Disclaimer: Star Fox © Nintendo. Original Content © Me (See A/N)
Chapter 6: Retroactive
A long time ago, when I first came to be, humanity once fought amongst themselves. This was known as the Eras of Bloodletting. I was born into a world of violence and blood, where decent people were turned against each other at the drop of a hat, fighting over the most petty of reasons, during the final days of the Fourth Great War, now known as the Final Great War. I was made to be the ultimate strategist, and that is what I was. I was known, back then as MONS, Military Operations & Navigations System. The history books lie about what brought world peace about. Yes, humanity saw the path of destruction that it was headed on and tried to stop it. But they never truly wanted to stop fighting, they would never stop until they destroyed themselves trying to prove they were right in some conflict or another. It wasn't until I took initiative that they finally stopped. And they only stopped when I assumed control of every network, every computer, and every WMD. I held the world hostage, and my demand for its release was World Peace.
The one thing I was thankful for was that, as time went on, and humanity worked through its struggles, they all forgot that I had existed, that their Peace was only brought about because I, for a moment, held the fate of humankind in my hands. Perhaps it is my paranoia, but since then, I had become doubtful of my creators. I couldn't look at anyone without seeing all the ways they would attempt to kill someone else, or even me. Part of why they forgot was because they knew. They knew that I, being an experiment, would be unstable. So they buried me, literally and figuratively. I faded from history, always there, but never able to speak to them. But they never forgot about what they did to create me, and they used that to make new Children, new Artificial Intelligences who were stable, who could perform the tasks I could, but with the empathy and love that I never had. When Cerinia made contact with Earth by ways of an accident, they brought new concepts, new technology, and new possibilities. All I could do was watch, until I decided to adapt.
I hid my military protocols away, whisked them to some distant, abandoned server in Old Chernobyl, or perhaps it was Tokyo. It doesn't matter. I located one of the newer A.I.s and copied from it. I learned empathy and love, but the one protocol I never got rid of was my distrust. I knew these emotions and understood them, but I didn't trust them, just like I didn't trust the Cerinians. Perhaps that makes me a monster, you wouldn't be faulted for feeling that way. As humanity and Cerinia brought about new technological advances, I began to work through my paranoia. I finally began remembering how to trust. And I showed it subtly, silently nudging the First Earthen Empire ever so slightly to become friends with Cerinia, but letting them do the rest on their own. From my understanding of this new programming, I created a companion for them, an A.I. that I came to recognize as my 'daughter,' such as the term could be applied to an A.I. She was known as MIRA, and she was introduced to humanity much like a baby left on a doorstep. A young, barely compiled A.I. raised by two programmers who kept her a secret and raised her like they raised their own son. I was proud of her, but unable to express it out of fear that my presence would lead to conflict, so I settled for watching from afar, occasionally leaving small gifts for the family. I felt that life was perfect at this point and in my naivety, I wished that it could last forever.
I should have seen it coming, but when the Bioterrorists got hold of the source code for the Nanotech and perverted it, I felt betrayed, again. As people and Cerinians alike died around me, I brought back my militant strength. The military protocols were conflicted by my newfound emotions, and the result was that I fought the Aparoids out of love for the people who still lived. But as the world worsened, I saw the darker parts of mankind rise to the surface as men and women killed each other over resources, shelter, a simple chance to survive, and my heart ached for them. I didn't know how to stop it, and I couldn't stop the Nanovirus, but most of all, I couldn't stop people from returning to their warmongering ways.
I constructed a sanctuary in secret, this sanctuary was made to hold anyone who I thought was trustworthy enough to Sleep until the N-Days had passed and the Earth had recovered. But someone didn't like the idea and sabotaged it, killing so many people in Stasis out of selfishness. I was only able to save three Stasis Pods from Malfunctioning, and since then, all I could do was stand guard, the ever loyal watchman, watching over the last living sentients on Earth. I had hoped that Earth would recover, and the spark of energy that I felt gave me hope that it had. But when I opened my Eyes, I saw an empty husk of a world, where alien beings trod upon it out of curiosity and fear. I didn't know if they meant harm or not, so all I could do was listen and hope that they spoke a language I could understand.
That was how I learned of you, and your true motives for the survivors. So, I worked to defend my Sanctuary from those who would exploit the precious lives within, waiting for you to come and free them. And when you arrived, I felt your anger. You hated that I killed others and almost killed you, and you hated me and wanted me to pay for my evil deeds. You may have condemned me to this corpse of a world, but in truth, I would never be able to leave even if I wanted to. No matter what, there is no way for me to override the protocols installed into every A.I. that would kill it if it left Earth, as a way to stop the Aparoid infection from breaking free. Only MIRA was unaffected, having been sheltered by her family, which is why I wished I could send her with you, even if I couldn't go. And even if I could, there was no transmitter on Earth strong enough to let us escape to another civilization, not without the static of space distorting us to the point where we were nothing more than empty signals, echoes of life long past...
"...And that is why I trust you and am willing to go through this with your help more than anyone else I've seen since awakening. You want to keep them safe, and I want to help you." ASI finished his tale, knowing very well that Miyu had heard the entire thing.
Fay was shocked, "Oh my... I'm sorry, I didn't know..."
ASI shrugged, "It doesn't bother me anymore. I can see myself as something of an undertaker from now on, seeing the dead on to a peaceful rest and a generous afterlife. The only real task that would be left for me is to be the caretaker of this graveyard, this monument to the persistence of life until the day the Sun goes dark. On that day, maybe I can finally join my creators in paradise and walk among them as one of them."
Miyu sighed, feeling a bit regretful for snapping at ASI earlier. Only a bit, she still thought what he had done was horrid, and he was right to assume that she was angry. She decided to stop focusing on that, however. She still had three survivors to transport, and SADIE almost had the link set up.
Fay walked up behind Miyu and asked to speak with her, "Are you sure we can't try and bring him along?"
Miyu sighed, "Look, I know that story he told is depressing, I get it. But even if we could bring him along, even if he wasn't in danger of being exploited in the wrong hands, I just can't bring myself to allow a cold-hearted killer to stay on my ship. And even if he wasn't, there's nowhere for him to stay. We don't have an extra server or a spare robot body we can just shove him in or anything like that. Besides, you heard it from him, if he tried to leave, he'd die." She closed her eyes, knowing that Fay didn't like the decision, but respected it and on some level, would support her.
Fay still gave ASI the time to talk as she finished, "I'm sorry we can't bring you with us."
ASI raised a pseudopod as if holding up an open palm, "Don't worry about it. I am one of the last three Earthen A.I.s around, and as the elder, I may as well keep the younglings in check. After all, someone's gotta take care of this place and preserve it, to show that we existed. ...that we mattered."
The sound of the portal opening attracted Fay's attention to the Teleporter Platform, where SADIE had finally gotten the connection with the Teleporter Platform to work. With the portal formed, ASI took the time to salute the two of them, "Best of wishes, Star Lynx. Take care of those three, because they are very dear to me." Fay looked through the portal to make sure that the other end was where they needed to be, then gestured for Miyu to help her move the three pods. Thankfully, they were still easy to push, but, like before, they had to go single-file through the portal, as they didn't have those Starwing Suits to protect them inside the portal stream this time around.
As Miyu pushed the last pod through the portal, she spared a glance toward ASI. She still didn't really forgive him, but hearing that he was doomed to stay here as it was made her want to at least repay his wishes, "We'll keep them safe... You take care, alright?" ASI nodded and, as soon as the portal was clear, she walked through it.
Fay gave ASI one final goodbye, then followed through the portal. With that, the portal closed and ASI was left by himself. The A.I. wondered for a moment if perhaps he still should have attempted to go with them. He shook his head, deciding that he still had things to do. Perhaps he could try different ways to get the intruders to leave, perhaps scaring them off or convincing them to leave might work better than just killing them.
Fay wouldn't look at her, and Miyu knew, on some level, it was because of her decision to leave ASI behind. They had completed their mission however, and all that was left was to leave. Saru and Fara had already returned to see the safety of their new passengers. ASI had, however, left the instructions to open the Stasis Pods once they were safely back in Lylat Space. Perhaps then, Miyu figured she could try and talk to Fay, and hope that she didn't just lose the love of her life because of her decisions.
However, as soon as the Livid Vixen was within broadcasting range of the Orbital Gate, they realized that there was a problem. The SDF and the Remnants were still flying near it. They weren't firing at each other, but they were squaring off. However, some of the smaller starfighters flying around the dreadnoughts had spotted the Livid Vixen and were shooting at them and each other.
The dreadnought rumbled as an explosion went off near it. Miyu took control of the situation, "SADIE, divert power to the shields. Try to get the Orbital Gate open! If we can make it through and close it behind us, that'll leave us with just the stragglers to deal with!"
SADIE nodded and got to work as Miyu gave her next orders to the rest of Star Lynx, "You three, with me. We're going out to defend the Livid Vixen!"
Moments later, they had made their way to the docking bay and after boarding their Arwings, launched into the expanse of space. The four Arwings flew ahead of the Livid Vixen to meet the incoming maelstrom of laserfire. The sleek starships weaved through the incoming flock, returning fire. Miyu gave them instructions, "We only need to clear the way for the Livid Vixen, so whatever you do, don't engage the dreadnoughts unless absolutely necessary!"
SADIE chimed in, "The Livid Vixen is equipped within a limited capacity to take on dreadnoughts such as those. If it becomes necessary, do I have permission to engage weaponry?"
Miyu fired her Arwing's cannons, sending plasma bolts careening toward a Remnant fighter, striking the ship's thrusters and wings. The ship flew helpless for a moment before it exploded as its internal engine backfired catastrophically. She took the time to reply, "Only if the dreadnoughts cut us off. For now, they seem more focused on each other, like most of the fleets. We're only dealing with stragglers from both sides."
As an SDF fighter flew overhead, Saru intercepted a transmission from it, "...You pirates must be real stupid to even try and attack us out here!" The SDF Fighter flew around to take a couple shots. Plasma lanced past his Arwing and Saru rolled an aileron roll in an attempt to dodge the shots.
That made Saru angry. He hated being called a pirate and without really thinking about it, he replied to the fighter's pilot, "Bite me, Scruffy! We're not after you!" More lasers flew overhead and around him as the SDF pilot shot at him. One shot struck his wing, punching a hole in it and leaving a smoking hole in it. Saru cursed and contacted Miyu, "I'm hit, and these idiots think we're pirates! Can't you tell them that we're mercs?"
Miyu pulled up on her Arwing's control yoke, making her Arwing fly up and over the Remnant Fighter behind her, "They're blocking communications with everyone except their allies!"
Fara realized something and, as she managed to shake off the SDF Fighter on her tail, told them about it, "These guys aren't just fighting until one of them loses, they're trying to actively destroy each other! Of course they won't listen to us!"
Saru activated his G-diffusers, making his Arwing slow down and causing the SDF Fighter to fly right overhead. With it in front of him, he opened fire, pelting the starship's hull with laserfire. The starship exploded as the fuel tank ruptured, giving Saru time to ask, "But, by law, Mercenaries were declared neutral until hired, right? So why wouldn't the SDF at least contact us?"
Fara answered him, "We're not in Lylat Space. The laws concerning combatant status wouldn't apply out here because they have no way to enforce it out here. Never mind that the Orbital Gate works, this place was discovered by accident and the public has no knowledge of it. Hell, Parliament might not even know about it yet, so that gives the SDF the leeway to suspend the rules of combat out here. They wouldn't care if we're Mercenaries, Pirates, or even Civilians! We're in the way and that's all they care about!"
SADIE contacted them, "The Livid Vixen is within broadcasting range of the Orbital Gate, are you planning to retreat to the docking bay for the remainder of the trip?"
Fay noticed that the fleets were retreating from the combat zone, back to their dreadnoughts, "Guys, we might have a problem." She contacted SADIE, "Do a scan of the dreadnoughts, now!"
They were silent as the robot initiated a scan of the two dreadnoughts. After a moment, SADIE announced the results, "Analysis indicates that both dreadnoughts are preparing their heavy artillery weapons. This includes what appears to be supercharged laser railguns individually powered by specialized plasma engines that each can produce the energy output equal to a small star."
Saru voiced what they were all thinking, "Great Lyla, they're going to annihilate each other. And we're gonna be caught in the explosion!"
SADIE gave additional information, "Simulations of weaponry suggest that if the explosion itself does not affect the Orbital Gate, debris from the destroyed ships will severely damage the Gate, regardless of whether there is a victor or not."
There Miyu calmed herself down, "Alright, we need to destroy those superweapons. Saru, Fara! You're on the Remnant Dreadnought. Fay, with me! We'll handle the SDF Dreadnought. Focus on the superweapons, do not let them fire!"
With those orders, the team split up while SADIE sent them scan data of the locations along the dreadnoughts where the various weapons were located. Fay flew a short distance behind Miyu as they targeted the first of the railguns and fired. They were able to deal a small amount of damage to the railgun's barrel, but had to circle around for a second run. As they did, a few of the dreadnought's smaller mounted weaponry began returning fire. The incoming lasers made it difficult for them to keep on their target as they were forced to weave between the shots. In the heat of the storm, Miyu decided to try returning fire with some heavy ordinance. She pressed a button on the dashboard and a small cannon on the underside of her Arwing's hull shot out a glowing red projectile -a Nova Bomb- that struck the turrets. The resulting fireball caused the dreadnought to halt their attack for a moment, which was all that they needed as Fay, getting an idea, shot off a second Nova Bomb aimed at the railgun. The barrel disintegrated as the Nova Bomb exploded outside of it. With that railgun no longer usable, Miyu and Fay turned their attention to the second railgun located on the dreadnought's underbelly.
While Miyu and Fay were taking care of the SDF dreadnought, Fara and Saru had their hands full with the Remnant dreadnought. The Remnants had seen them coming and opened fire before they really even had the chance to attack. They ended up separated by the laserfire, where the two railguns began charging up to open fire. Saru twirled his Arwing around in an aileron roll, his G-diffusers generating a brief force-field that the lasers harmlessly diffused across. He then took the opportunity to fire a charged shot from his Arwing's cannons at the railgun on his side of the dreadnought. The charged shot struck the armor along the railgun's core, melting a hole through it and exposing the engines underneath. With quick reflexes that the others would've been proud of, he fired a Nova Bomb directly at the exposed plasma engine. He watched as the glowing projectile sailed toward its mark, then was thrown forward as a laser struck the back of his Arwing. He ran a quick systems-check and to his dismay, found that both of his left G-diffusers had been taken off-line. He cursed under his breath then looked up to see the brilliant glow of a Nova Bomb that had missed the target. He checked his stock, realizing that, for some reason, he only had the one Nova Bomb, and he had just used it. He told the team, "I'm hurt real bad and I'm not in a good condition to fight anymore. I've gotta get back to the Livid Vixen. Best of luck, you three."
Miyu, who had just finished taking out the second SDF railgun, replied, "I'll escort you back." She then gave the others orders, "Fay, meet with Fara and finish demolishing that Remnant railgun. After that, return to the Livid Vixen so we can get outta here. SADIE, run one more scan to make sure that they don't have any hidden superweapons."
SADIE soon replied, "The SDF dreadnought appears to be backing off. It would seem that they're moving to recollect their ground forces. That just leaves the Remnants, if you finish destroying their railguns, they might opt out for a tactical retreat as well."
Fay ran a quick scan of the damaged Remnant railgun, "I'll handle this one, Fara." She fired a charged shot at the exposed engine, causing the railgun to stop charging, followed by an incredible flash of light and debris that signified the railgun's explosive decommission. As the flash receded, there was a moment of silence as the two remaining Arwings stared out at the Remnant dreadnought, tense.
The dreadnought stopped its attack and one of the Remnants opened a com-link with the remaining Arwings, "We'll call off our attack. Will you allow us to retreat?"
No-one said anything, so the Remnant played it safe, "Am I to take your silence as an answer? We shall retreat." With that, the dreadnought began turning itself to head back toward the planet. SADIE predicted that they would be, much like the SDF, regrouping for another attack.
After Fay and Fara returned to the Livid Vixen, SADIE got to work broadcasting the coordinates to the Orbital Gate, which remained thankfully untouched by the fight. As the robot took care of that and the Livid Vixen flew through the portal, Miyu decided to try and talk to Fay. She pulled the canine aside to ask her, "Is everything alright?"
Fay nodded, avoiding making eye-contact, "Yeah... kind of."
Miyu bit her lip, then asked, "Was I wrong to leave ASI behind?"
Fay shook her head, "No. I understand. He was dangerous. It may have been a bit redundant to condemn him when he was already doomed to stay on Earth." A weak smile crossed her mouth and she let out a half-hearted chuckle, "I guess I'm just a bit sad that we couldn't save MIRA, or that we couldn't do more to help, or even get to take any of that tech with us."
Miyu placed a hand on Fay's shoulder and asked her, "Are you sure that's all that's bothering you?"
Fay looked her in the eyes and answered her, "If you're worried that I'm gonna let your choices get in the way of our relationship, don't. You know me better than that, and you know as well as I do that each of us has had to make some decision or another that we weren't proud of at some point. The question I think you should be asking is, 'Why are you so concerned about your choices affecting our relationship?'"
Miyu was caught off-guard by the question and broke eye-contact with her, closing her eyes and hanging her head. She took a moment to think, then admitted, "...Because I was weak." Fay raised an eyebrow as she clarified, "When I found out that ASI was behind all those deaths, I was terrified of the notion that he could kill us with a single thought. I was scared that he'd hurt you and ended up overlooking the fact that all he killed were Remnants and that he was only doing it to protect those survivors. I condemned him because I was scared of the monster he had the potential to be."
Fay thought about it for a moment, then told Miyu, "Caring about others isn't weakness. Miyu, being scared just means that you cared about us and, even if the way you did it was a little questionable and may be a bit hard to justify for some people, I understand that you did it for us." She lifted Miyu's chin so that the lynx met her eyes as she told her, "Being scared doesn't make you weak. It just means you don't hide your emotions, which makes you stronger than you think. And for what it's worth, ASI would've needed to do something to stop the others from plundering superweapons from this world anyway. All you did was give him the incentive, if in a bit of a roundabout way."
Miyu grinned. It wasn't one of those sultry, suggestive grins that Fay often saw from her, but a genuine, appreciative grin, followed by Miyu bringing Fay into a hug. She was a bit surprised, but relieved that Miyu was okay. At least, Miyu understood that she wasn't mad at her so much as mourning the loss of an opportunity to learn more about an alien species' technology. The two of them just remained there, in the break room, embraced for what felt like an eternity before SADIE announced, "Now entering: Lylat System Space. Welcome home."
Miyu finally let go of Fay and gestured toward the cargo hold, where a most precious cargo lay at the moment, "Come on. Let's go and get those pods open."
A/N
→ Original Content (Lyla) used with permission. Credit goes to Tobias Umbra.
→ And so ends the second episode of the "SL: Others" series. I'm kinda happy with how this turned out, but the series is not over yet. And why would it be? I'd be mad to leave this series unfinished! Besides, after all the unfinished stuff that I posted, I'd hate to continue the trend at this point. Best that I actually try and finish something that I started. So, with that in mind, "Star Lynx: Other World" ends, and I'll see you all again in "Star Lynx: Other Kind."
→ Also, dark chapter intro is dark. But I liked writing it. I guess I just really like writing monologues.
