>>5576963“Enough.” You whisper over your shoulder to Peedee, “You’re a big brave voidship aren’t you?” Her shuddering stills.
“Peedee is brave!” She says indignantly, peeking over your shoulder for a moment, before ducking back down as the red glow of Guard’s attention instantly locks on to her.
“Peedee wants to be brave.” She amends in a small voice. “Guard is bigger… meaner.”
“Well you know what I think? I think you’ve something Guard doesn’t.” You raise your voice so the AI subsystem in question can hear you.
“I do?” Her eyes grow wide and you smile.
“Yes, Peedee. You can learn! From the moment I met you you’ve been getting better at speaking. You were able to be my eyes, showed me how to use your guns, and you’ve even gotten better at not letting your emotions spill over into mine.”
You snap out a hand and snatch the cable you had been discreetly tracking out of mid-air. You shift your fiery glare from the offending appendage to its owner, holding fast as Guard attempts to retract it to no avail.
“Meanwhile,” you continue, contemptuously, “our AI friend here falls for the oldest trick in the book.”
Peedee stifles a giggle, peeking with a little more confidence this time at the slab of circuits and metal representing her long-time warden.
“Tell me guardian,” you call out a challenge, “what does your outdated programming state is the punishment for ignoring an order from the Captain involving a crew member — which I have deemed PD-113 to be — and in doing so willingly endanger this vessel, its crew and her vital ongoing mission.”
A single flicker of its glowing eye in your direction is the only acknowledgement the intelligence gives your goading.
“Come now, ‘Guard’. Tell me, what is the punishment for M U T I N Y?” You draw out the word with finality, a judgement and sentence all in one.
You feel a slight discomfort at having misused the term. Strictly speaking mutiny only applies to crew, which the AI technically isn't by the letter of naval law and furthermore-
"Pathetic." You snort, putting on a show of confidence for your captive audience. "Some 'Intelligence' you are. You can't even adapt your tactics when they've clearly been seen through."
<span class="mu-s">==YOU WILL COMPLY WITH TPN REGULATIONS AND RESPECT THE LEASE AGREEMENTS OF PRI PROPERTY. YOUR NONCOMPLIANCE WILL BE REPORTED TO RELEVANT AUTHORITIES.==
You can tell the tone is supposed to be menacing but you only shake your head, disgusted. As if the Admiralty would ever rule against a Captain doing their duty, hell, your Grandfather would dismiss any attempted court martial outright.
"The PRI? The Institute was dissolved into Naval Intelligence over 200 years ago, you geriatric bucket of bolts," You deride the machine, "Are you even listening to yourself, or are your systems so far gone that you lack even the capacity for sapience?"
You deflect another lunging tendril, the guardian flashes your way in silent reply.</span>