Daniel was staring out a space, considering his new Lieutenant.
Andrew seemed like a good-natured Marine. He was obviously used to the banter between the Navy and Marines. Daniel appreciated a good-sense of humor in any soldier, especially Marines. Their job was to be the main expeditionary force of any military, always present where the fire was hottest.
Federation Marines had a long history of bloody battles against superior numbers of Imperial Marines. They were extremely familiar with daunting odds, and their graveyard humor and sarcasm were excellent tools to stave off despair.
While he was lost in thought, a notification popped into his field of vision.
[Commander, Lieutenant Lincoln wishes to speak with you.]
Daniel accepted the request.
"Lieutenant, I trust the System was able to explain everything to you?"
"Sir, SAI was very helpful in jogging my memory and explaining where we are. I was surprised to find I was no longer in my home galaxy."
"SAI?"
"Sir, that is what the System was referred to as by regular people. I think it's an acronym for System Assistant Interface, but it's official name is way longer."
Daniel was a bit embarrassed he hadn't considered that such a hyper-intelligent AI had an actual name. It seems like he still wasn't immune to the prejudice against artificial intelligence.
"I see. Well Lieutenant, are you prepared to assist me in finding out whatever the Ark Protocol is."
"Yes, sir. I recognize the name, but I am unsure how to find out what it means."
"I can help with that, actually. The Sys-, ah, SAI said that we needed to upgrade the Venator to Battle Cruiser size."
"Sounds like a lot of work, sir."
"Honestly, it may take less time than you think. This ship has outclassed every ship close to her size since I've taken command."
Daniel regaled Andrew with his battles with Pirate Corvettes and Imperial Destroyers. They spoke for a long while, Daniel teaching Andrew about the political make up of the Sengore Galaxy, Andrew telling stories he could remember about his days as a US Marine.
After a couple hours passed by, and Daniel realized they had talked the day away. He hadn't realized how starved of companionship he was. He knew now that he was supposed to have an entire digital bridge crew, but when he asked SAI about them, it had responded with another restriction message.
After a few minutes of sudden silence, Andrew became concerned.
"Sir?"
"Apologies, Lieutenant, I was lost in thought.
It seems we have successfully wasted the day."
Andrew chuckled, hearing the light-hearted tone.
"Agreed, Sir."
"Yes. Now, let's talk about who else we should wake up so that you aren't left boarding warships all by your lonesome."
He quickly navigated to the [Marine Selection (Sergeant)], then shared his view with Andrew, something he had figured out how to do when showing the Lieutenant pictures he'd taken from his Optical Sensor of his various destinations.
**
[Marine Selection (Sergeant)]
Choose Four:
1. Sergeant Ryan Burr - "That guy could walk through hell and not get burned."
- This Marine is always at the front of the pack in each boarding actions, giving him the ability to sprint down a corridor without taking damage.
- Specialty: Charger - Expertly leads his Marines through heavy fire, reducing their squads damage taken under concentrated fire.
2. Sergeant John Marcus - "He could find a way through a brick wall without breaking it."
- This Marine has been on every ship ever conceived, giving him the ability to bypass the heaviest defenses.
- Specialty: Navigator - Expertly leads his Marines down the safest path, reducing the chance they encounter heavy resistance.
3. Sergeant Amelia Smart - "She could find the backdoor of a bank vault."
- This Marine can find a backdoor into the systems of any ship, disabling cameras and locked doors with ease.
- Specialty: Technician - Expertly leads her Marines to attack the ship's systems, reducing the defenders ability to close doors and observe through cameras.
4. Sergeant Jack Marino - "He could talk a dog off a meat truck."
- This Marine can convince defenders to surrender, taking them prisoner and taking them out of the fight.
- Specialty: Negotiator - Expertly leads his Marines in convincing defenders to drop their weapons, reducing the defenders on a ship.
5. Sergeant Kara Hudson - "She makes Rambo look like a amateur."
- This Marine can trap corridors on a boarded ship, protecting the Platoon as it advances through a ship.
- Specialty: Trapper - Expertly leads her Marines in booby-trapping a ship, reducing the defender's avenues of counterattack.
6. Sergeant Maya Gutierrez - "She treats martial artists like children."
- This Marine can approach defenders before they can react, excelling in combat when hampered by smaller rooms or cluttered hallways.
- Specialty: Boxer - Expertly leads her Marines in close-quarters combat, reducing the damage her squad takes while engaging in tight spaces.
7. Sergeant Henry Tennent - "An armadillo would be jealous."
- This Marine carries portable shields, preferring to hunker down and let the defenders come to him.
- Specialty: Reinforcer - Expertly leads his Marines in defending corridors, reducing damage taken when under assault.
8. Sergeant Emily Rotterdam - "She's practically an assembly line on legs."
- This Marine carries armor components on her back, ready to replace broken panels on each of Marine in the Platoon.
- Specialty: Engineer - Expertly leads her Marines in repairing the armor of their fellow Marines, reducing the probable losses of each boarding action.
**
Daniel was curious why he was seeing only eight options. He could infer from his talks with Andrew that there were way more Marines in SAI's memory.
"Why do you think we are seeing so few options?"
Andrew was silent.
They were currently in the Marine Barracks, Daniel in his 3D Hologram form, and Andrew standing in his ENTT.
"Sir, SAI says that only these eight are able to be promoted to Lieutenant once we reach Light Cruiser size. I know some of them, and they were the closest to being recommended for commission when they were put on Ice.
I'm guessing that these people are able to adapt more quickly to this situation while leading Marines."
Daniel was nodding. He was aware now that Andrew had lived with a version of SAI in his armor while he was in the Marines, so he was more used to asking the AI questions on instinct.
"Alright then. Since these will be your subordinates, I'll let you weigh in on who you'd like in your platoon.
You can ask equations about my naval warfare tactics if that helps, but I'll leave it to you."
"Thank you, sir."
Andrew went quiet, obviously thinking through his options.
Daniel was doing his own thinking, although it was now back to Admiral Brosoth.
While he'd been talking to Andrew, Daniel had been fussing with his 3D hologram, trying to make it more realistic.
Sadly, without an actual body to base the projection on, the hologram was unable to properly react the way a human would.
Most people use micro-expressions in everyday life without even thinking of it, from the rosiest blush to the tiniest twitch.
For some reason, SAI was unable to perfectly recreate those reactions, which were something a normal human would notice instinctively.
Daniel was stuck, worrying about how to communicate with the Admiral without giving himself away.