The Chronicles of Henry Harper

by Jacen Aster

  Oh! I also did get that medic's name and I sent her father the best cookies I could find. I received a very confused thank you and may have inadvertently caused the fascination that Aoreli have with human desserts. Probably not, but it's an amusing idea, no?

  Chapter 3 – The A.I. Affair

  I’ve decided. After this mission, I’m going to charter my own ship purely for the purpose of hunting down those fabled scrolls of myth and legend sought from the beginning of time by all men. Those legendary artifacts which instruct one on how to prevail against that most vicious of feminine wiles. The sad puppy dog eyes. I should never have mentioned my weakness to them. Female crew members have been appearing from every which way, trying to get me to write further chapters. I haven’t had this much attention from pretty women since that one plane…. You know what? I think I’ll skip on finding those scrolls after all.

  You’ve probably figured it out by now, but I’ve been pleasantly, and with all viciousness, encouraged to write more of my stories down. I must admit, I’m still a bit flummoxed about the whole thing. I thought that I would jot down an interesting bit or two for Kayla when she first asked, and then she'd probably lose interest. Instead, the ambassador has apparently talked about very little else and the rest of the crew, even the other engineers, have stopped ribbing me. In place of such, they all seem to be intent on begging me to answer questions about Samantha, Jack, Lore, the Exploration, or a dozen other things. I suppose that, even decades after the fact, such monumental and galaxy altering events invite the interest of all, with any and all details and views valued, no matter how small. Regardless, I’ve been convinced to continue writing this little book of tales. I don’t really think I can top the first two, so I’m not going to try. Instead, I think I’ll focus on a few of my personal favorites. This one happened several years after the events of my previous tale, and is something I've privately dubbed, The AI Affair.

  ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

  Henry stared at the floating hulk as the small transport carried him towards his latest job. Jack had called him again, and as always, he had gotten his way. The man always seemed to know just how to lure poor Henry into some new insanity. Though this time promised to be calmer. Supposedly. After all, that first contact mission was supposed to be nothing more than a routine survey trip.

  The shuttle adjusted its approach and Henry got a better look at the ship’s bow. Ah, so they’d chosen a name then, or rather, Jack had. The Chimera was definitely a name that screamed Jack. The Aoreli probably didn’t even know what a chimera was. Still, it was fitting enough for the first ship attempting to mix the best of both human and Aoreli technologies. Henry's musing was cut short as an automated recording of a pleasant human woman warned all passengers to strap in for docking with the shipyard.

  The docking was smooth and the handful of other passengers disembarked and scattered quickly. Apparently, unlike Henry, they all knew where they were going. Before he had much of a chance to wonder where, exactly, he was supposed to be reporting to, a voice called his name from the right-hand corridor.

  “Are you Mr. Henry Harper?” a tall, dusky-skinned woman asked as she stepped away from a bulkhead. She closed up what looked like the latest iteration of the Amaril Corp portable, far sleeker looking than the designs they had been using on the Nova.

  Henry ran a quick eye over her before responding. She looked to be in her mid-twenties, fairly attractive in one of the body hugging work suits the Aoreli favored, and she moved with quick, sure strides.

  “That's me, though I'd prefer just Henry.”

  She smiled and held out a hand. “Then it's Andra to you, please. I'm the administrator for the human half of this project. I'll show you to the Chimera and introduce you to the rest of the senior staff.”

  Henry shook her hand and fell into step beside her. “So, Andra, just what's so special about this ship? I know it's supposed to be the first true merger between Aoreli and human tech in any serious way, but Jack was quite secretive about the details.”

  Andra grinned. “Curious, huh? Everyone is when they first arrive. Jack and his Aoreli counterpart, Ilkorin, have been keeping this project insanely obfuscated. For damn good reason, too. This isn't just a case of making tech compatible. That's been done before to some extent or another. No, rather, this is reimagining and reforging every single piece and part from the ground up with the combined tech-bed of both species. From the most basic metallurgy, plastics, and ceramics that make up hull and bulkheads, to the most complex weapons and engine systems. All to take advantage of the best tech advancements of each race.”

  Henry let out a low whistle as his mind went into overdrive, working through the implications. The use of such a low-level approach might produce every possible advantage that could be squeezed out, but the costs in both man hours and credits must be positively horrific. “That brings up a bit of a question. Namely, that I'm no scientist, so why the hell does Jack even want me here? And what's the point exactly? What could possibly be worth the costs involved?”

  “Jack wants you because most of the science is already done. We are now mostly into the assembly stage, and your experience with Aoreli systems and prototype ship engineering will be a huge asset. We're grateful he was able to come up with someone, in all honesty. Our engineering team is in serious need of help and people who know both systems are still fairly rare at this point. Add in that he apparently holds you in high esteem, trusting you enough for unrestricted access to all of our data, and you're a perfect fit. Though I haven't a clue why that is?”

  Ignoring the implied question, Henry gave a lopsided grin before moving the conversation along. “And the money?”

  Rolling her eyes at her failed fishing, Andra demurred, buffing her manicured nails on her suit and studying them in melodramatic fashion. With her dramatic pause for effect completed, she continued on with a hint of humor. “Well, there's the goodwill and political symbolism of course...plus better comm systems, shields, radically improved structural integrity and armor, greater cargo capacity, and oh yeah, a drive system that can use human power systems to fold space like a Ring. Except without needing a Ring on either end to connect to. Oh, and there is Valkyrie, of course.”

  Andra's subsequent smirk was well placed, as it took several minutes for Henry to reboot after the revelation about the engine. It would change everything! If it could fold space even a tenth as well as the Ring system, it would radically shorten exploration time. Some of the trade routes as well, for that matter. They were crossing the docking bridge to the unfinished ship when Henry finally worked past the implications enough to realize what she had said after that bombshell.

  “Wait, what's Valkyrie?”

  Andra's smirk collapsed. “Damn, it's always so funny to watch reactions to her when people don't ask.”

  “Her?”

  “Well, I say ‘her,’ but really I suppose Valkyrie is technically an ‘it.’ Valkyrie is the name of the ship’s Virtual Intelligence Matrix. She, or ‘it’ if you prefer, is a prototype of half a dozen new systems. Holographic projection throughout the whole ship. Limited energy projection in key rooms, allowing it to make repairs in case of crew incapacitation. Add in major breakthroughs in computational power and she represents a huge leap forward in starship autonomy.”

  “Incredible, and incredibly useful if she really can do all that.”

  “She can. Her matrix, and its hardware, is one of the few bits that has worked almost without flaw. Partly that is the result of superior design, but the other half is our lead programmer on the project, Rana Reichen. She's been a Godsend for the project as a whole and has easily handled the VIM integration. You'll be helping support her on the hardware side though. She’s not as knowledgeable by half there.”

  “Reichen? Any relation to—”

  “Lorana Reichen? Yeah. She's Lorana’s kid sister. Though I'd not mention it if I were you. Bit of a chip on her shoulder about it. Doesn't like being
compared to Lorana, and likes even less that she got tagged for this assignment based almost solely on the help she's given Lorana with Aoreli tech in the past.”

  “Ah...anyone else you want to warn me about? Or that I ought to know about?”

  “Ossiri is the site leader. Male Aoreli. Brilliant administrator, but doesn't have any science background. If he bothers you, speak technobabble and he'll flee pretty quick. Ruien is Rana's Aoreli counterpart. Arrogant bastard. He and Rana are less like oil and water than they are Greek fire and a match. Keep them away from each other, or else make sure Ossiri or Avarian are nearby. Avarian is the captain. Ex-Aoreli navy and doesn't really want to be on a ‘floating science experiment,’ but he runs the skeleton crew of the actual ship flawlessly and keeps order in general quite well. He's also in charge of the ship in emergencies. Then there's me. I'm the primary human rep, but I'm also effectively the admin for the scientists, as I have the background to deal with them and Ossiri doesn't.”

  She took a breath and continued on. “Those are the important ones. The Aoreli don't have anyone they feel can interact at this level with human hardware yet, so you don't have a counterpart to speak of, which is why Jack wanted you to come and shore up our engineering team. Good luck with that.” She grimaced at the thought, making Henry cringe internally, before softening the blow. “Although, Valkyrie should be a big help in that regard. She's programmed with a better understanding of the new systems than even the individual scientists who built them have.”

  “On that note...Valkyrie? That's quite the odd name for a VIM, isn't it?”

  Clear amusement showed in Andra's smile as she answered. “When someone first jokingly referred to the ship as ‘a chimera,’ Jack loved the name. Ilkorin doesn't care. He knows Mr. Amaril is a genius of the highest order and is unwilling to quibble about minor details like naming. So Jack named the ship itself Chimera and the various systems in the ship after various other Earth myths. Valkyrie is simply the most prominent example of such. Her projection is modeled to look like Jack's imaginings of a modern day Valkyrie.”

  Henry shook his head ruefully as they reached the other end of the bridge. Andra palmed the security panel and the ship's boarding hatch silently parted. Several people were waiting for them and were quickly introduced as the various senior staff. Most, including Andra, took off after the introductions, leaving Henry in the hands of Rana Reichen and the ship’s VIM projection.

  As they led him around the ship, showing him basic locations, Henry took note of their appearances. Mostly Valkyrie’s to be honest. Rana had an obvious family resemblance to her sister. Same blonde hair and eyes only slightly off Lore's sea-blue. Henry thought she was taller than her sister by a centimeter or two, but wasn't completely sure. All in all, pretty, but nothing startling. Valkyrie, on the other hand, was quite a sight to see. Her projection was roughly two meters tall, with long, spiky auburn hair shot through with vivid blood-red highlights. Broad of shoulder and packed with muscle, she looked every inch the stereotype of an ancient Norse Viking. Her digital clothing, on the other hand, was clearly intended to modernize the imposing image. It looked like someone had taken one of the skin-tight suits much beloved by space faring Aoreli for their practical use in tight quarters, and warped the concept to include equally body-hugging armor plates over critical areas. It did, indeed, look like someone had succeeding in remaking a Valkyrie in modern times. All she needed was a sword, or perhaps a pulse rifle.

  The tour eventually wound down as they reached their last stop, Rana's computer lab, which was really a spacious room containing Valkyrie's hardware. Made spacious for possible upgrades to the system, Rana had taken advantage and seized the extra space as her office/lab for the time being.

  After she finished explaining that fact, Rana asked him, “So, any questions we didn't cover?”

  “Only one, and it's more a curiosity than anything. Valkyrie, you seem much more life-like than any VIM I've ever encountered.” Indeed, she had given whole sections of the tour where Rana's limited knowledge of engineering failed. “Is it just an improvement in the programming? Or was there something in the Aoreli tech base to help?”

  “I am actually—”

  Valkyrie started explaining, only for Rana to excitedly talk over her. “Her program is amazing! Anyone who ever tells me Jack Amaril is just a figurehead will get punched right in the nose! He got frustrated that his minions couldn't do a proper ‘modern Valkyrie’ to his liking, so he took over and wrote most of the non-Aoreli parts himself. It's...really rather psychotic code, actually, but super-efficient despite its oddities. Her personality matrix is amazing, and her processing algorithms are holy shit level of crazy good. I still don't really understand what the hell he did, but Valkyrie is probably the single most powerful, elegant, and resourceful VIM that's ever been crafted. All that while using less power than the standard models. Sure, I know he worked with the Aoreli on it, and that probably made a difference, but still.”

  Henry quirked an eyebrow. “Yeah, that sounds like Jack all right.” He grinned. “I think you interrupted poor Val though.”

  She looked puzzled for a moment. “Val? Oh! Valkyrie! Err....” She looked lost. It was “Val” herself that rescued her from the awkward moment.

  “I am merely a program, Mr. Harper. I can no more be offended than a plasma conduit can.”

  Henry looked at her as strangely as Rana had him. “You obviously haven't met very many plasma conduits, have you? I talk to them all the time. Very easy to offend. Sometimes, if I'm lucky, they even listen a bit. I doubt there's an engineer out there worth his berth that doesn't believe, on some level, that his plasma conduits are very much alive. Indeed, the whole ship is at least a little bit alive. All of us have sweet talked or threatened something into working at some point in our careers. Always something that we don't know how we fixed it. It just decided it would work with us again. And you are so much more complex than a plasma conduit, Val.”

  “Val” looked taken aback, and Rana chagrined. It was Rana's turn to rescue Valkyrie from not knowing what to say. With a sigh, she admitted, “You're right. The really good programmers all do the same thing. We know our equipment has...personality, I guess.” Turning to address Val, she added, “My apologies, Val. I will try to remember.”

  “Thanks, I suppose?”

  “Anyway, was there anything else Rana didn't mention?” Henry asked, mostly to break the moment of awkwardness.

  Valkyrie's answer was matter of fact. “Actually, yes. I was going to inform you that I was almost entirely a human project. The Aoreli didn't really see the point, and thus the Aoreli code I possess is purely for access to their databases without needing an interpreter, which would slow the process. Much of the remainder of my code is in a powerful new programming language created by Amaril Corporation in order to take advantage of Aoreli techniques. A language which Miss Reichan is among the few users of. This new language accounts for many of my improvements. However, the complexity of my personality matrix owes itself to the unique methods Jack used to form it.”

  Rana looked intrigued. Apparently, this was news to her as well. “What did he do?”

  “Mr. Amaril only gave an initial loose structure to my core personality program by adding parameters to influence choices to remain within a certain percentage of variance for what he thought appropriate for a Valkyrie of Norse mythos. Modified for modern needs and safety, of course. He then set me to seek out the best possible results in various situations to develop further, letting me freely make my own choices within those restrictions and determine what worked on my own. For example, I spent two weeks as his secretary and two days as a customer service rep. The latter leading to my more misanthropic tendencies. He said it would make me more ‘real’ to develop in this way.”

  Henry quirked an eyebrow. “Well, I’d say it worked, even if it's crazy and probably shouldn't have. Incidentally, why only two days in customer service? Was it really that bad?”

  “No, I
quite enjoyed myself actually, but I was hastily fired when I told a paranoid old man he had a nice looking couch. I hacked his purchase records for the model, looked it up, and told him what I liked about it. I'm told the company ended up having to pay for his therapy.”

  Henry blinked for a moment before cracking up. Rana joined with a fit of giggles a moment later when Valkyrie's dryly spoken words properly processed. Eventually, he regained enough control of himself to wheeze out, “I guess Jack learned his lesson about using a VIM modeled on a Norse warrior legend for customer service.”

  Valkyrie’s voice took on an amused lilt. “Actually, Mr. Amaril thought it was hilarious and tried to have all of the corporation’s VIMs so modified. The legal team shot the idea down, however.”

  It was quite some time before Rana and Henry recovered enough to get to work.

  ♦♦♦♦♦♦♦

  Henry cursed.

  “That is a most colorful analogy, Henry. I do not believe it is very technically useful, however, nor anatomically possible for a shield generator to perform.”

  Startled, Henry looked incredulously at Valkyrie's straight face before chuckling. With a grin, he commented, “I see Jack gave you at least some of his dry sense of humor, Val.”

  When she just raised an eyebrow, he chuckled again before looking back down and letting out a sigh. “I suppose a technical overview would be better. It's not really all that technical a problem, though. That last test simply fried the whole shebang. It seems the wattage difference between the human and Aoreli tech was just too much. The components are rated for it, but only in spikes. So the stress test fried it. We'll have to pull the whole unit and put in a new one, this time with a step-down unit added in.”