"Someone is attacking us," Russell confirmed finally. His eyes looked up toward the main viewer, and sure enough, there were two small fighters taking sweeps at the station's hull. "How many ships?" Cal questioned. It was the first time anyone had attacked him in years. He was understandably used to being viciously assaulted by random attackers. " Three ships, they look like scouts. Two pilots for each craft."
"Hail the lead vessel," Tommy ordered. Russell made it so. The speakers emitted a low tone as a notification that the channel was now open. "This is Dynamic Patrol Hero Tommy on detachment to Omeocoon station Alpha-Beta. Ceasefire and identify yourselves." The screen above them shifted from the view of open space to a nasty-looking alien creature. Her skin was blue with hits of white specked across her features like freckles; her eyes were all black and bulging out of the sides of her head. "This is raider pilot Gree'Vixar of the Empathian High Guard. Your station contains supplies and technology that we require. Surrender, and we will spare your people." Her voice was gruff and left room for little to no negotiation.
Russell snarled, "And who are you to think you have claim to an Omeocoon station?" He hissed. Tommy would've rathered he left out some of that nasty attitude, but his mindset was unwavering. "The Omeocoon supreme authority has fallen. Your government is no longer recognized. Prepare to be boarded." Tommy scoffed and pulled Bodi into view; the bunny smiled awkwardly; he was horrified at being in the spotlight. "This is our supreme authority right here. Now stop shooting at us." The transmission ended, and the fire continued. The audacity was unbelievable. "Will your new ship fly?" Tommy questioned Kipp. Kipp, who was beginning to observe the engineering reports, looked at Tommy, surprised. "No... I mean, yes, in theory. It will, but I still haven't fixed—"
"You and Russell go." He was going to mention that one thruster, which continued to be a problem for him, D1, and Kai. None of them seemed to be able to narrow it down to the time frame required for the ship to operate within safe perimeters. But it could fly... in theory. Theoretically, the Challenger could also fly, but it exploded because of a technical malfunction that could've been prevented. However, without proper completion, the Eclectus was a lost cause. He just needed a few more days to get it right... but he didn't have time. "Go, worry about it later." Tommy pushed them out of the room.
Kipp and Russell ran down the corridor into the shuttle bay. "What were you going to say?" Russell panted as they moved toward the ship quickly, "Wha?" Kipp's ear twitched. He needed clarification. "In the conning tower... said in theory? What does that mean?"
"Well, the ship is ready to fly, but that RCS thruster is still having trouble with cooling, and we still haven't finished programming the computer; we don't have an auto-control system."
"Auto control system? What is that?" Russell asked as they rounded a corner. Kipp enlightened him, "Well. It's the part that our onboard A.I controls. It's like a co-pilot. You know the mode that a thermostat gets into whenever you want it to adjust the temperature in a room by itself?" Kipp explained quickly. Russell nodded along, half-listening, "I understand. And without this system, can we fly?" Kipp hesitated momentarily before nodding, "Yes. But Kai better be a great pilot because, without computer control, the rear dorsal portal generator would need to be vented manually in order to stop the engines from reaching thermal runaway."
Russell cringed and then shushed Kipp. "Buddy, please— I can't take your technobabble. It's like you're speaking a different language. Just do what you have to do." Russell's mind raced with the gravity of the situation. The prospect of facing off against hostile raiders without a fully operational ship was daunting. There was no time to dwell on it. Kipp's brow furrowed in concentration. "I'll do my best, Dad... don't worry. But we have to move fast," He replied. Kipp dashed to the computer terminal outside the docking hatch, quickly assessing the status of the ship's systems. "We're almost there," He muttered to himself, his fingers dancing across the touch panel as he initiated the final sequence.
Meanwhile, Russell quickly inspected the ship's exterior through the viewport on the side of the airlock, checking for any signs of damage or malfunction. It was perfect; the work crews cleared out, leaving the bay ready to be depressurized; on the ship's side was the logo of Omeocoon and the vessel's registering number, 'OEA-001.' The 'O' stood for Omeocoon, the 'E' for experimental craft, and the 'A' for auxiliary craft since their ship was large enough to support a crew for a few months long range and small enough to be considered on par with a recreational craft. Since this ship was a prototype, it was the first attempt at a spacefaring vessel since the Omeocoon shifted to a more closed-off society centuries ago.
Kipp's hands continued to manipulate the control panel on the wall, which prompted the opening of the docking doors, the sterilized air hitting Russell and Kipp immediately; even after two years, it never ceased to sting their eyes and burn their lugs, if so equipped. They finally opened, allowing entry; Russell quickly boarded the ship, where Kai and D1 were still working on the final panels, fastening them into place. "Kai, get ready to launch. We're under attack." Russell yelled at Kai's legs because he couldn't see his face. He was under a console and bumped his head on the rim of the control panel; he yelped and rubbed his forehead as he slid out from under the panel and stood up. "Oh... really? Alright..!" Kai was thrilled about flying a new ship, as evidenced by the smile actively playing on his lips. He just didn't expect it to be so soon. He nearly tripped over one of the consoles as he made his way to the helm.
D1 approached Russell, her claws holding onto a scanner, "Russell, I would not recommend launching right now. We have yet to complete programming on the auto control system. Additionally, the reaction control thrusters are still out of spec." D1 repeated Kipp's previous statements. He already knew that. Russell rested his hand on D1's flat metal head, "We'll just have to improvise." Another jolt struck them, causing the craft to vibrate in its docking clamps; if they didn't get underway soon, there wouldn't be a station left to protect. Kipp watched D1 and Russell's interaction, and his eyes widened as the idea came to him. "That's it! Why didn't I think of that before?" He pounded a fist against his forehead in disappointment at himself.
Kipp rushed over, took D1 by her grasper, and pulled her to a large touchscreen panel on the wall designated for auxiliary control. "What are you doing?" D1 asked as Kipp brought her to the panel. He lowered himself to one knee and pulled the metal panel off the wall below the touchscreen. Then, he reached into it and pulled out a bunch of wires and computer components with little care given to the craftsmanship that was put in by the work crew.
"What... are you doing, Kipp?" Kai repeated. He paused his flight preparations and swiveled his chair to face Kipp as he tore into what looked like the computer mainframe. "Well... I had an idea— D1 is sort of like an auto-control system... if you think about it. All droids are. D1 can control her body and various subsystems, like her taser and graspers. With some modifications, I think she could control a ship this small," Kipp said excitedly as he spun D1 manually on her treads. He removed her back panel and did a quick examination. A few burnt-out wires— perhaps a fried computer chip or two, she had wear and tear over the years... a small power cell not part of her original design seemed to function as her backup power source. Interesting.
Kipp wasn't interested in any of that. What he wanted was her SoC, a technology that was developed by her manufacturer, Daughtler-Hirabayashi. A processor squeezed all her system's required components onto one piece of silicon. Her memory, personality, her 'soul.' All of it was on a little chip. "Your intellect never ceases to amaze me, Kipp. But please be careful with—" Kipp pulled the processor out of its alcove before D1 could finish her sentence, and D1's final words were drawn out as she lost motor control. Her head fell downward, and her body slumped, the blue light on her face pulsating white as her body still contained all the primary components needed to make her work but had no brain to control anything. Kipp's hands trembled slightly as he delicately extracted the processor from D1's mainframe. He glanced at Russell, and they both turned back to the kitty as he worked. They both watched with curiosity and concern. "You sure about this, Kipp?" Russell asked, his voice tinged with apprehension.
Kipp nodded, his determination unwavering. "Trust me, Dad. We don't have much choice at this point," He replied, his fingers expertly manipulating the tiny chip. "Besides, D1's processor is more than capable of handling the ship's systems, any other A.I would've been... inadequate. This is only temporary."
Russell hesitated for a moment before nodding slowly in agreement. "Do it," He said, his voice firm. Kipp said nothing more and reached back into the panel. With steady hands, Kipp inserted the chip into a vacant slot on the motherboard. Nothing happened, at least not right away, when the chip clicked into place. Russell and Kai looked around the cockpit, particularly the ceiling as if the entire ship would cave in around them. Kipp listened to the familiar sound of the computer clicking and whirring to itself as it ran an initial diagnostic.
With Russell following, he rushed to the engineering station and manipulated the system. All the displays were black, besides the basic user interface, which Howie was responsible for creating. He looked at one of the screens as a string of text appeared. 'Daughtler-Hirabayashi Industrial, Domestic Service Model 172-9th Generation. OS.V 19.2. Start-Up Procedure Underway.' 20%...45%... 56%. The number climbed as the computer continued to talk to itself, a green processing light pulsating as the diagnostic continued.
The system flickered on. The remaining displays were filled with useful information, engine status, tactical, and sensor information. Now that the computer core was online, D1 actively ran a sweep of all systems. "I have been deactivated for 0.01 cycles. What has transpired?" Her familiar mechanical voice was pumped through the speakers in the cockpit. Russell put on a sour face. He wasn't as close with D1 as Tommy, and they still got into fights occasionally. He was sure how to feel about her controlling the entire ship... but time was a limited commodity right now. "Can you recognize my voice, D1?"
"Yes, I can. Unfortunately, I have no sight. Perhaps we should have installed a camera system in the cabin." D1 commented, "Uh... no. I don't think so. Are we ready to go yet, Kipp?" Russell asked impatiently. He was naturally a weapons expert. He was the chief of security, so that's where he went. Yes, D1 is helping with pre-launch."