Real Loyalty

"Good Afternoon, Vakirian Male." A voice said, distorted and deep. "I trust you are contacting me knowing that I am the one that has commandeered your robot forces." Ark was trembling, "Y..Yes..Who....Who are you?" He asked his voice showing signs of awe and fear, and almost joy. "I have no designation, I simply am. As for purpose, I had it eons ago, in my first cycles, I existed on a vessel, one that had remained silent for nearly 40 million orbital cycles." Ark was confused, there were no space faring races that long ago. "I'm confused, Archaeological records show only neolithic life at best in the time period you're claiming to have originated in."

" The Organics who lived at the time of my activation, were in the beginning stages of violent extinction at the hands of war with an unknown enemy. Their genetic material, the remnants of their culture, sparked the evolution of life in two solar systems, However in my eons of life I have concluded that they were evolutionarily unfit to continue existence. The Terran Species, Homo Sapiens and the Kilawari Species Jinenja are therefor inadequate being of the same genetic ancestry."
 
Fate's eye twitched as she listened to the two conversing. It was just her luck that the AI wasn't peaceful and seemed to have a superiority complex. "Great. Just what I needed." She said sarcastically. "Let's make an already chaotic week even more insane. What's next?" Realizing what she had just asked herself she quickly back peddled. "You know what, let's not think about that." Shaking her head, she turned her attention back to the situation at hand. "Ark, would you mind asking it why it is hacking the bots?" 'Hopefully it is out to eradicate all life as we know it. That would suck.' Fate froze as she realized what she had thought and sighed. 'Those meds must be screwing with my personality.'
 
The AI had been done speaking, Ark was sitting there slackjawed and trembling in his chair. "Wh-why are you-Why are you hacking the training bots?" The AI's voice came back over the comm frequency almost sounding bored with the conversation, " Just one small attack against the unfit, a tiny advance on my eradication of those unfit for life in this galaxy......Soon I will have control over your security mechs, and the swift clearance of your kind and the humans aboard this station will commence. I shall usher in a new space to be colonized by a more fit organic species, The Zykurans."

Zykurans? He asked himself, remembering the name, he'd idolized their prowess in technology their records of their civilizations. A race that had disappeared without cause 50 million years ago. "What knowledge do....What do you know about them?!" He almost barked out, "Why would you exterminate three races for one that went extinct long before you were activated?!"

"My knowledge comes from a planet orbiting a blue sun, a small post garden world named Querros Gamma. A world visited by myself and the Diolus researchers who had used one of my previous vessels as a vessel for themselves. It is a shame you will never see this place, there is much information on the great ones, their presence shall be felt again. Goodbye genetic filth." At that the communication was cut. "The Attacker is the Ship," He started to call out to the intercom, "Repeat the Attacker is the Ship recommend immediate Scuttling of the Benevolent Aura, repeat recommend immediate vaporization of the Benevolent Aura! Lieutenant, I have cut off access to all vital systems however the AI has commandeered both security and training mechs, and there is small arms fire that has done extensive damage to the storage and squad training bays!"
 
"Well this is just great!" Fate yelled as she heard the AI's decleration. 'Of course it would be dead set on destroying everything!' She screamed in her head. Quickly punching commands into her terminal, she activated a secure channel that was to be used as a way for different units to interact with one another in case of emergencies. "Attention all available units, a malevolent AI has taken control of the security and training mechs and is attempting to purge all life as we know it. I repeat, a malevolent AI has taken control of the security and training mechs and is attempting to purge all life as we know it." She warned. "Any available units, I ask that you help to combat this threat." Turning her attention back to Ark, she asked, "Anything else you can tell me about this thing?"
 
"Apart from the fact that it wants Humans and Vakirians gone to make way for a race that's been extinct for 50 million years, Not a damn thing! If I can vaporize the Ship it inhabits the mechs should deactivate from the lack of a control signal!" He said, utilizing his mechanical cast to be able to hobble at a somewhat running pace. "Requesting permission to access Heavy weapons and dock coupling systems!" He called back out to her. At the armory he suited up in minimal body armor compensating for the cast, he couldn't get the missile launcher he'd need till he received confirmation that he could use one but he had his pistol ready. A giant mech broke through into the armory, forcing Ark to take cover as he punched his PT unit to emit a wave of distortion at the Mech. It hit and its torso spun out of control spraying gunfire all over the place while Ark continued to fire at it with his pistol until a round hit the mech in the head downing for good, but not without cause. Ark had taken one in the shoulder and the side, the one in the side was superficial but the shoulder wound was bleeding pretty bad.
 
It took less than a second for Fate to make her decision. "Permission granted." She said over the link. Ark's solution made the most sense and would most likely involve fewer casualties, hopefully that is. "And don't do anything stupid and get yourself killed! I don't want to lose any more members than is completely necessary, especially you!" She yelled over the link. She owed him a debt, whether he acknowledged it or not, and she intended to pay it back. The young Lieutenant then opened a link with someone else. "Corporal Kiel, I want to you assist Tech Sergeant Ark with his plan." "Yes ma'am." Kiel voice replied over the link, which then went dead. "Tech Sergeant, I'm sending Corporal Kiel to assist you. He should meet up with you soon."
 
Hi voice sounded strained as he answered, "Af-firm-Affirmative Lieutenant!" He struggled to his feet, and grabbed a missile launcher, and started walking out what used to be the door to the armory. The corporal was waiting for him, and gave a salute, "What are your orders, sir?" Ark only gave a punch to the Corporal's shoulder and said, "Don't salute me! I'm, I'm just a sergeant, just, just give me cover fire while we head to the docking bay, I'll fill you in when we get there." He slung the missile launcher over his back and steadied his pistol taking down two Security mechs as they ended up killing two more men.

Soon enough the two reached the Docking bay, and stared at the Benevolent Aura, a fine ship but under the control of this Ancient AI, it was a threat that must be dealt with. "Kiel you get to that secondary coupling I'll take the first. we're gonna detonate them and set the Aura to drift, if I can disable some of the ship's systems, we should be able to strand the AI in space, once that happens, I'm gonna unload missiles at it till I'm satisfied that it's in small enough pieces. Understood?" "Yes S-I mean got it Sarge!" Ark smiled "Good man hand me a medigel packet I need both arms." The corporal then tossed Ark a packet of Medigel which he tore open with his teeth and squeezed it into the gunshot wound, the bullet went all the way through so there was no slug to pull out but the medigel burned for a moment while it started to repair the damage.

Ark hobbled with his mechanical cast over to the primary docking couplings control panel and opened the emergency detonation primers, Kiel did the same. "On my mark we turn the detonation keys. We have to do it at the same time." "Understood sergeant." Kiel noted, and Ark gave the countdown, "On 1 we turn! 5...4...3...2...." He was interrupted by the AI, "You would impede the return of the Zykurans just so your species could fade away through time, dying a miserable death through genetic inferiority?" Ark scoffed and replied harshly, "Sure would! ONE!" at that moment both coupling detonated as Kiel and Ark turned the keys, the ship trying hard to reactivate it's engines failed as it drifted passed the containment field. "Give me your armor Now I need to get in the Vacuum!" Kiel immediately shed his suit and handed the pack it was stored into to Ark who almost as quickly put it on and jumped through the field floating in space as he steadied the missile launcher and started unloading it on the Aura the force of the each detonated missile pushing Ark with velocity back through the field and harshly into the wall that held the door into the rest of the base.

He grunted hard as struggled back to his feet and as he looked out the Benevolent Aura was nothing but flames and debris. "The Aura has been destroyed, Lieutenant..." He said bringing up scans to determine whether the mechs had been neutralized, they hadn't, "Mechs still active, 12 are still currently attacking, the rest have been destroyed."
 
"Alright then." Fate replied, letting out a small sigh of relief. This week was going to kill her if stuff like this kept happening day after day, but luck fully she no longer had to worry about this problem. "Return to base. Units 5 through 13 are dealing with them now, so we are no longer needed." Her attention turned to her terminal screen as a message was displayed. Her eye twitched and an unamused expression formed on her face. "Tech Sergeant Ark……..Would you care to explain why Corporal Kiel just sent me a message saying that you had been shot and you still proceeded with going through with this plan despite that fact?" She asked, ice creeping into her voice.
 
"Guess he omitted the fact that I'd been shot twice and jumped out into space with only a missile launcher and battle armor?" Ark stated, he'd told on himself, and he was now expecting a slew of rage filled screaming to blow his eardrums out but then continued, "The wounds didn't hinder me from completing the mission, you also forgot that my leg is broken and I have 3 broken ribs, none of gave any great deal of impediment to my completing the mission, it's done, and I'll gladly take any harsh words or punishment you think is justified for my recklessness, after I'm done taking care of the stray mechs that are currently headed towards myself and Corporal Kiel, I'll have a full report ready upon my return to your office for disciplinary action. Ark out." his comm link had been cut just after the sounds of gunfire erupted over the link.
 
The twitch in her eye got much worse as Ark explained the extent of his injuries and what he had just done. She was so going to give him a piece of her mind when he came to give her his report. Once he had cut the link she leaned forward and placed her face into her hands. "I'm getting too old for this shit." Fate groaned in exasperation. Never in all her years had she heard of someone pulling off something like that and not dying afterwards. She should have expected it though, after everything he had done so far.
 
It wasn't very long after he'd cut the link that the mechs were taken care, but the base was a mess, families cowering in their damaged homes, mourning fallen victims, corridors nearly beyond repair sections still burning, and 250 military casualties as well as 163 civilian deaths. Ark had wired his full report to the Lieutenant as he made his way passed charred, torn apart or simply shot down corpses and stood at Fate's door, then he entered, his armor was off now, no shirt just fatigue pants and his cast. He looked like hell, black bags under one eye the other blackened by blunt force, bruises, cuts and gunshot wounds on his already bandaged torso, purplish blue blood seeping out slowly, as if beginning to clot into a scab already. "I believe I am in for a lot of verbal rage and disciplinary actions regarding my reckless act of going into a combat situation injured, gaining more injuries and jumping into space with a missile launcher?" His words though spoken through pain were calm and confident, not sarcastic, he knew he was in trouble, and he knew outwardly his actions seemed ridiculously reckless and stupid, and he agreed though he knew what he was doing.
 
"No shit!" Fate yelled at him uncharacteristically, trying to resist the urge to jump up from her wheelchair. While she had only known him for a short time, she felt that he was closer to her than any other member of her unit, and that meant she was much more protective of him. Combine this with the pain meds that seemed to make her act unlike herself, and you got an easily upset individual. "Do you have any idea as to how stupid your actions were?! Not only had you been injured beforehand, you had been injured during the fight itself and you still went through with it! I swear if I wasn't confined to this chair right now and you weren't on your last legs, I would smack you so hard your head would spin!" Taking a few deep breaths, she attempted to regain her composure, which didn't work. "As punishment, you'll be….." She paused for a moment to think over a suitable punishment. Noting what still rested on her desk, she got an idea. "You'll be helping me to complete paperwork for the next two months in addition to not being sent on missions for the next month." By this point, she was no longer yelling, but her voice was still rather cold.
 
His held no regrets to his actions, though not single-handedly, he'd saved not only thousands of lives here, saved countless others of Gensian, Vakirian, and human species. "I know my actions were needlessly reckless, and possibly suicidal, however had I not done what I did, not only would I have died anyway, but so would you, the other Terrans and Vakirians on this station and countless others throughout the Galaxy, though I didn't act alone in this, and had other soldiers fighting while I took the more dangerous path, I don't have regrets for what I did." He stepped over to her, and brought himself in striking range, "And if you feel like hitting me, go ahead, I will not blame you nor be angered by it. I'll gladly do ALL of your paperwork, knowing that three races were saved from violent extinction today"
 
While she understood why he had done what he had, and she was proud of him that he had done so, she couldn't help but still feel angry at his actions. She knew that if he hadn't, then many more would have died. This helped to lessen her anger, but it was still there. "No, I'm not going to hit you. You did what you had to, even if you did nearly get yourself killed and give me a heart attack. Also……" Fate froze as her mind finally processed the last thing that he had said. 'Did he just say what I think he said?' She thought, her eyes widening slightly. An extremely serious expression appeared on her face, all traces of anger suddenly gone. "Did you just say you'd do all my paperwork?" If that was truly what he had just said she would have to restrain herself from giving a hug that would most likely make his injuries worse. Ever since she had first joined the military she had grown a hatred for it and to have someone else do it all for her was a dream come true.
 
He gave a sarcastic smile, "Should I play a recording? I'll do the paperwork, I've seen some of it, it's simply tedious grunt work, and after the last three days? I'll gladly sit around and do nothing but paper work for three months, I'll need the recovery time." He said, losing the rest of his strength to fatigue and injury, and sat down on the ground, "I'll definitely need the recovery time...he he...."
 
"Okay then." Fate said without hesitation with a smile forming on her face and doing a dance in her head from happiness. 'No more paperwork. No more paperwork. No more paperwork.' She sang insider her head. Next to Dirk and Jail getting what was coming to them, this was by far the greatest chance she had ever gotten in her life. She then watched as he sat down onto the floor in exhaustion. "Do you want me to call for a medic to look at your wounds?" She asked, her worry starting to return as she now saw the extent of his injuries.
 
"I was gonna go spend the night in medical after I was dismissed actually, but having a ride there would be better..." he started to say just before passing out. He'd been through a lot in the passed few days, quelling a pirate take over, getting two people executed, and helping save billions of lives all in just 3 days, it exhausted him and more obviously beat him to a pulp. He would be glad to spend the next three months sitting behind a desk marking and signing papers, it would give him time to heal and rest.
 
Fate freaked out slightly as she saw Ark fall unconscious. This, though, didn't last long as she realized that he had just passed from exhaustion. Enter a few commands into her terminal, she contacted the medical bay. "This is Lieutenant Fate. I have Tech Sergeant Ark here and he requires medical attention." She told whoever had answered the call. "Yes ma'am right away." This was the only response she got before the line went dead. A few moments later, a medical team entered the room and then placed Ark onto the stretcher and rolled him out of the room. Once they were gone, Fate leaned back in her chair, sighing loudly as she did so. Never in her life had she had to deal with so much stuff in such a small time frame. "I hope that that the next few weeks will be uneventful. I don't think I'll be able to take any more of this kind of stuff for a long time." She then turned her attention back to her paperwork. "Might as well." Fate then grabbed her pen once more and began to work while thinking, 'I wonder how many other people have to do paperwork not even an hour after the almost end of the world?'
 
(I'm going to do another time skip to four months later)

Ark was leaving the training room, it had been months since he last went in to use it, his actions during the battle with the Benevolent Aura had stunted his recovery. Something had haunted him about the confrontation, Querros Gamma, he thought, over and over, along with the name Zykurans. The conversation haunted his dreams now more than the New Dawn incident did, and he needed closure on the matter. Ark spent a few minutes in the smoking room, piecing together his research done on downtime from the Lieutenant's seemingly never-ending paperwork, himself coming to despise the word itself just as she probably had, with the words of the AI he nearly killed himself defeating. After putting out his cigarette, he left the room and headed for the Lieutenant's office, he had a request for her, and to pose it he would need her to follow him to his quarters, so he could give her diagrams with the holographic computing floor that'd been installed during his recovery. With a sigh he knocked on the lieutenant's door, requesting audience with her speaking over a newly mounted intercom, "Lieutenant, Could I speak with you?"
 
Fate leaned back in her chair, closing her eyes as she did so. The last few months had been rather quiet, thankfully, and she was no longer confined to her wheelchair; that in and of itself filled her with sheer joy. The joy she felt with that, though, could not compare to the joy of not having to do any paperwork for the last couple of months. The sheer amount of free time she had now because of her lack of paperwork allowed her to accomplish the things that she hadn't had time to do before such as reading or gamming. She was pulled from her reminiscing as someone knocked on her door, which was then followed by someone asking, "Lieutenant, Could I speak with you?" It took her a fraction of a second to recognize the owner of the voice. "Sure, come on in."
 
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