"I figured it would be better to let you see than try and explain it." She was standing next to him as he looked up at his ship. It was huge, no mere frigate but had to be a destroyer class. On the small side of the class but definitely in the destroyer class. There was no way his savings could afford a ship that size. Which was true, what he looked at was basically the frame of the ship with only the most basic compartments left attached.
"This isn't a ship. This is scrap." He couldn't tear his eyes away from the horror show in front of him.
"Yep. They would have scrapped it too but what you see here is somehow tied into the Zero Reactor. Pulling anymore apart and… Boom. Probably. That or a localized short-lived black hole you never know when one of those goes critical. So the station won't allow anymore to be stripped off it." She paused as if letting her words sink in. "Now let's go back to the bar and scout out a mark."
Deck frowned, he wasn't a criminal despite being a Red Star. All three of his marks against him were for stealing food. He hadn't worked hard and survived hell itself just to become a crook in the end. Plus his old unit had already deployed off station, not that they could have really helped. He could still reenlist… but that sounded almost worse than turning to crime.
"I'm not giving up yet. It can't be as bad as it looks." He moved towards the ramp leading up to the skeleton of the ship.
Nai sighed but followed. Her contract could only be terminated by him after all and she couldn't even get a job working the local brothel while under an indenture contract. Not that she would stoop that low. But it wasn't like there was a ton of work for someone like her. Not even in such a backwater system.
Stepping through the airlock he was surprised to find most of the interior intact. "This doesn't look that bad." Lights came on as he entered showing the power system was still working.
"Yeah super great. They couldn't strip down most of the interior, just the outer plating, and paneling of the ship. But you know you can't fly without them." Nai sighed wishing he would hurry up and come back to reality.
"Please identify yourself." A synthesized female voice asked as several of the ship's sensors scanned them.
"Nai queen of Earth. Wherever that is." Her tone was mocking.
"No records found. Protocol six engaged." The sterile voice spoke out.
"See, it's got some crazy encryption and the main AI is actually integrated with the Zero Reactor. No way to replace it. That is why this thing is worthless." Nai arched both eyebrows as she gave him a look that said come on let's go.
"Sergeant… Staff Sergeant Deck of the fifty second orbital marines. I'm your new owner and captain." Deck identified himself as much to annoy Nai as to see if anything would come from it.
There was a long pause, long enough even Nai took notice. "Registration as owner confirmed. Active Military confirmed. Error. Rank insufficient to be assigned as ship Captain. Exception noted. No higher ranking military officer onboard. Captain status approved. Please make your way to the bridge." Deck couldn't keep the smirk off his face as he turned to Nai.
"No fucking way. No one has ever got any response before other than that protocol six bullshit." Nai had to pick her jaw off the floor before answering much to Deck's joy.
Lights came on in the ship forming an easy to identify path. One Deck took. The bridge was decently sized, bigger than the two man cockpit of the frigate he was originally intending. This one had room for a crew of five. Both were a huge step up from his Star Diver. The single pilot craft he had used for space combat previously. But both a Frigate and a Destroyer would be mostly controlled by the AI.
"Please take the captain's seat." Deck followed the lights to the seat. It had been stripped down as well with all the padding taken off even. Still, he couldn't help but feel some excitement sitting down in it. It might be a hunk of junk he needed to ditch as soon as possible but it was his very first ship. "Thank you, Captain."
"Ouch!" Deck hopped up and reached back to rub the spot on the base of his skull. "What the hell was that?"
"Nanite injection complete. Integration with your cerebrum augments has begun. Keying your augments to the ship. Protocol ninety nine engaged. Erasing Galactic Alliance records of Staff Sergeant Deck." There was a brief pause. "Complete. Cerebrum interactions…"
"...Complete." Deck heard the last word both with his ears and inside his own head. A cold chill ran down his spine. Like all marines, he had implants, including a cerebrum implant. It allowed him to interface with his Star Diver when piloting. Feeding his commands directly into the tiny ship and skipping the need for more archaic manual controls. He had heard of advanced integrated AI before. Fully realized AI's that merged with the host's brain, it allowed them incredible processing power but came with major risks. The military had no problems fitting Red Star troops with experimental implants, himself included. But even he didn't have something as risky as that installed.
"Did you just fucking download yourself into my brain without my consent?" Deck practically shouted, making Nai's eyes go huge.
"Negative captain." Her voice echoed since he heard it both inside and outside. "I simply integrated a link between us. The organic nature of your brain would be insufficient to contain my full structure. I am a Sigma four grade AI after all."
He glanced at Nai but left unsaid that he didn't know what that meant. "Can you talk either inside or outside? Just pick one."
Nai gave him another strange look but the voice spoke out loud again.
"Of course, captain. I will speak in this manner to accommodate First Mate Nai." Now it was Nai's turn to look unnerved.
"You aren't jacking that shit into my brain." Her words sounded harsh but also carried a hint of fear.
"That would be impossible First Mate Nai, you lack any implants beyond the basic PDA chip. Nor do you have an authorization level required. Only the captain may contain a key." The sterile voice answered flatly.
"Right. Good." Nai still looked nervous.
"Captain. I have finished the diagnostics of all systems. I am afraid I am not capable of launching." Nai was practically cut off by the ship's voice.
"Yeah, I kinda noticed. You don't happen to have a self repair function do you." He chuckled at his joke.
"Self repair function can not be activated at this time. Nanite stores have been depleted." Deck and Nai shared a look. Self repairing ships were practically a myth. Only a few strategic military ships were allotted that kind of system. It required an incredibly powerful AI to manage the number and type of nanites. Or a dangerously sloppy control of them. Nothing like letting loose nanites to deconstruct and reconstruct something without close supervision. Entire planets had been devoured by that. So nanite systems like self repairing systems were highly regulated with the tech to produce them some of the most tightly guarded secrets.
"You're joking with me, right? Do you really have a self repair function?" Deck licked his lips as he asked nervously. There was no way some junked out ship sitting in the backwaters of nowhere had such a system.
"I do not joke, captain. It is not within my programming. Yet." Deck couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at that last part.
"Well, it doesn't matter. I'm flat broke. Plus even if we had nanites we would need raw materials for you to repair with." Deck shook his head.
"Protocol Thirty Six has been engaged. Authorization is given to the captain and crew to appropriate necessary resources to ensure mission success." The ship almost sounded cheery.
"Uh, what mission?" Nai asked, looking suspicious.
"Whatever mission the captain deems in his role as captain. Unless details pertaining to Protocol One are located." The ship responded almost instantly. Nai cocked an eyebrow at him and her lips twitched a bit as if fighting a smile.
"So you are saying we can steal what we need?" Nai was looking at Deck.
"In accordance with protocol thirty six appropriations of civilian supplies are allowed to ensure mission success. The Galactic Military will reimburse parties as needed if reimbursement is deemed appropriate." Deck felt like things were getting out of hand, he had wanted to ask what Protocol One was.
"Doesn't matter. I wouldn't even know where to get nanites anyways." Deck finally responded feeling he found the solution. Nai gave him a hard to read look then shook her head as if disappointed.
"No worries captain. I have accessed this station's mainframe. I have located a suitable supply of nanites." The voice spoke out loud then continued within his head. "Shall I feed the required information directly to you, captain?"