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The original was posted on /r/hfy by /u/micktalian on 2024-11-02 18:00:23+00:00.
Part 91 Enemy AI (Part 1) (Part 90)
“Is it just me…” Something in the back of Nula’s mind told her not to vocalize the particular sensation she was experiencing, especially through the open comms channel, but she simply couldn’t help herself. “Or does this feel a bit too-”
“Don’t say it, Nula!” Tens cut the digital woman off with a somewhat harsh tone. Even though this was just a simulation, and he knew that the tactical computer trained by the Combat-AI Captain of The Hammer and Singularity Entity 139-621 was actively ensuring realistic amounts of resistance, the seasoned warrior couldn’t let that question be asked. “Don’t even think about it!”
“It isn’t just you, Nula’trula.” Commander Belatrina responded as her mech streaked through the virtual space battle like a comet and took out the last few two fighter-interceptors defending the enemy cruiser. “Anything rated for over four-hundred meters per second of acceleration is far in excess of anything the Nukatovs produce or field. As aggressive as they are, their large size reduces their piloting capabilities. If we were using Sent Group Tzitu’tulub void-fighters, this would feel just as lopsided. Wouldn’t you agree, Sub-Lieutenant Anacaona?”
Of the twenty Qui’ztar honor guards who were able to keep up with the rather intense training sessions that constituted the tryouts for the Order of Falling Angels, only two had previous experience as fighter-interceptor pilots. For the most part, Qui’ztar honor guards were tasked with the protection of high-value or high-paying individuals or assigned to the most daring of infantry actions. They would assault the most sensitive ground planetary locations or perform daring boarding actions on the flagship of enemy fleets. It was rare that people such as Belatrina and Anacaona would even attempt to qualify for honor guard duty, let alone be accepted. Considering the key to survival for small craft in void combat was maneuverability, the reflexes to dodge point defenses while still being able to take out an enemy’s critical system, and, most importantly, the ability to stay conscious despite the stresses of high acceleration in any direction, pilots tended to stay as pilots until they retired. The fact that only a single percent of the entire few hundred member honor guard regime of the First of the Third had previously served as pilots was not unusual in the slightest. However, what was shocking was just how apt these two particular former-pilots were at applying their skills in a BD-series mech.
Back when Tens had first created what would become the BD-series mechanized combat walkers, he had done so with the intention of making them the most effective ground-based weapons platform capable of independent orbital reentry. The thought of using these war machines in a zero-G environment hadn’t even crossed his mind until the idea was brought up a few years ago by a close friend and fellow member of the Hell Divers named Gadzemki who, like Bela and Ana, had been trained as a pilot. Similar to how Qui’ztar honor guards were most often selected from combat infantry, and specifically either breachers or drop troops, the original group of BD operators that formed the Hell Divers contained only a couple fighter-interceptor pilots. While high-G tolerances were certainly tested during qualifications, all priority was given to individuals who were exceptionally gifted at high-speed close quarters combat and prolonged physical endurance. The only reason Gad had become a Hell Diver, much like how Bela and Ana became honor guard, was purely due to perseverance and determination. Seeing what these two Qui’ztar pilots turned mech operators were capable of with their BDs free of the restrictions of gravity was starting to remind Tens of his old friend who had long since moved on to command a unit of his own.
“To be honest with you, Commander…” As Sub-Lieutenant Anacaona spoke, her mech sending a stream of weapons fire into a fighter launch tube, it sounded like she wanted to agree with Nula and Bela but understood why Tens didn’t want anyone saying this was easy. “A squadron of twenty-two Tzitus would be complete overkill for a Nukatov carrier cruiser of this class, especially with these outdated Mark 32-79 fighter-interceptors as its complement. In fact, I’m surprised our reports showed that these are what our target is equipped with instead of something newer. That being said, I wouldn’t necessarily say that this simulation is easy, nor that our adversaries will be swiftly defeated.”
“Well, we’ll need to take out their comms and FTL drives at least as fast as we have in these past three sim runs!” Tens announced as if those objectives were do or die. This particular run, the fifth of eight planned simulated combat encounters for this mission preparation session, had been the fastest so far. However, there was still room for improvement and no room for complacency. “As of right now, the Military Command records for the void combat capabilities of these BDs are very limited since my people haven’t done any real or official testing yet. We can’t let these mercs send any combat data to their employers, otherwise that could permanently remove any chance of us in the First of the Third or the Nishnabe Militia from surprising anyone else with this tactic again.”
“If I can get within range of the target ship fast enough,” Despite sounding a bit distracted, Nula’s voice was full of self-confidence. Though the mental load of disrupting and redirecting dozens of enemy weapons was heavy, her new and improved shell granted her more than enough processing power to handle all of it and then some. “I could have their comms down in under a minute. Ansiki shared the base code of this ship’s operating system with me, and I’ve already written several data demons to cripple our enemy.”
“That’s assuming they haven’t hired a sapient AI of their own, Nula.” The Nishnabe warrior countered. “If they do, we’ll need to physically destroy their communications arrays to cut off the ship’s connection to the Nexus or wherever that AI actually lives.”
“What if that AI is living in the ship the same way I’m living in my shell or Tylon lives in The Hammer?”
As soon as Nula’trula asked that question, Tens and the other tacticians who heard it had a genuine moment of pause. The possibility that the Nukatov mercenaries had hired a sapient AI to assist them with this mission had, of course, been considered. Digital beings, just like biological ones, had to make a living somehow. While most took jobs that were anything but controversial, traffic management, resource planning, administrative work, or even contracting with legitimate military organizations, there were also certain individuals who preferred higher paying and often scrupulous forms of labor. It wasn’t unheard of for AIs to accept jobs from pirates or other nefarious groups either as a means of making quick credits or to fulfill some innate desire for less than legal adventures. However, a Nukatov-made cruiser, let alone one of their carrier cruisers, simply wouldn’t have a large enough processing core to house an AI more capable than a relatively low level Data-born. Regardless of the type of digital being who could be comfortable living in such a small space, having an Artificial Sapience onboard the target vessel would have the potential to make things much more difficult than this simulation could properly impart.
“Then things will get a bit more complicated.”
/----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“And these, students, are, or should I say were, the six primary models of Hekiuv’trula warforms.” As 139 guided the class of Turt-Chopian, their professor, and his assistant through a small, museum-esque section of their sphere, the Singularity Entity could see that every one of the three-sided beings was in total awe of their surroundings. “Starting from the smallest unit, the two-meter tall infantry variants are very similar to what the biological Artuv’trula species would have looked like. Bipedal, digitigrade, fast, relatively lightly armed and armored, and designed to act as infiltrators, scouts, and the basic foot soldiers of the Hekuiv’trula menace. Then, next to them, we have the larger, quadrupedal warforms that made up the majority of ground forces. Those were so well armed and armored that my people had to develop new combat forms in order to counter them in the heated battles over various planetary targets throughout the war. Next to- Oh, is there a question?”
“Is that- Uh…” Lenthum had confidently raised one of his tentacle arms to pose a query but quickly found himself stuttering as all of the other Turts focused their ring-like optical organs on him. “Is that the same kind of machine that Lieutenant Tensebwse wanted to make into a… Pet?”
“Ah-haha! Yes! Indeed it is, Mr. Tominet.” 139 answered with a chittering laugh that brought many confused expressions to the group. “But don’t worry, I still have the other example extracted on tha…
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