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"Explain."
"No Confirmation of Loss report on Dahak, Hull Number One-Seven-Two-Two-Niner-One, was filed with Fleet Central. Loss of vessel is noted in Log Reference Rho-Upsilon-Beta-Seven-Six-One-Niner-Four, but failure to confirm loss report resulted in improper data storage." Fleet Central fell silent, satisfied with its own pronouncement, and Colin managed not to swear.
"Which means?"
"ID codes for Dahak, Hull Number One-Seven-Two-Two-Niner-One, were not purged from memory."
Colin closed his eyes. Dear God. This brainless wonder had let Dahak into the system because he'd identified himself and his codes were still in memory, but now that he was here, it didn't believe in him!
"How might that programming error be resolved?" he asked at last.
"Conflicting data must be removed from data base."
Colin drew another deep breath, aware of just how fragile this entire discussion was. If this computer could decide something Dahak's size didn't exist, it could certainly do the same with the "data anomaly's" captain.
"Evaluate possibility that Log Reference Rho-Upsilon-Beta-Seven-Six-One-Niner-Four is an incorrect datum," he said flatly.
"Possibility exists. Probability impossible to assess," Fleet Central replied, and Colin allowed himself a slight feeling of relief. Very slight.
"In that case, I instruct you to purge it from memory," he said, and held his breath.
"Incorrect procedure," Fleet Central responded.
"Incorrect in what fashion?" Colin asked tautly.
"Full memory purge requires authorization from human command crew."
Colin cocked a mental ear. Full memory purge?
"Can data concerning my command be placed in inactive storage on my authority pending proper authorization?"
"Affirmative."
"Then I instruct you to do so with previously specified log entry."
"Proceeding. Data transferred to inactive storage."
Colin shuddered in explosive relaxation, then gave himself a mental shake. He might well be relaxing too soon.
"Computer, who am I?" he asked softly.
"You are Senior Fleet Captain Colinmacintyre, commanding officer HIMP Dahak, Hull Number One-Seven-Two-Two-Niner-One," the voice said emotionlessly.
"And what is the current location of my command?"
"HIMP Dahak, Hull Number One-Seven-Two-Two-Niner-One, is currently in Birhat orbit, ten thousand seventeen point-five kilometers distant from Fleet Central," the musical voice told him calmly, and Colin MacIntyre breathed a short, soft, fervent prayer of thanks before jubilation overwhelmed him.
"All right!" Colin's palms slammed down on the couch arms in triumph.
"What passeth, my Colin?" an urgent voice demanded through his fold-space link, and he realized he'd left it open.
"We're in, 'Ta
"Bravely done! Oh, bravely, my heart!"
"Thank you," he said softly, then straightened and returned to business. "Computer."
"Yes, Senior Fleet Captain?"
"What's your name, Computer?"
"This unit is officially designated Fleet Central Computer Central," the musical voice replied.
"Is that what your human perso
"Negative, Senior Fleet Captain."
"Well, then, what did they call you?" Colin asked patiently.
"Fleet Central perso
"Mother," Colin muttered, shaking his head in disbelief. Oh, well, if that was what Fleet Central was used to...
"All right, Mother, prepare to accept memory core download from Dahak."
"Ready," Mother said instantly.
"Dahak, initiate core download but do not purge."
"Initiating," Dahak replied calmly, and Colin felt an incredible surge of data. He caught only the fringes of it through his feed, but it was like standing on the brink of a river in flood. It was almost frightening, making him suddenly and humbly aware of the storage limitations of a human brain, yet for all its titanic proportions, it took barely ten minutes to complete.
"Download completed," Mother a
"Excellent! Now, give me a report on Fleet status."
"Fleet Central authorization code required," Mother told him, and Colin frowned as his enthusiasm was checked abruptly. He didn't know the authorization codes.
He pulled on the end of his nose, thinking hard. Only Mother "herself" could give him the codes, and the one absolute certainty was that she wouldn't. She accepted him as a senior fleet captain, which entitled him to a certain authority in areas pertaining to his own command but did not entitle him to access the material he desperately needed. Which was all the more maddening because he'd become used to instant information flow from Dahak.
Well, now, why did he have that information from Dahak? Because he was Dahak's commander. And how had he become the CO? Because authority devolved on the senior crew member present and Dahak had chosen to regard a primitive from Earth as a member of his crew. Which suggested one possible approach.
To his surprise, he shrank from it. But why? He'd learned to accept his persona as Dahak's captain and even as Governor of Earth, so why did this bother him?
Because, he thought, this brightly lit mausoleum whispered too eloquently of power and crushing responsibility, and it frightened him. Which was foolish in someone who'd already been made to accept responsibility for the very survival of his race, but nonetheless real.
He shook himself. The Empire was dead. All that could remain were other artifacts like Mother, and he needed any of those he could lay hands on. Even if that meant assuming command of a long-abandoned headquarters crewed only by ghosts and computers.
He only wished it didn't feel so... impious.
"Mother," he said finally.
"Yes, Senior Fleet Captain?" the computer replied, and he spoke very slowly and carefully.
"On this day, I, Senior Fleet Captain Colin MacIntyre, commanding officer—" he remembered the designation Fleet Central had tacked onto Dahak "—HIMP Dahak, do, as senior Battle Fleet officer present, pursuant to Fleet Regulation Five-Three-Three, Section Niner-One, Article Ten, assume command of Fl—"
"Invalid authorization," Mother interrupted.
"What?" Colin blinked in surprise.
"Invalid authorization," Mother repeated unhelpfully.
"What's invalid about it?" he demanded, unreasonably irritated at the delay now that he had steeled himself to it.
"Fleet Regulation Five-Three-Three does not pertain to transfer of command authority."
"It does so!" he shot back, but it was neither a question nor a command, and Mother remained silent. He gritted his teeth in frustration. "All right, if it doesn't pertain to transfer of command, what does it pertain to?"
"Regulation Five-Three-Three and subsections," Mother said precisely, "pertains to refuse disposal aboard Battle Fleet orbital bases."
"What?!"
Colin glared at the console. Of course Reg Five-Three-Three referred to transfer of command! It was how Dahak had mousetrapped him into this entire absurdity! He'd read it for himself when he—
Understanding struck. Yes, he'd read it—in a collection of regulations written fifty-one mille
Damn.
"Please download current Fleet Regulations and all relevant data to my command."
"Acknowledged. Download begi
"Dahak?"
"Yes, Captain?"
"I need some help here. What regulation replaced Five-Three-Three?"
"Fleet Regulation Five-Three-Three has been superseded by Fleet Regulation One-Niner-One-Five-Seven-Three-Niner, sir."