First Principles: Samair in Argos: Book 3 (10 page)

              Things had been hectic in the time since the attack, repairs to ships and the mining station, training of the new influx of personnel and simply just keeping operations going to fund everything.  As always, it never seemed to end.  But that was a good thing, Tamara supposed.  If things were dying off, that meant that business was drying up and it meant that some serious changes would need to be made.

              But upon further reflection, she knew that changes needed to happen anyway.  She’d been doing standard patrols and training, but she’d been drilling her people hard these last few days, ever since the ship had been released from the repair crews.  Her XO had continued to step up during this time and she was truly proud of him for it.  Within the next few days, she would be transferring command of the
Cavalier
over to him and moving back to the
Samarkand.
  Work on corvette number two would start shortly after that but Tamara was determined that she would not be the one captaining that ship.  She had other work that needed to be done.

             
No, that really isn’t it
, she thought. 
I’m not cut out for this.
 
I never was.  I’m an engineer. 

              She started suddenly as her desk console beeped.  Looking over at it, Tamara saw the indicator for an incoming transmission was lit up.  She pressed the “accept” command and the display activated. 

              Stella’s youthful face appeared.  “Tamara!  Good, I’m glad I caught you.”

              Tamara felt herself smiling.  “Stella.  It’s good to see you as well.”

              “I just wanted to give you an update on my repairs,” the AI said, giving a slight nod. 

              Tamara chuckled.  “I’m grateful, Stella, but why do you think I need it?  I’m not on the
Grania Estelle
anymore.  In fact, I’m not even going to be on the
Cavalier
after the end of the week.  I’m turning over command to Leicasitaj.  He’ll be a bit shaky, but he can handle it.”

              “Really?  That soon?”

              “Two days,” she confirmed nodding.  “After that I’ll be heading over to the
Samarkand
, which reminds me, I really need to get a sibling for you on that ship.  There’s simply too much work to do there that an AI would be perfect for.”

              “Another AI?” Stella asked, her voice sounding a bit… Tamara wasn’t sure how to classify her tone.  If she had to guess, Tamara would say that Stella sounded hurt.  “Really?”

              “Stella, you’re the ship AI for the
Grania Estelle
,” Tamara reminded her.  “You’re a wonderful person and an incredible asset.  But even with your upgrades, you can’t do everything and you can’t be everywhere, especially when Vincent decides to take the ship back out of the system again on a run.  And,” she sighed, “there’s simply too much work to do here without an AI.  I’ve been trying and we’ve done fairly well for ourselves, but the station will need one and the
Samarkand
will need one.”

              “I see.”

              Tamara smiled gently.  “Stella, I designed you and breathed life into you to help with the ship, but more accurately, to help
me
.  At the time, I was concerned that I couldn’t control the situation on the ship and I needed an ally.  A powerful ally.  And of course you’re important to me, but I’m off the ship now.  I’m running things here and I need help.”

              The AI looked down.  “And it isn’t like the Captain is going to release me to stay here.”

              “I think he will strongly object to that, yes,” Tamara said.  “And I think you’re better off there.  You get to go to new places and see new people.  And,” she added, seeing that Stella was going to object, “You’re going to see those places grow as we increase trade.  Who knows, there might be serious industry there in the next few years.  And you, my dear, will be the first AI created in a while here in the Argos Cluster who got to see it.  No strike that, you didn’t just see it, you got to take part.  You helped build it.”

              “But why can’t you just increase the intelligence of the computers on the station and the
Samarkand
?” she asked petulantly. 

              “Really, Stella?  I know and you know that you’re special.  You’re the first AI brought to life in centuries, outside of the Republic anyway.  But as much as I would like to keep you as the prefect specimen, the only one of your kind, I can’t.  I need help.  And I can’t increase the processing power or intelligence on either of those systems without upgrading to an AI.  On top of that, I actually need a
second
AI for security on the station.”

              “But Chief Corajen is running security on the station,” Stella protested.

              “Yes, she is and I have no intention of replacing her,” Tamara soothed.  “But if we’re serious about making the station a hub for space traffic that means that there’s going to be ships coming in.  At first they’re going to be company ships and crews.  But eventually people from other systems will start coming here, if only because they’re being brought in on company ships.  Then perhaps, one day soon, ships from outside the system will be coming here, people and ships that we have no real control over, ones that are going to assume that because they’ve been loners their whole career, that they don’t need to follow our rules.  Corajen will go a long way toward keeping order, but she can’t do it all herself.  With a security AI in place, we can track people, movements, look for problems, and even control security bots that we’re going to build.  We are not going to have what just happened to us happen again.”

              Stella paused to consider what Tamara had just told her.  She ran through security footage and even sat and contemplated everything in the logs, the debriefings, the medical logs, anything related to the previous attack.  She allowed a full second to consider everything, looking for patterns, other ways of thinking, any alternative solution she could.  And while there certainly were things that would help and that she would bring up, there was no denying that an AI, or several AIs in fact, would increase productivity and efficiency here in Seylonique.

              “All right, Tamara,” she said after that interminable second.  “Is there anything I can do to help you with it?”

              Tamara smiled.  “Yes, little sprout, there is.  You and I are going to get together and bring another AI into the family.  Give me a couple of days to get things sorted here on the
Cavalier
and get Leicasitaj installed as her new captain, because when I get over to the
Samarkand
again, we are wheels up and engines hot.  We have a lot of work to do and a limited time in which to do it.  Because we both know that once your critical repairs are completed, you and your crew are off to another system and I’ll be left to keep this mess together.”

              Stella laughed joyously.  “You love it.  You know you do.”

              “It’s true, but there are a lot of things that we need to get done,” she repeated.  “And a few new changes we need to make.  One especially between me and Captain Eamonn.”

              “What are you going to do, Tamara?” Stella asked, a bit worried.

              She held up one hand placatingly.  “Nothing crazy.  But I think it’s time that some things start swinging my way for a change.”

              “I don’t understand.”

              “You will,” Tamara promised.  “And I think that there are going to be some that won’t and even if they do, they won’t like it.”  Her smile turned just shy of feral.  “And won’t
that
just be too bad?”

              “And I think you’re ready for this responsibility, Leicasitaj,” Tamara said.  She and the Romigani were in her tiny office just off the bridge. 

              “I’m flattered you think so, ma’am,” the executive officer replied, his watery voice sounding steady.  “I’m a little less sure.”

              “We’ve been doing drills and work ups ever since we got this ship back in space.  You’re ready for this.”

              The squid-like officer wrung his tentacle hands for a moment longer, but then he nodded.  “Thank you for the opportunity, ma’am.  I’ll try not to let you don’t.”

              She chuckled.  “Don’t worry about letting me down.  You just worry about the ship.  You work your crews and continue using that instinct for this that I’ve seen you use.  I know you have it.”

              He nodded again.  “So what happens now?”

              “We do the change of command, which is a lot simpler since this is a corporate security vessel, not a Republic Naval vessel.  After that, you continue on with your patrols and your exercises and your vigilance and I go back to the
Samarkand
and start shaking things up again.”

              He gave a small chuckle.  “Again, ma’am?  I’m not sure we can take too many more of those.  We’re already reeling from everything you’ve already done in this system in the few months you’ve been here.”

              “You, sir, are a very insubordinate male, do you know that?” she asked with a toothy grin.

              “Hey, I’m about to be named Captain of a warship,” he shot back.  “It gives one a very unique perspective and a sense of enthusiasm.”

              “As well as a swelled head,” Tamara said with a fond look.  “Seriously though, I know you’ll be fine.  In short order, I’ll have the second corvette online and you’ll have someone to train with.”

              “Are you going to take command of that one too while the new crew is trained?”

              She shook her head, surprising him.  “No, Captain.  Your crew and the new crew are going to be swapping around, cycling through both ships.  It’s going to be a pain in the ass for a while, but I want the new kids to get some of the benefits of your experience.  And I have too much to do in this system on the commercial side to be commanding a warship again.”  She sighed.  “It’ll be rough for a little bit, but I have Stella vetting everyone and we’ve got simulators running full blast over on the station.  It’ll be a while before we’re fighting on steady feet, but I think that we’ll be able to work through it.”

              “I understand,” Leicasitaj said.  “And I think I’m looking forward to the challenge.”

              “Good,” she said simply.  Then she stood.  “Now, let’s get to the bridge and get you put in charge of this tub.”

              “Hey, that’s my ship you’re talking about, ma’am!” he retorted indignantly.  “This is my first command.  You will not be speaking about this ship like that.”

              Her face split in a huge grin.  “Now that’s the spirit.”

              The change of command went through smoothly, and within an hour, Tamara was off the
Cavalier
and onto one of
Samarkand’s
shuttles heading for the constructor ship. 
They are a good crew
, she thought to herself as she watched the corvette recede through the shuttle’s aft sensors. 
He’ll take good care of them
. 

              When the shuttle landed in the
Samarkand’s
cramped boat bay, Tamara was pleased to see the lupusan Galina Korneyev, captain of the ship, was there to greet her.  The gray-furred wolf woman was slightly stooped, but still spry despite her years.  A former hospital Administrator, Tamara had hired her to captain the
Samarkand
when it became clear Galina was persona non grata with the local admin council and they had blackballed her for having opinions conflicting with theirs.  Being the commander of a constructor ship wasn’t truly a great use for her talents, but it paid well, got her away from the planet and stuck a finger in the eye of the very admins who disliked her.

              “Commander Samair,” Galina said with a small bow, her hands folded under the large sleeves of her blue robe.  It was an odd garment to be wearing aboard a space ship, but Tamara didn’t mind.  So long as the lupusan could rapidly get into a protective suit should an emergency arise, Galina could wear anything she wanted.

              “Captain Korneyev,” Tamara replied with a smile, bowing back.  “Good to see you in person again.”

              “And you as well.  I’m sure Ms. Sterling will be pleased to see you back aboard the
Samarkand
as well.”

              Tamara snorted.  Eretria Sterling was one of the first recruits that the company had hired, back when all they were doing was finding replacements for the crew of the
Grania Estelle
, back before all the infrastructure and other real estate had been built.  On their first day working together, when Tamara had admitted that she had once served in the Republic Navy, the other woman had immediately clammed up.  Clearly, Eretria had some sort of past with the Republic Navy, a past that she refused to speak of.  It had taken some time, but eventually Eretria had thawed toward Tamara.  They would never be friends, but they’d formed a good working relationship.