USD: 6 Days after the Arrival to MIL-1A

Location: Van Biesbroeck’s star, Meltisar, MIL-1A, Main Tram Line

The tramline buzzed with the muted voices of people and the mechanical workings of the vehicle as it sped down the station’s main line. Alex had grown used to the experience, and she felt much more comfortable because one of her first purchases had been a secure bag with biometric security and a toughness rating that would require someone tearing her in half to snatch from her.

She was really not interested in indulging one of the many screen writers who thought a purse snatching chase scene was required as an action sequence. Especially with half her brain in said purse. It also slid behind her arm comfortably and blended into the casual outfit she was wearing.

It even could change colors to match whatever she needed, which she figured would be useful in the future. It was a pricey piece of apparel, but the peace of mind was worth it, in Alex’s opinion.

She had had little luck advancing her goal of finding an NAI to help her. Admiral Darren had been apologetic, but had informed her that the other NAI had declined the request for a meeting. That was frustrating, but at least she felt that the Admiral at least had the decency to not force the meeting on them if they didn’t want it. She hoped he’d have the same courtesy for her if the situation was reversed.

Any idea of purchasing a ship was also out. She’d already spent something like a million credits, leaving her balance much lower than she had expected.

|149,343,234 SE |

She’d not held back any spending, buying whatever she felt she might like or need while outfitting her apartment as a miniature home base.

Several entertainment and information libraries had rivaled the clothing expenses. While her spending habits were pretty bad, it didn’t make a huge dent in the overall amount of credits she’d need and having amenities while on the station was… helpful.

Especially not wearing the same outfit-slash-uniform all the time because it was the only thing she had.

She’d also tried purchasing some electronic hardware, one of the more expensive hardware setups and attempted… black magic with her nanites in an effort to randomly stumble upon making a computronic unit.

That had ended poorly and in an enormous mess of metallic goo she had frantically halted before anyone noticed it.

Alex grunted as the tram came to a stop and she bumped her nose into the window. She’d lost track of time, having been lost in thought, and hurried off the vehicle and into the transit hub before she missed her stop.

A quick glance at the directional displays overhead let her orient herself towards the proper direction and she made her way down a mooring arm designated for usage by private military companies. A moving sidewalk helped her make up the two kilometer distance that reached halfway down the long corridor.

An IHMC security post held the airlock attachment for the Iron Horse. She didn’t recognize the guards, but they recognized her and let her board the ship without issue. She made her way to the Captain’s Office. Knocking on the door, it buzzed and opened for her.

“Come in.” Thraker called, and she slid inside the cramped ship office.

Thraker was behind his desk, typing on a keyboard as he worked on something behind his holographic display. He looked up at her as she entered and gave her a nod. “Alex, you’re early. Give me one moment.”

Alex quietly sat down in the seat in front of the desk and did her best to push down her emotions as she waited. She hadn’t wanted to come here at first and discarded the idea. The momentary delay gave her time to compose her thoughts.

When Thraker paused his writing and put aside the monitor, she was ready.

Taking a deep breath, she launched right into it. “I would like to hire the IHMC and get your help.”

Thraker raised an eyebrow, a hint of surprise flickering across his face. “With what, exactly?”

Thraker leaned back in his chair and focused on her as she spoke.

The words came out of Alex in a rush despite her carefully prepared plans. “I need to get back to 92 Pegasi, but I don’t have the credits to purchase a ship or hire transport. I’ve tried to find the NAI that Admiral Darren hinted at, but I’ve had no luck. I’m stuck here.”

Thraker let out a quiet grunt before speaking. “What about Elis?”

Alex shook her head. “She’s still in a vegetive state. The advanced treatment is actually using nanites and supposed to be risky. If I can get Nameless online, then it would help her prognosis. The doctor even said as much.”

Thraker rose an eyebrow. “You told the doctor you’re an NAI?”

“No, but he said it could help if they transported her to the Imperium, where an NAI could help with the procedure. I’ve looked at the material. It’s even possible I could have done the treatment in 92 Pegasi on my own if Nameless wasn’t shut down. Well, he could have done the treatment. It still would have been risky, but…”

“And she has to have this special treatment in order to have a chance?” Thraker asked.

“The doctor said there’s a chance she might wake up on her own, but… I looked up the chances on the net. Since she’s been like this so long it’s far more likely she remains this way or slowly degrades from complications. It’s only like a 2% chance she’d get better at this point.”

“Statistics on the net aren’t generally accurate, and the doctor would know more about her specific case.”

Alex nodded quietly. “Still, I think she will end up needing the advanced treatment. It’s only 50% effective from what I’ve read. But the medical journals have shown that it’s 90% effective at minor improvement and 75% for major or complete recovery when done by an NAI, and there are far fewer complications or dangers. Part of the problem is the nanite treatment becomes diffused or goes haywire without NAI guidance.”

Thraker stroked his beard, considering the situation. “I see what you are getting at. You want to get back to 92 Pegasi so you can have your sub-core bring Nameless back online to improve Elis’s prognosis.”

Alex nodded. “That’s it. I can’t just sit here and do nothing… waiting. Not when I know that there is a way to improve her chances. I can’t just abandon her.”

Thraker let out a sigh. “I understand where you’re coming from, Alex. I really do.”

“Please. Let’s fix the Iron Horse and we can go back to 92 Pegasi. We can take the long route through Solarian Space and avoid the inner system checkpoint at 63 Hydrae. It’ll take a long time and we’ll have to slip past the military and battlefield, but once we are there, I’ll do whatever you want. I’ll build you ships or come back to Meltisar and be their system ai or whatever… I just need to help Elis get better.” Alex spat the last sentences out, barely holding back tears.

Alex nodded. “Yes, that’s it. I know it’s a lot to ask, but I don’t have any other options. I can’t just sit here and do nothing, not when there’s a chance to help my sister. And I can’t just abandon her here, not when I know there’s a way to possibly improve her condition.”

Thraker let out a sigh and leaned back in his chair. “I understand where you’re coming from, Alex. I really do.”

Alex winced as she anticipated the ‘But’ of the statement coming.

“But I must consider the safety of my crew and the company as well. The route you are suggesting would take us several months, and through an active war zone. It’s not just a matter of slipping past the front lines and battlefield chokepoints at the jump points. We’d likely have to deal with Solarian patrols and questions about our purpose. And even if we make it back to 92 Pegasi, there’s no guarantee that you will find the sub-cores intact to bring Nameless online. Or even that the treatment for Elis would be successful.”

Thraker paused for a moment, considering his words before continuing. “I have a counterproposal.”

Alex furrowed her brow in confusion. “What do you mean?”

“I am getting old, Alex. I’ve been the commander of the company for decades. I’ve been meaning to retire for some time but have avoided so out of concern of not having an acceptable person to leave in command. A retirement here at home on Meltisar would likely be the best for me.” He explained.

“What does that have to do with me? You… want to give me the company?” Alex asked.

“In a way, yes. I think you have the potential to be an outstanding leader. While you’re impulsive and, I’m afraid to say immature, you are very bright and have shown me some exceptional tactical and improvisation skills. But you need more than just tactical ability and quick thinking on your feet. I think you would benefit greatly from instruction.”

Alex frowned. “So you want me to apprentice to you? Not from scrubbing the sludge filters… I hope?”

Thraker chuckled. “We’ve all started with cleaning sludge filters, but no. The ship, while in port, is hardly idle, starting as an ensign and working your way up at an accelerated rate would only partially slow down your proposed timeline of moving through Solarian space to return to 92 Pegasi. If indeed something doesn’t turn up before, then that can help restore Nameless.”

“You think… I can go from ensign to company commander in three months?”

“Alex… the Iron Horse will need at least a year for retrofitting in the dry-docks, assuming we find the funds for it. While that is looking likely thanks to Admiral Darren, there could still be delays.”

Alex felt her hope fade rapidly. She hadn’t even thought of the time the ship would need to take to be repaired. She was sure with Nameless they could have fixed it much faster, and she had completely ignored the requirement.

“What’s the catch? Isn’t the ship your entire life savings, essentially? It’s worth a couple billion credits and you’re just going to give it to me?”

Thraker chuckled. “There is always a catch. If you aren’t looking for one in everything, then I would be disappointed. In this case, it’s not large. I wish to be sure that whoever takes charge of the company cares for it properly. As for the funds, my investments over the years will cover a comfortable retirement easily, even without any equity I have in the ship itself. I am more concerned about seeing the company survive.”

Alex crossed her arms and bit her lip, staring at the desk as she considered the offer. She knew he was right on some things, despite her desire to reject the notion completely. But no matter what she had come up with, she had not found a path that led back to 92 Pegasi in any quick way.

The thought of continuing to flail about was unappealing as well.

The most glaring issue was… Thraker had manipulated her. Even if he had done it with her best interests in mind, or the best interests of everyone involved, he had. Worse, the situation was partly because of his doing, even if the largest part of blame could be laid on her shoulders because she’d… faltered emotionally.

She still thought he could have done more, or left her behind where she would have been able to restore Nameless and help Elis on her own with the help of A31. There was no use in crying about what-might-have-beens, though. But it still made her dislike the prospect.

A different idea came to her.

“I don’t want to apprentice under you.”

Thraker frowned weakly, “Alex…”

She raised her hand, cutting him off. “Instead of apprenticing under you, how about I enroll in the Meltisar Naval Academy? I met a girl who was enlisting. I did some research on it, and I know they accept cadets sponsored by state approved private contractors. I imagine with Admiral Darren’s help, you could make that happen.”

“Alex, the Naval Program at the academy is a four-year program. That doesn’t include the eleven weeks of basic training.” Thraker answered.

“Nothing prevents me from dropping out after the Iron Horse is repaired and then we make our way back to 92 Pegasi and finding A31. If I haven’t found a different solution to help Elis by then.”

“Enrolling just to plan to drop out early goes against the grain, in my opinion.” Thraker did not seem happy with the idea.

“You were just going to make me an ensign anyway, with no training with your apprenticeship idea. Or are you just displeased with the idea that you won’t be able to manipulate my training how you want?” Alex added without thinking.

Thraker’s eyes narrowed. “I have done nothing I consider morally questionable, Alex. While its possible to infer that I manipulated you into coming to Meltisar, my reasons for avoiding contact on the frontier were the best decisions I could make with what I knew. I don’t think you realize how much potential damage a rogue NAI can create. You were particularly unstable, understandably, from the events. Furthermore, there was an entire convoy of people I had to think of other than just you. I did not know you left Chi level NAIs behind.”

Alex let out a sigh. “I’m sorry. I know you were just trying to protect everyone, but it’s just… I feel like I’m constantly being put in situations where I have no control over what happens to me or Elis. There is something that I know could help her, but it’s out of reach. I want to make my own decisions. That’s why I think the Naval Academy is a better option for me. It’ll give me a chance to meet new people and see new things.”

Thraker let out a chuckle. “Do they still have that on the recruitment posts? Fine. I will contact Admiral Darren and see what can be done. I believe you might be right. Basic training, especially, might be good for you.”

“Wait.” Alex bit her lip and took a breath.

“First, I want a contract where you transfer half the equity of the Iron Horse to me.”