The Best of World SF by Lavie Tidhar (children's ebooks free online .txt) 📕

^You acted in ignorance. I’m willing to forgive that. This does not have to end badly.^

The captain’s vaguely humanoid shape shifted in its berth as it flexed a metallic limb inserted into one of the many glowing ports surrounding it. A ripple flowed across its blank bronze face as it turned toward her, a flower following the sun’s path. Speech unscrolled beneath the denoter. ‘Remove this creature to the hold.’

She met the first mate’s gaze. ^To be clear, you refuse to give me my husband?^

For an answer, the first mate raised a hand toward her and the hairs on her arms rose in a tell-tale response. Her fingers tapped twice. Shield.

The blast from the weapon built into the first mate’s wrist was absorbed by her suit, leaving behind little more than a momentary flash and a tingling sensation.

She sighed. Alright then.

The first mate lunged at her.

Sister. Control and Command. End all transmissions.

She side-stepped, bending backward, almost parallel to the floor as a fist swung at her. She grabbed the arm, coming upright even as she yanked downward. The first mate crashed into the steel deck, and a swift kick to the head with her reinforced boot did the rest.

A ribbon detached itself from her arm and darted into a port. The captain tried to insert one of its appendages into the hub, but a spark and a snap made it withdraw.

‘You are resisting. You are trouble. You will not be cargo,’ it said as she stood in front of it. Her vision flashed a red atmosphere warning before her hood slid over her head and sealed itself. Stale air filled her nostrils.

Her patience evaporated. Anger made her breath come fast and her skin grow cold. ^Yes, I am trouble. And no, I will not be cargo.^

Notifications slipped past. *Bridge atmosphere incompatible with biological life. Adjusting.*

The first mate’s heels drummed against the floor as the toxin took hold. They stopped moving before a new series of notifications appeared. *Emitters adjusted. Transmissions blocked. Recalibrating ship’s systems for sibling compatibility.*

^You should have taken my offer.^

The captain rose from its perch, releasing dozens of slender limbs.

^You’re no ordinary captain,^ she said. ^You’re a secondary shell. I’ve seen Plantation-class AIs like you before. I know the Consortium you hunt for.^

‘Many know the Consortium,’ it said. Its face rippled as a maw yawned open. ‘Those that know of it, also know fear.’

The projectiles it fired glanced off her armour, and she leapt out of the way as it attempted to grab her. Her boots activated, latching on to the side of the bulkhead. The captain withdrew into itself, losing its humanoid shape for a few seconds before splitting into two blobs that grew limbs and sharp edges.

She amused herself by carving some of them off with the tiny lasers in her gloves before dancing out of the way and onto the ceiling as the blobs divided yet again. Two stretched upward to meet her. Two more flowed up the bulkheads on opposite sides of the bridge, re-forming into something she didn’t immediately recognize.

*Recalibration at 75%. Alarm systems disengaged. Defense systems disengaged. Disabling shell motor functions.*

^The Consortium knows fear too.^ One of the polyforms beneath her collapsed. Another froze on its way across the ceiling toward her, its surface undulating like storm-tossed water.

^Search your records.^ She stepped onto the bridge’s dark viewscreen, crouched down and extended a flat, open palm. Her people’s red, white and black emblem glowed into life above it. ^You should find me there. Find us.^

‘You are Kairi.’ The captain’s shell paused, its attention almost fully engaged by the battle to retain control of the ship, but Sister was relentless, disabling code and recalibrating every system. ‘Not possible. This backwater is no Kairi Protectorate.’

*Recalibration at 90%.*

Another polyform collapsed, electrical sparks arcing as it dripped in a slow column from the ceiling to the floor.

^I’m retired,^ she said. ^And you violated my home. Took my husband.^

‘Primarch—’

^I gave you a chance.^ She rose to her feet, studying the results of Sister’s data-mining.

Trapped in the quarantined section of the slaver’s databases, the captain continued to fight Sister’s incursion, but his Plantation-class cruiser was no match for Sister’s Havoc-class brain. The reforming code was deleted as soon as it appeared, fireworks blinking out in the night sky. ‘The Consortium does not negotiate. This planet was unclaimed territory. If you take the cargo, we will petition for its release, and we will win.’

^Always focused on the rules. But they are your rules. Not ours.^ She glared at the polyform as one side of it began to list, sharp edges rounding and slipping. ^This planet was already claimed by those living on it. And I’ve found your primary brain. It’s in orbit, awaiting your return.^

*Recalibration complete. All systems ready.*

‘Then you know if you harm this ship, it will strafe these settlements. Crews are replaceable. Cargo is everywhere.’

She stepped off the viewscreen, anger making her fingers fly as her suit translated. ^You believe you can take what you want without consequence. Even now, you comfort yourself that I am one woman, one Primarch, against a cruiser and all it carries.^

Sister. Amend starlogs on Plantation-class cruiser. Delete all references to current position. Amend transponder location to new position at least two systems distant.

‘Because you are one Primarch against a Consortium cruiser.’ The captain was now a featureless glistening blob. ‘Should you defeat me today, the Consortium will simply return for its cargo at another time.’

*Tasks complete. Awaiting further instructions.*

^Then you have no true understanding of my people.^ Combat mode.

The green wash of the ready light filtered down her vision. Her arm vibrated with Sister’s response.

^We don’t allow others to take without consent. And we are never alone. Tell me, captain, when did you last speak with your primary brain, waiting on its cruiser with its crew… and no cargo in its hold?^

Sister, execute Cleanslate Protocol. Extreme prejudice.

As the captain collapsed into liquid, sparking de-activation, the bridge sank into darkness. Around her, the ship shivered in the wake