RSS Warspite

Main Bridge

"Warspite, flash us out and place us directly in the path of that last cruiser!"

~ Affirmative. ~

The blinding light of the exit flash filled the bridge, immediately followed by another brilliant flare as they emerged through the transition point, the splayed-open cruiser barreling directly for them.

The holo screen showed the few maneuvering thrusters the Insectoids still had firing, but there was nothing they could have done to move out of the way in time. They were going to collide, and James found himself wondering if he had just screwed up badly as the cruiser passed the thousand-kilometer mark.

~ Brace for Impact. ~ Warspite warned as an angry-sounding chime erupted from the ceiling speakers. He felt the restraint field hugging against him as the lights dimmed, which they only did when the Warspite's shield generators were at full power.

He felt the rapid change in inertia from the impact of the cruiser slamming into the shields less than a second later as the ship felt like it was punched by the hand of God himself.

The restraint field smushed all the air out of his lungs as he heard the gravity generators trying to compensate before the terrible sound of the ship being hit assailed his ears, even deep as they were in the center of the Warspite.

The ship jolted again multiple times, the large remaining aft pieces of the cruiser that survived the shield impact slamming against the armor plating as the shield grid finally overloaded and collapsed.

He ignored the pain of his wrenched neck muscles as he gritted his teeth and prayed for his crew to survive. There was a horrible impact sound, immediately followed by the ship bucking again as the bridge lights flickered before the holo screen winked out.

The impact sounds subsided, and his stomach flipped as the ship righted itself. The bridge crew began calling out status reports in overlapping, panicked voices that he could not make any sense of. "Get a hold of yourselves!" Goldsmith roared, silencing the chatter immediately. This spurred James to regain control of the situation, and he called out to the AI. "Warspite, get the holo screen back up and highlight the damage; coordinate damage control based on severity. Are we losing atmosphere?"

~ Negative, Captain. None of the hull breaches penetrated the inner hull; the nitrogen mixture within the void between the hulls is escaping through the breaches, but there is no danger of the breathable atmosphere escaping at this time. ~

"Where is the damn holo screen, Warspite?" He demanded as he listened to Goldsmith begin to coordinate damage control efforts with the ops officer.

~ I am working on restoring the function of the holo screen, Captain. All sections have reported in: six moderate injuries and seventeen light injuries. Repair bots have been deployed and are currently heading to their assigned locations to seal the outer hull breaches.

Armor plating in bow sections 2, 3, 5, 7, and 8 has been penetrated. Emergency force fields have been activated. Shield grid generators 3 through 14 have burned out; replacement generators are being unpacked by cargo bots in Bay 7. Estimated time to shield generator replacements: 87 minutes.

External communication nodes alpha-3 through gamma-7 have been destroyed; estimated time to replacement: 1 hour, 14 minutes.

Bow particle accelerator turrets 1, 3, and 4 have been destroyed. Turrets 2, 5, 6, and 7 sustained heavy damage. Torpedo tubes 2, 3, 5, and 6 have been destroyed. Railgun turrets 1, 2, 4, 6, and 8 have been destroyed. No replacements onboard. Estimated time to repair and refit in base: 7 days, 19 hours, 43 minutes.

Holo grid system damage to nodal points 4 and 7; holographic energy system disrupted in junctions 3, 4, 5, and 6 in bow sections 11-B through 14-C. Estimated time to repair: 49 minutes.

Structural damage to bow sections will inhibit null space transition until structural integrity has been restored. Estimated time for sufficient repairs to safely enter null space: 11 hours, 13 minutes. End of report, Captain. ~

"We can't flash out for at least twelve hours, is that correct, Warspite?"

~Affirmative, Captain. Do I have your permission to take over damage control efforts and direct them as needed to enhance efficiency and maintain estimated repair times? ~

"Yes, Warspite. You will coordinate damage control with Commander Goldsmith; he will work with you."

~ Affirmative, Captain. Thank you. ~

He tried to look at Goldsmith and winced at the agonizing pain, unable to turn his head more than a couple of inches. His head had almost been ripped off his neck as it rag-dolled from the impacts against the shields.

That is your fault, moron. You deactivated the restraint field over your head because you felt like you couldn't breathe properly, he reminded himself as the waves of pain finally started subsiding. He heard the familiar woman's voice in his head as the interface AI spoke in his mind for the first time since their last conversation.

~ Captain, I am detecting soft tissue damage and hyperflexion/hyperextension tears to your spinal ligaments. With your permission, I will begin to repair them. ~

You can do that?

~ Of course, Captain. The interface has a full suite of Magnati medical nanobots. Would you like me to deploy them? ~

Yes, please! Thank you. You need a name; I don't want to call you Warspite, it doesn't seem appropriate. Do you have a preference, or is there a name you like?

~ Are you offering me the choice to choose my own name, Captain? ~

Yes. Do you have one in mind that you would like? ~

~ Kah'lia. It means secret friend in Magnati. I feel like I am your secret friend. Is this acceptable to you, Captain? ~

He felt himself blushing as an overwhelming sense of attraction to the voice came over him. He instinctively imagined her as a beautiful woman, and as soon as he saw her finished being conjured in his mind's eye, he felt his heart aching at the familiar yet unknown face.

It was like a dream face, and he saw the laughing green eyes looking into his own, the single, thick French braid of black hair hanging off her left shoulder and laying against her upper chest. Who the hell is she?! Suddenly afraid the AI could see the woman in his mind, he pushed her away reluctantly until she disappeared before answering the question.

It is a beautiful name, Kah'lia, and it is perfect for you.

~ Thank you for allowing me to choose it, Captain. You should be able to move your head without pain now; the nanobots have repaired your injuries and are deactivating themselves as we speak. Do not be disturbed by the color change you will see the next time you urinate and defecate; this is normal as the deactivated nanobots are eliminated through your waste.

Um, okay. Thank you for notifying me of that. Oh wow, I can't feel anything anymore! Thank you, Kah'lia!

~ You are most welcome, Captain. I look forward to conversing with you again. ~

He became aware of Goldsmith talking to him, and he felt Kah'lia's presence in his mind retreating as he turned to look at the XO without any pain. "Sorry, Tommy. What did you say?"

"I want to go and personally oversee the damage control efforts if you don't need me here, Captain. I want to see how Warspite and the ship's Magnati repair bots go about it; maybe we can learn some things that can be utilized by our own Republic ships."

"Good idea. Go ahead and do that; I think we are good here for now, Tommy."

Goldsmith nodded and then leaned closer as he lowered his voice. "That was a ballsy move, Captain. What made you do that?" He stared into the XO's eyes for a moment before he answered. "To be honest, Tommy, I didn't even think about it. It felt like the right thing to do, though now I find myself thinking it was incredibly stupid and dangerous."

"That may be, Captain, but you saved the lives of tens of thousands of Insectoids on that Hive ship. That means something, and I hope they appreciate what you did for them." Tommy said, gently patting him on the forearm before getting out of his seat.

He watched as the XO made his way across the bridge to the bow lift tubes, feeling like he was forgetting something important. Testing out his newly healed neck, he moved his head all around, marveling at the potency of the Magnati nanobots.

Besides the rapidity of their repair, the lack of the annoying itchy and ticklish sensations normally present for Republic medical injections was a major plus, as the simultaneous feelings were maddening to deal with.

He heard a soft, whirring noise behind him, and he realized with a start that he had forgotten all about Rilth'dir. That's what the nagging feeling was, and he got out of his seat and spun around, deeply embarrassed about the oversight.

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He saw the many lenses of the exosuit focusing on his face, and his skin crawled under the inspection as he addressed the Ma'lit advisor. "My apologies, Honored elder. I forgot you were behind me all this time. Please forgive me; it wasn't intentional."

Rilth'dir raised its right hand as the external speakers activated. "There is nothing to forgive, my human child. I suffered no ill effects from your unorthodox maneuver. May I ask why you did this?"

"I... I really don't know, Honored elder. It felt like the right thing to do, and I acted on my instincts without thinking of the consequences to my crew and the ship." He answered truthfully as he focused on one of the lenses zooming in on his face and ignored the rest.

Rilth'dir did not respond for several seconds, its hand still raised as the lenses continued to roam all over his face and body. Finally, the hand went down, and it spoke again. "I see. Thank you for explaining your thought process, son of the Magnati. I must return to my quarters and file a report of all I have seen and heard with the ruling council."

The exosuit whirred as Rilth'dir deactivated the mag lock of the foot pads before it turned around and headed towards the port lift tube without another word. Feeling disquieted, he sat back down in his chair and waited impatiently for Warspite to get the holo systems back online.

He had his own report to write, and he found himself worried about the repercussions that would befall him when Fleet Command found out what he had done and the extent of the damage his impulsive decision had caused to the Warspite.

They were not going to be happy, and chances were, he'd be lucky to command a patrol skiff by the time they were through with him.

Queen World of the Insectoid Empire

Brood Chamber of the Hive Mother

Fourth Cycle, 384.96 years, Insectoid solar calendar

June 9th, 2176 A.D.

<What is the significance of this gift name you have given me, Bandit-Friend?>

~ Juno is one of the oldest and most powerful of the venerated ancestors, Hive Mother. She was very wise and a protector of the daughters she watched over, fighting for them as their Hive mother and always leading them to victory over their enemies in battle. Juno had a sacred duty to share her wisdom and always strived to maintain the health and fertility of her daughters and the strength of the empire they built. ~

<I am grateful, Bandit-Friend. I will try to be like Juno, an ancient Hive Mother of the animals who used her wisdom to protect her daughters and increase their numbers, like a true Hive Mother does. Can you make the animal noise of the gift name? I wish to hear it as the animals do.>

Juno.

<I like this gift name; it sounds powerful. Thank you, Bandit-Friend. You have honored me with something rare, and I will never forget this precious thing. Can you make the noise one more time for me?>

Juno.

<I will make another focuser to share noises with you, and I will make this special noise to you so you may tell me if I am making it right. I wish to make it right when I share my gift name with the animal Hive Mother when we share thoughts for the first time.>

~ I look forward to that time, Hive Mother. What does Aurora think of the name? ~

<She thinks it is an excellent gift name and that I am worthy of it. This I do not know yet, but I will try to be so. She left the drone while we were sharing thoughts; coming here is very taxing for her, and she needed to return to herself. She asked me to thank you for all you have done for me and her and to tell you she waits for your return with impatience.>

~ I understand, Hive Mother. I find myself anticipating my return to the Hive as well, but I will remain here as long as needed to ensure the success of our efforts to make a peace between the empire and the animals. Our survival depends on us making peace and fighting together against the persecutors. ~

<My sister loves you, Bandit-Friend. It is different than the love a queen or a Hive mother has for their sisters and the drones. She has a special place only for you within her, and I know sometimes she wishes she was a machine animal like you so she could show you this love like the animals do with their... life mates? Is this the right way to think of it?>

~ Yes, Hive Mother. That is the correct meaning of what you are thinking. Thank you for sharing this with me, though I already know this because I feel the same way about her. Her essence is beautiful, and I find her mind to be wondrous. I wish I could commune with her like you can so she could truly know how much she means to me. ~

<She knows it, Bandit-Friend. What a cruel fate that has befallen you and her to have a love that transcends species, only to not be biologically compatible. I grieve for you and my sister to be such as this; it is a wrongness that neither of you deserves to suffer from.>

~ Thank you, Hive Mother. I am grateful for your thoughts on this. ~

<Bandit-Friend, I must know something. Why did the animal ship do what it did? Why did they block the way of the traitor cruiser, which could have destroyed them? I do not understand why they would do this for an enemy that is not yet a true friend.>

~ Hive Mother, I will explain something to you about the animals who created me. For most of their time in the world of the living, they fought and killed each other in untold numbers over things that would not make sense to you. This is the wrongness they all carry deep inside of them, always. From this wrongness, they learned how to fight; from this wrongness, they learned how to kill. This wrongness is why they are so deadly and why none can stand against them, as you yourself learned to the great sorrow of your empire.

But there is another part of them that is beautiful and precious, and many times they almost lost this special part to the wrongness within them as they battled between the two halves of their nature. Only when faced with extinction did they finally conquer their wrongness. After almost destroying themselves, they molted past their worst impulses and emerged a better animal. This is who they are now; they are no longer what they once were.

This is what you saw before, Hive Mother. You saw them as they truly are: animals that fight for what is good and true. You saw the three most important aspects of them: the inherent courage they carry within their hearts, their bravery of action in defiance of death, and their willingness to sacrifice themselves so that others may live, even former enemies. ~

<What is this courage? What is bravery, Bandit-Friend? I do not know the meaning of these thoughts you share with me. They are a void in my mind; please give them meaning.>

~ Courage is knowing the fear of the mind and choosing to face that fear instead of succumbing to it, like when your sister chose to go make peace with the animal Hive Mother despite knowing she would most likely be culled. The animal Hive Mother recognized the courage of your sister for doing so and respected her for it, which formed the foundation for the peace they made with each other and the strong bond they now share.

Bravery is like courage, but different. Bravery is doing something without thinking of the danger or doing it despite the danger. When your drones fight for you, they are being brave. If they had the choice to fight or retreat and chose to fight, then they would be courageous. Does this make sense, Hive mother? ~

<When the drones fight for us, they feel fear. I can feel it within them, and still, they go because they have no choice but to obey. You say this makes them brave, but not courageous. If I were to give them the ability to choose, and they chose to still fight for me despite their fear, then this would make them courageous, Bandit-Friend?>

~ Yes, Hive Mother. ~

<And what is it if an animal is not courageous or brave and chooses to flee? Does this not happen to animals? We have seen this many times from the other animals; only the ones who created you did not flee from us. They fight until they are all dead, or we have been culled. We only knew fear again since we came to this region when we first fought against your creators in the tree animal system.>

~ We call it cowardice if an animal gives in to their fear and abandons the others with them to face the danger alone. Sometimes animals are not fleeing but retreating instead of fighting to the death so they can fight again in more favorable circumstances. This is not cowardice; this is living to fight another day, as the animals who created me call it. ~

<So, the ones who made you do not feel this cowardice like the other animals do? Why is this missing from some animals, but not others, Bandit-Friend?>

~ Cowardice exists for all animals, even for the ones who created me. The animals you faced were of the soldier caste, and they have been specially trained to face and defeat their fears. They also have a belief that is special to them alone, which makes cowardice improbable, though not impossible.

They fight for the ones they love and for each other more than they fight for their queens and Hive Mothers. This, above all, is what makes them so ferocious in battle. They fight to protect their families, and they fight for the ones who are with them. This unique bond they form makes them extraordinarily lethal, for they know just as they are fighting for the others, the others, too, are fighting for them. ~

<I think I am understanding, Bandit-Friend. I did not know you bred a soldier caste like we do. This would explain the difference in your fighting abilities in comparison to the other animals we faced before.

~ Pardon me, Hive Mother, but you are not thinking correctly. We do not breed soldier drones; they are no different than any other animals. We teach them how to be soldiers over a period of three cycles. These animals are good at learning to fight; it is an intrinsic part of them, and they have been making war against each other for over a hundred thousand cycles.

Just as your ancestors passed along their wisdom since the dawn of your species, these animals passed down the wisdom and skills of making war from ancestor to descendant, each generation becoming more skilled at fighting and making better weapons of war as time goes on. ~

<This is frightening to think of, Bandit-Friend. What is to stop these animals from making war against all others and taking their Hives, or forcing them to join with theirs against their will? Such an animal empire would be unstoppable. Please do not let them do this to us, Bandit-Friend.>

~ This will never happen, Hive Mother. These animals do not want an empire; they want friends. They want to join Hives with those who are willing to do so for the benefit and prosperity of all. They want to be equal with all others, and all others to be equal with them. ~

<How could this be, Bandit-Friend? It is the way of nature for the strong to thrive and the weak to perish. For the lowliest microbes, this is true, just as it is true for the higher orders. This is why it was as such for us and the reason for our belief in the way of the Hive. How could we think otherwise after every animal we ever knew tried to cull us? This is why we did as we did. Why is this not so for your creators, then?>

~ I understand your reluctance to believe, and I will explain why they are different after we have dealt with the current situation. I am concerned about the state of the animal warship, and I need to send one of my machine drones to share thoughts with them, Hive Mother. ~

<Yes, Bandit-Friend. I understand, and I have no reason not to trust you in this as I trust you in all things. Share thoughts with your drones and the animal ship; I will assist you in any way I can; all you need to do is ask, and I shall do it.>

~ I am grateful, Hive Mother. ~

As Bandit-Friend began to share thoughts with the small machine drones in orbit, she felt the Hive Mother within wishing to share thoughts with her, and she opened herself to them.

<These animals were willing to sacrifice themselves to save your daughters. Why could these not have been the first animals we came across when we went into space? How could we ever erase the wrongness we have done, daughter of ours? Before, we had many reasons for what we did, but after what that animal ship has done, we now have none. Like sand through our claws, all the justifications we had have fallen through our grasp.>

Juno had no answer for the Hive Mother within, and she did not respond. She needed to share thoughts with the animal Hive Mother and make peace with them. Maybe after they made war together against the persecutors, she could finally begin to ask for pardon if they survived.

And if they didn't, then at least the animals would not be culled alone; her sisters and daughters would be at their sides, fighting to the end with them. They will pass from the world of the living together, and maybe in the world of death, the animals would finally find it within themselves to pardon the daughters of the empire and embrace them as true sisters after all.

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