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Aegis starts giving the subordinates days off. There is a brief argument with the teachers about this during which she points out that if the teachers force a leave-given student into the simulator room, she can't stop them, but Sue needn't link them and they needn't be given assignments, so it would be more productive to just let them sleep, and if they thought they needed an eight-person team it was the height of foolishness not to give them ten or twelve for exactly this reason. She rotates people out before they start making mistakes - the battles are coming thick and fast now, and they're getting harder, and it's better to do with one less commander now than to have one burn out from sleep deprivation and stress later when it's worse.
She takes one battle off herself, after arguing with Qiaochu about it - he thinks she should, she thinks she's fine - but the team suffers more without her than it does without anyone else. They lose four ships. It's not the first loss - the buggers have been learning, have been compensating, they've gotten stray ships before - but it's the worst. There's no further discussion of Aegis taking time off. They need her and her speed more than anyone else.
Except Sue, who is essential, who obviously cannot take a day off at all.
But he seems to be holding up all right, and he can hang back from the strategizing and serve just as a relay; he doesn't have to be fully in the fight every time. He generally is, but it's an option if he starts to crack around the edges.
The battles keep coming.
They keep winning. They hold their losses down very, very low.
And then there is a planet.
They've been near planets before. Only a handful of battles have taken place outside of solar systems; they've had to worry about gravitic effects from gas giants and, on one memorable occasion, Aegis had to maneuver six ships through an asteroid belt, flicking her control between vessels several times a second and almost burning her fingertips with friction-heat against the controls before she could get a Little Doctor onto a flying rock and atomize the pursuing bugger fighters. There've been planets in the distant background before. But this time the planet is right there.
The buggers didn't come out to meet the invaders.
And the teacher who is in her and Sue's simulator room, wearing an earpiece and probably relaying the words of Mazer Rackham so neither commander has to look at the old fart directly, says, "This is the last battle."
Aegis holds her hands ready and waits for the fleet officers to join the link.
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Little sisters, Aegis addresses the buggers, the humans in these ships might come watch over you little sisters on your world, is there a place for them?
Yes yes, and the queens think of a certain island, covered with farmland, lying fallow for now just waiting for a new cycle of planting, it will be comfortable, the buggers will build the humans anything they need, take them anywhere they need to go, show them anything they need to see, they'll prove that they're good little sisters.
Let's let the fleet officers see that, they can hammer out the living conditions while we work out how they can be allowed to get them, Aegis tells Sue.
Yes yes, and the queens think of a certain island, covered with farmland, lying fallow for now just waiting for a new cycle of planting, it will be comfortable, the buggers will build the humans anything they need, take them anywhere they need to go, show them anything they need to see, they'll prove that they're good little sisters.
Let's let the fleet officers see that, they can hammer out the living conditions while we work out how they can be allowed to get them, Aegis tells Sue.
He bounces a condensed summary—the buggers are negotiating surrender, the terms could involve you setting up shop on their world, here's where they'd put you—to the fleetside members of the link.
It causes something of a stir.
But he can relay all that backchat and still have the brainspace to conduct negotiations between Aegis and the buggers and eavesdrop on earpiece guy's muttering. The boost from the buggers is huge.
It causes something of a stir.
But he can relay all that backchat and still have the brainspace to conduct negotiations between Aegis and the buggers and eavesdrop on earpiece guy's muttering. The boost from the buggers is huge.
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Aegis goes on soliciting finer details from the buggers - what exactly did they think humans were, what is this taming they talk so much about exactly, can the collective they're talking to speak for every individual bugger now and later, how will they learn to talk without relying on Sue for everything, do they understand that humans are usually all single separate minds and if one of their guest-big-sisters does a thing it does not mean that all the other big sisters agree -
Meanwhile earpiece guy is not muttering so quietly anymore. "Yes sir I told you all of the ships, ours and theirs, just holding position, whatever they're talking about they really are talking. Yes sir. That's what she said, sir."
Meanwhile earpiece guy is not muttering so quietly anymore. "Yes sir I told you all of the ships, ours and theirs, just holding position, whatever they're talking about they really are talking. Yes sir. That's what she said, sir."
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"Several people," says Earpiece Guy. "No sir, I was talking to 'Sue'. Yessir. Sir, they seem quite ready to handle the ceasefire themselves as soon as authorized to do so."
"I just need to know you're not going to go behind our backs and order the landers to attack, or send another fleet after the buggers, or pull crap to get us to do our subsequent desk jobs in stupid ways," Aegis says. "We can cover everything else. We're already working out the details."
"I just need to know you're not going to go behind our backs and order the landers to attack, or send another fleet after the buggers, or pull crap to get us to do our subsequent desk jobs in stupid ways," Aegis says. "We can cover everything else. We're already working out the details."
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"Can you find the other people on this conference call?" Earpiece Guy asks, tapping his earpiece.
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The four minds proceed seamlessly to have their argument through Sue.
One thinks the buggers can never be trusted and landing the fleet will be suicide, that they should attack now while they'll have surprise and the fleet can be salvaged. One thinks that if they're going to trust the kids to handle the war they would be fools not to trust them to handle peace. One thinks that the buggers' complete standstill is a reasonable sign of goodwill and they should put Sue in a link with buggers and human diplomats and use him as a relay to come up with a treaty which may or may not bear any resemblance to what Aegis came up with. One thinks the buggers should be wiped out just to demonstrate to any other aliens that humans run into in the future that there is no fucking with the human race.
One thinks the buggers can never be trusted and landing the fleet will be suicide, that they should attack now while they'll have surprise and the fleet can be salvaged. One thinks that if they're going to trust the kids to handle the war they would be fools not to trust them to handle peace. One thinks that the buggers' complete standstill is a reasonable sign of goodwill and they should put Sue in a link with buggers and human diplomats and use him as a relay to come up with a treaty which may or may not bear any resemblance to what Aegis came up with. One thinks the buggers should be wiped out just to demonstrate to any other aliens that humans run into in the future that there is no fucking with the human race.
Sue doesn't just relay; he flips everything to Aegis, and he joins in.
The fact that the buggers can be trusted is obvious. He shows that person the raw intention that he got from them, the way they think when they say 'big sisters', the intricate history and layers of meaning. Maybe it will be harder to dismiss them as lies firsthand.
Wiping out the buggers is a dumb fucking way to make a statement, and there's no one else around to make the statement to. Does this person remember what it was like to fear their own destruction at the hands of an unstoppable alien force? Do they remember the formation of the IF around this fear? Do they think that perhaps that is not the first message humanity should be sending to any new species they meet, in case that new species has a few reactionary chuckleheads like no one Sue cares to name hanging around in positions of power?
The fact that the buggers can be trusted is obvious. He shows that person the raw intention that he got from them, the way they think when they say 'big sisters', the intricate history and layers of meaning. Maybe it will be harder to dismiss them as lies firsthand.
Wiping out the buggers is a dumb fucking way to make a statement, and there's no one else around to make the statement to. Does this person remember what it was like to fear their own destruction at the hands of an unstoppable alien force? Do they remember the formation of the IF around this fear? Do they think that perhaps that is not the first message humanity should be sending to any new species they meet, in case that new species has a few reactionary chuckleheads like no one Sue cares to name hanging around in positions of power?
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Reactionary Chucklehead thinks Sue is a naive child and the first thing aliens need to know about humans is that attacking them is a death sentence, that they'll then have the upper hand.
The other chuckleheads mostly shout him down without help.
Aegis thinks that as long as the buggers are currently admiring their prospective big sisters for being smart and decisive and strong, all this sitting still in the sky is not in any way helpful towards retaining the sisterhood option. They have a workable ceasefire and a workable plan and a workable relationship with the other species to fall into; they can continue working on details while the ships work on landing on their designated island. Peace is not less urgent than war.
The other chuckleheads mostly shout him down without help.
Aegis thinks that as long as the buggers are currently admiring their prospective big sisters for being smart and decisive and strong, all this sitting still in the sky is not in any way helpful towards retaining the sisterhood option. They have a workable ceasefire and a workable plan and a workable relationship with the other species to fall into; they can continue working on details while the ships work on landing on their designated island. Peace is not less urgent than war.
Sue reflects Aegis's opinion not only to the arguers, but to the fleet. Openly. With his open support.
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All four chuckleheads are appalled at this behavior. That is not how the communications devices they're accustomed to behave!
The communications devices they're accustomed to can't negotiate peace with alien species, either. This communications device thinks they'd better learn fast.
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The fleet, for their part, think landing on a planet sounds pretty great, even though they're mostly leery of interacting personally with any buggers.
Eventually the chuckleheads agree that they will authorize the fleet to land as long as the bugger ships land first and the Little Doctor stands ready for suicide-mission detonation.
Eventually the chuckleheads agree that they will authorize the fleet to land as long as the bugger ships land first and the Little Doctor stands ready for suicide-mission detonation.
Fine by Sue. He suggests to the buggers that they recall their ships to the surface, and he makes sure the fleet knows where they're going.
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Earpiece Guy mutters something sacrilegious when the bugger ships obediently descend to the surface of their planet in perfect, docile unison.
You see, big sisters, we will put down our weapons as you say, we are your little sisters, we will obey your judgments, sing the queens. Here we are - The concept is of just having shed a layer of exoskeleton. Buggers have internal skeletons, too, but their exterior armor is still useful protection, and they are softer and more vulnerable when they've just shucked a layer. Here we are, big sisters, we have a place for you to put watchful bodies.
Aegis quietly coordinates the fleet into landing formation.
You see, big sisters, we will put down our weapons as you say, we are your little sisters, we will obey your judgments, sing the queens. Here we are - The concept is of just having shed a layer of exoskeleton. Buggers have internal skeletons, too, but their exterior armor is still useful protection, and they are softer and more vulnerable when they've just shucked a layer. Here we are, big sisters, we have a place for you to put watchful bodies.
Aegis quietly coordinates the fleet into landing formation.
Sue has a feeling in response to that expression of symbolic vulnerability.
...He feels like he kind of wants to give an entire species a hug.
He shares this feeling with Aegis.
...He feels like he kind of wants to give an entire species a hug.
He shares this feeling with Aegis.
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Dunno if hugs are a thing buggers do, Aegis points out, although she's amused.
The fleet comes to rest on the island. The sensor drones that give the sims pictures of the battlefield are not equipped for this; they get a blurred picture of flora and sky.
The fleet comes to rest on the island. The sensor drones that give the sims pictures of the battlefield are not equipped for this; they get a blurred picture of flora and sky.
They probably aren't, physically. But the hive queens have minds, and feelings. There might be a linkable equivalent.
He doesn't try one.
He doesn't try one.
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We'll have lots of time to get to know our little sisters, Aegis says contently.
In the corner of their sim room, Earpiece Guy starts slowly applauding.
In the corner of their sim room, Earpiece Guy starts slowly applauding.
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Aegis laughs and pushes her chair back from the simulator and runs across the room to give Sue a hug.
Here Ends This Thread