AI Era: The Captain's Commander

While the world in which the plot takes place is that of many of my other works, this story tested using an AI story interface to build the plot. It was awkward, so if the flow seems jerky, just figure that's AI for you. After the first draft, I left the AI and went through the text several times to smooth it out. Not quite uncanny valley. Special thanks to Shakna for suggesting it! Give it a shot yourself: https://github.com/FailedSave/storytelling-guide/blob/master/Guide.md

You are hunting space pirates who are attacking merchants. Following an ion trail to Waystop Space Station, you scan the outer hull and see a small port hole available for docking. Your spaceship is equipped with advanced scanners; however, there are too many spaceships to scan. You deactivate your concealed weapons system and call Spaceship Control, "This is Spaceship Fortuna. Request permission to dock."

Waystop Spaceship Control replies, "This is Waystop Control. Permission granted. Spaceship Fortuna will automatically dock." The computer voice confirms your plan.

The Station's tractor beam locks on to the Fortuna as you ask the Control Computer, "Waystop Control, Spaceship Fortuna's flightplan is attached in the data packet." A little extra information was added just for you to check its data security. Which turns out to be pretty old.

The computer voice responds with the data feed you asked for, "Last docking manifest is as follows: Docking Port Alpha arrived t-100...Docking Port Lima arrived t-30, Docking Port...Docking Port Charlie arrived t-01." Docking Port Charlie, you snap to attention. You feel a welcome tingle of excitement.

As you wait for the air pressure to equalize, you link to the Station's Comm System. The pirates could be on that ship in Docking Port Charlie. You look up the registration: Spaceship FastFreight. Just before the hatch opens to Waystop, you check your most powerful weapons...sarcastic humor and a forgettable appearance. You step out and seal the hatch behind you, turning to walk to Docking Port Charlie. The white noise of mechanical equipment around you is unusually noticeable, and it smells like they parked you in the dumpster section. Along the catwalk, you have to turn aside for a merchant aggressively marching towards you. As you wait for him to pass, you spy his insignia. "Fortuna", it reads. Narrowing your eyes at his back, he marches on ignoring you, you turn and keep walking towards Docking Port Charlie. You start to feel a little more excitement in anticipation of a good fight.

As you approach Docking Port Charlie, you see a group of men in green and yellow flightsuits working around the entrance. Two officers are talking near the airlock. You walk up and say, "Hey, this Station's docking AI is so irritating."

The officers look at you. One laughs and says, "Yeah, it has its problems. What can I do for you?" His insignia shows he's a lieutenant, and he looks familiar. He's probably in one of the reports on known pirates.

You smile ruefully, "Looking for groceries. Y'all got anything for sale?"

The lieutenant smirks. "You mean like supplies? MREs? Clothing? Water? Medical supplies?"

You nod while rotating your hand in a subtle gesture. "I'm Captain Smit; looking for goods Dirt Markets overprice for the rubes." Most people know that Dirt Markets are a snotty space term for trades with planet dwellers.

The lieutenant chuckles. "So what's the deal, Captain? You don't seem like a space pirate."

"Like I said, Docking AI was trained by an ape," you reply flippantly, giving a non-answer to the question.

The lieutenant raises his eyebrows and laughs. He turns to one of his men and says something. The two men walk away. The lieutenant turns back to you and says, "Come on, we'll give you The Tour." The FastFreight is not a traditional shipping spaceship. The cargo hold is too small and the crew too large. You notice that the station echoed as you walked, and stepping onto the FastFreight is a subconscious relief. And the smell is much improved too. The lieutenant leads you to crates typically found in Dirt Markets. The men walk you around, introduce you to their stores, show off their wares. They also show off their weapons.

The lieutenant's attention fixes on you when you imitate a cartoon-like *pew pew* in response. Which is when you see it: A huge metal body with multiple arms and legs, with eyes that can move independently of its head. The android stands on two feet, and it towers above you. You point at it and ask, "Is that a dildo?"

The men are surprised and follow your gaze to the thing. The lieutenant points at it and says, "No." He looks at you for a moment longer. Apparently you were supposed to ignore something so obvious.

Eyes twinkling, yet keeping your face straight, you point at the crate of replicators, "20 for the mechs."

The lieutenant pulls out his gun, and your senses heighten. "We have a deal, Captain."

"Transfer the manifest. Please." Ignoring the threat, you pull out your datapad.

"Android, scan all of the crates, including some in the back," the lieutenant orders lowering his gun. He tells you, "You have permission to open them."

The android beeps, and you hide a smirk at forcing him to keep to social norms for a bit longer.

Scanning the crates in the back, you see nothing unusual. However, the one at the front of the line...keeps on getting blocked by the lieutenant with the gun. You offer again, "25 for the fluxgates," pointing at the crate.

"I'm getting bored of this game," the lieutenant says, cocking his gun.

Frowning, you point at the crate. "I'll give you 30." You're so excited by the danger, you can almost track every cue he's giving off. He's weighing finding out more about you while you're not defensively reacting versus escalating.

"Fine," he mutters.

You hold out the datapad, appearing disgusted with the final price.

The android scans the datapad. It beeps indicating nothing illegal. You accept the datapad and say, "Ciao." Grabbing the crate, you leave.

Marching back down the catwalk, you check your comm for activity at Fortuna's Docking Port. The security signal is constant. No activity. Excitement runs down your spine, ambush is coming. You walk to Waystop's main entrance to make the ambusher(s) wait and palm open the door. The air is stale and smells of combustion dust. You shut the door and back up. No Space Station should ever smell stale. Unless all the people are dead or forced to leave. The dumpster smell that pervades everything begins to register. Decomposing meat...or something worse.

You cautiously approach the Fortuna. No one is there. Thoroughly disturbed yet high on adrenaline, you board, seal the hatch behind you, and walk to the cockpit. You look at the control board, hesitating. The station AI is running on minimal functionality.

"Don't tell the AI you're leaving," growls a voice behind you. You jerk and spin around, reaching for your gun. One of the lieutenant's crew members stands grinning. He opens his mouth to say something, but you shush him. He closes his mouth, but he's still grinning.

"Why is Waystop's AI a problem?" you ask, wondering how he got past Fortuna's AI.

"You have to trust us, Captain."

All your subterfuge is blown to hell. Every one of the ships attached to Waystop are dead husks, except FastFreight, which cannot possibly be its name. The whole station is dead. When you marched to the pirates, if they were the pirates, they knew immediately you were targeting them. "Did the AI kill everyone?"

He nods.

"I'm a tad surprised. I was about to ask how the raiding mission had gone," you blabber bullshit hoping to bluff your way out. Meanwhile, you attempt to order the Fortuna to distract him with an alarm, but nothing.

He rolls his eyes and assumes the you're-under-arrest posture. "So here's what's going to happen," the FastFreight crew member leisurely commands, "Give me your weapons. You're coming with me, and Lieutenant Wero's going to have a little chat with you."

Wero. Lieutenant Thadeus Wero. Most people don't know the name. You're not supposed to know the infamous Vox officer either. His whole history flashes before your eyes as you weigh that the only way to survive is by agreeing to whatever is going on. As you leave the Fortuna, several members of the Lieutenant's crew board it. It's not the first time hostiles have boarded your ship, but it's unfortunate that you can't just shoot them this time.

You follow the Lieutenant's crew member back through the outer catwalk of the station to the FastFreight. Everyone is gone. You see Lieutenant Wero himself watching Waystop's port hole from the cargo hold. When he sees you coming, he moves aside, allowing you to pass. You discover you have an inner Wero-fanclub.

"Android, secure detainee," he orders. The android snaps to attention at the door. One of its arms swings at you faster than you can track. Attempting to duck, you're too late. It attaches a collar around your neck.

"I do not need your permission to move," it says in a smooth, inhuman voice.

Concerned that the thing is broken, you look at the Lieutenant. "Android, list prisoner permissions," you order.

"I am a combat model, Captain. I have permission to disable humans. To separate them from their body. To attach a collar around their neck," it says, its mechanical voice a cold, clinical hum. You already knew it was a combat version, you thought contraband at first, and this one had a messed up AI. Your adrenaline picks up another notch.

The Lieutenant shakes his head, muttering, "Stupid AI."

"I need to open the airlocks," it says, and it stops. Then it adds, turning to you, "It's a security protocol."

"So was shooting people," Lieutenant Wero says. "Open the airlocks."

You start backing up towards the emergency air canisters. It presses the button and the doors begin to open. You look at the Lieutenant. He looks at you. "This is going to get us all killed," you say. He signals to the android.

The android lifts you up against the bulkhead. You brace yourself, sucking in your last breath. The adrenaline high from getting killed is not pleasant at all.

The Lieutenant acts as if nothing is happening, "You're demoted, Smit. If that's your real name." He plays with the collar around your neck asking, "So how is it that you happen to arrive here of all places and have such interest in our cargo of all things?"

"Since you're going to kill me," you say hollowly, without emotion, "I get to ask the questions. Why?"

"Who said 'kill'?" he asks. He lightly brushes his fingers up from your neck to your ear. It tickles and you shiver. Tortured with tickling during your last breaths. Oddly appropriate, your senior officer would say.

You look as Lieutenant Wero casually reaches for an air mask; he is watching you with an arched eyebrow.

"Fortuna was following us." He inhales a breath from the nearby air cannister, then holds it out for you to take a breath.

"That's a damned lie," you growl into the mask. After your breath, you shove the android so hard you slide partially out of its hold. It then grabs you by the shoulders and sends you to the ground. The irony is that only the android holding you against the metal is keeping you from being sucked out with the air. You let out your last breath automatically staring at the Lieutenant, who is calmly holding a handhold against the suction from the vacuum of space. This is crazy, you think as your vision begins to get hazy.

Suddenly the whole ship starts accelerating. "Close doors," the Lieutenant orders.

Air refills the ship, and you realize that you're going to live. "What..." you gasp inhaling.

His eyes darken. "Someone fucked up the Waystop AI. It only releases a ship if it appears useless. Never ask it to leave. That sends the repair bots to fix you and your crew good."

The ship shudders to a stop, and you hear the AI's voice over the intercom, "Captain Smit, this is Waystop. Return Fortuna to dock immediately. Repair bots need to fix your hull."

You look at the Lieutenant who shrugs. "Android, bring her to quarters." The spaceship suddenly jerks forward. Lieutenant Wero moves reflexively grabbing you and holding you steady against him. He even smells good.

Admonishing your inner Wero-fanclub to stop reacting, you ask, "What about the Fortuna?" He lets you go perfunctorily, taps his comm, and shows you the screen. "See? My newest acquisition got lose when we did; crew over there is fine. Nice plasma cannon, by the way." He gestures to the open crew quarters door. You inner fanclub stops cheering.

"If the AI was going to make me a flashfrozen popsicle," you say. "Why didn't it do it sooner?" The android enters the single cabin, slowly behind you.

"Hmm. So 'Smit', I'm Lieutenant Wero. Let's have a chat, shall we?" He gestures to the bunk within for you to sit. The android shuts you both in.

You look to the android, and then to the door to the main crew area. Wero is looking at you. The ship's vibrations dampen to the usual smooth spacetravel. Miraculously, you lived.

"Bounty hunting?" Wero asks.

"That's a lie too," you say.

"You have no idea who I am or what I am. And I have no idea who you are or what you are," he says.

You look over his shoulder as your inner fanclub giggles.

"You know what makes us better than AI?" he asks.

Tilting your head, you snark, "We usually manage to get the murderous psycho's out of controlling essential life systems?" His non-plussed facial expression is hilarious; Vox has a nasty history. You hold open your hands, offering. "You saved my life. I'll return the favor. Drop me at the next station, and I'll forget ever seeing you."

"Or I could kill you before you get a chance to leave," he says, looking incredulous.

The hint of danger brings a taste of adrenaline. You look over to the cabin door imitating boredom.

"But I'm curious," Wero continues. "You make me laugh." He stands up, "Settle in here. Android's your guard. I'll be back..." You shake your head, mentally finishing his sentence as he leaves, "...after the crew has scoured the Fortuna's databases for anything useful."

When he turns away, you stick your tongue out and picture what he'd look like naked. He stops and spins as if you had struck him. You blank your face before he can focus on you, fold your arms, and raise an eyebrow. After pausing a second, he steps out and the door shuts; you hear him talking into his comm, "Our detainee is not..."

Sitting on the edge of the bunk, you turn back to the android and tap your comm. "Android, you there?" He looks at you. "Check." At least that feature isn't broken.

The one thing that sucks about chasing the next adrenaline high is the crash when it all goes to shit. You can't win every time or else situational threats wouldn't be a viable source for the next high. Groaning, you flop down on the bed picturing the dolts going over your letters, manifests, and all the other little bits of data that exist on the Fortuna. All of it should say 'Dirt Merchant', but humans will make errors which AI doesn't. You sigh and ask the android, "What happened to Wero's last prisoner?"

"I have no idea," the android replies, "I have a theory, though." It looks at you.

"An android with a theory, hit me up, Wires. What's the theory?"

"I think that the Fortuna might be the work of an insurgent group."

You shrug, then you mutter, "With jokes like these, no wonder Wero wants me around."

A few hours later there's a knock at the door. Cursory. It slides open just a moment afterward. You turn over on your bunk, happily distracted from your dark thoughts. The android lights up, "Check."

Wero enters holding a small rectangular tray, "Got your meal." He puts the tray on the bunk.

As you reach for it, you notice he's not going anywhere. "I'm surprised you're the one delivering this. Don't you have a ship to run?"

"I can get help running a ship, but with the Fortuna being repopulated, there's less delegating here." His eyes study you with more than cool, professional interest.

"Robots would be better suited for this kind of work," you comment half heartedly. The tray's slot slides forward. You pick it up. It opens into a fork.

You poke at the food. "It's not poisoned," Wero rolls his eyes. "So what's your destination in the Devil's Backbone? Looks like a base of operations."

You take a bite of the food, and a sip of water. "I'm headed for the station at Karis." Your happy fight or flight sensation reacts to Wero of all people interrogating you.

"The one with a working AI?" he asks. "How many times have you been there?"

You dodge the question, "Where are you people from? All the AIs work, mas o menos. Wires here," you gesture at the android, "could use minimal training...unless it's been through a paradox-break."

"The Fortuna's AI told us you were working yesterday at Space Station Fiver and pirates attacked. It also says you nearly shut down the station to prevent the pirates' escape."

You shrug like that's a normal thing.

"So...were you attacked?" His tone is calm, factual. His eyes express concern.

You make eye contact with Wero; that's important to convey the truth in a lie, "The Fiver AI thought everything was fine. Humans pretty universally agreed the armed space suits shooting at them were pirates attacking. I wasn't on station. Heard the comm chatter as I flew away from the action."

"So then you were captured by the pirates in a tractor beam." Somehow he knew pirates were involved in your showing up at Waystop.

"I'm being held against my will by you. Are you a pirate, Lieutenant Wero?" You internally smile.

A flash of temper appears. "No, I'm not."

Your internal Wero-fanclub gets excited: he doesn't like pirates either. Your hunger ceases to be forgotten. "Yeah, right. You think I'm stupid?" you needle him with a smirk. You take a bite of the food, then another, and another. He's looking at you calculatingly. This is fun.

"If I thought you were stupid, you'd let me know I was wrong when the knife lodged in my back," Wero retorts.

You bite your lip to hold in the smile. His eyes darken as he focuses on your lips. A tense pause fills the moment as you look each other in the eye. You desperately order your internal fanclub not to swoon.

Breaking eye contact and sighing, he pulls a box out of his pocket, "As long as you don't look in this box, we will drop you off at Karis."

You don't reach out for it, reaching for a change in strategy instead. "I don't want a fucking Mulligan, Wero. I want my spaceship back, and I want off of this bucket of bolts," you growl. You recognize the emotion in his eyes now; it's attraction.

"You know we can't let you go." His posture is relaxed.

"But we can," you say mockingly.

Wero laughs. He sits next to you on the bunk, "You're a difficult girl. It would be easier to kill you," he says.

"Woman," you snap.

He grabs your arm and squeezes a warning, "You're not worth much, you know that? You're useful as a negotiation token. I'll let you go if I can."

A cheap token. Nice. Means the cover is still intact. "What do you want?"

Wero shakes his head, "Now that I've got the Fortuna, I just want to figure out what to do with you." He puts the Mulligan down on the floor in the corner.

You ignore the action and glance at Wires. "If you'd prefer to pretend I'm not even here, give me access to the galley. With Wires if need be."

Wero smiles at the android's name, "Wires, your human has access to these quarters and the galley only."

The android nods, "Check."

You mutter, "Just until I get off this stupid ship."

Wero takes your hand, kisses it, "Relax. The stupid ship will get to Karis in a few days. I'll be back and we can enjoy some card games to pass the time."