Issue 13 - Ray Gun Revival

The Price of Conquest, by Mik Wilkens Pg. 30
“What orders?” Kressa asked.
“Orders from Cameron Thorne.”
Kressa fought to control her rising frustration.
“Thorne’s dead, Connie. You obey me now.”
“Yes, I do.”
“Then get us back into normal space and set a
course for Maetar.”
“No.”
Kressa clenched her fists and counted slowly
to ten. Obviously she couldn’t win by arguing with
the computer, so why not try reasoning with it?
“All right,” she said in a steady voice, “let me
get this straight. You have orders from Thorne to
go to Arecia, but I am your operator, right?”
“Correct. Kressa Bryant is an authorized
operator.”
“An operator? Who else is an operator?”
“Juric Azano and Cameron Thorne are authorized
operators.”
Juric Azano? Who the hell was he? She’d
worry about it later. “So you have three authorized
operators, and you have to obey all three
of them.”
“Correct.”
“What if they give conflicting orders?”
“I will request clarification from the initiating
operators.”
“And if one of those operators isn’t available,
what then?” Kressa asked.
“I will carry out all orders to the best of my
abilities, unless I determine doing so will cause
damage to the ship.”
“What if I told you that taking the Conquest to
Arecia will cause damage?”
“There is no evidence to support such a con-
jecture.”
“But the Patrol is after us.”
“The Patrol is after a vessel called Wincarnis,
they do not know where we are headed, and
Arecia is a Free World.”
“A Free World? So what?”
“The United Galaxy Patrol does not have jurisdiction
on Free Worlds.”
Kressa scoffed. “When has that ever stopped
them? Hell, the United Galaxy has enough
firepower to take over most of the Free Worlds if
they really wanted to.”
“It is not lack of desire that prevents the United
Galaxy from taking over the Free Worlds.”
“You don’t think so?” Kressa asked, marveling
at the fact that she was discussing interplanetary
politics with a computer. “What is it then?”
“The reasons are varied, but the primary
causes are the need for the United Galaxy to use
its Patrol forces to keep its own worlds in line,
the infighting among the ruling admirals, and the
opposition of the Free World Guard.”
Kressa had heard stories about the Guard, a
quasi-military force that had begun to appear
on several of the Free Worlds a decade or so
ago. Still... “I don’t know, Connie, you sound like
you’re just repeating something Thorne told you
about his view of the way things are, or how he’d
like them to be.”
“On the contrary. My statements are backed
by historical fact and analysis of—”
“Never mind. I’m sure you know what you’re
talking about, but what we were talking about is
you taking the ship to Arecia. You’re going to do
that no matter what I say, aren’t you?”
“Correct.”
Kressa sighed, knowing she was beat. For now.
Ray Gun Revival magazine Issue 13, January 01, 2007