Maybe, a reunion

"Talk to me, Command." I puffed as I ran down the corridor. "What's happening?"

"We made a mistake." Command answered tersely. "We... no. No! Listen to me! Stop trying to hail him. Focus on the demons! The demons!"

"Command! Focus!"

"Things would be so much easier if you lot listened to me!"

"Cymmand!"

"What?! Oh, right. Sorry."

"Take a deep breath, and focus. Tell me what's happening."

"I don't have time for breathing. Look, we screwed up. Both Nova and Asbestos are in a lot of danger."

My heart skipped a beat. "What happened? Is he okay?"

"He's still flying toward us, so there's that. Long story short, we detonated the anti-matter mine too late. It's a miracle it detonated at all."

"What does that mean?" I asked.

"It means we blew up the ass end of the demonic army instead of its head. At least we killed a lot of the bastards. Half, if the scans are correct. We hoped to buy ourselves some time with the explosion, but now it seems like the inverse has happened. The demons have sped up."

"I see." It took some effort not to voice my frustrations with more colorful words. "ETA?"

"Nova's four hours out from Asbestos. Some idiots have tried to contact him. They forgot that his antenna is broken. So I doubt he knows how far the demons are behind him."

"Which is how long?"

"They'll make contact with Nova in three hours."

"And the Duke?"

"It's a little bit further back. It looks like it's sending its forces ahead."

"Pilot on deck," said the speakers as I jogged into the gantry. I nodded in Cerviel's direction. I didn't bother to do the usual overarching glance. It wouldn't have changed anything.

"What do you want me to do?" I asked.

"Intercept Nova. Make sure he gets home."

"Got it." Cerviel's earpiece started to close before my hands left the railings. Everything seemed normal as I stepped into the cockpit. The lights around the three cables shone invitingly. The green light at the edge of my visor was already present.

"What's my armament?" I asked.

"Missiles, sword, and the last shield in our inventory." Command answered.

"You couldn't repair the previous one?"

"That assumes there was something to repair in the first place."

"Ah." I connected the two cables against my arm but paused at the last one. "Wait, didn't we need to do calibrations?"

"Yes, we did."

"I see." I plugged the final cable into my chest. The tingle flashed through my head. It was somewhat more intense than usual, but it died down after a few seconds.

"You're still alive." Command said.

"This is the part where you don't sound surprised."

"I don't have time for sugarcoating. Hey, you, is everything ready.... then open it! Now!" I flexed my fingers, drawing as deep a breath as possible. My heartbeat wouldn't be calmed.

Our Father who art in Heaven. Hallowed be your Name...

Kingdom come, Your Will be done...

Your strength guide my blade...

Your wisdom guide my path...

Your hand deliver us from evil...

may we take one step closer to Your new dawn...

"Gantries have cleared. Silo doors are open. You're free to launch."

"Launching." I pressed the button and shot off into space.

***

"How far out are we?" I asked.

"We should make contact with Nova in thirty minutes," Cerviel answered.

"Good." The solitary blue light on Cerviel's radar blipped closer. The mass of red lights did so as well. "And the demons?"

"They are ten minutes behind Nova and catching up."

"I see."

Streaks of white light, blasts fired from the pulse cannons, flew toward the cluster of red stars. A few light streaks would end in a whitish explosion. Several others would disappear into the void of space.

I wanted to meet Nova halfway, but Command didn't like it. She suggested I wait for Nova within one hour's range of Asbestos. That way, I would be protected by Asbestos' newly-built iron dome. My instinct had been to ignore her, but her follow-up statement made me reconsider.

There was a good chance they could not repair Cerviel again.

They used all the remaining armor plates to prepare Cerviel for this battle. The engineers saved a missile salvo for Cerviel and Valoel. All other missiles were loaded into Eae, Mihr, and Tartys.

Another complication was Nova's condition. He would be connected to Valoel for a week on arrival. Serpens held the previous record of two and a half days. It had taken him a week before he could walk and another before he could speak. There had been advancements in neural bridge technology since then, but Nova was in uncharted territory.

All mechs have been outfitted with a medicinal cocktail to help pilots on extended missions. Pilots rarely used these since they had side effects. Nova would have undoubtedly made use of this during his journey. But it was a stop-gap at best. Nobody expected him to wake before the rescue ships arrived. Nobody had asked out loud, but the thought was there.

Nova's tour on Asbestos had probably reached its end.

I'd need to hold the line for four days until the ships arrived, alone. I'd need to keep Cerviel running until then. Something I haven't been able to manage in the last two battles against the demons.

"Pilot Vega? Are you okay?"

"Yes. Just... nervous."

"I understand."

"Do you?" I asked.

"Pilot Vega?"

"Do you really understand?"

"I don't follow your question."

"I've talked with Eae," I said. "I know you have been making some modifications. I know that while you're not sentient, you're capable of more advanced reasoning than before. So I'm wondering who I'm connected to."

"I am Cerviel, as you have designated me upon commissioning."

"Yes, but are you the Cerviel I know?" The mech didn't answer. I guess that was a bit of an answer in itself. "Listen, I'm not mad. Heaven knows what dangers we've survived. But trust, especially on a battlefield, goes both ways. I need to know who I'm piloting."

"I will never abandon my pilot."

"It goes deeper than that. I need to know how you will behave. We fight well because we know how the other will react. Any changes in your programming may put that in jeopardy."

"Have I done anything to make you doubt that?"

"You scared the hell out of me when you said you were sorry for hurting me," I said.

"Have I said anything impolite?"

"Well... no."

"Have I performed any action where you doubted our connection?"

"No." I admitted. "We've beaten Seir only due to your quick thinking."

"And your recklessness."

"Hey, you're based on my personality. Don't go channeling Command here."

"Yet their assessment of your actions isn't incorrect."

"Your statement means you've evolved far enough to consider external opinions."

"All AIs are based on a pilot. Your personality must reflect on past actions."

"No. You've taught yourself to learn since that is what humans do."

"Pilot Vega, I... incoming connection from Valoel.”

That paused any follow-up questions I had. "Patch him through."

"Pilot Vega, unit Cerviel. This is Valoel." His voice was gruffer than Cerviel's. "I am using our short-range communications to contact you."

"We read you, Valoel. Good heavens, is it good to hear your voice again!" I glanced at the radar. The blue dot was a few minutes out. The red dots were not far behind.

"Likewise, pilot Vega."

"Where's Nova? Why isn't he talking?"

"Pilot Nova is unconscious. My readings indicate significant deviations in his biometrics. I believe the strain has been too much for him."

"Is he still alive?!"

"Yes, pilot Vega."

"Thank you." I blew out a breath. "How can we help you? Wait, how are you piloting yourself?"

"Pilot Nova has given me a fixed set of instructions to carry out in case he becomes incapacitated. I can follow these instructions without overloading my personality core. Hence my request. I have lost access to long-distance communication. I request access to unit Cerviel's scanners to determine the current status of the situation."

"Give it to him, Cerviel."

"Communications shared." Cerviel said.

"Thank you." Valoel fell quiet for a few seconds. "The situation has deteriorated since our last scan."

"You could say that."

"I will be unable to protect myself in case of attack. I request that you and unit Cerviel protect us as we return to Asbestos."

"That's why we're here."

"Understood. Do you have any other instructions?"

"No. Our orders were to bring you back and kill as many demons as possible."

"Understood. Good luck." The connection dropped with a click.

"Cerviel, do you see him?" I asked.

"Yes, pilot Vega." My head moved until a glowing star appeared in the center of my vision. Several red ones followed shortly behind it.

"How many demons survived the anti-matter mine?"

"I'm counting one hundred and eighty-five signatures."

My fingers squeezed into a fist. "Let's give them a warm welcome."