secondshipgirlsquadron:

fleet-admiral-red:

secondshipgirlsquadron:

fleet-admiral-red:

secondshipgirlsquadron:

{I think I speak for both of us when I say we’re ready for any task you have for us, Fleet Admiral.} The AI chirped.

“Am I missing something?” The carrier asked irritably. “I’m just a girl, remember? What good is flesh and blood going to do against a Reaper?”

She rose to her feet, pacing around with frustration and unable to sit still any longer.

“What good am I any more? You can’t even recycle me for scrap. And you want me to protect a star system? I’d love to, Sir, but I can’t. Unless there’s something else I don’t know?”

“For that, Adrianna, you’ll have to take it up with the Technology Council themselves. One moment…” Red replied, his omni-tool activating for a moment as he tapped for a specific contact.

A moment passed as they waited for the other party to pick up on the hail.

Soon, a cheery chime sounded as the hologram of an Oriental human female appeared across from them, dressed in a uniform of white and grey with a geometric-themed red emblem. The holoconference soon synced up with Adrianna to let her be a part of the conversation as well.

“Ah, Fleet Admiral! Judging by the look of Halcyon and that other girl beside you, I take it this isn’t a social call.” The woman remarked with a faint accent and a look of bemusement.

A humoring smile from Red, as he shook his head lightly. “Unfortunately it isn’t. Tempest, Adrianna, meet Hong Xiaoyu, Director of the Institute of Applied Synthetic Intelligence. She’s part of the Technology Council, and the one leading this particular starship project. Halcyon’s talked with her before.”

A look of curiosity came over Xiaoyu’s features as she looked at Tempest. “I can only assume the new girl wants to know more about Project Stratos. Very well then, feel free to ask away. I’m sure you have many questions.”

“GDS Tempest Eternal, nice to meet you Director.” Tempest said briefly. “And my partner, Adrianna.”

{A true honour, Director.} The AI joined in. {The Fleet Admiral has briefed us on the premise of your project. It sounds intriguing. I volunteered our services on my behalf, myself and Tempest have a wide range of operational experience, so hopefully you might find it useful. Even if it turns out to be a waste of time, I would much rather that than withhold information.}

“More importantly, Director, when is the first batch going to be ready?” Tempest added impatiently. “The sooner they’re here, the sooner I can be back out there.”

Director Xiaoyu had a look of thoughtfulness. “As a matter of fact, Adrianna, it would not be a waste at all. The starships and resident AIs born from Project Stratos are so new that they need every little bit of experience that can be taught. You’d be pleased to know that they’re quick learners.”

“As for your question, Tempest, Project Stratos is nearing Phase 2, which is the field deployment stage. We estimate another 4 to 5 days are needed for additional fittings and calibration before the first detachment is deployed.”

Again, Director Xiaoyu looked thoughtful. “There’s also another matter to do with Project Stratos that’s related rather closely to you and your sisters. Shipgirl metaphysics is, admittedly, not my area of expertise. But I can say I know some basics.”

“Your existences and indeed, consciousnesses themselves, are derived from the shared experiences and ‘life’ of your crew. Small or big, crew size appears to matter not. Yet I have had a pondering of my own.”

The Director looked at Tempest. “The starships of Project Stratos are primarily controlled by AIs, with as small a crew as possible to reduce casualties in the event of destruction. Do you suppose that will impact the probability of them returning in the form of shipgirls? I understand this is a rather complex question, but I encourage your thoughts on it, whatever they may be.”

Tempest had to think hard about the problem posed to her. “… It might.” She answered finally. “Please remember that I didn’t exist yesterday, so don’t take my word for all of this. But I think when we are first built, in our true forms, we are just metal and computers. We don’t have souls, or spirits or whatever, not at that point in time.”

“It’s only through our ship’s company that we start to develop that soul. I think it’s the emotional attachment that they make with us that fosters that. The actions of the crew earn our reputation, create our identity, and form the beginnings of a soul.”

“I don’t really know what I’m talking about, but… you’re right about one thing, it’s certainly not crew size. It’s about the attachment. If they care for the ship, as they would with any other in the Fleet, then I think your new ships have just as much a chance of returning as me. But if the crew does not make that connection, it will be nothing more than a soulless machine forever.”

“I see. A fascinating answer, Tempest,” the Director replied after some thought. “And one that’s certainly going to have implications on what we know about shipgirls as a whole.”

She glanced at Red, then back to the carrier. “I presume the Admiral has told you about how the Technology Council and I have been pushing the concept of Project Stratos for a while now. About four decades, as a matter of fact. But he hasn’t told you why.”

“The roots of the idea behind Stratos can be traced back to analyses performed after the Battle of Coruscant in an allied universe. Suffice it to say that this battle was of such a sheer, impossible magnitude that conventional starship command methods was considered too slow and costly.”

“Thus, we began planning on how to streamline the process of command and control. Project Stratos is the result of our efforts. The issues it intended to solve were twofold, one practical and one societal.”

It was then that Red spoke up. “To put the first one bluntly, war costs. Even with our strategies and technological advantages, we have still had some losses. Director Xiaoyu and the rest of the Technology Council believed Project Stratos could significantly reduce casualties in conflicts. You may see why this is beneficial.”

“Second is the societal issue. Over the past forty years, we’ve seen a steadily increasing proportion of the general populace that is staunchly anti-war. Each time we’ve had a significant conflict against a particular threat, their number of members spikes ever higher and higher. This is understandable, of course, since no one wants to see their loved ones killed.”

A tap of his omni-tool projected a chart, trending noticeably down. “However, all estimates predict that by 2550, we will be unable to recruit enough soldiers to sustain our usual military readiness in the event of another existential-risk conflict, and have to mobilize increasingly larger proportions of war robots and other combat automata. Reversing this societal trend will be difficult without revisions to military recruitment laws. And few if any will desire mandatory conscription.”

Halycon chipped in, knowing what led from there. “And so the reduction in crew requirements is to offset this decrease in personnel across the board, right?”

Both Director Xiaoyu and Red nodded.

“Correct.”

“Precisely.”

The Chinese woman smiled at the unexpected synchronized response. “Well, there you have it, at least.”