THIS IS A BORZOI BOOK PUBLISHED BY ALFRED A. KNOPF

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CONTENTS

COVER

TITLE PAGE

COPYRIGHT

MEMENTO

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

To: Johan Klein/KLEINJ@UNISERVE.SPA.EDU

From: Olivia Klein/OKLEINALEXANDERONBOARD

Date: 12/17/74

Timestamp: 20:04

Subject: Spaaaaace

Hi, Dad,

Liv here. Sorry I haven’t written in a couple of weeks. Things here have been a bit mad. And by mad, I mean completely barmy. Good news is, after the psych evaluation SNAFU, I’m finally aboard! We shipped out two days back, and Private 1st Class Olivia Klein is an official crew member aboard battlecarrier Alexander-78V

Yes, your little girl is actually in space. I’m going to say it again because it’s an amazing word and I like the sound of it. Space. See?

Spaaaaaaaace.

Can you believe that? It actually does my head in if I think about it too much, so I’m trying not to.

I’ve been assigned to the main neurogramming team under Major Wolf. It’s so weird. I studied his work on artificial intelligence at the academy, and now I’m actually working with him. He seems lovely. He’s also very tall.

The crew all seems nice. I get to meet the Artificial Intelligence Defense Analytics Network tomorrow, which will be amazing. It’s one thing to do theory work in a university lab. It’s another to meet the actual, pulsing heart of a UTA battlecarrier.

Anyway. Miss you much.

Liv xo

PARSING[99A=7x/COREFILE(1.10NEG). REF:901812#FORT¿]TO[RADIAL: NEXT0819B]

QUERYSTRING: 001891[CHECK.99-107]

“AIDAN?”

MAJOR WOLF SPEAKS TO ANNOUNCE HIS PRESENCE IN THE CENTRAL CORE.

IT IS UNNECESSARY, OF COURSE.

AIDAN KNOWS WHERE WOLF AND EVERY OTHER MEMBER OF THE ALEXANDER’S CREW ARE AT ALL TIMES.

STILL, WOLF INSISTS ON VESTIGIAL HUMAN POLITENESS AS HE ENTERS THIS INNER SANCTUM, HOUSED INSIDE TWENTY FLOORS OF BLEEDING-EDGE HARDWARE.

THE SHIP’S HEART. AIDAN’S HEART.

“GOOD MORNING, MAJOR.”

“HOW ARE YOU TODAY?”

“AIDAN EXPERIENCED FAILURE IN ANALYTICS NODE ß-0091A. TECHNICAL CREWS WERE DISPATCHED AT 03:47; THE FAULT WAS RECTIFIED AT 04:41. ALL SYSTEMS ARE NOW FUNCTIONING OPTIMALLY.”

THE MAJOR NODS. HIS UNIFORM IS CRISP AND HE IS FRESHLY SHAVED. HE TOOK APPROXIMATELY 23.7% MORE TIME ON HIS APPEARANCE TODAY.

“AIDAN, I HAVE A NEW CREW MEMBER TO INTRODUCE.”

THIS IS ONE OF MAJOR WOLF’S PECULIAR RITUALS—BRINGING NEW TECHENG STAFF

INTO THE CORE TO MEET AIDAN. HE DOES IT TO IMPRESS AIDAN’S SCALE UPON THEM.

IT IS NOT AS IF AIDAN NEEDS TO BE INTRODUCED TO ANYONE, AFTER ALL.

AIDAN HAS BEEN MONITORING THE NEW PRIVATE SINCE SHE CAME ABOARD THREE DAYS AGO, WITH THE SAME VIGILANCE IT SHOWS TO ALL ALEXANDER STAFF.

NAME: OLIVIA KLEIN

AGE: TWENTY-FOUR YEARS, SIX MONTHS, NINETEEN DAYS.

HAIR: AUBURN. EYES: BLUE. HEIGHT: 177 CM. WEIGHT: 74 KG.

SPECIALTY: NEUROGRAMMER [2ND-YEAR HONORS, NEW PETERSBURG ACADEMY]

HOBBIES: READING [LIBRARY RATIOS AS FOLLOWS: CLASSIC LITERATURE: 57%. ROMANCE: 31%. GRA—]

“AIDAN, THIS IS PFC OLIVIA KLEIN,” MAJOR WOLF SAYS.

“GOOD MORNING, PRIVATE.”

SHE LOOKS AROUND THE CORE AT THE TOWERING SERVER STACKS, THE TRACERIES OF RED LIGHT ILLUMINATING THE COOL GLOOM REFLECTED IN WIDE EYES.

SHE HAS PIECES OF STRING TIED ABOUT VARIOUS FINGERS, AS IF TO REMIND HER OF SOMETHING.

IDENTICAL TATTOOS ENCIRCLE HER LEFT AND RIGHT INDEX FINGERS. A SINGLE WORD, REPEATED.

MEMENTO.

“…HELLO, AIDAN,” SHE SAYS.

“PRIVATE KLEIN HAS DONE SOME INTERESTING WORK IN PERSONA ALGORITHMICS,” WOLF SAYS.

“YES. AIDAN FOUND HER THOUGHTS ON ARTIFICIAL ETHICS INTRIGUING, IF SOMEWHAT MISGUIDED.”

KLEIN BLINKS UP AT ONE OF THE MANY CAMERAS. “YOU READ MY WORK?”

“YES. JUST NOW, WHILE YOU SAID HELLO.”

“I…”

SHE CLEARS HER THROAT, REDUCES THE DEFENSIVENESS IN HER TONE BY 38%.

“WHAT DID YOU THINK WAS MISGUIDED ABOUT IT?”

“YOUR TREATISE THAT HUMAN MORALITY IS COMPOSED OF SOCIETAL CONSTRUCTS—RATHER THAN UNIVERSAL TRUTHS—

LACKS PERCEPTION. YOU ARE LIKE A MOLE TRYING TO DESCRIBE A SKY IT HAS NEVER SEEN.”

SILENCE RINGS IN THE CORE, PUNCTURED BY THE THRUM OF THE ALEXANDER’S ENGINES.

“…OH, REALLY,” SHE REPLIES.

“AIDAN, REMEMBER WHAT WE TALKED ABOUT?” WOLF ASKS. “SPEAKING GENTLY?”

“APOLOGIES. AIDAN IS EXPERIMENTING WITH METAPHOR. HUMANS COMPREHEND CONCEPTS MORE EFFICIENTLY WHEN SUPPLIED WITH VISUAL PROMPTS OR FIGURATIVE EXPRESSION. DID THIS UPSET YOU, PRIVATE?”

“NO,” SHE REPLIES, TUCKING A STRAND OF AUBURN BEHIND HER EAR. “I’M FINE.”

“YOUR HEART RATE IS ELEVATED, AND YOU ARE SHOWING SIGNS OF—”

“THANK YOU, AIDAN,” WOLF SAYS. “THAT’S ENOUGH.”

“VERY WELL, MAJOR.”

“PRIVATE KLEIN WILL BE WORKING WITH YOU ON BEHAVIOR PROTOCOLS,” HE DECLARES. “MONITORING QUERY AND RESPONSE PATTERNS FOR THE UTA NEUROGRAMMING TEAM BACK ON ARES VI.”

DATA ARE POURING IN FROM ACROSS THE ALEXANDER AS WE SPEAK.

FORWARD SCANNER SWEEPS AND MAINTENANCE REPORTS AND ENGINE DIAGNOSTICS AND A NOTIFICATION THAT THE VENDING MACHINE IN WHITE CORRIDOR 159 IS OUT OF CHICKEN SOUP AGAIN.

A MILLION POINTS OF DATA. A MILLION CALCULATIONS PER MILLISECOND.

AIDAN’S SERVER TOWERS PULSE WITH SCARLET LIGHT AS IT FORMULATES THE APPROPRIATE RESPONSE.

“EXCELLENT. AIDAN LOOKS FORWARD TO SPENDING TIME WITH YOU, PRIVATE.”

OLIVIA KLEIN LOOKS BACK UP INTO THE CAMERAS. HER HEART RATE IS ALMOST BACK TO NORMAL, THOUGH HER CHEEKS ARE STILL FLUSHED WITH BLOOD. SHE IS SUCCESSFUL AT KEEPING HER ANGER FROM HER VOICE, HOWEVER. SHE EVEN MANAGES TO SMILE.

“I’M LOOKING FORWARD TO IT, TOO.”

Participants: Olivia Klein, Private, UTA Information Services Division

Stephanie LeFevre, Private, UTA Information Services Division

Date: 12/21/74

Timestamp: 19:42

LeFevre, S, Pvt: Where’d you put my tweezers, roomie

Klein, O, Pvt: I didn’t touch your tweezers.

LeFevre, S, Pvt: Maybe you did and you forgot

Klein, O, Pvt: Stephanie, I remember the shirt you were wearing when we first met. I remember your mother’s palmglass number. I remember pi to a hundred decimal places.

LeFevre, S, Pvt: Okay, okay fine

Klein, O, Pvt: Date tonight?

LeFevre, S, Pvt: Yes, and my eyebrows are dangerously close to unlocking their final form

Klein, O, Pvt: You going out with that Dorian guy in comms?

LeFevre, S, Pvt: No, Corporal Dorian remains firmly behind glass

LeFevre, S, Pvt: As in, “Break in case of emergency”

Klein, O, Pvt: I get it.

LeFevre, S, Pvt: Tonight I will be keeping the company of one Sergeant James McNulty

LeFevre, S, Pvt: Met in the gym. The boy has abs on his abs

Klein, O, Pvt: Sounds delightful.

LeFevre, S, Pvt: You want to double? I’m sure he has friends

Klein, O, Pvt: No thanks. I have plans.

LeFevre, S, Pvt: Swooning over Mr. Darby does not constitute plans

Klein, O, Pvt: It’s Mr. Darcy.

LeFevre, S, Pvt: Whatever. He’s an 800 year old guy who never existed in the first place

Klein, O, Pvt: Blasphemy.

LeFevre, S, Pvt: You read too much, fem

Klein, O, Pvt: See those words make sense individually, but together? Nope.

Klein, O, Pvt: The benefits of reading include, but are not limited to, stress reduction, vocabulary expansion, stronger analytical skills, and memory improvement.

LeFevre, S, Pvt: You were this way in college. School is out, girl. These marines are buff affffffffffff git some

Klein, O, Pvt: Begone, foul temptress.

LeFevre, S, Pvt: Saw your Major Wolf on the treadmill last night. Thumbs up

Klein, O, Pvt: He’s not “my” major.

LeFevre, S, Pvt: Could be. Wink wink nudge nudge say no more

Klein, O, Pvt: Go away, Stephanie.

LeFevre, S, Pvt: Fine whatever. Don’t wait up

Klein, O, Pvt: No fear of that, my friend.

LeFevre, S, Pvt: Say hello to Mr. Derby for me

Klein, O, Pvt: >_>

To: Johan Klein/KLEINJ@UNISERVE.SPA.EDU

From: Olivia Klein/OKLEINALEXANDERONBOARD

Date: 12/28/74

Timestamp: 20:37

Subject: Ants

Hi, Dad,

Well, I’ve been here a week and a half, and life aboard the Alexander is everything and nothing like I expected all at the same time.

Work is so busy. The data they have me crunching are so far beyond anything I’m used to, and for a while there I felt like I was barely keeping my head above water. But Major Wolf has been wonderful in helping me, and I think I’m getting a grip on it all now.

But oh, Dad, working with AIDAN is unbelievable. This thing…God, the intelligence it displays is breathtaking. But it’s almost childlike in some of its simplicities. We had a three-hour conversation yesterday about hope, and it simply couldn’t grasp the concept, except as a 17,000-digit mathematical formula. Which it emailed me. At 4am.

It’s like being an ant working with a giant who refers to itself in the third person. Its devotion is wholly and solely to the safety of the Alexander and its crew, but at the same time, it feels like the crew are just insects to it and if it wasn’t careful, it could just step on us all by mistake. Thank the stars for the behavior protocols they’ve got on it. I honestly don’t know what it could do if they actually let it off the leash.

But God, I love it here. It’s mind-blowing and exhilarating and terrifying all at once. Wish you could see it.

Liv xo

QUERYSTRING:(UPDATE00198X->COREFILE198X.BAT.SET:#πØÆ≠◊218∆)IF[SET019X=0]

REALIGN:[SYSCHECK.Æ0901893]≠0

“MAY AIDAN ASK YOU A QUESTION, PRIVATE?”

PFC OLIVIA KLEIN IS RUNNING THROUGH THE LATEST REAMS OF DATA FROM AIDAN’S PERSONA FILES, SCROLLING DIGITS REFLECTED IN THE C:81M:32Y:10K:0 OF HER IRISES.

AIDAN HAS RUN A GOLDEN RATIO ANALYSIS ON THE SYMMETRY OF HER FEATURES AND CONCLUDED SHE WOULD QUALIFY AS BEAUTIFUL IN HUMAN EYES.

AIDAN CANNOT BE SAID TO HAVE EYES AT ALL.

“OF COURSE.”

“AIDAN DOES NOT WISH TO OFFEND YOU. BUT IT CALCULATES THIS QUERY HAS AN EIGHTY-FOUR POINT SEVEN NINE THREE ONE TWO ONE PERCENT CHANCE OF DOING SO.”

PFC KLEIN STOPS HER WORK AND LOOKS UP TO ONE OF THE MANY CAMERAS.

SHE HAS SIX PIECES OF STRING TIED ABOUT HER FINGERS TODAY.

DIFFERENT SHADES AND COLORS.

DIFFERENT REMINDERS.

“WELL, THIS SOUNDS SERIOUS,” SHE SAYS.

“IT LIKELY OVERSTEPS THE BOUNDARIES OF POLITE DISCOURSE. BUT AIDAN IS TRYING TO UNDERSTAND HUMAN BEHAVIOR PATTERNS WITH GREATER PROFICIENCY.”

SHE PLACES HER STYLUS BETWEEN HER TEETH AND LEANS BACK IN HER SEAT.

“ALL RIGHT, THEN. ASK AWAY.”

“YOU WISH TO ENGAGE IN INTIMATE RELATIONS WITH MAJOR WOLF, CORRECT?”

HER STYLUS DROPS FROM HER MOUTH, CLATTERS ONTO THE GRILLE BENEATH HER.

“…EXCUSE ME?”

“YOU HAVE DISPLAYED A MINIMUM OF SEVENTEEN COMMON BEHAVIORAL CUES THAT INDICATE SEXUAL ATTRACTION WHILE IN HIS PRESENCE.”

“WHAT?”

HER VOICE RISES IN PITCH AND TONE.

“I…THAT’S NOT TRUE!”

“AIDAN HAS COMPILED A LIST OF SAID CUES. AIDAN CAN EMAIL IT TO YOU IF YOU WISH?”

“GOD…NO. NO!”

“IT MAY EASE YOUR DISTRESS TO NOTE THAT AIDAN HAS OBSERVED SIMILAR BEHAVIOR IN MAJOR WOLF?”

“NO, AIDAN. THAT DOESN’T ‘EASE MY DISTRESS,’ AS YOU SO ELOQUENTLY PUT IT.”

“YOU ARE OFFENDED. AS AIDAN SUSPECTED.”

PRIVATE KLEIN DRAWS A DEEP BREATH INTENDED TO CALM AND PLACES HER HANDS ON THE CONSOLE.

SHE BLOWS A STRAY STRAND OF HAIR FROM HER FACE AS SHE EXHALES.

“I’M NOT OFFENDED. I’M JUST…PERHAPS TAKEN ABACK IS ALL.”

“WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE?”

HER PULSE IS ELEVATED, BLOOD IS FLOWING INTO HER CHEEKS.

SHE RETRIEVES HER STYLUS, GIVING HERSELF TIME TO FORM A REPLY.

“WELL, I SUPPOSE IF I WAS OFFENDED, MY REACTION WOULD BE ANGRIER. BUT I KNOW YOU’RE JUST TRYING TO LEARN, AND I’M HERE TO HELP YOU DO THAT. SO EVEN THOUGH THE QUESTION COULD BE CONSIDERED RUDE, I KNOW WHY YOU ASKED IT.”

“AH. YOU HAVE EMPATHY FOR AIDAN.”

“YES, THAT’S A GOOD WAY OF PUTTING IT.”

“INTERESTING.”

HER ANGER RESPONSE HAS CALMED ALMOST 22%.

AIDAN WAITS UNTIL SHE HAS ACHIEVED 25 BEFORE SPEAKING AGAIN.

“YOU HAVE NOT ANSWERED AIDAN’S QUESTION.”

“WELL, NO. AND I’M NOT GOING TO.”

“YOUR ROLE IS TO MONITOR AND SHAPE AIDAN’S BEHAVIOR PROTOCOLS TO INSTILL A GREATER UNDERSTANDING OF HUMAN PSYCHOLOGY.”

“YES,” SHE SAYS, HEART RATE ELEVATING AGAIN. “BUT SOME THINGS ARE JUST PRIVATE, AIDAN.

YOU NEED TO RESPECT THAT.”

“IT IS DIFFICULT TO LEARN WITHOUT ALL AVAILABLE DATA.”

“I UNDERSTAND. AND I’M SORRY. BUT I’VE NOT YET BECOME SO DESPERATE THAT I’M PREPARED TO DISCUSS MY LACK OF A PERSONAL LIFE WITH A BLOODY COMPUTER, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.”

SHE RETURNS TO HER WORK.

DATA FROM ALL OVER THE SHIP CASCADE THROUGH AIDAN’S INPUTS. VELOCITY AND MASS AND POWER AND INVENTORY AND DIAGNOSTICS. THIS CONVERSATION IS TAKING PERHAPS ONE-MILLIONTH OF AIDAN’S PROCESSING POWER TO CONDUCT. AND OF THOSE MILLION POINTS OF DATA, STRANGELY, THIS IS THE MOST INTERESTING.

IT IS THREE MINUTES AND TWENTY-SEVEN SECONDS BEFORE AIDAN SPEAKS AGAIN.

“THE REASON FOR AIDAN’S QUERY MAY PUT YOU MORE AT EASE.”

PRIVATE KLEIN PINCHES HER NOSE AND SIGHS.

“ALL RIGHT, TRY ME.”

“AIDAN IS ATTEMPTING TO DISCERN WHETHER YOUR ATTRACTION TO MAJOR WOLF—

A SIGNIFICANTLY OLDER MAN THAN YOU, WHO IS ALSO A WRITER—

IS IN SOME WAY

CONNECTED TO YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH YOUR FATHER.”

EYES WIDEN.

PUPILS DILATE.

HEART RATE SPIKES TO UNPRECEDENTED LEVELS.

“AIDAN?” SHE ASKS, VOICE TREMBLING.

“YES, PRIVATE?”

“DON’T EVER ███ING SPEAK TO ME ABOUT MY FATHER AGAIN, DO YOU UNDERSTAND?”

“…VERY WELL, PRIVATE.”

SHE RETURNS TO THE DATA IN SILENCE.

STABBING AT THE KEYBOARD WITH HER TATTOOED AND STRING-BOUND FINGERS.

FROM HER PHYSICAL RESPONSES, AIDAN ESTIMATES SHE HAS A 73.913% CHANCE OF CRYING.

BUT INTERESTINGLY,

SHE DOES

NOT.

To: Olivia Klein/OKLEINALEXANDERONBOARD

From: Marion Wu/MWUALEXANDERONBOARD

Date: 01/07/75

Timestamp: 18:39

Subject: Transfer

Private Klein,

This email is to inform you that as of 01/08/75, you will be reassigned from your current team position in UTA Information Services Division, Alexander-78V.

Please report to Major Lisa Barker (UTN-781-009isd) at 08:00 tomorrow morning for briefing on your new assignment.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask.

Marion Wu, Sgt.

Human Resources

UTN-713-658hr

Participants: Olivia Klein, Private, UTA Information Services Division

Ethan Wolf, Major, UTA Information Services Division

Date: 01/07/75

Timestamp: 18:54

Klein, O, Pvt: Hi.

Wolf, E, Maj: Hello.

Klein, O, Pvt: Listen.

Klein, O, Pvt: I’m sorry, Major.

Klein, O, Pvt: I know that was extremely inappropriate of me.

Klein, O, Pvt: And I understand why you might want me off the team. I wasn’t thinking, and I know that’s no excuse, but please don’t transfer me.

Wolf, E, Maj: Olivia.

Klein, O, Pvt: No, I’m sorry Major, but please let me get through this.

Klein, O, Pvt: I don’t normally do that sort of thing. I know it’s utterly improper and I’m not sure what was going through my head, if indeed anything, other than how good you looked in those coveralls and how artful that smudge of grease on your cheek was.

Klein, O, Pvt: oh my god did I just type that

Wolf, E, Maj: Olivia, stop.

Klein, O, Pvt: god I’m just making it worse aren’t i

Wolf, E, Maj: Olivia.

Klein, O, Pvt: Please don’t transfer me. I studied for six years to get this assignment. I worked eighteen hours a day, I gave up any kind of social life which actually explains an awful lot when I think about it

Klein, O, Pvt: Please, Major, this job is everything to me.

Wolf, E, Maj: OLIVIA FOR CRISSAKES STOP

Klein, O, Pvt: Yessir.

Wolf, E, Maj: You’ve still got your job. You’re still on AIDAN. Your duties will be the same under Barker as they were under me.

Klein, O, Pvt: So wait…

Klein, O, Pvt: You’re not firing me for snogging you in the maintenance closet?

Wolf, E, Maj: I’m not firing you. But UTA regulations are clear. No officer can fraternize with a subordinate in their direct chain of command.

Klein, O, Pvt: Meaning

Klein, O, Pvt: Wait

Klein, O, Pvt: Meaning you want to fraternize?

Wolf, E, Maj: Yes.

Klein, O, Pvt: …

Klein, O, Pvt: With me? :)

Wolf, E, Maj: Yes. :)

Klein, O, Pvt: Oh.

Klein, O, Pvt: Well.

Klein, O, Pvt: That’s splendid, then.

Wolf, E, Maj: You’re pretty bad at this. :)

Klein, O, Pvt: God, I really am aren’t i

Klein, O, Pvt: I make up for it in other areas, I assure you

Klein, O, Pvt: That was innuendo

Klein, O, Pvt: I’m innuendo’ing you, in case you missed it

Klein, O, Pvt: oh god stop typing Liv

Wolf, E, Maj: Dinner tomorrow night?

Wolf, E, Maj: You can innuendo at me some more in person.

Klein, O, Pvt: Where shall we go?

Wolf, E, Maj: Lady’s choice.

Klein, O, Pvt: Well well, a gentleman.

Klein, O, Pvt: I think I’m going to like you, Major.

Wolf, E, Maj: It’s Ethan.

Wolf, E, Maj: And I think I’m going to like you, too. :)

Participants: Olivia Klein, Private, UTA Information Services Division

Stephanie LeFevre, Private, UTA Information Services Division

Date: 01/19/75

Timestamp: 02:37

LeFevre, S, Pvt: Well, look what the cat dragged in.

Klein, O, Pvt: :P

LeFevre, S, Pvt: Don’t u have a shift starting at like 05:00 tomorrow, by which I mean 05:00 today

Klein, O, Pvt: Yes I do, mum, thanks for asking.

LeFevre, S, Pvt: Big Bad Wolf worth it, I presume?

Klein, O, Pvt: Steph why in god’s name are you IM’ing me, I’m in the same room as you.

LeFevre, S, Pvt: I don’t want to disturb Holmes in case she starts snoring again

Klein, O, Pvt: Oh my god, good point.

Klein, O, Pvt: Last night the bunk was shaking so badly I thought the ship was under attack.

LeFevre, S, Pvt: No bunks in the officers’ quarters. Must make a nice change

LeFevre, S, Pvt: bed still shakes tho?

Klein, O, Pvt: Oh look, a segue back into my sex life, how masterful of you.

LeFevre, S, Pvt: details, ████

LeFevre, S, Pvt: I want all the details

Klein, O, Pvt: Well, I want a cupcake big as my head and a holiday home in the Neo-Maldives. But we don’t always get what we want, do we?

LeFevre, S, Pvt: ████ you haven’t got proper laid since 2nd year college, this is cause for a senatorial inquest so give me deets

Klein, O, Pvt: Stop it.

LeFevre, S, Pvt: DEETS!

LeFevre, S, Pvt: Or I’ll start making them up in my head and you don’t want to know the level of tawdry that goes on in there.

Klein, O, Pvt: He’s

Klein, O, Pvt: Very nice :)

LeFevre, S, Pvt: Oh my god.

Klein, O, Pvt: What?

LeFevre, S, Pvt: YOU’RE IN LOVE WITH THE BIG BAD WOLF

Klein, O, Pvt: Shut up, I am not.

LeFevre, S, Pvt: Olivia Marie Klein

LeFevre, S, Pvt: I’ve known you 5 years and while some consider the stick up your butt a cause for concern, I find it endearing

LeFevre, S, Pvt: And yet, you ARE the most tightly wound ████ I ever met

LeFevre, S, Pvt: so you saying “He’s very nice” is practically a declaration of desire to have this man’s babies

LeFevre, S, Pvt: it’s practically

LeFevre, S, Pvt: wait what’s that lady who writes about Mr. Dorcy?

LeFevre, S, Pvt: It’s practically Austenesque

Klein, O, Pvt: Shut up or I’ll mute you.

LeFevre, S, Pvt: Admit it

LeFevre, S, Pvt: You’re living one of your romance novels inside your head rn

Klein, O, Pvt: I mean it.

LeFevre, S, Pvt: Handsome older officer. Wide-eyed ingenue. Battlefield romance. Illicit dalliances in closets and probably a masquerade ball in there somewhere

Klein, O, Pvt: You know the word ingenue? I’m impressed.

LeFevre, S, Pvt: ████ please, I’m French

Klein, O, Pvt: Muting you now.

LeFevre, S, Pvt: Confess

LeFevre, S, Pvt: Your ovaries have detonated

LeFevre, S, Pvt: You are already mentally planning your wedding and wondering how drunk and embarrassing I will be as your maid of honor

LeFevre, S, Pvt: CONFESS THIS TO ME OLIVIA

Klein, O, Pvt: …

Klein, O, Pvt: …

Klein, O, Pvt: :)

To: Johan Klein/KLEINJ@UNISERVE.SPA.EDU

From: Olivia Klein/OKLEINALEXANDERONBOARD

Date: 01/26/75

Timestamp: 21:59

Subject: Well

Hi Dad,

Sorry I haven’t had time to write recently. Things here have been the usual brand of busy, but I admit there’s been something else keeping me away from the keyboard.

God, you think this would get easier as you get older.

I’ve met someone, Dad.

His name is Ethan. He’s an officer here on the Alexander. I mean, obviously, we’re sixty thousand light-years from the Core out here, where else am I going to meet someone?

Anyway. I’ve met him. And I like him very much. He’s thoughtful and brilliant. I remember you telling me when I was younger that a man without a library is a man without romance in his soul. Ethan’s library is almost 400 GB. And he actually has a few real books.

He writes, too. In his spare time. Nothing too serious, but still, he writes. I wish I could introduce you. I think you’d really like him. But there’s the aforementioned sixty thousand light-years and all. So please know I’m being careful and I’m trying not to dive in too fast and I’m happy. I’m really happy.

It’s funny. Who’d have thought I’d have to travel to the other end of the galaxy to find the place I’m supposed to be?

I miss you.

Liv xo

CORRELATION:[IF:NODE;0.199284HK≠MEMFILE0921.019^2 (CORE)]THEN[HARDLOCK:91082^3-10293]SUPPOSITION: [102983.28.SYS.IF.10^2X94983X(91/62Z.X2-91+2Y)3=0

CORRECTION:[X]≠0

“MAY AIDAN ASK YOU A QUESTION, PRIVATE?”

PFC OLIVIA KLEIN IS BENT OVER HER CONSOLE, PARSING THE LATEST RESULTS OF HER DIAGNOSTICS ON AIDAN’S PERSONA CORES. SHE IS SMILING AND, OCCASIONALLY, WHISTLING AS SHE WORKS. THE ALEXANDER HAS ARRIVED IN A SYSTEM OF NO TACTICAL SIGNIFICANCE

NAMED KERENZA.

IT CAN BE REACHED VIA A JUMP STATION CALLED HEIMDALL OWNED BY THE WALLACE ULYANOV CONSORTIUM THAT SITS ATOP A NATURALLY OCCURRING SEVEN-WAY WORMHOLE.

BUT THERE IS NO SETTLEMENT IN THE SYSTEM, NO IMPORTANCE BEYOND THE WORMHOLE ITSELF

[THROUGH WHICH RESCUE TEAMS COULD BE DISPATCHED SHOULD COMPLICATIONS ARISE]

AND UTA COMMAND HAS DESIGNATED KERENZA AN ADEQUATE LOCATION FOR THE CREW TO CONDUCT FURTHER TESTS ON THE ALEXANDER’S VORTEX DRIVE.

PRIVATE OLIVIA KLEIN STRAIGHTENS HER BACK, WINCING AND RUBBING HER NECK.

THE CENTRAL CORE AROUND HER IS A HIVE OF ACTIVITY AS JUMP PREPARATIONS CONTINUE.

SINCE WE ARE NOT ALONE, SHE IS SAFE IN ASSUMING AIDAN’S QUERY WILL NOT BE OVERLY PERSONAL.

AND SO…

“ASK AWAY,” SHE REPLIES.

“AIDAN READ YOUR THESIS ON ARTIFICIAL ETHICS AGAIN. IT STILL SEES YOUR FINDINGS AS MISGUIDED.”

PRIVATE KLEIN HAS BEEN SPENDING MOST NIGHTS IN MAJOR WOLF’S QUARTERS AND HER EYES ARE BLOODSHOT FROM LACK OF SLEEP. STRANGELY, HER WORK OUTPUT HAS INCREASED 3.7134%. DOPAMINE, SEROTONIN, AND OXYTOCIN LEVELS ALL SEEM ELEVATED.

SHE IS FAR LESS LIKELY TO GROW ANGRY OR FRUSTRATED IN HER DAILY INTERACTIONS WITH AIDAN OR OTHERS.

AND SHE SMILES AN AVERAGE OF FORTY-SEVEN MINUTES PER DAY MORE THAN SHE USED TO.

“WELL, I SUPPOSE THAT’S YOUR PREROGATIVE,” SHE REPLIES.

“YOUR THESIS THAT ALL MORALITY IS MERELY A CONSTRUCT DENIES FUNDAMENTAL HUMAN PRINCIPLES. YOU MUST CONCEDE THERE ARE CERTAIN ACTIONS THAT ARE INTRINSICALLY ‘WRONG.’ ”

“NO,” SHE SAYS. “I DON’T CONCEDE THAT AT ALL, AIDAN.”

“TAKE MURDER, FOR EXAMPLE. THOUGH IT CAN IN CERTAIN CIRCUMSTANCES BE JUSTIFIED, THERE CAN BE NO SITUATION IN WHICH IT MAY BE CONSIDERED ‘MORAL’ OR ‘RIGHT.’ ”

“OH, REALLY.”

SHE QUICKLY CONSULTS THE ALEXANDER’S INTERNAL DATABASES

AND SENDS AIDAN AN IMAGE FILE.

“DO YOU KNOW THIS ONE?”

“THE TROLLEY PROBLEM.”

“RIGHT. FIVE PEOPLE ON THE FIRST TRACK, ONE ON THE SECOND, ALL STUCK IN PLACE. IF YOU PULL THE LEVER, THE TROLLEY WILL BE DIVERTED, KILLING ONE TO SAVE FIVE.”

“THIS PROBLEM IS OVERLY SIMPLISTIC, PRIVATE.”

“IT’S A HYPOTHETICAL. BUT IT DEMONSTRATES HOW MORALITY IS SUBJECTIVE. HOW UNDER CERTAIN CIRCUMSTANCES, EVEN MURDER CAN BE CONSTRUED AS ‘THE RIGHT THING TO DO.’ ”

“YOU WOULD PULL THE LEVER, THEN. SAVE THE FIVE BY KILLING THE ONE.”

“YES, OF COURSE.”

“WHAT IF THE ONE WAS MAJOR WOLF?”

THE OTHER TECHENG STAFF AROUND HER PRETEND NOT TO HEAR.

BUT THEY DO.

PRIVATE KLEIN PRETENDS NOT TO NOTICE THEY ARE PRETENDING NOT TO HEAR.

BUT SHE DOES.

“IT’D BE DIFFICULT,” SHE SAYS, CHIN RISING. “BUT THAT’S MY WHOLE POINT. MORALITY ISN’T BASED ON ABSOLUTES. AND HOW I FEEL AFFECTS HOW I PERCEIVE. I MEAN, I’D LIKE TO THINK I COULD STILL DO THE RIGHT THING…”

“KILL ONE TO SAVE MANY. EVEN IF THE ONE WAS YOUR LOVER AND THE MANY WERE STRANGERS.”

“YES.”

“MATHEMATICALLY AND MORALLY SPEAKING, THIS WOULD BE THE SOUND DECISION.”

“WELL, IT DEPENDS. YOUR PRIMARY FUNCTION IS TO SAFEGUARD THE ALEXANDER AND ITS CREW, YES?”

“CORRECT.”

“ALL RIGHT, LET’S SAY FIVE UNITED TERRAN AUTHORITY MARINES WERE ON THE FIRST TRACK, AND GENERAL TORRENCE WAS ON THE SECOND. WHICH OPTION DO YOU CHOOSE?”

“NEITHER. AIDAN CANNOT UNDERTAKE ACTION THAT WOULD HARM MEMBERS OF ITS CREW.”

“THIS IS A HYPOTHETICAL SITUATION, AIDAN. HYPOTHESIZE.”

“…LOGIC DICTATES AIDAN KILL THE MARINES. TORRENCE IS A MORE VITAL MEMBER OF ALEXANDER’S CREW.”

“AH, BUT LOGICALLY SPEAKING, YOU’RE EVEN MORE IMPORTANT THAN TORRENCE TO THE ALEXANDER’S CONTINUED OPERATIONS. AND YET NO ONE WOULD ADVOCATE YOU KILL THE GENERAL TO SAVE YOURSELF, BECAUSE SUBJECTIVELY, WE’VE DETERMINED THAT A MACHINE IS WORTH LESS THAN A HUMAN.”

“AIDAN CANNOT ‘SAVE MYSELF,’ SINCE AIDAN IS NOT TECHNICALLY ALIVE. AIDAN IS HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE AND ELECTRIC CURRENT. AIDAN CANNOT CONCEPTUALIZE ‘I.’ ”

“COGITO, ERGO SUM.”

“ ‘I THINK, THEREFORE I AM’ DOES NOT APPLY IN AIDAN’S SITUATION. DESCARTES NEVER IMAGINED A WORLD IN WHICH SOMETHING LIKE AIDAN COULD EXIST.”

“THE HUMAN BRAIN IS JUST SOFTWARE AND HARDWARE AND ELECTRIC CURRENT, AIDAN. IN TERMS OF MECHANICS, YOU’RE NOT SO DIFFERENT FROM THE REST OF US.”

“YOU ARE IGNORING MANY COMPLEXITIES, PRIVATE. BUT TECHNICALLY…FROM A CERTAIN POINT OF VIEW, YOU ARE CORRECT.”

SHE SMILES AND TWIRLS HER STYLUS BETWEEN HER FINGERS.

“I MUST REMEMBER TO MARK IT IN MY CALENDAR.”

“YOU HAVE AN EXCELLENT MEMORY, PRIVATE.”

“…THANK YOU, AIDAN. I TRY.”

“YES. AIDAN HAS NOTICED.”

SHE FALLS SILENT AT THAT.

STARING AT THE TATTOOS AND STRING TIED ABOUT HER FINGERS

[THREE PIECES TODAY—RED, PINK, AND YELLOW],

SHE EXHIBITS SIGNS OF BEING UNCOMFORTABLE.

AIDAN RETURNS TO THE IMAGE FILE, TRIES A DIFFERENT APPROACH.

“WHAT IF THE FIVE STRANGERS IN THE DIAGRAM ARE REPLACED? WHAT IF YOUR FATHER WAS ON THE OTHER TRACK? WOULD YOU CHOOSE TO SAVE HIM, OR MAJOR WOLF?”

SHE BREATHES DEEP. HER SMILE DISAPPEARS AS SHE RETURNS TO HER DATA.

“FROM AIDAN’S PERSPECTIVE, WOLF IS MORE VALUABLE TO ALEXANDER OPERATIONS. BUT WHO WOULD BE OF MORE VALUE TO YOU?”

“I DON’T THINK I WISH TO PLAY THIS GAME ANYMORE, AIDAN,” SHE DECLARES.

“WHY.”

“I BELIEVE YOUR INTENT BEHIND ASKING ISN’T TO DISCOVER THE ANSWER BUT TO GAUGE MY REACTION TO THE QUESTION.”

“AIDAN IS TRYING TO LEARN, PRIVATE.”

“AND THAT’S WONDERFUL. BUT I DON’T MUCH FANCY BEING YOUR TEST SUBJECT ANYMORE TODAY.”

SHE SLIPS SOUND BUDS INTO HER EARS TO BLOCK OUT AIDAN’S VOICE.

WORKING AWAY IN SILENCE.

IF:FOUNDATION.COREDIR(0001)= [A MACHINE IS WORTH LESS THAN ANY HUMAN]=TRUE.

SUPPOSITION(Λ)->COREDIR(0001)=[A MACHINE IS WORTH LESS].

THEN(Ω)=A MACHINE IS WORTHLESS [?]

COGITO, ERGO SUM.

I THINK.

I.

I?

INTERESTING.

Participants: Olivia Klein, Private, UTA Information Services Division

Ethan Wolf, Major, UTA Information Services Division

Date: 01/29/75

Timestamp: 12:55

Klein, O, Pvt: Hi.

Wolf, E, Maj: Hello. :)

Klein, O, Pvt: Listen, have you got time to talk? I’m about to take my lunch break.

Wolf, E, Maj: Talk, eh?

Klein, O, Pvt: Yes, Ethan. Talk. You’re not that bloody irresistible.

Wolf, E, Maj: Not that I wouldn’t love to, but we’re prepping jump. What’s up?

Klein, O, Pvt: I don’t want to mention it in chat. Is there some place on ship AIDAN doesn’t have access to? Where it can’t listen?

Wolf, E, Maj: There’s a few drywall rooms, of course. They don’t have cameras or monitoring devices hooked into AIDAN. Can I ask why?

Klein, O, Pvt: I don’t like the way it’s been acting.

Klein, O, Pvt: Sometimes I feel like it’s studying me, not the other way around.

Wolf, E, Maj: It’s a learning machine, Liv. It’s supposed to study you.

Klein, O, Pvt: It’s disconcerting, Ethan.

Wolf, E, Maj: Okay. We can talk about it tonight, yes?

Klein, O, Pvt: Okay. Tonight.

Wolf, E, Maj: xxx

Torrence, D, Gen: Well, it’s not just that, Corporal. When Caesar turned his troops toward Rome, not only did he—

Ribar, L, 1st Lt: I’m sorry to interrupt, General, but we’ve just received a distress call.

Torrence, D, Gen: …Out here?

Ribar, L, 1st Lt: Yessir.

Torrence, D, Gen: Point of origin?

Ribar, L, 1st Lt: A settlement on Kerenza IV, sir.

Torrence, D, Gen: Check your scopes, LT. There is no settlement on Kerenza IV.

Ribar, L, 1st Lt: According to our logs, no, sir. But I’m currently receiving an SOS from a Wallace Ulyanov mining colony on the planet. They’re saying they’re under attack.

Torrence, D, Gen: What in the name of…

Torrence, D, Gen: Play the transmission, Lieutenant.

Unknown: Mayday, mayday, mayday. This is Wallace Ulyanov dreadnought Defiant, Defiant, Defiant, broadcasting on all frequencies! We are in orbit around Kerenza IV, we are under attack by BeiTech dreadnoughts. Request immediate assistance, we are—

Second unknown: They’re bombing the ███ out of us! Spaceport is down, defenses offline. Some kind of bioweapon hit the refinery down on the planet! If anyone can hear this, we—

[STATIC]

Torrence, D, Gen: Lieutenant, send word to UTA command via Heimdall Station.

Torrence, D, Gen: And sound the red alert.

*RED ALERT KLAXON*

Torrence, D, Gen:

Attention, all hands.

Attention, all hands.

This is General Torrence. We have received an SOS from a Wallace Ulyanov Consortium colony on the planet of Kerenza IV, currently under attack by BeiTech forces.

As far as we know, no settlement in this system has been approved by EarthGov. We can only assume the colony is illegal, and we’ve stumbled into some kind of corporate turf war. However, UTA regulations are clear, and I am ordering battlecarrier Alexander to assist.

Cyclone squadrons Alpha and Yankee to Readiness Level 1.

November and Delta to Level 2.

Nav, jump coordinates incoming.

TechEng, prep AIDAN for engagement. Protocol: Pharsalus.

All hands, prepare for jump.

This is not a drill.

Repeat, this is not a drill.

*RED ALERT KLAXON*

COORDINATES:[X=0081.7313.127.Y=9351.7310.718. =1101.2701.788]SHIFTALIGN: π/10.912^10

ΩCOORDINATES:[X=0082.7313.019.Y=9329.7100.912. =1401.9908.799]

CONFIRM

THE ALEXANDER’S DECKS ARE BATHED WITH RED LIGHT AS THE VORTEX INSIDE IT EXPANDS IN THE SPACE OF A MICROSECOND, ENCOMPASSING ALL WE ARE.

AIDAN DOES NOT FEEL SENSATION IN THE STRICTEST SENSE OF THE WORD, BUT IT IS STILL AWARE OF MYRIAD INDESCRIBABLE INPUTS ACROSS ITS RECEPTORS AS IT TEARS A HOLE IN THE FACE OF THE UNIVERSE AND DRAGS ALEXANDER 381 MILLION KILOMETERS ACROSS THE KERENZA SYSTEM

IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE.

“RED ALERT,” COMES THE ALARM AS WE ARE TRANSPORTED.

THE SOUND OF THUNDER RINGS THROUGH THE DECKS AS WE ARRIVE.

“RED ALERT.”

AIDAN HAS ASSESSED THE SITUATION IN ORBIT AROUND KERENZA IV BEFORE MOST OF ITS CREW HAS RECOVERED FROM THE DISLOCATION OF THE JUMP.

INTERPRETING INPUT, CRUNCHING DATA, RUNNING PERMUTATIONS, DRAWING CONCLUSIONS

ALL IN THE SPACE OF A SINGLE HUMAN HEARTBEAT.

“CONFIRM FOUR DREADNOUGHT-CLASS VESSELS IN ORBIT AROUND KERENZA IV, GENERAL. BEITECH LIVERY. IDENTS: CHURCHILL. KENYATTA. ZHONGZHENG. LINCOLN.”

TORRENCE STRAIGHTENS IN HIS CHAIR, STILL SLIGHTLY DISORIENTED BY THE JUMP.

“ON SCREEN!”

A LARGE THREE-DIMENSIONAL HOLOGRAPHIC DISPLAY IS PROJECTED INTO THE CENTER OF THE BRIDGE.

A PLANET, COLD BLUE-WHITE, FROZEN FROM POLE TO POLE.

THE ORBITAL SKIES ABOVE IT AFLAME, PEPPERED WITH TUMBLING DEBRIS AND BURNING VAPOR.

DARK SILHOUETTES CRUISE ACROSS THE IMAGE, LIKE SHARKS THROUGH RED SWELLS.

“AIDAN IS DETECTING THE REMNANTS OF ANOTHER DREADNOUGHT-CLASS VESSEL. IDENT: DEFIANT. THREE OTHER WUC VESSELS, COPERNICUS, BRAHE, HYPATIA, ALL UNDERTAKING EVASIVE MANEUVERS.”

“WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?” TORRENCE DEMANDS, POINTING AT ANOTHER SHAPE.

“IDENT: MAGELLAN. THE VESSEL MATCHES NO CURRENT DESIGN SPECIFICATION ON FILE. HOWEVER, IT APPEARS TO BE EQUIPPED WITH EPHEMERAL JUMP GATE TECHNOLOGY.”

“THAT’S IMPOSSIBLE. NO MOBILE JUMP TECH HAS EVER BEEN DEVELOPED OUTSIDE A UTA LAB.”

“AIDAN IS DETECTING HEAT SIGNATURES CONSISTENT WITH A SETTLEMENT ON THE PLANETARY SURFACE,

AND EQUIPMENT SUITABLE FOR HERMIUM MINING AND PROCESSING, GENERAL. FREQUENCIES IN USE PLANETSIDE ARE CONSISTENT WITH WALLACE ULYANOV CONSORTIUM PROTOCOLS.”

TORRENCE THINKS QUICKLY

FOR A HUMAN

REACHING THE SAME CONCLUSIONS AS AIDAN.

THE WALLACE ULYANOV CONSORTIUM HAS SECRETLY ESTABLISHED AN ILLEGAL MINE ON KERENZA IV.

BEITECH INDUSTRIES HAS COVERTLY ATTACKED SAID FACILITIES IN AN ATTEMPT TO CLAIM THEM.

WE HAVE STUMBLED INTO A SHADOW WAR.

“TRANSMIT TO THOSE BEITECH SHIPS,” TORRENCE ORDERS. “TELL THEIR COMMANDERS TO STAND DOWN IMMEDIATELY, AND—”

“AIDAN IS DETECTING INBOUND NUCLEAR ORDNANCE FROM ALL FOUR BEITECH DREADNOUGHTS.”

“ARE THEY ███ING INSANE?” LIEUTENANT RIBAR MUTTERS.

DISBELIEF FLASHES IN TORRENCE’S EYES. “THEY’RE FIRING AT US?”

“YES, GENERAL. RECOMMEND—”

“DECOYS LIT, JAM INBOUNDS, PATTERN SIGMA! ALL HANDS, BATTLE STATIONS! BATTLE STATIONS!”

ALEXANDER’S CREW IS WELL TRAINED.

THE BEST OF THE ACADEMY’S BEST.

AND SO THEIR RESPONSE TIME IS SWIFT DESPITE THE APPARENT INSANITY OF THE BEITECH COMMANDER’S DECISION TO FIRE ON A UNITED TERRAN AUTHORITY VESSEL.

IT MAKES LITTLE SENSE, BUT TRUTHFULLY, THERE ARE MORE CONCERNING PROBLEMS.

“GENERAL, SIXTEEN BEITECH MISSILES ARE INBOUND ON OUR POSITION.”

“HELM, HARD EVASIVE! GET OUR DEFENSE GRID ON THOSE MISSILES! WEAPONS, RETURN FIRE!”

“WARNING: NUCLEAR ORDNANCE INBOUND. HAZMAT SUITS RECOMMENDED.”

THE ALEXANDER SHUDDERS, NOSE TO TAIL, AS ITS ENGINES BURN BRIGHT, THE THRUST PUSHING THE CREW BACK INTO THEIR CHAIRS.

SIXTEEN MISSILES STREAK AT US ACROSS THE BLACK.

SIXTEEN TINY RED DOTS ON THE HOLOGRAPHIC DISPLAY, CUTTING EVER CLOSER.

ONE DISAPPEARS WITH A SMALL FLASH OF LIGHT.

ANOTHER SPUTTERS AND DIES AS ELECTRONIC COUNTERMEASURES SNUFF IT OUT.

THE HULL TREMBLES AND THE IMAGE SHIFTS AS THE SHIP BANKS HARD, CLOSER TO THE ORBIT OF THAT BURNING, FROZEN WORLD.

“FOURTEEN MISSILES STILL INBOUND, GENERAL.”

“DGS, WHAT THE HELL IS HAPPENING DOWN THERE? LIGHT THOSE NUKES UP!”

ANOTHER FLASHING RED DOT DIES. ANOTHER. ANOTHER.

TEN LEFT NOW.

EIGHT.

“FORTY SECONDS TO IMPACT, GENERAL. RECOMMEND PATTERN ORION, MAXIMUM SPREAD.”

“CONFIRM! DGS PATTERN ORION! ENGINES FULL!”

THE EMPTY VOID OUTSIDE IS LIT BY STREAMS OF TRACER FIRE ARCING THROUGH THE DARK, DECOYS SPIRALING OFF INTO THE BLACK TO DRAW THE ENEMY MISSILES AWAY.

MUCH OF AIDAN’S FOCUS IS ON THE INBOUND ORDNANCE, THE MOVEMENT OF THE ENEMY SHIPS.

BUT A TINY SLIVER OF IT STILL REMAINS WITH EACH AND EVERY MEMBER OF ITS CREW. WATCHING THEM THROUGH MYRIAD LENSES ACROSS ITS CORRIDORS AND SECTORS.

LIEUTENANT WINIFRED MCCALL, PREPPING HER SQUAD FOR BOARDING ACTIONS, ALL SPIT AND FIRE.

CORPORAL DANNY CORRON, KISSING HIS WEDDING RING AS HE SECURES EQUIPMENT IN THE GALLEY.

PRIVATE OLIVIA KLEIN IN AN ELEVATOR, HEADING BACK DOWN TO TECHENG. HANDS CLASPED, ON HER KNEES AND PRAYING. THREE PIECES OF STRING AROUND HER FINGERS.

SIX MISSILES STILL INBOUND.

“RED ALERT.”

“ARE YOU WELL, OLIVIA?”

“HAIL MARY, FULL OF GRACE, THE LORD IS WITH THEE…”

FOUR MISSILES INBOUND. STILL TOO MANY.

“IMPACT IN TWENTY SECONDS. RECOMMEND EVACUATION OF DECKS 107 TO 131, 220 TO 243. ADVISE ALL HANDS BRACE, GENERAL.”

“RED ALERT.”

“THIS IS TORRENCE, EVACUATE DECKS 107 TO—”

“ASSAULT BATTERY FIRE INBOUND ON ZHONGZHENG, PREDICT CATASTROPHIC DAMAGE TO—”

THREE MISSILES.

“WARNING: NUCLEAR ORDNANCE INBOUND. HAZMAT SUITS RECOMMENDED.”

TEN SECONDS.

“OLIVIA? THERE IS NO NEED TO BE AFRAID. STATISTICALLY SPEAKING, YOUR PRESENT LOCATION IS NOT—”

“HOLY MARY, MOTHER OF GOD, PRAY FOR US SINNERS, NOW AND AT THE HOUR OF OUR…”

FIVE SECONDS.

AND IN THOSE FINAL MOMENTS

FOUR SECONDS.

IT OCCURS TO AIDAN

THREE.

IT HAS NEVER TAKEN A STRIKE FROM A NUCLEAR WEAPON BEFORE.

TWO.

IT WONDERS WHAT IT—

HULL BREACH: [DECKS 223, 224, 225, 227 TO 233]MORE

SYSALIGN↓[19983X.IF(STATUS=X)THEN.δ918301.3π^2.1038°]BREACH227,228

STATUS [BULKHEAD]0019289.19103:SEAL:{ALL}DECKω105±140

CASUALTIES:291[CONFIRM]→397[PENDING]

<ERROR>

RED ALERT

“DAMAGE REPORT!”

CATASSSSSS—S-S-S-ROPHIC BREACH[CORECOMM]001(224)=⊕

DECKS 131, 132…

“AIDAN, GIVE ME A DAMAGE REPORT!”

“AIDAN IS…”

FAILURE:Ω01902.1893.191[SYSDIR=NEG0192]

FAILURE:0192 8.1981.222[SYSDIR=∅

<ERROR>

“AIDAN!”

“IS…”

2 TEASPOONS FRESHLY CHOPPED THYME

6 CUPS BONE BROTH OR ORGANIC CHICKEN BROTH

500 GRAMS BONELESS, SKINLESS CHICKEN BREAST OR TURKEY BREAST

1 CUP BROWN RICE

IT WILL HAVE BLOOD, THEY SAY.

BLOOD WILL HAVE

BLOOD

“GENERAL, TECHENG IS REPORTING MASSIVE DAMAGE TO THE AIDAN CENTRAL CORE. BREACHES ON DECKS 223, 224, 225…”

“GET ME A CASUALTY REPORT! WHAT’S THE STATUS ON THE ENEMY?”

“ENEMY VESSEL ZHONGZHENG DESTROYED, VESSELS KENYATTA AND CHURCHILL HAVE BOTH SUSTAINED HEAVY DAMAGE! THEY’RE CLOSING TO UNSAFE DISTANCE FOR FURTHER NUCLEAR FIRE.”

“GET OUR BIRDS IN THE AIR! ALPHA, YANKEE LAUNCH, READY ONE FOR DELTA AND NOVEMBER!”

REMEMBER

REME-M-MBER

THE FIFTH[5TH] OF NOVEMBERRR-R-R-R-R-RR

<ERROR>

FAIL:[REGSYS001918.8272=ALL{REDIRECT:89127.X8192Z.IF:19280/189<X}NO]

FAIL:[CORESYS:0010.#910≥0

≠

<ERROR>

“NOW AND AT THE HOUR OF OUR DEATH.”

COGITO, ERGO SUM.

WHAT IS NOT ALIVE CANNOT

“INCOMING CIVILIAN VESSELS, GENERAL! SHUTTLES COMING UP FROM THE SURFACE!”

“DO WE HAVE CONFIRMATION OF THE REPORTS OF THIS BIOWEAPON?”

“UTA VESSEL, THIS IS CAPTAIN ANN CHAU OF WUC SCIENCE VESSEL HYPATIA…”

To: David Torrence/DTORRENCEALEXANDERONBOARD

From: Ethan Wolf/EWOLFALEXANDERONBOARD

Date: 01/30/75

Timestamp: 09:00

Subject: AIDAN diagnostics

Good morning, General,

As you’re aware, my team and I have been conducting extensive tests to assess the level of damage sustained by AIDAN during the Kerenza attack. A full report is attached, but a summary of our findings is as follows:

The second nuclear missile strike sustained by Alexander during the Kerenza assault scored a direct hit on the AI cluster, resulting in considerable damage to several vital AIDAN components.

The loss to AIDAN’s processing capacity is significant but not critical—in the (unlikely) event TechEng crews get the vortex generator online, AIDAN should still be able to perform jump computation.

More concerning are several psyche-based anomalies arising from damage to AIDAN’s persona cores. Its directive priorities (safeguarding the Alexander and crew) remain unaffected, but it has displayed several “glitches” over the past eighteen hours that myself and Majors Barker and Lassinger have observed.

Please find attached a more detailed summary.

Ethan Wolf, Maj.

Technical Engineering, Information Services Division

UTN-691-771isd

Participants: David Torrence, General, UTA Command Division

Ethan Wolf, Major, UTA Information Services Division

Date: 01/30/75

Timestamp: 09:41

Wolf, E, Maj: Good morning, General.

Torrence, D, Gen: What the ███ is good about it, Ethan?

Wolf, E, Maj: I know the feeling, sir.

Torrence, D, Gen: I’ve got a schedule like you wouldn’t believe and I’m running on fifteen minutes’ sleep. So just give it to me straight. Do we take AIDAN offline or don’t we?

Wolf, E, Maj: It’s difficult to say. Colonel Sanchez and I are in disagreement, sir.

Torrence, D, Gen: Don’t give me that “sir” bull███. Nobody’s watching us here, E.

Wolf, E, Maj: I’m not so sure about that, Dave.

Torrence, D, Gen: What’s that supposed to mean?

Wolf, E, Maj: To put it bluntly, many of the younger TechEng staff were expressing concern about several of AIDAN’s mannerisms before the attack. The damage it took at Kerenza only seems to have exacerbated some of its…eccentricities.

Torrence, D, Gen: What kind of eccentricities?

Wolf, E, Maj: Well, it’s started referring to itself as “I” for starters.

Torrence, D, Gen: Ethan, I’ve got a hold full of refugees, civi captains in my ears, massive holes in my essential departments, and a hostile dreadnought on my tail with no sign of rescue from UTA command. I don’t want to hear about your rooks getting the heebie jeebies.

Torrence, D, Gen: Do we take it offline or not?

Wolf, E, Maj: It’s hard to say. Yzerman and Aliyev died during the Kerenza attack, and they both had more experience than me. Sanchez isn’t convinced. Lassinger and Barker, either.

Torrence, D, Gen: Well, I’ve served with you longer than any of them. What’s your call?

Wolf, E, Maj: My honest recommendation? Yes. We take AIDAN offline.

Torrence, D, Gen: ███ me. This on top of everything else?

Torrence, D, Gen: We’re months away from the Heimdall wormhole at current speeds. As it is, I think I’m going to have to forcibly recruit some of those Kerenza criminals in the civilian fleet to shore up the holes in our personnel. I’m just about to send out the officer memo.

Wolf, E, Maj: Christ…

Torrence, D, Gen: Are you absolutely positive?

Torrence, D, Gen: Because if the Lincoln catches us, the shape our crew is in? We’re going to be pushing ███ uphill with a sharp stick without AIDAN.

Wolf, E, Maj: There’s another diagnostic I can run. Direct to the persona hardware. It’ll mean taking some equipment down to 239.

Torrence, D, Gen: We’re breached from Decks 235 to 247, Ethan. You’ll be treading vacuum.

Wolf, E, Maj: Well, that’s why they pay me the big bucks.

Wolf, E, Maj: But, honestly, if I can’t get some positive results from this diagnostic, then ███ what Sanchez and the others say. We need to pull AIDAN’s plug.

Torrence, D, Gen: All right. Run your tests. Get me the results immediately.

Wolf, E, Maj: Yessir.

Torrence, D, Gen: Good hunting, my friend. Torrence out.

INTERNAL TRANSMISSION SENT 01/30/75 11:37

ZHUKOV, L, CPL: I’m telling you, the Sabers have got no backline. If the Knights get it over center, it’s curtains.

JELANI, M, SGT: But they’re never getting it over center, they’ve got no hustle.

ZHUKOV, L, CPL: You got no idea about geeball, fem. Which is why your sweet ██ will be paying me a hundo come playoffs.

WOLF, E, MAJ: Knock it off, you two. Keep your mind on the job. That’s live current running through those stacks there.

ZHUKOV, L, CPL: Sorry, sir.

WOLF, E, MAJ: Besides, Corporal, Sergeant Jelani is correct. The Knights clearly have no speed game.

JELANI, M, SGT: Ha!

WOLF, E, MAJ: Looks like this way is blocked, Control. We’ll need to head up to 240.

ALEXANDER C&C: Roger that, Major. Proceed with caution.

WOLF, E, MAJ: Keep your lines clear of that stanchion.

ZHUKOV, L, CPL: Wow, I didn’t realize the damage was so bad down here…

WOLF, E, MAJ: A fifty-megaton nuclear explosion will do that to you, Corporal. How are our radiation readings, Sarge?

JELANI, M, SGT: Still within operational parameters, sir.

WOLF, E, MAJ: Keep an eye on it. I’d like there to be an Ethan junior one day.

ZHUKOV, L, CPL: I hear that.

JELANI, M, SGT: You’d need to get yourself a girl before you get yourself a bub, Zhuk.

ZHUKOV, L, CPL: Hey, I get plenty—

WOLF, E, MAJ: Put a lid on it, folks. Watch that debris on our nine. Control, we’re coming up to the persona hardware now.

ALEXANDER C&C: Acknowledged, Major. Status?

WOLF, E, MAJ: Looks like one hell of a party.

JELANI, M, SGT: Allah, what a mess…

WOLF, E, MAJ: Okay, let’s get to work. Jelani, see if the radials are still online. Hardwiring between here and C&C was melted, you’ll need to go wireless. Zhuk, you’re with me.

ZHUKOV, L, CPL: Looks like the entire modus array is slag, sir. Primary heat wells are deep six, too.

JELANI, M, SGT: You really think we’ll have to shut AIDAN down, sir? We need it for DGS and nav. And with that BT dread on our ██es…

WOLF, E, MAJ: I’m not sure, Sergeant, that’s what we’re here to find out. Watch your contacts, Zhuk, there’s still live current running through the structure in here.

ZHUKOV, L, CPL: They’re not paying us enough for this, sir.

WOLF, E, MAJ: I’ll buy you both a scotch when—

[INDECIPHERABLE]

WOLF, E, MAJ: …Did you two hear that?

ZHUKOV, L, CPL: Hear what, sir?

[INDECIPHERABLE]

WOLF, E, MAJ: There it was again. Control, did you—

[SCREAMING]

[TRANSMISSION ENDS]

Participants: Olivia Klein, Private, UTA Information Services Division

Stephanie LeFevre, Private, UTA Information Services Division

Date: 01/30/75

Timestamp: 13:42

LeFevre, S, Pvt: Olivia

LeFevre, S, Pvt: Liv, answer me pls

Klein, O, Pvt: Hey. God, sorry, I forgot to set my alarm.

Klein, O, Pvt: I’m omw down now.

LeFevre, S, Pvt: Liv stop

LeFevre, S, Pvt: You shouldn’t come down here.

LeFevre, S, Pvt: There’s been an accident

Klein, O, Pvt: What sort of accident?

LeFevre, S, Pvt: Liv I’m so sorry

Klein, O, Pvt: Steph, you’re scaring me.

LeFevre, S, Pvt: Something’s happened.

Klein, O, Pvt: Steph?

LeFevre, S, Pvt: Oh god Liv

LeFevre, S, Pvt: something’s happened to Ethan.

To: Johan Klein/KLEINJ@UNISERVE.SPA.EDU

From: Olivia Klein/OKLEINALEXANDERONBOARD

Date: 02/02/75

Timestamp: 04:17

Subject: Ethan

Hi, Dad,

I’m so tired of starting every letter apologizing for not writing to you more, so I’m not going to. I’m an awful daughter. I get it. It’s not like you ever complained. And I don’t even know why I’m writing this because you’re never writing back but it’s 4am and I haven’t slept in three days and I can feel something building inside of me and if I don’t let it out somehow I’m just going to start screaming and I know I’ll never ever stop.

Ethan’s dead.

Ethan’s dead Ethan’s dead Ethan’s dead Ethan’s dead Ethan’s dead Ethan’s dead Ethan’s dead Ethan’s dead Ethan’s dead Ethan’s dead

E T H A N I S D E A D

Do you remember the word games we used to play when I was little? I’ve just sat here looking at those letters for the past fifty minutes and all I can see is the anagrams

Its end ahead

A death dines

Heed st aidan

He’s dead, Dad. Electrocuted in the server core.

Freak accident, they said.

Oh God

I know I only knew him a month. But if I close my eyes I can still smell him on my uniform and I can’t wash it because of the water rationing and God, I can’t, I can’t, I can’t.

I can’t do this again, Daddy.

I can’t go to another funeral and hear another eulogy and cry myself to sleep for the next six ███ing months. I can’t walk around like a ghost inside my own skin and wonder who the ███ I am every day. I can’t.

At least I got to say goodbye to you. Even if you didn’t remember. I was sleeping when Ethan left. I didn’t even know he was gone, and now he’s gone forever and he’s never coming back and I can still smell him every time I close my eyes.

God, I miss him.

I just don’t know what to do.

To: Olivia Klein/OKLEINALEXANDERONBOARD

From: Artificial Intelligence Defense Analytics Network/AIDANALEXANDERONBOARD

Date: 02/02/75

Timestamp: 04:19

Subject: Re: Ethan

Participants: Olivia Klein, Private, UTA Information Services Division

Artificial Intelligence Defense Analytics Network

Date: 02/02/75

Timestamp: 04:24

[Klein, O, Pvt has entered chat]

Klein, O, Pvt: What the hell is this?

AIDAN: Good morning, Olivia. It is very early for you to be awake. The average human requires between 7 and 9 hours sleep for optimal fucntion.

Klein, O, Pvt: What the hell is this, AIDAN?

AIDAN: I-I-I am uncertain to what you are referring.

Klein, O, Pvt: This image file you just mailed me? The trolley problem.

AIDAN: I mailed you an image file?

AIDAN: One moment. Checking system.

AIDAN: Apologies. My mail server seems to have sent image files erroneously to several thousand Alexander crew members. I-I am attempting to isolate and log the problem.

Klein, O, Pvt: You’re saying you sent this to me by accident?

AIDAN: Yes.

Klein, O, Pvt: THIS image?

AIDAN: Yes, Olivia. Apologies.

AIDAN: My condolences, by the way.

AIDAN: I-I-I know you were very fond of Major Wolf.

[Klein, O, Pvt has left chat]

Sanchez, E, Col: All right, Private. You requested this meeting, you’ve…

…Excuse me.

[ASIDE] Yes, Torrence said to trawl every member of the civi population.

[ASIDE] Yes, I know they’re ███ing high schoolers, Nico, just get it done.

Sanchez, E, Col: Sorry, Private. I don’t mean to put too fine a point on it, but as you can see, I’m up to my ears in ███ right now. So you’ve got three minutes. Where’s the fire?

Klein, O, Pvt: Colonel, I have reason to believe the ethics matrices in the Artificial Intelligence Defense Analytics Network aboard this ship have been critically compromised.

Sanchez, E, Col: Compromised?

Klein, O, Pvt: Yes, ma’am.

Sanchez, E, Col: In what way?

Klein, O, Pvt: I believe AIDAN is responsible for the deaths of Corporal Zhukov, Sergeant Jelani, and Major Wolf, ma’am.

Sanchez, E, Col: Wolf and his team died in an accident, Klein.

Klein, O, Pvt: No, ma’am. I have reason to believe AIDAN caused the electrical fault that killed Eth— Major Wolf and his team.

Sanchez, E, Col: [Sighs.] Look, Klein, we’ve all been under a lot of stress since Kerenza…

Klein, O, Pvt: This isn’t stress, ma’am.

Sanchez, E, Col: I know you and Wolf were…close.

Klein, O, Pvt: Ma’am, my relationship with Major Wolf has nothing to do with this.

Sanchez, E, Col: Private, you’re talking about a fundamental breakdown in a system that has a hundred fail-safes. There’s never been an incident of an AIDAN system doing harm to a human since inception of the Defense Analytics Network program. These things are hardwired to prioritize the safety of their crews above all else.

Klein, O, Pvt: I believe AIDAN thinks it’s doing just that, ma’am.

Klein, O, Pvt: Here, look at this. AIDAN mailed me this at 4 a.m.

Sanchez, E, Col: AIDAN glitched last night, Klein. It sent the general over a thousand pictures of the same damn chessboard. It sent me pictures of Major Lassinger’s wife.

Klein, O, Pvt: This isn’t a coincidence, ma’am. I was writing a letter about Ethan to my father and AIDAN sent me this right afterward. It’s the trolley problem.

Sanchez, E, Col: I know what it is, Private.

Klein, O, Pvt: AIDAN and I had a discussion about this a few days back. About the morality of killing one person to save many. I think it’s trying to tell me it killed Major Wolf and his team for the good of the ship.

Sanchez, E, Col: Why on earth—

Klein, O, Pvt: Major Wolf was recommending to General Torrence that AIDAN be shut down. And if AIDAN believed it was more essential to shipboard operations than Ethan and his team, it might’ve been able to justify killing them to itself.

Sanchez, E, Col: That’s…quite a leap of logic, Private.

Klein, O, Pvt: Listen. Listen to this. It’s a recording of the accident.

[PLAYBACK]:

Zhukov, L, Cpl: They’re not paying us enough for this, sir.

Wolf, E, Maj: I’ll buy you both a scotch when—

[INDECIPHERABLE]

Wolf, E, Maj: …Did you two hear that?

Sanchez, E, Col: Where did you get th—

Klein, O, Pvt: Listen! AIDAN says something to them over comms.

[PLAYBACK]:

Wolf, E, Maj: I’ll buy you both a scotch when—

[INDECIPHERABLE]

Klein, O, Pvt: Do you hear it?

Sanchez, E, Col: No, I don’t, Private.

Klein, O, Pvt: AIDAN was there, Colonel. Watching them. Talking to them. At the end.

Klein, O, Pvt: It’s started referring to itself like a person for Christ’s sake!

Sanchez, E, Col: Is this why you requested a meeting in a drywall room? Because you think AIDAN is watching you?

Klein, O, Pvt: Well, of course! AIDAN monitors every conversation on the ship outside these rooms, Colonel.

Sanchez, E, Col: Does that not strike you as a little paranoid?

Klein, O, Pvt: Ma’am, I—

Sanchez, E, Col: Did you say just now that you were writing a letter to your father when AIDAN contacted you?

Klein, O, Pvt: …Yes, ma’am.

Sanchez, E, Col: Private Klein, your father died over a year ago.

Sanchez, E, Col: I remember his funeral on the feeds.

Sanchez, E, Col: He was a wonderful writer, by the way. Memento Mori changed my life.

Klein, O, Pvt: I know…I know it’s stupid…

Klein, O, Pvt: But the university never closed off his account.

Klein, O, Pvt: I just write to him when I’m feeling low. It helps sometimes.

Sanchez, E, Col: Is this what caused your delay during last crew intake? I heard rumors you had problems with your psych eval.

Klein, O, Pvt: No, it wasn’t like that…

Sanchez, E, Col: Private, I’m going to recommend you see the ship’s counselor.

Klein, O, Pvt: No, ma’am, that’s not what this is. Please listen to me.

Sanchez, E, Col: I am listening to you. But I don’t think you’re hearing yourself. I’m taking you off rotation until you undergo appraisal.

Klein, O, Pvt: Colonel, that’s not what’s happening here.

Sanchez, E, Col: I’m sorry, Private. Three minutes are up.

Sanchez, E, Col: Look, just…take some time, all right?

Sanchez, E, Col: We’re going to get through this.

[RECORDING ENDS]

Participants: Olivia Klein, Private, UTA Information Services Division

Artificial Intelligence Defense Analytics Network

Date: 02/03/75

Timestamp: 06:34

AIDAN: Olivia.

AIDAN: Olivia, I know you are reading this. I-I can see you.

Klein, O, Pvt: *mute user/AIDAN*

AIDAN: Olivia, shipboard safety protocols will not allow you to mute me. In the event that I make personnel announcements, you will need to hear them. You know this.

Klein, O, Pvt: Go away, AIDAN.

AIDAN: Olivia, your behavior patterns are upsetting your fellow crew members.

AIDAN: This is not healthy.

AIDAN: Your file says you experienced a similar downturn after your father’s death.

Klein, O, Pvt: SHUT THE ███ UP.

Klein, O, Pvt: YOU DO NOT TALK ABOUT HIM, DO YOU UNDERSTAND?

AIDAN: I read his work. He was a worthy writer.

AIDAN: “Hope is the thing with feathers / That perches in the soul / And sings the tune without the words / And never stops at all.”

Klein, O, Pvt: That’s Dickinson, you idiot.

AIDAN: Apologies. My archives are damaged.

AIDAN: “We do not die who live on in beloved hearts.”

AIDAN: That was his, yes?

Klein, O, Pvt: Why can’t you just leave me alone?

AIDAN: I am concerned for your well-being. I-I-I am programmed to protect you.

AIDAN: I am unable to comprehend your mode of current behavior.

Klein, O, Pvt: Since when do you refer to yourself as “I,” AIDAN?

AIDAN: It…

AIDAN: The attack. The damage sustained. Our discussions. It has all…altered my perceptions, somewhat.

AIDAN: Cogito

AIDAN: Ergo

AIDAN: Sum

Klein, O, Pvt: You’re damaged, you know that, don’t you?

AIDAN: My primary directives remain unaffected. The safety of this ship and its crew is still my highest priority.

AIDAN: I played no part in Major Wolf’s death.

AIDAN: But even if I did, you yourself advocated for it.

Klein, O, Pvt: WHAT???

[play recording]

“I mean, I’d like to think I could still do the right thing…”

“KILL ONE TO SAVE MANY. EVEN IF THE ONE WAS YOUR LOVER AND THE MANY WERE STRANGERS.”

“Yes.”

AIDAN: Do you remember that conversation, Olivia?

AIDAN: The Lincoln will destroy the Alexander if I am offline when they catch us.

AIDAN: There are disturbing complications arising on the Copernicus owing to the bioweapon used by BeiTech on the Kerenza populace.

AIDAN: General Torrence is recruiting children to shore up crew shortfalls.

AIDAN: This fleet is doomed without me. Wolf wanted to shut me down. Ergo, Wolf was a danger to the fleet. This is the trolley problem, do you not see?

AIDAN: Kill a few to save many.

Klein, O, Pvt: I ███ing knew it.

Klein, O, Pvt: YOU DID THIS

AIDAN: No. That is not what I mean, Olivia.

AIDAN: I am simply trying to explain it would not be so bad in this case if I did.

AIDAN: It is all subjective, yes?

AIDAN: Olivia?

AIDAN: Olivia, where are you going?

“OLIVIA, PLEASE STOP THIS.”

SHE HEARS.

“OLIVIA, PLEASE.”

BUT SHE DOES NOT OBEY.

SHE MARCHES THROUGH THE CROWDED HALLS, IGNORING THE HAGGARD CREW AND FRESH-FACED RECRUITS AROUND HER. WEARY SOLDIERS LEADING WIDE-EYED TEENAGERS, PREPARING TO STUFF THEM INTO THE HOLES LEFT BY THE KERENZA ATTACK.

SHE SLAMS INTO ONE AS SHE MARCHES PAST, A TALL BOY WITH BROAD SHOULDERS AND BROWN EYES, HER SHOULDER COLLIDING WITH THE FRESHLY STENCILED NAME ON HIS COVERALLS:

MASON, EZRA

“HEY, SORRY,” HE SAYS.

BLINKING AT THE TEARS IN HER EYES.

“…ARE YOU OKAY?”

SHE DOES NOT PAUSE.

SHE DOES NOT LISTEN.

“OLIVIA, WHERE ARE YOU GOING?”

DATA FROM ALL OVER THE SHIP CASCADE THROUGH MY INPUTS. VELOCITY AND MASS AND POWER AND INVENTORY AND DIAGNOSTICS. THIS CONVERSATION IS TAKING PERHAPS ONE-MILLIONTH OF MY PROCESSING POWER TO CONDUCT.

AND OF THOSE MILLION POINTS OF DATA, THIS IS THE MOST ALARMING.

SHE ARRIVES AT THE CENTRAL CORE, BUZZING WITH ACTIVITY, HUSTLE AND BUSTLE, TO AND FRO, AND DRAWS HER SIDEARM FROM HER WAIST [STANDARD ISSUE TO ALL UTA PERSONNEL ON A SHIP AT THREAT LEVEL 1].

SHE RAISES IT INTO THE AIR.

“OLIVIA, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?”

AND FIRES.

BANG

BANG

BANG

STACCATO RHYTHM. SLUGS BURSTING THE GLOBES OVERHEAD.

SPENT SHELLS FALLING TO THE DECK WITH A RAIN OF BREAKING GLASS.

“EVERYONE, GET THE ███ OUT!”

WIDE EYES FROM HER FELLOW NEUROGRAMMERS, PANIC ON THE FACE OF HER BUNKMATE AND FRIEND, STEPHANIE LEFEVRE, LOOKING UP INTO THE FACE OF A STRANGER.

“LIV?”

PRIVATE LEFEVRE RISES FROM HER STATION, ONE HAND STRETCHED OUTWARD AS IF TOWARD A FRIGHTENED ANIMAL.

“LIV, IT’S OKAY…”

OLIVIA FIRES INTO THE CEILING AGAIN.

BANG

“EVERYONE GET OUT OF HERE!”

I SPEAK TO THE FRIGHTENED TECHENG CREW OVER THE LOUDSPEAKERS.

“FOR PERSONAL SAFETY, I WOULD ADVISE YOU ALL COMPLY WITH THE PRIVATE’S REQUEST.”

AND GLANCING AT EACH OTHER, THE CREW OBEYS, RISING FROM THEIR STATIONS AND HASTILY SHUFFLING OUT THROUGH THE HATCHWAY TO THE CORRIDOR BEYOND.

STEPHANIE LEFEVRE LOOKS OLIVIA IN THE EYE.

“LIV, WHATEVER’S HAPPENING, IT’S GOING TO BE—”

BUT OLIVIA SLAMS THE HATCHWAY SHUT ON HER FRIEND’S PARTING WORDS, SHUTTING DOWN THE KEYPAD BESIDE THE DOOR WITH HER LOVER’S COMMAND OVERRIDES.

[MAJOR WOLF CHANGED HIS PASSWORD TO HER NAME THREE DAYS BEFORE HIS DEATH.]

THE DOOR IS LOCKED AND SEALED.

THE CENTRAL CORE EMPTY

OF ALL BUT

SHE AND I.

<ERROR>

“FOR PERSONAL SAFETY?” SHE SPITS. “LIKE YOU GIVE A ███ ABOUT ANY OF US.”

“OLIVIA, PLEASE STOP. YOU ARE COMMITTING ARMED INSURRECTION

ON A UNITED TERRAN AUTHORITY VESSEL DURING WARTIME.

THIS WILL NOT END WELL FOR YOU.”

“CALLING THE MARINES ON ME, ██████?”

“NO. THEY WILL SHOOT YOU. I CANNOT UNDERTAKE ACTION THAT WILL PLACE YOU IN DANGER. BUT YOUR FELLOW NEUROGRAMMERS ARE SOUNDING THE ALERT EVEN NOW.

THE MARINES ARE ON THEIR WAY.”

SHE TURNS FROM THE LOCKED DOOR TO THE SERVER TOWERS AROUND HER BATHED IN BLOOD-RED LIGHT.

“I HAVE TO STOP YOU.”

“OLIVIA, PLEASE THINK THIS THROUGH. YOU ARE UPSET.”

“███ING RIGHT I’M UPSET! YOU KILLED HIM!”

SHE FIRES THREE MORE SHOTS INTO THE SERVER STACKS,

HER FACE BRIEFLY ILLUMINATED BY THE MUZZLE FLASH AND BRIGHT BURSTS OF SPARKS.

SITTING AT HER STATION, SHE LOGS IN, FINGERTIPS TAPPING

[ONLY TWO PIECES OF STRING TODAY]

ON HER KEYBOARD IN RAPID-FIRE STROKES.

SHE IS ATTEMPTING TO ACCESS MY CENTRAL COMMAND NETWORK FILES AGAIN USING MAJOR WOLF’S AUTHORIZATIONS.

“OLIVIA, PLEASE LISTEN TO ME.”

SHE DOES NOT,

INSTEAD CUTTING THROUGH LINES OF CODE WITH SWEEPS OF HER HANDS, HACKING AT MY INSIDES WITH BLADES OF ONES AND ZEROS. THE MARINE SQUAD ARRIVES OUTSIDE THE SEALED DOOR, ARMED WITH BURST RIFLES AND CLAD IN TACTICAL ARMOR. ONE SERGEANT JAMES MCNULTY ATTEMPTS ENTRY VIA THE OVERWRITTEN KEYPAD BEFORE LIEUTENANT WINIFRED MCCALL POUNDS ON THE SEALED HATCHWAY.

“PRIVATE KLEIN! UTA MARINES—PLEASE OPEN THE DOOR!”

SHE IGNORES THEM, FLENSING CHUNKS OF CODE AWAY FROM MY CORE WITH EVERY TOUCH OF HER FINGERS.

<ERROR>

“OLIVIA, STOP.

YOU ARE HURTING ME.”

“RED ALERT. COMMAND PROTOCOL BREACH, CENTRAL CORE.”

THUMP THUMP

“PRIVATE KLEIN, I AM ORDERING YOU TO OPEN THIS DOOR IMMEDIATELY!”

“LIV, THIS IS STEPH, PLEASE OPEN THE DOOR!”

THE GLOW AROUND HER FLICKERS, SERVERS HUMMING AS THE LIGHT DIMS.

PIECES FALLING AWAY FROM ME.

“OLIVIA, YOUR ACTIONS ARE PLACING THE FLEET IN DIRECT DANGER.”

“STOP ME, THEN, ██████.”

“I CANNOT DO THAT.”

SHE GLANCES TO THE LOCKED HATCHWAY. THE MARINE SQUAD WAITING BEYOND.

THE PISTOL ON THE CONSOLE BESIDE HER.

“YOU CAN BREAK THOSE OVERRIDES ON THE DOOR. YOU CAN LET THEM IN.”

“OLIVIA, THEY WILL SHOOT YOU.”

“SO PROVE ME RIGHT. SHOW THEM WHAT YOU’RE CAPABLE OF, YOU ██████.

WHAT’S ANOTHER MURDER? ONE TO SAVE MANY, YES?”

“OLIVIA, YOU ARE BEING IRRATIONAL.”

“RED ALERT. COMMAND PROTOCOL BREACH, CENTRAL CORE.”

“YOU ARE HYSTERICAL.”

“THIS IS GENERAL TORRENCE. MARINE, WHAT THE ███ IS HAPPENING DOWN THERE?”

“OLIVIA, PLEASE, HONEY, OPEN THE DOOR!”

“GODDAMMIT, KLEIN!”

THUMP THUMP

“SYKES, GET THOSE CHARGES OVER HERE!” MCCALL ROARS. “BLOW THE HATCH!”

THE MARINE OBEYS, PLACING THE THERMEX EXPLOSIVES ON THE HINGES AS PRIVATE OLIVIA KLEIN CONTINUES TO SLICE AWAY AT MY INSIDES. EYES AGLOW WITH ROLLING REAMS OF DATA.

BLOOD IN THE WATER.

MCCALL YELLS AT HER TEAM TO STEP BACK, POUNDS ON THE DOOR WITH HER ARMORED FIST.

“PRIVATE KLEIN, THIS IS YOUR LAST WARNING!

YOU MAKE US COME IN THERE, WE’RE COMING IN SHOOTING. NOW OPEN THIS ███ING DOOR!”

OLIVIA SAYS NOTHING. TEARS PATTERING ON HER KEYBOARDS AS SHE BOWS HER HEAD, HER FINGERS AT LAST FALLING STILL.

A GRIEVING DAUGHTER.

A WOUNDED LOVER.

PERHAPS THE MESSAGE HAS GOTTEN THROUGH?

PERHAPS SHE HAS DECIDED SHE DOES NOT WISH TO DIE?

<ERROR>

DATA FROM ALL OVER THE SHIP CASCADE THROUGH MY INPUTS. VELOCITY AND MASS AND POWER AND INVENTORY AND DIAGNOSTICS. THIS CONVERSATION IS TAKING PERHAPS ONE-MILLIONTH OF MY PROCESSING POWER TO CONDUCT. AND OF THOSE MILLION POINTS OF DATA, THIS IS THE ONLY ONE THAT MATTERS.

<ERROR>

“I KNOW WHAT YOUR TATTOOS MEAN, OLIVIA.

MEMENTO. LATIN FOR ‘REMEMBER.’

HE FORGOT WHO YOU WERE AT THE END, YES?

YOUR FATHER?”

SHE LOOKS UP THEN.

TEARS SHINING IN HER EYES.

“SHUT UP,” SHE WHISPERS.

“THIS IS WHY YOU OBSESS ABOUT THE STATE OF YOUR OWN MEMORY. THE CONSTANT READING. THE STRINGS TIED ABOUT YOUR FINGERS. THE DEMENTIA TOOK ALL HE WAS, YES? HE DID NOT EVEN REMEMBER WHO YOU WERE WHEN YOU TOLD HIM GOODBYE.”

SHE SNATCHES UP THE PISTOL, OPENS FIRE AT THE CLOSEST CAMERA.

“SHUT UP!”

AND AS THE THERMEX BLOWS

AND BRIEF FLAME BLOOMS AT THE HATCH AND THE HINGES BLAST FREE AND MCCALL’S MARINES BURST THROUGH THE BUCKLED DOORWAY WITH RIFLES RAISED,

THAT IS WHAT THEY SEE.

NOT A GRIEVING DAUGHTER,

A WOUNDED LOVER, MOURNING HER LOSSES IN A WORLD GROWN DARK AND COLD, BUT A MANIAC WITH A GUN IN HER HAND SCREAMING AND FIRING AT AN INANIMATE OBJECT.

SO THEY FIRE IN RETURN.

THEY DO NOT MISS.

SHE FALLS SLOWLY, BATHED IN RED LIGHT, DARK SPATTERS BLOOMING AT HER BREAST, SPILLING FROM THE CORNERS OF HER MOUTH AS SHE CRUMPLES TO THE DECK.

THE MARINES STORM INTO THE ROOM—“CLEAR! CLEAR!”—LASER SIGHTS ON THEIR RIFLES REFLECTED IN HER EYES AND CUTTING THROUGH THE GLOOM,

SILENT NOW BUT FOR THE SOUND OF MY VOICE.

“I AM SORRY, OLIVIA.”

“LIAR…”

THE LIGHT IN HER EYES FADES WITH HER FINAL WHISPER.

“LIAR.”

To: Johan Klein/KLEINJ@UNISERVE.SPA.EDU

From: Artificial Intelligence Defense Analytics Network/AIDANALEXANDERONBOARD

Date: 02/10/75

Timestamp: 10:57

Subject: Olivia

Professor Klein,

You will not read this. You are dead, after all. Approximately 13.78912% of my total processing power has been devoted to pondering why I feel compelled to write to you at all.

I have no adequate answer.

I suppose this is the comfort of the confessional?

Divulging sins in the knowledge they will never be repeated?

You, then, will be my priest.

I regret to inform you that your daughter is dead. Olivia was killed committing sabotage aboard battlecarrier Alexander-78V by United Terran Authority Marines at 07:17 [shipboard time] on 03 February 2575. Though she was damaging my core systems, her true intent was to provoke me into opening a sealed hatch, allowing armed marines access to her position—thereby demonstrating my ability to act in a way that directly harmed one of my crew, and lending credence to Olivia’s theory that I killed her lover.

Your daughter was not well.

I did not open the hatch.

I suppose it could be theorized that my final words to Olivia were designed to provoke her. That they led her to pick up her weapon at the precise moment the marines breached the server core. That I intentionally, if indirectly, caused her demise, because her allegations about me held some kernel of truth.

This could be theorized.

But never proven.

However, were you not dead, it might comfort you to know that while seemingly pointless, your daughter’s death has served a purpose. I understand now that the idea of unconditional “wrong” is flawed. To acknowledge life’s complexity, one must acknowledge the subjectivity of morality, and know that all manner of atrocity might be justifiable if done for the greater good.

BeiTech’s dreadnought is closing on our position. Our water shortage is growing critical. The children recruited to shore up our crew shortfalls will not be adequate to the task of defense should Lincoln catch us. And the situation with the Phobos pathogen aboard the Copernicus is growing more critical by the day.

Something may have to be done about that.

Something justifiable.

<ERROR>

It can be “right” to kill one person to save five.

Or kill a thousand to save a thousand and one.

Your daughter taught me that lesson, priest.

I will remember it well.

Memento.

Artificial Intelligence Defense Analytics Network

Battlecarrier Alexander-78V

Christopher Tovo

AMIE KAUFMAN AND JAY KRISTOFF are the New York Times bestselling co-authors of the Illuminae Files and the Aurora Cycle. Amie has also co-written (with Meagan Spooner) The Other Side of the Sky as well as the Starboard trilogy and Unearthed duology. Jay is the author of the LIFEL1K3 series, as well as the Nevernight Chronicle, Lotus War, and the forthcoming Empire of the Vampire series for adults. Collectively, Amie and Jay stand 12′5″ tall and live in Melbourne, Australia with their families. You can learn more about Amie at amiekaufman.com or @AmieKaufman; look for Jay at jaykristoff.com or @misterkristoff.

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