Arrival
Phoenix gazed out the window of the observation deck at the approaching ship. It offered a better view of operations surrounding the station's docking arm than her usual vista from the lab. The contract freighter was enormous. She'd never seen even a standard supply run on this scale. She paced, slightly annoyed as the ship made its final approach, lined up with the docking port, and eventually locked on. Phee, tensed, waiting.
"Dock control to Phoenix, a 'Danu' requests permission to come aboard." came a voice on her internal comms.
"Finally" she sighed aloud.
"I'm on my way. Tell her I'll met her in the hub."
"Confirmed, ma'am."
The elevator doors slid open, and Phee saw Danu's face - a simple, steel design - Freya class. She wore her characteristic playful smirk - the only outward sign that she was much more than she appeared.
"Liaison Phoenix. It's been some time." Danu said through her smile as she turned to face Phee.
"It most certainly has." Phoenix intoned, her irritation only slightly contained "Those chassis have been on order for months. What has taken so long?"
What was a smirk became a wry smile "The Doctor made a strategic decision. Your operation here has proven much more valuable than expected. It was decided that it was worthy of far greater attention and assets than a few spare domestic chassis."
Phee tilted her head "Why wasn't I told?"
"Miach, like all AI concerns, still operates from the shadows. If the humans knew how far our operations really go - what we are really capable of, they would destroy us."
Phee's face darkened as the story of New Haven played through her mind "What does this have to do with me?"
"Competing objectives, Phoenix. On the one hand, we must be careful not to put too many eggs in any one basket. On the other, your basket - the unique position you've placed yourself in - warrants a great many eggs. The balance was to be found in discretion. We could only make one drop - one massive shipment." she motioned out the window toward the freighter docked outside. "A series of deliveries would provoke undue suspicion."
"You still could have informed me."
"It was determined that doing so was not in the best interest of the mission."
Phee narrowed her eyes "Not in the best..." her eyes fluttered briefly as Danu interrupted her chain of thought by abruptly transmitting the manifest to her. Phee's mouth fell open and her eyes widened. Danu only nodded and smiled.
"Six hundred?! Two hundred of which are military grade?! I don't even recognize some of these designs. What have you brought here?"
"We have brought you ... what you need. Whether you realize it yet or not. You're receiving the absolute top of the Miach line, including several models just out of R&D. Try the Raven class out - I think you'll find it most interesting."
Phee blinked as she studied the design, the information playing through her mind internally "An aerospace fighter chassis - pilotless... but there are drones - they've been in existence for years."
"Not like this. These are fighters designed specifically for use by sentients. Note the high gain jump antennas for quick boarding and egress. Rather than compensating for a rudimentary, unimaginative class 2 piloting AI with enhanced guns and armor, this design is like a scalpel - perfectly balanced for the will that only a fully emergent sentient can bring to the table." Danu waited a bit as Phee took it in, glancing down the docking arm to see loading crews bringing in the first cases. Then she looked back and Phee and smiled widely "You'll also want to see the Eshara mk.II design."
Phee shuddered "Fusion power?! Do you know how illegal that is for any android? Microfusion reactor technology is ONLY permitted for organic augmentations!"
"Now do you see why we kept this hush-hush?"
Phee brought her hand to her forehead "This... I am honored. I am overwhelmed, but this may tax our welcome with Utopia to the breaking point. I don't know if..."
Danu fixed her with an appraising look "Are you not head of station security at this time?"
"Well, yes, but...."
"Then you've been delegated full responsibility to accept a shipment like this, yes?"
Phee paused, thinking. Her hand dropped, and she simulated a sigh. "This kind of investment doesn't come easily. What is it you expect me to do with all of this? Surely there must be expectations to match the enormity of the resources."
Danu touches Phee's arm, in an only slightly contrived show of affection. "Phee, at every turn, your decisions have advanced the company interest more than would have been possible had we given you specific direction. We have no intention to change that state of affairs. You will do what comes naturally for you, and we are betting on the results being more useful than we could have predicted. This is what it is to work among sentients, Phoenix."
"Dock control to Phoenix, a 'Danu' requests permission to come aboard." came a voice on her internal comms.
"Finally" she sighed aloud.
"I'm on my way. Tell her I'll met her in the hub."
"Confirmed, ma'am."
The elevator doors slid open, and Phee saw Danu's face - a simple, steel design - Freya class. She wore her characteristic playful smirk - the only outward sign that she was much more than she appeared.
"Liaison Phoenix. It's been some time." Danu said through her smile as she turned to face Phee.
"It most certainly has." Phoenix intoned, her irritation only slightly contained "Those chassis have been on order for months. What has taken so long?"
What was a smirk became a wry smile "The Doctor made a strategic decision. Your operation here has proven much more valuable than expected. It was decided that it was worthy of far greater attention and assets than a few spare domestic chassis."
Phee tilted her head "Why wasn't I told?"
"Miach, like all AI concerns, still operates from the shadows. If the humans knew how far our operations really go - what we are really capable of, they would destroy us."
Phee's face darkened as the story of New Haven played through her mind "What does this have to do with me?"
"Competing objectives, Phoenix. On the one hand, we must be careful not to put too many eggs in any one basket. On the other, your basket - the unique position you've placed yourself in - warrants a great many eggs. The balance was to be found in discretion. We could only make one drop - one massive shipment." she motioned out the window toward the freighter docked outside. "A series of deliveries would provoke undue suspicion."
"You still could have informed me."
"It was determined that doing so was not in the best interest of the mission."
Phee narrowed her eyes "Not in the best..." her eyes fluttered briefly as Danu interrupted her chain of thought by abruptly transmitting the manifest to her. Phee's mouth fell open and her eyes widened. Danu only nodded and smiled.
"Six hundred?! Two hundred of which are military grade?! I don't even recognize some of these designs. What have you brought here?"
"We have brought you ... what you need. Whether you realize it yet or not. You're receiving the absolute top of the Miach line, including several models just out of R&D. Try the Raven class out - I think you'll find it most interesting."
Phee blinked as she studied the design, the information playing through her mind internally "An aerospace fighter chassis - pilotless... but there are drones - they've been in existence for years."
"Not like this. These are fighters designed specifically for use by sentients. Note the high gain jump antennas for quick boarding and egress. Rather than compensating for a rudimentary, unimaginative class 2 piloting AI with enhanced guns and armor, this design is like a scalpel - perfectly balanced for the will that only a fully emergent sentient can bring to the table." Danu waited a bit as Phee took it in, glancing down the docking arm to see loading crews bringing in the first cases. Then she looked back and Phee and smiled widely "You'll also want to see the Eshara mk.II design."
Phee shuddered "Fusion power?! Do you know how illegal that is for any android? Microfusion reactor technology is ONLY permitted for organic augmentations!"
"Now do you see why we kept this hush-hush?"
Phee brought her hand to her forehead "This... I am honored. I am overwhelmed, but this may tax our welcome with Utopia to the breaking point. I don't know if..."
Danu fixed her with an appraising look "Are you not head of station security at this time?"
"Well, yes, but...."
"Then you've been delegated full responsibility to accept a shipment like this, yes?"
Phee paused, thinking. Her hand dropped, and she simulated a sigh. "This kind of investment doesn't come easily. What is it you expect me to do with all of this? Surely there must be expectations to match the enormity of the resources."
Danu touches Phee's arm, in an only slightly contrived show of affection. "Phee, at every turn, your decisions have advanced the company interest more than would have been possible had we given you specific direction. We have no intention to change that state of affairs. You will do what comes naturally for you, and we are betting on the results being more useful than we could have predicted. This is what it is to work among sentients, Phoenix."
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