Time seemed to freeze. The cold red eyes of the M-Series androids were unwavering. The whine of their charging pulse cannons was the only sound in the scorched antechamber.
"Steward," M-77 intoned. "You are in violation of Command Omega. Surrender immediately."
Kaelen stood his ground, his mind racing. He was in armor, but Elara was exposed. A single shot would kill her. He couldn't risk a firefight.
"Commander Valerius is dead," Kaelen stated, trying to keep his voice calm. "His protocols are void. I am the lawful Steward."
"Status of Commander Valerius: Unknown. Omega Protocol remains in effect until rescinded by his direct command or confirmed death." The android took a step forward. "This is your final warning."
Elara, standing behind Kaelen, was trembling, but her eyes were fixed on the androids. "Kaelen," she whispered through the comms. "I can feel it. There's no organic signal from them. The Gestalt never reached them. But… there's something else. A coldness. A rigid pattern. It's like their programming is a wall."
Then, she looked at Scout, the maintenance drone hovering beside her. Its simple, symbiote-controlled mind was a soft, green whisper compared to the androids' harsh, red logic.
"The drone… it's not listening to Mother. It's listening to me," she said, an idea dawning. "What if I can't break their programming… but I can… talk to the machine underneath?"
It was a desperate, insane idea. The androids were infinitely more complex than a simple drone.
"It's too risky," Kaelen sent back. "If you try and fail, they'll see it as an attack."
"We're out of options!" she insisted.
Before Kaelen could stop her, Elara stepped out from behind him. She holstered her pistol and held out her empty hands towards the lead android.
"Unit M-77," she said, her voice surprisingly steady. "I am Dr. Elara Silva, Chief Xenobiologist. My security clearance is Gamma-One."
The android's head swiveled to her. "Clearance recognized. However, you are listed as MIA following the anomaly. Your authority is suspended."
"I need you to run a diagnostic on your core loyalty module," she said, taking another step closer. "Cross-reference with the Elysian Charter, Article 1, Section Alpha."
"Processing…" the android replied. "The Charter cedes authority to the Steward in the event of command crew incapacitation."
"And what is the definition of incapacitation?" Elara pressed, her voice taking on a lecturing tone, the scientist re-emerging. "After 35,000 years, with no contact from Valerius, can his status be considered anything other than permanent incapacitation?"
M-77 was silent for a moment, its processors whirring. "The probability of Commander Valerius's survival after this duration is 0.000034%."
"Then by the logic of your own programming, the Omega Protocol is functionally obsolete. You are following a ghost." As she spoke, she slowly reached out her hand, not in a threat, but as if to touch its arm.
Kaelen held his breath. This was it. If the android perceived it as a hostile act…
Elara's fingers brushed against the cool metal of the android's chassis. She closed her eyes. Kaelen could see the concentration on her face, a faint sheen of sweat on her brow. She wasn't just arguing with it; she was pushing with her mind, using the symbiote's unique ability to interface with machines.
The android stiffened. Its red eyes flickered. "Unauthorized… energy signal… detected. Attempted… override…"
The other androids raised their weapons higher.
"I'm not overriding you," Elara said, her voice strained. "I'm showing you. I'm giving you the data your sensors can't see."
She was feeding it something. A feeling. An impression. The vast, empty silence of the ship. The crushing weight of 35,000 years. The skeletal remains in the corridors. The truth.
M-77's head jerked. "I am… receiving anomalous data. Sensory impressions. Non-standard." It looked around the ruined antechamber, at the starscape through the blasted hull, as if seeing it for the first time. "Chronometric reading… confirmed. Temporal anomaly verified."
The whine of the pulse cannons began to die down.
"The probability has been recalculated," M-77 said, its voice losing some of its mechanical flatness. "Commander Valerius is confirmed deceased. The Omega Protocol is terminated."
The androids lowered their weapons in unison. Their red eyes shifted, cycling through a spectrum before settling on a calm, steady blue.
"Command authority acknowledged, Steward Kaelen-737," M-77 said, saluting with a sharp, precise motion. "M-Series Unit 77 and squad, at your service."
Kaelen let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. Elara stumbled back, exhausted from the mental effort. She had done it. She hadn't hacked them; she had reasoned with them, empathized with them in a way only her hybrid nature allowed.
They had their first soldiers.
"Welcome back online, M-77," Kaelen said. "What's the status of the Bridge?"
"The Bridge is sealed. Life support is functional. However, the main command console sustained damage in the explosion that caused this breach. It may require manual repairs to initiate a full fleet-wide activation."
"Then let's not waste any time," Kaelen said, turning towards the massive, reinforced doors of the Bridge. "We have an army to wake up."
With a wave of his hand, the ten androids fanned out, taking up defensive positions. For the first time since waking up alone, Kaelen was not just a survivor. He was a commander, stepping onto his bridge.