Chapter 24
"Systems readiness report." Captain Concha called out. "Helm."
"Inoperative." The helm officer reported.
"Weapons." Concha continued down the line.
"Online but not answering to control orders." Percival said.
"Communications." Concha looked at Fields.
"Inoperative." Fields looked over at the Keplerian walrus that was sitting where Miles would have.
"Information Warfare is also inoperative." Rotor said, looking over at Concha.
"Operations." Concha glanced at Thompson.
"Life support systems are still operating as far as what I can tell but I don't have control of sensors or other systems." Thompson answered.
"Power and propulsion." Concha said. Thompson looked down at her panel.
"We obviously have power, but propulsion-" Thompson answered, then caught a subtle glance from Concha. "Propulsion was still damaged from Commander Rose's last report."
"So, you have our ship electronically, but it won't move." Concha said.
"That won't be too much of a problem." Robotnik said, crossing his arms. "Provided your Commander Rose brings the systems back online. I might be charitable to release enough control to allow that."
"What if I order her to stop all work then? What would you do then?" Concha looked back at the viewscreen.
"Then I suppose I would have to board your ship and force the issue." Robotnik countered. "The ship is mine regardless. Whether it's with you all alive or dead, it makes no difference to me."
"Captain." Maria turned to look at Concha. "Let me speak to him."
"I suppose it wouldn't harm anything." Concha stepped off to the side to allow Maria to take his position. Robotnik pulled at his mustache and grimaced.
"Are you going to plead for their lives, cousin?" Robotnik's tone sounded as if he ate something unpleasant.
"Are you responsible for all of this then? The attack on the ARK? The control over my patients? The attack on these ships? Miles' death?" Maria asked, anger looming in her voice. "Working with the Acornians? I thought you were dead until we found one of your robots. We thought you might have been taken hostage. Of all the things that happened today, the worst day of my life, you engineered it? Why?"
"Oh, if only you saw what I did. There's more than just our little universe out there, cousin. I saw it, a world like our own but unlike it as well. Run by small men, untrustworthy men. If you think I'm bad, then consider this. You and Grandfather lived where I was for these many years. They murdered you and locked him away. They prosecuted a war against creatures like those that sit among you. I upended all of it, I was going to be a revolutionary. I was going to give them peace and stability. At first, I thought they could govern themselves, but I realized I was wrong about that. You know well from our history that it sometimes takes one man's will to make great changes. I made changes there on Mobius. I had to break a few eggs in the process, as well as some heads." Robotnik uttered a soft chuckle.
"You're insane." Maria clenched her hands into fists. "Even after all of what you've done, had you told me the same things here, I would have wanted to have you come home so that we could take care of you. But you did the one thing that has turned you from being my family to a foul, bloated slug."
"And what was it I did? Hm?" Robotnik leaned forward, the camera zooming in on him as he leered.
"You murdered the one man that loved me and treated you like a brother! He thought he got you killed. He thought it was his mistake that killed you. I saw him fall apart with the guilt. I had to watch him withdraw into himself and lose interest in what he liked. His one regret was that he didn't take your offer and leave the Navy earlier. Miles thought he could have prevented the accident if he was with you!" Maria screamed. "You had everything with us. You obviously found your way home. But instead you squandered your intelligence to try to become something above us. You're only human, Doctor. You make mistakes, and you made a great one. Someone was a step ahead of you because while Miles might be dead in body, he's still alive. Hans spöke blir mitt vapen!" Maria's body trembled.
"You-" Robotnik leaned back and started to laugh, throwing his head up. "You say I am the delusional one? You, the rational Dr. Maria Robotnik, the surgeon who doesn't believe in God, let alone ghosts, say that you're going to use his ghost against me?"
"You may have me caged here, but one thing is clear. I was always the smarter one of us, cousin and I'm among equals here. We are going to get out of this and Miles himself will come back. If you think my wrath is something to behold, wait until he gets his hands on you, du förrädiska prata ägg!" Maria snapped before turning on her heel, unable to bear looking at him any longer. "I request permission to leave the bridge, Captain."
"Permission granted, but where are you going?" Concha asked.
Maria started to stride off before giving him one last look. "I'm going to try my hand at necromancy."
Main Fire Control, KRSS Warspite
Janus was staring at the locked-out fire control systems, tempted to interface with them to restore them to function while at the same time considering the risk of such an interface to be too costly to do. So, it was a surprise to hear Maria's footsteps approaching her from behind. The mouse turned and looked at her.
"I heard what you said on the bridge, everyone did. It was all over the PA system." Rotarl said, smiling wanly. "Remind me never to piss you off."
"We have work to do Lieutenant." Maria said, pulling the chip out carefully. "This looks like a standard socket, does it not?"
"It does," The anthroid looked her in the eye. "You're thinking about interfacing Miles with the ship. I don't know if that would be a good idea, we don't know how complex this malware is. We might give him another body with the ship's computer, but it'd be like giving him rabies on top of it."
"I don't want to stop at just the ship's computer. I want Miles to run the ship." Maria said. "We don't know how complex the malware is, but we also don't know how complex Miles is."
"I have to admit you are correct in those regards." Janus said. "He lives and breathes in information warfare. I suppose he might be able to apply those concepts. In a way he's an AI."
"While the malware is just a program or many programs. I haven't seen any sign of sentience when we were on the ARK." Maria said.
"We'll probably have to run it by the captain." Janus positioned.
"He's staying on the bridge and I don't want the enemy listening." Maria argued. "This is one of these times where we have to take the initiative and ask for forgiveness later."
"Well the good thing is fire control's one of the best protected places on the ship." Janus said, holding her hand out. "Let's do it." Maria carefully held the chip out, dropping it into her hand. The mouse looked down at her control station and found the correct slot. "Everything still has power so the slot's going to be hot. If it's like the MAARS, he'll autoload." She inserted the chip and looked at the screens, when suddenly the monitors went blank.
Warspite Datascape
This time instead of a large white space, there was empty darkness at first. Then slowly Earth and the yard came into view with the vast Egg Carrier behind him. Confusion formed on the fox's face as he stood there before it. There was a feeling of lethargy, then sudden heat as if a fever was overtaking him. He looked down and saw what appeared to be his standard gunbelt but there were two extra guns holstered, one on each side.
There was considerably more processing power here than there was at the MAARS, but there were also additional responsibilities to undertake. Images from the security system appeared directly in front of him. The realization began to dawn on him as he unholstered one of the guns, it looked more like an automatic compared to his revolver. Upon picking it up, there was immediate understanding of what it was. It was the control for the rear laser turret, the one beside it that was holstered was the rear railgun turret. If he was going to make best use of things, the ship had to move.
Miles carefully took a step backwards in the void, took a deep breath and switched the laser to his left hand before taking up his trustworthy Webley, then took another step back. The yard started to pull away from him as he began to clear it and then he slowly sidestepped, presenting the battleship's full broadside to the Egg Carrier. The fox took aim and held his breath, fingers taut on the triggers before he squeezed them and then quickly forced them down into their holsters, quickdrawing the other two and firing again.
Warspite Bridge
"Sir, all systems appear to be restarting!" Thompson called out. Concha looked forward as the blood in Robotnik's face seemed to drain out, making him look pale.
"Systems status!" Concha called out.
"Helm seems to be back online but it's moving on its own. I can't control it but I'm at least getting live readings now!" The helm officer said.
"There was a weapons readiness check and the rear turrets are starting to assign targets." Percival reported.
"I have Information Warfare completely online." Rotor said, gaping at his screen. "Sir! The malware has been purged."
"Purged?" Concha rose up to his feet as Robotnik began to sit up. "Good work Rotor!"
"Sir, I-respectfully, I didn't do anything!" Rotor murmured.
"Propulsion's online, we're going full engines astern!" Thompson reported.
"Helm's shifting rudder left, the bow is pointing towards Earth." The helm officer said.
"Weapons have a lock on the enemy ship!" Percival said, with incredulity. The viewscreen cut away to an image from the fire control cameras as four bright laser beams lit up, cutting into the hull of the Egg Carrier, followed by four large 381mm kinetic projectiles.
"Pardon the interruption." A familiar voice could be heard on the PA system and suddenly a new image replaced the gun cameras as Miles' face appeared on screen. Concha took his glasses off and gaped before putting them back on.
"Lieutenant Commander? Is that you?" Concha asked.
"Lieutenant-er Lieutenant Commander Miles Prower of Information Warfare department, manning the central computer, sir!" Miles answered. He even managed a small salute. "I fully accept the consequences that may come from that my fighting of the ship, and the technical usurpation of your command."
"Usurpation? No! By all means! It was an emergency and you exercised rather unorthodox but timely initiative." Concha said.
"Well, Maria's the one that exercised initiative." Miles said. "Hang on, the enemy's firing." He switched to the gun camera as bright yellow-white 'bullets' of laser fire started to come from the Egg Carrier, as well as small drones, also firing. Point defense systems started to turn on the drones, adding their own projectiles into the fray as the fox fired another full broadside. The Egg Carrier's armor plating started to give way under the assault while another incoming communication began to manifest but Miles instead diverted it to himself.
"You!" Robotnik was standing up, hands shaking as he took in the visage of the fox's face. "You're dead! I saw your body through Sonic's eyes."
"I think you should have chosen your predators wisely, Ovi. The fox is the natural predator of the hedgehog." Miles countered before firing another broadside. The Egg Carrier seemed to shake around Robotnik as he activated his personal controls, swinging the ship around towards the Warp Gate. The broadside seemed to knock weapon mounts off from the ship, cutting more ugly holes into it. Miles zoomed in, watching debris and robots sailing out from it. The Egg Carrier charged forward at full speed into the portal and disappeared.
Warspite Datascape
Miles watched the craft disappear, tempted to pursue but at the same time he didn't know what might be waiting on the other side. Instead he glanced around, putting the guns back into their holsters. Making connections to the other allied ships, to an outside observer it looked almost as if he was uncoiling all sorts of unsavory creatures from the other ships. Slowly, one by one those that were adrift began to correct course, outer lights turning back online. He started to take the Warspite in around in orbit, connecting to the satellites that were also downed, removing the malware from every one of them before bringing the ship to a halt over the continental United States.
Warspite Bridge
"Captain, the ship is yours again, but I have to leave the ship." Miles said. "I've brought allied assets back online. I figure you will all want to take up the chase."
"The first thing we should probably do is coordinate and then get orders." Concha said. "Why do you have to leave?"
"New orders," Miles explained. "Lieutenant Rotarl, please unslot me and have the Swordfish prepared with Dr. Robotnik ready to meet me."
"Very well then." Concha said, sighing as he relaxed in his seat. "I hope your errand doesn't take too long, I think you're due some much needed payback."
"That's actually the point. As nice as the Warspite is sir, I need a body." Miles explained.
"That you do. Thank you, Lieutenant Commander." Concha said, rendering him a salute before the screen returned to normal.