If I lose Ezra too, I’ll give up.

I don’t think I have anyone else left.

But while I have him, I’ll fight tooth and nail to keep us safe.

Whatever it takes.

ByteMe: aroo

Zhang, B: Jesus u can’t be here, Corporal Boklov is online, i can see his ID

Zhang, B: u log in while his ID’s already active, someone will wtf

ByteMe: today i am playing the part of Private LeFevre, tho i thank you for your kind concern

Zhang, B: i don’t think the stims are working any more. so hard not to qwertyface

ByteMe: no sleep for the wicked, my friend. ur our best hope

Zhang, B: zzzZZzzzzzz

ByteMe: where’d u grow up?

Zhang, B: does that matter in the slightest?

ByteMe: i’m keeping u awake, you dope

Zhang, B: Triton III

ByteMe: isn’t that mostly water?

Zhang, B: i’m a pretty buoyant guy. but yeah, got out when i could

ByteMe: family?

Zhang, B: mom and sisters. pay mostly goes into accounts for my nieces and nephews. don’t need much myself

ByteMe: uncle byron <3

Zhang, B: upstart

ByteMe: so what made you take up the fight, Mr. Information Liberty Activist?

Zhang, B: hush, I’m working

ByteMe: spill

Zhang, B: i’ll tell you when you’re older

ByteMe: oh come onnnnn

Zhang, B: (dramatic sigh)

Zhang, B: “The man dies in all who keep silent in the face of tyranny.”

ByteMe: …

ByteMe: what?

Zhang, B: Wole Soyinka said that. he was a writer, back in 20C. studied him in college. wrote about injustice. Plays, poems, books. good stuff. u should read him

ByteMe: what’s a book?

Zhang, B: …

Zhang, B: hey what r u doing looking over in that core? dead there

ByteMe: checking shutdown + restart logs, might find something helpful

Zhang, B: good, smart

ByteMe: this is weird tho. there are like 6 shutdown attempts in a row here, all fail. AIDAN was blocking them

Zhang, B: when?

ByteMe: right when they were firing on the Copernicus

Zhang, B: … say WHAT?

Chau, A, Capt: You sonofabitch, David

Torrence, D, Gen: Excuse me?

Chau, A, Capt: It killed them. All of them. I have it all here on file. Launch codes for the nukes. Orders for your Cyclone drones to take out the surviving shuttles. AIDAN murdered over two thousand people, and you’re trying to bring it back online?

Torrence, D, Gen: Where did you get those files?

Chau, A, Capt: How long did you think you could keep this a secret? You didn’t think to mention your AI’s judgment is so critically impaired?

Torrence, D, Gen: Where did you get those files, Captain? I gave explicit orders your technicians were to access designated areas ONLY.

Chau, A, Capt: My God, what does it matter how I got them? My people are helping you get AIDAN up and running again and we have NO GUARANTEES it won’t kill us all as soon as it becomes operational.

Torrence, D, Gen: AIDAN is already operational. It was deactivated on my orders. And we’re working to ensure it doesn’t hurt anyone when we turn it back on.

Chau, A, Capt: And that’s supposed to comfort me?

Torrence, D, Gen: This is an act of espionage in a time of war. Do you realize the consequences? You are directly undermining the security of this fleet. I could have you and your entire command staff brought up on charges and shot.

Chau, A, Capt: We are done, do you understand me? My people are out. We are ceasing in any operations to bring the AI back into operational status until I have some guarantee it won’t destroy us all at its earliest opportunity.

Torrence, D, Gen: I’m afraid I can’t allow that, Captain. The Lincoln WILL destroy us when it catches us, and I need your crews to bring AIDAN online before they do.

Chau, A, Capt: Jesus, David, two days ago you were unwilling to let my people near your systems. And now you’re telling me they can’t stop?

Torrence, D, Gen: Is it any wonder I was reluctant to allow your people access, given the current circumstances?

Chau, A, Capt: My crew are civilians. They’re under MY command. I will NOT allow them to participate in an action that places my ship and personnel in danger.

Torrence, D, Gen: Then they’re not civilians anymore.

Chau, A, Capt: What?

Torrence, D, Gen: I’m conscripting your commtech staff into the UTA, effective immediately. You will have them assembled on your main hangar deck and ready to depart in 30 minutes. A shuttle is being sent to get them.

Chau, A, Capt: You can’t do this.

Torrence, D, Gen: A full complement of UTA Marines will accompany the shuttle and help escort your personnel back to Alexander. I would recommend you refrain from resistance.

Chau, A, Capt: David, think this through, please

Torrence, D, Gen: 30 minutes.

Torrence, D, Gen: Centrum tenenda. Torrence out.

INCEPT: 07/28/75 (06:58 shipboard time)

LOCATION: Wallace Ulyanov Consortium Science Vessel Hypatia

OFFICER IDENT: Winifred McCall (UTN-961-641id)

RANK: First Lieutenant

_________________________________

At 02:07 (shipboard time) on 07/28/75, Sigma Squad and I were scrambled to a Code Blue alert issued by Alexander command staff. Squad mustered in a timely fashion to deck 146, where we were briefed by General Torrence.

The boss looked tired. More tired than I can ever remember seeing him.

Sit-rep: Hypatia’s commtech crew had been forcefully conscripted into the UTA after an (unspecified) act of espionage instigated by Hypatia officers. A shuttle was being sent to bring the conscripts back to Alexander where our TechEng crew could keep closer watch on them.