The Ice Warrior

Chapter 43

Silv understood that no matter who was in charge, sometimes there were things that one couldn't control. In those cases, a person could get angry and lose their temper or accept the facts as they were and move on.

On her part, Silv decided that she wouldn't try to change an impossible situation but to focus her attention on things that can be done. She chose not to sit idle but do something useful with her time while the ship healed.

"Justin, Joe, Jamie, Wir Eis, why don't you join me in the control room?" Silv said using only voice communication in an attempt not to disturb the humans that might be close by.

As she expected, they were smart enough to take the long way to the control room. It was better than teleporting or whatever it was that Evanescence did when transporting them from place to place, in the situation they were in.

Silv thought that she might have problems with the ship completing their every whim. However, Evanescence seemed to be starting to understand when she was not supposed to interfere.

For instance, it seemed to Silv as if she was trying to focus only on thoughts directed towards her and spoken commands. Yet, Silv was still unable to distinguish whether Evanescence was learning the human ways or if it was her systems coming back online thus, making her function better.

"Miss Silv, why are you summoning all of them? Are we going somewhere?" Arthur asked.

The hint of curiosity in his voice made Silv feel uncomfortable. In the shifting world that she was living in, her dear AI was one constant that she assumed she could rely on, that would stay the same. However, it appeared that even he was changing, that he was adapting.

If she didn't know any better, she would have thought he was becoming more aware, sentient even. It seemed that he had emotions and thoughts similar to those of humans, the ones that didn't originate from his complex programming.

"Would you like to go somewhere?" Silv asked, curious at his reply.

"I shall do as Miss Silv demands," he said.

Detecting an odd tone to his voice, Silv decided to investigate. Though she kept telling herself that another change would break her, she couldn't contain her curiosity.

"But what do YOU want? You have a preference, don't you?" Silv asked.

For a moment, Arthur seemed to pause, contemplating his answer, which in its own right was uncommon for an AI. They were not supposed to want anything, let alone question their owners. Yet, that seemed to be what was going on.

"I would be very interested in exploring the mountains and searching for a potential home for humans," Arthur said.

Silv frowned at his words. It was so unusual and yet such a normal request. After all, the AI's were supposed to be learning new things all the time. However, the very idea that he craved that knowledge on a somewhat emotional level made Silv feel both uncomfortable and fascinated.

"Did I make a wrong reply?" Arthur asked, looking at Silv intensely.

"Being human means that there are never wrong or right answers, just different opinions," Silv said, automatically remembering what Rose once told her.

It was when she made a wrong answer on one of the Government's standardized tests. The one that was supposed to check if she was balanced out. It was supposed to make sure that she was rational enough for the world that focused on the practical side of things. After all, beauty was considered wasteful, as close to a crime that one could get to without actually committing a crime.

"Miss Silv, I am not human," Arthur said, confused.

"Yes, yes, I know that. I am just thinking out loud." Silv explained.

Before she had to offer any further explanations that she wasn't sure she had, Joe, Jamie, and Wir Eis arrived.

"Where is Justin?" Silv asked since he was the one in the whole family that she trusted the most.

"He is helping others stay calm. We couldn't leave them alone since they are frankly terrified by the alien ship and the whole idea that the aliens are real." Joe said.

"Fine, I guess I will have to do this without him. Though I do wish one of you had stayed behind instead of Justin." Silv whispered.

"Why? Do you have a thing for my brother?" Jamie asked jokingly.

"I don't have a 'thing' for anyone. However, the mere fact that you would say something as childish as that in our current situation explains why I wanted Justin here instead of you. He understands our situation better and recognizes the seriousness of our predicament. There is no going back now, and there are many things that have to be done." Silv said.

Jamie didn't seem happy with her rebuking but wisely chose not to voice his opinion.

"Silv, I can promise you that we are all taking this very seriously. Jamie is just being himself, always trying to lighten up the mood, but that doesn't mean he is not taking things seriously." Joe explained.

"Very well, I apologize if I was too harsh. I am just under a lot of pressure." Silv said, addressing Jamie.

"I understand," Jamie replied curtly.

"We all know how difficult your situation is and how much you are struggling with everything. But I can assure you that we are all ready to help, in any way we can.

"As for Justin, it was necessary for him to stay behind since he is much better at keeping people calm than either me or Jamie. Well, I guess you know what I mean when I say Jamie is not great at keeping people calm. As you've felt on your own skin, his jokes are anything but comforting." Joe said, chuckling softly.

Silv smiled slightly at the old man's comment since there was no denying it, Jamie was one of those people who chose just the wrong time to make jokes.

"True," Silv said.

"What about you?" she added.

"Let's just say that the years I have lived through the Government's unfairness and discrimination have forced me to toughen up. With time, the shell became part of me, and it's difficult to shed it away. So, people don't find me very easy to talk to if you know what I mean." Joe said.

"Yes, I believe I understand," Silv said.

She couldn't help but wonder if that would have been her in years to come had she not seen the truth about her world when she did, had she not found a greater purpose in her life.

"Alright, then. I called you here because we need to make a plan of action. For the time being, the military doesn't seem to have the technology to detect our presence, but we all know how quickly that can change. We need to find a safe place for humans to stay as soon as possible so that Wir Eis and his people can move out and hopefully find a way to go home." Silv said.

Slow rumbling went through the ship, and Silv understood that Evanescence wasn't happy that Silv didn't include herself in the equation. However, she wasn't sure what the future held for her and didn't wish to give promises that she couldn't keep.

"For the time being, I want you to take your fighters and all those who are not too scared or too weak to explore, to try and find a good place for them to settle," Silv said.

"What about you?" Joe asked.

"I am not allowed to leave yet. I am putting you in charge, but I want you to take Arthur with you." Silv said.

"An AI? Why?" Joe asked in surprise.

"He has a lot of information stored in his files, some of which may be useful to you," Silv said, edging around the truth.

She didn't want them to know that she was granting wishes to an AI as it would probably be considered odd.

"Very well. What will you do?" Joe asked.

"Wir Eis and I will try to repair this ship as much as possible. I have a promise to keep." Silv said.

"Alright, we'll check in with you in an hour," Joe said as he and Jamie left.