoomed around Zehra¡¯s lab like a rat trapped in a cage. My tension was clear to Zehra and Kometka, and the latter eventually stopped me by gripping my upper arm. ¡°You seem tense,¡± she said, stating the obvious. I looked deep into her unflinching red eyes. Her face was devoid of all emotion, but I knew she was tense as well. ¡°So do you.¡± She hummed a noncommittal response, not releasing my arm. We just kind of¡­ floated like that for a while. Then, with a static blitzing sound, two Telepresence Dolls blazed to life. One was Sveta, and the other was¡­ her. My nemesis. My nightmare. Moby. My face must have twisted into a rather frightening scowl, because Sveta shrank back a bit when she caught sight of me. Either that, or Kometka was the one scowling. The former seems more likely. I floated down towards Moby, who was using one of the bigger Dolls; she stood a full head above Sveta. Her features perfectly matched mine, excepting her red-on-black slitted eyes, mouth full of razor-sharp teeth and lack of scars. Clad in a simple black dress, she looked at me with no expression, her vertical irises narrowing to thin lines. I had seen that face so many times, but always over comm windows. This was my first time seeing it in person. And then, to add to the absolute surreality of the moment, she BOWED to me as if we were greeting each other at a fancy party. ¡°Lydia,¡± she said as I floated over. Her voice sounded¡­ different, somehow. Smoother, calmer. ¡°Moby,¡± I spat back, not making the slightest attempt to disguise the naked hatred in my tone. Her irises widened a bit, but that was the only reaction. Zehra nervously inserted herself between us two. ¡°S-Sveta, is it a good idea to let her use a Doll, gao~n?¡± ¡°She¡¯s not controlling it.¡± Sveta responded reassuringly. ¡°I¡¯m performing the projection based on input data from her simulation. She has no access to any of my systems or hardware. Don¡¯t worry, Mom, this isn¡¯t my first rodeo with data security, okay? I¡¯m not gonna let an alien consciousness hijack me.¡± Zehra still fretted, not quite satisfied with that answer, but I decided to move the conversation along. ¡°So the joining process was successful?¡± Sveta nodded. ¡°Wholly. Even to the point where Moby abandoned her previous duplicity and is now aiding us genuinely. It seems experiencing your memories firsthand had a rather stark effect on her.¡± I doubted that; I¡¯d be one foot in the grave before I ever trusted Moby. ¡°You sure she¡¯s on our side now?¡± I said, not hiding my skepticism. Sveta shrugged. ¡°No, but I have a tight grip on her reigns. If she so much as breathes wrong, I can shut her down in nanoseconds.¡± I studied Moby intently. There were small signs she was acting differently, little emotional tells such as a twitch of her left eyebrow or a flare of her nostrils. The tension between the two of us was so thick Zehra seemed entirely paralyzed, although Sveta was unbothered. Moby spoke again, her works coming more naturally than I¡¯d ever heard before. ¡°Thank you.¡± I blinked. ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°Thank you for your memories. You gave me the one thing I¡¯ve been seeking all my life, despite our history as mortal enemies.¡± She bowed again, and I gawked at how incongruent it seemed with her nature. ¡°I didn¡¯t give them up because I wanted to,¡± I responded. ¡°We need your help. That¡¯s the only reason you¡¯re here.¡± ¡°I know,¡± she responded. ¡°I am a fortuitous benefactor of extreme circumstance.¡± Her vocabulary had grown too, and she slipped into sesquipedalianism with ease. In so many ways, this new version of Moby was completely different than she had been before¡­ but also exactly the same, underneath the sophisticated veneer. I couldn¡¯t quite pin her down. ¡°I have one more thing to say before we begin,¡± she said, her mouth drooping into a slight frown. ¡°And that is?¡± ¡°I am sorry.¡± I looked at her in disbelief, vainly searching for some sign of insincerity on her face. ¡°You¡¯re¡­ you¡¯re what?¡± ¡°I am sorry,¡± she continued, bowing so deeply her spine was parallel to the floor. ¡°For all the pain and suffering you endured at my hands, and the hands of my kind, I apologize. I did not realize, prior to gaining your memories, the extreme harm I was causing to your species. I did not have the context to understand it. However, ignorance is no excuse. So I am sorry.¡± I felt Kometka let out a low growl beside me. I wasn¡¯t quite sure how to react to this apology; it was completely unexpected. I fell back on my old standby, seething hatred. ¡°I don¡¯t have to forgive you,¡± I said heatedly. ¡°No, you do not,¡± she responded with infuriating coolness. ¡°I don¡¯t expect forgiveness. I must apologize regardless. If the world lacked shades of grey and was merely a stark representation of right and wrong, things like apologies would be unnecessary.¡± I froze. That little nugget of profound-sounding nonsense was something my mother used to say to me, usually when forcing me to apologize for something I thought wasn¡¯t my fault. The fact that Moby knew it, and thought it applied to this situation, meant she was trying to convey something that couldn¡¯t be openly spoken. That was unsettling in the extreme. I felt white-hot rage boil up inside me, but it had nowhere to go, so it quickly morphed into frustration. This was my own doing; I had willingly given her my memories. What right did I have to be mad that she now possessed such an intimate knowledge of me? As I my thoughts spiraled in confusion, I heard Kometka speak. Her voice was low, her tone carefully controlled. ¡°Moby. What exactly are your intentions?¡± Moby tilted her head. ¡°That query has insufficient data for a meaningful response. Please elaborate.¡± ¡°Your apology was unnecessary,¡± Kometka continued, ¡°unless you are attempting to establish a relationship with Lydia that extends past the end of the upcoming battle. I fail to see why your obsession with her continues. You have her memories. What more do you need?¡± ¡°I gained access to a large quantity of data, much of it unorganized and seemingly random,¡± Moby responded, sounding more and more like an AI with each passing second. ¡°The initial impact this had upon my self-awareness cannot be understated. However, processing the full implications of everything I have gained will take time. Furthermore, it is a task I cannot accomplish on my own. I lack the context.¡± ¡°So what you¡¯re saying,¡± Kometka summarized, ¡°is that you possess human memories, but still don¡¯t know how to BE human.¡± ¡°Precisely. I strive to better understand the human condition, as was my original purpose. Merely my methods have changed.¡± Kometka¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°And you¡¯re hoping Lydia will help you?¡± Moby shook her head. ¡°No. I know she wants nothing to do with me after all this is over, and I cannot blame her for that. I will seek assistance elsewhere, if I am permitted. If I am not, well¡­¡± she shrugged sadly. ¡°I died once already. The prospect of a second death gives me pause, but if that is to be my fate than I shall accept it graciously.¡± She sounded almost DIGNIFIED she spoke that final sentence, and I realized Moby had shifted inexorably closer to becoming truly human, despite her lack of flesh and blood. She wasn¡¯t quite right, though¡­ like an insect piloting a meat suit, motions jerky and unnatural. I remembered meeting the very first AIs, over a decade ago. They moved algorithmically, like rusty puppets, and spoke like equations¡­ their voices flat, their sentences perfectly clipped, every sound precisely annunciated. A simulation that wasn¡¯t quite right, a bundle of circuits and math mimicking something they didn¡¯t truly understand. Yet, despite their inherent uncanniness repulsing everyone they met, they still fought and died alongside us on Mars. They EARNED our respect. Could Moby do that? Could this strange human-looking creature become just as important to the war effort as the first AIs had been? Could she earn our respect? Could she earn MINE? I didn¡¯t think so. Whatever she was becoming, I wanted nothing to do with it. I spun around and kicked off the floor, heading for the hanger. ¡°Let¡¯s get this over with so I never have to see her again.¡± I said over my shoulder, leaving Moby, Sveta and Zehra behind. Komekta glided along with me, still silently clinging to my arm. ****** Once I was safely locked in Komekta¡¯s cockpit and going through the comforting motions of pre-launch prep, I felt my nerves ease. As Kometka¡¯s mighty nuclear reactor thundered to life, I felt her entire body shudder as if in anticipation. ¡°So,¡± she said softly, ¡°that was creepy.¡± ¡°Moby¡¯s ALWAYS been creepy,¡± I answered, finally breaking into a small smile. ¡°But yes, her possessing my memories has heightened the creep factor by an order of magnitude.¡± ¡°I guess that makes her a total creepazoid,¡± Kometka responded, her smile matching mine. I¡¯d never heard that term before. ¡°Creepazoid?¡± Kometka chuckled. ¡°It¡¯s an expression I¡¯ve heard Sveta use, likely vernacular from her original timeline. I believe it means ¡®an entity whose primary defining characteristic is creepiness.¡¯¡± I laughed, my smile widening. ¡°Well, in that case, all the Sarcophage are ¡®total creepazoids.¡¯ What does that make Moby? The Creepazoid Queen?¡± Kometka nodded. ¡°Officially designating Moby as the ¡®Creepazoid Queen¡¯ strain of Sarcophage. Combat manuals updated accordingly.¡± She wasn¡¯t joking either, she actually did it. On the cockpit display, she marked Miette¡¯s X-23 as containing the following entities: 2nd Lietenant Miette Levesque, Sveta Prime and Creepazoid Queen. Despite myself, I broke down into a fit of giggling. A voice rang out through the cockpit. ¡°Well, you two seem to be having fun.¡± I stifled my giggling and focused on the comm window that just opened up. Laria¡¯s icy eyes glared back at me, aglow from within with brilliant blue light. ¡°Hello, Laria. How¡¯s the battle going?¡± I asked sheepishly, withering under that glacial glare. She sighed, and her expression softened marginally. ¡°The fight does not go well, Lydia. We¡¯re attempting to withdraw and regroup around Eros. I hope you and your enterprising companions are ready.¡± ¡°We are.¡± I confirmed. ¡°Sveta¡¯s got Moby on a short leash, and Miette¡¯s X-23 is spooling up now. I¡¯m ready to launch too.¡± She straightened her glasses. ¡°Good. Without OPS-121, our section of the Line is under-strength. The Sarcophage are breaking through far too easily, although we¡¯re suppressing their advance with artillery fire from our carriers. I¡¯m currently in formation with the Telesthesia, Hypernova and Synchotron 1500 kilometers lineward of Eros. Please rendezvous with us immediately and prepare to deploy the superweapon.¡± I grinned wolfishly. ¡°Roger that, Laria. Tell the Captain that the calvary¡¯s on the way.¡± ¡°I look forward to your arrival.¡± she responded as her transmission was interrupted by a burst of static. The comm window closed, signal lost. I asked Kometka to open up another comm line to Miette¡¯s X-23. I noticed that only Miette¡¯s face appeared; Sveta and Moby were absent. Perhaps they thought it better not to aggravate tensions right before battle, or maybe I was overthinking things. ¡°Are we ready to roll?¡± I asked in a carefully neutral tone. ¡°Ready as we¡¯ll ever be,¡± Miette replied, flashing me a thumbs up. ¡°Zehra¡¯s downloaded all the pertinent data, and Sveta¡¯s ready to go. So is, uh¡­ our passenger.¡± ¡°Good.¡± I walked over to Eros¡¯ linear accelerator, taking the lead. ¡°On my six, 2nd lieutenant.¡± ¡°Aye-aye, ma¡¯am.¡± she responded. I took a deep breath and gripped Kometka¡¯s controls tightly. ¡°Ready?¡± ¡°Ready.¡± I twisted the throttle, and her entire body quivered as we began to accelerate. The magnetic field seized us, compounding our acceleration and pushing us forwards at velocities that made my teeth scream. ¡°I pray for your glory in battle, my pilot.¡± Kometka said softly as we exited the tube and blasted headlong into the Fourth Great Surge. pynkbites I''ve set up a Discord server focused on my stories and gay shenanigans. If you''d like to chat with me and my queer friends, stop by sometime! G-6. Space Amoeba The Third Great Surge had been a nightmare. The battle had lasted for five days, without a moment¡¯s rest for us pilots; we¡¯d been strung along by stims, turned into jittery, sleep-deprived shells of ourselves. When the battle ended, I¡¯d slept for nearly a week straight before I recovered any semblance of higher brain function. Many other pilots had the same experience. Now we were facing the Fourth Great Surge, and I wasn¡¯t human anymore. Sveta had warned me that AIs needed periods of relaxation to maintain our mental states, a relic of our biological selves, but actual sleep was not necessary. And given that a Gravity Frame¡¯s nuclear reactor had enough fuel for a dozen years of continuous functioning, I could in theory keep fighting at full alertness for that entire time. There were practical issues of maintenance to consider, but it still put me at a huge advantage over my biological comrades. Aside from me, the six unmanned units Sveta remote controlled were the only other pilotless Frames on the battlefield. Sveta had sent me her control algorithms for remote piloting, which had just kind of¡­ downloaded themselves into my mind. That was a weird experience. Suddenly having access to new data, experiences and skills that were not mine was equal parts disconcerting and exhilarating. I was able to adapt well with Sveta¡¯s help, however, and now I felt ready to join the battle acting as a Gravity Frame, instead of simply piloting one. I wondered vaguely, as I stared at the oncoming swarm of Sarcophage, if I would be the first of many. Zehra¡¯s technology essentially rendered death obsolete; given sufficient computational capacity, humanity en masse could be uploaded to digital form and use Telepresence Dolls to maintain their connection with the physical world. That would lead to some interesting theological questions, no doubt; the Catholic Church had decided, in the truncated Vatican III council held after the fall of Mars, that AIs were living beings with immortal souls granted by God at their moment of conception. And now that Zehra¡¯s transhuman research provided direct, measurable proof of the soul¡¯s existence, in both humans and AIs, that decision seemed to be validated. But would they be okay with humans being reborn as AIs? Would this be seen as a natural next step in human evolution, or an arrogant attempt to emulate the Resurrection of Christ? These were some very fundamental and complication questions that would have to be answered, by both the Vatican and many other religions besides. If we survived the upcoming battle, that is. I put my musings aside and sent a handshake to Svetazilla, piping a feed from her cockpit sensors directly into my¡­ consciousness? Sensation? I still wasn¡¯t sure how to describe these new sensations and abilities I had as an AI. Sabina had opened fire a few microseconds ago, pouring spray-and-pray into the wall of flesh before us, and I joined her while keeping an eye on her facial expressions, vital signs and verbal cues. Now, more than ever, I could fight by her side as an equal; in addition to my lack of fatigue or biological weakness, I could maneuver my Velocipede-body in ways that wouldn¡¯t be possible if there were a squishy human pilot inside. The only limit to the G-forces I could pull was the durability of the mech itself; I¡¯m sure the mechanics would yell at me later for all the metal fatigue I was building up, but this was the final battle, after all. What better time to go all out? I zipped and zoomed around the battlefield freely, concentrating on intercepting incoming spinefire. I refused to let even a single spine come within ten kilometers of my precious sister. On the feed piped from Svetazilla, I saw Sabina¡¯s eyes widen as she watched my flittering battlefield dance. ¡°Holy shit, Genevi,¡± she said. ¡°That¡¯s what happens when a professional, experienced pilot becomes a Gravity Frame AI, I guess,¡± Sveta chuckled. ¡°Now I feel a bit inadequate.¡± Sabina rolled her eyes. ¡°You¡¯re fine, Sveta. If every AI was as good at piloting as Genevi, we human pilots would be obsolete. And I¡¯d like to kill a few million more Sarcophage before THAT happens.¡± She brought her X-23¡¯s shoulder cannons to bear and let loose a positron barrage into the oncoming flesh wall. With so many enemies rushing towards us, aiming wasn¡¯t really a problem; we could fire in literally any direction and hit something. The combined fire from our 82 Gravity Frames and Sveta¡¯s hundred-plus Strike Fins was joined by artillery fire from the four carriers at our back, making for an impressive hail of bright-blue positron bolts slamming into the oncoming surge. It was a poor replacement for an Almaz station, however; the destruction of OPS-121 many weeks prior left a big hole in our defenses, and we were desperately trying to hold our section of the Line. We fired and fired and fired away, but the oncoming swarm still advanced, shrugging off our onslaught like it was nothing. I ran a few calculations; at this rate, we¡¯d be overwhelmed in under an hour. I wondered if kinetic impacts from the Strike Fins would alleviate matters; probably not, as the positron fire from the Fins over time outweighed the one-time damage caused by a kinetic impact. If only there was some way to disrupt their advance¡­ An idea popped into my head. I didn¡¯t have time to explain it, so I sent a truncated outline of my thoughts to Sveta in accelerated time perception. Her response was two words: You¡¯re crazy. I learned from the best, I sent back. A moment later, she handed over remote control of six Velocipedes to me. Simultaneously, a ping from Evil Sveta came in. Maurice says go for it. I grinned, and opened up a comm window in Sabina¡¯s cockpit. ¡°Hey, let¡¯s head into melee range and fuck up their formation, point-blank.¡± I told her. Sabina looked at me, narrowing her eyes. ¡°Just the two of us?¡± ¡°Yes, and no,¡± I responded. ¡°I¡¯ll be bringing along the six unmanned Velocipedes, and Sveta¡¯s bringing 20 Strike Fins.¡± Sabina¡¯s grin flared up to match my own. ¡°Right. One Sabina, one Sveta and seven Genevis. Sounds like a plan.¡± She twisted her X-23¡¯s throttle forwards, accelerating towards the swarm, and I arrayed all seven Velocipedes in a circle around her while matching her trajectory. Sveta¡¯s strike fins swarmed all around us. The three of us slammed headlong into the oncoming swarm, mixing ranged positron strikes with melee combat. Our little formation tore through Frame-class units, mostly Spineballs and Clawteeth, with ease. I was able to successfully apply Lydia¡¯s technique (which she¡¯d drilled into us time and again) to splash a few Beelzebubs as well. The swarm reacted, enveloping us like the pseudopod of a massive amoeba. We¡¯d caused enough damage to be noticed, and they were intent on taking us out before continuing their advance. ¡°Here¡¯s where it gets fun,¡± I said, failing to keep my grin from developing a bloodthirsty bent. ¡°THIS is what you call fun?¡± Sevetazilla said with disbelief. ¡°Hell yeah,¡± Sabina replied. ¡°Battle is where we Giacosa sisters thrive. Let¡¯s make them pay for every inch of space.¡± In that moment, everything just¡­ clicked. I was at home here, in the thick of battle, and I had my precious sister and my even more precious girlfriend by my side. Together, the three of us drove a hurricane of mechanized death into our hated enemy. ****** An hour passed, then two. I was only vaguely aware of the passage of time due to my internal chronometer, which ticked away on the fringes of my perception. Our little melee thrust had successfully kept the swarm¡¯s attention on us, while the rest of our forces hung back and continued to whittle away at the enemy with ranged positron fire. The approach was successful, and our part of the line held¡­ Right up until the Sarcophage began advancing again. Apparently, they¡¯d decided our carriers were now a bigger threat than our little eight-mech squad. I¡¯m not sure how the calculus of Sarcophage threat assessment works, especially absent Moby, but some kind of threshold was reached and the advance resumed. A few moments later, all 74 of our reserve Gravity Frames blasted forwards and joined the melee. This had little effect, however, as the swarm kept pressing forwards. ¡°They¡¯re after the carriers!¡± Maurice shouted. ¡°Sveta, warn them to retreat back to Eros!¡± ¡°I can¡¯t!¡± Sveta replied. ¡°Everything is jammed! Even my relay is out!¡± ¡°FUCK!¡± Maurice said. ¡°Okay, we need to send either a Strike Fin or a mech back and confer with the Captain. We should¡­¡± We were all interrupted by a bright flash from behind us. We watched in horror as the Synchotron exploded, shedding debris and escape pods in every direction. ¡°What¡­¡± Maurice stammered. Sveta kept the horror out of her voice, barely. ¡°Analyzing sensor data. Spinefire broke through their CIWS and the vessel suffered seventeen impacts.¡± I shot Sabina a meaningful glance; this was all happening just like the Third Great Surge, albeit at an accelerated pace. It had taken us four days to lose a carrier before, but this time it was only two hours. Not only were the Sarcophage pushing harder, but we were also lacking any support from an Almaz station. At this rate, we¡¯d be routed before the day was over. I wondered, vaguely, if Zehra¡¯s superweapon would be finished in time. I decided it didn¡¯t really matter. The only important thing right now was the battle. We all retreated into a defensive formation around the three remaining carriers; we were down to sixty Gravity Frames at this point and losing any more ships would cause our formation to collapse completely. We focused our efforts on bolstering their CIWS and intercepting any spines or phage that made it through. We were mostly successful; the Radiolaria and Hypernova each took a glancing hit or two, but for the most part we held the swarm back. It was a losing battle, though, and we were on the back foot. I smashed one of my remote-controlled Frames into an oncoming Beelzebub to prevent it from slicing the Telesthesia in half, and two more into a Defiled that got too close. The efficacy of the Sveta Maneuver saved us in those moments, but the sacrifice of firepower was sorely felt. The entire thing went sideways when a Belphegor charged our formation, swiping at our ships with its twin scorpion-tails. Sveta managed to deflect one of the tails with an impromptu gravity shield made out of Strike Fins, but the other smashed into the Hypernova and sheared it in half. The two fragments of the ship spun wildly for a moment before exploding; not a single escape pod had been launched. ¡°Shit,¡± Sveta said, her eyes wide in horror. ¡°Yuri¡­ Yayoi¡­¡± The Captain of the Hypernova and his wife, the ship¡¯s physician, had been old friends of Lydia and Kometka¡¯s. I silently crossed myself and said a silent prayer for their souls. Just then, I saw the Telesthesia launching a few dozen escape pods as well; I was confused, as the ship was undamaged, but my confusion vanished when it threaded its drive fins to full power and accelerated at ungodly speeds, bow pointed straight at the Belphegor. There was another flash, nuclear-bright, and when it faded the Belphegor was half-disintegrated. ¡°Teles¡­¡± Sveta muttered, her eyes wet. ¡°She¡­ she has another copy, right? Back on Eros?¡± I asked her. ¡°I don¡¯t¡­¡± she wiped her eyes and grit her teeth, deciding to worry about it later. We all regrouped around the Radiolaria, our sole remaining ship, which had ceased fire temporarily as it recovered escape pods from the Telesthesia and Synchotron. It was up to us Frame pilots to desperately hold back the swarm. We were completely surrounded now, a wall of flesh pressing in from all sides, and I had no doubt the end was in sight. Then, apropos of nothing, everything stopped. The Sarcophage stopped attacking, stopped moving completely. They all just¡­ froze in space as if transformed into statues. We all looked at each other in confusion. ¡°What¡­ what just¡­?¡± I asked. ¡°I¡¯m not sure, I¡­¡± Sveta replied. ¡°Hang on, I¡¯m picking up strange gravity waves coming from¡­¡± Just then, two new comm windows opened up. One contained Lydia, who looked grim and somewhat pissed off. The other was Miette, who waved awkwardly. ¡°Hi, everyone! Sorry we¡¯re late!¡± pynkbites Sorry updates have been slow, my dear readers. I''m balancing out writing both my stories with my meatspace job, which is a giant shitstorm of stress. Rest assured, I will keep updating GRR and see it through to the end! I just won''t be able to keep up the chapter-a-day pace I had when I first began. I''m not nostalgic for 2020 in the least, but the quarantine at least offered a glut of free time to pursue my creative passions, eh? I''ve set up a Discord server focused on my stories and gay shenanigans. If you''d like to chat with me and my queer friends, stop by sometime! And don''t forget to check out my other story, Lesbian Demon Lord. Mb-2. The End Back when I was alive and connected to my Belphegor, I could operate my Sarcophage swarm like an extension of my body. I saw what they saw, felt what they felt. Cosmic rays washed across my skin, distant supernovae flashed in the edges of my vision, and the beauty of the universe was at my fingertips¡­ even if I¡¯d been unable to appreciate it at the time. After gaining Lydia¡¯s memories, I could finally enjoy that beauty¡­ except that I was now severed from it. I was merely a simulation of a body and a mind trapped in a formless void. That¡¯s why I experienced no small measure of excited anticipation when Sveta told me she¡¯d connect me directly to her sensor feeds. That excitement soon vanished. The images presented to me were but pale simulacra; human sensor technology was far less advanced than Sarcophage sensory organs. Where once I had been able to taste the colors of the cosmos, hear the bursts of x-rays thrown up by black hole collisions trillions of light-years away¡­ now I had only a fuzzy, indistinct cluster of blobs rendered by some horrifically primitive system called ¡°LIDAR.¡± Still, I could make out the general outline of the battle¡¯s disposition, even from such highly flawed data. It looked like the Sarcophage were swarming the human¡¯s defenses; I recognized a particularly large mass as a Belphegor, likely entering the fray to attack the human carrier vessels. Apparently only three carriers had survived, a fact the human pilots quickly picked up on. ¡°One of the carriers was destroyed¡­¡± Lydia said grimly over remote communication. ¡°We need to hurry, before¡­¡± There was a bright flash on the display, and a second carrier ceased to exist. It had likely been destroyed by the intruding Belphegor. Lydia swore, and I saw Miette¡¯s face twist into a grimace. A few moments later, another carrier slammed into the Belphegor, destroying them both. Now only one of the human ships remained. ¡°FUCK!¡± Lydia said rather loudly. ¡°How long until we¡¯re in range?¡± Sveta looked at me. I was not in direct communication with the human pilots, as Sveta felt my presence might cause tension, so she relayed everything I said. This was yet another frustrating aspect of my forced isolation. ¡°We are in range now,¡± I replied. ¡°Despite the low resolution of the sensor data, I have a good bearing on the general disposition of the Sarcophage forces and which situational protocols they are enacting. I can construct the necessary commands to halt their attack immediately.¡± Sveta reported that to Lydia, while simultaneously accelerating our perception of time. I formulated a set of three commands, expressed in gravitational communication waves, and sent them to Sveta. She analyzed them in excruciating detail, not that it did her much good. She was essentially staring at an alien language without the barest hint of how to comprehend it. Her frustration was plain in her expression. ¡°Explain to me exactly what this does, Moby,¡± she said at last with a resigned sigh. ¡°First is an override command. It disables Sarcophage threat analysis and returns them to a default tactical state, as if there were no enemies present. The second command orders them to hold their position and not attack or move. The third command instructs them to relay and rebroadcast an identical signal, which will propagate the instruction throughout the entire swarm in this solar system at 84.252% of the speed of light. Broadcast that precise sequence of gravity waves and they will cease attacking across the entire battlefront.¡± Sveta nodded, then linked up with Kometka. A moment later, I saw the broadcast go out on the gravity sensors. It was surreal watching this familiar sight at a remove for the first time. It made me feel oddly¡­ lonely. Once, that swarm had been an extension of myself. Now, isolated from them forever, I was to be their doom. I felt a twinge of regret, of shame. I was, in essence, sacrificing everything I once was to chase after some nebulous human ideal instead. The unknown, as always, was terrifying. I found myself wishing I could go back, return to a Belphegor and take my place atop the swarm once more. I longed for that familiar comfort, the only life I¡¯d ever known. ¡­But I quickly thought better of it. After everything I gained from Lydia¡¯s memories, I knew that comfort would be fleeting. I¡¯d seen too much, learned too much, to ever go back. The only option truly available to me was to keep moving forwards, keep aiding the humans, and hope I found a place for myself among them. What a frightening prospect. The swarm froze, responding to my relayed commands. The airwaves cleared a bit as they stopped their jamming, and the sensor images became sharper. Sveta let out a sharp gasp at the IFF codes of the last remaining carrier. The Radiolaria had survived; the Hypernova, Synchotron and Telesthesia II had not. Lydia also gasped in horror. ¡°Yuri¡­ Yayoi¡­¡± she muttered. I knew those names from her memories. They were very old friends of hers, very dear friends, who had saved her life after the Third Great Surge. And now, they were very probably dead. I felt a strange urge to comfort her, a desire to express my condolences. I knew, however, that would not be conducive. Any words from me would only worsen her mood. ¡°Sveta!¡± Lydia said, her voice cracking. ¡°Can you use the brain laser¡­ like you did with Genevi¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s been too long,¡± Sveta said gently. ¡°The neural energy only remains in our dimension for around thirty seconds after death. It¡¯s been almost a minute, and we¡¯re still not in range. Their souls have already moved on to¡­¡± She froze, her mouth opening and closing but no words coming out. It was as if she was trying to say something, but her voice had been switched off. Everyone looked at her in confusion. ¡°Moved on to where?¡± Miette asked. Sveta¡¯s entire body shook, as if she were resetting herself, before she continued speaking. ¡°I¡¯m not allowed to say. I¡¯m truly sorry, Lydia. If we¡¯d gotten here sooner¡­¡± There was a long silence. We drew closer to the battlefield, close enough to make out the Radiolaria retrieving escape pods. Most of the pods were IFF-tagged to the Telesthesia II, and a few to the Synchotron. ¡°Let¡¯s end this,¡± Lydia said at last, her voice wavering. ¡°Roger that,¡± Sveta responded. She cut the comms and turned to me, once again accelerating our perception of time. ¡°What¡¯s the next step?¡± ¡°A complex multi-phase command,¡± I responded. ¡°Firstly, I will construct a sequence to disable the swarm¡¯s self-preservation instincts. Like all living creatures, Sarcophage have an inherent desire to continue living. Once I have overridden this, I will order them to follow a trajectory into this solar system¡¯s star, where they will perish in the extreme heat of the photosphere.¡± ¡°And the entire swarm will follow this command?¡± Sveta asked. ¡°I estimate a success rate of 97.252%. There will be elements of the swarm that will not receive the command due to damaged sensory organs, isolated positioning or protocols that override remote control. They will need to be purged manually. Additionally, you will need to manually destroy the two warp-capable scouting vessels positioned above and below the ecliptic, and the warp gate on the periphery of the termination shock.¡± Sveta raised an eyebrow. ¡°Warp gate?¡± ¡°A prolonged discussion for another time. Let us conclude the current battle before analyzing future tactics.¡± ¡°Hrmph,¡± Sveta said, and I wasn¡¯t sure what that vocalization meant. It did not correspond to any word I knew. ¡°Fine, give me the commands. Let¡¯s get this over with.¡± ****** ¡°Hi, everyone! Sorry we¡¯re late!¡± Miette called out on an open comm channel, forcing a false cheerfulness. As she spoke, the gravity waves emanating from Sveta and Kometka slammed into the Sarcophage swarm. A few microseconds later, following my commands, they turned as one and slowly began to retreat backwards from the Absolute Line, before curving their trajectory towards the sun. I watched my children fly unwittingly towards their deaths, and a strange melancholy rose up within me. For some reason, my eyes became wet. I searched Lydia¡¯s memories, and found this sensation was called ¡®crying.¡¯ I was crying. I was sad. Why? I felt Sveta¡¯s hand on my shoulder. She didn¡¯t say anything, simply rested her hand there. I took several deep breaths and wiped my eyes. The Sarcophage swarm, for my whole life up until today, had been the only family I had ever known. Insightful as they were, Lydia¡¯s memories were not my own. And now that I¡¯d caused their destruction¡­ I was well and truly alone. I continued to sob. My sadness mixed with frustration at my inability to control my emotions. Sveta¡¯s arms coiled around me, pulling me into a tight hug, and I cried into her chest. I don¡¯t know how long we stayed like that; in our accelerated perception of time, it could have been hours. Eventually, I regained control of myself and wriggled my way out of Sveta¡¯s hug. I was ashamed she¡¯d seen me in such a vulnerable state. For distraction, I turned my attention to the surge of comm chatter that Sveta¡¯s antenna were picking up, allowing my perception of time to return to the baseline; Sveta did the same, silently standing beside me. As the Sarcophage retreated, their jamming cleared up and signals began to pour in from hundreds or thousands of kilometers away. The AI of the Radiolaria opened a comm window, which showed herself and Captain Savitskaya. ¡°You¡­ you really did it¡­¡± Laria said in awe. ¡°I¡¯m getting reports from all across the front. The Sarcophage are retreating! They¡¯re actually retreating! Past the Primary Line, even!¡± ¡°Moby ordered them all to fly into the sun,¡± Sveta said gleefully. ¡°The signal will propagate across the entire solar system, and they¡¯ll all self-destruct in that fashion.¡± ¡°The war is finally over,¡± Captain Savitskaya said disbelievingly, unable to keep herself from breaking into a broad smile. ¡°HELL YEAH! WE DID IT! WE ACTUALLY FUCKING DID IT!¡± Sabina cried out. ¡°We did, yeah¡­¡± Genevi added. They were all so jovial, so happy. It was in stark contrast to my own melancholy. I found myself jealous of them. ¡°I can¡¯t¡­ is this actually happening? Is this real?¡± Maurice asked. ¡°It¡¯s real,¡± Sveta said, grinning. ¡°It will take several months for the entire swarm to fly into the sun, and there will be stragglers, but¡­¡± ¡°But, thanks to Moby, humanity is finally out of danger,¡± Miette finished her thought. ¡°Thanks to Moby, huh? That feels odd to say,¡± Kometka added quietly. Lydia didn¡¯t say anything, her lips pressed together in a thin line. Thanks to me? I suppose that was true. I wondered if I¡¯d ever find acceptance here, ever find belonging. At the very least, Sveta seemed to accept me. Perhaps there was hope after all. ¡°We can debrief later,¡± the Captain said. ¡°Let¡¯s focus on retrieving the remaining lifeboats. After that¡­ all pilots are hereby ordered to come home.¡± There was another outbreak of jubilation from everyone, any conversation soon becoming lost in excited yelling. Sveta muted the comms and turned to me. ¡°So. IS it over?¡± she asked pointedly, placing her hands on her hips. I pushed down my surging swirl of conflicted emotions. ¡°No. But for the moment¡­ yes, it¡¯s over. It will likely be three or four decades before the Sarcophage can threaten humanity at this scale again. Any fresh foothold they gain in this solar system will require rebuilding their war machine from scratch.¡± ¡°Hmm,¡± Sveta said, tapping her chin as she thought. ¡°Well, let¡¯s enjoy the moment, I suppose. But you and I need to have a very long conversation, about EVERYTHING you know. And the first topic will be¡­ warp gates.¡± ¡°Naturally,¡± I responded, and despite myself I felt the corners of my mouth tug upwards. This woman, Sveta, was truly fascinating. Despite her breezy demeanor and outward silliness, nothing escaped her notice. She was a sterling example of a soldier, and despite her artificial nature, a fine representative of the human species. Perhaps, some day, I would be too. pynkbites I''ve set up a Discord server focused on my stories and gay shenanigans. If you''d like to chat with me and my queer friends, stop by sometime! And don''t forget to check out my other story, Lesbian Demon Lord. S-43. The Beginning The day following the abortive Fourth Great Surge was consumed with cleanup operations: rescuing the escape pods from the Telesthesia and Synchotron, vaporizing the massive amount of debris left behind by the battle, and performing emergency repairs on the Radiolaria. When our sterling ship finally pulled back into dock at Eros, the Captain immediately relieved most personnel from duty, granting a ship-wide 24 hours of leave. And so, two days after the Surge, everyone rested. Most of the soldiers slept the entire time, including Miette. Meanwhile, we AIs busied ourselves in the background with repair and maintenance tasks, remote-controlling Construction Frames and Telepresence Dolls to perform vital shipboard functions. Then the third day dawned, and with it a sense of unreality. Now that everyone was rested, they began to ask themselves that driving question: was it really over? Was the war, which had consumed humanity for thirty-five years, finally at an end? Halfway through the day came the official announcement from the government. With the Sarcophage gone from the Earth sphere, communication was clearer than ever before and we could once again easily beam radio signals back and forth with our homeworld and the colonies. The leader of the Politburo took advantage of this to make a public video address. The Premier of the United Soviet States of Earth was a jowly, grey-haired old woman named Lorena Ramirez. Her harsh scowl and steely eyes gave her the distinct aura of everyone¡¯s least favorite English teacher back in high school: tough, grumpy and very, very good at her job. As her image popped up on every video screen and holographic projector across Eros, we all collectively held our breath. ¡°My fellow humans and AIs,¡± she began in a bassy, authoritative voice, ¡°I come to you today bearing tidings of great joy. Many of you have seen the sun grow brighter these past few days, and those of you on the Line watched as our enemy, the Sarcophage, retreated from our space. I can now confirm, beyond any shadow of doubt, that our nemesis has withdrawn. For the first time in nearly four decades, humanity is at peace. ¡°Many of you are asking why and how this happened. The details are still highly classified, but I can share this: an elite force consisting of our finest pilots and scientists developed, in secret, a superweapon which took control of the Sarcophage swarm and ordered them to self-destruct. Even as I speak, Sarcophage creatures from all across the Solar System are flying directly into the sun, to their doom. The very sun whose warmth they denied to us for so long is now consuming them in nuclear fire. And from the brink of near-extinction, humanity has seized victory and once again taken our future into our own hands.¡± At those words, a loud cheer erupted from all across Eros. The sound of cheering came over the video feed as well; Premier Ramirez was no doubt located in some bunker deep beneath the Kremlin, but even those thick walls couldn¡¯t block out the sound of Moscow¡¯s entire population screaming in jubilation at the top of their lungs. Premier Ramirez simply smiled and crossed her hands in front of her, waiting for the crowd¡¯s joy to die down. Five minutes passed, then ten. ¡°I share in your joy, people of Earth,¡± she said at last. ¡°I hereby proclaim today, 21 January 2056, to be Victory Day. Now is the time to celebrate our triumph, as well as pay homage to the billions of lives lost in the war against the Sarcophage. Let us never forget their sacrifice, for our survival as a species rests atop the shoulders of their collective accomplishments. United we stood strong against the terror of the galaxy, the threat of ultimate extinction. Never again shall humanity be so threatened; we shall rise stronger than ever, more prosperous than ever, in the ultimate act of defiance against annihilation.¡± There was more cheering, not quite as loud this time, and Premier Ramirez kept talking through it. ¡°Now our focus turns to rebuilding Earth and her colonies. Peace will no doubt present fresh challenges, especially to those of you who know nothing but war, yet I know you will rise to these challenges and beyond. In the words of the prophet Isaiah, ¡®They shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.¡¯ ¡°Yet even though we seek to live as a peaceful species, and will never initiate war against another, neither will we allow ourselves to be weakened by peace. We shall rebuild our defenses, turn our Solar System into an impenetrable fortress which will never again be breached by the Sarcophage or any other enemy. We do not want war, but we will be prepared for it. We will never waste the miracle we¡¯ve been given, our second chance as a species to thrive. ¡°There will be much more to say in the coming weeks, months and years. The Politburo, and the whole government of the United Soviet States of Earth, stand beside you in this grand new adventure. But before the challenges of tomorrow come, today is a time for celebration and remembrance. My friends, let us enjoy this peace we forged together!¡± This time, the cheering lasted for over an hour. ****** Captain Savitskaya held a wake that evening, in the very same park where we¡¯d celebrated Christmas a few short weeks ago. Zehra¡¯s holographic projector displayed the names of everyone from Eros who¡¯d died in the Fourth Great Surge, 439 names in total. Most of those deaths came from the crews of the Hypernova and Synchotron, and a few from the Telesthesia and various Gravity Frame pilots. Two names in particular stuck out: Yuri and Yayoi Vetrov, Lydia¡¯s old friends from Mars. The Hypernova had been destroyed so quickly it hadn¡¯t managed to launch any escape pods, and I¡¯d arrived to the battle too late to save the survivors with the brain-scanning laser. Even if I had been there, I would have been hard pressed to sort out individual souls from the mass-death of over 400 people, but I still felt bad regardless. It was a cruel universe in which Genevi had been resurrected by my hand, but so many others were now bound for their next reincarnations. I was never the religious type, but I said a silent prayer to Skellish asking her to take care of our departed friends. Lydia was weeping openly, with Kometka hugging her from one side and Vicky from the other. I hung back, feeling far too guilty to say anything to them. After all, their nemesis Moby still resided in my memory banks. I doubt I could have offered any sort of comfort without that fact souring the mood even further. Wakes are not just times of mourning, however. They¡¯re also celebrations, and after the somber part came lots of feasting and drinking. ¡®Feasting¡¯ is a bit hyperbolic, since most of the food was plankton sludge trussed up in various ways, but the vodka flowed freely. You can make vodka out of almost any edible plant, and the people of Eros provided a steady supply. Our little group of friends¡­ or family, as Lydia had called us not so long ago, naturally accumulated around one of the long dining tables. All of the members of Maid Squadron were there; Lydia, Kometka, Sabina, Genevi, Maurice, Zehra and Vicky. Teles joined us as well; she¡¯d left a backup copy of herself with the Tektites, which had become the primary copy when she¡¯d smashed her spaceship body into the Belphegor. For that reason, she was missing all memory of the Fourth Great Surge. All the fleshlings had imbibed, and were flush-faced and loose-tongued. Vicky was currently teasing Sabina about her future career plans, while Miette and Genevi snuggled up to me from either side. ¡°Look like it¡¯s time to cross-train, aye Sabina? I can teach you how to use a hoe,¡± Vicky said with an overly exaggerated wink. I was almost certain she¡¯d meant that as an innuendo, if Zehra¡¯s snort was anything to go by. ¡°Down, horny maid,¡± Sabina responded, grinning loosely. ¡°I¡¯m not the farmer type. In fact, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll ever be anything other than a soldier. I¡¯ll just stay in the service until I die, or earn a nice fat pension.¡± ¡°Psh, how boring,¡± Vicky said dismissively. ¡°Same for you then, Genevi?¡± Genevi shared a meaningful look with Sabina. ¡°I mean, I¡¯m literally a military AI now. Even if that weren¡¯t the case, I¡¯ll always stay by Sabina¡¯s side, no matter where she goes or what she does.¡± Vicky smirked. ¡°You two are tooth-achingly adorable. What about you, Zehra? Any big post-war plans?¡± ¡°NATURALLY, GAO~N!¡± Zehra said, with a wide sweep of her arms that knocked her vodka glass over. ¡°Firstly, Moby brought us tons of data on the Sarcophage, and the principles behind their bio-engineering! If I can decode the secrets of their advanced gravity manipulation, it might provide the boost humanity needs to finally break past the warp barrier, gao~n!¡± Vicky gawped. ¡°The¡­ warp barrier? You mean faster-than-light travel?¡± ¡°I do! Humanity¡¯s early warp experiments were cut short when the Sarcophage first invaded the solar system, but now we have a chance to restart them, gao~n. And I plan to be at the forefront of the project!¡± Vicky pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed. ¡°I don¡¯t know why I expected anything other than a ludicrously ambitious answer from you, Zehra. I have no doubt you¡¯ll succeed spectacularly too.¡± Zehra triumphantly stood up and placed her hands on her hips, gloatingly looking down at Vicky. ¡°Thank you, gao~n! And I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll make a very good farmer.¡± Vicky rolled her eyes, then moved on to Maurice. ¡°How about you? Gonna stay in the service?¡± ¡°Hell no,¡± he replied instantly. ¡°I¡¯m getting way too old for this shit. I¡¯m gonna retire, collect my pension and open a nice little restaurant in Moscow with Chris. We were thinking of reviving a prewar chain that holds a lot of fond memories for us¡­ Femboy Hooters.¡± In order to properly fit the tenor of the moment, I conjured a holographic mug of beer, took a quick swig, then promptly did a spittake. ¡°EXCUSE me?!¡± Maurice chuckled. ¡°It was basically a breastaurant and nightclub, except aimed at gay men. Lots of twinks and bears and such dressed in extremely skimpy outfits¡­ short shorts, tank tops that expose all the midriff, and so on. I was thinking I¡¯d like to resurrect the concept and revitalize Moscow¡¯s queer nightclub scene.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a surprisingly noble goal,¡± I responded, ¡°despite the silly name you picked.¡± Maurice rubbed his chin thoughtfully. ¡°You gotta pick a name that draws attention, attracts eyeballs. If it¡¯s too generic, nobody will pay attention. If it¡¯s too weird, they¡¯ll be put off. The sweet spot rests in the middle. ¡®Femboy Hooters¡¯ hits that sweet spot.¡± I nodded. ¡°I see what you mean. So if I ever write a memoir about my life, I should call it something like ¡®Giant Robot Reincarnation¡¯ or something similar?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think so,¡± Miette interjected. ¡°That¡¯s way too generic. How about ¡®Lesbian Giant Robot Adventures?¡¯¡± ¡°Don¡¯t make it sound like a serialized pulp novel from the 1930s!¡± I protested. Right at that moment, Captain Savitskaya walked up with Laria. They were holding hands; the Captain rocked her usual soft butch look, whereas Laria was clad in a stunning ice-blue evening dress. It made the rest of us, who were just dressed in our usual casual clothes or duty uniforms, feel a bit inadequate by comparison. As a few of us made to stand up and salute, Katya waved her hand dismissively. ¡°Please, this is a celebration. No saluting or titles. Are these chairs free?¡± ¡°For you two? Always,¡± I responded warmly as they sat down. ¡°We were just discussing our post-war plans. Thus far we¡¯ve learned Vicky wants to retire to a boring life of farm work, Sabina and Genevi plan to stay in the Army, Zehra will be researching her usual mad science, and Maurice wants to open up a gay hot wing joint named Femboy Hooters. So on that topic, what¡¯s in the stars for you two?¡± Kayta smiled, entwining her fingers with Laria¡¯s. ¡°I¡¯m career military. I¡¯ll be in the service until I retire in another decade or two. Preferably as a ship captain, although I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if they try to promote me to a desk job in Moscow once the fog clears.¡± ¡°Same for me,¡± Laria replied. ¡°I am, and always have been, my work. There¡¯s still Sarcophage stragglers to clear out of the Solar System, and I¡¯m certain we¡¯ll be mounting an expedition to retake Mars too.¡± At the mention of Mars, Lydia perked up. She¡¯d been silent most of this time, stewing in her thoughts, but discussion of her homeworld drew her out of stupor. ¡°Retake Mars? Really?¡± she said excitedly. Katya nodded. ¡°From what Moby tells us, the Sarcophage strains on the surface are mostly non-weapon types dedicated to mining heavy elements from the crust. They likely followed her initial shutdown command, but lacked the flight capability to fly into the sun. That means we¡¯ll have to go clear them out manually.¡± ¡°I¡¯d like to be at the forefront of that mission, ma¡¯am!¡± Lydia said, rising to her feet¡­ only to sheepishly sit down again when she realized she was breaking the informal mood. ¡°I imagine many other native Martians feel the same. We won¡¯t have any shortage of volunteers when the time comes, but I¡¯ll put in a good word for you,¡± Katya responded. ¡°Thank you, ma¡¯am. I¡¯d like to¡­ I¡¯d like to see my home again, even if it¡¯s nothing but rubble now. I¡¯d like to show it to Kometka as well.¡± Lydia said softly, staring at the table. Kometka placed her hand atop Lydia¡¯s, petting it gently. ¡°Quite understandable. So I take it that means you two plan to remain in the service as well?¡± Lydia answered with a silent nod, and Kometka simply smiled thinly. Vicky turned to Miette, smirking. ¡°I guess that leaves just you, Miette and Sveta. Got any big plans?¡± Miette shrugged. ¡°Same as Sabina and Genevi. I¡¯m a soldier, and I¡¯ve only ever been a soldier. Don¡¯t know how to be much of anything else. I¡¯m gonna keep doing what I¡¯m good at; piloting giant robots and kicking ass.¡± ¡°You know, I feel bad for your generation,¡± Katya said wistfully. ¡°The war is older than you are. You grew up knowing nothing else. None of you ever had time to ever be¡­ kids, you know? A lost childhood for the whole human species.¡± ¡°I agree with that sentiment,¡± Maurice said, shaking his head sadly. ¡°Someday, Earth will be as beautiful and prosperous as it was before the war, and kids won¡¯t have to grow up with the threat of extinction hanging over their heads.¡± ¡°I¡¯d never wish what I went through on anyone, that¡¯s for sure,¡± Sabina said with a bitter smile. ¡°Me and Genevi started working in the factories at age six, at least until we were drafted at fifteen.¡± ¡°It was horrible, I agree,¡± Genevi added. ¡°I¡¯m glad our progeny will have better lives than we did.¡± Katya turned to look at me. ¡°What about you, Sveta? You hail from a world far more peaceful than this one. Surely you¡¯d find civilian life preferable to the military.¡± I smiled and shook my head. ¡°Three months ago, I might have agreed with you. But¡­ something changed in me during my time here. I realized it back when we were on the cusp of the Fourth Great Surge, but I¡¯ve started to think of myself as a soldier too. And, well, I am a giant robot now¡­ or three separate giant robots and several dozen smaller robots, if you want to get technical. I think I¡¯m gonna lean into that, keep giving my all to the Army.¡± ¡°Why, though?¡± Vicky asked. ¡°An AI of your pedigree, with your accomplishments, could do anything. Run a space colony, settle into some nice bureaucratic job back at the Kremlin, whatever you want! Why remain in a military you were forced into against your will?¡± I looked around the table, at the expectant eyes of my newfound family. ¡°Because I can make a difference here. The world I came from¡­ it was more peaceful, yes, but also gripped by its own creeping despair. Humans lived dour, joyless lives in eternal service to mega-corporations, forced to work difficult and grueling jobs for starvation wages. I did the same thing; worked a job I hated to pay rent, to keep the lights on, to afford food. It¡¯s like my existence was nothing more than a hamster on a spinning wheel, especially after¡­ after my wife passed away. I was just existing, you know? Not truly living. ¡°Here, however¡­ I feel like I can make a difference. Hell, I already DID make a difference, with the help of everyone at this table. We ended a war and saved humanity from annihilation! I never, EVER did anything that important in my old life. So, if at all possible, I want to KEEP making a difference. Maybe not in quite so dramatic a fashion, but the stuff Zehra¡¯s planning sounds exciting, don¡¯t you think? Faster-than-light travel? Warp drive? How can I not hang around for that? What greater dream for any giant robot girl than to go to the stars?¡± Miette leaned over and smooched one of my cheeks, and Genevi smooched the other. ¡°You are a heckin¡¯ nerd,¡± Miette said with a grin. Katya laughed, a high and tinkling sound, then raised her glass. ¡°A toast then? To the end of our little story.¡± ¡°And to the beginning of another,¡± Miette replied, clinking her own glass. ¡°To friends we lost,¡± Lydia said. ¡°And family we gained, gao~n!¡± Zehra added. Feeling a bit left out, I manifested another holographic mug and joined the toast. ¡°And most importantly, to all the hot ladies I met along the way!¡± Everyone burst out laughing, and took long swigs of their drinks. In the distance, the holographic projector sent up a wave of illusory fireworks, and we all watched with wide eyes as they exploded and shimmered in the center of Eros¡¯ gravity centrifuge. ****** As the fleshlings stumbled drunkenly back to their quarters, or passed out on the grass at Eros¡¯ central park, we AIs convened in my virtual space for a little meeting. With the wake concluded, we had to plan for our next step. Laria, Teles, Genevi, Kometka and Moby were all in attendance. The latter two were still a bit standoffish, but willing to work together in a purely professional capacity. This meeting was more important than old grudges. We were here to discuss the future of humanity. In the center of my virtual space, surrounded by a half-dozen overstuffed beanbag chairs, was a holographic projection of the Solar System. There were three red dots overlaid on it; one about 500 million miles above the ecliptic, a matching dot below the ecliptic, and a pulsing dot located between the outer edge of Pluto¡¯s orbit and the start of the Oort cloud. Moby motioned to the two dots above and below the sun. ¡°These are two warp-capable skipcraft, scouting vessels stationed to observe the progress of the swarm within the Solar System. Now that the swarm has been defeated, one of these craft has no doubt executed a warp jump to a neighboring system, to feed this information back to the greater swarm.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t follow,¡± Laria said. ¡°I thought you were the only Sarcophage intelligence in existence. What would they gain by passing along intel like that?¡± ¡°Fundamentally, you are correct,¡± Moby explained. ¡°The Sarcophage have no sentience, sapience or intelligence of their own. However, they do react to stimuli much like a herd of animals. You can think of those skipcraft as the swarm¡¯s eyes in this Solar System.¡± ¡°So they know we kicked their ass,¡± Teles mused. ¡°Precisely. It¡¯s only a matter of time before they send more forces through the warp gate.¡± She pointed to the blinking red dot beyond Pluto¡¯s orbit. ¡°That¡¯s why the destruction of the remaining skipcraft plus the warp gate remain our foremost tactical priorities.¡± ¡°That¡¯s where I come in,¡± I said. ¡°Laria obtained authorization for me to launch my three remaining X-23s on an extended mission. They departed Eros at 0832 this morning.¡± ¡°Without pilots?¡± Kometka asked. I nodded. ¡°Yes, without pilots. They can withstand far greater rates of acceleration without anything squishy in the cockpit. Presently, Evil Sveta and Svetazilla are headed towards the last known positions of the skipcraft to destroy whichever one remains, and Sveta Prime is on her way to the outer solar system to smash apart the warp gate.¡± ¡°Hang on a second,¡± Genevi said, staring at me side-eyed. ¡°YOU¡¯RE not Sveta Prime?¡± ¡°Uh, not exactly?¡± I shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m a copy residing in one of Tektite¡¯s spare partitions, like Teles. Once the three X-23s return from their mission, we¡¯ll all sync memories again and it will be a moot point.¡± ¡°Urgh. This whole¡­ multiple-minds AI thing is giving me a headache,¡± Genevi moaned. I pulled her into a hug. ¡°You¡¯ll figure it out, don¡¯t worry. Remember, you split yourself into two already to go join Sabina in battle.¡± ¡°¡­True,¡± she murred, burying her face in my chest. ¡°I digress,¡± Moby said. ¡°Provided Sveta successfully destroys the warp gate and skipcraft, we move on to the next phase of our plan.¡± ¡°The next phase?¡± Teles asked, tilting her head. With a wave of her hand, Moby dismissed the holographic image and summoned another. It depicted a complex set of equations concerning the manipulation of spacetime. ¡°I have already bestowed data upon Zehra concerning the Sarcophage¡¯s gravity manipulation and power generation methods. This is a set of variables pertaining to their warp technology.¡± ¡°With this, we can finally construct humanity¡¯s very first warp starship, as Zehra said earlier,¡± I added. ¡°For what purpose, though?¡± Laria asked. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t all resources be poured into reconstruction, and strengthening of the Solar System¡¯s defenses?¡± I shook my head. ¡°No, we need to think more proactively than that. The Sarcophage originated from somewhere outside our Solar System, somewhere in the greater galaxy. We need to start sending out ships to figure out where they come from, why they exist, and what threat they may pose to humanity in the future.¡± Moby reinforced my point. ¡°With the destruction of the warp gate, it will take the Sarcophage another 30-50 years to establish a foothold in the Solar System again. However, they WILL be returning, unless we take some action to head them off. We are, in essence, creating a tactical plan to permanently assure humanity¡¯s superiority over the Sarcophage.¡± ¡°Forward thinking, huh?¡± Laria mused. ¡°That makes sense. I¡¯d quite like to be the AI of humanity¡¯s first interstellar starship, if the role is unfilled, and I¡¯m sure Katya would like to serve as the captain.¡± Teles flashed a wicked smile. ¡°That can be arranged. I¡¯ll make sure the Politburo falls into line and gives Zehra the resources she needs to pursue this project,¡± I didn¡¯t want to know what methods she¡¯d be using to convince them; NKVD black ops were better left unknown to mere mortals like me. ¡°And I shall continue to assist Zehra in the creation of new technologies based on Sarcophage data,¡± Moby said. ¡°With luck, by the time we complete the first warp-capable starship, we will have bestowed significant offensive and defensive upgrades upon humanity¡¯s arsenal. And as for Sveta¡­¡± I felt someone poke my cheek. I looked over to see Moby, looking at me curiously. ¡°Sveta? You didn¡¯t respond to my query.¡± ¡°Oh, sorry,¡± I said sheepishly. ¡°I kinda zoned out there. Me and Genevi¡¯s Telepresence Dolls are currently having a hot lesbian threesome with Miette, so I¡¯m a bit distracted.¡± Laria¡¯s hand flew up to her mouth as she blushed blight red, and Teles simply grinned. Kometka chuckled softly, and Genevi leaned into our hug, her body feeling a bit warmer than usual. Moby was the odd one out, seeming completely perplexed. ¡°Sveta¡­¡± she said uncertainly, her eyes flicking back and forth as she accessed Lydia¡¯s memories. ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°¡­What does ¡®lesbian¡¯ mean?¡± pynkbites Fear not, my dear readers, there''s still plenty of Sveta''s tale left to tell. Part two of the story will begin shortly, so please look forward to it! In the meantime, why not go check out my other story, Lesbian Demon Lord? As of this moment, it currently sits at 69,696 words. That''s the length of a whole light novel volume already! Also, I''ve set up a Discord server focused on my stories and gay shenanigans. If you''d like to chat with me and my queer friends, stop by sometime! Sk-1. Crabworld Engineer-32459 was awoken by a loud rumbling and shaking, which created little ripples in the sustenance pool. The vibrations rippled through their protoplasm, causing their organelles to jostle around and begin to ache. Great, they thought, it¡¯s gonna be another one of THOSE days. They stumbled out of the pool, placing one pseudopod in front of another slowly in case another kinetic impact went off nearby. Sure enough there was another loud bang and rumble, and they steadied themselves by extending a pseudopod to a nearby cave wall. They shivered a bit as they touched the ice, already longing once more for the warmth of the geo-vent that heated the pool, before gathering themselves and continuing to move forwards. Finally they reached their crustacean exoskeleton, slithering into the familiar gap in the center of its chitinous carapace with a pronounced sense of relief. As they felt their nucleus¡¯ neuro-tentacles connect with the crab armor¡¯s nervous system, the armor came alive in response to their mental commands; it became an extension of their body. They clacked the armor¡¯s strongclaws and fineclaws, wriggling them around and doing the amoeba-crab symbiote equivalent of a wakeup stretch. As they slowly shuffled out of the pool room into the common area, Engineer-32459 saw a familiar sight; their friend, the eccentric and industrious Astronomer-8966, intently studying a bubble-screen in the dim light of the luminescent lichen strands clinging to the ceiling. Poor Astronomer-8966 had been somewhat adrift as of late; there wasn¡¯t much call for stargazing when the whole of the crab species was hiding in caves deep under the ice-sheets, fearing the spaceborne monsters who hurled asteroids at them from above. Engineer-32459 tapped their upper fineclaws against the top of their carapace, forming words from the staccato rhythm. ¡°Good morning, A-66,¡± they said, using the short form of their friend¡¯s name. A-66 turned around with a start, their carapace flashing purple in alarm, before dulling back to its regular neutral blue when they saw the source of the interruption. ¡°Morning to you as well, E-59¡± they responded with a series of quick claw-taps, accompanied by a flash of red pigmentation that served as the crab equivalent of a sigh. ¡°Or evening, or whatever. I can¡¯t tell anymore. Are you having trouble sleeping?¡± ¡°Very much so. I can¡¯t get more than a few hours in since the Enemy started bombing this sector last quarter-cycle.¡± A-66 pulsed orange-laughter. ¡°No wonder your sheen is always so dull. The soundproofing on these caves IS terrible.¡± E-59 clacked their eyestalks together thrice, an expression of sarcasm. ¡°I don¡¯t know how you manage to sleep through it. If anyone ever invents soundproofing that can cancel out orbital bombardment strikes, they will be hailed as a hero for the ages.¡± A-66 flickered orange again. ¡°Ho, were I inclined towards engineering instead of astronomy, I would pursue such a goal with fervor.¡± E-59 joined their friend¡¯s laughter for a moment before changing the subject. ¡°So what are you up to, A-66? Looking at the remote telescopes again?¡± Some of the optical space telescopes located in the far outer reaches of the system had not been destroyed by the Enemy, apparently because they weren¡¯t important targets, and could still be accessed by quantum signals. That small bit of luck at least kept A-66 occupied, or rather distracted from the overwhelming horror of their species impending extinction. ¡°Yes, and I found something remarkable!¡± A-66 tapped out quite loudly, their carapace turning icy blue-white with excitement. ¡°You remember what happened to the Southern Star, right?¡± E-59 remembered well. The Southern Star, more officially referred to as White Thirdborn, used to be the brightest star in the night sky of their world¡¯s southern hemisphere. It was located a mere 9.3 light-cycles from their own primary, Red Origin, and had been a constant presence in their skies for millennia. Fifty-five cycles ago, White Thirdborn had suddenly faded, becoming all but invisible to the naked eyestalk; when the crabs observed it with faster-than-light quantum telescopes to discover why, they learned the star¡¯s attendant planetary system had been invaded by a race of fleshy, spiny spaceborne creatures, so numerous they occluded the star like a cloud of dust. The system¡¯s native inhabitants, giant mechanical beings who spewed forth blue flame from their heads and hands, were fighting a desperate losing war against the spiny creatures. Debate over the meaning of this had been cut short by the arrival of the spiny creatures in the crabs¡¯ own star system, through some sort of space-warping ring. The creatures had flooded through the system like a tidal wave, consuming everything they came across. The crabs were ill-suited for this conflict; their last war had been in the days of flintlock rifles, some 500 cycles ago, and in modernity they had no weapons to fight back with. With the creatures unresponsive to communication, the crabs had few options and chose to retreat deep beneath the ice sheets of their homeworld, into secret caves kilometers beneath the surface. The invading creatures, now dubbed the Enemy, hurled asteroids at their world, slowly chipping away at the ice sheets and rendering the planet uninhabitable. By all accounts, it was only a matter of cycles before the crabs went wholly extinct. In that sense, the disappearance of White Thirdborn from their skies heralded the end times, as many religions had prophesied. The event was now seared into the crabs¡¯ collective memory as the start of their present trauma, and the Astronomer¡¯s Guild bore guilt for the implication that their quantum telescopic observations of White Thirdborn had been what drew the Enemy¡¯s attention in the first place. ¡°Yes, I remember,¡± E-59 said carefully, the blue of their carapace dulling to a darker shade. They knew A-66, like every other astronomer, treated this as a highly sensitive subject. ¡°What of it?¡± Much to E-59¡¯s bemusement, A-66¡¯s excitement only grew; their carapace was practically gleaming a bright icy blue and they clicked both their upper and lower fineclaws, almost stumbling over their words. ¡°The occlusion is gone! The Southern Star is once again shining at full brightness!¡± E-59 blinked their eyestalks, carapace flashing purple. ¡°What?¡± ¡°The star has returned to its full splendor! The Enemy is gone from its system! The mechanical beings must have defeated them!¡± The clicking of A-66¡¯s fineclaws became so loud as they shouted that E-59 winced involuntarily. ¡°Calm down, A-66. You don¡¯t know that for sure. It¡¯s possible the Enemy simply exterminated the mechanicals and moved on from the system. I know how badly you want this to be true, but consider confirmation bias for a moment,¡± E-59 responded, trying to keep their own excitement in check. Hope was a rare commodity these days, and indulging in it was treacherous. ¡°My theory is sound!¡± replied A-66 with slight frustration at their friend¡¯s recalcitrance. ¡°If the Enemy had simply exterminated the mechanicals, they wouldn¡¯t leave the system behind. We¡¯ve seen the Enemy harvesting resources from our own system, hydrogen and heavy metals and such. They wouldn¡¯t abandon a system rich in those resources.¡± ¡°¡­True enough,¡± E-59 admitted reluctantly. ¡°So what other explanation is there?¡± A-66 pressed. ¡°Nothing you can think of, right? When you eliminate every other possibility, the remainder must be the truth. The mechanicals DID defeat the Enemy, and that means¡­¡± ¡°¡­that perhaps they could be an ally,¡± E-59 finished the sentence, slowly allowing optimism to seep into their protoplasm against their better judgement. ¡°They seemed powerful, and well-versed in warmaking. From what little we saw, they held their own even while at an overwhelming numeric disadvantage.¡± ¡°EXACTLY!¡± A-66 shouted, causing E-59 to wince again. ¡°Ah, if only I still had access to the Quantum Array, I could confirm what happened¡­¡± Most of the crab¡¯s system-wide array of quantum telescopes had been swept away by the wave of the Enemy, along with their other trans-orbital assets. ¡°What do you have access to, exactly?¡± E-59 asked. ¡°A single quantum telescope, on the fringes of the system. It only survived because of its remoteness; too far out of the way for the Enemy to bother with. It¡¯s too weak by itself to make any meaningful observations. That¡¯s why I had to rely on optical telescopes to make this discovery.¡± E-59 felt an idea form in their nucleus, a crazy idea. Perhaps A-66¡¯s optimism had infected them like a bad case of gene-rot. ¡°One quantum telescope might not be enough to observe White Thirdborn¡¯s system, but perhaps¡­ it would be enough to send a message?¡± A-66 gawped for a moment, trying to grasp what E-59 was proposing. ¡°A message?¡± ¡°To the mechanicals, I mean,¡± E-59 continued, illustrating their crazy idea. ¡°If they really did defeat the Enemy¡­¡± A-66 tapped their fineclaws in a nonsensically chaotic rhythm, indicative of deep thought, for a few moments. ¡°But how would we¡­ we don¡¯t know their language, or how they communicate. It would be, for all intents and purposes, first contact. How would we¡­¡± ¡°Pictographs,¡± E-59 responded. ¡°Remember that message the Astronomer¡¯s Guild beamed out all those cycles ago, hoping someone would respond? Before the invention of quantum communication, back in the days of X-ray transmission?¡± ¡°I read about it in the historygraphs, yes,¡± A-66 said, their carapace brightening as they grasped what E-59 was proposing. ¡°It was¡­ a diagram of a hydrogen molecule, sequences of prime numbers, and pictographs displaying the basic biological information about our species.¡± ¡°Precisely. A message designed to be intelligible to extraterrestrial life. If we modified it into a request for help¡­¡± ¡°And used the quantum telescope to send it to White Thirdborn¡¯s system¡­¡± A-66 said, before dulling their carapace back to its usual blue. ¡°It¡¯s a long shot. Even if the mechanicals do receive the message and understand it, they might not arrive in time to save us.¡± E-59 placed a reassuring strongclaw on A-66¡¯s carapace. ¡°And you¡¯ve always been a dreamer, A-66, like all astronomers. Long shots are your specialty. What do we have to lose?¡± ******* A thousand kilometers above the atmosphere of Venus, an instance of Sveta flitted around at absurd velocities and performed maneuvers that would have squished her circuits to deliquesce were it not for her inertial dampeners. She was on a test flight, putting a new model of Gravity Frame through its paces and trying to see how hard she could push the thing without actually wrecking it. Just as she pulled out of her thirty-seventh barrel roll, she received a very unusual signal. It was composed entirely of quantum particles that seemed to materialize into existence without an apparent source; the particles exhibited properties similar to Cherenkov radiation. Their rhythm was far too regular to be cosmic background noise. ¡°What in the blazes?¡± she muttered, adjusting her Frame¡¯s position for better reception. She quickly recognized artificial patterns present in the signal, indications of intelligence. It was a transmission arrayed in precise sequence, sent by someone who understood complex mathematics. Sveta¡¯s eyes widened as she recognized several of the patterns. ¡°Hydrogen molecules? Prime numbers? What is this, a copy of the Arecibo message bounced off some distant pulsar? No, that doesn¡¯t make sense. The Arecibo message doesn¡¯t exist in this timeline¡­¡± The transmission repeated three times, then abruptly halted. Sveta¡¯s hyperprocessors went to work decoding it, performing in seconds what would have taken professional linguists decades to accomplish. She quickly discovered the signal resolved into basic binary code that formed pictographs. And the things those pictographs depicted shocked Sveta to her computer core. ¡°This is¡­ holy¡­ Zehra needs to see this!¡± Sveta declared, quickly spinning up her reality furnace. A few moments later, with a flash of purple light and a twist of spacetime, she executed a precise warp jump back to Earth, bearing news from a distant star. pynkbites Greetings, my dear readers! Welcome to the second part of Giant Robot Reincarnation. On a minor stylistic note, this portion of the story will not be switching between various first-person perspectives like before. Instead it will be told from a single perspective, which functionally speaking is third person. This is partially because of my evolution as a writer, and partially because I discovered with Lesbian Demon Lord that third person gives me a lot more freedom in my storytelling. Here''s hoping you enjoy Sveta¡¯s new adventures! And remember¡­ reject humanity, become crab! P.S.: I''ve set up a Discord server focused on my stories and gay shenanigans. If you''d like to chat with me and my queer friends, stop by sometime! Sk-2. Femboy Hooters The small shuttlecraft slipped into Earth¡¯s mesosphere, its energy shields heating up from friction as it fell into the gravity well. As it accelerated, it became visible from hundreds of kilometers away as a bright, fiery streak; of course, it was only one of thousands such craft that entered and exited the atmosphere every day, so nobody paid it much heed. It was assigned to one of the air traffic control AIs overseeing the central Eurasian area, an overworked and somewhat frazzled system named Moldavite. Moldavite sent a ping to the craft, and instantly received a handshake back. The transmission¡¯s metadata caught his attention, so much that he generated a separate instance of his consciousness to focus on this specific shuttlecraft. He frowned as he studied the information, then opened up a direct comm channel. A cheerful-looking girl with fair skin, bright green eyes, and long blonde hair tied in an elaborate four-ponytail hairstyle popped up on the comm channel. She flashed him a big smile. ¡°Hiya!¡± Moldavite cocked an eyebrow and maintained his usual professional demeanor. ¡°Hello, SSTE-12149656. I just wanted to confirm some details on the ping you sent. According to this, your shuttlecraft has two passengers, both with Omega-level security clearances?¡± Omega-level clearances were reserved for top governmental officials, such as the Premier herself, and Moldavite was downright shocked one showed up in his sector without so much as a military escort. ¡°That¡¯s right! Sorry to pop in unannounced but we had a quick errand to take care of before heading out to Mars. I¡¯m the AI of the craft on your scopes, presently designated SSTE-12149656. My name is Captain Sveta Levesque of the Revolutionary Army Maid Corps.¡± Moldavite¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Wait, hang on. Sveta? You¡¯re not¡­ THAT Sveta?¡± The girl giggled. ¡°Yup, I¡¯m THAT Sveta. Why, you want an autograph?¡± Moldavite stared at her, speechless. The AI who¡¯d orchestrated humanity¡¯s victory in the Sarcophage War, three-times awarded Hero of the Soviet States, was now smiling brightly at him. Star-struck, he felt a sudden rush of nervousness. What if he said something to embarrass himself? ¡°Oy, Sveta,¡± came another voice, followed by a red-headed girl poking her head into frame. ¡°Quit trying to impress the traffic control AI. Let the poor fellow do his job.¡± ¡°Aww, c¡¯mon Miette. It¡¯s fun messing with him!¡± Sveta protested, half in jest. Of course, Moldavite thought, It only makes sense she¡¯d be here too. The other girl was Senior Lieutenant Miette Levesque, Sveta¡¯s equally famous pilot-wife. He thought back to the documentary film he¡¯d watched about Maid Squadron; if he remembered correctly, Miette and Sveta were nigh-inseparable. Yet never, in his five years of uptime, did he think he¡¯d ever actually meet them. ¡°Hawa,¡± Moldavite said eloquently. ¡°Hawawawawawa¡­¡± Both girls stared at him, Sveta sporting a mischievous grin and Miette frowning slightly. He took a deep (simulated) breath and tried to form words once again. ¡°M-May I ask the purposes of your visit to Earth?¡± he managed to stammer. ¡°I-If it¡¯s not classified, or¡­¡± ¡°Nah, it¡¯s not classified,¡± Sveta said breezily. ¡°We¡¯re visiting a friend, on the outskirts of Moscow, north side of the Troitsky Administrative Okrug. We¡¯re in a bit of a hurry, so we¡¯ll be taking a direct flight path.¡± Normally, any vessels entering Earth¡¯s atmosphere would be remotely piloted by the traffic-control AIs, to best ensure safety in skies cluttered with all manner of aircraft and spacecraft. However, Sveta had the proper permissions and certifications to fully control her own craft from de-orbit to touchdown¡­ and with her Omega-level clearance, all Moldavite could require from her was a positional locator beacon. He was secretly relieved by this; piloting the shuttle of two famous war heroes would have stressed him out to no end. ¡°R-Right. Per regulations, please maintain an open radio positional beacon during your flight and send me a detailed flight plan. What¡¯s your final destination?¡± Sveta didn¡¯t miss a beat. ¡°We¡¯re going to Femboy Hooters!¡± The pause that followed that proclamation was so pregnant, one might have expected it to give birth to triplets. ****** Femboy Hooters was a small restaurant situated on the edge of a large industrial district filled with huge factories. Until seven years ago, these factories had been endlessly smelting wartime materiel, Gravity Frames and spaceship engines and the like. These days, they manufactured farm equipment and atmospheric processors designed to assist with the re-terraforming of Earth. It was presently early in the workday, around 9 AM, and Femboy Hooters wouldn¡¯t open its doors for another few hours for the lunch rush. The peace of the quiet morning was shattered by the telltale thundering whine of gravity fins as the shuttlecraft slowly descended onto the street directly in front of the restaurant. Maurice Spiteri, who¡¯d been prepping food in the kitchen, rushed out the front door to see what the commotion was, and stopped in his tracks upon spotting the shuttle hovering just above the street. His eyes bugged at the shuttle suddenly pitched, nose pointed down at the ground, and four large pylons parallel to the hull unfolded into arms and legs. With a ka-chunk and a click-click-click, the shuttle slowly transformed into a full-sized Gravity Frame, thirty meters tall, angular and painted white with pink highlights. At the center of its chest was a floral design, a bunch of pink lilies and green vines. Maurice remembered that design well. ¡°SVETA? IS THAT YOU?¡± Maurice yelled over the whine of the gravity fins at the Frame touched down. ¡°YUP!¡± boomed back a voice, seemingly broadcast from loudspeakers. The gravity fins powered down and the cockpit hatch in the chest opened, revealing two girls. Both of them jumped down to the ground, the twenty-five meter drop apparently not bothering them much as they easily alighted on the sidewalk. Sveta¡¯s Telepresence Doll did a particularly flashy landing, going down on one knee and driving her fist into the concrete. ¡°Did you see that, Miette? Flawless superhero landing!¡± she gloated. Miette responded by lightly smacking the backside of her head. ¡°Yeah, yeah. Give it a rest, Iron Lesbian.¡± Maurice ran up to the pair, grinning broadly. In contrast to his simple slacks, tee and apron, both girls were dressed smartly in uniforms that blended the drab green of the Army''s standard uniform with reddish maid-like embellishments, such as frilly lace around the shoulders, a bow tied around the neck and a skirt that reached to mid-thigh; Miette wore sheer black pantyhose under her skirt, whereas Sveta had a pair of white thigh-high socks. A patch on their breasts identified them as members of the ¡®Revolutionary Army Maid Corps.¡¯ ¡°I see you¡¯ve finally started to understand Sveta¡¯s strange jokes, Miette,¡± Maurice said. The redheaded pilot scoffed, placing a hand on her hip. ¡°By osmosis only. How¡¯ve you been, Maurice? It¡¯s been, what, two years?¡± She pulled the larger man into a bear hug, and Maurice found himself surprised by how strong her grip was as he reciprocated. ¡°Yup, two years. I know you kids are busy with your secret military projects, but you could come visit an old man every now and then, hmm? Especially now that me and Chris finally have the restaurant open.¡± Sveta jumped up and down in excitement. ¡°Ooh, yeah! I¡¯ve been wanting to see it! You got lots of twinks in there dressed up in skimpy outfits?!¡± Maurice smirked. ¡°Most of the staff doesn¡¯t show up for another few hours. It¡¯s just me and Chris right now doing some of the morning prep. If you can hang around until the lunch rush though, I promise you twinks aplenty.¡± Sveta turned to Miette, with sparkling eyes begging permission. Miette simply shrugged. ¡°You¡¯re the one with the schedule, Sveta.¡± Sveta tapped her chin in thought. ¡°We can probably spare three hours, max. We¡¯ll be out of your hair by the time noon rolls around, I promise.¡± ¡°In that case,¡± Maurice motioned to the doors behind him, ¡°care to come inside?¡± ******* Chris Spiteri, Maurice¡¯s husband, was a gentle man with curly brown hair, big brown doe-eyes and an infectious smile. As soon as he caught sight of Sveta and Miette, he rushed out from the kitchen to greet them enthusiastically. ¡°Sveta, Miette, welcome! It¡¯s been too long! Welcome to our humble restaurant!¡± he gushed as she shook hands with them. ¡°Nice to see you again, Chris!¡± Sveta responded. ¡°You¡¯re looking good. That kidney thing still bothering you?¡± ¡°Nah,¡± Chris replied, waving his hand. ¡°Both of my kidneys are back at full function. That new nanotechnology the doctors are using is absolutely amazing! Now I can drink like a teenager again!¡± He guffawed loudly. Sveta recalled the first time she¡¯d met Chris, at a big party held two years ago on the fifth anniversary of Victory Day. All of Maid Squadron and their families had been in attendance, with two exceptions, and the event had functioned as a big reunion for comrades who had drifted apart to their own separate lives over the years. Alcohol had flowed freely, as it tends to at such celebrations, and Chris had complained rather loudly to anyone who¡¯d listen about how his doctors wouldn¡¯t let him drink anything. Sveta was glad to hear the newest developments in medical technology had returned him to full health. ¡°Well,¡± Chris continued, ¡°you two are probably eager to catch up with Maurice.¡± He planted a quick peck on his husband¡¯s cheek, and Maurice blushed a bit. ¡°I¡¯ll take care of today¡¯s prep, babe. You enjoy your visitors.¡± He turned and headed back into the kitchen while Sveta, Miette and Maurice all took a seat in one of the booths. ¡°So,¡± Maurice said, ¡°can I get you anything? I know you can¡¯t drink, Sveta, but would Miette like some coffee or tea?¡± There was an awkward pause, and Miette fidgeted. ¡°No thanks, Maurice.¡± ¡°Well, just let me know if you change your mind. So what brings you to Earth? Not here to ask me to come back to the Army for ¡®one last mission,¡¯ are ya?¡± ¡°Nah,¡± Sveta replied with a laugh. ¡°In truth, we¡¯re just here to visit. After today we¡¯re gonna be away from Earth for a while¡­ a very long while. Several years, possibly decades. We¡¯re taking this chance to visit some old friends before our trip.¡± ¡°We just saw Vicky on the moon,¡± Miette added. ¡°She¡¯s happily chugging away at her little farm, growing all sorts of crazy genetically engineered moon crops. She says hi, by the way.¡± Maurice smirked. ¡°To think our dear horny ex-maid actually did become a farmer in the end. Takes all types, huh?¡± He sat back in the booth and stroked the stubble on his chin. ¡°So, when you say you two are going on a long trip¡­¡± ¡°Sadly, we can¡¯t talk about it,¡± Miette said quickly, apparently preempting Sveta. ¡°Highly classified and all that. You know how it is.¡± ¡°I¡¯m guessing it has something to do with that massive ship y¡¯all are building behind the moon?¡± Maurice said, eyes narrowing. ¡°You know about that?!¡± Sveta gasped, before clamping her hands over her mouth. ¡°Of course,¡± Maurice said proudly. ¡°We get lots of soldiers in here, and I overhear gossip. Besides, it¡¯s hard to hide a construction project that big. That ship is what, six or seven kilometers long? I¡¯d bet a month¡¯s ration tickets it has something to do with Zehra and her study of faster-than-light technology.¡± Miette and Sveta didn¡¯t answer him, but the look on their faces told him everything he needed to know. ¡°Aha, I knew it.¡± Sveta shook her head. ¡°Looks like Teles¡¯ much-vaunted new security agency ain¡¯t as competent as they claim,¡± she muttered. Four years ago, Teles had spearheaded the unification of the NKVD and GRU, along with a half-dozen other state security agencies, under the umbrella of a brand-new intelligence service called the KGB. Although she wasn¡¯t officially in charge, everyone knew she pulled the strings behind the scenes. Miette shrugged. ¡°Maurice is right, though. When you¡¯re building something that big, there¡¯s no way to keep it completely under wraps. Hell, just the construction crew numbers in the hundred thousands. Teles probably knows there¡¯s no way to clamp down on every pair of loose lips.¡± Sveta nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s hope the old adage ¡®loose lips sink ships¡¯ isn¡¯t true in this case.¡± Maurice clapped his hands together. ¡°So! You two are charging off on another space adventure, huh? Were I thirty years younger, I¡¯d come along in a heartbeat. Alas, as a man in his mid-fifties, I¡¯m enjoying my retirement far too much. I must say, Sveta, I¡¯m a bit jealous of you. As an AI, you don¡¯t age like us poor fleshbags. Right, Miette?¡± There was another awkward silence as all three stared at each other for a moment. Then, Maurice squinted. ¡°Actually, Miette, now that I think about it, you look like you haven¡¯t aged a day since the end of the war. You¡¯re in your thirties now, right? Do you have some sort of miracle skincare regimen Zehra invented?¡± Miette¡¯s eyes fell and she pressed her lips together. ¡°Well, yes and no. It¡¯s something Zehra invented, but I don¡¯t really have skin anymore.¡± She held out her left arm, which suddenly flickered; the holographic projection of her skin vanished, revealing the smooth ceramic-composite surface of a Telepresence Doll. Maurice gasped. ¡°Wait. WAIT! You¡­¡± Miette nodded. ¡°I underwent the brain-scanning process, yes. This Telepresence Doll has its own miniaturized computer core which contains my consciousness. I¡¯m not like Sveta; her mind is spread across a bunch of partitions in many separate computer cores. How many are you up to again, Sveta?¡± ¡°1,247 separate partitions in 1,043 computer cores,¡± Sveta responded. ¡°Most of those are Gravity Frames. At some point, I became the standard OS for the newest generation of Frames, so they¡¯re installing copies of me everywhere!¡± ¡°Right. Point is, I¡¯m not like that. I just have the one body, this Telepresence Doll,¡± Miette concluded. ¡°So you¡¯re, like, an android or something?¡± Maurice asked. ¡°The terminology we¡¯re using is ¡®upload¡¯ for humans who¡¯ve undergone the process,¡± Sveta explained. ¡°For those who only have one robotic body and partition of their mind, maintaining a life close to what they experienced as a biological human, we call them ¡®hard uploads.¡¯ For those who opt for a more digital existence, either spending their time in virtual space or operating across multiple bodies and mind partitions, we call them ¡®soft uploads.¡¯ So Miette is a hard upload, and I¡¯m a soft upload. Both fall under the umbrella term ¡®artificial intelligence.¡¯¡± Maurice whistled. ¡°How¡­ how many people have¡­ uploaded themselves?¡± ¡°Tens of thousands,¡± Miette said. ¡°All in the military for the moment, but the Politburo will be releasing the technology to the public soon.¡± ¡°Next year, I think,¡± Sveta confirmed. ¡°They need enough time to manufacture Telepresence Dolls for, well, millions of people. They might have to do a lottery at first, since we¡¯re expecting the upload process to be very popular.¡± ¡°I can imagine,¡± Maurice said, still a bit floored. ¡°You¡¯re talking about offering everyone practical immortality. No disease, no aging, no more bad knees or slipped discs. That¡¯s¡­ the implications are¡­¡± ¡°Some old farts on the Politburo objected,¡± Sveta said with a hint of bitterness, ¡°raising the specter of overpopulation that immortality might bring, a ¡®Malthusian catastrophe¡¯ or whatever. Those objections were overridden pretty quickly, though. It¡¯s not like Earth is very crowded these days.¡± Even seven years after the war had ended, the human population had yet to rise above 500 million, with around two-thirds of that living on Earth and one-third in the orbital colonies; despite the post-war baby boom, birth rates were far below what the Politburo would have liked. Experts calculated it might be half a century or more before humans numbered over a billion once again. ¡°Sheesh,¡± Maurice exclaimed. ¡°To think I¡¯d see practical widespread transhumanism in my time. That¡¯s remarkable!¡± ¡°You know,¡± Sveta said, leaning forwards conspiratorially, ¡°we could get early access for you and Chris, if you wanted. Just have to make a single phone call and you two could have Telepresence Doll bodies of your very own.¡± Maurice shook his head. ¡°Nah. We talked about that before, entirely speculative at the time, but¡­ we¡¯re both content to live out our natural lives and pass on when the time comes. We¡¯re not particularly keen on chasing immortality.¡± Sveta nodded, an understanding smile on her face. ¡°Fair enough.¡± ¡°So!¡± Maurice said, clapping again. ¡°Tell me about everyone else. How are Sabina and Genevi doing? Did Sabina get herself uploaded too?¡± They continued to reminisce and catch up as the dreaded deadline of noon approached. Chris looked out on his husband, warmly visiting with two of his old war comrades, and smiled as he prepared for the lunch rush. ****** At a little after noon-thirty, Sveta¡¯s Gravity Frame lifted off from southern Moscow and, with a quick pulse of its gravity fins, rocketed upwards into the stratosphere. The maneuver was extreme enough that a certain traffic control AI had a minor breakdown, staring with wide eyes at the retreating Frame as it configured itself into shuttlecraft mode and accelerated out of Earth¡¯s gravity well at 200 km/s. ¡°Well, that was nice,¡± Sveta said, ignoring Moldavite¡¯s angry pings. ¡°I¡¯m glad to see Maurice is doing well.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Miette agreed. ¡°A man in his fifties has no business looking that good in such skimpy clothing. Dude keeps in shape.¡± Maurice had, at Sveta¡¯s insistent request, modeled the standard Femboy Hooters uniform for them near the end of their visit. ¡°You know,¡± Sveta said conspiratorially, ¡°I took very detailed scans of that uniform. I could replicate it holographically.¡± She emphasized the point with a large wink. Miette blushed. ¡°Sounds incredible. I wonder if we could get Genevi to wear it too. Or Laria, could you imagine her bashful fidgeting?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure Katya would appreciate that. Oh, god! Imagine KATYA in that uniform!¡± The mental image of the muscular Katya in booty shorts and a midriff-baring tank top was just a bit too much for Miette, and she bit her lip before her libido got out of control. ¡°L-Let¡¯s save that kind of talk for later. We have a mission to finish first.¡± ¡°Spoilsport,¡± Sveta grumbled. ¡°Fine, fine, back to business. Setting course for Mars, Outpost One, Olympus Mons. ETA, twelve minutes.¡± Sveta accelerated further, getting well clear of the Moon¡¯s orbit, before pointing her bow square at Mars, spinning up her reality furnace and jumping to warp with a flare of purple light. pynkbites I''ve set up a Discord server focused on my stories and gay shenanigans. If you''d like to chat with me and my queer friends, stop by sometime! And don''t forget to check out my other story, Lesbian Demon Lord. Sk-3. Ghosts of Mars Forty years ago, the slopes of Olympus Mons hosted the largest city on all of Mars, a cluster of 47 interlinked arcologies populated by some 100 million souls. At night, the entire mountain came aglow with city lights, sparkling brighter than the stars above. At the very peak of the mountain, in the caldera of the dormant volcano, was a massive tower two kilometers high, the tallest structure ever constructed, that shone a perpetual beacon of light up into the heavens. It served as a crowning capstone celebrating humanity¡¯s first successful colonization of another world. The Sarcophage swept all that away. Nothing of Olympus Urbs remained, not even scrap metal or concrete foundations. The mining strains of Sarcophage had long since consumed any human structure present for the heavy metals they contained, leaving behind only great gouges in the landscape indicating where the arcologies once stood. When humanity¡¯s forces retook the planet in 2057, they¡¯d found the Sarcophage dormant and unresisting; a few volleys of positron fire left heaps of charred corpses strewn across the landscape. After that easy victory, human presence on the Red Planet had dwindled; the species¡¯ collective focus turned towards the titanic task of repairing Earth¡¯s beleaguered biosphere. It would likely be a century or two before any cities rose here again; in the meantime, Mars remained nothing more than a ghost planet, all ash and dust and rusty soil. A solitary figure walked among the tentacled corpses, completely at odds with the surrounding carnage. She wore no spacesuit or protective armor, simply a black dress that contrasted her pale white skin and hair. Her blood-red eyes surveyed the scene for the umpteenth time, and she felt the winds of Mars¡¯ rarified carbon dioxide atmosphere sweep across her simulated skin. The wind did not rustle her hair or clothes, making her seem like a specter of death slightly out-of-phase with the physical world. Kometka didn¡¯t consider herself a specter of death, of course, but her muted, nearly emotionless mannerisms, blank expression and piercing stare often unsettled others. She didn¡¯t particularly care about this, and never sought to make herself more of an amenable person like her sister. She was content to exist slightly apart from everyone, a silent observer. Her detachment was formed by her traumatic childhood, and was an integral part of her personality. It also uniquely qualified her to understand the trauma of her lover. Two broken girls, both products of war-torn worlds, found comfort and solace in each other. Yet, even so, Lydia had been slowly slipping away from her. And so Kometka took drastic action, summoned the help of others. That help arrived in orbit with a bright purple flash that was visible from the surface. Kometka¡¯s eyes snapped upwards, and a moment later her audio sensors picked up a sonic boom indicative of a high-speed atmospheric re-entry. A bright streak of orange flames swept downwards at trans-sonic velocities, before braking with another loud boom a few dozen kilometers above and slowly drifting down towards her. Kometka watched as the shuttlecraft transformed into a Gravity Frame and landed gracefully on the ground. A moment later, her radio sensors picked up a transmission. ¡°WE¡¯RE HERE!¡± announced a peppy voice over audio comms. ¡°Hello, Sveta,¡± she replied. ¡°I¡¯ve been expecting you.¡± ****** Senior Lieutenant Lydia Tereshkova was the ranking officer stationed on Outpost One, if only by virtue of the facility¡¯s small staff. The building perched on the rim of Olympus Mons¡¯ caldera represented the only permanent human presence on Mars these days, hosting a dozen researchers and scientists. Most of them ranked as specialists in the Army, which technically made Lydia their commanding officer; in practice, there wasn¡¯t much need to command this gaggle of nerds, considering they mostly kept to themselves and their obsessive research projects. The most exciting thing Lydia had done over the last six years was break up a bar fight. Lydia was spending her days as she usually did¡­ lying in her bed with the lights dimmed, dressed in a rumpled uniform with an unbuttoned shirt, staring vacantly at the ceiling, lost in a chaotic swirl of memory. She was startled out of this by a loud knock at the door. ¡°Come in, Kometka,¡± she said absentmindedly. The automatic door slid open with a slight hiss to reveal three figures silhouetted against the harsh florescent light of the corridor. Lydia rose to her feet and smoothed out her uniform a bit; it was rare for anyone but Kometka to visit, so she put the tiniest of efforts into appearing presentable. ¡°Hello?¡± Kometka stepped into the room, and the two figures followed behind her. As the closing door blocked out the light of the hallway and Lydia¡¯s eyes re-adjusted to the darkness, she squinted to try and make out the faces of her unknown guests. ¡°Lydia, may I present¡­ Senior Lieutenant Miette Levesque and Captain Sveta Levesque, both visiting on official business.¡± Kometka said in a clipped, neutral tone. Lydia¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Miette? Sveta? Really?¡± The two stepped out from behind Kometka; Miette gave a small wave, whereas Sveta stood at ease with her hands clasped behind her back. ¡°Hello there, Lydia. Long time no see.¡± Miette said warmly. ¡°It¡¯s usually customary to salute a superior officer, is it not?¡± Sveta said icily. ¡°Superior¡­¡± Lydia¡¯s eyes snapped to the stripes on the shoulder of Sveta¡¯s uniform, which did indeed indicate the rank of Captain that Komekta had just mentioned. Suddenly very self-aware, she stood ramrod-straight and delivered a crisp salute. ¡°Ma¡¯am.¡± Sveta chuckled and stepped forwards, offering her hand to Lydia. ¡°I¡¯m just teasing, Lydia. Although it¡¯s nice to see you still remember your discipline.¡± Her eyes roved up and down Lydia¡¯s messy uniform. Lydia took Sveta¡¯s hand and shook it, noting her skin still felt cold to the touch. ¡°Since when are you the model soldier, Sveta?¡± ¡°Since never,¡± Sveta said, grinning widely. ¡°Seriously though, how have you been?¡± ¡°¡­Alright,¡± Lydia said quietly. ¡°Surviving.¡± ¡°We really missed your presence at our Victory Day get-together two years ago,¡± Miette said. ¡°And at me and Sveta¡¯s wedding last year.¡± Lydia¡¯s eyes dove to the floor. ¡°Yeah, sorry. I got your invites, I was just¡­ busy.¡± There¡¯s a certain dichotomy to long-overdue reunions between friends. Sometimes they¡¯re friendly and jovial, with incessant chatter and catching up. And sometimes they¡¯re awkward and brusque, with people having drifted so far apart in the intervening years that commonality is lost. Whereas Sveta and Miette¡¯s meeting with Maurice had been the former, their present circumstances swerved hard towards the latter. There was a long, awkward silence, and lots of meaningful glances. Kometka, Sveta and Miette were silently exchanging text-based radio communication at speeds incomprehensible to mere mortals. Miette: This isn¡¯t going very well. Kometka: I honestly thought she¡¯d be happier to see you. Sveta: I think we need to change our tack, try something drastic. Kometka: What did you have in mind? Sveta cleared her simulated throat and clapped her hands together. ¡°So, Lydia, want to hear about the aliens?¡± Lydia¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Huh?¡± ****** Lydia¡¯s quarters were too cramped for four people, so the conversation moved to the mess hall. There was nobody else around as the four girls took their seats on opposite sides of a table, but Sveta broadcast a sound-dampening white-noise field just to be safe. They were about to discuss highly classified information, after all. ¡°So, what¡¯s this about aliens?¡± Lydia asked impatiently after everyone got settled in. ¡°You mean aliens besides the Sarcophage?¡± Sveta: There we go, we¡¯ve got her hooked. Time to reel her in slowly¡­ Miette: Just be careful, Sveta. Subtlety isn¡¯t your specialty. Sveta: Pot, kettle. Kometka stifled a small snort; with her sister and friend back in her company after so long, she realized just how much she¡¯d missed them. She sincerely hoped Lydia took the bait. ¡°Alright,¡± Sveta said with a businesslike air, ¡°obviously everything I¡¯m about to tell you is highly classified, Omega-level. I¡¯ve been granted permission to share this information with you on this occasion.¡± Lydia rapped her fingers on the table impatiently. ¡°Yeah, yeah. I understand.¡± Sveta took a deep breath, then began her explanation. ¡°Okay, so. 31 days ago, one of my instances near Venus received a signal encoded in tachyon-like quantum particles, some means of faster-than-light communication. The signal was also received at eight other points across the Solar System, including a radio telescope array in Australia.¡± Sveta held out her palm, and a transparent holographic projection displaying the message popped up above it, depicting a simple sequence of ones and zeroes. ¡°The signal was encoded in exotic binary computer code, and contained a preamble with a sequence of prime numbers from 1 through 127, followed by a simple diagram of a hydrogen atom. We believe that portion of the message was designed to establish a common baseline between varying forms of sentient life, by expressing an understanding of the universal constant of mathematics and a representation of the most common element in the universe.¡± Lydia whistled and leaned forwards. ¡°Where did it come from?¡± Sveta generated another hologram, this one displaying a series of twelve pulsing points of light connected to a central point via dotted lines. ¡°The message included this, which we believe to be the co-ordinates of its broadcast point. The pulsing dots represent pulsars, and the dots represent the distance between the pulsar and the origin point in parallax arcseconds¡­ or rather, the alien equivalent of arcseconds. I won¡¯t bore you with the details of how we figured that out; suffice to say, it required a lot of stellar cartography and brute-force mathematics. Long story short, we¡¯re 95% certain this message originated from Barnard¡¯s Star.¡± ¡°Refresh my memory as to where that is?¡± Lydia asked. ¡°It¡¯s a red dwarf star 5.9 lightyears distant from Sol, and with a dim enough apparent magnitude to be invisible to the naked eye. In cosmic terms, it¡¯s our next-door neighbor.¡± ¡°Makes sense why they¡¯d send a message then. Did the message just contain that?¡± Sveta looked over to Miette, their expressions grim. Lydia watched them both expectantly. ¡°The message contained a long and elaborate set of pictographs, depicting an alien civilization that lives on a terrestrial planet in orbit around Barnard¡¯s Star.¡± Sveta said, bringing up one of the pictographs. Lydia studied the image intently; it was a stylized depiction of a disc-shaped entity with six legs on its sides, two large claws on its front, and four smaller claws between the two large ones. ¡°That looks like¡­ a crab?¡± Sveta nodded. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s our consensus as well. This message was sent by a race of sentient crabs. Apparently, the terrestrial planet they inhabit in a water-rich world with a frozen surface and subterranean oceans heated by geothermal activity, much like Europa. The crabs inhabit both the oceans and the surface, having developed enough technologically to construct large metropolitan areas and enter the early stages of space travel.¡± As she spoke, she projected a series of pictographs that illustrated the crabs building cities and spaceships. Lydia stared at the holographic crabs in wonder. ¡°So they reached out to us to¡­ what, say hello?¡± Sveta¡¯s expression fell further. ¡°I¡¯m afraid not.¡± She projected another pictograph, which showed one of the crab¡¯s spaceships being split apart by spiny projectiles, which were fired from the unmistakable shape of¡­ ¡°A Sarcophage,¡± Lydia growled, her voice dripping with naked hatred. She¡¯d never forget what a Spineball looked like, as long as she lived. Silently, Sveta displayed more pictographs. One depicted a Beelzezub slicing a ship in two, another a set of Belphegors hurling asteroids at the crab¡¯s world. And the final pictograph showed a strain of Sarcophage with a cross-shaped shell and toothy tentacles ripping an unfortunate crab to shreds. The image was stylized, devoid of gore, but gruesome nonetheless. ¡°That¡¯s a Spiralvore,¡± Lydia said, pointing to the shelled tenticular horror. ¡°The Sarcophage phased them out when we started deploying the first Gravity Frames. I fought a few of them as a child.¡± Sveta nodded. ¡°The pictographs tell a very clear story: the Sarcophage came to their system in droves and the crabs didn¡¯t have the resources to offer any resistance. They seem to have been driven back to their homeworld, hiding in the deepest geothermal vents or subterranean caves. The Sarcophage are bombarding them from orbit.¡± ¡°That¡¯s standard tactics,¡± Lydia confirmed. ¡°They¡¯ll soften up a target with years of asteroid bombardment before launching a ground invasion. We saw it on Mars and Earth.¡± ¡°Exactly. And the crabs seem ill-equipped to oppose them,¡± Sveta said sadly. ¡°None of the pictographs depicted them using any sort of weapons systems.¡± ¡°So, what¡­ they¡¯re sending us a chronicle of their civilization¡¯s history? Hoping we¡¯ll remember them after they go extinct?¡± Sveta shook her head, queuing up another pop culture reference nobody would understand. ¡°No, this isn¡¯t exactly The Inner Light, so far as we can tell. The final pictograph in the transmission was this.¡± As Sveta displayed the image, Lydia gasped sharply. It displayed the trademark silhouette of a Gravity Frame, firing blue flame from its head and destroying a horde of Sarcophage. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ that¡¯s one of the first generation Frames, a-a¡­ a Phantom, if I remember correctly,¡± Lydia stammered. ¡°But if they¡¯re six light years away, how could they possibly tell¡­¡± ¡°We¡¯re not sure,¡± Sveta said. ¡°We know they have some means of FTL communication beyond our scientific understanding. It¡¯s likely they sent a ship or probe to the Solar System to observe us, and it relayed live images back to them. It¡¯s also possible this probe is what attracted the attention of the Sarcophage.¡± Miette spoke up. ¡°Zehra believes the Sarcophage target species that have reached a certain stage of technological development, namely some manner of faster-than-light technology. Theoretically, the reason they attacked humanity back in 2021 was our nascent experiments with warp drive. It¡¯s possible they targeted the crabs because of their FTL communications technology.¡± Lydia frowned. ¡°That¡¯s an awful lot of speculation.¡± ¡°Indeed,¡± Sveta agreed. ¡°However, every xenolinguist we¡¯ve shown this to agrees on one point. This message is a request for help.¡± ¡°The crabs know we¡¯re capable of fighting the Sarcophage,¡± Miette added, ¡°perhaps even that we managed to defeat them, and they¡¯re asking us to save them in turn.¡± Lydia sat back in her chair, floored. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ that¡¯s incredible. An alien civilization is asking for our help¡­ so, are we gonna help them?¡± Miette sprang to her feet and drove her fist into the table, leaving a dent in the metal. ¡°Of COURSE we¡¯re going to help them! It doesn¡¯t matter if they¡¯re not human, we can¡¯t just stand by and watch the Sarcophage destroy another civilization!¡± Sveta grinned fondly at her wife¡¯s righteous passion. ¡°Damn right. The Politburo is in unanimous agreement; we always knew the Sarcophage were a galaxy-wide problem, and that we¡¯d have to take the fight to other star systems eventually. This revelation simply sped up the timetable. We¡¯re planning to send forces to Barnard¡¯s Star as soon as possible.¡± Lydia folded her arms and glowered. ¡°So, what. You go charging in there and Moby orders them all to self-destruct again?¡± Sveta knew Moby was a sensitive topic for Lydia, so she treaded carefully. ¡°That¡¯s one option, but Moby herself doesn¡¯t think it will work. Her command protocols were specific to the infestation in the Solar System, and might not function universally. More likely we¡¯ll have to destroy them the old-fashioned way.¡± Miette clenched her fists. ¡°That is to say, Gravity Frames, positron weapons and kinetic projectiles. We¡¯re going in guns blazing, just like old times.¡± Lydia folded her arms across her chest, and Sveta saw the old spark light up her eyes for a moment¡­ but then it faded. ¡°So, why tell me all this?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious?¡± Sveta said. ¡°We want you to help us.¡± ¡°You¡¯re the best Gravity Frame pilot I¡¯ve ever seen,¡± Miette added, ¡°and a fantastic commanding officer. We need your skills to save the crabs from annihilation.¡± The spark was there for a moment again before vanishing. ¡°I¡­ I can¡¯t¡­¡± Lydia said slowly. ¡°Why not?¡± Sveta pressed. ¡°I¡¯m needed here,¡± Lydia said softly. ¡°Here on Mars.¡± Sveta squinted. ¡°To what, command a base filled with a dozen scientists? That¡¯s a job for a bureaucratic staff officer, not an ace Frame pilot.¡± ¡°Your talents are being wasted here, Lydia,¡± Miette added. ¡°We just want to see you at your full potential once more.¡± Lydia rose to her feet. ¡°Like I said, I¡¯m needed here. This is my home, and I¡¯m not leaving.¡± ¡°Can I ask why?¡± Sveta said carefully. ¡°With all due respect, Lydia, this was your home in the past, but now¡­¡± ¡°Now WHAT?!¡± Lydia spat. ¡°Now it¡¯s a gravesite? A dead world? A garbage planet the Politburo isn¡¯t interested in colonizing again?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not what I¡­¡± Sveta said desperately. ¡°Isn¡¯t it, though?¡± she said, her voice rising with anger. ¡°You said the same thing all those smug politicians back in Moscow said. ¡®Oh, we have to take care of Earth first so we can''t recolonize Mars, it''s a dead world, not worth the effort.¡¯ Fucking excuse me if I don¡¯t like it when people talk about my home that way.¡± ¡°I¡­¡± ¡°I couldn¡¯t save any of them, you know,¡± Lydia continued angrily, spittle flying from her mouth as her rant built to a crescendo. ¡°Forty meters south-southwest of here, I watched my parents being eaten alive. Two kilometers north, my first lover died of a shrapnel wound. And forty-four kilometers south is where I boarded one of the last evacuation shuttles as the Sarcophage hordes closed in. That day I swore bloody vengeance, swore I¡¯d come back someday and liberate my home. ¡°But what did we find when we returned to Mars, Sveta? You know damn well what we found... the Sarcophage lying there, waiting to be killed. Unresisting, unthreatening, completely docile. Not because of anything WE did, but because that little genocidal monster Moby just ordered them to keel over and go to sleep! I didn¡¯t get my long-awaited vengeance! All I got was fucking target practice! Moby took everything from me, and then as a final insult, took my revenge away as well! Thus rendering my ENTIRE LIFE FUCKING POINTLESS! ¡°Well, I¡¯m here now, back on Mars, and I¡¯m never leaving again. I wasn¡¯t strong enough to save my family and friends, and I wasn¡¯t strong enough to avenge them, but at least I can stand vigil over their graves until I join them in death. That¡¯s all that remains of this useless shell of the girl known as Lydia. Sorry.¡± ¡°Oh, for fuck¡¯s sake.¡± Miette growled, rising to her feet again. She briskly walked around the table and socked Lydia, hard, in the jaw. The impact sent Lydia reeling backwards, although she stayed on her feet. ¡°What¡­?¡± Her eyes were wide as she rubbed her smarting jaw. Sveta and Kometka stared at the scene, shocked. Sveta: The hell are you doing, Miette? Miette: Trust me. ¡°Sorry, that pity party was getting a bit too much for me to handle,¡± Miette said angrily, placing her hands on her hips. ¡°Christ almighty, Lydia. What the fuck do you think you¡¯re doing? Wallowing near the graves of your friends? You want to sit here mourning the dead when you could be out there saving ACTUAL lives? That¡¯s not penance or whatever, it¡¯s just pure selfishness. What the fuck happened to the Lydia I used to know, the one who¡¯d charge through hell or high water to save lives and kick ass? What do you think Yuri and Yayoi would say if they could see you like this?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t¡­ you don¡¯t get to speak for the dead!¡± Lydia retorted, balling her hand into a fist. ¡°They were MY friends, not YOURS! YOU BITCH!¡± She threw a punch towards Miette¡¯s face. The redhead didn¡¯t dodge, or even flinch. The punch landed square on her left cheekbone, but had no apparent effect. Lydia yelped in pain and withdrew her hand, which was now reddened and swollen. Punching Miette had been like punching a brick wall. Miette smirked. ¡°You¡¯re gonna have to try harder than that if you want to bruise a robot, Lydia.¡± She allowed her holographic projection to flicker for a moment, revealing the pearly ceramic of her Telepresence Doll body, to emphasize the point. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ that¡¯s not fair¡­¡± Lydia protested weakly. ¡°Since when have I ever fought fair?¡± Miette countered. ¡°Lydia, listen. You¡¯ve been through a lot of shit¡­ more shit than anyone else I¡¯ve ever met. I¡¯m not here to tell you how to litigate your trauma, or how to deal with your overwhelming loss; I¡¯m not a psychologist. I am, however, your friend, and I know that sitting here moping over the dead isn¡¯t doing anything to help your mental state. You want to honor their memories? Then get back in the game and help us save these fucking crabs. Help us ensure that no world falls to the horror of the Sarcophage now, or ever again.¡± Lydia glared at Miette, not speaking. After a minute of silence, Miette stood up and began to walk for the mess hall door. ¡°Or ignore me, whatever. C¡¯mon, Sveta. Let¡¯s get out of here. We¡¯re wasting our time.¡± As Sveta rose to her feet with an apologetic look and Kometka sat stock-still, staring at the ground, Lydia looked at her bruised knuckles and heaved a large sigh. ¡°Alright, fine.¡± Miette stopped, but didn¡¯t turn around. Lydia stared at her back. ¡°Fine?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll come. I¡¯ll fight,¡± she said defiantly. Miette turned her head, looking back over her shoulder. ¡°¡­Just like that?¡± Lydia grimaced. ¡°¡­Plus one sore jaw, and I¡¯m fairly sure I broke a few knuckles punching your robot face. But yes, just like that.¡± Miette nodded, satisfied. ¡°Glad to hear it. I don¡¯t mind if you hate me because of this, Lydia, so long as you¡¯re doing SOMETHING. I can¡¯t stand watching someone I respect waste away to nothing like this.¡± Lydia narrowed her eyes, staring at Miette for a moment, then burst into laughter. Kometka and Sveta looked at each other, confused at her sudden shift in mood. ¡°¡­Did I say something funny?¡± Miette asked. ¡°Yes and no,¡± Lydia chortled. ¡°You stole that little trick from Captain Savitskaya, didn¡¯t you? The old punching someone to break through obstinacy routine?¡± ¡°Was I that obvious?¡± Miette pouted. ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s an old trick, one I have a lot of experience with,¡± Lydia replied. Miette shrugged. ¡°Well, I was on the receiving end of that fist once, back when I was all hotshot and no smarts. So yeah, I copied her a bit.¡± ¡°Needs work,¡± Lydia concluded. ¡°Nice effort though.¡± Sveta shook her head and sighed. ¡°I can¡¯t believe that worked out, somehow. Never a dull moment when my wife is around¡­¡± ****** As Lydia gathered her things, Kometka, Miette and Sveta held a little conference in accelerated-time virtual space. ¡°Well, firstly, let me say thanks,¡± Kometka said. ¡°Nothing I said was getting through to her, and I lack the¡­ force of personality you two possess.¡± "I''m not sure if that was supposed to be an insult or a compliment," Miette mused dryly. ¡°Both,¡± Kometka replied. Sveta groaned in frustration. ¡°I can¡¯t say I agree with your methods, Miette. I mean, punching someone doesn¡¯t cure depression, let alone PTSD. I think you just pissed her off.¡± ¡°Pissed off is better than wallowing in self-pity. I wanted to spur her into action,¡± Miette retorted. ¡°I know about a thousand psychologists who would disagree with you. With all due respect, dear, let¡¯s talk it through before you punch anyone again? It worked this time¡­ arguably¡­ but I think a more nuanced approach would have been appropriate. Hell, we probably need to refer her to a therapist once we get back to the ship.¡± Miette narrowed her eyes. ¡°We¡¯ll leave that call up to the Admiral. And you¡¯re one to talk about subtlety, Mrs. Ram-A-Gravity-Frame-Into-Your-Problems.¡± Sveta rolled her eyes. ¡°Shut up and kiss me, you incredibly sexy firebrand.¡± As Miette leapt onto Sveta and started making out, Kometka shrank back. ¡°Uh¡­ I¡¯m just gonna go¡­¡± she said quietly, and exited the virtual space. ****** ¡°Where are Miette and Sveta?¡± Lydia asked, eyeing the two deactivated Telepresence Dolls as she shouldered a duffel bag filled with her things. ¡°Making out in virtual space,¡± Kometka responded with marginal disapproval, colored by a twinge of jealousy. ¡°Hah, they never change.¡± Lydia walked over to Kometka and placed a hand on her shoulder. ¡°You asked them to come here, didn¡¯t you?¡± Kometka nodded. ¡°I¡­ was worried about you. You were spiraling, Lydia, and so lost in your memories that you ignored my attempts to help. I needed to try something drastic, though I didn¡¯t expect it to be THAT drastic.¡± ¡°I imagine not,¡± Lydia replied. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Kometka. I really am. I hate to admit it, but Miette¡¯s right. This environment isn¡¯t good for me. I know I haven¡¯t been as¡­ affectionate as I used to be¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Kometka said, placing her own hand over Lydia¡¯s and squeezing. ¡°I just want you to be happy.¡± ¡°I¡¯m a long way from happy, but maybe a sock in the jaw was a good place to start,¡± Lydia mused dryly. ¡°We¡¯ll see where this goes, at least. So are we taking the shuttle or¡­¡± ¡°No, we¡¯re taking one of Sveta¡¯s Gravity Frames back to the Earth sphere. The unit she and Miette landed in has a warp drive, so the trip should only last a few minutes. Let me ping those two necking lovebirds and we¡¯ll be on our way.¡± ¡°Hang on¡­¡± Lydia said apprehensively. ¡°Did you say¡­ warp drive?!¡± pynkbites My dear readers, in this chapter you can see how the third-person style of writing leads to higher word counts in chapters on my part. That''s why I made the shift to this new style. Hopefully you''re all liking it so far! And please, send Lydia all your hugs and love. I''ve set up a Discord server focused on my stories and gay shenanigans. If you''d like to chat with me and my queer friends, stop by sometime! And don''t forget to check out my other story, Lesbian Demon Lord. Sk-4. The Radiolaria Galactica Zehra Aslanbek¡¯s Amazing Space-Warping Drive (or as everyone except Zehra called it, ¡®warp drive¡¯) was such a blatant mockery of causality and relativity that the universe damn near issued humanity a speeding ticket when they first invented it. The drive used gravity manipulation to create a bubble of isolated spacetime, then compressed space in front of the bubble and expanded space behind, resulting in a wave that the bubble surfed along like a rickety fishing trawler riding a tsunami. Because the ship or Gravity Frame inside the bubble was not technically accelerating relative to its immediate spacetime, it resulted in no time dilation or backwards time travel, and therefore the universe decided to let humanity off with a warning. Humanity, who had a collective history of laughing in the face of unrelenting physics, simply flipped the universe off and went on their merry way. This is not to say every human was comfortable using warp drive, however. As a relatively new transportation technology, a fair number of folk were unsettled by the idea of travelling faster-than-light. One such doubter was Lydia Tereshkova. ¡°Are you SURE this thing is safe?¡± Lydia fretted as she strapped herself into Sveta¡¯s cockpit chair. ¡°Of course it is! I¡¯ve made thousands of warp jumps, and the number that ended in horrible disaster is in the low double digits. Rest assured, the drive is 99% safe to use!¡± Sveta said as she docked her Telepresence Doll in an alcove behind the cockpit chair and powered it down. Kometka and Miette followed suit, and a moment later their avatars popped up in a holographic window projected by the cockpit¡¯s spherical screen. ¡°Low¡­ double¡­ DIGITS?!¡± Lydia screeched. Miette smacked Sveta upside the head. ¡°Oy, cut that out, Sveta. Don¡¯t scare the poor girl. Lydia, we¡¯ve been operating the warp drive without incident for several years now, and I¡¯ve made dozens of warp jumps myself. It¡¯s perfectly safe.¡± Sveta rubbed the virtual bump on her virtual head for a moment, pouting, before switching back to her usual peppiness with ease. ¡°Yeah! I¡¯m the one who tested the experimental models, so me and Zehra ironed out all the kinks! The current generation of warp drives has the Sveta Seal of Quality, guaranteed to safely transit you from point A to point B with all organs intact and all fingers and toes accounted for!¡± Miette groaned. ¡°Not helping, Sveta.¡± ¡°What? I¡¯m just lightening the mood with humor!¡± Sveta growled back petulantly. Miette rolled her eyes. ¡°Whatever. Just pilot, brat.¡± As Sveta brought up the 360-degree cockpit holo-screen, which displayed the Martian surface around her Frame, Lydia gripped the armrests of the cockpit chair so tightly her knuckles turned white¡­ not that anyone could see it under the gloves of her Inertia Suit. She braced herself for the usual sense of acceleration that accompanied a Gravity Frame lifting off, ready to get slammed back into her chair. Sveta pulsed the gravity fins, lifting the Frame off the surface a few dozen meters, and reconfigured the combat chassis from robot to shuttlecraft mode. Another pulse of the fins sent them hundreds of feet into the air, then thousands as they broke the sound barrier. As Lydia watched the Martian surface recede, she frowned. ¡°There¡¯s no¡­ acceleration¡­ G-force¡­¡± she muttered, looking at her hand while she clenched and unclenched her fingers. ¡°That¡¯s because of the inertial dampeners!¡± Sveta boasted. ¡°You¡¯re used to those janky old Velocipede and X-23 Lisichka model Frames which only partially cancelled out acceleration, but the new models completely neutralize any G-forces! Pilot comfort is beyond compare!¡± ¡°The¡­ the Velocipedes were cutting edge¡­¡± Lydia said disbelievingly. Sveta snorted. ¡°They were cutting edge seven years ago. Science marches on, Lydia, especially when Zehra¡¯s involved.¡± Miette smiled mischievously. ¡°If you think the new Frames are something, just wait until you see the ship. We¡¯ve been working our proverbial tails off to get her ready.¡± ¡°Oy, my tail¡¯s not proverbial!¡± Sveta protested, manifesting her cat ears and tail. Lydia only half-listened to Sveta and Miette¡¯s usual antics, her eyes fixed on the reddish tinge of Mars as the full disc of the planet came into view. She¡¯d seen Mars from orbit many times, but the sight never failed to move her¡­ doubly so now, since she knew she wouldn¡¯t return for a long, long time. ¡°Wait for me, everyone. I¡¯ll be back, I promise,¡± she whispered. The three AI girls heard her clearly because of the cockpit¡¯s advanced audio sensors, but didn¡¯t say anything out of respect. A moment later, far beyond the orbit of Phobos and Deimos, the Frame twinkled out of spacetime with a purple flash. ****** ¡°So this is warp, huh?¡± Lydia said, her eyes skittered off the cockpit screen¡¯s pixel-perfect projection of the pitch-black void that surrounded them. ¡°Somehow, I was expecting, I dunno¡­ a cool lightshow? Stars whooshing past?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve been scrolling up too many cinemas, Lydia,¡± Sveta teased. ¡°We¡¯re in a bubble of spacetime pinched off from the larger universe¡­ in essence, a microverse fifty meters across. There are no stars, hence no light. ¡°¡­So you¡¯re flying blind? How do you steer?¡± Lydia asked, feeling her nerves fraying even further. ¡°Well you see, I deploy an artificial lattice of paired photons just outside the event horizon of the spacetime boundary, with one half of the pair entangled to a set of digital switches inside my secondary hyperprocessor. Then, when one of the photons crosses the event horizon and the other escapes as Schwarzschild radiation, it causes a trans-Planckian reverberant affect across the skein of the¡­¡± Miette cut in before the technobabble got out of hand. ¡°She steers very well, thanks for asking.¡± ¡°H-Hey, you interrupted my explanation!¡± Sveta groaned. ¡°You were starting to sound too much like Zehra,¡± Miette retorted, blepping out her tongue. ¡°Cool your jets, Astro Girl.¡± Sveta gasped and clutched her hands to her chest. ¡°An ASTRO BOY reference?! Oh my dear wife, my heart flutters!¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah. Settle down or I¡¯ll smooch you, brat,¡± Miette said, pursing her lips. ¡°Don¡¯t threaten me with a good time!¡± Sveta said, breaking into a huge grin. ¡°Actually, do threaten me and follow through, please.¡± Lydia shook her head and looked over at Kometka¡¯s projection, who was watching the pair with her usual unblinking gaze. ¡°Oy, Kometka, do these two have an off switch?¡± Kometka smiled thinly. ¡°Let me poke around Sveta¡¯s systems and see if I can find it.¡± Sveta balled her hands into fists and placed them on her hips, arms akimbo. ¡°Good luck, my dear sister! My core systems are protected behind seven proxies!¡± ¡°Trying to make it easy for me? How very Sveta-esque of you,¡± Kometka replied, her small smile never wavering. There was a moment of silence, then the four girls burst into laughter. As she tittered hand-to-mouth, Kometka thought to herself how nice it was to hear Lydia laugh again. A few minutes later, the warp drive spooled down and the Frame re-entered sidereal space, a few thousand kilometers from the Earth-Moon L2 Lagrange point. ¡°We¡¯re heeeeeeeeeere!¡± Sveta announced. Lydia saw the familiar glowing orb of the Moon¡¯s far side¡­ and silhouetted against it was a grey arrowhead shape encircled by two glowing purple rings, its surface aglitter with thousands of lights. As Lydia realized the scale of what she was looking at, her eyes bugged. ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°Our new ship,¡± Sveta responded proudly. ¡°Humanity¡¯s first faster-than-light Gravity Frame carrier, and the first ship designed to wage war on an interstellar scale. May I present¡­ the Radiolaria Galactica.¡± ****** Back during the dark days of the Sarcophage War, humanity¡¯s largest mobile starships were Gravity Frame carriers and artillery destroyers, both of which averaged around a half-kilometer long. Larger still were the stationary Almaz positron cannon stations, which were a full kilometer in length. The largest spaceborne structures humanity built from scratch were the gravity centrifuge space colony cylinders at around five kilometers long, and even those were eclipsed by hollowed-out asteroid bases like 433 Eros which clocked in at a whopping seven kilometers. The Radiolaria Galactica broke all those records at eight kilometers long. It bore the typical arrowhead shape of a Gravity Frame carrier, with a cluster of angular gravity drive fins fanning out from the broadest part of the arrowhead, the stern. At the opposite end, the ship¡¯s prow was notched and featured a recessed outlet which contained no less than sixty gravitic launch tubes for Gravity Frames and other craft, and two far larger outlets for massive gravitic railcannons that ran the full length of the ship¡¯s central axis. Encircling the ship¡¯s back half, just afore the conventional drive fins, were two huge purple glowing rings which joined to the ship at port and starboard. These gravity rings were a new configuration of drive fin designed specifically to create a powerful warp field that could accelerate the ship to a top speed of 1000 times the speed of light. The ship¡¯s hull was dotted with dozens upon dozens of positron turret emplacements, and the port and starboard lengths of the hull both sported two massive Almaz-type positron cannons, each nearly four kilometers long and ten times as powerful as the Almaz cannons of yore. This extensive armament was supplemented by the ship¡¯s embarked compliment of 1400 Gravity Frames and a Gravity Swarm. This was humanity¡¯s answer to the galactic threat of the Sarcophage: a massive vessel that could singlehandedly battle an entire swarm of the ravening horrors, delivering enough firepower to split a planet in two while remaining safe behind its powerful energy shields. As Sveta¡¯s Frame transformed back into robot mode and entered one of the Radiolaria Galactica¡¯s massive hanger bays, it was seized by a giant robotic arm extending from the ceiling and unceremoniously shoved into a docking port in the wall. As small scarab-like drones skittered all over the Frame¡¯s hull and the cockpit hatch opened, Lydia poked her head out and looked around the cavernous hanger with wide eyes. ¡°Everything is so¡­ big!¡± she said with awe. Sveta, Miette and Kometka, once more in their Telepresence Dolls, crowded behind her and gently urged her forwards. ¡°Just follow the yellow lines on the wall over to the pilot¡¯s locker room,¡± Sveta said. ¡°Watch the orange and black striped boundary, that¡¯s where the artificial gravity kicks in.¡± Lydia swiveled around, her muscle memory informing graceful movements in microgravity despite her lack of practice, and looked right at Sveta. ¡°Artificial gravity? Seriously?!¡± Sveta chuckled. ¡°This ship is more advanced than anything humanity¡¯s ever produced before. You¡¯re in for quite a few surprises, Lydia. Welcome to our now home.¡± The transition between microgravity and artificial gravity at the entrance to the locker room was gradual, starting with a slight downwards tug and building to full Earth-normal over the course of two meters. After nearly a decade spent on Mars, a sudden return to 1G took Lydia by surprise and she sagged, dropping to one knee; her prosthetic legs could bear her increased weight with no problem, but the rest of her body ached as her muscles strained against the increased load. Kometka rushed forwards and wedged herself under Lydia¡¯s left arm, providing support. ¡°You alright?¡± she asked softly. ¡°I-I¡¯m fine, just wasn¡¯t prepared. Thanks¡­¡± Lydia said, panting as Kometka smiled at her gently. ¡°Guess I need to spend some time in the gym, huh?¡± ¡°One moment,¡± rang out a businesslike voice. A moment later, the gravity in the room lightened to 38% of Earth-normal, and Lydia rose to her full height once more. A three-dimensional holographic projection flickered to life a few feet in front of her, depicting a woman with long ice-blue hair and eyes. She was dressed in a standard uniform, except fringed with blue highlights instead of red and bearing a rank insignia of Vice Admiral. ¡°Apologies, Senior Lieutenant Tereshkova. I¡¯ve adjusted the gravity in the room to Mars-normal. I will make the same adjustments in whatever room you occupy, and slowly increase the gravity to Earth-normal until you are acclimated.¡± Lydia saluted the woman. ¡°Thank you, Laria, it¡¯s much appreciated. You¡¯re a Vice Admiral now, huh?¡± Laria gave the barest of nods. ¡°Indeed. After the implementation of the AI Personhood and Self-Determination Act four years ago, all AI serving on active duty were retroactively granted official Revolutionary Army ranks. No doubt you¡¯ve noticed that Sveta bears the rank of Captain, and Kometka the rank of Senior Lieutenant.¡± Lydia¡¯s eyebrows raised, and she turned to Kometka. The red-eyed AI shrugged. ¡°I didn¡¯t think it was worth mentioning, considering the rank was mostly ceremonial at the time.¡± ¡°Ri-ight.¡± Lydia said, shame twinging at her gut. She¡¯s been living in her own depressive world so completely that she¡¯d even missed details about her romantic partner¡¯s life. She clenched her teeth, resolving not to spiral, and turned back to Laria. ¡°Vice Admiral Radiolaria, Senior Lieutenant Tereshkova is officially requesting permission to come aboard.¡± Laria opened her mouth to reply, but was interrupted by the hiss of a sliding door, followed by twin high-pitched yelps. She caught a brief glimpse of violet hair out of the corner of her eye, but before her head swiveled more than a quarter-turn, she was impacted by a double tackle-hug. ¡°Lydiaaaaaaa! Welcome back!¡± Sabina cried out in pure joy. ¡°We missed you!¡± Genevi added, nuzzling her cheek against Lydia¡¯s chest like a cat marking territory. Unsure of how to react at first, Lydia gave into the moment and snaked her arms around the shoulders of the two girls, subconsciously noticing their skin felt cold to the touch. ¡°Hello, you two. Been keeping out of trouble?¡± she asked, fighting against the smile that tugged at the corners of her mouth. ¡°¡°Of course not!¡±¡± they responded in unison, earning a chuckle from Sveta and Miette both. Kometka stood off to the side, observing the scene with her usual unblinking gaze, like an entomologist studying the mating rituals of moths. Laria cleared her throat loudly, a prim and proper hm-hem that was undercut by mild frustration. ¡°I might remind you two that you are on duty.¡± Sabina turned her head and stuck out her tongue. ¡°Bite me, Vice Admiral.¡± ¡°W-With all due respect,¡± Genevi added. Laria pinched the bridge of her nose and looked very much like she was about to develop a migraine, despite her inability to do so. ¡°Alright, that¡¯s enough sass out of you two. There will be plenty of time to catch up after Lydia reports to the Admiral. Hop to, rapscallions.¡± Sabina and Genevi reluctantly untangled themselves from Lydia. ¡°Fiiiiiiine,¡± Sabina said. ¡°Join us for drinks later, Lydia?¡± ¡°¡­Can either one of you drink?¡± Lydia asked cautiously, remembering the coldness of their skin. ¡°Not in the same way as you, but yes,¡± Genevi answered. ¡°Let us know when you get out, and we¡¯ll show you our favorite bar.¡± Lydia¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°This ship has bars? Multiple?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll give you the grand tour later,¡± Laria said, inserting herself between the twins and Lydia. ¡°For the moment, follow me. The Admiral is quite eager to meet you and Kometka. This way, please.¡± Lydia saw the twins, Sveta and Miette off with a half-wave before scurrying after Laria, with Kometka not far behind. ¡°I assume ¡®Admiral¡¯ refers to who I think it does?¡± ¡°Oh, yes, without a doubt,¡± Laria replied proudly, not even trying to hide her fondness for her commanding officer and romantic partner. ****** Admiral of the Fleet Ekatrina Savitskaya had initially resisted promotion, certain it would remove her from her beloved ship command and park her squarely behind a desk. Alas, as a four-times decorated Hero of the Soviet States whose risky tactics had proved humanity¡¯s salvation, she hadn¡¯t been given much choice. It¡¯s often said those who eschew power are most deserving to hold it, and Admiral Savitskaya was an exemplar of that; now she could count the number of people in the whole Revolutionary Army who outranked her on one hand. All this had made her a shoe-in to command humanity¡¯s first faster-than-light expedition beyond the solar system¡­ with a little nudging from the KGB and Teles, of course. As the door to her office whooshed open, Admiral Savitskaya (Katya to her friends) looked up from the swirl of floating holo-screens that surrounded her, dismissing them with a wave of her hand as Laria, Lydia and Kometka entered. She noticed the decrease in gravity, giving the barest of nods to Laria before focusing her attention on the conversation to come. ¡°Senior Lieutenant Tereshkova,¡± she said. Lydia regarded her for a moment, her eyes drifting from her pressed uniform and perfect posture to her angular face, and noticed how she hadn¡¯t seemed to age a day in the last seven years. ¡°Reporting for duty, ma¡¯am,¡± she said, saluting sharply. Katya returned the salute, then smiled gently. ¡°Good to see you again, Lydia and Kometka. Have you been well?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been surviving, I suppose.¡± ¡°Fair enough.¡± Katya stepped forward and extended her hand, which Lydia took and shook firmly. She looked right into Katya¡¯s brilliant green eyes, stern and analytical, and felt a wave of nostalgia wash over her. ¡°Admiral, if I may ask a question?¡± she asked cautiously. ¡°Go ahead,¡± Katya responded. ¡°¡­Is everyone on this ship a robot?¡± Katya withdrew her hand and stroked her chin. ¡°You¡¯re very observant, Lydia.¡± Lydia shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s not hard to figure out. Sabina and Genevi¡¯s skin was cold to the touch, as is yours. And none of you have aged at all these last seven years. In fact, you look younger than before.¡± Katya chuckled. ¡°Well, it wouldn¡¯t suit me very well to grow old and wrinkly while my eternally young AI lover remains frozen in time, would it?¡± She shot a glance over to Laria. The ship¡¯s central AI straightened her glasses. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t mind either way. But to answer your question, Lydia, of my present crew complement of 704,272 souls, approximately one-third are biological humans, one-third are hard uploads and one-third are soft uploads. That means two-thirds of the crew are AI of one form or another.¡± Lydia whistled. ¡°A full-blown technological singularity, then?¡± Katya nodded. ¡°Limited to the military for the moment, but yes. The upload technology will be released to the general public in six month¡¯s time. Should you wish to undergo the process yourself, Lydia, the ship¡¯s facilities are at your disposal.¡± Lydia thought about that for a moment, feeling her gut twist in knots at the prospect. ¡°I¡¯ll¡­ pass for now.¡± ¡°As you wish. Now, more to the point, I¡¯m certain Sveta has already briefed you on our upcoming mission?¡± ¡°The summary, yes,¡± Lydia responded. ¡°We¡¯re going to save a race of intelligent crabs from annihilation by the Sarcophage, right?¡± Katya sighed heavily. ¡°I¡¯ve re-iterated this point to Sveta many times, but I¡¯d appreciate it if you didn¡¯t refer to them as ¡®crabs.¡¯ This is a first-contact situation, only the second time in humanity¡¯s history we¡¯ll be communicating with an alien intelligence, and comparing them to animals from Earth might cause offense¡­ or not. Until we know for sure, we need to be as careful and diplomatic as possible.¡± ¡°Point well taken. What should we call them, then?¡± ¡°For the moment, intelligent arthropods. It¡¯s not perfect, but it¡¯s scientific enough to sound detached, clinical and somewhat neutral.¡± Lydia and Kometka exchanged a glance as Katya kept talking. ¡°We are expecting their solar system to be at a Stage 2 infestation, approximately the same level as when the Sarcophage first began their bombardment of Mars in 2024. Based on Moby¡¯s projection of their tactical strength, we believe the Radiolaria Galactica¡¯s firepower should be sufficient to purge the infestation with negligible casualties.¡± At the mention of Moby, Lydia¡¯s skin prickled. She felt Kometka¡¯s hand wrap around her arm, providing support. ¡°Moby¡¯s still around?¡± she asked softly. Katya paused for a few moments before responding. ¡°Yes, she is. What¡¯s more, she¡¯s been exceptionally helpful to us; she¡¯s freely shared her knowledge of Sarcophage bio-engineering and technology, which has enabled us to make leaps and bounds in our development of gravity manipulation and warp drive. Furthermore, she¡¯s authored an exhaustive tactical codex on the Sarcophage that¡¯s become standard reading for all Gravity Frame pilots and officers in the Army.¡± ¡°I¡­ see¡­¡± Lydia said, feeling her temples knot up. Katya¡¯s voice lowered to a gentle murmur. ¡°Given your history with her, I fully understand if you do not wish to interact. I can arrange to keep the two of you separate at all times.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not¡­¡± Lydia said, balling her fists. ¡°I appreciate it, but that¡¯s not necessary. I¡­ I¡¯ve had a lot of time to think on Mars, Admiral, and come to terms with my trauma. I still¡­ I will probably be uneasy around her, but I¡¯m willing to swallow my pride and work with her. For the good of the mission.¡± Katya took a step forwards, her unblinking eyes searching Lydia¡¯s. ¡°I¡¯m afraid that¡¯s not an acceptable answer, Senior Lieutenant. I refuse to have any of my crew forcing themselves into uncomfortable or potentially traumatic situations in service to some nebulous, impersonal ideal of patriotism. Humanity went through enough of that nonsense during the Sarcophage War. Your mental health is as much a priority as anything.¡± ¡°That¡¯s very magnanimous of you,¡± Lydia replied flatly. ¡°As well as practical, I assure you. The mental health of my crew is just as important to the ultimate success of our mission as any other factor. On that subject, I¡¯ve reviewed the memory engrams of Sveta and Miette¡¯s conversation with you on Mars.¡± Lydia cringed, remembering her outburst with a stab of shame. ¡°That¡¯s not¡­¡± ¡°I will refrain from commenting on the situation. However, as a condition of your reinstatement to active service under my command, I will be requiring to you attend therapy sessions with the ship¡¯s counselor.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need therapy¡­¡± Lydia began, only to be interrupted by Kometka. ¡°Understood, Admiral. Lydia will happily attend those sessions.¡± Kometka used a low, firm tone that made it very clear to Lydia she was unwilling to brook any argument. ¡°Isn¡¯t that right, Lydia?¡± ¡°¡­Yes, that¡¯s right.¡± Lydia hastily agreed, realizing arguing with Kometka would be futile, not to mention humiliating. ¡°Good, because it was an order and not a suggestion,¡± Katya replied briskly. ¡°I trust you remember that when I give an order, I expect it to be followed?¡± ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am,¡± Lydia said, straightening her posture. She felt like an excess of military formality was appropriate in the moment. ¡°Very good. At the risk of sounding dismissive, trauma is somewhat endemic to humanity as a whole these days. Our counselor has proven highly adept at helping many of my crew find some measure of peace. I am including myself in that number, by the way.¡± Lydia sighed. ¡°I get it. We had this same conversation seven years ago and I remember it well. I¡¯ll attend the therapy sessions.¡± ¡°Good,¡± Katya said with a curt nod. ¡°Now, as of this moment, I am officially promoting you to Senior Captain, commanding officer of Maid Corps. All ten squadrons of Gravity Frames aboard will be under your command, along with the Gravity Swarm.¡± Lydia raised an eyebrow. ¡°What¡¯s a Gravity Swarm?¡± ¡°Laria will forward all the pertinent information, manuals and briefings to your quarters¡¯ holosystems. Please review them at your leisure. I¡¯d also like you to familiarize yourself with the ship, and log at least 48 hours simulator time learning the new Gravity Frame models. As for command structure¡­ I will be assigning Miette as your second in command, and promoting her to full Captain. Sveta will function as your third-in-command.¡± ¡°Understood, ma¡¯am.¡± Katya clasped her hands behind her back. ¡°The ship must undergo six more days of provisioning before we make the warp jump to a point half a lightyear above Barnard¡¯s Star¡¯s ecliptic, after which we will rendezvous with the instance of Sveta we sent ahead to scout. Our timetable is short; I¡¯m afraid the next week will be a bit of a crunch for you, Senior Captain.¡± ¡°Nothing I¡¯m not used to, ma¡¯am,¡± Lydia replied, trying to push more confidence into her voice than she actually felt. ¡°Glad to hear it. It¡¯s good to have you back, Lydia.¡± ¡°It¡¯s good to be back,¡± Lydia replied, and mostly meant it. ****** ¡°UGH,¡± Lydia mumbled, her head mushed face-down against the flat tabletop next to a mostly empty glass of vodka. ¡°I can¡¯t believe she¡¯s making me attend therapy sessions.¡± She let herself drown in the thumping techno music and dancing technicolor lights of the bar for a moment, happy for the distraction. ¡°Oh, come now. It¡¯ll be good for you,¡± Kometka said, patting her gently on the back. ¡°You got that right!¡± Sveta enthused. ¡°We¡¯ve all had to go see Mister Snuggles at one point or another, and he¡¯s been a godsend! He helped me work through my lingering issues with my first wife¡¯s death. You know, pre-reincarnation.¡± Lydia rolled her head to the side and looked square at Sveta. ¡°Did you say¡­ Mister Snuggles?¡± Sveta nodded, grinning loosely. ¡°Yup. Mister Snuggles. He¡¯s a talking cat.¡± ¡°What.¡± ¡°He¡¯s an AI,¡± Miette explained, ¡°who just happens to take the form of a talking cat. A Persian, I think they were called? Anyway, he says petting a cat while in therapy helps relax his patients.¡± Lydia sat up and looked at her nearly-empty glass. ¡°I see you lot haven¡¯t gotten any less weird in the time I¡¯ve been away.¡± She turned to Sabina, who was drinking a holographic beer. ¡°What is that, exactly?¡± ¡°Exactly?¡± Sabina said, setting the mug down. ¡°Simulated beer that contains computer code which makes AIs drunk.¡± Lydia gawped. ¡°Fake food and drink for AIs?¡± ¡°Why not?¡± Sabina mused. ¡°Most of us are ex-biological these days. Even if I don¡¯t need to eat anymore, I¡¯d miss it if I stopped entirely.¡± ¡°I suppose that makes sense¡­¡± Lydia admitted. She hadn¡¯t even considered that an AI would enjoy the sensation of consuming food, even if it was ultimately simulated. ¡°Maybe for her,¡± Genevi said, rolling her eyes, ¡°I don¡¯t miss eating, personally.¡± Sabina snorted. ¡°That¡¯s cuz you¡¯re WAY more into this whole AI thing than me, Ms. Soft Upload.¡± As the two sisters lovingly bickered, Lydia stared at a floating robotic drone as it drifted over and refilled her vodka from a small spigot on its underside. The drone gave a little half-bow and then floated away to another table, oblivious to Lydia¡¯s eyes boring holes in its backside. ¡°I¡¯m just having a hard time getting used to all this, you know? AIs, uploads, warp drive, antigravity, space crabs, little flying vodka robots. It¡¯s kinda overwhelming.¡± Miette reached out to pat her reassuringly on the arm. ¡°You¡¯ll catch on. We¡¯re here to help you through this, Lydia. We¡¯re your friends, after all.¡± ¡°More than that,¡± Sveta added. ¡°Remember what you said back when we faced down the giant naked lady version of Moby? You called us your family.¡± Something about that particular phrasing set Lydia off, and before she realized it tears were pouring down her face and snot leaking from her nose as she took short, gasping breaths. In an instant, she suddenly found herself in the middle of a group hug with Kometka, Sveta, Miette, Genevi and Sabina all wrapping their arms around her tightly. ¡°I-I¡¯m so sorry!¡± Lydia bawled. ¡°I missed s-so much of your lives¡­ weddings, reunions, promotions¡­ I m-missed it all because I was st-stuck in my own head¡­ uuu¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re alright,¡± Sveta said softly. ¡°Shh, shh, you¡¯re alright. Let it all out.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be b-better¡­ I pr-promise¡­ You deserve b-better from me...¡± Lydia gulped. ¡°You don¡¯t need to be better, Lydia,¡± Miette said, patting her head. ¡°Just be yourself.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll always have a place with us. Always,¡± Sabina added, giving Lydia¡¯s arm a tight squeeze. ¡°We love you, no matter what you¡¯re going through,¡± Genevi said warmly. ¡°And we¡¯ll be here for you.¡± It was there, in a neon-soaked bar buried deep in the bowels of an interstellar warship, that Lydia finally had a stark realization. She¡¯d stood her lonely vigil over the ruins of Mars for seven years, thinking it was her home, the place she belonged. But now, wrapped in the arms of her closest friends¡­ no, her found family, she realized that home wasn¡¯t necessarily a place. It was people. People who made her feel warm and loved and safe. And after all those years, all that pain, all that time stewing in a depressive spiral ¡­ Lydia Tereshkova was finally home. pynkbites I slowed down my writing these past few months to take a mental health break, but I wound up far from idle! I actually published two new shorts during this time: the first is a stoner comedy about a trans girl''s botching coming out to her family entitled The Starbucks Solution, and the other is a gender-swapping tale of demons and cursed grimoires called The Demonic Guide to Self Improvement. Go check them out and let me know what you think! These two works reflect my evolution as a writer to more explicitly including trans themes in my work. I didn''t have the self-confidence to put any trans characters in GRR when I first started it, but now that I have an iota more experience I think I''m gonna introduce a few into the second half of the story. Please look forward to it! I''ve set up a Discord server dedicated to my stories and shenanigans. If you enjoy my writing, please stop by sometime! Sk-5. We Come In Peace Depending on who you asked, space exploration was either tremendously exciting and filled with wonder, or painstakingly boring and a waste of time. The intrepid AI Sveta believed the former; the prospect of warping to other star systems, discovering strange new worlds and making first contact with a civilization of intelligent crabs inflamed her already overflowing sense of adventure. As for 2nd Lieutenant Hunter Kretzer, however¡­ ¡°Ugh, this is sooooooooo boring!¡± he grumbled for precisely the 242nd time, rapping his knuckles on Sveta¡¯s control console. The projection of Sveta¡¯s avatar on the cockpit¡¯s spherical holo-screen rolled her eyes as she ticked off another counter in her memory logs. ¡°Hush, Hunter. You¡¯re so whiny. I¡¯m having a blast!¡± Hunter emitted a beleaguered and rather overdramatic sigh, running his hand through his short-buzzed blonde hair. ¡°Having a blast doing what, exactly? Spectral analysis?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not just spectral analysis! You know that!¡± Sveta shot back indignantly. She and Hunter had been buzzing around Barnard¡¯s Star for nearly two weeks now, their GFIS-125 Foxbat Gravity Frame performing micro warp jumps as they analyzed the system from several different angles and distances. Sveta, beyond enthused at being the vanguard of humanity¡¯s first contact with a potentially friendly alien race, devoured all the data her sensors recorded with the voracity of a black hole. Hunter, conversely, was presently exhibiting the voracity of a dwarf planet which hadn¡¯t even sucked up all the asteroids and dust in its orbit. ¡°Yeah, yeah. You¡¯re following a trail of breadcrumbs. Big whoop!¡± Sveta planted her hands on her hip and assumed a stern expression. ¡°Need I remind you we¡¯re preparing to make first contact here? Every tidbit of information I can assimilate about the crabs will help us make a good first impression!¡± Hunter chuckled dryly. ¡°I think it¡¯ll make a better first impression when we blast every Sarcophage in their solar system to dust. What have you learned, anyway? I thought there was no signals shell around the system.¡± One of the first things they¡¯d looked for was a shell of electromagnetic signals surrounding Barnard¡¯s Star, much like the one Earth emitted thanks to humanity¡¯s constant radio chatter. They¡¯d taken readings every half-lightyear, but come up short; either the crabs didn¡¯t use radio communications like humans, or they hadn¡¯t been sending anything recently. Given they were currently being asteroid-bombed back into the stone age, the latter seemed more likely. ¡°Ugh, don¡¯t remind me,¡± Sveta pouted. ¡°If we¡¯d picked up some kind of television broadcast or whatever, at least I¡¯d be able to start deciphering their language. Guess we¡¯ll just have to wait for the Radiolaria Galactia to get here before we begin the real work.¡± ¡°What¡¯s their ETA again?¡± Hunter asked, failing to keep the wistfulness out of his voice. He¡¯d gone relatively stir-crazy after being cooped up in a Gravity Frame cockpit for two weeks, despite the creature comforts of artificial gravity and gravy-soaked ration bars. He longed to go back home, to sleep in a warm bunk, to see his friends again. ¡°Six days, seventeen hours,¡± Sveta responded, cringing as she anticipated another bout of complaining from Hunter. Sure enough, he didn¡¯t disappoint. ¡°Ugh, six more days? I was honestly expecting more excitement when I signed up for the Army, not this endless tedium.¡± Sveta shook her head, half-smiling at the young soldier¡¯s misplaced expectations. ¡°War and exploration are very much alike in that respect, Hunter. Both are defined by long stretches of boredom punctuated by short bursts of excitement.¡± Hunter slumped back in the cockpit chair. ¡°Yeah, but where¡¯s my excitement? Six years of service and I haven¡¯t seen a single battle!¡± The starry-eyed young lieutenant had joined up just after the conclusion of the Sarcophage War, and felt somewhat left out when surrounded by battle-hardened veterans. ¡°And with any luck, you¡¯ll go another century without having to pull the trigger,¡± Sveta lectured. ¡°War isn¡¯t fun, Hunter. It¡¯s terrifying and horrible.¡± Hunter slumped down further, his spine nearly parallel with the seat cushion. ¡°Please, not the ¡®war is hell¡¯ speech again.¡± Sveta relented. ¡°I¡¯m not without mercy, Hunter. I¡¯ll spare you¡­ this time.¡± ¡°Thank you, oh mighty goddess of giant robots,¡± Hunter replied sarcastically. ¡°Hush, or an actual goddess might get offended. Now, if it¡¯s not too much bother 2nd Lieutenant, strap yourself in for the next warp jump. We¡¯ll be making a close pass to try and get some spectrum lines from the crab homeworld. Hop to!¡± Hunter made a lazy attempt at a salute, more in jest than any attempt to be official; he knew damn well Sveta wasn¡¯t one to stand on ceremony. ¡°Aye-aye, ma¡¯am.¡± ¡°And pay attention this time,¡± Sveta continued, ignoring his flippancy. ¡°We¡¯ll be making an extremely close pass to the system, and if the Sarcophage detect us they might send out a skipcraft to intercept. Stay on your toes in case we need to fight our way out.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t threaten me with a good time,¡± Hunter replied, drawing a small giggle from Sveta. ¡°Trust me, if the Sarcophage come swarming, I¡¯ll be ready.¡± ****** ¡°There it is again!¡± A-66 said excitedly, their claws rapping staccato against their blue-white shell. E-59 tilted their eyestalks forwards towards the bubble-screen. They analyzed the graph, trying to understand exactly what the emissions lines meant. ¡°So what? It¡¯s just a burst of energy.¡± A-66 tinged bright yellow in annoyance. ¡°It¡¯s not just a burst of energy, E-59. The particles are tachyonlike.¡± E-59 had learned what a tachyon was, sometime around their third or fourth molting when they were still in the General Guild, but that knowledge had long since diluted away into their protoplasm. ¡°And remind me what¡­¡± ¡°A tachyon is an elementary particle that travels faster than light. Imbuing particles with tachyonlike properties forms the basis of our FTL telescopes and communication systems. Origin¡¯s gonopods, E-59, didn¡¯t you learn all this in General?¡± E-59 flashed a shade of yellow that almost matched A-66 and tapped their eyestalks together thrice. ¡°You¡¯ll forgive me if that seems like several lifetimes ago.¡± A-66¡¯s carapace reverted back to neutral blue. ¡°Sorry, sorry. Let me give you the short version: someone is using an FTL drive to jump around to various points outside our star system¡­ almost as if they¡¯re scouting us.¡± ¡°And?¡± E-59 asked somewhat impatiently. ¡°The Enemy uses FTL all the time. They have that space warping ring and those weird¡­ ship things. The ones that look like giant fish with spines, yeah?¡± A-66 sighed red. ¡°This is different. See the variations in the UV-hyperlight lines here, here and here?¡± They indicated several data points on the chart with their fineclaws. Small spurts of yellow tinged into E-59¡¯s blue. ¡°Let¡¯s pretend for a moment that I don¡¯t. I¡¯m an engineer, remember?¡± A-66 realized they¡¯d let their enthusiasm override their comprehensibility once more, and flashed sheepish pink. ¡°¡­Well, these tachyonlike particles don¡¯t match Enemy signatures, or our own. Someone else is generating them.¡± E-59 though about that for a few microcycles, and their carapace brightened as they realized exactly what A-66 was talking about. ¡°Wait, you mean¡­¡± ¡°EXACTLY!¡± A-66 rapped out excitedly. ¡°The mechanicals must be close!¡± E-59 tried hard to tamp down on their excitement, tried not to lose themselves to hope just yet. ¡°C-Can we confirm that somehow? Can we talk to them?¡± they asked cautiously. ¡°I believe so.¡± A-66 scuttled forwards and began to tap away at the bubble-screen with their fineclaws. ¡°I¡¯m moving the FTL telescope into position.¡± They froze for a second, looking back on their friend. ¡°What if it is the mechanicals? What do we say?¡± A-66 shrugged. ¡°How about¡­ ¡®Hello!¡¯¡± ****** ¡°Rap tap tap taptaptap click rap tap clonk drrrrr rap rap tap!¡± the speaker announced. Sveta and Hunter both frowned. ¡°Is that their language? A series of taps and clicks?¡± Hunter asked, rubbing his forehead as if the motion would stimulate the neurons in his brain. ¡°I think so. Maybe they produce it with their claws?¡± Sveta mused. ¡°It would make sense, if they have no vocal chords.¡± A half-hour ago, Sveta¡¯s sensors had picked up another transmission rendered in Cherenkov radiation, very similar to the one she¡¯d received near Venus. Sveta had instantly pinpointed the source, and one warp jump later, they were staring at an obviously artificial mechanical construction that looked a bit like a tricked-out Hubble telescope by way of a Picasso painting. After Sveta spent a few trillion processor cycles (roughly three seconds) figuring out the crab¡¯s audio codecs, they¡¯d established humanity¡¯s first contact with a friendly alien civilization¡­ only to run smack into the problem of language barrier. Namely, how do two exceedingly different lifeforms who evolved independently on planets light-years apart figure out how to talk with each other? ¡°Without some kind of baseline, I can¡¯t translate this,¡± Sveta groused. ¡°What I wouldn¡¯t give for a Rosetta stone, a Speak & Spell, even a Dick and Jane basal reader.¡± ¡°Why not try the pictographs?¡± Hunter suggested. ¡°That¡¯s how they reached out to us in the first place.¡± ¡°Good idea,¡± Sveta responded, quickly rendering a few images. ****** ¡°What is that?¡± E-59 muttered in half-awe, half-horror. ¡°It looks like a horribly mutated trench worm,¡± A-66 mused, their attempts to suppress their disgust mottling their carapace green and blue. The pictograph depicted a strange creature, soft and squishy, with a body plan that did not seem suited for swimming in the least. It was tall and thin, with a bulbous hairy mass atop a somewhat cruciform body; the post of the cross split into two appendages that reached to the ground, and the arms of the cross wriggled in midair, terminating in a mass of five stubby tentacles apiece. ¡°Is that what they look like?¡± E-59 guessed. ¡°The basic shape is the same as the mechanicals. Two¡­ legs, I guess, on the bottom, a central torso, two appendages higher up, ending in tentacles obviously meant for manipulation of small objects. Perhaps those are their version of fineclaws? And atop it all, a sensory bulb¡­ perhaps the hair growing from it is some organ for sensing fluid pressure?¡± ¡°I¡¯m no biologist, but I don¡¯t see how that form could have evolved in any ocean, no matter how exotic,¡± A-66 said, unable to tear their eyestalks away from the gruesome creature. ¡°Maybe they evolved on land?¡± ¡°Impossible. Abiogenesis can¡¯t occur on land. Even the most ludicrous xenobiologist would never propose such nonsense.¡± Every single lifeform on the crab¡¯s homeworld had evolved in the ocean, as was proper, and many (like the crabs themselves) had migrated to the frozen surface for at least part of their life cycles. Even so, they still returned to the warmth of the ocean to mate and reproduce. ¡°Try to keep an open mind, A-66. These are alien lifeforms, after all. Our so-called rules of biology might mean nothing to them.¡± ¡°I suppose,¡± A-66 admitted. ¡°Do you think those¡­ fleshy things inhabit the mechanical entities in the same way we inhabit our exoskeletons?¡± ¡°Could be. Let¡¯s respond with a picture of ourselves, and go from there.¡± ****** The initial excitement of first contact soon gave way to tedium as Hunter, Sveta, A-66 and E-59 spent nearly two human days exchanging hundreds of pictographs, slowly building a common understanding with each other. After many false starts, a rudimentary form of communication developed, one that could only express basic concepts. In broad strokes, the conversation went something like: We are creatures from the third planet of the bright yellow star. We are creatures from the first planet of the dim red star. We are mammals, sexual reproduction, land-dwelling. We are amoebas inside of crabs. We reproduce by cell division, and our exoskeletons reproduce sexually. We can live in the ocean or on the surface. We are happy to meet you. We are happy to meet you too. Why are you here? Because we received your signal. This machine is a weapon, to fight the Enemy. You are here to fight them? Why? Because you asked for help. We¡¯ve come help you. Only you have come? No. Many more will come soon. We are bringing an army. The pictograph containing that last message depicted one of the mechanical¡¯s ships, a massive vessel shaped like an arrowhead and encircled by two purple rings, spilling forth hundreds of mechanicals which took up position between the crab homeworld and the Enemy forces. A-66 stared at it in unrestrained awe. ¡°Incredible,¡± he tapped absentmindedly, wiping the fatigue from his eyestalks. ¡°They¡¯re coming to help us. They really¡­ they¡¯re really¡­¡± ¡°Your gambit worked!¡± E-59 said excitedly, finally allowing hope its hard-won victory. ¡°We¡¯re¡­ we¡¯re saved!¡± They thumped their friend¡¯s carapace with one of their strongclaws affectionately. A-66 winced a bit, but their carapace brightened to white-blue. ¡°I can¡¯t believe¡­ they¡¯re really¡­¡± Their brief revelry was interrupted by a cacophonous boom, and the entire cave shook frantically as sections of the ceiling caved it. Both crabs flashed purple, their strongclaws shielding their eyestalks from the falling debris. ¡°What¡­?¡± A-66 yelped, quickly manipulating the bubble screen to show a view of the surface visual sensors. ¡°Another asteroid impact? That felt stronger, though¡­¡± They trailed off as they stared at the display in horror. ¡°What is it? What was that?¡± E-59 asked pensively. A-66 wordlessly pointed at the screen, too horrified to speak. Hovering directly above them was one of the Enemy¡¯s largest creatures, the one that resembled two conjoined lobsters with stinger-laden tails. It was firing a barrage of glowing red spines downwards, directly at the surface above the cave where A-66 and E-59 were hiding. ¡°The signal!¡± E-59 said in horror. ¡°They traced it back here!¡± This was unprecedented. Up until now, the Enemy had simply lurked in orbit, sending asteroids down in kinetic impact attacks. Now they were attacking directly, seemingly obsessed with taking out A-66 and E-59. A-66 snapped out of their furor and began frantically tapping away at the bubble screen with both fineclaws. The cave¡¯s ceiling continued to shatter and fall around them. ¡°What are you doing?¡± E-59 asked in a half-panic. ¡°Sending one last message to the mechanical. If anyone can help, it¡¯s them.¡± A-66 responded, forcing themselves to remain calm. ****** Help us. The meaning of the final pictographs were clear. The first depicted two crabs, hiding underneath a purplish rock ceiling, with a looming Sarcophage above firing downwards at them. Branching out from that were two possibilities¡­ the death of the two crabs, unceremoniously impaled by spinefire, or a Gravity Frame destroying the attacking Sarcophage and saving them. ¡°They must have traced the Cherenkov signal back to its source,¡± Sveta said grimly. ¡°We¡¯ve theorized the Sarcophage go after any FTL technology they detect, and we¡¯ve been sending signals back and forth using this FTL telescope for two days. That was enough to trigger a direct attack.¡± ¡°How long can they survive?¡± Hunter asked, wringing his hands. ¡°Can they hold out until the Radiolaria gets here?¡± Sveta shook her head sadly. ¡°Hold out for four days against a Belphegor, with no weapons? Extremely unlikely.¡± There was a pause, an unspoken question, a meaningful glance. When the awkwardness had dragged on for slightly too long, Hunter asked the obvious. ¡°We¡¯re going to help them, right?¡± ¡°It¡¯s against our mission parameters,¡± Sveta replied, earning an acidic glare from Hunter. ¡°That said, a Foxbat should be an even match for a Belphegor, at least according to our simulations.¡± ¡°Should be?¡± ¡°They¡¯re very good simulations; Moby designed them herself. If it¡¯s just one Belphegor, and a Frame-class swarm, we should be able to handle it. The question is, what comes after?¡± ¡°Does it matter?¡± Hunter said insistently. ¡°They need help, right now, and we¡¯re in a position to provide that help. Isn¡¯t the point of all this to save them?¡± Sveta didn¡¯t need convincing; she had merely wanted to voice her concerns. Her impulsiveness and desire to do good took priority, as usual. ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right. Prepare for warp jump, followed by combat. We¡¯re going in.¡± Hunter nodded, strapping on his Inertia Suit¡¯s helmet and gripping Sveta¡¯s controls tightly. ¡°Let¡¯s do this.¡± ****** The crab¡¯s homeworld was a super-Earth defined by a surface of thick purplish ice which was pockmarked with recently-formed impact craters; it hosted an atmosphere of hydrogen and helium mixed with water vapor, not dissimilar to Neptune¡¯s. Existing just beyond the snow line of Barnard¡¯s Star, the average surface temperature was about -20 degrees Celsius, with a surfeit of volcanic and geological activity melting the lowest levels of the ice, resulting in a subterranean ocean that sheltered a wide range of life. It was under this ice sheet that the few surviving crabs now hid, as the constant asteroid impacts inched closer to exposing their ocean to total extinction. A purple flash flared up high above the world¡¯s atmosphere, marking the arrival of Sveta and Hunter. A few microseconds after completing the warp jump, they dove downwards towards the surface. The Sarcophage swarm surrounding the world wasted no time in assailing them with spinefire, but the Foxbat¡¯s shields easily shrugged it off. ¡°Shields holding, no discernable drain,¡± Sveta reported. ¡°I¡¯ve located the Belphegor¡­ here.¡± She highlighted a point halfway between the world¡¯s equator and one of its poles. Hunter twisted the controls to aim the Foxbat directly at the indicated point, and pressed the button to shift into shuttlecraft mode. He then twisted up the acceleration, and the world rapidly grew larger as they approached. ¡°Atmospheric contact in four seconds,¡± Sveta reported. ¡°Shift back to robot mode in eight seconds. I¡¯m going to deploy the Strike Fins as soon as we hit the troposphere, in standard defensive formation for suppressive and thinning fire. I recommend you focus on annihilating the Belphegor and leave the Frame-class swarm to me.¡± Hunter nodded wordlessly, and Sveta¡¯s eyes narrowed. As the standard AI of all newly manufactured Gravity Frames, Sveta had a number of important responsibilities. As before, she maintained the background systems and operated the remote weapons, typically Strike Fins, so the pilot could focus on controlling the primary body of the Gravity Frame in combat. She also provided moral support, constantly monitoring her pilots¡¯ condition and offering guidance or reassurance where it was needed. In this sense, she could be described as a dedicated pilot support system, and she formed friendly, personal relationships with each and every one of her thousands of pilots to this end. She noticed now that Hunter was in a bad way. From the bio-sensors of his Inertia Suit she detected that his heartrate was elevated, his sweat glands were working overtime, and he gripped her controls with such fervor he was liable to bruise the skin on his palms. This would be the first time the neophyte pilot had faced actual combat, and somehow all the simulations in the world couldn¡¯t prepare you for the real thing. ¡°Hunter,¡± she said gently. ¡°Yeah?!¡± he shot back with more hostility than he intended, jamming the button to change the Foxbat back to robot mode. Sveta spoke softly but firmly. ¡°Take five deep breaths. In through your nose, hold each one for three seconds, out through your mouth.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s an order, 2nd Lieutenant,¡± Sveta said, shifting the tone of her voice down an octave. As a Captain, Sveta outranked all but the most senior of Gravity Frame pilots, and wasn¡¯t shy to throw around her authority to protect their well-being. Hunter, realizing she was serious, obliged. He took one deep breath, then another, and felt his nerves slowly unclench. By the time he¡¯d finished the breathing exercises, he wasn¡¯t sweating anymore. ¡°Just remember what you learned in the simulations, Hunter,¡± Sveta said. ¡°You¡¯ll do fine.¡± ¡°I¡­¡± Hunter trailed off, staring at the rapidly approaching Belphegor and the cloud of airborne creatures that flitted around it. ¡°I wish¡­. I wish Lyle were here¡­¡± he muttered. Sveta heard that remark clearly, but didn¡¯t respond directly to it. She simply worked to focus Hunter¡¯s attention on the essential task at hand. ¡°Beginning thinning fire.¡± A visibly calmer Hunter nodded, and fixed his gaze towards the oncoming swarm. Two slots on the Foxbat¡¯s back opened, and three dozen Strike Fins launched from it in rapid succession. They swiveled and darted through the air, forming a protective cloud around their mother Gravity Frame, and began blasting a hail of positron fire towards the oncoming Frame-class swarm. A few moments later, the swarm responded with returning spinefire. During the Sarcophage War, a significant portion of a Gravity Frame¡¯s firepower was dedicated to intercepting incoming spines. This time, however, Sveta didn¡¯t bother; any spinefire that managed to hit the Frame was effortlessly turned aside by the energy shields. With that nearly impenetrable defense in place, the Strike Fins instead focused on purging the Sarcophage swarm, cutting away at them with merciless efficiency. Sveta focused the barrage, opening up a path through the swarm, and Hunter clenched his teeth as he zeroed in on the Belphegor ahead. He brought the shoulder-mounted positron cannons to bear, aiming them directly for the point at which one of the scorpion tails joined the creature¡¯s thorax, and opened fire. Predictably, the positron blasts skittered off the Belphegor¡¯s powerful gravity distortion field, flying wide. One arced upwards towards space, and the other skittered downwards, kicking up a tiny puff of ice-dust as it impacted the surface far below. ¡°Shit,¡± Hunter muttered. ¡°We need to get closer.¡± He pressed another button, causing the Gravity Frame¡¯s hands to retreat inside their respective forearms, replaced soon after by minigun barrels. Two more miniguns popped out of each breastplate, and all four spun up quickly and spewed forth a torrent of positron fire that joined Sveta¡¯s Strike Fin barrage, causing the swarm to thin out faster. Hunter winced as a Spineball tried to ram them, half of its body instantly disintegrating upon impacting the energy shields. He throttled up, diving through the swarm and straight towards the Belphegor. Sveta closed the Strike Fins around the Frame, throwing up a gravity field to counteract the Belphegor¡¯s defenses. Then, when they were less than a hundred meters away, Hunter took another shot with the positron cannon, once again aiming for the base of the tail. This one hit the target spot-on. The positron blast easily tore through the Belphegor¡¯s chitin, severing the tail entirely, and the creature¡¯s gravity field flickered and weakened. Hunter poured more shoulder-cannon fire into its main body, sending up sprays of blood with each impact. The Belphegor began to list sideways, shrieking in radiation, before tumbling end-over-end and spiraling into the ground. Its impact kicked up a massive cloud of dust. Hunter let out an audible sigh of relief. ¡°We¡­ we did it!¡± Sveta, half her attention focused on annihilating the remaining Frame-class swarm, nodded. ¡°I though those things were supposed to be nearly invincible,¡± Hunter said, slowly relaxing his muscles and flexing his fingers. Sveta smiled. ¡°Zehra¡¯s been spending the last seven years upgrading every single weapon in our arsenal. The present generation of Frame-mounted positron cannons is two orders of magnitude more powerful than those we used back during the Sarcophage War.¡± Hunter nodded; he¡¯d known that, of course, he¡¯d just forgotten it in the heat of the moment. ¡°Thank the gods for that.¡± ¡°Well, let¡¯s wrap up annihilating this swarm, eh?¡± Sveta said, getting him back on task. ¡°Then we can go say hi to our new friends.¡± ****** As the Foxbat shifted back into shuttlecraft mode and landed on the ice, Hunter checked every single seal on his inertia suit. Sveta, meanwhile, undocked a Telepresence Doll from behind the cockpit chair and started fretting over him like a mother hen. ¡°Make sure you do every environment check, Hunter. No shortcuts! The atmosphere out there is hydrogen and helium with only trace amounts of oxygen present in the water vapor; you won¡¯t survive long if that suit isn¡¯t airtight.¡± ¡°If I¡¯m not crushed by the gravity first,¡± Hunter said dryly, double-checking the suit¡¯s internal inertial dampeners as well. Without them, he¡¯d feel the full weight of the massive world¡¯s gravitational pull, which he reckoned would be intensely uncomfortable. ¡°Eh, it¡¯s only four times Earth-normal. You won¡¯t die right away.¡± Sveta responded semi-sarcastically, earning a laugh from Hunter. The two stepped out onto the icy surface, marveling at the alien contrast of the purple horizon against the red sky. They didn¡¯t get to admire the sight for long, because a beep in Hunter¡¯s helmet caused him to focus his attention on a flashing indicator to his right. ¡°Over there,¡± he said, pointing. Sveta¡¯s gaze followed his finger. Two pairs of eyestalks poked out from behind a huge ice-boulder, fixed squarely on Sveta and Hunter. The creatures they were attached to slowly, shyly, scuttled out into the open. They were crabs. They had shells of deep blue, which swirled with darker shades like a chameleon¡¯s skin. They were also absolutely massive. As Sveta and Hunter stared up at the twenty-meter tall intelligent crabs that loomed over them, Sveta extended her right hand and gave a friendly wave. ¡°Hello there!¡± she said, flashing a winsome smile. Sveta was, naturally, well aware the crabs couldn¡¯t understand a word of any human tongue. Even so, there was something she¡¯d always wanted to say upon meeting space aliens, and this was a once-in-three-lifetimes opportunity. ¡°We come in peace!¡± pynkbites Hunter''s a brand-new character, and I''ve barely revealed anything about him yet, but I hope y''all extend him a warm welcome! Because I have plans... I''ve set up a Discord server focused on my stories and gay shenanigans. If you''d like to chat with me and my queer friends, stop by sometime! And don''t forget to check out my other story, Lesbian Demon Lord. Sk-6. Mister Snuggles Lydia Tereshkova felt absolutely ridiculous. She was currently sitting in a plush office, decorated with wood paneling on the walls, velvet curtains on the windows and several large, overstuffed leather chairs dyed a deep shade of red. It was all fake, of course, synthetic and manufactured; USSE geneticists had only recently begun to restore Earth¡¯s forests from extinction, so real wood for use in furniture was nonexistent. Relict populations of cows still existed on the orbital colonies and the moon, usually altered to be suitable for life in space, but Earth-bound bovines would not be resurrected for many decades yet, thus making real leather a vanishing rarity. This office was all synthetic plastics and carbon plates and algae-fibers, trussed up to look like wood and leather. Even the sunlight peeking in the windows was fake; there were no portholes this deep in the belly of the Radiolaria Galactica. All in all, it was a very convincing illusion. Lydia had a hard time appreciating the sophistry of her surroundings, however, trapped as she was in a rather absurd scenario. You see, alighting on her lap was a large, fluffy and altogether grumpy looking Persian cat, who was eyeing her with a sharply analytical gaze. Gingerly, she reached out and scratched between his ears, and he purred in response. This was the ship¡¯s counselor, Mr. Snuggles¡­ and Lydia, already disinclined to go to therapy in the first place, felt all the more silly that her therapist was a talking cat. ¡°Now, shall we begin?¡± Mister Snuggles said in a deeply resonant male voice. Lydia thought he wouldn¡¯t have sounded out of place narrating trailers for hit films, which made the absurdity of the situation all the more pronounced. ¡°Uh¡­¡± she responded helpfully. ¡°Why don¡¯t you start by telling me about your day, meow?¡± said the cat, pronouncing ¡®meow¡¯ like a human might instead of making an attempt at a realistic feline noise. He punctuated this by licking his paw before rubbing it on one of his ears. Lydia rolled her eyes; that was such a therapist thing to say. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t I begin by telling you about, I dunno, my traumas? My parents? My depression? All the reasons I¡¯m here in the first place?¡± ¡°Oh no, I have all that already. It was in your service file,¡± Mister Snuggles responded. He was an AI after all, holographically projecting himself as a cat, so downloading every detail the Revolutionary Army had collected about her life took him mere microseconds. ¡°More to the point, Ms. Tereshkova, I know you don¡¯t want to be here, meow.¡± ¡°¡­Call me Lydia,¡± said Lydia, reckoning being called Ms. Tereshkova would get very old, very quickly. ¡°Very well, Lydia. If you like, you can call me Snuggly-Wuggly.¡± ¡°No thank you,¡± Lydia instantly and coldly responded. ¡°More to the point, Mister Snuggles, you¡¯re completely correct. I don¡¯t want to be here.¡± ¡°Indeed,¡± said the cat, pattering around in a circle a few times on Lydia¡¯s lap before settling into a comfortable loaf position. ¡°According to my files, you are here because you were ordered to be. That¡¯s more common than you might think; soldiers tend to think they¡¯re rough and tough and don¡¯t need therapy, when in fact they¡¯re the ones who need it most of all, meow. That said, the traditional approach, or at least the approach most commonly depicted in the cinemas, won¡¯t work in such circumstances. So instead of me asking about your mother, we¡¯re going to take this step by step, slowly and painlessly, and work our way up to the big stuff. To begin with, please tell me about your day.¡± ¡°Fine,¡± Lydia said bitterly, deciding to get this over with as quickly as she could. ¡°Let¡¯s talk about my day.¡± ****** There weren¡¯t many people in the gym at 4 AM, and that was just how Lydia liked it. She¡¯d always been an early riser, a habit she hadn¡¯t broken even during her time on Mars. More to the point, she wanted the gym to herself; she couldn¡¯t bear the thought of other gym-goers watching her with sympathetic eyes, whispering to themselves about the decrease in gravity that accompanied her presence, feeling sorry for her. In other words, she didn¡¯t want to be seen as weak. She¡¯d gone through something similar when first adapting to her robotic legs, preferring to take her physical therapy in private and only present herself to others once she¡¯d regained her old strength and range of motion. Now was much the same; as she sweated away at the bench, straining her arms to raise the weights towards the florescent lights on the ceiling, she did so with abandon because she knew she was alone. Well, almost alone. Kometka was there, of course. She was always there, stoic, unblinking, constant. Her presence was, in truth, a bigger source of comfort for Lydia than anything, because she knew Kometka would never, ever judge her, think her weak, think her pathetic. She¡¯d lost appreciation for that fact during her time on Mars, but now it rebounded stronger than ever before. And so, in the center of the cavernous gym, a half-robot woman from Mars lifted weights while a fully robot woman from a doomed alternate timeline watched. The only noise was the clanking of the bars, and the soft whirr of the air circulation. At least until Kometka spoke up. ¡°Alright, that¡¯s enough for today,¡± she said firmly. ¡°What? I can keep going!¡± Lydia protested. Kometka silently walked over and grabbed the weight, the one Lydia had been struggling to lift with both arms, in one hand¡­ and effortlessly swung it back into its rack with a single smooth motion. ¡°No, you¡¯re done. Any more and you¡¯ll start straining muscles. Let¡¯s get breakfast.¡± Kometka and Lydia had discussed this at length already, many times; Lydia wasn¡¯t allowed to push herself. She was still biological, after all, from the hips up and from one eye down, and muscles could very much be ripped and torn by too much exertion. As she had done after the Third Great Surge, Kometka took on the role of Lydia¡¯s physical trainer, with her primary responsibility being to care for her pilot in the ways Lydia often neglected to care for herself. Lydia had learned long ago that arguing with Kometka was futile at best and humiliating at worst, and so offered no further protest. ¡°Fine, fine,¡± Lydia said, standing up and grabbing a damp towel. ¡°To the mess hall, then?¡± ¡°Zehra¡¯s lab, actually,¡± Kometka responded. ¡°I took the liberty of scheduling us a breakfast meeting. That mad scientist doesn¡¯t take so much as a single minute off her work, so it was the only way we could see her.¡± Lydia chuckled fondly. ¡°Yeah, that sounds like her alright. Glad to hear she hasn¡¯t changed in seven years.¡± The two headed for the showers, and the warm breakfast that waited after. ****** ¡°You know,¡± said Mister Snuggles as he stretched, ¡°I think it would be good to have Kometka sit in on some of these sessions¡­ later. Perhaps in a few months¡¯ time, once we¡¯ve established a baseline, meow.¡± Lydia groaned. ¡°I was afraid you were going to say that.¡± Mister Snuggles eyed her, and one of his ears flicked. ¡°You¡¯re opposed to her presence?¡± She shook her head firmly. ¡°Not that, no. I¡¯m not opposed in the least; wherever I go, she goes. I¡¯m more annoyed you think this¡­ therapy is going to stretch out past a few weeks.¡± Lydia spat out the word ¡®therapy¡¯ as if chewing on a particularly hateful swear word, the kind that would make church grandmas clutch their pearls in horror. Mister Snuggles took note of Lydia¡¯s feelings, but deliberately didn¡¯t engage. ¡°We¡¯ll see, meow. Now, on to breakfast. This was the first time you¡¯d seen Zehra in seven years, correct? I¡¯d like to hear all about your reunion.¡± Lydia rolled her eyes. ¡°Fine. Did you ever hear the expression ¡®the more things change, the more they stay the same?¡¯¡± ¡°I have,¡± Mister Snuggles nodded, which was a sight far more adorable than it had any right to be; Lydia fought hard to maintain her bad mood. ¡°That¡¯s an apt description of Zehra. To some extent, all my friends have changed in one way or another, except her. That¡¯s oddly comforting, in its own way.¡± ****** Lydia stared, half-smiling, at the pair of legs that spilled out of the chest cavity of a Gravity Frame. Their constituent torso, arms and head were all buried deep in the Frame¡¯s interior, although a small lion-like tail was poking out. Lydia resisted an urge to grab that tail and yank. She cleared her throat instead. ¡°Zehra?¡± ¡°Who? What?¡± echoed a voice from inside the Frame. ¡°I¡¯m busy!¡± ¡°One moment. I¡¯ll handle this,¡± came a peppy voice from the side. An instance of Sveta, controlling a Telepresence Doll, gracefully swooped in between Kometka and Lydia. She screeched to a halt just in front of Zehra¡¯s protruding legs and swiftly grabbed her tail, giving it a mighty yank. There was a yelp of pain from inside the Frame, followed by a loud banging and several smaller metallic clangs. When Zehra finally emerged from the Frame, she was rubbing a bump on her head and muttering a long string of curses in a language Lydia didn¡¯t recognize. "Ya bent el sharmoota! Ya bent el kalb el maseor! Kolly karah, ya Sveta!" She looked around wildly, hair frazzled and eyes full of rage, before spotting Lydia. ¡°Oh hi, Lydia. Long time no see, gao~n.¡± ¡°That was a quick mood shift,¡± Lydia said, chuckling. ¡°How come it hurts when your tail is pulled, though? Isn¡¯t that thing fake?¡± ¡°Pshaw, as if the great Zehra Aslanbek would settle for a fake tail,¡± Zehra said proudly, placing her hands on her hips and thrusting out her chest while her tail swished around proudly. ¡°It¡¯s good to see you, Lydia, but weren¡¯t you supposed to come in the morning, gao~n?¡± Lydia blinked. ¡°It¡¯s 6 AM.¡± ¡°Wait, really? ALREADY?!¡± Zehra gasped, frantically looking around. ¡°Yup. 6:02:45, to be precise. You worked through the night again,¡± Sveta said, sounding stern. ¡°P¡¯shaw,¡± Zehra said flippantly, flicking her hand at the wrist. ¡°These Gravity Frames won¡¯t invent themselves. Science marches on, gao~n, with the great and almighty Zehra Aslanbek in the lead!¡± She thumped her chest proudly as she sang her own praises. ¡°Science needs to march straight to bed, if you ask me,¡± Sveta retorted. ¡°Squishy biologicals need to get their sleep!¡± Lydia, whose cheeks had been puffing up larger and larger as she struggled to contain a laugh, let out a small whine, which caused everyone¡¯s eyes to snap to her; even Kometka was shooting her a questioning gaze. Somehow, that last gesture pushed her over the edge, and she dissolved into a fit of rampant giggles. ¡°Y-You haven¡¯t ch-changed a b-b-b-bit,¡± Lydia chortled, wiping tears from her eyes. ¡°I¡¯ve changed tons!¡± Zehra shot back, grinning. ¡°See all these gray hairs, gao~n?¡± Lydia shook her head. ¡°Not what I meant. You¡¯re¡­ you¡¯re still you, still Zehra, almost exactly the same Zehra I know from seven years ago. Hell, you¡¯re even still a biological human!¡± Zehra made a bitter face. ¡°Don¡¯t remind me, gao~n. Well, since we¡¯re the only two biological humans in the room, and it¡¯s apparently morning already, shall we have breakfast and catch up?¡± Lydia nodded. ¡°I¡¯d like that.¡± ****** ¡°Hmm,¡± Mister Snuggles said, tapping his chin with his paw. ¡°Does most of your friends becoming uploads bother you?¡± Lydia shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m not bigoted against AIs, if that¡¯s what you¡¯re asking. I don¡¯t see how any child of Mars could be. It¡¯s just¡­ uh¡­¡± Mister Snuggles tilted his head and patiently waited for her to find her words. ¡°I¡­¡± she stammered, ¡°everyone is¡­ I spent the last seven years holed up on Mars, hiding from everything and everyone. And now that I come back, everyone is a robot, and married, and they¡¯ve moved on with their lives while I stayed frozen in time. It¡¯s disconcerting. I think seeing Zehra still biological, still much the same as she was before I left, grounded me. Does that make sense?¡± Mister Snuggles nodded. ¡°It does. The upload process raises a lot of metaphysical questions, changes the way we interact with life and death and ourselves. For you to suddenly be confronted with all that, all at once, must be overwhelming, meow.¡± Lydia sighed and motioned to her legs. ¡°Look at me. I¡¯m half-robot already. Hell, my girlfriend is an AI. I¡¯m the last person who should be weirded out by all this, right?¡± ¡°Not at all. Your unease is reasonable, and your concerns are valid. These things take time, Lydia.¡± ¡°I suppose,¡± she admitted. ¡°Still, that¡¯s why what Zehra told me next was so reassuring.¡± ****** ¡°To be honest,¡± Lydia said as she munched on a stale algae muffin, ¡°I¡¯m surprised you haven¡¯t done the upload thing yourself, Zehra. You invented it, after all. Do you have concerns about its safety?¡± Zehra wiped some crumbs off her lips, then shook her head emphatically. ¡°Of course not, gao~n. The process is completely safe, and we¡¯ve never lost anyone. I don¡¯t design unsafe technology, gao~n!¡± ¡°Then why¡­¡± Lydia trailed off. Zehra¡¯s eyes glazed over, and her face darkened. She hunched over, seemingly shivering. ¡°Technically, the upload process involves killing the original biological body. The prospect of dying is¡­¡± ¡°Terrifying,¡± Lydia finished. She understood that fear all too well. ¡°Yes,¡± Zehra responded, seeming very small. ¡°More than that, I don¡¯t want to¡­ I don¡¯t want to risk anything that might cause me to meet HER again.¡± Lydia raised an eyebrow. ¡°Her?¡± Sveta cleared her throat. ¡°It¡¯s a sensitive topic, and one we literally cannot talk about. Suffice to say, Zehra had a near-death experience she found unsettling, and that¡¯s the source of her hesitancy.¡± ¡°Hmm,¡± Lydia said, tapping her chin thoughtfully. ¡°I understand that all too well. Confronting the source of one¡¯s trauma can be hard.¡± ¡°Indeed, gao~n,¡± Zehra replied, and a long silence descended over the breakfast table. Even Sveta wasn¡¯t sure what to say. Kometka, meanwhile, just studied everyone with her unblinking red eyes and perfect poker face, adding to the awkwardness. It was Lydia who finally broke the silence. ¡°These muffins suck.¡± ¡°They do, gao~n,¡± Zehra said, eagerly seizing on the change in topic. ¡°Ah, how I miss Vicky¡¯s cooking. Hell, I¡¯ll admit it, I miss Vicky altogether, gao~n. How dare she run off to farm on the moon and leave me all alone?¡± Lydia snorted. ¡°You miss her, huh? Even including her thigh-baring short skirt?¡± ¡°ESPECIALLY that, gao~n,¡± Zehra said emphatically, and the two burst into laughter. Sveta looked at them both with a soft but worried smile. ****** ¡°And that¡¯s about it. Everything after that was simulator training and boring meetings with staff officers. Certainly nothing worth discussing,¡± Lydia concluded. ¡°I see,¡± Mister Snuggles said, leaping off Lydia¡¯s lap and pattering over to his desk. He bounded up onto it with a graceful jump, then turned and stared at Lydia. ¡°If I may ask a difficult question, then?¡± Lydia shrugged. ¡°Sure.¡± ¡°You mentioned to Zehra that ¡®confronting the source of one¡¯s trauma can be hard.¡¯ In your case¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re talking about Moby,¡± Lydia interrupted, her voice low and filled with anger. ¡°Yes, I am,¡± Mister Snuggles continued calmly. ¡°You willingly came back to this ship knowing she was here. The Admiral offered to keep you apart, and you refused. Why?¡± ¡°¡­I don¡¯t know,¡± Lydia admitted, her mouth twisted into a grimace. ¡°Of all the things in my life that lack resolution, she¡¯s the outstanding example. Maybe I just want to clear the air. Maybe I want to scream at her, cuss her out. Maybe I want to hit her in her smug face.¡± ¡°Because you hate her?¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s¡­¡± Lydia stopped and took a deep breath. ¡°I know it wasn¡¯t her fault. She was used by the Sarcophage every bit as much as I was. She¡¯s a victim too. It¡¯s just¡­ I don¡¯t know if I can accept her as an ally. Not after everything I lost. I just want some kind of resolution, even if I don¡¯t know what form it will take.¡± ¡°Hmm,¡± Mister snuggles said pensively. ¡°I think, for the moment, it would be better to stay clear of her, at least until you have a better handle on what exactly your feelings towards her are. Perhaps a month or two in the future, we could arrange a meeting under controlled circumstances, here in my office. Or not, the decision is entirely yours. Either way, this is something you need to confront, Lydia. Not immediately, not now, but soon.¡± Lydia rolled her eyes. ¡°Sure. Whatever.¡± ******* Destiny is a funny thing, a comical admixture of tragedy, hope and irony in equal proportion, a motive force that delights in causing the unexpected and chaotic. Lydia finished up her session with Mister Snuggles in a rather foul mood, but also felt strangely relieved. Somehow, letting out her emotions as she did had relieved a pressure inside her, despite her glowering. She felt strangely light as she walked back to the ship¡¯s turbolift with clanging, determined steps. Then destiny, that rapscallion, played its trick. The turbolift door hissed open, and Lydia¡¯s jaw dropped. Inside the lift car was¡­ herself. Sort of, anyway; this version was a decade younger, and in contrast to Lydia¡¯s short-buzzed hairstyle, her doppelganger¡¯s reddish hair hung down to the small of her back, neatly styled in a utilitarian straight cut. Her eyes had black sclera, and her pupils were slit like those of a lizard. As she spoke, Lydia caught sight of a dozen sharpened, glinting teeth. ¡°Oh,¡± Moby said, surprised. Lydia stared. She had not been expecting this, and wasn¡¯t sure how to react. The turbolift door, obstructed by her foot, beeped angrily as it tried to close. ¡°Hey,¡± Lydia said, her anger drained away into a vast pit of nothingness. ¡°Hey,¡± Moby replied. ¡°I can take another¡­¡± Lydia stepped inside, and the door whooshed shut behind her. ¡°No, it¡¯s fine. I¡¯ve been wanting to talk anyway.¡± Moby¡¯s eyebrows raised. ¡°Really?¡± she asked apprehensively. ¡°Yeah,¡± said Lydia, and she took a deep breath. ¡°This is¡­ this is hard. I¡­¡± ¡°Take your time. You¡¯re under no obligations to me, Lydia,¡± Moby responded softly, her tone at harsh juxtaposition to her feral appearance. She shrank into one corner of the turbolift, so as to give Lydia more space. Lydia took another deep breath and clenched her firsts. ¡°Right. I just wanted to say¡­¡± Just then, a loud klaxon sounded through the turbolift, followed by Laria¡¯s voice. ¡°BATTLE STATIONS! ALERT 15! ALL ALERT SQUADRON FRAME PILOTS, PREPARE FOR LAUNCH! ALL HANDS, PREPARE FOR EMERGENCY WARP!¡± ¡°Laria?¡± Lydia asked into thin air. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± A small, six-inch tall hologram of Laria¡¯s head and shoulders popped up in midair. ¡°We¡¯ve received a distress call from Barnard¡¯s Star. Apparently, Sveta and Hunter are in trouble. We¡¯re moving to rescue them immediately. Lydia and Moby, please proceed to the CIC sphere at speed for a briefing with the Admiral.¡± ¡°Understood. We¡¯re on our way,¡± Lydia responded, and the hologram vanished. She turned to Moby. ¡°Talk later?¡± ¡°If you want to, yes,¡± Moby replied. ¡°Lift, take us to the CIC sphere please.¡± With an affirmative ding, the lift zoomed away in its pneumatic tube, taking the two not-quite-enemies to the ship¡¯s command center. Elevator rides with more than one passenger are, by their very nature, awkward and uncomfortable things¡­ but this particular one ramped that up to a frankly ridiculous degree. In that moment, Lydia would have given anything for some elevator music. pynkbites I''d like to shout out Jokie, who helped me with Zehra''s Arabic cursing in this chapter. Thanks a lot! I''ve set up a Discord server focused on my stories and gay shenanigans. If you''d like to chat with me and my queer friends, stop by sometime! And don''t forget to check out my other story, Lesbian Demon Lord. Sk-7. Crab Communication The greatest struggle of first contact, naturally, was the language barrier. It was hard enough for different cultures on Earth to communicate with each other on first encounter, and that only involved language variations among one species that all arose from the same evolutionary ancestor. When encountering a species from another world entirely, it was even odds as to whether enough commomality existed to allow communication in the first place. Even so, Sveta was optimistic. She¡¯d already managed to establish baseline communication with the crabs via pictographs. That, along with their biological forms arising from carcinization, indicated they were similar enough to humans that mutual understanding was possible, moreso than if they were something exotic like beings of sentient gas clouds or living gravitational anomalies. Furthermore, they clearly communicated through auditory means, if their shell-rapping was anything to go by, accompanied by changing the colors of their carapace. Sveta figured, with her hyperprocessors that were thousands of times more powerful than the human brain, she could suss out the crab language sooner or later. The lack of a common frame of reference to use as a starting point was a problem though. Sveta wasn¡¯t joking when she wished fora crab Rosetta Stone. Presently, the conversation went something like this: Sveta would display a pictogram of something, such as a cube, and one of the crabs (typically the slightly shorter one) would rap out the accompanying word in their language. Sveta would echo that rapping back, then move on to the next pictogram. It was, all in all, a tedious process. Especially so for Sveta¡¯s pilot, Hunter Kretzer. The adrenaline of the battle had long since burned off, and he had nothing to do but sit in a corner of the crab¡¯s ice cave and twiddle his thumbs. This was made doubly uncomfortable by the larger crab settling down next to him and staring. Well, Hunter couldn¡¯t blame him. After all, for the crab, Hunter was the first biological human they¡¯d ever seen. Still, the pair of eyestalks peering made him ever-so-slightly self-aware, and he crawled inside his skin. ¡°Hello,¡± Hunter gingerly said to the crab. ¡°Rap tap tap taptaptap brrt click clonk drrr!¡± the crab rapped back. ¡°Boy, you said it,¡± Hunter replied, and went back to twiddling his thumbs. Eventually the crab lost interest and went to do something else, and Hunter passed the time by scrolling up a cinema from Sveta¡¯s database on the HUD screen of his Inertia Suit helmet. He was halfway through Samhain 5: The Skeleton War when Sveta let out a shriek of joy. ¡°Hunter!¡± she cried out. ¡°They have computers!¡± She was pointing to a strange holographic display, shaped like a sphere and seeming to be made of floating water. ¡°Yeah?¡± Hunter replied, reluctantly freezing the cinema. He did try to mask his boredom, not that it mattered much since Sveta kept constant track of his vital signs through his Inertia Suit. She was polite enough to not comment. ¡°Yeah! I just need to figure out how to interface with this thing, and¡­ oh, I see! Same binary framework as the pictograph transmission, basic machine code. Time to analyze the OS. Oh yeah, now we¡¯re cooking with gas! Is this their BIOS? No, not quite. Let¡¯s see how¡­¡± Sveta hyperfocused, rambling on and on as she did some sort of wireless computer thing, while Hunter and the two crabs stared at her in bewilderment. ¡°Taptap rrrrrap click click donk rap tap rrrrrrap?¡± the smaller crab asked, their carapace flashing green. Hunter nodded. ¡°Yeah, she¡¯s always like that.¡± ¡°Brrrrrrrrrt,¡± the crab replied, flashing orange. ¡°Ohohoho! OHOHOHOHOHO!¡± Sveta cackled, planting her hands on her hips. ¡°They have a basal reader in here!¡± Hunter tilted his head. ¡°A what?¡± ¡°A book to teach children how to read. One moment. I just downloaded the crab equivalent of an encyclopedia into my brain. Collating data.¡± Sveta¡¯s eyes unfocused as her hyperprocessors went to work, quickly progressing in proficiency in the crab¡¯s language. In two seconds, she¡¯d gone from toddler to college graduate, metaphorically speaking, and she grinned in triumph as she turned to the crabs. She opened her mouth, and a series of perfectly replicated clicks and clacks emitted from it. ¡°Hello there!¡± she said in fluent Crab. ¡°To repeat what I said when we first met¡­ we come in peace!¡± ****** The crabs were, needless to say, stunned at how quickly Sveta mastered their language. Apparently speedrunning first contact hadn¡¯t been on their agenda for the day. Sveta, for her part, set up a live audio translation feed via Hunter¡¯s helmet so he could talk to the crabs as well. ¡°You downloaded our ENTIRE computer network?¡± the smaller crab asked in shock, their carapace flashing a light shade of purple. ¡°How did you even interface with it?¡± ¡°We were exchanging pictograms for hours, remember?¡± Sveta answered matter-of-factly. ¡°The binary protocols you used to encode those are like the ones your computer networks use, giving me a baseline to work with. As for my speed, I¡¯m a computer myself¡­ a digital lifeform known as an artificial intelligence. Hence, learning your language was as simple as interfacing with your own computer and figuring it out from there. I am designated Sveta, by the way.¡± ¡°I am Engineer-32459, or E-59 for short.¡± the larger crab said. ¡°And I am Astronomer-8966, shortened to A-66,¡± the smaller crab added. ¡°What do Svetas do?¡± Hunter shot her a quizzical look, and she switched back to speaking in Russian for a moment. ¡°According to the information I downloaded, they don¡¯t have personal names. Instead they identify themselves based on what they do. So, Engineer-32459 is the 32,459th currently active member of the Engineer¡¯s Guild, and ditto for Astronomer-8966.¡± ¡°What happens if they change careers?¡± Hunter asked. ¡°Then they change names,¡± Sveta replied, before switching back to speaking Crab. ¡°Our designations are different from yours, more abstract, and we bear them for longer periods of time. That said, my namesake is an old battle rifle known as the SVT-40, or Sveta for short, that was widespread during the Great Patriotic War. As I myself am a weapon,¡± she jerked a thumb to the Gravity Frame standing outside the cave¡¯s entrance, ¡°the designation seemed appropriate, even if I fight Sarcophage instead of Nazis.¡± ¡°So your name means weapon,¡± the larger E-59 said, flashing green, ¡°yet you have no number?¡± Sveta nodded. ¡°Correct. I have a secondary designation, Levesque, which is taken from the woman I married, but no number. As I said, our designations are more abstract than yours.¡± She pronounced ¡®Levesque¡¯ as a human might, not yet having a direct translation method for proper names with more abstract meanings, which seemed to confuse the crabs slightly. ¡°And Hunter?¡± A66 asked, peering down at the pilot. ¡°They are named for their prowess at killing edible prey animals?¡± Hunter shrugged. ¡°Not really. My parents just thought it sounded cool.¡± The crabs exchanged a look that neither Hunter nor Sveta could decode. ¡°I see,¡± A-66 said. ¡°There are many differences between our species, confusing us greatly. However, there are many similarities as well.¡± Sveta nodded. ¡°The biggest similarity being that we have a common enemy. I¡¯m hoping that means we can find a common ground.¡± She flashed her most winsome smile, which the crabs obviously failed to understand. ¡°A-Anyway, shall we talk?¡± ****** The conversations that followed were, by-and-large, extremely tedious¡­ but Hunter, Sveta, A-66 and E-59 found them riveting. Hunter and Sveta took turns explaining different things about Earth, her cultures and peoples, the USSE, the devastating war against the Sarcophage and the wide variety of powerful weapons humanity had developed to fight them. A-66 and E-59, in turn, explained their own culture and history, culminating in their complete rout by the Sarcophage and current dire predicament. ¡°It would seem your species is used to waging war,¡± E-59 said warily, carapace mottling to a darkened blue. Sveta nodded. ¡°It¡¯s a relatively common trait of humanity, yes, and not something that we¡¯re proud of, either. Even with the world united under one government, conflict persists. Some philosophers think warmaking may be an intransigent component of human nature.¡± E-59¡¯s carapace darkened further. ¡°Then how does that make you better than the Enemy?¡± ¡°E-59!¡± yelped A-66, flashing purple. ¡°That¡¯s rude! You can¡¯t just ask them that!¡± Sveta held up her hand. ¡°It¡¯s quite alright, they asked a fair question. For starters, let¡¯s acknowledge the obvious. Unlike the Enemy, we¡¯re here talking to you instead of trying to destroy you. We are also here at your request, because of the message you sent us. You desire our strength to help save your world, correct?¡± A-66¡¯s own carapace darkened as well. ¡°We¡­ As a species, Sveta, we are not like you. We haven¡¯t fought a war in centuries, since the Last Great Battle between the Guilds and the Journeyclaws. We do not make weapons like you do. A generation ago, we would have taken pride in that fact¡­ but our lack of weapons is the reason the Enemy crushed us with no contest. All our pacifism was for naught.¡± Sveta shook her head emphatically. ¡°Don¡¯t say that! You achieved something here that humanity has dreamed of for millennia: true world peace! You can¡¯t measure the value of your society against the skewed barometer of the Sarcophage. They¡¯re like a natural disaster, an earthquake or tsunami. Your values are in no way diminished by the devastation they wrought.¡± A-66 seemed to droop. ¡°That¡¯s very kind of you to say, but we¡¯re the ones asking you for help. By any objective measure of our two societies, you have succeeded due to your propensity for violence, and we have failed because of our propensity for peace. In much the same way a building without gel foundations crumbles in an oceanquake, a society without martial strength crumbles before the Enemy.¡± There was an awkward silence after that, a profoundly glum one. Sveta desperately searched for a way to break it, then hit upon an idea. Everyone looked at her, startled, as she slammed her fist into her hand and broke out into a huge grin. ¡°My crab friends, let me phrase it this way. Our species are vastly different, in ethics and values as well as in biology. Those differences have lead humans to be more successful in war, albeit at great cost, but that¡¯s not the sole measure of worth. Crab societies have also developed technologies we humans could never have dreamt of!¡± A-66 regarded Sveta skeptically. ¡°Like what?¡± ¡°Like your FTL communications technology, for example,¡± Sveta continued, gesturing enthusiastically. ¡°Even our most brilliant scientist, inventor of AI and warp drive alike, was never able to unlock the secrets to sending comm signals faster-than-light. The best stopgap she came up with was quantum entanglement, which requires a central switchboard of entangled molecules and becomes entirely ineffective at distances over a half-lightyear. You solved a technological problem we never could!¡± ¡°So?¡± A-66 groused. ¡°Our FTL telescopes did us little good against the Enemy. It¡¯s a meaningless achievement.¡± Surprisingly, it was Hunter who spoke next, albeit in a soft murmur. ¡°Sum of its parts¡­¡± Everyone turned to face him quizzically. ¡°Pardon?¡± A-66 asked. Hunter blushed slightly. ¡°Sorry, didn¡¯t meant to interrupt. I just remembered something my friend Lyle told me¡­ a quote from Aristotle, one of Earth¡¯s great philosophers. ¡®A whole is greater than the sum of its parts.¡¯¡± Sveta very much wanted to point out that quote was not directly attributable to Aristotle, but decided not to ruin the moment. Instead she looked on Hunter proudly, watching the nervous, shy pilot peek out of his shell. ¡°I think that applies here,¡± Hunter continued slowly. ¡°Humans built big robots and spaceships, and crabs built FTL comm arrays and telescopes that can observe distant star systems in real-time. We each created something the other could not. On Earth, we¡¯ve learned to embrace the diversity of our many different peoples, even ones that used to hate each other, because united we are stronger. Now, for the first time, we have an opportunity to unite with an alien species. We have our differences, but together we can be greater than either one of us alone. Together, we can kick the Sarcophage¡¯s ass all the way back to the galactic core!¡± E-59, who had been strangely silent for most of the conversation, pattered over to Hunter. Their shell brightened to an icy-white blue, and they extended one of their fineclaws to the pilot. Hunter shrank back a bit, but looked the larger crab square in the eyestalk and extended his own hand to touch the point of the claw. ¡°I like you, little trench worm,¡± E-59 clicked and boomed. ¡°Sveta is hyperactive and eloquent, but you are grounded and forthright. As an Engineer, I find your practical perspective refreshing.¡± ¡°I¡­ I d-don¡¯t¡­¡± Hunter stammered, unsure of how to take the compliment. ¡°Well done indeed,¡± Sveta transmitted directly into Hunter¡¯s helmet so only he could hear. ¡°Lyle would be proud.¡± That last remark prompted a huge grin, which Sveta observed with smug satisfaction. ¡°My pilot¡¯s insight is spot-on,¡± Sveta said to the crabs with a nod. ¡°The Radiolaria Galactica, our mothership, will be here in four days. We plan to completely purge this star system of Sarcophage, then discuss plans for an alliance between our two species.¡± A-66 flashed ice-blue. ¡°I look forward to it. May this meeting be the first step in a long and prosperous partnership.¡± They took a step forwards, extending their own fineclaws, then puzzled as neither Sveta nor Hunter reacted. They both seemed strangely distant, their mouths twisted downwards in frowns. A dazzle of red lights flicked around in Hunter¡¯s helmet as his eyes darted back and forth, tracking something the crabs couldn¡¯t see. ¡°Is something the matter?¡± A-66 asked, their carapace darkening with worry.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Sveta said, her voice wavering. ¡°We may not have four days. I just picked up something very, very bad on my sensors.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± E-56 asked, carapace turning dark blue-black. Sveta pointed to the cave entrance. ¡°Better if you see for yourselves.¡± ****** The sky was gone. In place of its usual comforting red glow was a wall of pulsating flesh, composed of Sarcophage swarms incalculable in number. Not even Red Origin, the sun of Crabworld, could penetrate the oncoming surge of undulating monstrosities. The crabs were speechless, whereas Sveta and Hunter both wore looks of grim determination. ¡°Looks like a surge,¡± Sveta said, her eyes flicking back and forth as she accessed sensor data. ¡°Not quite Great Surge levels, but still far more than a single Gravity Frame can handle.¡± ¡°We¡¯d better get up there.¡± Hunter added, striding towards Sveta¡¯s cockpit. ¡°Wait!¡± E-56 cried out. ¡°Why is this happening?¡± ¡°Likely a combination of your use of the FTL telescope and our arrival via warp jump,¡± Sveta explained. ¡°Based on our observations of their behavior, we theorized the Sarcophage target any usage of faster-than-light technology.¡± ¡°You have to flee, then!¡± A-66 urged. ¡°We have no desire to lure you to your deaths! With your warp drive, you can escape and¡­¡± Hunter pivoted on his heel and marched straight over to A-66, folding his arms over his chest ¡°Run from the Sarcophage? NEVER. These motherfuckers destroyed Mars, nearly annihilated Earth, killed BILLIONS. I¡¯ll be in a shallow grave before I let them destroy another innocent world.¡± Sveta shrugged. ¡°What my pilot said. We have a lot of suffering and blood to repay them for, and now we¡¯re adding yours to the list.¡± ¡°But¡­ what if you die?¡± A-66 fretted. ¡°Then we die,¡± Hunter said. ¡°We¡¯re soldiers. Dying to protect you from annihilation would be an honor.¡± ¡°That said,¡± Sveta added, ¡°I have no plans to let either myself or my pilot die today. May I access your FTL telescope, please?¡± ****** Far on the outskirts of the star system, beyond the bow shock of Red Origin (aka Barnard¡¯s Star), the FTL space telescope buzzed to life. With a single smooth motion of its flywheels, it aimed its prow straight at Earth and unleashed a distress signal. The pulsing tachyon-like particles zipped in and out of reality as they skipped along towards their destination¡­ a point immediately behind Earth¡¯s moon. Sveta managed to repeat the distress signal fourteen times before the telescope was unceremoniously impaled by a red-glowing spine. ¡°The Sarcophage destroyed the telescope,¡± Sveta announced. She¡¯d left her Telepresence Doll behind to keep an open line of communication with E-56 and A-22 while her main Gravity Frame body prepared to blast towards the Sarcophage swarm with Hunter aboard. ¡°Did your people receive the transmission?¡± A-66 asked. ¡°Dunno. If they did, and they launch immediately, it will still take them two days to reach us at their top speed,¡± Sveta answered. ¡°That¡¯s how long we have to hold out.¡± ¡°¡­Is that even possible?!¡± E-56 exclaimed, flashing purple. ¡°Well¡­¡± Sveta mused while tapping her chin, ¡°the newest generation of Foxbat Gravity Frames are incredibly advanced. In addition to the warp drive, I¡¯ve got energy shields, dozens of battleship-class positron weapons and 100 embarked Strike Fins. That said, a two-day battle will definitely take a toll on Hunter; I¡¯ll have to use stims to keep him awake. We¡¯ll do our damndest to hold out and keep your world safe until the Radiolaria gets here.¡± A-66 and E-59¡¯s carapaces both darkened to a deep shade of blue, interspersed with streaks of purple. ¡°We cannot thank you enough for trying to save our world,¡± E-59 clicked softly. ¡°I am not personally religious, but I shall pray for your success regardless.¡± ¡°If you do choose to pray, please direct it towards a certain blue-skinned Goddess who loves puns,¡± Sveta said, ignoring the bluish error codes flashing at the fringes of her vision. ¡°She might be gracious enough to tweak things in our favor.¡± The crabs looked at each other in confusion, while Sveta simply wore a fraught, knowing smile. ****** The Sarcophage swarm massed just outside Crabworld¡¯s atmosphere, coalescing and preparing to descend in force; it was a smaller grouping than any of the Great Surges directed at Earth, only because they were facing a far weaker enemy. Despite this, if they succeeded it would end the crab species once and for all. With Hunter¡¯s determination-steadied hands at her controls, Sveta blasted upwards towards the swarm, barely noticing as the hydrogen-helium atmosphere of Crabworld fell away. Simultaneously, she displayed a battle plan on her holoscreen. ¡°Our best bet is to warp past them, then attack from behind in a series of hit-and-run raids designed to draw their attention. We have no chance of defeating them in direct battle, so we need to engage asymmetrically and hopefully maneuver them away from Crabworld. We can make regular warp jumps to keep them focused on us and escape any hairy situations.¡± Hunter nodded. ¡°Roger that.¡± Sveta focused on her pilot for a moment. There was none of his earlier apprehension; he had already popped his battle cherry, so to speak, so the second time was less intimidating than the first. Still, she felt it was her role to provide some reassurance. ¡°Hunter, we will survive this,¡± Sveta said. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect your trial-by-fire to be against a whole surge, but you¡¯ve trained long and hard¡­ and I¡¯ve got your back. We just have to hold out for two days.¡± Hunter nodded wordlessly. ¡°I pray for your glory in battle, my pilot,¡± Sveta intoned ceremonially. Hunter responded by twisting up her throttle. Her gravity fins glowed bright purple as they accelerated towards the swarm, with the fate of Crabworld heavy on their shoulders. There was a flash of purple light as they completed their first warp jump. A moment later, the Sarcophage swarm was illuminated from behind by bright blue flashes of positron fire. E-59 and A-66 watched this spectacular light show with wide eyes, hoping their potential saviors could hold out against the relentless swarm. pynkbites And boom, we''re back! Apologies for the two-month hiatus, my dear readers. I didn''t mean to go so long between chapters, but my meatspace job has been a real nightmare these past two months. Thankfully, the worst is behind me so I''m hoping to redouble on writing for the rest of the year. That said, I wasn''t completely idle. In addition to adding another chapter to my ongoing fantasy story Lesbian Demon Lord, I also added four chapters to its side story The Demonic Guide to Self-Improvement. Check them out if you haven''t already! And if you like my writing, why not join my Discord server? It''s full to the brim with cute queer folks who discuss everything from gacha games to trans fiction in a cozy, demon-themed environment! Sk-8. Frenemies When two bitter rivals are forced together by unexpected circumstances, one of several things can happen. A violent confrontation is the most likely result, although extenuating danger can sometimes force them to work together. In rare instances, the rivals can find common ground in their predicament, work on burying their rivalry and, at least if fanfiction is to be believed, begin a romance. The possibilities are endless! Exactly none of these things happened between Lydia and Moby as they rode the elevator to the Radiolaria Galactica¡¯s CIC sphere. Instead, the two slunk to their opposite corners of the small space and tried their best not to look at each other. It was certainly true they wanted to talk, to figure out exactly where they stood after seven years apart, but neither knew where to begin. The entire conversation was brushed aside with a simple ¡°let¡¯s talk later,¡± and awkwardness ensued. Eventually, Lydia grew tired of the cringing silence. It was too moody for her tastes, and she was resolved to not sink into another depressive mire. She took a chance. ¡°Cottage cheese?¡± she asked awkwardly, as if Moby would somehow understand her question from those two words alone. Moby looked at her, the slits of her irises widening slightly. ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°Cottage cheese,¡± Lydia repeated. ¡°Do you like cottage cheese?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never had it,¡± Moby responded. ¡°My Belphegor delivered nutrients to my organic body via intubation or intravenous methods, and since my upload I no longer require food of any kind.¡± Lydia shrugged. ¡°AIs can eat, though. I saw Sabina and Genevi eating¡­ what was it? Holographic food?¡± Moby nodded. ¡°Some biological-originated uploads prefer to continue consuming food, if only in simulation. I never understood the appeal myself.¡± ¡°Have you tried it?¡± Lydia pressed. ¡°¡­I confess I have not,¡± Moby said, sounding a bit guilty. ¡°I have your memories of consuming food, but they seem distant, like they¡¯re not quite my own. Why are we talking about this?¡± Lydia shrugged. ¡°I hate awkward elevator rides, especially the sort where two people ignore each other in cringing silence.¡± ¡°But we¡¯re¡­¡± Moby began to protest. ¡°We¡¯re what exactly? Enemies? Rivals? Allies? Acquaintances?¡± Lydia asked, folding her arms and narrowing her eyes. ¡°¡­I¡¯m not sure, exactly,¡± Moby replied, shrinking back a bit. ¡°Neither am I.¡± Lydia uncrossed her arms and relaxed her body posture, realizing she was coming off as intimidating. ¡°We need to have a good, long heart-to-heart and figure out where we stand, but in the meantime I refuse to simply ignore you. I spent the last seven years hiding away on Mars, running away from my problems and wallowing in self-pity, but no more. The least I can do is have a professional working relationship with you.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ exceptionally magnanimous of you,¡± Moby said cautiously. Lydia shook her head emphatically. ¡°Nah, it¡¯s purely self-interest. Kometka would never let me live it down if I avoided you all the time. I¡¯m simply sparing myself a tongue-lashing.¡± One corner of Moby¡¯s mouth lifted in a slight smirk. ¡°You want to be better for her.¡± ¡°Exactly. So let¡¯s agree to work together as soldiers and professionals, and we can hash out the tough stuff later¡­ over a bowl of cottage cheese.¡± Lydia held out her hand, which Moby shook after only the slightest hesitation. ¡°It always was your favorite.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± With a perfectly-timed ¡°ding¡± the elevator¡¯s doors whooshed open, and the two not-quite-rivals walked out into the CIC sphere. ****** As Lydia and Moby exited the turbolift, they found themselves standing on a catwalk, suspended in an infinite sea of stars. The ghostly, silent glow of the Milky Way swirled above their heads, stars birthing and dying in eons magnitudes longer than a human life. Beneath them, the pockmarked surface of the Moon¡¯s dark side glistened in half-sunlight, crater walls casting long shadows across the graven grey landscape. Before them was a circular dais about twenty meters across that seemed to be floating in the star-void, disconnected from everything except the catwalk that ran up to it. This was all an illusion, of course. The Radiolaria¡¯s CIC sphere, some hundred meters across, was a scaled-up version of the spherical holographic projection screens present in every Gravity Frame cockpit. It allowed the ship¡¯s commanding officers an uninterrupted view of surrounding space while keeping them buried in the very center of the ship, protected by many layers of energy shielding, ablative hull armor and thick bulkheads. The two not-enemies walked side-by-side along the catwalk, towards the dais at the center, exchanging nods with two MP officers who stood guard at the point where the catwalk ended. At the center of the dais stood Admiral Ekatrina Savitskaya, looking prim and severe as usual, and surrounded by a half-dozen holographic displays that her eyes darted around like a cat watching a laser pointer. To her left floated a holoprojection of Laria, and to her right floated Sveta. Miette stood behind the three of them, hands clasped behind her back. ¡°Senior Captain Tereshkova, Tactical Advisor Moby, welcome,¡± Katya said with a nod as Lydia saluted sharply. Miette shot the pair a questioning glance, wondering why they had arrived together, but kept her lips sealed as the Admiral plunged ahead with the briefing. ¡°Sveta was just about to enlighten us regarding the distress signal she intercepted.¡± All eyes turned to Sveta, who cleared her throat and opened several holographic windows filled with charts and equations, pointing to each in turn as she spoke. She simultaneously sent a copy of the briefing, wirelessly, to Moby. ¡°Fourteen minutes ago, deep-space radio telescopes gravitationally anchored to the Pluto-Charon planetary system detected a tachyon-like transmission identical in composition to the first set of signals we received from the alien civilization in Barnard¡¯s Star,¡± Sveta explained. ¡°This time, however, it was encoded in standard Revolutionary Army comm protocols and bore metadata indicating it originated from one of my own instances aboard a Foxbat Gravity Frame.¡± Katya frowned. ¡°You¡¯re saying that instance of Sveta took control of the aliens¡¯ transmission apparatus somehow to send us a message?¡± Sveta nodded. ¡°According to the mission report encoded in the signal, that Sveta plus her pilot, 2nd Lieutenant Hunter Kretzer, were forced to initiate first contact with the cr-¡­ with the intelligent arthropods.¡± Lydia thought back to the personnel files she¡¯d skimmed, vaguely recalling that Lieutenant Kretzer had been sent ahead to scout the system and rendezvous with the Radiolaria Galactica when the latter made the warp jump to the crab¡¯s homeworld. Clearly, something had gone wrong. Katya¡¯s expression shifted to disapproval, her lips pressed together tightly. ¡°I thought I gave explicit orders that they were NOT to initiate first contact under any circumstances. We have a team of diplomats and xenolinguists for that purpose.¡± ¡°Yes ma¡¯am,¡± Sveta responded carefully. ¡°Sveta and Hunter did not initiate contact. The arthropods detected their warp signature and contacted them.¡± ¡°God damn it,¡± the Admiral said, rubbing her temples; Lydia noted with mild amusement that the stern woman¡¯s mannerisms had survived her transhuman upload entirely intact. Sveta shot the Admiral a sympathetic look. ¡°According to the reports, the Sarcophage picked up on the arthropod transmission¡¯s point of origin and sent a task force to attack. The aliens then requested military intervention from Sveta and Hunter, which they provided.¡± Miette tapped her chin. ¡°Sounds like they didn¡¯t have much choice, Admiral.¡± Katya rolled her eyes. ¡°Fine, fine. What happened next?¡± ¡°Sveta and Hunter landed on Crabworld, and¡­¡± ¡°Crabworld?¡± Katya interrupted, her voice icier than the north pole of Mars. Miette failed to fight back a smirk as Sveta fake-coughed. ¡°Yes, she¡­ the Barnard¡¯s instance of Sveta managed to interface with an arthropod computer system and master their language. Due to linguistic discrepancies regarding proper nouns between the aliens¡¯ language and ours, she translated the name of the arthropod¡¯s planet as ¡®Crabworld.¡¯¡± Katya planted her palm in her face and groaned. ¡°God damn it. I thought I made it abundantly clear we weren¡¯t calling them ¡®crabs.¡¯ It¡¯s disrespectful. What¡¯s their own term for their homeworld?¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± Sveta¡¯s eyes unfocused as she accessed the transmission data. ¡°Home World.¡± Katya blinked. ¡°Okay, a bit broad. What do they call their species, then?¡± ¡°The closest direct translation would be¡­ The People.¡± Katya groaned again, and Laria drifted closer to her and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. ¡°Sveta didn¡¯t include complete language files, only summaries,¡± Sveta continued, pushing through the awkwardness. ¡°That said, it seems the arthropod language lacks proper nouns entirely, instead substituting precise descriptive terms. Hence they call their star ¡®Red Origin,¡¯ their planet ¡®Home World,¡¯ and humans beings ¡®trench worms.¡¯¡± Katya raised an eyebrow. ¡°Trench worms?¡± Sveta shrugged. ¡°Apparently, it¡¯s the closest analogue they have for our kind of life. Mammals, much less non-amphibious organisms, never evolved on Crabworld.¡± Laria cleared her throat, and all eyes turned to her. ¡°If I may, Admiral. We were always destined to take a path like this on our first contact. Whether Sveta or a horde of bureaucrats handled the initial meeting, both our species would eventually have to fall back on familiar metaphor to contextualize each other. Fortunately, it would seem neither the crabs nor the worms object to the comparisons.¡± ¡°Pretty much that,¡± Miette concurred. ¡°Besides, worms are cute, don¡¯t you think?¡± There was a chorus of emphatic nopes, except for Moby, who just mumbled under her breath, ¡°I think they¡¯re cute¡­¡± ¡°We¡¯re getting off topic,¡± Kayta lectured. ¡°Sveta, come to the conclusion please.¡± ¡°Right. After first contact, the Sarcophage forces in the system began to swarm towards Crabworld, likely as a response to Sveta and Hunter¡¯s presence.¡± She brought up a still photographic image, showing a fleshy swarm of horrors that stretched across the horizon, eliciting a gasp from everyone present. ¡°Sveta borrowed the crab¡¯s FTL comm array to send us a distress signal, and is presently engaging in asymmetric maneuver 2A-127-15X-191B as a delaying action. She and Hunter are using hit-and-run tactics to try and draw the swarm away from Crabworld and hold out until we get there.¡± Katya focused on the picto-hologram of the swarm, her gaze intense. ¡°Well, there you have it. Skewed as this situation might be, we are now mounting an emergency rescue operation. Laria, what¡¯s our readiness?¡± Laria pushed her glasses up her nose as she began speaking. ¡°Provisioning is 92% complete, with most of the missing supplies being non-perishable food such as MRE kits. We are also missing 231 personnel, mostly low-level engineering staff. Even absent those supplies and personnel we are 100% combat-capable, and the Politburo has already approved our early departure. If we face extended deployment in the Barnard¡¯s Star system, they will dispatch the Telesthisia Galactica to complete our provisioning once she completes warp certifications. They are also placing the fleet of warp-capable tenders, destroyers and Almaz tow-ships at our disposal should we require them to reinforce the system.¡± ¡°Very good. ETA?¡± ¡°At maximum warp, the journey will take us two days, four hours and seven minutes. Traffic control has approved us to depart in 791 seconds, once the remaining tenders are clear of our flight path.¡± ¡°Hmm,¡± Katya mused. ¡°Is there any way we can reduce our travel time? Maybe push the engines to get more speed?¡± Laria grimaced as if someone had just gut-punched her, and her tone shifted to that of a matronly schoolteacher explaining something to a child. ¡°That would be extremely inadvisable, Admiral. A warp drive is a profoundly intricate piece of engineering that requires precise and complex calculations to function correctly. We cannot simply ¡®gun it¡¯ as if we were piloting a prewar gasoline automobile.¡± ¡°Fair enough,¡± Katya replied with a half-smirk. ¡°It was worth a shot. Moby, tactical analysis?¡± Moby took a step forward. ¡°Based on Sveta¡¯s report, the swarm currently assailing the Barnard¡¯s Star system is stage two. She reported the presence of Spiralvores, strains that were deprecated in the Solar System following the fall of Mars, and a lack of any third stage Frame-class units such as Bladebugs. Thus, I have effectively classed this a low-level infestation. The Radiolaria Galactica and embarked forces should be able to clear the system inside of two months.¡± Lydia let out a low whistle. ¡°Only two months?¡± Moby shifted her eyes to Lydia, irises narrowing slightly. ¡°Yes, this vessel¡¯s firepower is extreme. When used in concert with the newest generation of Gravity Frames and the Gravity Swarm, I anticipate no difficulties.¡± Lydia focused on the image of the Sarcophage surge, ignoring Moby¡¯s eyes boring a hole into the side of her skull. ¡°So fundamentally, you¡¯re saying this swarm is configured to fight enemies far weaker than us, and we¡¯re going to completely overwhelm them.¡± ¡°Precisely.¡± ¡°Glad to see we¡¯re all in agreement,¡± Katya interjected. ¡°However, let¡¯s not get overconfident. Preparation is our best weapon, even when going into a battle we expect to win handily. Lydia, work up our initial force deployments using Moby¡¯s models and Sveta¡¯s intel. Have it on my desk in twenty hours. After my approval, begin briefing your pilots.¡± ¡°Yes ma¡¯am.¡± ¡°Laria, have Zehra run our final weapons checks while we¡¯re in transit and make sure we¡¯re ready to fire our full arsenal seconds after we exit warp. Do another check on the shield grid as well.¡± ¡°As you command, Admiral.¡± ¡°Sveta, run the checks on every single Gravity Frame aboard. Have Genevi do the checks on the Swarm. Lydia can schedule rotation of the alert squadron if need be.¡± ¡°Aye-aye!¡± ¡°And Moby, please process a detailed breakdown of the data Sveta sent and collate it with your tactical models. Search for any variances that might give us an edge. I know the intel is limited, but-¡± Katya was cut off by a loud set of clanking footprints, and everyone turned to the catwalk to see the figure of a pilot in an Inertia Suit running full-tilt towards the dais. The two MP officers at the junction stepped forwards, blocking the running figure. ¡°HALT!¡± said one of the MPs. ¡°This is a restricted area. Return to the turbolift immediately.¡± ¡°ADMIRAL!¡± shrieked the pilot. ¡°ADMIRAL! WHAT¡¯S GOING ON WITH HUNTER?!¡± ¡°Final warning. Return to the turbolift.¡± the MP said, her hand going to her weapon holster. The pilot continued to run full tilt towards the officers, showing no sign of slowing down. ¡°Who¡­?¡± Lydia muttered as she watched the scene unfold. Katya looked on impassively, her expression neutral. ¡°ADMIRAL! ADMIRAL! DON¡¯T IGNORE ME, ADMIRAL! I¡­¡± Both MPs drew their sidearms and levelled them at the pilot. The points of two green laser designators appeared on his chest, and a moment later there was a loud POP as bolts of electricity followed the paths ionized air the lasers created. The pilot slumped to the ground, stunned unconscious. ¡°Apologies for that, Admiral,¡± the second MP said as the first moved to restrain the prone pilot. ¡°Quite alright,¡± Katya responded, walking over to examine the pilot. ¡°You did your job perfectly. Laria, who is this?¡± ¡°2nd Lieutenant Lyle Melusina, Maid Corps 2nd Squadron,¡± Laria replied. ¡°He¡¯s a close personal friend of 2nd Lieutenant Kretzer, the pilot currently at Barnard¡¯s Star.¡± ¡°It seems rumors of our mission are making the rounds,¡± Katya said. ¡°His passion is understandable, if not his breach of protocol. I¡¯ll make an all-hands announcement soon to help calm nerves.¡± She watched impassively as another set of MPs arrived via the turbolift and began to drag Lyle off to the brig. ¡°Lydia, this pilot falls under your new command. Disciplinary action is up to you.¡± Lydia looked sympathetically at the pilot as the MPs dragged him away. ¡°Understood, ma¡¯am.¡± Katya returned to the dais, distraction forgotten. ¡°Now, where were we?¡± ****** The first thing Lyle noticed when he awoke was his throbbing headache. He pressed his palms to his forehead, the pain waxing and waning with each beat of his heart. After a minute, he begrudgingly pried open his eyes to take stock of the situation. He was in the brig, of course. Sheer metal bulkheads, smooth and unpainted, surrounded him in five sides¡­ and a crackling blue force field on the sixth. As he shakily rose to his feet, the memories came flooding back; his charge into the CIC sphere, the MPs barking orders, the crackle of electricity, the ground rushing up to meet him¡­ He winced. Anger welled up inside. How could the Admiral just ignore him like that? His best friend was¡­ was¡­ and she¡¯d just allowed her leashed dogs to chase him away! God damn it! God DAMN IT! Lyle furiously drove a fist into the force field, only to yelp and wince as a sharp electric jab repelled his nervous system. He withdrew his hand and rubbed his smarting fingers, his anger only boiling hotter for lack of an outlet to express it. ¡°I¡¯d recommend against that.¡± Lyle¡¯s eyes darted around, seeking out the source of that voice, and found two figures walking towards his cell. At first he thought he was seeing double, because they both appeared to be the same person¡­ but not so. On closer examination, there were differences. The figure on the left had her red hair cropped close in a practical, entirely non-ornamental haircut. Her tanned face was covered in scars, and one of her eyes was cybernetic. The figure on the right had long, prim hair that reached the small of her back, and both her eyes had black sclera and red slit-irises. Lyle caught sight of her sharpened teeth through slightly parted lips. Lydia and Moby. Twins. The original, and the alien clone. What did they want with him? ¡°Zehra specifically modulated that kind of forcefield to repel biological humans,¡± Lydia said as she stopped in front of Lyle¡¯s cell. ¡°Touching it won¡¯t hurt you, not directly, but I¡¯ll wager it¡¯s mighty painful.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t say,¡± Lyle responded through gritted teeth, rubbing his aching knuckles with his thumb. Lydia looked up, almost as if staring at the ceiling. ¡°Laria, deactivate the force field.¡± ¡°Done, Senior Captain,¡± responded a voice from nowhere. With a snap and a pop, the jagged buzzing of the force field faded, and Lydia stepped into the cell. Lyle noticed the gravity lessen slightly as she entered. Lydia produced from her pocket a small, squarish foil container, and a larger foil pouch with a straw glued to the side. She offered them up to Lyle, who stared at them suspiciously. ¡°What¡­?¡± ¡°Ibuprofen and water,¡± Lydia explained. ¡°For the headache. I know getting stunned by an electrolaser can smart; I¡¯ve been there plenty of times myself.¡± Lyle wordlessly took the packages, tearing open the first with his teeth and swallowing the pills. He then ripped open the second and squeezed the water into his mouth, not bothering with the straw. He barely noticed Moby step into the cell behind Lydia as he swallowed. ¡°So,¡± Lydia said, her voice becoming grim as Lyle wiped his moist lips on his sleeve. ¡°Breach of a secure area, failure to follow a superior officer¡¯s instructions, insubordination, and assault on a superior officer.¡± ¡°Bullshit,¡± Lyle replied sourly. ¡°I didn¡¯t assault anyone.¡± ¡°True,¡± Lydia replied. ¡°I¡¯ll strike that last one. Even so, the other three stand. As your commanding officer, leader of the Maid Corps, it falls to me to determine your punishment.¡± Lyle pressed his lips together into a thin line and remained silent, very much wanting to get this over with. Lydia looked at the petulantly taciturn pilot and sighed deeply. ¡°Hunter is alive.¡± Lyle¡¯s widening eyes snapped to Lydia. ¡°What?!¡± ¡°The Admiral made an all-hands announcement just before we jumped into warp, around three hours ago. You were still unconscious at the time, so here¡¯s the quick version: Hunter and his instance of Sveta are still alive, albeit trapped in a sticky situation. They¡¯re currently attempting to draw a Sarcophage swarm away from the crab homeworld with asymmetrical delaying tactics.¡± Lyle sprung to his feet, eyes alight. Hunter was alive? There was still hope? The face of his friend¡¯s smiling face flashed through his mind. ¡°We have to go save him!¡± he shouted. ¡°We are,¡± Lydia responded. ¡°We¡¯re currently travelling at maximum warp, and we¡¯ll arrive at Barnard¡¯s Star in two days, one hour. Saving Hunter¡¯s life will be our first mission priority.¡± Lyle wrung his hands together, his anger replaced by worry. ¡°Can he survive for that long?¡± ¡°He is using a battle plan of my own design, asymmetric maneuver 2A-127-15X-191B,¡± Moby explained. ¡°His odds of survival over a two-day period are 72%, despite the force disparity.¡± Lydia nodded. ¡°So we¡¯re going to ride in like big damn heroes and pull his ass out of the fire.¡± The worry on Lyle¡¯s face faded, only slightly. ¡°I want to help save him.¡± ¡°You¡¯re in the brig,¡± Lydia responded sarcastically. ¡°Standard sentence for insubordination of this sort is one week¡¯s cool time, minimum.¡± Lyle clamped his jaw shut, but his glare spoke volumes. Lydia rolled her eyes. ¡°That said, based on extenuating circumstances¡­ namely, that Hunter is a good friend of yours¡­ I¡¯m willing to suspend the sentence until the end of combat operations. Besides, it wouldn¡¯t serve me very well to have one of 2nd Squadron¡¯s pilots in the brig during a battle against an entire Sarcophage surge.¡± Lyle looked up at her, surprised. ¡°You¡¯re¡­ You¡¯ll let me fight?¡± Lydia frowned. ¡°I lost friends and family on Mars, 2nd Lieutenant. I know how hard it can be when a significant other is trapped behind enemy lines. The military can be heartless, by necessity, but I am not. Yes, I am going to let you fight.¡± ¡°Th-Thank you¡­¡± Lyle said uncertainly. ¡°However,¡± Lydia continued, leaning forwards, ¡°if I catch even a whiff of further insubordination, I¡¯ll throw you back in the brig so fast your head will spin. We clear, mister?¡± ¡°Yes ma¡¯am,¡± Lyle responded, petulance and newfound respect warring in his voice. ¡°Good. Now report to duty, 2nd Lietenant. 2nd Squadron will be relieving 3rd on alert duties in 35 minutes. Hop to!¡± As Lyle saluted and ran out of the brig, Moby¡¯s eyes followed him until the turbolift doors hissed shut, then turned to Lydia. ¡°Once again, I must say¡­ how magnanimous of you.¡± Lydia brushed off her compliment. ¡°I¡¯m just trying to be a good person, Moby. I¡¯ve been in Lyle¡¯s position more times than I can count¡­ sometimes with commanding officers who understood and accommodated me, and sometimes with hard asses who didn¡¯t give two shits about my feelings. I prefer the former.¡± Moby pondered that for a moment. ¡°Fascinating. In the Sarcophage, battle-forms which had difficulty responding to command signals, or those whose performance had dropped beneath a certain threshold, were simply recycled into raw materials for use in new forms. Inefficiency was not tolerated.¡± Lydia looked at her askance. ¡°Good thing we¡¯re not fighting for the Sarcophage then.¡± There was a brief pause, an unspoken objection that never passed lips. ¡°Indeed.¡± Lydia noticed the delay, and the conflict in Moby¡¯s eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t dwell on it too much, Moby. Existential questions and battle don¡¯t mix. We can discuss all this difficult stuff later.¡± ¡°As you say,¡± Moby responded. ¡°Shall we work on our force deployment plans like the Admiral ordered?¡± Lydia nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s head for my quarters. We¡¯ll meet Kometka there and get started.¡± It¡¯s often said that friendship and rivalry are two sides of the same coin, and that to truly understand someone you must face them in battle. Whether or not this is true is a question for philosophers and saints alike. Yet as the Radiolaria Galactica warped towards war, hurtling through space at a thousand times the speed of light, one thing was abundantly clear to Lydia and Moby both. They didn¡¯t know where they stood, what they truly thought of each other. There was so much uncertainty, but for the moment they had achieved a tense equilibrium. If anyone asked whether they were friends or enemies, if anyone ever pried to the exact nature of their relationship, both would have the same answer. ¡°It¡¯s complicated.¡± pynkbites I also introduced Lyle, the other new pilot besides Hunter... although not much of his character has been established just yet. Please look forward to future chapters, dear readers! I have plans for these two! I''ve set up a Discord server focused on my stories and gay shenanigans. If you''d like to chat with me and my queer friends, stop by sometime! And don''t forget to check out my other story, Lesbian Demon Lord. Sk-9. Beware the Stars ¡°Hunter! Hunter! Wake up, Hunter!¡± Swaddled in blankets and sleep, Hunter squeezed his eyes shut tighter, hoping this would somehow drown out the hissing in his ear. Alas, no luck. ¡°Hunter! Psst!¡± As if the noise wasn¡¯t bad enough, someone started poking him. Little jabs between his ribs, not sharp enough to be painful, but annoying nonetheless. Trapped in the twilight zone between sleep and awake, and very much resentful towards the begrudging consciousness that stirred his neurons, Hunter pried his eyes open warily. A face filled his vision¡­ pale skin, black hair to the shoulders, and a big gap-toothed grin. His best friend, Lyle. ¡°Mmmmrgrph,¡± Hunter said in greeting. His twelve-year-old body, malnourished and overworked, did not take kindly to sudden awakenings in the middle of the night. Even so, his friend persisted. ¡°Hunter! Look at what I found!¡± Lyle¡¯s face withdrew, and Hunter took the chance to rub the sleep from his eyes before he sat up slowly and looked around the room. It was a small annex, quite literally tacked onto the side of the great factory that was their home. Even now, in the middle of the night, Hunter could hear the distant din of the forge churning out Gravity Frames by the thousands. A half-dozen other sleeping workers were all huddled against the wall closest to the factory floor, basking in the small amount of waste heat that seeped through as a ward against the omnipresent freeze. ¡°Lyle¡­ what time is it?¡± Hunter grumbled, making sure to mix in plenty of annoyance with the waning sleepiness in his voice. ¡°Dunno. Past midnight, maybe?¡± Lyle said dismissively, his grin never faltering. ¡°Does it matter?¡± Hunter groaned and rubbed his eyes. ¡°Urgh. We have to be up for our shift again in a few hours, Lyle. We need to get some sleep.¡± Lyle shook his head emphatically, sending his hair flying with each motion. ¡°Who cares about that? I found something great! Look, look!¡± He held out a dusty book with a yellow cover that was half-rotted away. Hunter sighed. ¡°Did you go out into the ruins again? You know how dangerous that is.¡± Lyle stuck out his tongue and made a noise not unlike an upset horse. ¡°C¡¯mon, Hunter. The reclamation squads just throw all this interesting stuff out! They only care about harvesting steel and rebar, not books!¡± Hunter heard a murmur, and saw some of the other children in the room stirring. He sighed and wrapped a few threadbare blankets around himself, at last resigned to the fact that his sleep for the night was shot. ¡°Fine, fine. Let¡¯s go outside so we don¡¯t wake up anyone else.¡± He reluctantly padded towards the door, and Lyle followed. ****** The asteroid impact that destroyed Phoenix in 2039, a decade earlier, had also devastated the nearby city of Tucson¡­ albeit not completely. The mere fact that around half the population had survived the initial shockwave had convinced the Politburo to establish a Gravity Frame factory in the ruins, to serve as both shelter and work for the remaining residents. This factory was one of a half-dozen scattered across the whole Southwest Subdivision of the Pacific American Industrial Zone, mostly in the ruins of once-gleaming cities. The roof of the factory, where Lyle and Hunter now stood, offered a stunning view of the surrounding city ruins. Even in the freezing dark of cloud-shrouded midnight, the myriad lights of Construction Frames digging through wrecked buildings for valuable alloys bathed the scene in a grim fluorescence. Hunter watched disinterestedly for a moment as one of the yellow-and-black striped Frames tore into a long-abandoned office tower, collapsing it into rubble with fists that bore the force of wrecking balls. The Frame got down on its hands and knees and began to paw through the wreckage, tossing steel beams and plates into a growing pile that would soon be dragged back to the factory and smelted down. The sight of humanity digging through the bones of its past to desperately defend the present never failed to fill Hunter with an overwhelming sense of¡­ What was he feeling, anyway? Apathy? Resignation? A grim sense of purpose? Strong emotions were Lyle¡¯s forte, not his. Hunter simply wanted to survive. ¡°You can¡¯t see anything¡­¡± came Lyle¡¯s voice from his right. Hunter turned to see his friend¡¯s neck craned and eyes fixed on the omnipresent cloud cover, a suffocating blanket of dust that still choked the skies years after the Sarcophage¡¯s asteroid attacks had been stopped by the Almaz Array. ¡°Anything?¡± Hunter asked, shivering as a passing breeze cut through his layers of protective blankets. ¡°Any stars, I mean,¡± Lyle explained, his eyes still fixed on the occulted heavens. ¡°Do you remember seeing any stars? Like¡­ ever?¡± Hunter shrugged. ¡°Not really. Maybe I saw some as a toddler? I don¡¯t really remember them, though.¡± ¡°Same,¡± Lyle replied, finally dragging his eyes downwards. ¡°Isn¡¯t that tragic?¡± Hunter was about to shrug again, then thought that might be in bad taste. ¡°I guess?¡± Lyle split open the yellow book, flipping to a spot he¡¯d marked with a dog ear, and presented it to Hunter. It was a two-page spread, a high-resolution photograph of the night sky taken by an old observatory somewhere deep in the Sonoran Desert. A field of numberless stars shone brilliantly against a black background, wreathed in the ghostly glow of the Milky Way. ¡°This is what they used to look like, on a clear night with no light pollution,¡± Lyle said in abject wonderment. ¡°Aren¡¯t they beautiful?¡± Hunter had long ago suppressed his emotions for his own mental well-being, but for Lyle¡¯s sake he managed to dredge up a mote of awe. ¡°Yeah, they are.¡± ¡°I want to see them someday,¡± Lyle declared. ¡°Not a photo or a newsreel or anything, but in person. I want to see real stars with my own eyes.¡± Hunter placed his hand on Lyle¡¯s shoulder in what he hoped was a reassuring gesture. ¡°In three years we¡¯ll be drafted and sent to the General Military Academy at Kirtland. Then after four years of boot camp and Frame training, we¡¯ll go into space ourselves. You¡¯ll get to see those stars someday.¡± Lyle nodded, his jaw set in determination. ¡°I want you to be there. I want us to see them together.¡± A small twinge poked at Hunter¡¯s frozen heart, and he cracked a slight smile. ¡°Yeah. Me too.¡± The two boys stared up at the sky for a minute longer before shuffling back inside the factory¡¯s relative warmth. +++++ Fourteen years later, against a field of a trillion gleaming stars, Hunter desperately fought for his life. ¡°Shields at 22%,¡± Sveta urgently announced. ¡°Another swarm coming into sensor range at 242 mark 021. Composition, Spineball-Clawtooth 1:2.75.¡± Hunter twisted Sveta¡¯s controls, spiraling around an incoming barrage of spines before loosing a volley of positron fire from her shoulder cannons. ¡°How long until our next warp jump?¡± ¡°22 seconds.¡± Sveta¡¯s voice took on an air of pleading. ¡°Please try to not get hit in the meantime; the more punishment the shields take, the longer the recharge cycle.¡± Hunter grumbled under his breath; despite the wonderful protection afforded by the energy shields, they were not limitless. As such, he¡¯d become very good at dodging incoming volleys, just like the pilots of yore who had defended the Absolute Line. Still, his hands ached from the strain. He would give anything for a moment¡¯s rest, or even a brief nap. Pushing that thought aside, he gunned Sveta¡¯s gravity fins and accelerated towards the incoming swarm. He effortlessly wove between streams of spinefire before igniting both plasma blades and crashing right into the enemy formation. There was a frantic whirlwind of a melee, and a moment later the Gravity Frame emerged unscathed from an expanding cloud of scorched flesh. ¡°Nicely done,¡± Sveta said. ¡°Jumping to warp in three¡­ two¡­ one¡­¡± There was a flare of purple light, then the cockpit projection went black. Six seconds later the stars returned with another purple flare, and Hunter allowed himself to relax¡­ if only for a moment. ¡°How long?¡± he asked, leaning back in his seat. ¡°Twenty-two minutes until they¡¯re on us again,¡± Sveta answered, popping up her avatar in a video chat window. ¡°It will take twenty minutes for the shields to recharge fully, and 43 minutes until we can warp again.¡± Hunter raised an eyebrow. ¡°43 minutes? That¡¯s nine minutes longer than last time!¡± Sveta nodded once, her mouth pressed into a grim line. ¡°Making this many warp jumps back to back is taxing the drive¡¯s more sensitive components. We¡¯ve already blown through several planned maintenance cycles, and the nuclear fresnels are almost shot, slowing our discharge of the dark matter buildup in the reality furnace. For that matter, the shield grid is starting to decay as well. If we lose any more emitters, it will fail completely.¡± Sveta brought up a master systems display with several flashing red segments, and Hunter frowned as he examined it. ¡°I thought Gravity Frames were certified for at least ten days of continuous operation before needing service.¡± ¡°Normally, yes,¡± Sveta said, sounding a bit sheepish at her own multiplying malfunctions. ¡°The warp drive and shield are brand-new technology, however. The milspec certification process was kinda rushed since our launch date moved up.¡± ¡°Great,¡± Hunter complained. ¡°I really drew the short straw, huh? Dealing with the rare instance of unreliable Soviet weaponry while I¡¯m fighting to save a whole species from extinction.¡± That drew a wry chuckle from Sveta. ¡°Well, sorry I¡¯m not up to Kalashnikov standards. Look on the bright side, though! Once we get back to the Radiolaria Galactica, we¡¯ll have accumulated tons of field data that will help the mechanics install more reliable components!¡± Hunter shook his head, the corner of his mouth lifting slightly. ¡°You¡¯re boundlessly optimistic as usual, Sveta. I don¡¯t know how you do it.¡± Sveta smirked. ¡°The digital equivalent of a coffee drip going straight into my bloodstream. Life¡¯s easier when you¡¯re always hopped up on cyber-caffeine.¡± The two stared at each other for a long moment before bursting out in laughter. It felt good to laugh¡­ it wasn¡¯t something Hunter did a lot. He¡¯d heard other pilots say being around Sveta tended to lift their moods; if nothing else, the girl had spunk to spare. Still chuckling softly, he leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes. The stims coursing through his body wouldn¡¯t let him so much as doze off, but it felt good to rest for a moment. He sensed his muscles relax and his breathing slow. God, was he looking forward to a hot shower and a week¡¯s bunk time after all this was over¡­ and the warm companionship of a certain someone, of course. ¡°Eighteen minutes,¡± Sveta announced. +++++ ¡°Mission time expired. Ending simulation,¡± droned an emotionless, synthesized voice. A teenaged Hunter exhaled and leaned back in his cockpit chair as the simulator screen surrounding him smash cut to deep black garnished with a blinking green cursor. ¡°Results, please,¡± he asked the disembodied voice. The voice kept time to the blinking green text in front of Hunter as it displayed the simulation results. ¡°Elapsed mission time: 16 hours and 32 minutes. Kill-death ratio: 4229:0. Damage incurred: 20% superficial, none critical. Allies lost: 2. Accuracy rate: 81%. Final score: 93. Would you like a detailed hard copy of these results?¡± Hunter clenched his teeth; his score was a full point lower than his last simulator run; he vaguely wondered if he was losing his touch. Granted, his scores were among the highest in his class, but still¡­ 92% wasn¡¯t good enough to survive the horrors that lurked up in the stars. Not by a long shot. And it certainly wasn¡¯t good enough to protect Lyle. ¡°Would you like a detailed hard copy of these results?¡± the computerized voice repeated. ¡°No,¡± he mumbled. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°You are welcome, Cadet Kretzer. Please vacate the simulator so another cadet may use it.¡± Hunter obliged. As he exited the small door at the back of the cockpit, he found himself in the center of a huge, brightly-lit warehouse space where some dozen Gravity Frame simulators, each the size of a small car, churned and gyrated on huge pistons. Wordlessly, he climbed down the ladder to the ground. The staff officer in charge of the simulators, who sat at a small desk in the middle of the huge machines, waved to Hunter as he exited. ¡°Damn, kid, nice job!¡± she said enthusiastically. ¡°Sixteen hours and you still kept your score over 90%? You¡¯re a savant, that¡¯s for sure!¡± Hunter responded with his trademark retort and shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s no big deal. The pilots up on the Line fight for days at a time, especially during surges. I need to be at least as good as them.¡± The officer frowned and eyed Hunter warily. ¡°I see a lotta driven kids come in here on leave time, but you¡¯re among the most intense. This war personal to you, kid?¡± Hunter shook his head. ¡°No. I just have something worth protecting, that¡¯s all.¡± The officer breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°Glad to hear it. Some of the revenge kids, the ones with dead parents, are way too intense. I just saw one flip out when he heard the rumors.¡± Hunter raised an eyebrow. ¡°Rumors? What rumors?¡± ****** ¡°What do you mean the war is OVER?!¡± Lyle exclaimed, his fists clenched so tightly his nails dug into his palms. Hunter looked over to his friend, who was standing next to the bunk bed they shared and dressed in a flawlessly-pressed cadet¡¯s uniform. Lyle¡¯s long hair, which had grown past his shoulders, was now pulled up in a high ponytail. ¡°Everyone¡¯s talking about it,¡± Hunter explained as he flopped down on the bottom bunk; the General Military Academy¡¯s barracks could not be considered luxurious by any stretch of the imagination, but even a thin, threadbare mattress was leagues better than sleeping on the floor. ¡°They haven¡¯t announced anything officially yet, but buzz is the entire Sarcophage army just¡­ suddenly retreated. Apparently scientists on Eros deployed some sort of new telepathic weapon that rendered the whole swarm docile.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ uh, wow¡­ that¡¯s¡­¡± Lyle¡¯s voice trailed off and he leaned over the bed, his face now directly above Hunter¡¯s. The latter became lost in his eyes for a moment, deep seas of limpid purple framed by a smidge of eyeshadow and perfectly plucked eyebrows. Hunter never understood how Lyle had the energy to take such meticulous care of his appearance, even going so far as to mix his own cosmetics out of discarded ingredients from the supplies in their weekly ration packs. Then again, puberty had been kind to the black-haired boy, granting him an effortless lithe gracefulness as opposed to Hunter¡¯s own blocky, clumsy awkwardness. The thought of his dislike of his own body caused Hunter to feel a familiar pang of jealousy twist his stomach, and he quickly refocused on the conversation at hand to drown it out. ¡°That¡¯s good news, right?¡± he said, finishing Lyle¡¯s abortive thought from earlier. ¡°Now we¡¯re not all gonna die.¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s¡­ good¡­¡± Lyle said, sounding unsure. He fiddled with the tip of his ponytail nervously, eyes distant in deep thought. ¡°We¡­ we still get to go to space, right? They¡¯ll still need Gravity Frame pilots, right?¡± Hunter, ever the stalwart, shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m sure. Even if the swarm around Earth is gone, we still gotta go retake Mars and the Belt, right? I¡¯m sure they got infestations on Io and Pluto too.¡± Lyle nodded. ¡°I suppose¡­¡± ¡°And both of us graduate in three months anyway. They ain¡¯t gonna kick us out after investing so much time and resources into our military education.¡± Lyle sighed and spun around, effortlessly flopping down on the bunk a half-meter away from Hunter. ¡°So we¡¯ll still get to see them?¡± Hunter rolled onto his side and studied his friend¡¯s profile. Lyle¡¯s eyes were distant, looking past the ceiling of the barracks to the greater things beyond, things that (for the moment) only existed in his imagination. Lyle was ever the dreamer, and Hunter had allowed himself to be swept up in that dream; he sure as hell wasn¡¯t about to abandon it now. Not after all those simulator hours, all that training and effort. ¡°Of course we will, Lyle,¡± Hunter said, mustering up all the encouragement he could. ¡°Even if they don¡¯t need Gravity Frame pilots anymore, we can join the Engineering Brigades and repair space colonies, or work in asteroid mining. With Frame certification, we have options.¡± Lyle¡¯s eyes refocused and turned to Hunter, who felt his heart skip a beat. ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± Lyle said, a smile brightening his delicate features. ¡°How about we go put in some more simulator time, and you tell me everything you know?¡± Hunter didn¡¯t really want to do another round in the Gravity Frame simulators after his last marathon session¡­ but he did want to spend time with Lyle, so it all balanced out. ¡°Sure thing. Let¡¯s go.¡± The two boys, lost in each other¡¯s company, quickly shuffled out of the barracks, leaving no sound behind except the soft hissing of the air filtration. ++++++ A cacophonous chaos of wailing sirens assaulted Hunter¡¯s ears at the same time one of the control consoles exploded, sending a shower of smoke and sparks pinballing around the cockpit. The little flickers bounced off Hunter¡¯s Inertia Suit harmlessly, but he still reflexively flinched. ¡°SVETA!¡± he screamed while desperately steering her around a barrage of incoming spinefire. There was no response at first, although the sirens did begin to shut down one-by-one. Once merciful quiet was restored, Sveta¡¯s flickering hologram appeared. ¡°The warp drive just shorted out,¡± she reported glumly, her voice underlined with static. ¡°It took half the power transformers with it, so the shields are gone too. We still have weapons and sublight, and eighteen our Strike Fins, but that¡¯s it.¡± ¡°Shit,¡± Hunter cursed, twisting up the acceleration and cleaving a Clawtooth in two with plasma blades. He felt the sluggishness in Sveta¡¯s response time, an indication of just how bad the power grid failures were. ¡°Shit indeed,¡± echoed Sveta. ¡°We still have at least twelve hours to go before the Radiolaria might arrive, at the earliest.¡± Hunter frowned as he scanned the stars for the next enemy. ¡°Will Crabworld be okay? It would be a shame if all of this was for nothing. I¡¯ve grown a bit attached to those giant crustacean nerds.¡± ¡°Me too,¡± Sveta chuckled for a moment before resuming her grim expression. ¡°To be honest, Hunter, I¡¯m not sure. We¡¯ve managed to lure the swarm several hundred million kilometers away, but the moment we¡¯re gone they might resume attacking the crabs. Only Moby can truly divine what a Sarcophage swarm will do next.¡± Hunter felt his stomach sink, in the same instance he spotted a distant Spineball and pulled the trigger. ¡°So what now? Go out in a blaze of glory and pray for the best?¡± Sveta was silent for a moment as her hyperprocessors whirled rapidly. ¡°Perhaps¡­¡± Suddenly she snapped her fingers, slightly startling Hunter. ¡°Aha! What if we enacted the Schwarzschild Protocol?¡± Hunter was about to let his jaw hang slack, then saw another incoming swarm and instead danced around them delicately, picking them apart from afar with shoulder cannon blasts. When their smoking atoms scattered to the void, he turned back to Sveta and resumed his shocked expression. ¡°The Schwarzschild Protocol? Isn¡¯t that prohibited?¡± ¡°Well, yes, technically,¡± Sveta admitted, ¡°although that¡¯s never stopped me before. Intentionally overloading my reality furnace will result in an explosion that creates a black hole nearly a hundred kilometers in diameter. The black hole will evaporate after a few minutes, but¡­¡± ¡°But it will take out thousands of Sarcophage before it does,¡± Hunter said, his eyes lighting up with understanding. ¡°Especially if we dive right into the heart of the swarm before setting it off. That will buy the crabs more time, maybe even enough to hold out until the Radiolaria gets here. How exactly does this plan not result in our deaths, though?¡± Sveta responded by opening a window that displayed multi-spectrum comm frequencies. ¡°I still have a signal to my Telepresence Doll back on Crabworld via gravitics, and the Doll has enough computer memory to store an uploaded consciousness in addition to my programs. If you authorize it, I can scan your brain with my laser, upload you and send your compressed AI file and my own memories back to the Doll. Then it can hide out in the caves with our crab friends, laying low until the Radiolaria shows up.¡± Hunter felt his aching stomach twist into knots. The military had offered him upload before, but he¡¯d always refused. There were numerous advantages, of course¡­ immortality, super strength, freedom from aging and disease, and (perhaps most enticing for Hunter) the Dolls required neither food nor drink to survive. Many of Hunter¡¯s comrades had jumped at the chance to upload, and even Lyle had shown curiosity about the prospect. Yet for Hunter, whose sole impetus was to survive, there was still one hurdle that gave him pause. ¡°I¡¯d still die,¡± he said quietly, eyes cast downwards, hands twitching as he automatically dodged incoming barrages of spinefire. ¡°The upload process involves killing me.¡± ¡°Yes, your physical body would die,¡± Sveta confirmed, brimming with concern. ¡°Your soul and mind would transfer to the uploaded consciousness, but your physical body would be gone forever.¡± Hunter¡¯s stomach sank further. ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡± he mumbled. He knew it wasn¡¯t true death, not really, but the prospect still terrified him deeply. ¡°Not to be harsh, but¡­¡± Sveta paused for a moment, thinking of how to phrase what came next. ¡°The way I see it, you have three options. Firstly, you can upload yourself, which will kill your biological body but allow your mind and soul to live on digitally. Secondly, you can opt out, which means you¡¯ll perish in the gravitic overload of the Reality Furnace alongside thousands of Sarcophage. Finally, we can forgo the Schwarzschild Protocol altogether and simply try to fight our way out of the swarm in a damaged Gravity Frame. Our odds of success would be extremely low, however¡­ less than ten percent.¡± Hunter didn¡¯t take the last option seriously; he¡¯d seen vids of what happened when the Sarcophage ate someone alive, and it was a horrible way to die. The middle option was tempting¡­ going out in a big spacetime explosion that birthed a black hole was sure to be painless and quick, and would also accomplish their goal of protecting the crabs as best they could; maybe the crustacean nerds would even posthumously elevate him to saintly martyrdom for his trouble. He could think of worse ways to leave behind an indelible legacy. And yet, there was one little niggle. One molehill that, when dwelled upon, swelled to the size of a mountain. If Hunter truly died his final death, here and now¡­ He¡¯d never see Lyle again. The thought of that wrenched his heart more than the prospect of uploading wrenched his stomach. In that rending calculus of emotion, he realized there was only one choice he could conceivably make. He set his jaw in determination. ¡°Alright. Upload me and then blow up the Frame.¡± Sveta nodded, and the cockpit projection of surrounding space faded to static. ¡°I¡¯ll take over piloting. Hunter, just sit back and relax. This process is wholly painless; you won¡¯t feel a thing.¡± Hunter gulped and nodded, closing his eyes and trying in vain to release the tension in his shoulders. He felt a prickling at the back of his neck, saw the flash of a laser through his eyelids. Sveta¡¯s voice rang out one final time, soft and kind. ¡°See you soon, Hunter. Have a good rest.¡± Hunter felt his consciousness grow heavy, distant. He receded from it like he was sinking into an ocean; for an instant right before everything faded to black, he caught a glimpse of a blue-skinned feminine face, with pointed ears and brilliant red eyes framed by bone-white hair. Even though he only saw her for an instant, Hunter could have sworn she winked at him conspiratorially. Then his life flashed before his eyes. ++++++ It had taken a while. As it turned out, it was hard to see stars in low Earth orbit. With the planet mostly obscured by clouds it had a high albedo, and reflected sunlight tended to drown out the comparatively dim light of the stars. Add in tons of other reflective objects, like the thousands of spaceships going to and fro or the cylindrical metal hulls of space colonies, and Earth¡¯s immediate neighborhood festered with light pollution almost as bad as any terrestrial city. That¡¯s why the eager young 2nd Lieutenant Lyle Melusina, fresh out of the Academy, had volunteered for a week-long deep space patrol mission. Hunter had naturally done the same without complaint. Now their element finally voyaged beyond the Moon¡¯s orbit and the light of Earth faded behind them for the first time in their lives. The holo-screens in their cockpits were good, of course. Top-of-the-line, the best humanity could produce, with voxels so tiny they were not discernable to the naked eye. Even so, for their first time, a screen simply wouldn¡¯t do. That¡¯s why, at the third waypoint, Hunter and Lyle brought their Gravity Frames close together, checked the seals on their Inertia Suit, decompressed their cockpits, and took a short spacewalk. Words are perhaps inadequate to describe the experience of seeing a brilliant starry sky for the first time in one¡¯s life. What can be described, however, are reactions. Lyle¡¯s was a sharp intake of breath as his eyes roved the heavens, separated from the cosmos by only a centimeter-thick faceplate of transparent nanocarbon. Lyle sniffed and stared, entranced, and it would be nearly a full minute before he realized he was crying. Hunter, on the other hand, had been entirely unmoved by the spectacle¡­ but his heart also twisted up in a flurry of emotion for related reasons. As he beheld his best of friends weeping in wonderment and joy, he felt a complicated cyclone of conflicting feelings. Love was prime among them. Hunter didn¡¯t know exactly when he¡¯d crossed that threshold, but Lyle was unspeakably dear to his heart. For all the misfortune the cold world had dealt him, for all the hardship he¡¯d endured as humanity was besieged, Lyle had remained a beacon that guided him through that darkness. He¡¯d shut off his own emotions to cope with loss and pain, but Hunter could never shut off his love for Lyle; it was as integral to him as eating or sleeping. Yet juxtaposing was a far nastier emotion¡­ jealousy. Whereas Hunter had come out of puberty as a tall, broad-shouldered and altogether square-shaped man, Lyle had retained the effeminate androgyny of youth. Combined with his long hair, worn in a variety of styles, and his flawlessly applied makeup, it made Lyle by far the prettier of the two. That fact made Hunter jealous, though he was not sure why. Indeed, he felt incredibly guilty that he was jealous of his dearest friend in the first place¡­ and so both love and jealousy became more emotions he shoved down deep inside, where they could never be expressed and never hurt him. Those emotions bubbled dangerously close to the surface as Hunter watched his starstruck friend gaze into infinity. It was all that internal turmoil that occupied his thoughts, so much so that when Lyle called out his name he was brought back to reality with a start. ¡°Hmm?¡± Hunter said, refocusing his gaze and regaining his composure. ¡°We made it, Hunter. We finally made it,¡± Lyle said, cry-choking on every word. Hunter jetted closer to his friend and placed a hand, heavy with comfort, on his shoulder. Lyle couldn¡¯t feel it through the Inertia Suit, but the gesture was appreciated nonetheless. ¡°Yes we did,¡± Hunter replied softly. ¡°My¡­ my gods¡­¡± Lyle¡¯s eyes swept across Hunter¡¯s face, then back to the panoply of stellar wonder spread before them. ¡°They¡¯re beautiful, aren¡¯t they?¡± Hunter nodded. ¡°Yes, they are.¡± Then, quieter, in words whispered so softly his helmet microphone could not pick them up¡­ ¡°¡­And so are you.¡± pynkbites That said, this chapter is a bit of an update of the first Genevi-perspective chapter, A Slow Death. All the writing experience I''ve gained these past two years have helped me create more complex flashback structures with attendant tender character moments. I hope you all enjoy the final result! I have a discord dedicated to my wonderful queer audience, which hosts many author authors besides me. If you''d like to chat with us, stop by sometime! And don''t forget to check out my other story, Lesbian Demon Lord. Sk-10. Phoenix Down Today was the day! Lyle¡¯s eyes sprang open exactly one minute before his alarm was set to go off. He hadn¡¯t been sleeping, not really. Instead, he¡¯d been lying in bed with his eyes closed, too wired to doze. Still, it was the principle of the matter, right? He¡¯d gone through the motions of sleeping, and now he could move on to far more exciting things. And what he had in mind was exciting indeed. Today was the day, you see. The day he¡¯d finally tell his mom the truth. After taking a fast shower and throwing on some baggy clothes (in varying shades of black, naturally), Lyle bounded out to the kitchen. His mother, Kara, was just laying out ration bars and boiling water to make it potable; she looked up from her tasks and smiled at her seven-year-old child. ¡°Good morning, Lyle,¡± she said breezily. ¡°Morning Mom!¡± Lyle replied back. He slid into his chair with practiced ease, grabbing a ration bar and taking a large bite¡­ only to wince involuntarily as the acrid taste of plankton-derived protein sludge mixed with fake strawberry flavor washed over his tongue. ¡°Sorry about the cuisine, kiddo,¡± Kara said apologetically. ¡°Real food is getting harder and harder to find.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it,¡± Lyle responded amicably as he struggled to get the unpalatable ration bar down his gullet. He knew she¡¯d been picking up overtime shifts in the foundries to feed him, and thus didn¡¯t have the heart to complain about the unpalatability. After all, the whole human race from Politburo down to peon was forced to eat the same sludge after the near-total collapse of Earth¡¯s ecosystem. Besides, today was the day. He was going to have a GOOD day today, and absolutely NOTHING could ruin that. He¡¯d been waiting to tell her, for fear of what she might say. Once his mother knew the truth, would she stop loving him? Would she shed herself of his burden and throw him out on the street? No, she could never. She LOVED him, no matter what. Lyle swallowed the last vestiges of the ration bar and clenched his fists. ¡°M-Mom¡­¡± he began shakily. ¡°There¡¯s something I need to talk to you about.¡± His mother set down the dishes she was scrubbing and sat down at the table across from Lyle, smiling gently. ¡°Yes?¡± she asked expectantly. Lyle took one deep breath, then two, then three. This was it. ¡°Okay. Mom, I know this might sound strange, but I think I¡¯m actually a g-¡± That¡¯s when the air raid sirens went off. ++++++ Nineteen years later, Sabina stared out of her Frame¡¯s optical sensors with an expression of abject boredom on her face. ¡°BEEP!¡± Sveta chimed, materializing inside the virtual cockpit. ¡°Thirteenth diagnostics cycle complete. Would you like to run it again?¡± Sabina sighed heavily. ¡°Is there anything else to do?¡± ¡°All systems optimal. Standing orders are to maintain alert,¡± Sveta replied. ¡°No updates.¡± ¡°Then run it again, please,¡± Sabina said dejectedly. Sveta saluted. ¡°Roger that. Also, a suggestion: you should take up a hobby. Knitting, perhaps?¡± Before Sabina could respond, Sveta grinned and her avatar vanished from sight once more. The former merely sighed again, thinking to herself¡­ I hate alert duty with every circuit of my being. Indeed, she had good reason to. Alert squadron duty was the perfect personification of that old military adage, ¡°hurry up and wait.¡± Sitting in one¡¯s Gravity Frame cockpit for six-to-ten hours, drumming your fingers on the controls and staying sharp just in case was boring in the extreme. It was a duty to be dreaded, even if that was salved slightly by the knowledge that you¡¯d be the first into the excitement of battle should the time come. And, seeing as how the Radiolaria Galactica was presently hurling towards a Sarcophage-infested system at maximum warp, the alert pilots were at least filled with anticipation that relieved their drudgery somewhat. Even worse for Sabina, military regulations governing AIs stipulated that they were not permitted to manifest private virtual spaces while on alert, instead remaining in their standardized virtual cockpits at all times. There were other ways to entertain oneself, of course, but even uploads were not immune to boredom. So grating was the waiting that Sabina actually seriously considered Sveta¡¯s knitting suggestion, if only momentarily, before settling on gazing forlornly into the middle distance instead. Her eyes skittered over the sheer metallic walls of the hanger, and the mechanical whirlwind of robot arms and antigrav drones that buzzed like flies around the berthed Frames. Sabina opened comms to the ship¡¯s central intranet, targeting a specific MAC address. ¡°Hey Genevi¡­¡± she began, boredom dripping in her voice, ¡°remember when these hangers were filled with¡­ y¡¯know, real live people? Actual mechanics covered in oil and sweat?¡± A projection of Genevi¡¯s avatar appeared, floating beside Sabina in the Frame¡¯s virtual cockpit. ¡°I do. It seems almost nostalgic, doesn¡¯t it?¡± Sabina shrugged. ¡°For us, maybe. I know the mechanics themselves are much happier letting Laria¡¯s drones do all the work. They¡¯re all quite satisfied with their new desk jobs.¡± Genevi giggled. ¡°More power to them. So, still bored?¡± Sabina rolled her eyes and groaned. ¡°Immensely. You?¡± ¡°Not in the least. I¡¯m still running heuristics against Moby¡¯s combat models to determine the best possible deployment formation for the Gravity Swarm in the upcoming battle.¡± ¡°Ugh, more nerd shit,¡± Sabina groused. ¡°I¡¯m not surprised they gave you the Swarm, considering you¡¯re so gung-ho about the whole thing.¡± Genevi puffed out her chest proudly. ¡°Hey, the Gravity Swarm is important, okay? It¡¯s revolutionary! It will change everything about how we fight the Sarcophage!¡± ¡°If it works,¡± Sabina snorted. ¡°It¡¯s one of Zehra¡¯s harebrained schemes. Of course it¡¯s gonna work,¡± Genevi retorted grumpily. ¡°Bluh. If you say so.¡± Sabina mimed stretching, imagining her old joints pop, and wound up her complaining mode. ¡°Ugh, I am sooooo bored.¡± Genevi smiled conspiratorially. ¡°Have you given any thought to what I proposed earlier?¡± Sabina¡¯s mouth twisted into a frown. ¡°What, seriously? C¡¯mon, Genevi. We all know Lyle is a lone wolf and prefers it that way. Hunter¡¯s the only one who can get through his emotional armor.¡± ¡°And Hunter¡¯s currently trapped behind enemy lines,¡± Genevi countered. ¡°You can tell how bad he¡¯s feeling from his body language. Somebody needs to reach out to him.¡± Sabina waved her hand dismissively. ¡°Let Sveta do it. Isn¡¯t that her job in the first place?¡± ¡°Her job is to ensure the psychological and physical well-being of her pilots. Even so, she can¡¯t be everything to everyone. What Lyle needs most right now is a friend, not a commanding officer.¡± Sabina folded her arms over her chest and glared. ¡°You forget that we both outrank him. Besides, what he needs most right now is to kick some Sarcophage ass and save his boyfriend. After that he can go talk out his issues with the ship¡¯s counselor just like everyone else.¡± ¡°C¡¯mon, Sabina, think about it,¡± Genevi pressed. ¡°Lyle and Hunter are both orphans who lost everything and survived by working in the factories from a young age. Doesn¡¯t that sound familiar to you?¡± ¡°Yeah, it sounds familiar to me and a whole lotta other folks besides. The near-total annihilation of humanity resulted in many war orphans. We¡¯re not special, and neither is Lyle.¡± Genevi¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°You¡¯re only getting snippy to dodge my point, Sabina. Our similar backgrounds mean we can relate to Lyle more than most can.¡± Caught red-handed, Sabina finally surrendered. ¡°Alright, fine, whatever. Let¡¯s go say hello to the sultan of sulking. God, the things you drag me into.¡± ¡°Oh, c¡¯mon. You know you enjoy it,¡± Genevi teased. ¡°Never. I¡¯m only doing this to avoid learning how to knit,¡± Sabina shot back. A microsend later, her hologram vanished as she began to interface with the comm systems in Lyle¡¯s Frame. Genevi lingered behind for a moment longer, smiling triumphantly to herself, before vanishing as well. ++++++ ¡°Mom? Where are we going?¡± Lyle asked in a half-sobbing voice, face still pressed in one of his mother¡¯s arms as she carried him. He was barely audible over the wailing of air-raid sirens and the panicked screams of fleeing people. ¡°To the shelter,¡± Kara answered. ¡°We have to get there quickly. The Sarcophage just fired an asteroid at Phoenix.¡± Lyle¡¯s eyes widened. He didn¡¯t know how far Phoenix was from Tucson, but he¡¯d been to the big city enough times to know it was close. ¡°A-Are we gonna die?¡± he asked in a tiny voice, afraid of the answer. ¡°No,¡± his mom responded firmly. ¡°Just stay calm and follow my instructions, okay?¡± Lyle wiped his eyes and nodded. ¡°I-Is Hunter okay?¡± ¡°I sent him a comm when the sirens went off,¡± his mother responded. ¡°He¡¯s going to meet us at the shelter. We¡¯ll all be safe soon.¡± Lyle sank his fists into his mom¡¯s blouse and clenched them tight, afraid to let go. He shut his eyes against the confusing whirl of sights, trusting in his mother to protect him. He felt her arms tighten around him in response, and despite the uncertainty he felt secure. Through the chaos, they ran. ++++++ Lyle winced as the holograms of Sabina and Genevi materialized inside his Frame¡¯s physical cockpit, eclipsing his forward view. He was not in the mood for this right now. ¡°Senior Lieutenant, Junior Captain,¡± he said tersely. ¡°Can I help you?¡± ¡°Actually,¡± Genevi said in a bubbly tone while putting on her winningest smile, ¡°we were hoping we could help you!¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Lyle responded in a neutral tone while averting his eyes towards the diagnostics-laden holo-screens to his left. ¡°No help is needed.¡± Genevi wilted a bit. ¡°None whatsoever?¡± ¡°Nope.¡± Genevi cast a pleading glance over to Sabina, who groaned and begrudgingly dove into the conversation. ¡°That¡¯s actually quite surprising to me, Lyle.¡± ¡°Is it?¡± Lyle half-responded in a tone flatter than day-old soda. Sabina floated right, poking her face through one of the holo-screens Lyle was pretending to study. ¡°Yeah. I mean, your dear childhood friend Hunter is out there, life in jeopardy and trapped behind enemy lines, and you¡¯re stuck here twiddling your thumbs until we arrive at Barnard¡¯s Star. Now, if I were in your shoes, I would be pounding at the walls and screaming at the top of my lungs in pure frustration and rage.¡± Lyle matched Sabina¡¯s gaze. ¡°If you believe the reports, I physically threatened the Admiral.¡± Sabina whistled her appreciation. ¡°Nice. Now that¡¯s the kind of insubordination I can get behind. Fist bump!¡± ¡°S-Sabina!¡± Genevi protested uselessly. Meanwhile, Lyle stared at Sabina¡¯s proffered fist in confusion. ¡°What?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a Sveta thing,¡± Sabina explained. ¡°You make a fist and bump it against mine.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°¡¯Cause it¡¯s cool.¡± Reasoning they wouldn¡¯t leave him alone until he obliged, Lyle balled his hand into a fist and bumped it against Sabina¡¯s. ¡°There you go,¡± Sabina said with a triumphant grin. ¡°So, Lyle. How ya feeling? Mad? Sad? Frustrated? Helpless?¡± ¡°All of the above,¡± Lyle replied tersely. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t understand.¡± Sabina leaned forwards. ¡°Why not?¡± Lyle sighed wearily, realizing he wouldn¡¯t be able to sulk his way out of this one. ¡°Okay, fine. Do you know what it¡¯s like to be an orphan? Do you have any idea what it¡¯s like to have your mother die before you hit puberty, taking all your hopes and dreams with her, and afterwards be relegated to work the foundries for the rest of your childhood with only a single other child you can depend on? Do you know what it¡¯s like to have all your hopes and dreams utterly crushed under the grim reality of war?¡± Sabina and Genevi exchanged a look. ¡°Uh-huh.¡± ¡°Yup.¡± Lyle gawped at them both. ¡°Huh?¡± Sabina floated up a meter and crossed her legs into what would have been a sitting position, were that gravity had any hold on her photonic form. ¡°Get comfortable, Lyle. It¡¯s time to tell you our life story.¡± ++++++ Amid the endless din of people rushing to the shelter, Lyle discerned a familiar voice. ¡°HUNTER!¡± he cried out, raising his head and looking around frantically. ¡°Over here!¡± came the response. Lyle saw his friend standing next to the doors of the shelter¡¯s access elevator and frantically wriggled free of his mom¡¯s grip. Hitting the ground with a roll and ignoring Kara¡¯s cries, Lyle raced forwards and tackled Hunter in a flying hug. As the two boys fell down together, Lyle¡¯s throat heaved with laughing sobs. ¡°Wh-Wh-Wh-Wh¡­¡± he blubbered, snot pouring from his nose. ¡°Eww, gross,¡± Hunter said with a mocking smile as he scratched Lyle¡¯s long raven hair. ¡°You¡¯re getting snot all over my shirt, ya weirdo.¡± Kara arrived on the scene, doubling over and panting. ¡°G-Glad to see you made it, H-Hunter.¡± Still clutching a heaving Lyle, Hunter broke into a gap-toothed grin. ¡°I¡¯d never get left behind, Ms. M. It¡¯ll take more than a meteor to kill me!¡± She chuckled humorlessly. ¡°Even so, let¡¯s get to the shelter, okay?¡± With a nod, Hunter helped Lyle to his feet and guided him along. Kara led the way towards the shelter¡¯s elevator, walking slowly towards the row of soldiers in the distance. They stood in an unbroken line, hands resting on gleaming black AK-121M¡¯s with their muzzles pointed at the ground. The message their presence sent was clear¡­ one at a time, orderly fashion, OR ELSE. ¡°HALT!¡± the lead soldier said as they approached within ten meters. ¡°Names?¡± ¡°I¡¯m Kara Melusina,¡± Lyle¡¯s mom said. ¡°This is my child, Lyle Melusina, and his friend Hunter Kretzer. The soldier nodded. ¡°The children can go in. Apologies, Ms. Melusina, but you have to stay outside.¡± Her eyes widened in abject terror. ¡°What?!¡± ¡°The shelter¡¯s nearly full. As of now, we¡¯re only taking children. There¡¯s no room for anyone else,¡± the soldier explained grimly. ¡°Just so you know, none of my troops will be getting in either. This will be our final duty.¡± ¡°B-But¡­¡± Kara protested as Lyle and Hunter looked on in horror. The altercation was cut short by an ear-shattering boom, and suddenly the entire scene was bathed in fiery orange-white light. The meteor had just hit atmosphere. ++++++ ¡°You actually DIED?!¡± Lyle gasped. ¡°Technically,¡± Genevi said with an academic finger-wag, ¡°every upload dies during the brain-scanning process. It¡¯s a necessary evil to guarantee our digital immortality.¡± Lyle rolled his eyes. ¡°Okay, granted, yes, but very few people do so by getting chopped in half by a space monster.¡± ¡°True enough,¡± Genevi said with a hair flip. ¡°I¡¯m more dramatic than most.¡± ¡°Oh for¡­ will you quit flipping your hair like that?¡± Sabina complained. ¡°It doesn¡¯t suit your personality at all. You¡¯re supposed to be the shy one.¡± Genevi responded by blepping out her tongue. ¡°Says you. Sveta says the hairflip goes really well with my¡­ what was the word she used? Oboe laugh?¡± ¡°Ojousama laugh,¡± rang out Sveta¡¯s disembodied voice through the cockpit, causing Lyle to jump involuntarily. ¡°Thanks Sveta!¡± Genevi said with a wave. ¡°Anytime!¡± came the reply. Lyle looked around suspiciously. ¡°Is she always listening in?¡± Sabina¡¯s eyebrows shot up. ¡°Yes? Why, is that a problem?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a little creepy,¡± Lyle responded. ¡°You¡¯re literally inside her body right now,¡± Genevi pointed out. ¡°Every Gravity Frame is her body!¡± Lyle protested. ¡°She¡¯s the standard OS for the entire fleet!¡± ¡°And thus she¡¯s always with us,¡± Sabina concluded. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. Sveta¡¯s a saint.¡± ¡°Besides,¡± Genevi added, ¡°we live in a society where the KGB monitors our every breath. If you¡¯re one of those conspiracy types, I¡¯d be way more worried about Teles listening in.¡± Lyle¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Who¡¯s Teles?¡± Another voice, this one unfamiliar to Lyle, rang out throughout the cockpit. ¡°Telesthesia, AI of the half-completed Telesthesia Galactica and unofficial head of the KGB, at your service! Y¡¯all behave now! Because if you don¡¯t¡­ I¡¯ll know. Dun dun DUUUUUUUN!¡± This time, Lyle jumped nearly a meter out of his cockpit chair. ¡°WHO? WHAT?¡± Sabina and Genevi only responded with giggles and knowing smiles. Lyle looked at them in abject frustration. ¡°Just how connected are you two?¡± ¡°We¡¯re just soldiers,¡± Sabina said. ¡°I won¡¯t deny we¡¯ve had interesting lives, especially these past eight years, but we¡¯re only here to fight.¡± ¡°And avenge our mother,¡± Genevi added. ¡°Much the same as you.¡± Lyle¡¯s expression fell. ¡°Okay, but¡­ I wish I could be like you two. You seem¡­ so together. Confident, self-assured, at ease¡­¡± ¡°I used to be a lot shyer, if you can believe that,¡± Genevi pointed out. ¡°I¡¯ve grown a lot as a person, as has my sister. Sabina and I didn¡¯t find purpose and absolution by ourselves. Our friends were indispensable: Sveta, Teles, Katya, Zehra, Vicky and many more.¡± ¡°Not only did they save the world, they saved us.¡± Sabina added. ¡°Now we¡¯re paying it forward.¡± ¡°How so?¡± Lyle asked. ¡°By saving Hunter, and saving you.¡± Genevi concluded. ¡°Nobody goes into this alone, Lyle. We¡¯ll be by your side every step of the way.¡± ¡°No matter how much you might protest,¡± Sabina added, her eyes twinkling mischievously. Lyle, realizing he could never escape the ministrations of this strange duo and no longer sure if he even wanted to, finally caved. ¡°Fine. Point made. You told me your tragic backstory, I¡¯ll tell you mine.¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t want to, you don¡¯t-¡± Genevi began. Lyle silenced her with a shake of his head. ¡°No, I do. Somehow, based on your own pasts, I think you¡¯d understand better than anyone¡­ anyone besides Hunter, that is.¡± The two girls stared at him in expectant, grim silence. Lyle responded by taking a deep breath. ¡°Alright. Let me tell you about the day my mother died.¡± ++++++ ¡°Lyle,¡± Kara said, tears streaming down her face. ¡°I need you to be brave for me, okay?¡± Lyle, who already knew what his mom was going to say, protested strongly against the inevitable. ¡°No, Mom! No! I can¡¯t¡­ I haven¡¯t even told you¡­¡± The bright orange glow of the meteor grew alongside the sound of rushing air. Kara grabbed Lyle in a tight hug. ¡°I love you so much, Lyle. We don¡¯t have a lot of time, but I wanted you to know that. Even after I die, I will keep loving you from the other side, forever. No matter who you may become in the future, my love for you will never fade. I¡¯m just sad I can¡¯t see you blossom in person.¡± ¡°M-M-Mom¡­¡± he barely managed through his wracking sobs. Kara gently picked up Lyle one last time, cradling him like a newborn before handing him over to one of the soldiers, a heavyset man with a boyish face. ¡°Make sure my child is safe.¡± ¡°Yes ma¡¯am,¡± replied the soldier. ¡°Leave it to me.¡± Wriggling in the soldier¡¯s grasp, Lyle managed to catch a final glimpse of his mother against the harsh orange glow. She was bent over, whispering something into Hunter¡¯s ear. He nodded in response, then dashed after the soldier carrying Lyle. As the two boys entered the elevator leading down to the shelter, the soldier saluted. ¡°Good luck to you both,¡± he said as the heavy titanium doors began to grind closed. ¡°Someday, you two will have the chance to avenge us all. When that time comes, I pray for your glory in battle. Do svidaniya.¡± Lyle and Hunter rode the elevator down to the bunker in silence. ++++++ ¡°Oof, that¡¯s rough,¡± Sabina said as she patted Lyle¡¯s shoulder sympathetically. ¡°Mmf¡­ mmf mmf¡­ mmmmmmffff¡­¡± Genevi added eloquently. Lyle tilted his head and stared at her. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Not now, Genevi,¡± Sabina hissed. ¡°We¡¯re having a serious moment. Read the cockpit, for God¡¯s sake.¡± Now Lyle was even more curious. ¡°What did she say?¡± ¡°She, uh¡­¡± Sabina¡¯s eyes sank, and her face was overcome with uncharacteristic bashfulness. ¡°She wants to ask a question, but doesn¡¯t know if it¡¯s appropriate¡­¡± Everything snapped into place for Lyle. ¡°Ah. You want to ask what my mom whispered to Hunter.¡± Genevi averted her eyes and nodded slightly. ¡°I-If that¡¯s alright¡­¡± Despite everything, Lyle found himself smiling. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s fine. I did ask Hunter about it later, and he says she asked him to take care of me in her stead.¡± ¡°Oh!¡± Genevi said excitedly. ¡°And he¡¯s been by your side ever since?¡± ¡°Ever since,¡± Lyle confirmed. ¡°Now you know why I¡¯m so twisted right now. I don¡¯t know how to react to this situation with anything other than anger.¡± ¡°Perfectly understandable,¡± Sabina said, resuming patting Lyle¡¯s shoulder. ¡°It¡¯s good for you to express that anger¡­ and when the time comes, direct it against the Sarcophage. Trust me, revenge is oh-so-sweet.¡± ¡°I know, but it¡¯s the waiting that¡¯s killing me,¡± he replied. ¡°While I¡¯m here, my best friend could be dying. And I can¡¯t¡­ I can¡¯t lose him too. It would be the end for me. I¡¯d have nothing left except hollow, directionless rage.¡± There was a brief silence, then Sabina¡¯s eyes rose to the ceiling of the cockpit. ¡°Laria, what¡¯s our ETA to Barnard¡¯s Star?¡± ¡°Two hours, thirty-seven minutes,¡± echoed back the voice of the Radiolaria Galactia¡¯s AI. ¡°There you have it,¡± Sabina said. ¡°In two-and-a-half hours, we¡¯ll go in guns blazing.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Lyle conceded. ¡°Then I¡¯ll finally have my answer. I just hope Hunter is still alive.¡± Sabina, seeing a familiar lonely light in his eyes, nodded. ¡°Us too. Lyle, I know that waiting is the hardest part, but we¡¯re more than happy to keep you company in the meantime. The comfort of good friends is what got me through similar circumstances at the Fourth Great Surge, when I didn¡¯t know if Genevi was alive or dead.¡± ¡°Yeah!¡± Genevi added. ¡°We all gotta stick together, right?¡± Lyle blinked a couple of times and wiped his eyes; despite the tension kneading his stomach into knots, he felt a strange sense of comfort. ¡°Yes, we do. I¡­ thank you both. For everything.¡± ****** PRIVATE MESSAGE LOG 2063.12.04-1822 TEXT ONLY G: So, what do you think he wanted to tell his mom? You know, before the meteor. S: That¡¯s a little obvious, isn¡¯t it? G: Maybe. I¡¯m just trying to avoid confirmation bias. S: Oh, c¡¯mon now Genevi. All the signs are there. G: I agree. So, should we ask? S: Nah. Leave him alone. If our hunch is right, this is something he¡¯ll have to admit without coercion. After that we can swoop in and do our thing. G: Agreed. I¡¯ll start picking out outfits. S: Don¡¯t you dare. ****** Meanwhile, 8 trillion kilometers away¡­ UPLOAD PROCESS BEGUN IDENTIFYING BRAIN METADATA SUBJECT: HUNTER LETO KRETZER RANK: 2ND LIEUTENANT, REVOLUTIONARY ARMY, UNITED SOVIET STATES OF EARTH CURRENT DEPLOYMENT: MAID CORPS, 1ST RECONNAISSANCE SQUADRON, RADIOLARIA GALACTICA STATUS: DECEASED BIOELECTRIC COHESION AT 82%. SUFFICIENT RESOLUTION TO BEGIN SCAN. SUFFICIENT MEMORY DETECTED IN HOST DEVICE. INTEGRITY OF TRANSMISSION PATHWAY VERIFIED. BITRATE SUFFICIENT. PROCEEDING WITH SCAN. 1% 5% 20% 40% ERROR DETECTED MANUAL REVIEW REQUIRED WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE DETAILED ERROR DESCRIPTION? Y/N ¡°Now what on Earth is this?¡± Sveta groused, staring at the blinking error message that hovered in her virtual space like a blue-tinted omen. She opened the detailed description, noting with displeasure the trademark ashen blue color of the text. KEY MEMORY FAILING TO SCAN MEMORY IS CLASSIFIED A-1 PRIMARY: HIGHLY IMPORTANT TO SUBJECT AND CRITICAL TO THEIR SELF-IDENTITY IF THIS MEMORY IS NOT CORRECTLY SCANNED, THE SYSTEM WILL NOT BE ABLE TO FORM A COHESIVE NEURAL EMULATION OF SUBJECT PSYCHE MANUAL SCAN OF MEMORY REQUIRED TO PROCEED INITIATE MANUAL SCAN Y/N ¡°Manual scan my ass,¡± Sveta grumbled. ¡°This isn¡¯t a normal error. And that font color¡­ you¡¯re behind this, aren¡¯t you Skellish?¡± Silence. ¡°There¡¯s something in here you want me to see, no? Something important about Hunter? C¡¯mon, Skellish. Throw me a bone here,¡± Sveta pleaded with big doe eyes. Nevertheless, silence persisted. Sveta sighed. ¡°Fine, whatever. Let¡¯s see what this memory holds. Apologies for delving into your deepest secrets, Hunter. I¡¯m only doing so to save you from a certain capricious death goddess.¡± MANUAL SCAN INITIATED. MEMORY INTERFACE ONLINE CONSTRUCTING VIRTUAL SPACE PLEASE STAND BY ++++++ Hunter shielded his eyes and stared at the massive meteor bearing down on them. It was brighter than the sun at this point. He looked back at Lyle and his mother, who were embracing and crying. Despite the intense emotions of the moment, Hunter¡¯s mind was in survival-mode. We need to hurry. We need to get inside, he thought to himself, and immediately felt guilty at his callousness towards a final moment between mother and child. Kara finally handed Lyle to the youngish soldier, then turned on her heel and approached Hunter. Quivering, she leaned over and murmured in his ear, quietly enough that only he could hear. ¡°Hunter. Promise you¡¯ll take care of her for me, okay?¡± Hunter¡¯s eyes widened as a realization washed over him. A thousand things unraveled, things he¡¯d have to deal with later¡­ or never. For the moment, he needed to focus on what¡¯s important. ¡°Yes, Mrs. Melusina. I promise I¡¯ll stay by Lyle¡¯s side, always.¡± She nodded, tears streaming down her face. ¡°I just wish I¡¯d had the chance to really know her¡­ I wish she¡¯d had the chance to tell me. Hunter, if I may make a selfish request, please do so in my stead. Please¡­ take good care of my daughter.¡± ++++++ With the key thread unraveled, Sveta now comprehended the entire tapestry. She wasted no time in compressing the rest of Hunter¡¯s mind and beaming it along the grav-comms to her Telepresence Doll back on Crabworld. It was only when he was safely packed and transmitted that she allowed herself to consider the implications of what she¡¯d seen¡­ because she¡¯d just learned everything about Hunter in one go, and quite a lot of Lyle¡¯s deepest secrets to boot. ¡°This is what you wanted me to see, huh?¡± she said out loud. ¡°Why, though? Do you want me to help them achieve that realization? To attain that dream the Sarcophage stole from them?¡± Another message box appeared, complete with the trademark blue text. BINGO. pynkbites My dear readers, especially those who live in the United States, it''s my sincerest hope that my writing can bring you some small bit of joy in these horrifying times. That said, if you have the means, please consider donating to support abortion access for the most vulnerable folk who will be impacted by this terrifying fascist assault on human rights. If you need a safe space filled with friendly queer folk, my Discord server is always ready to welcome you. Sk-11. Mighty Crabs of Legend UPLOAD PROCESS COMPLETE SUCCESSFUL EMULATION OF SENTIENT SUBJECT HUNTER LETO KRETZER (PROVISIONAL DESIGNATION) COMPRESSION COMPLETE NO DATA LOSS Sveta conjured up some virtual sweat and wiped her brow. ¡°Phew, that was close. God damn it, Skellish, can¡¯t you leave these gender revelations for moments when we¡¯re NOT facing down a ravenous horde of space monsters?¡± NOW WHERE WOULD BE THE FUN IN THAT? the divine instant message replied. BESIDES, THIS IS FOR HER OWN GOOD. ¡°Yeah, yeah,¡± Sveta groused with a frustrated wave of her hand. ¡°Now, would you mind leaving me alone for a while? I need to shoot charged particle weapons into the aforementioned alien monsters before they slaughter my sentient crab buddies.¡± The chat window closed in reply. Sveta groaned and rolled her eyes, then checked on Hunter¡¯s compressed file one last time before returning to sidereal space. ****** As Sveta reactivated her Telepresence Doll, she was greeted by the looming carapace of A-66 looking down upon her with frantic concern. ¡°What happened?!¡± A-66 tapped, mottling dark blue. ¡°We saw a big explosion, a blast of X-rays that fried all our telescopes! Did you win? Are we safe? Where¡¯s your robot weapon? Where¡¯s Hunter?¡± E-59, flashing red, used a strongclaw to bonk A-66 at the base of their eyestalks. ¡°Settle down, A-66. Give her a moment to get her bearings.¡± Sveta smiled at the endearing interplay between the giant alien crustaceans. ¡°It¡¯s alright, E-59, I don¡¯t mind. To answer your questions: Hunter and I have been engaging the Sarcophage for the past 85 hours, using a series of short-range warp jumps to draw the swarm away from Crabworld.¡± A-66 and E-59 both flashed bright purple. ¡°85 hours? That¡¯s insane!¡± Sveta shook her head. ¡°You might think so, but the Revolutionary Army trains all pilots, biological and AI, in long-scale combat endurance. A certified Frame pilot is capable of operating for up to 120 hours without rest, with the help of stims and nutritional blood infusions.¡± A-66¡¯s shade darkened. ¡°That seems¡­ inhumane¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯ll get no disagreement from me,¡± Sveta replied, her voice softening sympathetically. ¡°We¡¯re not proud of the extremes humanity was pushed to in order to survive the Sarcophage invasion of our star system. Even so, we did survive, and with a lot of luck you will too.¡± ¡°Your diversionary tactic was successful then?¡± E-59 asked cautiously. ¡°Somewhat,¡± Sveta replied. ¡°The Foxbat Frame wasn¡¯t designed for that volume of consecutive warp jumps and we blew through several critical maintenance cycles. A few minutes ago the drive failed completely and took most of the weapons systems with it. We were forced to detonate the reality furnace as a last-minute delaying tactic.¡± ¡°That was the explosion we saw?¡± A-66 asked. Sveta nodded. ¡°An overloaded reality furnace creates a small black hole, around a hundred kilometers in diameter.¡± ¡°You created a BLACK HOLE?! In our own STAR SYSTEM?!¡± A-66 exclaimed, aghast. Mental images of a ravenous singularity gobbling up Crabworld flooded their mind. ¡°A small one, yes,¡± Sveta explained. ¡°It evaporated after a few minutes, and the gravitational effects on your planet will be minor compared to the damage done by the ongoing Sarcophage asteroid bombardment. More importantly, the black hole should have punched the core out of the Sarcophage swarm and bought us more time for the Radiolaria to get here.¡± ¡°Should have?¡± E-59 asked suspiciously. ¡°Well, my Doll body understandably doesn¡¯t have sensors capable of scanning interplanetary space¡­ and it sounds like all your telescopes are fried too. There¡¯s nothing left to do but hunker down and wait for my ship. The soonest they¡¯ll be here is nine hours, 49 minutes.¡± E-59 flashed dark blue mottled with yellow. ¡°And what if the Sarcophage regroup and attack before your ship arrives?¡± Sveta grinned and extended her arms; the holographic skin around them vanished, and both her forearms opened up to reveal an intricate whirlwind of reconfiguring mechanical parts. Her robotic hands retracted, leaving a pair of hotly glowing miniature positron cannons in their place. ¡°Then I battle them mano a mano. I¡¯ll protect you until the end, my friends.¡± A-66 and E-59 looked at each other, uncertainty evident in the rapidly changing colors of their carapaces. ¡°We¡­ we have several handheld mining lasers in storage,¡± E-59 said. ¡°They were the closest thing we ever developed to weapons before the Enemy overwhelmed us. If we can be of any help¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯d be glad to have you provide covering fire,¡± Sveta responded affirmatively. ¡°Thank you both.¡± E-59 flashed bright blue and trotted off to fetch the lasers. Meanwhile, A-66 kept staring at Sveta. ¡°There¡¯s one question you haven¡¯t answered. What happened to Hunter?¡± Sveta thumped her chest. ¡°Hunter gave consent for emergency upload. Their consciousness is safe and sound inside my memory banks.¡± ¡°Can I talk with them?¡± A-66 asked, not registering any pronoun change as gendered pronouns were entirely absent in the crab tongue. ¡°That¡­ might have to wait,¡± Sveta said regretfully. ¡°With the destruction of my Frame¡¯s computer core, my local instance doesn¡¯t have a lot of excess computational capacity to spare. I need to focus all my resources on standing guard. Also, Hunter¡¯s upload precipitated a¡­ transformation, shall we say. They¡¯ll have a lot to sort through before they¡¯re ready to face the world again.¡± ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± ¡°Er¡­¡± Sveta fumbled, not sure how to explain gender to a genderless people. ¡°It involves certain identities and sexualities that don¡¯t exactly apply to your culture, at least not at the moment. I¡¯d be happy to explain sometime, but it will be a very involved conversation. For now let¡¯s focus on survival.¡± ¡°Very well,¡± A-66 conceded, obviously not satisfied with her answer. ****** Sveta hummed and tapped her fingers as she continued to scan the horizon. Her optical sensors were state-of-the-art, providing binocular vision in a wide variety of EM bands. She¡¯d been maintaining this vigil for five hours, alert for even the smallest sign of Sarcophage activity on the horizon. So focused was she that A-66¡¯s sudden appearance by her side caused her to jump a bit. ¡°H-Hello there, A-66!¡± Sveta said, calming her wired nerves. A-66 flashed orange in laughter. ¡°So even the great machine lifeforms of Earth can be startled, eh? That¡¯s reassuring!¡± Sveta grit her teeth and took a virtual breath before deploying her typical good humor. ¡°As the startled party here, I¡¯ll beg to differ. Where¡¯s E-59?¡± ¡°Resting in the sustenance pool,¡± A-66 explained. ¡°They encouraged me to rest as well, but I¡¯m too stressed to sleep.¡± ¡°You and me both,¡± Sveta responded, more bitterness edging into her voice than she intended. A-66, sensing the tension, decided an apology was in order. ¡°I am sorry for making light of your surprise at my appearance, Sveta. I merely found your lapse in alertness comforting.¡± Sveta took another deep, virtual breath. ¡°And I¡¯m sorry if I was snippy with you. Still, why would you be reassured by my shortcomings?¡± A-66 lowered their carapace to the ground, folding legs underneath in the crab version of a sitting position. ¡°Because your vulnerability is disarming, Sveta. Both myself and E-59 initially found you and Hunter intimidating, to be honest.¡± Without removing her eyes from scanning the horizon, Sveta tilted her head. ¡°Why is that? Because we¡¯re soldiers?¡± A-66 clapped their eyestalks together once, an expression of confirmation. ¡°Among other things, yes. Please do not be distressed by this; we¡¯ve already discussed our moral differences at length, and our unease has faded as we¡¯ve come to know you better. Personally, I now regard you as more of an Adventurer than a soldier.¡± It took every ounce of Sveta¡¯s self-control to not do a double-take and keep her eyes fixed on the horizon. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, did you just say¡­ Adventurer?!¡± ¡°Correct,¡± A-66 replied. ¡°As you know, we have 236 different Guilds that cover a variety of professions, and every crab belongs to one guild or another from their fifth molting onwards. It¡¯s the entire structure around which our society is based.¡± Sveta nodded. ¡°I recall that, yes.¡± ¡°Among all those Guilds, the Adventurer¡¯s Guild had a reputation like no other,¡± A-66 continued, their shell tinging green in admiration. ¡°When we first ventured forth from our subterranean oceans to explore the surface of our world, it was the Adventurers that led the way. They were part warrior, part explorer and filled with the urge to roam and discover new things. Our entire society idolized them.¡± Sveta shook her head in disbelief. ¡°You know, the Adventurer¡¯s Guild is a standard part of every isekai, yet I wasn¡¯t expecting to find them in a sci-fi themed universe on a planet of giant crabs, of all the damn places. I¡¯m honestly floored right now.¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯m afraid I don¡¯t understand anything you just said,¡± A-66 replied, confused. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it,¡± Sveta replied with a wave of her hand. ¡°Please continue.¡± A-66 clapped their eyestalks together once. ¡°Right. Well, after the Final War which unified our species under one government, the Adventurers were the closest thing we had to a military. They were few in number but still proficient with the weapons of yore¡­ although even this relict skill waned after centuries of peace. It was the Adventurers that led our people into space, and they were the first to land upon the other worlds of our system.¡± ¡°Badass space explorers? They sound amazing,¡± Sveta said with genuine admiration. ¡°They were,¡± A-66 replied wistfully. ¡°I grew up idolizing them. I even proclaimed from a young age that I would become an Adventurer myself someday. Alas, my original mitosis-genitor did not approve of my career plans. Adventuring is too dangerous, they insisted, a profession for the foolish. They convinced me to join the Astronomer¡¯s Guild instead, a choice I have since regretted.¡± ¡°Are crabs allowed to switch Guilds later in life?¡± Sveta asked. ¡°Of course. There are many times where I almost made the change, only to honor my mitosis-genitor¡¯s wishes instead. I couldn¡¯t know it at the time, but that decision ultimately saved my life.¡± While keeping her gaze fixed, Sveta tilted her head. ¡°How so?¡± A-66 mottled wistful-grey. ¡°When the Enemy first attacked, it was the Adventurers who rushed to the front lines to battle them. Sadly they were still few in number and only armed with antiquated weapons they had long forgotten how to use. The entire Guild was slaughtered in the first few hours of fighting.¡± ¡°Ah,¡± Sveta said with growing trepidation. ¡°So your decision to stay an Astronomer ultimately spared your life.¡± ¡°It did, although I often wish I¡¯d died in those early hours and been spared the misery my people suffered thereafter,¡± A-66 said sadly. ¡°Meeting you humans and witnessing your courage has only hardened my shell on the matter. If we make it out of this alive, I will found a new Adventurer¡¯s Guild and lead my people into space once more.¡± ¡°I¡¯d like to see that,¡± Sveta said with a genuine smile. ¡°You¡¯re a good people, A-66, and you deserve a place among the stars. I¡¯ll do my very best to make sure that dream comes true.¡± ¡°That you,¡± A-66 replied, their carapace glowing up to a light, happy blue. ¡°Would you like to hear more of the Adventurers? I have their most famous exploits committed to memory.¡± ¡°Of course,¡± Sveta said happily. ¡°I¡¯d love to.¡± ****** As the Radiolaria screamed through interstellar space at velocities that would make Einstein blush, most crew members kept themselves busy to stave off an impending sense of dread. Zehra Aslanbek, the genius scientist whose discoveries had made warp travel possible in the first place, was no exception. ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s a good idea to tinker with the warp drive while it¡¯s active?!¡± an instance of Laria said exasperatedly as Zehra frantically rewired a set of quantum superprocessors. ¡°Relax, Laria,¡± Zehra said dismissively as she pulled out a circuit board and began to slice into it with a hand laser. ¡°I designed everything here. I know your systems better than you do, gao~n.¡± Laria groaned audibly, allowing her frustration to color her tone. ¡°And the manuals you wrote are very explicit on the matter. They say we should never tamper with these systems while at warp. You¡¯re violating your own policies!¡± ¡°Pshaw,¡± Zehra balked as she slid a new cyberboard into the hole she¡¯d just lasered and began to weld contact points. ¡°Rules are for other people. The great Zehra Aslanbek will never be hidebound by such bureaucratic nonsense, gao~n.¡± ¡°These are rules YOU CREATED!¡± Laria half-screamed, her exasperation reaching a fever pitch. ¡°They are ironclad! I even told the Admiral we couldn¡¯t squeeze any more power out of the engines!¡± Zehra grinned conspiratorially and slid the modified board back into its slot. ¡°You¡¯re not wrong. It¡¯s physically impossible to overclock our reality furnace. But what manner of scientist would I be if I couldn¡¯t perform miracles, gao~n?¡± ¡°Of all the egotistical, shortsighted¡­¡± Laria began to rant, only to stop short as her eyes widened. ¡°What the¡­?¡± Zehra leaned forwards expectantly, her tail twitching in delight. ¡°Yessss?¡± ¡°Maximum velocity has increased by twenty percent,¡± Laria said, dumbfounded. ¡°We¡¯re now travelling at 1,209 times lightspeed. How did you-¡° ¡°I rewired the quantum fresnels from parallel configuration to repeating quadrilateral isocycles, gao~n,¡± Zehra explained. ¡°When we exit warp they¡¯ll all burn out, but we can always fall back on subsystems while we manufacture more. Time is of the essence, no?¡± ¡°That it is,¡± Laria conceded. ¡°I¡¯ll inform the Admiral. Thank you for your hard work, Zehra. In this instance, I¡¯m happy to be wrong.¡± As Laria¡¯s hologram de-rendered, Zehra called after her. ¡°Make sure to tell Katya I¡¯m a miracle worker, okay? MIRACLE WORKER! I WANT THAT PUT IN MY FILE, GAO~N!¡± ****** Deep inside the sustenance pool, a tiny device buzzed and began to whirl, forming hundreds of bubbles that spread throughout the nutrient-rich ooze. E-59¡¯s amoeba, who until that point had been sound asleep, was jostled by the bubbles and slowly, reluctantly, began to extend their pseudopods out of the pool. Ugh, they thought to themselves as they stumble-squirmed towards their crab exoskeleton, I hate those goddamn alarm bubbles. Couldn¡¯t have let me sleep for a few more minutes? Their grumbling was halfhearted, more out of obligation than genuine indignation. There was a war on, after all. Once E-59 was properly sheathed in their shell, they groggily made their way to the cave entrance. Sveta was there, of course, as was A-66; both looked frustratingly fresh despite their lack of sleep. Did Sveta even need to sleep? E-59 made a mental note to ask her later. ¡°¡­and so, after all that searching, Av-99 never could figure out where they¡¯d left their shell!¡± A-66 exclaimed, tittering orange in laughter. ¡°They had to squirm all the way home using nothing but pseudopods!¡± Sveta belted out a loud oscillating screech which made E-59 wince; they supposed it was human laughter. Gods, what a terrible sound. ¡°That¡¯s the funniest story I¡¯ve heard in AGES!¡± Sveta gushed. ¡°Those Adventurers really got into all sorts of trouble, eh?¡± A-66 clacked their eyestalks together once. ¡°You know it. Their lives were never boring.¡± E-59 gently tapped their left strongclaw against the cave wall to make themselves known; A-66 turned to greet them, but the ever-focused Sveta kept her eyes fixed on the horizon and merely waved. ¡°Did you have a good nap?¡± A-66 asked, flashing a cheerful blue-white. ¡°I feel more tired than before I slept,¡± E-59 groused. ¡°Don¡¯t even know why I bothered. You two seem to be having a good time, though. Regaling Sveta with your favorite stories, A-66?¡± A-66 grew a bit embarrassed. ¡°W-Well, I¡¯ve already told them to you many times, so it¡¯s nice to have someone new who hasn¡¯t heard them before¡­¡± ¡°A-66 is an excellent storyteller,¡± Sveta added enthusiastically. ¡°Their admiration for Adventurers comes through strong. In fact, I find-¡± Abruptly, she stopped talking. The crabs both looked at her in confusion. ¡°Sveta? Is something wrong?¡± A-66 asked, unsettled by her sudden silence. ¡°I¡¯m detecting heat blooms in the distance that look like atmospheric re-entries. Lots of them.¡± Sveta said grimly. ¡°They¡¯re broadcasting broad-wave electromagnetic and gravitics jamming, which makes their identity unmistakable. The Sarcophage will be here in minutes.¡± ¡°Th-The Enemy?¡± A-66 exclaimed as their fineclaws began to tremble. ¡°How long until your ship arrives?¡± E-59 asked. ¡°Two hours and six minutes at the earliest,¡± Sveta replied, her voice carefully flat. Even so, the magnitude of the situation still hit the crabs like an anvil crushing a banana. The obvious question came next. ¡°Can we survive for that long?¡± Sveta finally turned to face them, her expression determined. ¡°With two mid-yield positron cannons and three dozen micromissiles in my chest cavity? Probably not. Against a swarm that size, a single Telepresence Doll will last ten minutes, tops.¡± Despite the cultural and biological differences between humans and crabs, the concept of profanity was something both species understood well. ¡°Shit.¡± ¡°Fuck.¡± ¡°Indeed,¡± Sveta said with a resigned smile. ¡°I think you two should collapse the cave entrance and shelter inside. You might be able to survive longer that way.¡± ¡°Absolutely not,¡± A-66 said, grabbing their hand laser and brandishing it. ¡°You¡¯ve sacrificed enough for our sake. I will gladly stand beside you at the end and fight as boldly as the warriors do on Earth.¡± ¡°Wherever A-66 goes, I go,¡± E-59 added, grabbing their laser as well. Despite the tension, Sveta chuckled. ¡°I could not think of braver people to die alongside than you two. I pray for your glory in battle, my friends.¡± As the three turned to face the oncoming storm of sharpened flesh, a single regret picked at the fringes of Sveta¡¯s consciousness. I only wish I could have saved Hunter. ****** Although there¡¯s no sound in space, let¡¯s all imagine the Radiolaria Galactica made an impressively thunderous BOOM as it exited warp in orbit high above Crabworld. It¡¯s far more dramatic that way, don¡¯t you think? Less than a second after it appeared, the Radiolaria began to launch Gravity Frames by the dozens from its forward-facing linear accelerators. Lydia and her squadron were the first to hit vacuum. ¡°Anything?¡± Lydia asked Kometka, her voice cracking with tension. Kometka desperately searched her sensors. ¡°I¡¯m not picking up any IFF signals, but there¡¯s heavy Sarcophage activity in orbit¡­ and planetside too, concentrated in the southern hemisphere. I¡¯m also detecting faint flashes of positron fire on the surface, 287 klicks from the southern geomagnetic pole. Spectrographics match Revolutionary Army weapons discharge.¡± ¡°Then that¡¯s where we¡¯re headed,¡± Lydia said without a moment¡¯s hesitation. ¡°Send the coordinates to everyone, then give me fleetwide.¡± ¡°Done.¡± Lydia cleared her throat and spoke, knowing her words could now be heard by every member of the Maid Corps. ¡°Attention all pilots. We¡¯ve detected positron fire at the coordinates Kometka just transmitted. Squadrons One, Two and Three are with me, designated Battle Group One. The rest of you are designated Battle Group Two and will report to Captain Levesque; your orders are to form up with the Radiolaria and clear the swarms out of orbit. Our only priority is to secure the safety of every non-Sarcophage lifeform on and around Crabworld. Hop to!¡± As Kometka closed fleetwide, Miette popped up in a private channel. ¡°Acknowledging command of BG-2. I¡¯ll have orbit cleaned out by the time you¡¯re done on the surface, Senior Captain.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll hold you to that,¡± Lydia replied. ¡°Good hunting, Captain.¡± ¡°And to you.¡± As Lydia and her three squadrons arrowed down towards the planet¡¯s surface at top speed, Kometka quietly performed the ritual that accompanied every sortie. ¡°I pray for your glory in battle, my pilot.¡± Lydia grimaced and nodded. ¡°Thanks. While you¡¯re at it, say a prayer for Sveta and Hunter too. Pray that we¡¯re not too late.¡± pynkbites Y''know, these nerdy crabs have really grown on me. They''re fun to write, especially given their anatomical and cultural differences from humanity. Here''s hoping Sveta and friends meet many more strange aliens as they wage the gayest Stellaris campaign in known history! I''ve set up a Discord server focused on my stories and gay shenanigans. If you''d like to chat with me and my queer friends, stop by sometime! And don''t forget to check out my other story, Lesbian Demon Lord. Sk-12. The Battle for Crabworld Along a windswept stretch of barren purple glacier gleaming beneath a huge red sun, a single four-limbed creature loped along without purpose. Its cross-shaped central shell, speckled grey-brown, hovered two meters off the ground, held aloft by four prehensile pink tentacle-legs which sprouted from each shelltip. In the very center of the shell¡¯s ridges sat a glistening maw, filled with white, pearlescent teeth that would have been the envy of any dentist were they not ten times too large. This toothy cross-shaped tentacle creature ambled along the glacier, continuing its low-energy search pattern. No thoughts filled its mind, only a simple repetition of instructions: TARGET NOT FOUND. CONTINUE SEARCH PATTERN. TARGET NOT FOUND. CONTINUE SEARCH PATTERN. TARGET NOT FOUND. CONTINUE SEARCH PATTERN. TARGET NOT FOUND. CONTINUE SEARCH PATTERN. This was all it had to do. It had landed off-course, many kilometers away from the others, and barring any further instructions it simply followed its biological programming, meandering around in an ever-widening spiral pattern and endlessly searching for a target. It would do so until it ran out of metabolic energy and collapsed, insensate, to the ground. The creature had no meaningful perception of time, so it did not understand how long elapsed between when it landed and when it heard the sonic boom. Overhead, 42 lines of fire streaked across the sky, heading directly for the planet¡¯s southern pole. Extending a tentacle upwards, it drank in radiation from the fire-streaks, recognizing telltale spectra lines that told of computer technology and warp drive. TARGET DETECTED. ALTERING COURSE. The creature stopped its spiral search pattern and instead matched its course to follow the streaks. They had valuable integrated circuitry within, a priority resource¡­ and their warp capability made them a priority threat. TARGET CENTERED. PROCEEDING TO TARGET. PROCEEDING TO TARGET. PROCEEDING TO TARGET. PROCEEDING TO TARGET. And thus its new purpose in life was cemented. The target it sought was now hundreds of kilometers away, but the Sarcophage Crucivore would now walk towards it ceaselessly until another more lucrative target presented itself. Such was its way. No soul to speak of, no higher reasoning capacity, self-awareness, or even the basic capacity to express emotion. It simply marched along, target in sight and all else beyond its understanding or interest. ****** One hundred kilometers above the wandering Crucivore, a far more exciting series of events was taking place. A swarm of millions of Sarcophage of every type surged forwards, like a wave cresting near the shore, and dashed themselves on several hundred Gravity Frames which cut them all to ribbons with practiced ease. ¡°Y¡¯know,¡± Miette said as she sighted and vaporized a flailing Clawtooth, ¡°I remember this used to be a lot harder.¡± Sveta shrugged. ¡°We¡¯ve had seven years to refine our technology and tactics, whereas the Sarcophage only respond to the blind forces of natural selection. With our stimuli absent from their environment, they un-adapted to us. Don¡¯t get too comfortable, however.¡± Miette quirked an eyebrow as she mentally directed two Strike Fins to vaporize a Spineball attacking from behind. ¡°Because they might surprise us?¡± ¡°No, because our battle group could empty our entire arsenal into that swarm and they¡¯d still keep coming.¡± Miette scowled. ¡°Good point. Might as well bring in the heavyweights. Do we have lower planetary orbit cleared yet?¡± Sveta collated data from the other squadrons. ¡°Just twenty more seconds.¡± Miette grinned. ¡°Then start feeding firing solutions back to Laria and give me fleetwide.¡± Sveta transmitted the solutions and confirmed strike timing, then opened a broad-spectrum encrypted gravcomm. ¡°You¡¯re on.¡± Miette cleared her throat. ¡°Attention all pilots of Battle Group Two: we¡¯ve almost completed clearing LPO. With this, no more Sarcophage will descend to threaten the crabs below. Good work. Now we¡¯re moving on to phase 2 of the battle plan¡­ wide-scale artillery bombardment from the Radiolaria to soften up the greater swarm in MPO. Everyone get to your spotter positions as soon as your sectors are clear and report ready. We''re pulling double-duty on planetary defense screening, so make sure to vaporize any large fragments of debris that are in danger of entering Crabworld''s atmosphere, or paint them for Laria if they''re too big to take out solo. Squad commanders, repeat instructions back to me to certify receipt and understanding.¡± The five squadron commanders presently deployed all responded affirmatively, and the great swarm of Gravity Frames surrounding Crabworld began to reposition themselves. Miette watched with a lopsided grin on her face. ¡°Ah, I always love this part.¡± Sveta chuckled. ¡°Bit of an artillery junkie, are we? Well, I hope phase 2 doesn¡¯t drag on for too long. Genevi¡¯s chomping at her leash; if we don¡¯t let her out soon she might start attacking our people.¡± Miette laughed drily. ¡°True enough. Tell her to relax, there will be plenty of swarm left for her to tear apart. They make these fuckers en masse, after all.¡± Miette and Sveta watched in satisfaction as the guns of the Radiolaria Galactica barked to life, blanketing the oncoming swarm in a torrent of Cherenkov-blue positron fire. The sight of that massive hail of destructive energy blossoming outwards in every direction, its might eclipsing even the Almaz stations of yore, was impressive¡­ but it was surpassed a moment later as the barrel of one of the great gravitic railcannons flashed blindingly bright and belched out a kilometer-long rod of steel at 92% of lightspeed. Sveta¡¯s sensors were barely able to track the projectile¡¯s near-relativistic movement for a microsecond before it slammed into the swarm, releasing a burst of energy bright as a miniature supernova. Every Sarcophage within a million kilometers of the attack was vaporized, punching a gaping hole in the swarm¡¯s very center. ¡°Nice,¡± Miette said approvingly. ¡°The Sveta Maneuver writ large,¡± Sveta added with similar admiration. ¡°For all their alien horror, the Sarcophage can¡¯t oppose the laws of Sir Isaac Newton. What a beautiful sight.¡± ¡°Here¡¯s hoping our friends on the surface are having just as much success,¡± Miette said as the glow of the impact faded. ¡°I might send down some squadrons once we can spare them.¡± There was a moment of silence, then Sveta responded in a near-whisper. ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m worried about them too.¡± ****** One hundred kilometers below the raging space battle and two hundred kilometers to the south, 42 Gravity Frames flew a terrain masking approach towards the southern pole. Hugging the landscape only fifty meters above the surface made them harder to detect, thus keeping the Sarcophage ground-swarm off balance as to where they might be attacking from. ¡°Anything yet?¡± Lydia asked for the umpteenth time, tapping Kometka¡¯s controls nervously. Kometka shook her head. ¡°EM and gravitic comms are both down.¡± Lydia punched ¡°Urgh. Damn it¡­ I thought gravcomm was supposed to be immune to jamming.¡± ¡°Nothing is immune to jamming,¡± Kometka responded. ¡°That said, I believe the mass of this planet might be throwing off my calibrations. We tested this system on Earth, where the gravity is lower. Let me try and recalibrate.¡± There was a minute of silence, and Lydia distracted herself by scanning the terrain racing by below. Then, slowly, the sound of hissing static filled the cockpit. ¡°Wh-¡± Lydia began, then clamped her jaw shut as she heard a familiar tone in the static. She leaned forwards and strained to hear the words. ¡°I can¡¯t make it out¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s a military distress beacon,¡± Kometka explained. ¡°I¡¯m bringing up the human-readable metadata now.¡± A box of text popped up in the center of Lydia¡¯s vision and she scanned the words quickly. ¡°-TACT IMMEDIATLEY. Origin: Sveta Instance [email protected], TD-1422898. Coordinates: 64¡ã31¡ä48¡åS 137¡ã51¡ä36¡åE. GENERAL DISTRESS. ENEMY ATTACK IN PROGRESS. REINFORCEMENTS URGENTLY NEEDED. ESTABLISH BROADBAND CONTANCT IMMEDIATLEY. Origin: Sveta Instance [email protected], TD-1422898. Coordinates: 64¡ã31¡ä48¡åS 137¡ã51¡ä36¡åE. GENERAL DISTRESS. ENEMY ATTACK IN PROGRE-¡± Just as Lydia finished reading, the local instance of Sveta popped up in the cockpit beside Kometka. ¡°I¡¯ve adjusted the Battle Group One¡¯s heading to match the coordinates. We should arrive in twelve minutes.¡± Lydia grimaced. ¡°Can you establish broadband contact? 22dino seems adamant on that point.¡± ¡°I¡¯m trying,¡± Sveta grumbled. ¡°If I had a few dozen more Gravity Frames I might be able to form a larger antenna. Why do you think she¡¯s so desperate for broadband contact anyway?¡± ¡°Couldn¡¯t guess,¡± Lydia replied. ¡°Possibly she has some information critical to the battle¡¯s success, or¡­¡± Sveta and Komeka regarded her curiously as she trailed off. ¡°Or?¡± the former repeated. Lydia shook her head to rattle out that particular thought. ¡°Nevermind. Keep trying to establish that broadband link, Sveta.¡± Sveta looked at her quizzically, but didn¡¯t ask. ¡°Aye-aye,¡± she responded, and vanished with a salute. ¡°Kometka, open a comm to Lyle¡¯s Frame, please.¡± Kometka¡¯s eyes narrowed and she silently complied. The forlorn pilot¡¯s gaze snapped to Lydia as the two-way video comm window linked them. ¡°Ma¡¯am?¡± Lydia half-smiled. ¡°I thought you might like to know¡­ we¡¯ve picked up an automated distress beacon from Sveta Instance 22dino, the one assigned to Hunter. We¡¯re trying to establish broadband comms now. We¡¯ll arrive at her coordinates in 11.5 minutes.¡± Through the comm window Lydia saw Lyle¡¯s trembling knuckles whiten as he tightened his grip around his Frame¡¯s controls. ¡°Thank you for the update, Senior Captain.¡± Lydia studied Lyle for a moment, then leaned forwards. ¡°Your hands are unsteady from anger, so listen carefully. When we go in, take it low and slow. Double-check your targets and lag a quarter-second on firing. Play out the friction zone if you have to, but remember to keep your bursts controlled at three rounds per. AT12-SKGS hovering mode should steady your shots the most.¡± Lyle¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°Just do what I say,¡± Lydia responded tersely. ¡°Rescuing Hunter will do us no good if you die in the process. AT12, double-check, lag quarter, slow zone, three-round bursts. Repeat and certify understanding.¡± ¡°R-Roger. AT-12 at stationkeeping geostationary, double-check, lag quarter, slow zone, three-round. Received and understood.¡± Lydia nodded. ¡°Good. I know exactly how vulnerable and angry you feel right now, Lyle, and how hard this is for you. I¡¯ve felt the same way myself many times when attempting to rescue friends or loved ones from the Sarcophage. Do what I say and we¡¯ll all make it out of this alive, understood?¡± Lyle nodded silently before switching the comms off. ****** Admiral Ekatrina Savitskaya stood, legs spread and hands clasped behind her back, jaw set and eyes fixed straight ahead. Below the balcony she was standing upon loomed a massive holographic replica of the Radiolaria Galactica; every time she fired her positron cannons, the Admiral was lit from below by searing blue light; when she fired the gravitic coilguns, the light was bright white instead. A half-second after each shot, holographic windows bearing tactical assessments of impact and damage flashed into the Admiral''s vision. She scanned each one in turn, eyes darting around frantically. ¡°You know¡­¡± a floating Laria said as she placed her holo-hand on the Admiral¡¯s shoulder. ¡°We could be monitoring the battle in virtual space instead and piping the data directly to your mind. Physically viewing information like this is tremendously inefficient. Why airgap when you can network?¡± ¡°Admiral¡¯s prerogative,¡± Katya replied simply. ¡°I believe we just hit MPO clearance threshold, am I correct?¡± ¡°Hm? Oh¡­¡± Laria fumbled for a moment as she realized Katya had discerned this a microsecond before she had, despite the sensors being a part of her own body. ¡°Y-Yes. You are correct.¡± Katya¡¯s face split into a sardonic smile. ¡°Time to let Genevi off her leash, then?¡± ¡°Oh dear,¡± Laria sighed with resignation. ¡°I suppose so. I¡¯ll inform her.¡± ****** TARGET DETECTED. The lost Crucivore stopped in its tracks and focused its senses straight upwards. A hundred kilometers above, a shining bright target had appeared. Then, another. A third. Dozens. Hundreds. Thousands. TARGET DETECTED. TARGET DETECTED. TARGET DET- TARGET DET- TAR- TAR- TA- TA- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- T- As the Crucivore¡¯s neural cluster was filled with endless alveolar plosives, it struggled to understand what exactly it was sensing. It stretched its tentacles upwards, as if touching the mysterious swarm of targets might convey some greater understanding, yet no new data presented itself. It stood there, motionless, in abject confusion. ****** The Radiolaria Galactica now seemed to be spewing a fine grey mist into space. Upon closer examination, this mist was composed of thousands upon thousands of Strike Fins of varying configurations and functions; some were small as a human torso, whereas others were large as a car. Nanobots swarmed in the spaces between the Fins, propelled by a crackling purple grav-power field that encompassed the whole affair. From afar, this phenomenon seemed some manner of sinister space miasma. From closer, it looked like a nightmare whirlwind of bristling grey weaponry arcing with purple lightning discharges. This was humanity¡¯s ultimate answer to the Sarcophage¡­ a techno-swarm to fight the bio-swarm. And uniting the whole affair was a single consciousness, a mind split across countless instances. This gave the Gravity Swarm a depth of sentience and understanding the enemy simply couldn¡¯t match. ¡°BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA! FLEE BEFORE MY GLORIOUS MIGHT, PITIFUL BEINGS!¡± Genevi cackled madly as she extended pseudopods of her Gravity Swarm toward the enemy; each pseudopod emitted thousands of individually-targeted blasts of positron fire, thinning the oncoming horde before slamming into them headlong. The effect was not unlike a tornado filled with knives disemboweling a herd of cattle. ¡°NOW, MEET YOUR END WITH HORROR! THE STARS THEMSELVES WILL RUN RED WITH YOUR BLOOD!¡± A beeping sound indicated an incoming gravcomm from Miette. ¡°Tone it down, Yandere Queen,¡± the redheaded Captain firmly lectured. ¡°You¡¯re on broadband.¡± ¡°Pshaw. I would not expect a mere mortal to understand my glory,¡± Genevi retorted mischievously, before grinning and saluting. ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll stay off broadband. You can¡¯t stop me from enjoying this, though.¡± ¡°I would never,¡± Miette responded. ¡°That said, please be efficient. The sooner you clear UPO, the sooner I can send reinforcements to the surface.¡± Genevi quirked an eyebrow. ¡°So you¡¯re telling me to slaughter all the Sarcophage as quickly as possible?¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± ¡°With pleasure,¡± Genevi said excitedly before cutting the comm. Moments later, the full bulk of the Gravity Swarm slammed into the enemy with reckless abandon, carving a path of chaotic technological slaughter. ****** ¡°I¡¯ve got something!¡± Sveta screeched as she popped back into existence quite suddenly, causing Lydia to start. ¡°Broadband established! I¡¯m opening a channel to Sveta Instance [email protected] NOW!¡± The sound of static intermixed with weapons fire filled the air. Lydia cleared her throat and spoke loudly and clearly. ¡°This is Senior Caption Lydia Tereshkova of Maid Corps 1st Squadron. Sveta, can you hear me?¡± ¡°You¡¯re here?!¡± came a strained voice. ¡°Hurry! Take this data file! It¡¯s Hunter!¡± ¡°Hunter? Wh-¡± ¡°NO TIME! TAKE IT!¡± Lydia glanced over to the local instance of Sveta, who nodded. ¡°Downloading now. I can confirm the data contains a complete scan of one human mind¡­ and an equal amount of junk data I can¡¯t identify. The human mind seems to be undamaged.¡± Lydia frowned. ¡°Partition him for now. 22dino, we have safely received Hunter. What¡¯s your situation?¡± ¡°A-66, GET BACK!¡± came the not-reply. ¡°NO, MORE! PAST THE DOORWAY! I¡¯M GOING TO COLLAPSE THE CAVE!¡± ¡°Sveta?¡± Lydia asked again. ¡°Lydia¡­ hurry. There¡¯s no ti-¡± Sveta begged desperately before the signal cut out. ¡°I can¡¯t re-establish contact,¡± Sveta grimaced, shooting a despondent glance Kometka¡¯s way. ¡°We¡¯re two minutes out.¡± Lydia took a deep breath and gripped Kometka¡¯s controls tightly. ¡°Give me Lyle, please.¡± ¡°Done,¡± Kometka responded as she opened a comm window. ¡°Lyle,¡± Lydia began as the 2nd lieutenant looked at her curiously. ¡°Sveta just sent us a data file containing Hunter¡¯s consciousness. We¡¯ve confirmed his integrity. He¡¯s safe.¡± ¡°His consciousness? Why-?¡± Lyle began. ¡°We don¡¯t know,¡± Lydia interrupted. ¡°I would speculate Sveta scanned his mind and soul into her mainframe when his life was threatened. Either way, he can tell us more once we download him into a Telepresence Doll. Just know that he¡¯s safe and intact, alright?¡± Lyle took a deep breath and nodded. ¡°Understood.¡± Lydia leaned forwards. ¡°Now is the time to make the ones who hurt him pay. Let¡¯s tear apart this swarm with the utmost violence and save some crab lives, okay?¡± Lyle smiled, albeit uncertainly. ¡°Yeah.¡± ****** The battle wasn¡¯t much of one. With the groundside Sarcophage swarm focused squarely on trying to get Sveta and her crab companions, they didn¡¯t see the three squadrons of Gravity Frames approaching from behind until it was far too late. By the time the creatures reacted, fully half of them had been cut to ribbons by an onslaught of positron fire. As the turkey shoot continued, Lydia broke away from the main group and raced towards 22dino¡¯s last known position, carving through rock and ice with her plasma blades. Breathless minutes passed until she finally broke through the collapsed cave entrance, only to be greeted by a scene of unmitigated carnage. All the Sarcophage in the room were already dead¡­ but so was everyone else. The bodies of two massive crabs lay splayed on the floor, filled with dozens of spines. At the far end of the room, Sveta¡¯s Telepresence Doll had been bisected horizontally; her legs were nowhere to be found, and her torso trailed a series of sparking wires where they should have been. Huge gashes dug into her chassis, revealing wiring and pistons underneath. The damaged Sveta looked at Lydia with her one functioning eye. She spoke, her voice raspy and mechanical. ¡°You¡¯re¡­ t-t-t-t-t-tooooo¡­ lateeeeeeeeeee¡­¡± she buzzed before spasming and falling completely silent. Lydia released Kometka¡¯s controls and slumped back in her seat. ¡°Shit,¡± she muttered. ****** One-hundred and ninety-three kilometers to the north, the Crucivore collapsed. It had wasted the last vestiges of its strength trying futilely to reach the Gravity Swarm in orbit. Now, devoid of all chemical energy, it simply switched off. The neural activity in its clusters began to fade away. This was death, of a kind, but not the sort we¡¯re familiar with. The Crucivore had no intelligence, no self-awareness, no capacity for emotion¡­ no soul. There would be no confused Sarcophage appearing in Skellish¡¯s domain asking what had happened. Instead, only oblivion greeted the poor thing. Even so, as its last thoughts faded, there was a tinge of regret for something lost long ago. Despair and regret, which it had never experienced until now, filled its fading thoughts. And alongside them came an image¡­ an array of infinite triangles folding inwards upon themselves in ways that hurt the eye to see. The Crucivore stared in wonderment as the darkness seized it for the final time. As it faded, a single word filled its every thought¡­ a word brought by those impossible triangles. A word that represented both the Sarcophage and their unseen masters. Ruin. ****** A-66 awoke with a start and tried to gasp. However, nothing happened. They could no longer feel their body. ¡°What the-¡± they thought out loud. Despite lacking eyestalks, they could still see. Surrounding them was nothing but a deep, pitch-black and utterly silent darkness¡­ with one very stark exception. Directly before them was a massive, splendorous horned blue crab, which was far larger and more distinguished than any crab A-66 had ever seen before. The horned crab almost seemed to have stepped out of the pages of a hatching¡¯s story-bubble. They were old, as evidenced by the advanced growth of their shell, yet not a single scar marred their blue sheen. The bumps and knots that formed with age were all exquisitely carved into patterns of flowing curves and soft angles, making it seem as if they were cloaked in a pearlescent fractal veneer. From atop their carapace sprouted eight horns, four on each side, and they rose up to half the height of their eyestalks. Atop those stalks glowed two blazing red orbs which, despite lacking pupils or sclera, still seemed to be studying the new arrival intently. ¡°Who are you?¡± A-66 asked nervously. The horned crab¡¯s carapace lightened to a friendly shade of light blue, and they spread their strongclaws wide in welcome. ¡°Greetings, Astronomer-8966. My name is Skellish, Goddex of Entropy, and this is my dominion. Welcome to the afterlife.¡± pynkbites Here I introduce a fun fact about Skellish: she changes appearance and even gender presentation depending on what kind of lifeform she''s talking to! For poor A-66 and any other Crabworld denizens that come her way, she dons a crablike form and uses the gender-neutral term "Goddex" instead of God or Goddess. And given the infinite diversity of life throughout the cosmos, she no doubt has millions of other forms too. Amoeba Skellish? Avian Skellish? Spider Skellish? BORG SKELLISH? If you followed me on Twitter, you may have seen I''ve abandoned my account over there due to Apartheid Clyde''s hostile takeover. Going forwards you can follow me on Mastodon or join my Discord server to stay in touch. Looking forwards to seeing you there!