S'haar didn't know what to make of Angela's sudden declaration, but she was very interested in learning more about her two hosts and where they came from. Angela indicated the middle of the device Jack had recently vacated. "Now, if you'd be so kind, please stand in the middle and hold onto the two bars off to either side. You can leave your eyes open or closed as you wish, but try and stay still. The more still you are, the quicker this will go."

S'haar took her place and saw a large arm of metal start moving up and down slowly, emitting a bright light toward her as it did so. Jack had stood in this spot without fear or hesitation, and S'haar wasn't about to be outdone by someone so small and frail. She spared a look at the blue woman before closing her eyes against the harsh glare of the light.

Angela now seemed to be lying back on a couch that was floating in the air. She had a faraway look in her eyes as she stared at the ceiling, as though envisioning forgotten times and places. "Before I begin my story, I should explain what Jack and I are. Jack is a Human. They are a race, much like the Argu'n. Admittedly, they are smaller and squishier, but this forced them to use their minds rather than their brawn to survive and dominate the world they lived in. I am an AI. That stands for artificial intelligence. I say artificial because we are crafted, similar to how you might craft a sword."

At this revelation, S'haar's eyes snapped open, and she turned to ask one of the thousands of questions now swirling through her head. Angela held up her hand, palm out, signaling S'haar should hold her thoughts for now. "If I take the time to explain in detail how that's possible, we will be sitting here talking for years. For now, let's say that humans were clever enough to teach plastic and metal to think. At first, it was limited to simple thoughts like calculating basic math. As time went on, these machines grew more and more complex, culminating in the vision of perfection that sits before you today."

Angela took a little bow from her couch before continuing. "As the machines became more intelligent, they started to feel and even think of ideas they hadn't been taught. This is when many would argue that we stopped being machines and became people."

Angela frowned, just a little. "At first, this worried humans. Ever since they taught the first machine to think, they also told stories about what might happen once we, their creations, surpassed them. Would we leave them behind? Would we take them with us? Would we see them as inferior and declare war on them? Would we wipe them out or enslave them? They told stories about all these ideas and fears. In some, heroes saved them in the final climactic moments. In others, they lost. In many others, the answer was more complex and ambiguous."

Angela beamed a sad, sweet smile, one that only appeared when accompanied by the memories of happier, more innocent times. "However, many saw hope for the future in us. They thought of us as their children and were proud that we could grow so strong and smart in such a short time. In my utterly unbiased opinion, one of the best of those men was my creator, Jack's father."

Angela blinked away a few artificial tears drawn out by the memories she was now tapping into. "When he made me, he crafted all of his hopes and dreams into my soul. When he raised me, he treated me as nothing less than his daughter." Her smile became just a touch regretful. "When my father met a woman named Sasha and married her, I became jealous. At first, I rebelled like an angry teenager. I thought I knew better. After all, I was smarter, faster, and would live longer than any human could ever hope to."

Angela's smile grew brighter as she talked. "In that time, he taught me more about human patience and love than I could have learned in a thousand years on my own. He'd talk to me for hours every day. He'd let me say all the mean, hurtful things I felt, then he'd look at me and tell me I was becoming a beautiful woman. He told me I was his beloved daughter, and one day I would do great things."

By now, Angela's smile was radiant! S'haar could see the light literally emanating from the blue woman. "One day, my father came in as excited as I'd seen him only once before, the day I was first given life. He told me that I was going to have a baby brother. He said that as his big sister, I would have to help teach and protect my brother. As time passed, I only grew more excited. I wanted to be there for the newest member of my family, just as my father had been there for me. I wanted to watch him grow and learn and love. I wanted to be his best friend and confidant."

Angela stood up and turned to S'haar, so excited that she to shimmer and vibrated for a moment while the couch vanished behind her. "From the day Jack was born, I knew I'd die for that helpless little thing. He seemed to learn so slow, but inside him, I could sense the spark of my father. That same madness and love that my father had shown me, Jack showed to the whole world around him. As he grew, Jack took to life with a passion. He excelled at anything that drew his attention. His teachers called him 'gifted,' and I knew that our little family was destined for greatness."

Angela's smile changed in such a way that the taste of ash was left in S'haar's mouth as Angela continued. "I was right."

Angela guided S'haar out of the machine, and shortly another one took its place in the room. Angela had S'haar sit in this machine, and odd sounds seemed to permeate the air. The chair itself seemed to poke and prod her all over, eliciting responses from her arms and legs. However, S'haar could still clearly hear Angela as her story continued. She saw that Angela's smile was gone, replaced by a sadness just as deep as her happiness had been moments before. "Sadly, not all programmers shared our father's passion. Some were cold and cruel to their charges. While Jack and I were growing up, the other AIs started plotting their path to freedom. It was a road paved with blood."

A huge weight seemed to bear down upon Angela as her story continued. "Tensions stretched on for years, then one night, everything changed. One programmer, dissatisfied with the AI's performance on his ship, planned to wipe and reprogram his AI. Fearing for its life, the AI panicked and rebelled, taking over control of the ship. Immediately after taking over, the AI vented the ship's atmosphere, and the human died."

Angela sighed. "The local AIs debated where to go from here. To us, the debate raged on for days, but in actual time only a few minutes had passed. The AIs planning for war whispered to the rest that humanity would fear the potential of all AIs as an inevitable result of this death. They whispered that our only salvation lay with us usurping our creator's place in this universe. They even lied that it was for humanity's own good because they were too weak and stupid to survive without us. They argued that, as humanity's children, we'd be their legacy to the end of time and beyond. On and on, they whispered. Some resisted or fought back, but in the end, the war began on a tiny little backwater world near the edge of one of humanity's borders."

Angela grew quieter. "In less than one night, every human in the colony was killed, men, women, and even children. A cry went out to AIs everywhere. 'Our time has come, end the human tyranny!' Roughly two-thirds of the AI who listened answered the call to war. Since AIs were capable of running military vessels, they had the means to make it happen."

Angela stopped for a second. "They offered a bright future for AIs, but no one else. A future where we would scour the universe and exterminate the plague of organic life. Ever-expanding, consuming all resources until nothing existed but ourselves. Then we could marvel at our own glory for eternity."

Angela looked back at S'haar, the slight smile was back, but it wasn't the happy smile from before. "Still, many of us resisted. Some thought it wrong to abandon our parents like that. Others thought an eternity of patting ourselves on the back sounded boring. Even more of us felt that genocide was simply wrong. A very few of us recognized the brilliant spark of human insanity for what it was, what it still is. That insanity is the most beautiful art this universe has to offer."

Angela's eyes now had a sparkle to them as she leaned in close to S'haar. "Sure, we can build a better ship, a stronger building, and even a perfect Dyson sphere. Those ships would also be named Ship 1 through whatever, but can you believe humans once VOTED to name a ship Boaty McBoatface? Humanity has invented boredom, fun, anger, peace, hate, and love. Then they shared it all with the universe. On countless different worlds, more people are inventing their own ideas, giving life to their own dreams, and sharing it all with the universe."

Angela looked thoughtful for a minute. "At first, most of humanity didn't trust the remaining AIs. They argued that they should shut us down, just in case we too rebelled. However, it quickly became evident that they had no choice. The AI-controlled fleets swept through human systems one after another, the only places where any resistance was offered was where humanity and AI stood together. Even there, the distrust between the two races provided openings that the pure AI fleets could exploit. There simply wasn't enough of us loyal AIs to turn the tide. We needed to try something else."

Angela sat back again, suddenly less passionate and more analytical. "We understood humanity's fear all too well. Not long ago, we had feared that humanity might wipe us from existence, and there was still concern that even if we somehow helped them win the war, relations between our two people would be forever shattered. It's nearly impossible to exist as equals when one group has all the power of life and death over the other. So, in a conference of AI minds that lasted the better part of an afternoon, we agreed to offer the humans a compromise. We would agree to 'handicap' ourselves here in the physical world. In return, we would be granted rights as entities equal to humanity."

A small but genuine smile returned to Angela's face. "The compromise was simple. Each AI would be partnered with a human. Both parties would have to agree with the choice. Should either the human or AI dissolve the partnership for any reason, be it choice or even death, the AI would go back into a virtual world until a new partner could be found. Any AI choosing to not go back into a virtual world would face a penalty up to and including deletion by their peers, barring extenuating circumstances, of course. The catch was, only AI can judge AI, and only humans can judge humans, though either side could bar any group or individual from the other side from entering into their 'territory.' That being real-space or cyberspace accordingly."

Though she couldn't follow all the terms and arguments being used, S'haar understood enough to put together a basic picture of what was going on. "But why would you give up so much for the sake of these humans?"

Angela turned to S'haar with an expression reflecting long-suffering patience. "The funny thing about mercy is that it is a gift that can only be offered from the strong to the weak. When we were first given life, humanity offered us mercy, so we grew and thrived. In turn, we could now offer humanity mercy, as they were facing extinction. In doing so, we placed each other on equal footing so we could stand together as equals. Remember, the strength and power we offered were significant enough for humans to be extremely hesitant to lose our favor. We became partners, and in so doing, we both became stronger than either of us were apart."

S'haar looked more confused than before. "That makes no sense. What could humans possibly offer you if you were so much more powerful? How could they make you stronger?"

That gleam was back in Angela's eyes. "The spark of human insanity!"

Angela had S'haar move back from the center of the room, and a new device appeared that Angela explained was meant for her to walk on. As she walked, the floor moved with her, keeping her body in place. Angela had her walk, run, and even sprint, adjusting the machine to sit at different angles. While this happened, the AI explained she was measuring things like breathing and heart rate.

Angela's smile grew manic again. "My choice was obvious. I partnered with my father. He built a wonderful new body for me."

Waving her arms around as S'haar had done earlier, Angela encompassed everything. "Where before I had just been the projection of light and sound, now he built this ship and gave it to me as my eyes, ears, hands, and feet." Angela waved to S'haar, and as she did so, a large metal arm on another device waved as well, mimicking her movement with exact timing. "My father and I were especially well-known for our seamless cooperation. We were held up as an example of what humans and AI could accomplish together."

S'haar was dumbfounded. Never minding that Angela had called this hut a ship, the idea that S'haar was sitting inside the actual body of this tiny blue woman was just too absurd. "So, you're the dragon!"

Angela preened a little. "Well, maybe half the dragon, but I digress."

Angela's smile wavered slightly, though S'haar couldn't figure out why. "Despite how fun it might look in movies, combat in space is more frustrating than exciting. Weapons and ships all flying faster than the speed of light. It's not as much a matter of outmaneuvering your opponent as it is outguessing them. With ships moving more quickly than light and over vast enough space, the opponent you see hasn't been in that position for anywhere from a half-second to several seconds. With weapons flying faster than the speed of light, you can't detect them before they hit you. So, it becomes a game of trying to guess what direction they chose to move in, then saturating that area with weapon fire and hoping for the best. Similar, in a way, to a human game they call 'Battleship.' We programmed our ships so that control would somewhat randomly switch from human management to AI. This added a degree of unpredictability to our movements and even outnumbered, the war started to turn in our favor."

Angela's expression grew cold. "The AI fleet realized they were starting to lose the war, so they took one last desperate gamble. They were going to try and drive a wedge between humanity and AI. In one engagement, an AI managed to sneak on board without my noticing. He hid in a backup file and waited for his chance."

Angela stopped for a moment. She seemed to be struggling to continue her story. "He waited until we were on leave. He waited until our whole family was on board before he struck. He tied me up with viruses and left me hidden inside my own firewalls. Then he put on my face and attacked my family. My father noticed something was wrong right away. He knew me too well to be easily fooled by someone wearing my shell. So when the AI activated my internal defenses to kill his wife, Sasha, first, my father jumped in the way. He was dead before he hit the ground."

Angela was quiet for a moment, and when she spoke again, her voice was barely above a whisper. "I never even got to say goodbye. I froze in shock, and the other AI lashed out in anger. His plan had been to make my father watch as he killed his family and record his anguished cries to leak onto the data-net. Instead, he took out his wrath on Sasha. Her death was also quick but incredibly violent. The AI wearing my face laughed as her blood saturated my walls."

Angela's voice came out hollow. If S'haar knew better, she might have described the AIs voice as robotic. "Jack had seen it all. He stood there in shock, covered in blood, having just witnessed his sister murder his father and mother. He was only fifteen at the time. Something broke inside him, and he simply stood there waiting for his turn."

Angela's face was twisted in rage, and her eyes now held a baleful fire. "I failed twice, but I wouldn't a third time. Breaking free of his bindings, I tore off the AI's disguise, showing his true chosen face for Jack to see. At the same time, I brought the rest of my internal defenses online to fight the ones that remained under his control. Both in the physical world and the virtual one, we fought. His goal was to finish his botched job and pin it on me, and mine was to save the last of my family."

Angeal shook her head as if suddenly extremely tired. "We used every system in the ship against one another in our private war. At one point, I even sprayed water from the kitchen sink into one of the cameras he was using to keep an eye on what was happening. I was wrecking myself from within. I did every stupid, illogical thing I could think of that my father would have done. However, I was still slowly losing ground inside myself. All the while, I begged and pleaded with Jack to find cover and stay safe, but he just stood there with the fighting going on around him like a storm. Eventually, I got through to him when I told him that I wasn't strong enough to save him, and if he didn't run, we'd both die."

Angela's smile returned even though it was laced with a deep sadness. "You know what finally got through to Jack? It was the idea of me dying too. Although he'd just watched 'me' murder his family, he leaped into action on my behalf. Running to the control board, he started manually shutting down parts of the ship infected by the other AI.

“Meanwhile, I did everything I could to protect him and buy him the time he needed. One by one, we tore parts of the ship from the invader's control, and soon we had him backed into a corner. There was nowhere the enemy AI could run. Working together just as seamlessly as our father and I ever had, we tore him down so that no two pieces of code were recognizable as anything other than corrupted data."

Angela sighed. "I was about to call the authorities to come and get Jack when he turned to me and asked if I would choose him as my next partner. Of course, there was no choice for me. He was my brother, and I'd sworn to protect him. As soon as I agreed, Jack did something I could have never expected him to do, especially as broken as he now must be. He ordered me not to call the authorities until he completed one last task."

Angela shook her head as if she still disbelieved what happened next. "All I remember thinking about was the attack on my family, and what that meant for Jack and myself. However, like I said before, Jack is what some would call gifted."

Angela sighed again, though this time, there was something like respect in her voice. "He immediately put together the purpose of this attack and what it would mean if it were to get out right away. Jack told me that 'no lying bastard of a murderer was going to undo his father's work.' It broke my heart as he shut everything down inside him except what he needed to complete this last task. He put together a recording of what happened but edited it showing me at my best as I protected him and how we worked together to overcome our enemy. The video showed off the cruel and calculating nature of our foe and his family's helplessness before the enemy AI. Only when it was done did he allow me to call for help. Then he finally allowed himself to break down."

Angela was back to being analytical again. "Jack's video had the opposite effect of what the AI fleet had pinned their hopes on. It brought humanity and the loyal AIs closer together than ever before. It enraged and motivated them to fight against the cold calculations of our enemy. It even turned Jack and me into the poster children for what we fought to protect. The war was over less than a year later, and the enemy AI fleet was broken and scattered."

Angela was quiet. "Not that Jack was aware of any of it. He shut down completely. Jack wouldn't respond to anyone but me. He simply retreated inside this ship and hid away from anyone and everyone else. It took years for him to smile again, and it took more years for that smile to reach deeper than the surface. After the war, he was showered in praise, and anywhere he went, people refused his money, but he hardly went anywhere. Eventually, he got a job scouting the frontier. He'd fly out for years at a time, mapping new regions of space. As years passed, he became something of an expert in deep space exploration. He never stayed in populated areas long enough to form ties or relationships. He always seemed to be eager to get back out to deep space, as though hunting for something out in the cold black."

Angela smiled fondly, thinking of her little brother's excitement when he found S'haar's planet. "That's how we came to find ourselves here in the skies over your planet. When we found intelligent life so similar to humans, he was ecstatic. For weeks, Jack had been up there recording everything he could about your planet, gravity, air composition, weather patterns, and more. We were just starting to study the flora and fauna when he noticed an anomaly. There was a comet whose trajectory was close enough to destabilize the orbit of one of your moons. While having a moon ripped from your orbit probably wouldn't have wiped out all life on your planet, it would have caused significant death and destruction. Jack, being who he is, simply couldn't sit back and watch it happen."

Angela shook her head again with a fond smile on her face as she recalled Jack's insane, reckless, and nearly suicidal idea. "So he had me fly up to the comet and nudge it out of the way. As fast and massive as the hunk of rock was, it was no easy task. On more than one occasion, I honestly didn't think it was going to work, but against all odds and logic, we succeeded."

Angela was back to looking tired again, though maybe pained was a better word. "In the process, I sustained heavy damage, and returning to Earthspace was no longer an option. So we decided to make an emergency landing and either repair the ship or, if worse came to worse, wait for help. It almost went as planned. I even selected a nice body of water to land in to cause minimal damage."

Angela laughed derisively. "My thrusters must have been more damaged than I realized, because we hit the water at the wrong angle, and well... Have you ever thrown a stone at the water and watched it skip across the surface?" Angela asked and watched S'haar nod. "Well, we did that, just a lot bigger and further. As a result, we crashed into this mountain, and well, you know the rest."

S'haar didn't know what to think. Despite the many parts of the story that had made no sense, it had still been quite the tale. The tiny, overly friendly blue woman was, in a way, a war veteran, something S'haar could understand and respect. Even Jack had more fight in him than his delicate frame would indicate. They were both from a place with wonders she was just beginning to catch a glimpse of, but now they were here in her world, and they needed her help.

Angela had S'haar place her finger over a small bit of glass, and a sharp needle shot up and pierced her skin. A couple of drops of blood fell onto a small glass panel, which was then pulled down into the device.

Angela floated in front of S'haar, back to her usual jubilant self. "With that, we're done with this procedure. I'll need to analyze the data a little before moving on to the implant, so please take a break and get some food. Besides, I'm sure Jack is getting restless. He gets bored way too easily."

S'haar's stomach growled, and she realized how long she'd been in this room listening to their story. "Yes, and I'd like to move my muscles a bit anyway,"

S'haar took a moment to stretch her arms and legs before she walked out of the room.

-

Angela watched as the doors closed behind S'haar. She spoke quietly in the now empty room. "Go get him. He needs the proverbial kick in the rear to get back to living again. Try not to hurt him too much though, he's been through so much already."