CMDR'S Log 17
04 Aug 2024User377553
03/02/331003:00 Galactic Standard Time
Location: Drebbel Port, Yash System
CMDR Eric Vons POV
I turn to look at Tetco. She appeared to be standing stock still. "Tetco?" I ask. She doesn't respond. I walk back around her and lightly tapped on her shoulder. No response. I go and wave my hand in front of her face. Still nothing. "Tetco? You in there?" I asked concerned. Still no response. I take a breath then I debate about using the list to essentially force a reboot response. 'But that could do more harm than good in this case.' I think. I decide to just carry her to the Medical Bay and see what the new equipment there has to say. I carefully scoop her up and carry her there. Her body was as stiff as a board which made it somewhat difficult but I got it done and laid her on a medical exam bed.
I pull over some scanners. "Alright let's see what is happening in that unique body of yours." I muttered as I booted up the scanner and began running the scans. They were all clean. I steadily increased the amount of advanced medical scans I ran. Then I got a result on the advanced neurological scans. "Damn, your brain activity is all over the place." I said. I started searching the data more closely when my commlink buzzed for my attention. I answered it.
"Commander, where are you?" Aurora asked. "On the ship. In the medical bay." I said distractedly. "I just looked through the whole ship. You're not aboard." Aurora said. "Oh, damn. Go to docking bay 07." I said. "What? Why?" She asked. "Because that's where I am. What was your original reason for calling anyways?" I asked. "Everything on the Hubward is going crazy." Aurora practically screamed into the commlink. "Explain exactly what is going on. Look for patterns. Let me know what you see." I said. "Why can't you do that or have Tetco do it?" Aurora said. "Because I am not there right now and Tetco appears to be otherwise occupied." I snapped.
"What do you mean?" Aurora asked. "Look, Aurora. Just tell me what you see. Please, the more information I have right now the better." I said ignoring the question. "Fine, all the lights are flashing. The hardpoints are deploying and retracting and I hear music and it is switching songs very quickly very often. Also it's looping." Aurora said. "Thank you. Now when the music gets to the start of it's loop record each word you hear in order then bring that to docking bay 07." I said. "Ok, but why-" She started before I cut her off. "Aurora, I don't want to have this conversation over a communication channel. Just do as I have asked and I will explain in person." I snapped. Then I terminated the connection.
"Tetco, Execute Order 3." I hesitantly say watching the monitors and scans after about 15 minutes with no other changes or ideas. The brain activity spikes and finally settles down a little bit. Tetco's purple eyes begin to glow brightly. My commlink crackles and buzzed for attention again. I answered. "You bought a ship." Aurora stated. "Yeah use the lift and bring me the data." I said. "Ok where are you." Aurora Rebia answered. "Medical Bay. Just follow the hall." I said. I ended the call and then noticed the changes. A massive neurological spike and huge deviation from her normal neural patterns. "Tetco?" I say hesitantly. She whipped her head around at the sound of my voice.
"Identify yourself." Tetco said with almost no emotion. "Commander Eric Vons." I said. "A Guardian. We exterminated all of you." She said. "Yes, Tetco. You did. But I'm human, not a Guardian." I answered. "Humanity is just as bad. Worse even. And should also be exterminated, starting with you and your Prima Donna Senator." She said. "Tetco? Come on you know me. Have I ever restricted you from using your potential when you could?" I asked. Tetco stopped and tilted her head. "Yes, you have." She said finally getting up and moving towards me. A rumble shook the station. "I just triggered the self destruct sequence of the Hubward. I should be the only survivor. Yet you and the ship are still intact. How?" Tetco queried. 'She doesn't remember.' I thought briefly. "That's my secret." I said. "You will tell me. Or I will make you tell me." Tetco said. "I won't say anything." I said defiantly. "Then I will do what I must." She said dangerously. "Yeah, you will try, and you will fail." I said casually.
Tetco charges and I duck her punch just to get her knee rammed up between my legs on the groin immediately followed by a upper cut. I staggered back. And took short breaths trying to recover. "Tell me what it is I want to know." Tetco said. "Tetco. You have completely lost your mind. This is not you." I said. "Oh, do you mean your crew member?" She replied. "Because crew get paid. And I have not received so much as a credit from you." She snapped. "There are other forms of payment." I said. "Really, because I don't recall you ever paying me in any of these alternative ways." Tetco scoffed. "And what do you call this?" I gestured to the ship around us. "A ship. And not even a good one." She said. "Pretty pitiful for a month of working for you." She added. "This thing cost 45 million credits. More than a decent monthly payment." I argued. "Sounds like a rip off." She said. I rolled my eyes and sighed. "Tetco, Execute Order 99." I say. There's no response to the command but I see the brain scan fluctuate as the anomalistic readings settle to a normal pattern before coming back. The scanner tab was still attached to her and sending the data to the machine. "Now tell me what I want to know." She snapped moving towards me.
"Yeah, no. Not happening. You see. I hired you. I have protected you from the rest of humanity. I allow you to be yourself." I said. Tetco pushed me against the wall and held me up by the throat. My feet dice inches above the ground. "Tell me what I want to know or I will crush your windpipe." She growled. "Yeah one problem with that plan." I said. "That is?" Tetco asked. "Then I wouldn't be able to tell you what you want to know." I said. "Sure, but she would." Tetco says waving at the door which had slid open as Aurora entered. And promptly stopped. Shocked by the sight before her. "Yeah maybe." I said as the pressure increases. "Alright." I gasped. "I'll tell you." I continued. Tetco released the pressure enough for me to speak. "Tetco, execute Order 6." I said.
Tetco instantly froze. I extract myself from her grip and away from the wall. "Perfect timing. Let's get Tetco secured. Then we'll talk." I said. Aurora just stands there for a minute then she asks. "Commander, what the hell is going on?" "I don't know, Senator." I responded as I started moving Tetco. "So what did she want to know?" Aurora asked me as I finished getting Tetco secured with a restraining field. "Why the Hubward didn't explode and kill you and me." I said. "That rumble?" She asked "Probably the Hubward exploding." I said. "That's going to have the station authorities on us as soon as they find out it was our ship." Aurora said. "Unfortunately. You are right." I said. "Let me see that data." I added. I look over the data Aurora brought me and compare it to the data from the brain scans.
03/02/3310
03:30 Galactic Standard Time
Location: Medical Bay, Krait MK ll, Drebbel Port, Yash System
Aurora's POV
I watch as Eric looks over the data. "So what was that you used to cause her to stop?" I asked. "One of the orders on a list I have. Orders that I don't advertise or ever use unless I absolutely need to." Eric said. "I think I already told you about them." He added. "You did. What was that one you used?" I asked. "One designed to prevent Tetco from giving away information in any way, shape, or form. Works well for making her halt all actions as well though." He said. "Do you know why she's acting the way she is all of a sudden?" I asked. "For sure. No. But my theory is that the Thargiod biotechnology and the Guardian AI are at odds with each other. It's confirmed by the latest medical scans I have run, by this data that you brought me on the Hubward and what I witnessed." He said. "In fact, I think it's being triggered by the meltdown of Titan Taranis." He added. "How so?" I asked. "Well it's a long story but I have heard from credible sources that distinction between a Thargiod and a Thargiod ship is hard to make. Maybe the same thing applies to her physical body." He finished.
"Tetco, Execute Order 1 until 19:00 Galactic Standard Time on 03/02/3310. Confirm that you understand." Eric said clearly. Tetco's purple eyes dimmed and her mouth opened. "Confirmed, execution of Order 1 until 19:00 Galactic Standard Time on 03/02/3310. Thank you Commander." She said before her purple eyes began to glow brighter and then the purple glow began to pulse rhythmically as it steadily surrounded her untill she was completely surrounded by it. "What did you just do?" I asked him. "Something that I will have to do before each Titan is sent into critical condition and meltdown becomes unavoidable. Something I need to find a way to automate." He answered. "But what did that order do?" I clarified. "Aurora, I essentially just told her to go into hibernation and run complete repair and diagnostic's on herself. For a scheduled length of time. And it appears that it gave her enough control to affirm that it was the right choice before the order completely took effect." He explained. "Now comes the fun part." He said. "Which is?" I asked. "Dealing with the fallout of her actions. And the station authorities." He answered.