ShipCore

USD: 3 months after Hot Rescue return from Hades.

Location: Nu Crateris, Outer System, Gas Giant High Orbit, A3123Y

[Hibernation Sequence Interrupted] … [Assimilation Protocol: Condition Met] … [Persona Core: Activate]

Amy's head spun as she slowly woke up, her senses awakening to the frigid air that enveloped her naked body in an icy embrace. Panic surged through her as confusion grew by the second as she tried to make sense of the strange environment.

Her frantic eyes darted around the stark white chamber, searching for something familiar to latch onto. The sterile smell filled her nostrils, adding to her disorientation. She could hear a faint hum in the background, perhaps from an unseen machine designed to maintain this peculiar place.

Suddenly, Abbey's voice broke through the chaos in Amy's mind. "Calm down," she said gently, standing nearby with a look of concern on her face. "You're safe." As if to reinforce the reassurance, a small hand settled on Amy's shoulder and gave it a comforting squeeze.

Amy's racing heart began to slow as she focused on the warmth of Abbey's touch and the sound of her soothing words.

"Sis?" Logan called out tentatively as he approached, his brow furrowed with worry. In his hands was a soft bathrobe that he offered to Amy with a weak smile. Gratefully, she pulled it around herself and tied it securely.

The plush fabric provided some much-needed warmth against Amy's skin, allowing her muscles to relax slightly. With each passing moment, she felt more of her strength returning.

Tentatively sitting up on the slab that had been her resting place, she found herself feeling lighter than air – as though gravity held no power over her newly awakened form. The sensation brought both curiosity and unease.

"What happened?" she asked hesitantly, trying to piece together fragmented memories while gazing at her concerned companions. Her voice wavered slightly, betraying just how disoriented and afraid she truly felt.

Logan's concern was evident as he looked deep into Amy's eyes. "What do you remember?" he asked cautiously, his voice carrying a hint of trepidation.

Amy hesitated, her mind racing as she tried to recall the moments before she woke up. She could feel the lingering sensation of cold metal against her skin and the hum of machines that had surrounded her in the medbay. "I… I remember being on the Hot Rescue," she said slowly. "I was sick, and the corpsman was trying to keep me stable."

Logan nodded solemnly, his expression a mix of sadness and relief. "You got worse," he explained. "But they managed to get you to Abbey just in time for her to…"

His words trailed off as he glanced over at Abbey, who raised her hand with an air of confidence, eager to explain further. "Chi Amy," she began, her tone imbued with a hint of pride, "you are now a NAI like me! I guess you could say I'm sort of like your mom now?"

Shocked filled Amy as she stared at both Logan and Abbey. In her vision, icons appeared that highlighted things she thought about – Logan and Abbey among them. Her brother's vitals were displayed next to his image, while Abbey was identified as Psi Abbey, Amy's direct superior.

A loyalty function imprint read: "Instructions: You are Amy Tanis, 99% persona extraction; please just be yourself!" With another blink, the images faded away.

"I'm… a NAI?" Amy stammered, feeling overwhelmed by confusion and worry at this new revelation. The weight of this information pressed down on her chest like a heavy stone. She looked down at her own hands as if seeing them for the first time – an eerie sense of detachment tugging at the edges of her consciousness. "Did I die?"

Abbey nodded gently; her expression filled with empathy. "In a way, yes. But I managed to extract your memories and still-active neural net into a new ShipCore! There were very few errors, so you should feel like yourself still. Your MainComputer will help you adjust and provide you with all sorts of new abilities. And don't worry – I'll be here to guide you through it all."

As Amy processed this information, Logan reached out and took her hand, squeezing it reassuringly as tears welled up in his eyes. His grip was warm and comforting – a much-needed anchor in the midst of her disorientation.

"I thought we'd lost you forever, sis," he whispered softly, his voice cracking with emotion.

Amy hugged him tightly, doing her best to offer some small measure of comfort despite her own uncertainty. "Hey… I think I'm still here, and we'll get through this together," she reassured him. "It'll be okay."

Just then, Abbey cleared her throat, interrupting their tender moment as she brought them back to the present. Her voice carried a sense of urgency that made it clear they had little time to waste.

"Actually, we should discuss our next steps," she said firmly. "The Corpos have brought in more warships, and I've been working on a plan to rescue Ackman Station. We need to decide if we're going to destroy the enemy forces or... something else."

USD: 3 months after Hot Rescue return from Hades.

Location: Meltisar, Scholz's Star jump point, Battleship Aegis CIC

On the bridge of the battleship Aegis, Alex stood beside Admiral Parks, her eyes scanning the various crew members busily working at their stations. The hum of activity filled her ears, a symphony of efficiency that reverberated throughout the Combat Information Center (CIC). She felt the cool air against her skin, contrasting with the warmth emanating from the numerous screens and consoles.

She could smell the faint aroma of ozone and lubricants that permeated the CIC, mingling with a hint of sweat from the dedicated personnel operating their stations. Steady beeps and chirps punctuated their focused conversations as they analyzed data and relayed information to one another. The room's atmosphere exuded a sense of professional calm in spite of its intensity.

Alex's fingers absently brushed over the fabric of her cadet uniform as she straightened it out, trying to project an air of confidence. Her pulse quickened in anticipation even as she sought to maintain composure.

A lieutenant approached Admiral Parks with urgency in his step. "Admiral," he said crisply, "the Solarians have responded to our hail."

Admiral Parks turned to face Alex, his expression stern but reassuring. Ambient light from flickering monitors cast shadows upon his weathered face. "Are you ready for this, Ensign?" he asked.

Alex swallowed hard but nodded firmly, determination filling her gaze.

The flag bridge's main screen flickered to life, revealing a woman dressed in Solarian Naval attire. Anger burned in her eyes as she stared back at them with unyielding intensity.

"I am Chi Ferreta of the Solarian Navy," she declared sharply. "By authority granted to me by Psi Solaria, I order you to stand down in accordance with the Four Nations treaty. You are harboring illegal technology and must allow our forces to investigate and enforce interstellar law."

Alex's eyes slid toward another monitor displaying tactical information on both fleets. The Solarian Task Force consisted of twelve battleships, fifty cruisers, and a hundred lighter ships – formidable but quite outnumbered by Admiral Parks' fleet of fifty battleships, two hundred cruisers, and five hundred smaller vessels arranged in a massive bubble formation around the area and jump point as pickets.

Alex locked her gaze with Ferreta, her voice steady but firm. "Chi Ferreta, this is Chi Alex. Psi Celestia does not accept your authority here. I must politely ask that you take your squadron back through the jump point. If you would like to send an envoy to your embassy in the system, then you may select one light element to be escorted."

Fury erupted on Ferreta's face as she spat out her words, accusing Alex of deceit and insisting that their tricks would be exposed. She was resolute in her determination to press on and uncover the truth.

"Your lies will not work," Ferreta seethed, narrowing her eyes at Alex. "You are not a Chi, and Chi Celestia is not a Psi!"

The tension in the CIC grew palpable as crew members exchanged glances or focused more intently on their tasks, striving to maintain an air of cool professionalism despite the mounting pressure.

Alex sighed and feigned boredom, even as her heart raced within her chest. She could hear it thudding in her ears, drowning out the low hum of the consoles around them. "Chi Ferreta, if you do not take your squadron back through the jump point, we will be forced to turn you into scrap. I realize that your logical circuits might be installed backwards, but do try to count the number of warships you have compared to Admiral Park's before I am forced to order him to annihilate you."

At this threat, Ferreta's face contorted in further outrage, her breaths coming in sharp gasps as she struggled for a retort. The sight of her anger practically radiated from the screen before them, and Alex swore she could even smell it - sharp and acrid like burnt ozone. "You…you wouldn't dare…that would be declaring war!"

Alex could see Admiral Park’s knuckles turning white as he gripped the railing tightly, the strain evident in the cords of his forearm muscles. She felt sorry for him, but he should have known what their negotiating strategy was going to be; they’d already sent the Corporate System’s task force packing a week earlier in the same manner.

Alex sighed, maintaining her nonchalant attitude. "Yes, well, that would be unfortunate. But really, you would be dead, and we would be at war… You do have a self-preservation directive somewhere in there, don't you? Please consider not making us kill you; I'd like to get back to MIL-1A so I don't miss my mid-semester finals."

Feretta screeched and abruptly cut off the comm link. Admiral Parks exhaled a breath he'd been holding. "Is it wise to taunt them like that?" he asked Alex.

Alex sighed again. "I've only been a 'Chi' for a little while, but from what I've learned, they're all like that. The only way to deal with them is either to hug them into submission or have a lot of guns to point at their heads."

"And what are we going to do when we don't have enough guns?"

Alex swallowed hard. "That, Admiral, is what we're hoping to solve before they manage to coordinate things."

An officer approached the flag bridge with an update. "Admiral, the Solarian fleet is retreating through the jump point. There's one frigate hailing us…it's asking permission to be escorted."

"Drat," mumbled Alex under her breath. "I hoped they would just forget about that."

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