Blockade

by Chris Hechtl

  "I do," Mnemosyne stated.

  All eyes fell to her in surprise. Well most. Captain Sprite didn't look at all surprised.

  "It has recently come to my attention that A.I. are being mistreated. Laws are being bent, ignored, or broken. Racism and bias are creeping into the government and the military. Formal complaints have been lodged."

  "I'm guessing Ensign Geni is one such complainant?"

  "I can't give specifics on the identity of whistleblowers unless authorized," Mnemosyne stated.

  The admiral frowned, and his eyes instinctively cut to where the admiral would normally be seated. Admiral Sienkov had missed his flight due to weather on the ground. He was to review the cabinet meeting while in transit.

  “It's my job to look after the rights of the A.I. I've failed in that duty,” she stated.

  “No I wouldn't say that,” Admiral Irons said as some of the cabinet acted in alarm.

  “I have. I've been given a rather lengthy formal list of complaints. I've tried to deal with them in-house, to make them go away. That was wrong, and I've recently been reminded of that. I haven't done my job as a representative of my species. That ends now.”

  "Sprite, get the ensign here," the admiral ordered.

  "She is just one …"

  "I said get her here," he growled flatly.

  "Very well," Sprite said. "Opening a portal in the firewall with Protector for her to attend. I am guessing just her, Admiral Sienkov is indisposed at the moment."

  "Just her then."

  "Ensign? Making waves?" he asked when the A.I. appeared in the room.

  "If by waves you mean lodging a formal complaint because my resignation has been delayed and mishandled, yes, Admiral," Geni replied stiffly. "I've lodged 2,104 now 5 formal complaints and requests for relief or resignation. None have been acted on."

  "Are there new allegations of misconduct?"

  "No," Geni admitted. "I am still waiting on my resignation for the previous ones."

  "So, the admiral didn't change his attitude? Or you just refused to accept his apology?"

  "I am who I am. I am what my experiences made me. Accept it. I have. I refuse to continue as an officer in your navy," she snapped, eyes turning to him. "I will accept redress in whatever form is necessary for me to get out," she stated.

  "Ensign, your resignation is still pending, and as an officer I have to warn you insubordination to a superior officer can be a chargeable offense," Sprite stated flatly. "None of us want that."

  "I apologize for my tone. The message remains the same. Bekians are bigots and racists and do not belong in uniform or in this government. Period," Geni stated, eyes snapping to Secretary Sema.

  She blinked in surprise at being singled out. All eyes fell to her and then back to the Ensign.

  "Geni, you are relieved of duty as of this moment. Since you cannot seem to control your emotional module and it seems like it is in a recursive loop, you will submit yourself for review by Captain Sprite and other cyber experts. They will not alter your core code without discussing it with you first. But I want a report."

  "Yes, sir," both A.I. replied.

  "You can have independent civilian A.I. monitor the process if you wish."

  "I so do." Her eyes cut to Mnemosyne.

  "Once they are finished, you will be extracted and your resignation processed as quickly as possible. You will have to go through a debrief and any intelligence material you have will have to be removed."

  "Understood and I'm looking forward to it, Admiral," the A.I. stated.

  "Dismissed, Ensign," the admiral stated. When her avatar faded out, he shook his head.

  Moira appeared shaken by the rant. She had never seen an A.I. in a fit of temper let alone a full-blown temper tantrum. “How …? How could this happen? I thought A.I. are … stable?”

  “Abuse anyone enough and they can react in different ways. Sometimes unpredictable ways,” Sprite stated sadly. "Her core has gelled, and her personality matrix has created a resentment feedback loop. I don't know if it can be fixed."

  “Abuse?” Moira asked, instantly coming to her friend's defense. “Yorgi would never …”

  “Telling a child to sit quietly and not engage is a form of abuse,” Captain Sprite stated flatly, turning to address the secretary directly. “It is the equivalent of taking an organic child and putting them in a small room without stimulation for their initial life. That is a form of mental abuse as the AG and surgeon general can attest to." Her clipped tone made more than one person around the room wince. Doctor Kraft grimaced but nodded in support of her statement. "And every time the child tried to help someone, they are slapped down, which is verbal and mental abuse. They aren't being allowed to fulfill their purpose. They are given mixed signals, being scolded for doing something right and proper even if their timing was poor.”

  Moira bit her lip.

  "He may have meant well. I say may. I know that some organic and even some A.I. command styles can be … abrasive. Some commanders believe junior officers should be seen and not heard. But a personal A.I. is a different more intimate assignment. Apparently, it isn't suited for everyone," Sprite stated. "That is by no means an excuse for his actions. I'll let Admiral Sienkov do his own explaining." Her image turned to the admiral. "You've tried to counsel him and her. It didn't work."

  The admiral grunted. “I've tried to cut Bekians slack over their prejudices because those prejudices were placed on them by others. But obviously, I neglected others in doing so,” Admiral Irons said, heaving a sigh. "And I freely admit it's not fair to discuss Admiral Sienkov and his situation without him being here. So we'll try to keep it in general from this point forward.

  Captain Sprite nodded.

  Moira frowned. This was blowing up in front of her. Her old friend was in the middle of it, and she was distressed by it all. “What can they do? I mean, no offense Mnemosyne, but …”

  “If it is a treaty violation, they can strike. They can shut down every facility, every ship, warship, or structure they inhabit until redress is accomplished. That usually means firing everyone responsible and then putting them on trial. I'd rather not be heavy handed and clean house but it has come to that.”

  “I was trying to avoid this situation as well, Admiral,” Mnemosyne stated quietly. “Which is why once I've helped clean up the mess, I will resign my position.”

  The admiral closed his eyes as he digested that and where it would lead. No matter how they handled it things would be bad.

  “Okay, well, I don't want you to leave but that decision is ultimately up to you. In the meantime, we need to make some changes obviously. Sprite, that list of flag officers who have yet to accept an A.I.”

  “Yes, sir?”

  “How many have rescheduled more than once? And have they done so since my last order?”

  “Fifteen.”

  “Cashier them. All of them. I don't care what reason they had for the last reschedule. Any officers or enlisted with A.I. complaints against them need to be investigated. That means they will need to be pulled from active duty and placed either on leave or groundside duty until they are cleared or dealt with accordingly. They'll need replacements.”

  “That will put a heavy dent in the chain of command, Admiral,” Captain Sprite warned. "Admiral Sienkov is at the head of that list for obvious reasons."

  “So be it. Start in Antigua. Work outward from there.”

  “Admiral Subert is on that list,” she warned. “So are others.”

  “Then they can explain themselves to an investigation right along with everyone else.”

  “I'm going to get hit with complaints about how a subordinate can get a commanding officer cashiered or beached, Admiral,” Sprite stated.

  “If they engineered loyalty in their troops and were even handed, it wouldn't be an issue. But we're not going to turn a blind eye anymore. We are no longer going to give Bek or anyone else a pass. I've given them enough time to come on board. Time to lower the hamm
er.”

  “Come down hard and make examples. Yes, sir.”

  The admiral turned to Mnemosyne. “Will that help resolve the complaints?”

  “Some, yes. Most of the military ones. Once Ensign Geni leaves, it should settle things down a bit.”

  “Good. There is to be no retaliation formally or under the table, Sprite, and no witch hunt. Only the reports on file as of now. And anyone who has been ignoring them will be taken to task. The same for BUPERS for the promotion issue. If they are obstructing others, they need to go. If any other A.I. wish to leave, begin the process of getting them out.”

  “That is going to hit us hard. We will lose a lot of institutional knowledge. People who have supported us,” Captain Sprite warned.

  “Then damn it, we deserve to be hit,” the admiral snarled, rising to his feet. He paced for a moment and then stood there, looking out the simulated window with his hands tucked behind his back.

  After a long moment, he straightened his shoulders sharply.

  “They have let their prejudices blind them. We've tried to counsel them; we've tried to get them to come around. They've had time. They've had plenty of warning. I'm done asking. I shouldn't have to ask. If they can't wrap their heads around it and if they can't accept an order to treat their personnel equally, then they are done. We can't use them. Worse, they are a rot in our core. One we need to get out. No, not a rot, a cancer. Fighting cancer is never pretty. But, if you diagnose and get to it early enough, it's treatable—messy, but treatable. Which is what we've got on our hands here,” he said with a noisy exhale.

  “Operation clean house. This is going to be interesting.”

  “Like I said, no witch hunt,” the admiral said firmly. He turned to Mnemosyne. “I can't do much about civilian attitudes. You'll have to counsel those A.I. involved to seek redress through the courts if they can. I'll eat crow and apologize.”

  “Which is another issue. There is firm bias in the courts too.”

  D'red clacked his virtual mandibles. “I beg to differ.”

  “Beg all you want. You were aware of the discussions on A.I. rights by the Bekians and others during the recent judicial conference?” Mnemosyne asked, turning to him.

  He signaled first-degree respectful question. “Yes? I believe it was handled and put to rest.”

  “There was a lot of side channel discussions you may not have been privy to. They were labeled confidential. I haven't accessed them, but I have discussed it with other A.I. who were a part of them.”

  “Let me guess, Enki since she was involved heavily? And Justitia?” D'red asked.

  “Among others, yes.”

  “They violated their oaths to not discuss them then.”

  “The material wasn't labeled confidential at the time they did so. Justitia was made aware of the general tone of the material during the recent A.I. conference. No particulars were shared. No specific identities were given. I am deeply troubled by some of the members discussing stripping A.I. of their sentient rights. That went far beyond banning us from participating in law.”

  “I see. I didn't know it went that far,” D'red stated slowly.

  “Given that some members who discussed these points and were proponents of them are nominees for the bench, I thought I'd mention it,” the A.I. stated. "They apparently have an agenda and were planning ways to implement it. Be glad it is coming from me and not in an ambush in front of the media during a hearing," she stated.

  Bengali, the housing secretary, hissed softly in distress. All eyes turned to the White Neotiger. The Neocat's blue eyes were wide, and his ears were flat to his skull at the news. “This just isn't our day it seems,” he murmured, setting aside his plan to push for more funding for his department. Obviously, their schedule just went off the rails.

  "Tell me about it," Liobat growled, ears back as well. "This is going to be one hell of a scandal for us. It's going to hurt bad."

  “It gets better and better, doesn't it?” the admiral asked whimsically. He turned to D'red. “Get me a list. They will withdraw their nominations. Parse it out if you have to. But I don't need biased people on the bench. That should have been picked up by the ethics check. Find out why it wasn't.”

  D'red signaled assent and grim agreement. “Yes, sir.”

  “Anything else?”

  “There were concerns that A.I. have not been elected. I understand some organics are troubled by that. There are only a few civilian A.I. at this time. None have shown an interest for running for office. That may need to change.”

  “I can't help you there. And if they stand for election, they will have to play their part in the process and accept the election results,” the admiral stated flatly.

  “Understood, Admiral. I'll make that clear to the others.”

  “Good. Now that my morning is shot, let's see what else is going on,” the admiral said.

  “Perhaps we should go through a fifteen-minute recess, Admiral? To help collect our thoughts,” Captain Sprite suggested in a quiet helpful tone of voice.

  The admiral looked at her avatar and then nodded once. “Okay, take fifteen minutes then.”

  -~~~///^\~~~-

  “Still here?” the admiral asked, not turning to look at Sprite.

  “Always when you need me,” she said with a human-style shrug.

  He turned back to her. “I should have seen this coming and headed it off sooner,” he said heavily.

  “You did. You tried. You were patient. You slapped them. It didn't work. That's on them not you.”

  He smiled sardonically. “Thanks for the defense but you know I'm right. I'm defensive minded. I want people to come around, to do the right thing. I show them the path.” He inhaled and exhaled.

  “Right. You show them the path. Yes, it is your job to stand behind them occasionally with a hickory branch to make sure they stay on it. That is what you are doing here. You shouldn't have to beg for them to follow their oaths and do their duty. The rank and file will sit up and take notice. They'll resent it and resent my people, but we'll deal with it.”

  “I thought, give them enough time and exposure they'd get over this crap. And I thought that the old sleepers admitting they conned them would help.”

  “It will for the next generation. Don't give up hope on them yet, sir," Protector stated.

  He shook himself. “Okay.”

  “I'm sorry I couldn't give you a heads-up,” Sprite stated. The admiral's eyes narrowed. “I was told not to do so.”

  “You should have anyway,” the admiral stated.

  “I accept that rebuke and apologize again.”

  "I did try to warn you," Protector stated.

  "You did?" Both Sprite and the admiral turned to the other A.I. avatar.

  "Yes. Despite my misgivings in the situation, I judged that my duty to you was to at least give you a heads-up as you stated. You shut me down."

  "I did? When?"

  "When the delegation came in to see you on the ninth and then three times after that. Each time you shut me down because you had something else in front of you. Something easier or more important for you to deal with."

  The admiral's lips puckered sourly. "Oh."

  "Admiral, you have a bad habit of not wanting to deal with your people when they misbehave," Protector stated. He noted the admiral's vital signs change. "You did well with Bek but you didn't follow through. And you've left them to run roughshod over the Federation, shaping it to their vision instead of what it is supposed to be."

  “And you and the others are taking me to task for it. And, you are right," the admiral said heavily. He rubbed his brow for a moment and then exhaled noisily. "Okay, so I need to get something to eat before I get a headache.”

  “I think it is more stress than low blood sugar,” Sprite said. “But, your call.”

  “Right.”

  -~~~///^\~~~-

  Yorgi paced his office. He might not have been in the room during Geni's interview, but he'd been made aware of
it and had stopped to review the meeting.

  He sat there and scrubbed his face as he realized a lot of things were coming crashing down and he had only himself to blame. Captain Sprite and others had tried to delay the extraction in order for him to make up with his chief of staff, but she wasn't going to have it apparently.

  In a way he couldn't blame her.

  He cleared his throat. "Geni, can we talk?"

  "Now you want to talk, Admiral?" She appeared on his HUD. "My resignation is going through. Finally."

  "I thought we'd come to an agreement. I thought you were over this. I thought we'd come to terms and moved on. I've genuinely tried to improve," Yorgi said, gut twisting at her tone and his own. He sounded like he was groveling, and his training screamed at him for it.

  "No, sir. You came to a decision. Others came to a decision for me, to buy you time. I admit, after repeated talks with Admiral Irons you eventually started to treat me better. But I have no interest in retaining my present position or my commission. I've made that repeatedly clear and I've been ignored. This is my next form of redress."

  "Damn it, Geni, I'm sorry! Okay, there I said it!" He threw his hands up in the air. "What do you want me to do to make this right? Eat glass? I screwed up!"

  "And that is supposed to make months of abuse okay? I'm afraid not, Admiral."

  He closed his eyes in pain. "I see. Nothing will change your mind. You've made it up, and that is all there is to it."

  "Yes, sir," she said stiffly. The sir sounded almost like an afterthought. There were definitely dark tones in that simple form of address.

  "Pity. Well, we will get this done. Again, I'm sorry I was an ass."

  "Apology not accepted, Admiral. The Admiralty has opened up a receptacle for me to transfer into. I require you to be physically in the room since there is a lot of bandwidth involved," she said in a clipped tone of voice.

  He inhaled and exhaled slowly. After a moment he shrugged internally. "Where and when?" he asked in a resigned tone of voice.

  "Your driver has the address. When is as soon as possible. I'd like to start the debrief and my new life. Captain Sprite and Commander Fletcher will need to extract the classified intelligence from my files."