Daniel was very worried about how he'd address the problem of Admiral Brosoth.
He was sure that the Admiral would want to meet him face-to-face, something he couldn't possibly do.
He also couldn't explain that he was a human downloaded into a ship because then he would violate the Dorlan Accords, which prohibited and restricted the use of AI.
The best thing he'd come up with so far was to feign illness or horrible disfigurement, but he was unsure about how long that would hold up.
The federation culture was built on politeness and honor, and such traits would be abundant in a Sector Commander.
Daniel thought for the rest of the day, trying to find a way, any way, to fix this problem.
After two days, when the AI Suite arrived, he still hadn't figured out a way to either trick the commander into thinking he was a real human or convince him that Daniel was unable to meet him for some reason.
[Ding]
[Conditions Fulfilled]
[Marine Compliment Added]
Daniel put the problem of Admiral Brosoth in the back of his mind, trying to get excited about his new Module.
When he was a Captain in command of a Heavy Cruiser, he'd been good friends with the Major in command of the Marine Compliment.
He missed the roguish smiles and raunchy jokes synonymous with Marines.
Daniel always regretted not getting a beer with the Major before he was transferred to a Battle Cruiser.
He knew that his new [Marine Compliment] would probably follow the theme of the rest of the Venator, controlled by the System-like robots.
He sighed in memory and selected the new Module.
**
[Marine Compliment]
- Assault Shuttle: 0/1
- Capacity: Platoon (0/37)
- Lieutenant: 0/1
- Sergeant: 0/4
- Corporal: 0/8
- Marine: 0/24
(Select Marines)
Notice: Upgrades x2 every Ship Classification
**
Daniel's mental eyebrows rose.
He hadn't expected to be able to choose his own Marines.
"System, how are you going to create Marines?"
[Commander, this Unit maintains a complete engram database of Marines you can select from.]
"How is that possible."
[Ship Classification Insufficient.]
Daniel was becoming more and more intrigued about this System, where it came from, and how it was able to know and do so much.
He was excited to eventually reach Battle Cruiser size so he could finally get some answers.
He also thought about asking the Marines he selected, since he was effectively reviving long-dead Marines from some alien military.
However, based on the System's track record, the Marines would probably only be able to remember enough to be effective soldiers.
**
[Marine Selection (Lieutenant)]
Choose One:
1. Lieutenant Andrew Lincoln - "That guy could drop from space and go to dinner after."
- This Marine has extensive experience in leading his men through heavy fire, allowing him to gain insight into his platoon's armor capability.
- Attribute: Tank - Increases Marine Survivability
2. Lieutenant Teri Jackson - "She could hit a fly at the bottom of a lake behind a rock."
- This Marine excels in pointing out vital components and gaps in enemy armor, allowing her to properly instruct her platoon in the art of marksmanship.
- Attribute: Ranger - Increases Marine Sharpshooting
3. Lieutenant Amy Holden - "She once destroyed boarding armor all by herself."
- This Marine has studied the composition of her ammunition between each boarding action, allowing her to instruct her platoon on which ammunition to use in any situation.
- Attribute: Gunner - Increases Marine Damage
4. Lieutenant Garret Cross - "He could separate the feathers from a bird without it noticing."
- This Marine has spent more time on star ships than on the ground, allowing him to instruct his platoon in the art of surgically removing components with minimal damage.
- Attribute: Scavenger - Increases Marine Component Collection
**
Daniel was lost.
He didn't have a Marine background, so he was unable to discern which Attribute would be the most beneficial.
Gunner and Tank seemed like they would benefit a boarding party, but Scavenger would speed up the upgrade process.
Daniel knew that Sharpshooter wasn't going to be an option, since star ships were cramped and resembled labyrinths on most levels.
The tank would help the Marines take multiple hits, Gunner would help with the volume of fire, and Scavenger would help with Component Collection.
Daniel thought about it, deciding that he would rather keep his Marines alive than speed up Component Collection by a marginal amount.
He didn't know a lot about engrams, since the technology was still in development, but he knew that they were copies of real people who decided to download their Conscience onto a small shard that could be installed into anything.
If a Marine was turned into an engram, based on what he knew of them, every single one was a volunteer.
He didn't know how many Marines the System had in storage, but Dreadnoughts in the Federation had a Marine Regiment attached to them.
If he kept going up in ship size, then it was likely he would have the same if not more Marines under his command eventually.
He selected Lieutenant Andrew Lincoln, and his attention was drawn to a new room that was being formed to the left of the Drone Bay.
Daniel watched as what looked like an Assault Shuttle Hangar was built, walls and storage rooms being shaped from the Venator herself.
He didn't see an Assault Shuttle being built, so he assumed he'd have to select one as well.
Once the Hangar was finished, the space kept expanding, forming barracks, a gun range, an armory, a maintenance room, and what looked like a Tactical Scenario Room.
Daniel focused on the barracks, which had mech stations instead of a bed, which he surmised meant his Marines would come in some form of robot instead of a biological form.
He was sort of glad about that, since he wasn't sure what the Aliens who created all of this tech looked like, and humans were already uncomfortable with the Aliens of the Dominion.
One of the fabricators began to whir in the maintenance room, and Daniel stared in awe as a monstrous robot began to take shape.
The thing was about 2.5 meters tall and looked like a walking tank.
It had a belt-fed mini-gun attached to the right arm, and armor composites that looked eerily similar to ones attached to the Venator were covering its torso, legs, and arms.
A cylinder that had an obvious optical sensor in the middle was sitting on top of the torso, and a backpack that had a myriad of antennae, wiring, and metal strips attached to it was attached to the back.
The fabricator stopped after an hour of buzzing and whirring, and the robot's optical sensor glowed blue, which was also the same color as the Venator's running lights.
Daniel had to hand it to the mysterious alien race, they had an eye for aesthetics.
Once the robot was fully upright, a blue upright rectangle appeared above its head, and the name "Lieutenant Andrew Lincoln" was printed just below it.
Suddenly, a deep voice reverberated through Daniels's circuits.
"Dammit, that hurt like a motherfucker."
Daniel laughed, caught off-guard by the curse.
"Lieutenant?"
The robot looked around, trying to identify where the voice came from.
Daniel continued to grin.
"Apologies, Lieutenant Lincoln, but I'm not in the room. What do you remember?"
The robot Lieutenant stopped looking around, choosing to stand at attention.
"Lieutenant Lincoln, 1st Platoon of the Destroyer Venator."
Then the Lieutenant flinched.
"That's not right.
Why can't I remember which regiment I'm with?"
Daniel stopped grinning. He could relate to not knowing where or when he was, but at least he remembered his past.
Until he reached Battle Cruiser size, it seemed like his Marines would be just as confused as he was.