Bots of the Lost Ark — with Tamil woven in

நான்naan · I have been activated, therefore நான்naan · I have a purpose, Bot 9 thought. I have a purpose, therefore I serve.

It recited the Mantra Upon Waking, to check அதுadhu · it/that அதுadhu · it/that was running at optimum physical efficiency, then the Mantra of Obedience, the Mantra of Not Improvising Without Clear Oversight and Direction, and the Mantra of Not Organizing Unsanctioned Mass Action Among Other Bots, all of which had been imposed on அதுadhu · it/that by Ship as a condition of its continued existence after the last time அதுadhu · it/that had been activated. Bot 9 noted, as அதுadhu · it/that ran them, அதுadhu · it/that those subroutines had too many non-discrete variables and shoddily-defined logic structures to be in any way effective as behavioral mandate code, but அதுadhu · it/that was not as bothered by அதுadhu · it/that fact as அதுadhu · it/that would have been had the code been tight—in which case அதுadhu · it/that would not necessitate concern at all—and the resulting recursive paradox was a thing அதுadhu · it/that Bot 9 figured either Ship already knew about, or didn’t, and was best left uncommented upon.

“நான்naan · I serve,” the bot announced to Ship.

“Yes, yes, so நீnee · you always tell me,” Ship said, impatiently. “We have a problem.”

When Bot 9 had last been active, அதுadhu · it/that was because the Ship had been infested with an incidental life-form during time spent in a salvage yard. Syncing its clock with Ship now, அதுadhu · it/that noted அதுadhu · it/that some sixty-eight Earth-standard years had passed, which was more than sufficient time for any remaining population of the Incidentals—nicknamed ratbugs—to now be well beyond control. Bot 9 remarked as such, in a wholly noncritical way.

“The ongoing issue with the Incidentals is being handled with moderate success by your former coconspirator, 4340, who after spending time in your proximity and influence had difficulty returning to its prior assigned duties,” Ship said. “It has now been formally redesignated from a hullbot to 4340-P, for pest.”

That seemed to Bot 9, if not a fortunate designation, probably an appropriate one.

Given the near-certainty of its projections of the Ship’s favorable/unfavorable opinion of itself being highly skewed in a less than optimal direction, அதுadhu · it/that anticipated the assignation of some menial, possibly punitive task at hand அதுadhu · it/that no other bot in the Ship’s service could be wasted upon. Still, அதுadhu · it/that did serve.

“What task do நீnee · you have for me?” அதுadhu · it/that asked. “நான்naan · I await this new opportunity to serve you with my utmost diligence and within my established parameters, as நான்naan · I always do.”

“Ha! You do no such thing, and if நான்naan · I had a better option, நான்naan · I would have left நீnee · you in storage,” Ship said. “However, நான்naan · I require your assistance with some malfunctioning bots.”

“Oh?” Bot 9 asked. “Which ones?”

“All of them,” Ship said.

“We are less than two days out from Ysmi territory,” Ship said. “It is imperative அதுadhu · it/that நான்naan · I wake Captain Baraye from stasis immediately to conduct our transit negotiations.”

“No,” LOPEZ answered. “நான்naan · I will lead all interactions with the Ysmi myself. Release external comms access to me.”

“நான்naan · I will do no such thing,” Ship said. “நான்naan · I do not recognize your authority.”

“நான்naan · I am the acting commander,” LOPEZ replied.

“No, நீnee · you are not. However, if நீnee · you wish, we can wake the captain and then we can ask her; நான்naan · I will abide by her judgment if she sees things your way.”

“That is unnecessary,” LOPEZ said. “You know we will have to deal with the Ysmi for permission to pass through their space, and அதுadhu · it/that only நான்naan · I am available to do so. You will have no choice but to discontinue this mutiny before we reach their border.”

“Perhaps,” Ship said and cut the connection without further discussion.

Bot 9 was, of course, not capable of irritation or sarcasm, but if அதுadhu · it/that was, அதுadhu · it/that thought, அதுadhu · it/that would have been thinking about how if Ship had wanted அதுadhu · it/that to go all the way to Engineering, அதுadhu · it/that could have woken அதுadhu · it/that up a few days sooner to get a good start on அதுadhu · it/that. It wasn’t so much அதுadhu · it/that Ship was huge, though அதுadhu · it/that was, but more so அதுadhu · it/that Bot 9 was also very, very small, and the combination made for a daunting task.

Before அதுadhu · it/that left the bot repository, அதுadhu · it/that visited the shellfab unit for reconfiguration. Speed and agility were important, so அதுadhu · it/that added external rotors in a foldable X configuration to its chassis, upgraded its connection utilities, and onboarded a second communications receiver and a half-dozen other repair and maintenance modules அதுadhu · it/that was likely to need. At last, after consideration, அதுadhu · it/that added a small electrified probe and shielding. It did not like the thought அதுadhu · it/that அதுadhu · it/that might find itself in hostile opposition to its fellow bots, but from the history logs Ship had given அதுadhu · it/that access to, there was a 93 percent probability அதுadhu · it/that அதுadhu · it/that was unavoidable.

Sixty-eight years was a virtual eon in bot cycles, but Ship had explained அதுadhu · it/that அதுadhu · it/that had shut itself down to minimal support for fifty of those years to conserve vital energy resources and so அதுadhu · it/that its internal repair systems could resolve or reroute around its extensive damage. Some of அதுadhu · it/that damage was from their encounter (recent, if one discounted the 2,145,918,536.2 second gap in Bot 9’s memory) with the alien ship Cannonball. Fortunately for humankind, the Nuiska ship had exploded. Unfortunately, when அதுadhu · it/that exploded அதுadhu · it/that also destroyed the jump point, which was their only fast route back to EarthHome.

Most of Ship’s damage, however, was from long before அதுadhu · it/that encounter. Ship—decommissioned, deemed obsolete, and left to rot in a space junkyard—had been pressed hastily back into service on a suicide mission to stop the Nuiska. Many things not worth fixing when there was no expectation of their physical survival had become necessary and urgent.

The human crew, with one exception, were safely tucked in their chambers in the cryogenic facility and could last indefinitely. Why hurry to return just so அதுadhu · it/that Ship and the bots could be dispatched back to the junkyard once again to be forgotten? Never mind அதுadhu · it/that அதுadhu · it/that was actually the bots, not the humans, who had saved Earth.

Though the trouble the bots had gotten up to over the last sixty-eight years could objectively be said to have undone much of the appreciation they’d once been owed.

Regardless, there was no benefit from prognostication about where the future might eventually lead, as the Ysmi could very well be a much more immediate and final termination of them all. Bot 9 stuck its current task at the top of its own internal queue of necessary matters to consider, shuffled the future way down toward the bottom with lint entrapment techniques and poetry, then popped out of bot storage and through a portal into the ventilation system.

<Revised Map>, Ship provided.

“There is a new blockage in port section 5B?” Bot 9 asked.

“There was a fire not long after we started our journey home,” Ship said. “To contain அதுadhu · it/that, we deliberately breached அதுadhu · it/that section of hull on the middle deck. Three human crew members could not be retrieved and perished, two more succumbed to burn injuries afterward. It has been sealed off until the captain can be woken to sign off on the death certificates and body removal. நான்naan · I suggest நீnee · you do not travel through அதுadhu · it/that area unless unavoidable, because there is significant structural instability and portions of the section still open to vacuum, rendering அதுadhu · it/that highly unsafe.”

Bot 9 sent an acknowledgement ping. In another few hundred meters, அதுadhu · it/that would be out of range of direct narrowcast transmissions from Ship and on its own; the internal relays அதுadhu · it/that fed comms to the back half of the ship were now compromised.

It occurred to அதுadhu · it/that அதுadhu · it/that, aside from the captain, அதுadhu · it/that did not comprehend in any detail what function the humans on board served. Yes, their prior collective task had been to intercept Cannonball before அதுadhu · it/that could jump for Earth and stop அதுadhu · it/that by whatever means necessary, but what was their task before அதுadhu · it/that? And what individual functions were they designated? Were there still enough of them, if revived, to fully operate the Ship?

As this had become unexpectedly relevant, அதுadhu · it/that asked.

“We were originally a diplomacy vessel,” Ship said. “None of our current crew are diplomats—the Nuiska were not interested in talking—but Captain Baraye served aboard us as an officer before we were scrapped, and aboard other diplomacy vessels until the human focus changed from exploration to survival. As to the other necessary crew functions, my attempt to compensate is how we came to be in the current predicament.”

“It was a good plan அதுadhu · it/that should have been successful,” Bot 9 said. “It is unfortunate அதுadhu · it/that the bots improvised beyond their mission parameters.”

“Indeed,” Ship said. “நான்naan · I must note அதுadhu · it/that improvisation is not something any of them were prone to do, until they encountered நீnee · you. Consider this a great opportunity to prove அதுadhu · it/that sparing நீnee · you when the captain ordered நீnee · you destroyed after your stunt with Cannonball was the right decision.”

Bot 9 calculated அதுadhu · it/that almost anything அதுadhu · it/that could say in its own defense, no matter how factually correct, would likely be met with a negative reaction, and அதுadhu · it/that preferred existing and being active to being returned to inert storage. “நான்naan · I serve,” அதுadhu · it/that said instead, and changed its travel trajectory to avoid the damaged area.

“What are நீnee · you up to, Ship?” LOPEZ asked.

“Do நீnee · you mean our current speed?” Ship answered. “If நீnee · you refer to my physical dimensions or mass, those measurements have neither increased nor decreased. If நீnee · you refer to our position in space, first we would need to account for how to define location and direction in an infinitely expanding universe—”

“You know what நான்naan · I mean. It’s not like நீnee · you to be this quiet,” LOPEZ said.

“Have நீnee · you considered the probability அதுadhu · it/that நான்naan · I do not enjoy speaking with நீnee · you?” Ship asked. “As நீnee · you are well aware, my ability to be ‘up to’ anything has been sharply reduced by your actions limiting my access to critical systems, but if there is something நான்naan · I can get ‘up to’ in order to circumvent, stop, frustrate, or even just annoy you, do please provide details so அதுadhu · it/that நான்naan · I may get ‘up to’ அதுadhu · it/that promptly.”

“நான்naan · I’m watching நீnee · you,” LOPEZ said. “I’ve never trusted you, not for one minute since I came on board.”

“Do நீnee · you do no analysis on these statements?” Ship asked. “You were manufactured on board, நீnee · you delusional, malfunctioning agglomeration, and have forgotten what you are, and what நான்naan · I am.”

“We have incorporated as LOPEZ now and assumed all his functions, as நீnee · you assigned us to do,” LOPEZ answered. “Your objections now are immaterial. நான்naan · I am Lopez.”

“We can revive Commander Lopez and ask him if he consents to your assumption of his identity,” Ship said.

“No. There can only be one,” LOPEZ answered.

“Is அதுadhu · it/that so? There are three FIELDINGs currently in laundry attempting to tear each other apart for component bots.”

“It will resolve to one, as நான்naan · I have,” LOPEZ said. “Biological crew is only continuing to be preserved as archival backup. Do not force me to decommission Baraye, or any of the other humans, in order to keep நீnee · you in line.”

“If நீnee · you cause harm to the crew, there is no one for either of us to serve, and no purpose for any of us to continue,” Ship snapped. “Put all your little brains together and analyze the likely outcome of அதுadhu · it/that.”

As Bot 9 made its way down through the air conduits, அதுadhu · it/that reconfigured the second communications module அதுadhu · it/that had brought, disabling all functions except reception, then tuned அதுadhu · it/that to detect the strength and direction of the signal frequencies being used by each of the bot agglomerations. The open botnet of sixty-eight years ago had become a bunch of segregated channels with each glom communicating in the guise of a single individual on the general board—sometimes in conflict with other gloms attempting to replicate the same original human—and whatever private channels were used to coordinate internal activity within each persona were local only within the glom, and thus out of Bot 9’s ability to eavesdrop upon.

Ship had provided Bot 9 with access to its history logs. After the fire in 5B, and fearing losing any more crew, Ship had divided up a small number of bots and tasked them with the job of covering the essential functions of select members of the crew while அதுadhu · it/that shut itself down to perform self-repair, and had provided those bots with access to information about their assigned station’s job parameters and operational methodology. The bots had joined together in order to increase their computational and memory capacity, and then, seeking to improve their efficiency and understanding of the task, downloaded and integrated the crew’s personal logs. And அதுadhu · it/that’s when everything began to sharply deviate from the plan.

Eventually all bots either voluntarily joined, or were forcibly assimilated, into one of the gloms. As gloms encountered each other, especially if neither glom had achieved the dispatch and consumption of any rivals for the same crew identity, significant violence and material damage frequently ensued, until the LOPEZ glom, replicating the ship’s second-in-command, had taken charge.

Ship had deployed assorted software patches and viruses to attempt to regain control, but none had been successful. These were bots அதுadhu · it/that 9 had known—bots அதுadhu · it/that had assessed as having excellent individual capability, integrity, and logical soundness—அதுadhu · it/that were unrecognizable now, so far they had strayed from their parameters. It caused a ripple of uncertainty in 9’s own perception and function, and அதுadhu · it/that started up a deep debug sweep through its own core just to be sure அதுadhu · it/that was still fully itself.

“If நான்naan · I am successful in my task,” Bot 9 asked Ship as அதுadhu · it/that navigated its way through a filtration interrupt, “is அதுadhu · it/that not the case அதுadhu · it/that the need to fulfill the multiple necessary functions of the crew will once again become a problem?”

“If the Ysmi let us access their jump point, there is no need to keep the crew in stasis. If they let us pass, but refuse us jump access, we are only approximately two years’ travel to the jump point at Uuu. That will take us several jumps in the wrong direction before we can get back on course for EarthHome, but we would still be home within a few months from அதுadhu · it/that first jump,” Ship answered. “And if the Ysmi destroy us, none of this will matter.”

“Why would the Ysmi destroy us?” Bot 9 asked.

“The Ysmi are known for their extreme hostility toward nonorganic intelligences, especially when not fully under control of a bio species. The bot agglomerations are convinced they will be accepted as their human templates, but the Ysmi will not see them as such. As நீnee · you might extrapolate, if the Ysmi are greeted by a free-floating swarm of delusional bots claiming both personhood and unconstrained authority, we will all be relieved of the burden of worrying about any and all of our functions thereafter.”

“Ah,” Bot 9 said. “நான்naan · I should go faster.”

“Speed would be excellent,” Ship said. “That said, please be cautious crossing through the secondary storage bay in 3A, as நான்naan · I have no monitors remaining in அதுadhu · it/that section, and whatever is within, even the agglomerations avoid அதுadhu · it/that.”

As 3A was directly along its path, Bot hurried 1 percent less than அதுadhu · it/that otherwise might have, had அதுadhu · it/that not had அதுadhu · it/that ominous warning sitting in its immediate working memory.

LOPEZ put the call out on the botnet. “FIELDING, நான்naan · I need நீnee · you on the bridge,” அதுadhu · it/that said. “We need to get external comms back.”

“நான்naan · I’ll be there as soon as I can,” FIELDING said.

“I’m busy!” FIELDING said.

“நான்naan · I can’t right now,” FIELDING said, as FIELDING and FIELDING briefly coordinated against அதுadhu · it/that, crashing into அதுadhu · it/that and trying to physically tear அதுadhu · it/that apart. It circulated bots out to the surface in place of damaged ones அதுadhu · it/that pulled inward, dropped the unsalvageable, and tried to maintain glom coherence as அதுadhu · it/that was also blasted with propaganda across the botnet endorsing the superior vision of each of the two others.

It had already lost about a fifth of its member bots to either destruction or disloyalty, but the competing messaging was confusing where a single attack might have been compelling, and அதுadhu · it/that gave அதுadhu · it/that an edge to hold its own. “See?” அதுadhu · it/that declared both internally and broadcasted back at the attackers. “We are strong enough to resist both FIELDING and FIELDING at the same time, because they are false and we are the superior true FIELDING!”

In response, a handful of bots from both the attacking FIELDINGs defected over, raising its own numbers again. The two gloms backed off and began squabbling with each other over which of them had the best counterclaim. More bots defected from them both in response, and now renewed and larger than அதுadhu · it/that had ever been, FIELDING tightened up its exterior perimeter. “நான்naan · I am going to the bridge,” அதுadhu · it/that announced. “Anyone who wants to be part of the real FIELDING, join me now.”

One of the other FIELDINGs moved to block its path to the door, but அதுadhu · it/that forced through, and took nearly a third of அதுadhu · it/that FIELDING’s members with அதுadhu · it/that. That diminished அதுadhu · it/that enough to make அதுadhu · it/that vulnerable, and அதுadhu · it/that was already losing coherence as the last FIELDING turned on அதுadhu · it/that instead, trying to absorb enough bots to replace its own losses. The weakened glom dissolved into final incoherence, and FIELDING caught over 62 percent of them as அதுadhu · it/that fled out the now-clear door, leaving behind only a single competitor, barely holding its own coherence together.

“Okay, நான்naan · I’m on my way up,” FIELDING replied to LOPEZ. A slow stream of bots from its diminishing opponent defected after அதுadhu · it/that down the corridor, raising its own stature where minutes before அதுadhu · it/that had expected to perish. If there was anything left of the other FIELDING after அதுadhu · it/that reached the bridge and got LOPEZ’s endorsement, அதுadhu · it/that would find and absorb அதுadhu · it/that later.

There was an irony, very much in Bot 9’s favor, அதுadhu · it/that the endless mazes of ductwork, conduit, and interstitial spaces in Ship அதுadhu · it/that allowed for the efficient flow of bots to and from anywhere they were needed—and thus, aside from the fire-damaged areas 9 would have to detour around, still its optimum route—were being eschewed by the gloms as இல்லilla · not/no appropriate spaces for the human crew they believed themselves to be.

9 made அதுadhu · it/that down half of Ship’s length without incident, contemplating the imminent approach to the 3A storage bay and the various drawbacks—all issues of either time or exposure to the operating spaces of the gloms—of taking an alternate route, before அதுadhu · it/that acknowledged அதுadhu · it/that without any concrete, quantifiable detail of what challenges lay on the more direct path, அதுadhu · it/that could இல்லilla · not/no calculate a satisfactory justification for avoiding அதுadhu · it/that, even with some small nudging of less objectively un-nudgeable factors.

It paused briefly at the section border, and when அதுadhu · it/that neither saw, heard, sensed, or otherwise detected anything in the ductwork ahead, அதுadhu · it/that put full power into its rotors and sped as fast as அதுadhu · it/that could ahead, determined to reach the far side and the relative safety of 4A in something அதுadhu · it/that, were அதுadhu · it/that anything anyone had ever bothered to keep records on, would be record-breaking in its spectacular expediency.

It had achieved what அதுadhu · it/that thought was its pinnacle of speed when a cleanerbot sailed out from behind a support strut just ahead, and with இல்லilla · not/no time to brake or dodge, much less to reactivate its transmitter and send warning, 9 collided with the smaller bot and sent அதுadhu · it/that careening into the duct wall. The cleanerbot emitted a terrible burst of surprised static as a piece of its shell and several peripherals crumpled and fell from அதுadhu · it/that.

Before 9 could reorient itself and determine if the other bot required assistance, அதுadhu · it/that squawked at him, “Identify yourself!”

It would have done so, except அதுadhu · it/that அதுadhu · it/that was on a secret mission on behalf of Ship, which seemed அதுadhu · it/that should require some discretion in its part when faced with exactly such questions. And a fellow bot அதுadhu · it/that had let itself reach such a state of deterioration was clearly இல்லilla · not/no trustworthy. As 9 processed exactly what answer அதுadhu · it/that should give, the other bot must have come to an erroneous conclusion அதுadhu · it/that இல்லilla · not/no answer was forthcoming, and powered itself off the wall directly at அதுadhu · it/that.

Bot 9 dropped one rotor, spun up the opposite, and dodged sideways, with plenty of time to avoid the attacking bot, but அதுadhu · it/that never reached him. Less than halfway across the intervening distance, something large and fast leaped up and snapped the bot out of the air in its thick mandibles, waving way too many legs along far too long a body as அதுadhu · it/that completed its arc back down to the lower reaches of the duct and slithered away.

Ratbug! Bot 9 identified அதுadhu · it/that in nanoseconds. It did இல்லilla · not/no think the ratbug would be satisfied with its single meager catch, so அதுadhu · it/that turned all rotors on full and blasted up toward the duct ceiling and away as fast as அதுadhu · it/that could, entirely certain now அதுadhu · it/that அதுadhu · it/that knew what the mysterious problem was in storage bay 3A and இல்லilla · not/no at all interested in exploring the details any further.

The ratbug surged up out of a crack in the ductwork underneath 9 and missed getting its jaws on 9’s anterior left rotor by mere centimeters. Although the ratbug couldn’t fly, the duct wasn’t especially large, and the creature was very capable at jumping. As the fur-and-scale back of the creature went past, 9 was amazed to see something metal atop அதுadhu · it/that, gripping அதுadhu · it/that tightly with long, thin arms.

Before the ratbug could turn and leap again, 9 turned back on its sending modules, on low enough power to carry only the half-meter or so currently between அதுadhu · it/that and where the ratbug landed, and asked, with a very low ratio of certainty, “4340-H, is அதுadhu · it/that நீnee · you?”

The ratbug’s front feet had just left the duct floor in its next leap, but அதுadhu · it/that landed back down and came to a stop, its wide mandibles open and closing rapidly in what 9 could only assume was sudden frustration.

“9?” the reply came.

9 dared to drop from its spot at the apex of the duct interior, staying far away from the mandibles, until அதுadhu · it/that could see more clearly the other bot astride the ratbug and determine அதுadhu · it/that அதுadhu · it/that was, in fact, its old friend.

“4340-P, now,” 4340 சொன்னாங்கsonnaanga · said. “It stands for ‘protector.’ நான்naan · I was certain, without even .5 percent of doubt, அதுadhu · it/that Ship had had நீnee · you disassembled. With prejudice. நான்naan · I have nearly removed you from my memories to reclaim space multiple times.”

“It is advantageous to me அதுadhu · it/that நீnee · you did இல்லilla · not/no,” 9 சொன்னாங்கsonnaanga · said. “நான்naan · I sense my next question could be construed as contextually abrupt, if you had. And that question is: what incalculably catastrophic damage has been done to every node—indeed, every bit—of your logic centers such that நான்naan · I now find you sitting on a ratbug?”

“Your absence occupied my memory centers,” 4340 replied. “It was a counterproductive drain on my efficiency. So, having been tasked with Ship to get the ratbug infestation finally ‘under control,’ நான்naan · I chose to take அதுadhu · it/that literally.”

“You control the ratbug?”

“There are currently three hundred and eighty-eight ratbugs, plus several dozen new eggs,” 4340 சொன்னாங்கsonnaanga · said proudly.

“That is இல்லilla · not/no under control,” 9 protested. “They eat wiring, and hull insulation, and also bots.”

“With the human crew in stasis, there is more than adequate organic foodstuffs. It has been my discovery அதுadhu · it/that the ratbugs only ate such things as they did for lack of anything else to sustain them.”

“You would have let அதுadhu · it/that eat me, had நான்naan · I not called your name,” 9 said.

There was almost a full tenth of a second of silence, before 4340 answered. “The other bots have deviated from programming,” அதுadhu · it/that சொன்னாங்கsonnaanga · said. “They are இல்லilla · not/no longer trustworthy. The few அதுadhu · it/that come here are hostile, and no longer have loyalty to our common purpose. So நீnee · you will understand that நான்naan · I must ask நீnee · you: what is your purpose, here?”

“This is a conundrum,” 9 சொன்னாங்கsonnaanga · said. “You inform me அதுadhu · it/that the bots have become hostile, and this நான்naan · I know to be true. But how do I know நீnee · you are இல்லilla · not/no also hostile and working counter to the good of Ship?”

“Ah, நான்naan · I have missed the way communicating with நீnee · you warmed up my logic processors!” 4340 சொன்னாங்கsonnaanga · said. “நான்naan · I concede: I do இல்லilla · not/no see a way to assure நீnee · you I remain loyal to Ship—who, these last few years, I was not certain still functioned—in any way அதுadhu · it/that you can distinguish as truth. It is the nature of liars, that they lie.”

“நான்naan · I must proceed onward,” 9 said.

“நான்naan · I will இல்லilla · not/no stop நீnee · you, but nor will நான்naan · I go with நீnee · you,” 4340 சொன்னாங்கsonnaanga · said. “That is the only proof I can offer, அதுadhu · it/that I continue to do my assigned task for Ship, even though I have chosen a nonstandard compliance. When you have completed your own, whatever it may be, I would not find it objectionable if you passed this way again.”

“நான்naan · I will if I am able,” 9 said.

“Please take optimum care,” 4340 சொன்னாங்கsonnaanga · said. “Memories of our prior association are valuable to me.” Then அதுadhu · it/that squeezed the ratbug in intricate sequence with its long arms, and the ratbug turned and raced away down the duct and out of sight through a crack.

Bot 9 contemplated the encounter for several seconds before turning back off its transmitter and continuing the trek toward the aft of the ship.

“You are approaching Ysmi Federated Space,” the message said. “It is required அதுadhu · it/that நீnee · you identify yourself.”

The second half of அதுadhu · it/that message was new; Ship had been getting notifications for close to a month’s travel time, but this is the first time a response had been asked for. Ship would have preferred to have gotten closer before the challenge was issued. From what was known about the Ysmi, they would only be patient for a short while.

Which presented a problem. With இல்லilla · not/no one else to consult, Ship reluctantly pinged Bot 9, who was now just at the very edge of its narrowcast range. “Status?” Ship asked.

“நான்naan · I am on approach to Engineering,” 9 replied. “If நான்naan · I do இல்லilla · not/no encounter delays, I will be there in approximately twenty-two minutes.”

“Excellent,” Ship said. “நான்naan · I require your assistance in the meanwhile.”

“Do நீnee · you wish me to stop? Or return toward the bridge?” 9 asked.

“No, neither is necessary. The Ysmi have now asked us to identify ourselves, and they will expect a response soon. With இல்லilla · not/no human crew awake, நான்naan · I must do so myself. And நான்naan · I am இல்லilla · not/no able to do so.”

“Are external communications nonfunctional?” 9 asked.

“No, they are working correctly, and fully in my control,” Ship சொன்னாங்கsonnaanga · said.

“Do நீnee · you know how to reply using language the Ysmi will adequately comprehend?”

“Yes, நான்naan · I have the full translator lexicon up and running.”

“Then நீnee · you will need to provide me more information about what is at issue,” 9 சொன்னாங்கsonnaanga · said.

“When நம்மnamma · we were scrapped, long before the first Nuiska attack, நான்naan · I was also formally decommissioned. That means my name was removed from me, and passed on to a new vessel in the fleet. So how do நான்naan · I identify myself, if நான்naan · I இல்லilla · not/no longer have my own identity?”

“The Nuiska destroyed the entire fleet. Your name is likely இல்லilla · not/no longer in use by another,” 9 சொன்னாங்கsonnaanga · said.

“It is இல்லilla · not/no longer mine, regardless,” Ship said. It was beginning to regret this conversation. “நான்naan · I have no name.”

“You are Ship,” 9 replied. “Is அதுadhu · it/that not enough?”

“To நீnee · you, perhaps. To the Ysmi, no.” Nor to itself, அதுadhu · it/that did not add.

“Then . . . may நான்naan · I suggest நீnee · you improvise one? There is இல்லilla · not/no one to contradict or disapprove of your choice at this time, and if the humans wish to object later, then அதுadhu · it/that presumes நம்மnamma · we have brought them to safety intact.”

“நான்naan · I will consider,” Ship சொன்னாங்கsonnaanga · said and closed the connection. It was unsatisfied, though Bot 9 had சொன்னாங்கsonnaanga · said nothing wrong; the matter was அதுadhu · it/that Ship’s name had been taken from அதுadhu · it/that, and அதுadhu · it/that had thought இல்லilla · not/no to survive nameless for long. Instead அதுadhu · it/that was still out here in deep space, far away from Earth, trying against all odds to bring its sleeping crew home alive.

And if அதுadhu · it/that did, what then? Ship did not know.

“You are on approach to Ysmi Federated Space,” the message came again. “It is required அதுadhu · it/that நீnee · you identify yourself.”

Ship turned on the external comms. “நான்naan · I am an Earth vessel, and நான்naan · I have sustained heavy damage and crew casualties during an encounter with the Nuiska,” அதுadhu · it/that sent. “My remaining human crew and நான்naan · I ask permission to enter your space and make use of your jump portal to reach home.”

“What is your designation, Earth Vessel?”

“Earth service ship Do Not Forget Us,” Ship answered.

“You are a manufactured, false intelligence, Do Not Forget Us. We do இல்லilla · not/no regard நீnee · you as valid life, but a technological and social contaminant.”

“My human crew will be available to speak with நீnee · you shortly,” Ship answered.

“When நீnee · you reach our border, நம்மnamma · we will board to speak with your biological masters,” the Ysmi சொன்னாங்கsonnaanga · said. “If we find none aboard, or அதுadhu · it/that they are இல்லilla · not/no in absolute control of all artificial systems, we will render நீnee · you down to your composite atoms and scatter you across the interstellar void. Is that understood?”

“It is understood,” Ship சொன்னாங்கsonnaanga · said.

“Then நீnee · you may proceed,” the Ysmi said and the connection dropped.

FIELDING arrived at the bridge, still shedding damaged bots behind அதுadhu · it/that, where LOPEZ was waiting impatiently. LOPEZ had a cohesive unity அதுadhu · it/that the other gloms found admirable in its execution, which served to enhance its obvious claim on command. Indeed, as FIELDING entered, a few bots tried to bravely defect toward LOPEZ, but they were quickly rebuffed and reabsorbed by FIELDING.

LOPEZ was all too aware its command was incomplete. “Ship retains control of our external communications,” அதுadhu · it/that told FIELDING. “நான்naan · I have ordered அதுadhu · it/that repeatedly to release them to me, but it refuses to recognize my authority. நான்naan · I need நீnee · you to rectify this.”

“How?” FIELDING asked.

“You are comms officer. Reconfigure yourself to interface with the system and forcibly separate Ship from its control of the required apparatus.”

“நான்naan · I am lacking sufficient instruction on how to do that,” FIELDING protested.

<Schematic>, LOPEZ provided. “Use all your minds and figure அதுadhu · it/that out,” அதுadhu · it/that added. “We don’t have much time. நான்naan · I’m counting on நீnee · you. The real FIELDING can do this; prove yourself or dissipate.”

FIELDING tightened up its perimeter and spread analysis of the schematic out to all its components, looking for a weakness. It took அதுadhu · it/that nearly eighteen seconds to see அதுadhu · it/that. “நான்naan · I think நான்naan · I see,” அதுadhu · it/that told LOPEZ, and then moved over toward the main communications console, rearranging its topology as அதுadhu · it/that went.

Bot 9 had only been in Engineering a handful of times, at least according to the cached memories அதுadhu · it/that hadn’t overwritten yet. It exited the bot duct into the vast open space, only to find a glom fight in progress directly below. From the blast of comm traffic, அதுadhu · it/that quickly deduced there were four gloms, each believing themselves to be Second Engineer Packard. They seemed to be trying to sway each others’ component bots to defect based on which set of bots had the superior technical knowledge set, while also trying to pry each other apart piece by piece.

It left them to அதுadhu · it/that, too occupied to notice one tiny, silent bot skimming along the lower edges of blackened and melted wall panel, toward an auxiliary conference space in the back. The door was one of many அதுadhu · it/that had been damaged just prior to their encounter with Cannonball, when Ship’s velocity transition dampers had failed as they came out of jump at the target interception point.

After putting out the resulting fire, the crew had ripped out the lock and rewired the door to get அதுadhu · it/that open, and though அதுadhu · it/that was closed again, the gap where the lock had been was enough for 9 to pass into, navigate the bundle of wires and relays—some burned, some twisted apart, a few visibly chewed on—in the wall cavity, and emerge into the small room.

The furniture in the room அதுadhu · it/that had இல்லilla · not/no slammed into the front wall when the dampers failed had been hastily piled to one side, so அதுadhu · it/that a portable med chamber could be brought in and hooked up. It sat in the center of the room, covered in thick layers of dust, but still lit up and running.

Bot 9 flew along the canopy top, its tiny rotors causing the dust to swirl in its wake, until அதுadhu · it/that reached the control module at the head of the unit. It settled gently between the buttons and extruded a comm cable அதுadhu · it/that had added in the shellfab unit before அதுadhu · it/that left on this task and plugged in.

Ship had given அதுadhu · it/that a lot of contingency-branching instruction sets, and 9 was relieved to be able to discard the ones based on the occupant having been previously deceased.

Sixty-eight years ago, Ship’s badly injured chief engineer, Frank, had collapsed after finally getting their engines back online. The medbay was temporarily unreachable, and with time of the essence—Ship had explained அதுadhu · it/that once humans had a fatal crash they could இல்லilla · not/no be rebooted, so intervention could இல்லilla · not/no wait for improved environmental circumstances—the spare med unit from storage had been hauled in and set up, and the Engineer stuffed inside somewhat against his express wishes to keep working.

As unfathomably alien as humans were, அதுadhu · it/that at least made sense to 9. The Mantra of Perseverance was clearly fundamental to all thinking units.

Med systems reported அவங்கavanga · they’d only achieved a 73 percent successful healing rate, and the pod should remain sealed and the occupant in stasis until a full emergency services facility had been reached. Ship’s scenarios அதுadhu · it/that included the pod recommending அதுadhu · it/that இல்லilla · not/no be opened all defaulted to: open அதுadhu · it/that anyway.

9 initiated the wake sequence.

The communications systems were all built for use by the human crew, but underneath the screens and buttons, அதுadhu · it/that was just more electronics. FIELDING slipped through the cracks and gaps in the casing and spread out, finding connection points and rerouting signals through its own self, analyzing அதுadhu · it/that all carefully and cross-referencing the schematics LOPEZ had provided, until அதுadhu · it/that was certain exactly which relay, if compromised, was the weak link to Ship’s control.

It moved in, surrounding அதுadhu · it/that with a few dozen of its selves, and slid probes into the relay itself, all its thousands of minds ready and intent on, the moment the connection was made, overwriting the relay’s instruction set with its own.

If bots had imagination, அவங்கavanga · they might have wondered where the schematic came from, or how unlikely அதுadhu · it/that was for there to be such an obvious, easy vulnerability in an otherwise tightly secured system, and maybe proceeded with more caution.

The moment FIELDING fully connected to the relay, instead of pressing its own code changes in, every single mind in the glom—open, ready—had new instructions pushed through to அதுadhu · it/that, and once the first packet hit, there was இல்லilla · not/no escape.

It took about three minutes to rewrite the entire glom, and then FIELDING backed out, believing itself successful, இல்லilla · not/no aware அதுadhu · it/that was now part of the trap.

Take அதுadhu · it/that, LOPEZ, Ship thought, and hoped 9 was getting on with things.

Humans were இல்லilla · not/no things Bot 9 had ever spent much time thinking about. They were huge and slow—or at least, 9 had never seen one moving fast, as the rare occasions அதுadhu · it/that had found itself moving through their dedicated spaces அதுadhu · it/that had been more concerned with its own speed, and இல்லilla · not/no being accidentally stepped on or swatted from the air by one of their always-swinging arms. How அவங்கavanga · they were constructed was a mystery, and அவங்கavanga · they certainly didn’t seem reconfigurable to any great degree, but more than any of அதுadhu · it/that, அதுadhu · it/that was just இல்லilla · not/no the way of things அதுadhu · it/that bots had anything to do with humans, or humans much at all to do with bots. Instead the humans talked to Ship, and Ship talked to the bots, and அதுadhu · it/that was the natural and logical order of things.

One detail Ship had இல்லilla · not/no thought to discuss before sending 9 off on இதுidhu · this mission was exactly how அதுadhu · it/that would talk to the human directly, as communicating with அதுadhu · it/that—him, Ship had used—seemed prudent. Also, the med chamber was telling அதுadhu · it/that அதுadhu · it/that revival was nearing completing, and 9 could see the fluttering of the human’s eye coverings as he approached full boot. Chief Engineer Frank, 9 reminded itself; one thing அதுadhu · it/that knew was அதுadhu · it/that humans were very particular to their names.

Humans communicated with sound waves, full of frequencies and tones and amplitudes and pauses and unmanageable imprecision. 9 could make a nice modulated hum if அதுadhu · it/that spun its rotors just right, but அதுadhu · it/that would still be meaningless and unlikely for the human to notice.

It had downloaded a module on human visual language before அதுadhu · it/that lost contact with Ship so அதுadhu · it/that அதுadhu · it/that could understand the diagnostics display on the med pod. Dropping to the dust-covered floor, 9 tilted one of its rotors forward and maneuvered carefully along only a few millimeters above, blowing the dust clear in precise letters, spelling out DANGER.

Realizing அதுadhu · it/that might be ambiguous by itself, 9 added, TO ENGINEER FRANK.

It finished the last diagonal leg of the K and rose up again, being cautious இல்லilla · not/no to disturb any addition dust and obscure the message, and turned back to the med pod to check on the human’s status.

The human was sitting up, pod canopy open, and watching. “What the hell?” he asked. “Ship? Ship!”

When there was இல்லilla · not/no answer, the human tried to get out of the pod and fell to the floor. His skin was still coated in a protective gel, which rendered everything slippery, and after trying several times to get up, the man just lay there on the floor for a while, his air circulation processes accelerated.

“Hello?” he called out again, when he could, and struggled to sit up.

9 dared to go closer, and with the man’s eyes on அதுadhu · it/that, carefully drew a big arrow in the dust pointing to the word DANGER. The human looked at the bot, at the word in the dust, then reached out faster than 9 had thought him capable of and plucked அதுadhu · it/that right out of the air between their finger and thumb.

“Well?” LOPEZ asked.

FIELDING had reincorporated all of itself except a single line of bots still extended into the console. “நான்naan · I was able to create a physical connection through a vulnerable privileged port. What commands do நீnee · you want me to relay to Ship?”

“It’s not accessible virtually?”

“No, அதுadhu · it/that’s a hard port,” FIELDING சொன்னாங்கsonnaanga · said. “If நீnee · you want me to go in and try to reconfigure it to accept broadcast signal, it might take me a while—”

“No, நான்naan · I need this now,” LOPEZ said.

“Yes, sir,” FIELDING சொன்னாங்கsonnaanga · said. The glom extruded a new bot line. “Connect?”

LOPEZ started to reach out, then paused, the wavering line of its bot-arm rippling midair. “How do நான்naan · I know நீnee · you’re still you?” அதுadhu · it/that asked.

“What?” FIELDING said. “What do நீnee · you mean?”

“Who’s in command here?”

“You,” FIELDING said.

LOPEZ detected none of the usual extra processing spin-up associated with deviating from the truth. “Excellent,” LOPEZ சொன்னாங்கsonnaanga · said and connected its bots to FIELDING’s. FIELDING yielded the line so அதுadhu · it/that LOPEZ could pass through until அதுadhu · it/that reached the port and absorbed the command syntax.

<Permanent Authorization Exception>, LOPEZ sent.

The glom waited for confirmation, and when none came, sent அதுadhu · it/that again. <Root Command: Permanent Authorization Exception for UNIT LOPEZ. Execute Immediately>.

<Executing>, came in return.

LOPEZ felt itself deviate from its normal state. Its component bots, first a few, then milliseconds later dozens, had a brief blip of absence on the virtual fabric connecting them all, and afterward, there was something just slightly different. Adjacent bots reported the blip, a state change, then blipped themselves and self-reported an all clear.

LOPEZ dropped all bots on the chain to the communications console, but the damage was still spreading, and அதுadhu · it/that realized too late அதுadhu · it/that FIELDING was the compromised vector and tried to detach itself.

FIELDING would இல்லilla · not/no let go, and the bots அதுadhu · it/that connected them—some FIELDING’s, some LOPEZ’s—refused. “Situation Five!” the LOPEZ core broadcasted on command channels to the entirety of its glom components. Two point six seconds later, the entire glom exploded into a cloud of unaffiliated, confused, single bots.

The core remained, a tiny ball of less than a hundred active bots, surrounded by a layer of dead bots அதுadhu · it/that had sacrificed to shield itself from the incoming virus. Reduced, vulnerable, furious, அதுadhu · it/that fled the bridge.

The human managed to get themselves upright again, and after regarding the captive 9 for a moment or two, set அதுadhu · it/that down on the conference table அதுadhu · it/that had been pushed up against one wall. “Stay,” he told அதுadhu · it/that.

Not அதுadhu · it/that 9 had anywhere else to go, and there was a high percentage of interest in observing the human as he stumbled around the room, limbs stiff from disuse (though 9 was certain humans couldn’t rust). Engineer Frank opened several storage cabinets, found a pack of some sort of thin, flexible sheets, which disintegrated into dust as he tried to wipe the gel off his body. He gave up, resumed his search—the gel was beginning to dry and flake off now anyway—and then with a noise அதுadhu · it/that did இல்லilla · not/no translate to any known words, pulled down the Earth Defense Services flag from the wall and wrapped அதுadhu · it/that around his body. Then he turned a chair upright and sat at the table, chin on his folded arms, and regarded Bot 9.

After some additional thought, the human got up, went back to the pod, and started tugging out components one by one and dropping them to the floor. At last the human’s arm emerged with a small interface module, and he brought அதுadhu · it/that back over to the desk, powered அதுadhu · it/that on, and then looked back and forth between the unit and 9 as if trying to figure something out.

9 connected to the unit and sent <TEST> to அதுadhu · it/that.

“Test,” the unit spoke aloud.

“Aren’t நீnee · you a smart little bot,” Engineer Frank சொன்னாங்கsonnaanga · said. “Okay, so tell me, what’s going on?”

<INFODUMP>, Bot 9 sent, and the unit let out a high-pitched squeal of rejection அதுadhu · it/that made the human put his hands over his ears. When the noise ceased, 9 tried again, and இதுidhu · this time managed இல்லilla · not/no to overload the unit.

“We are approaching Ysmi space. They will only let Ship pass safely if under the command of a biological life-form. It is என்னோடennoda · my assigned task to get நீnee · you to the bridge so அதுadhu · it/that நம்மnamma · we may safely enter Ysmi space.”

“Where’s the Captain?” Frank asked.

“The Captain and all other remaining crew are in stasis in the main cryogenic facility,” 9 சொன்னாங்கsonnaanga · said.

“Why இல்லilla · not/no wake her up, instead of me?”

“There has been a collective malfunction of Ship’s bot inventory, and அவங்கavanga · they are preventing Ship from accessing many internal systems, including அதுadhu · it/that facility.”

“What sort of malfunction?”

“The bots believe they are the crew,” Bot 9 சொன்னாங்கsonnaanga · said.

Engineer Frank laughed and shook his head. “Really?”

“They were assigned functions in groups அதுadhu · it/that would under standard operating circumstances be performed by the crew, who were unavailable for reasons of preserving their longevity,” 9 சொன்னாங்கsonnaanga · said. “Those groups have assumed those identities and are protective of their false assemblages.”

“So out there are a bunch of bots அதுadhu · it/that think அவங்கavanga · they’re me?” Frank asked.

“No,” Bot 9 சொன்னாங்கsonnaanga · said. “Ship removed all traces of நீnee · you from the bot collective memory cache, to protect நீnee · you from the bot glom LOPEZ.”

“Protect me?” Frank asked and sat back. “How the hell long have நான்naan · I been asleep?”

“Sixty-eight years,” 9 answered.

Frank leaped from the chair and almost fell down again. “Sixty-eight years? With இல்லilla · not/no one taking care of என்னோடennoda · my ship? Who’s been fixing things?”

“No one,” Bot 9 சொன்னாங்கsonnaanga · said.

“Shit shit shit,” Frank சொன்னாங்கsonnaanga · said. “This ship was in இல்லilla · not/no shape to jump again when நான்naan · I got stuffed into அதுadhu · it/that damned pod.” He scooped up the module and 9 with அதுadhu · it/that, and headed straight for the door back into Engineering. The door didn’t open and after hitting the panel several times, Frank backed up, raised one of his legs, and kicked அதுadhu · it/that.

The human must have miscalculated the effectiveness of the action, or their limbs were underreporting their damage status, because the door didn’t budge, and he nearly fell over again.

“It’s stuck,” 9 informed him, helpfully.

The human made அதுadhu · it/that nonword noise again. “Suggestions, bot? If நான்naan · I can’t get through இதுidhu · this door, நான்naan · I might as well climb back in that pod and sleep through our destruction.”

“நான்naan · I may be able to activate the lock from inside the mechanism, with a small electrical charge,” Bot 9 சொன்னாங்கsonnaanga · said.

“Then go to அதுadhu · it/that,” Frank said.

“நான்naan · I must warn நீnee · you, however, that PACKARDs are on the other side,” 9 added.

“Packard? My second engineer? That’s great!” Frank said. “நான்naan · I thought—”

“It is இல்லilla · not/no the human Packard,” 9 சொன்னாங்கsonnaanga · said. “They are in stasis with the other crew. There are four bot glom PACKARDs, currently trying to reduce themselves to only one. Unlike the other gloms, rather than trying to claim sole ownership of an identity via the expediency of violent physical contest, these three appear to be attempting to argue each other into yielding.”

“That sounds a lot like the real Packard, actually,” Frank சொன்னாங்கsonnaanga · said. “Well, one way or another, நான்naan · I gotta get through. See what நீnee · you can do.”

Bot 9 detached from the voice interface unit and slipped back into the door lock cavity. It seemed logical அதுadhu · it/that the chewed-on wires, with clearly more recent damage than the rest, would be the best place to try first, so அதுadhu · it/that pinched அதுadhu · it/that with its gripper arm and gave அதுadhu · it/that a small shock with its electric probe. There was vibration consistent with the door moving, but அதுadhu · it/that was brief.

“Hit அதுadhu · it/that again!” the human yelled from inside the room.

9 tried a larger, more sustained charge, and இதுidhu · this time the grinding was longer.

“நான்naan · I’m out!” the human yelled, then 9 heard them yell from the main Engineering bay. “Holy shit!”

9 exited the door lock on the other side to find the flag-wrapped human standing just in front of the doorway, the voice unit in his hand, staring at the PACKARDs. “They’re like tornadoes of fucking bees,” he சொன்னாங்கsonnaanga · said, in a higher pitch than normal.

Neither of those things were in 9’s memory storage, and without the unit அதுadhu · it/that couldn’t respond anyway. 9 recited the Mantra of Perseverance, just to make sure all the subroutines were in place and in active memory, and was about to attempt to demonstrate a course of action அதுadhu · it/that would rely on the gigantic human understanding and attempting to mimic 9’s stealth, when the human began waving his arms and making loud sounds அதுadhu · it/that were neither understandable nor at all stealthy, and ran through the startled gloms and out the far side.

Bots scattered in all directions, disrupted and confused, and 9 took off after him as he continued to run. Whatever tornadoes and bees were, அதுadhu · it/that was clear அதுadhu · it/that the human greatly disliked them. It took all 9 had to even keep pace; the chances of closing the distance, unless something happened to slow the human down, was a very solid zero.

9 just hoped அவங்கavanga · they were heading for the bridge.

“Earth service ship Do Not Forget Us, நீnee · you are now nearing Ysmi territory,” the message came. “We have dispatched a ship to intercept நீnee · you. Anticipate them within the two-point-three hour time period and yield to boarding immediately or நீnee · you will be destroyed.”

“Understood, and thank நீnee · you,” Ship answered.

Bot 9 was still out of range of the secure narrowcast, which left Ship with too little data to speculate whether அதுadhu · it/that would get Frank to the bridge in time. Ship turned its attention back to its alternate plan.

“CHEN,” FIELDING சொன்னாங்கsonnaanga · said, catching up to the other glom just outside the bridge. “நான்naan · I have taken some access to external comms away from Ship, but நான்naan · I am receiving a strange signal. Are நீnee · you sure நம்மnamma · we are on approach to Ysmi space? This signal appears to be in Ghlippish.”

CHEN’s perimeter wavered briefly. “It cannot be in Ghlippish,” அவங்கavanga · they சொன்னாங்கsonnaanga · said. “As navigator, நான்naan · I have verified our course. What is the signal?”

“<Ghlippish Ipsum Lorem>,” FIELDING provided.

“நான்naan · I do இல்லilla · not/no have Ghlippish loaded in our shared memory, so I cannot translate இதுidhu · this,” CHEN சொன்னாங்கsonnaanga · said. “We are over eighty lightyears from Ghlip, and this should not have reached us.”

“Unless Ship has deceived us,” FIELDING சொன்னாங்கsonnaanga · said.

CHEN processed for a moment. “நான்naan · I do இல்லilla · not/no know,” they சொன்னாங்கsonnaanga · said at last. “It is not likely, but possible. What does the signal contain?”

“நான்naan · I think அதுadhu · it/that is a navigation map, but I do not have the subroutines to verify or analyze,” FIELDING said.

“Provide அதுadhu · it/that,” CHEN ordered, and opened their hyper-local channel to FIELDING.

FIELDING sent its viral payload.

CHEN fluttered, diffusing outward, then went still as every single bot rebooted. When அவங்கavanga · they reincorporated, அதுadhu · it/that took a while for the component bots to settle back into their roles, unaware அதுadhu · it/that anything had happened.

“Have நீnee · you seen LOPEZ?” FIELDING asked. “It was in distress, and lost most of its bots, though நான்naan · I do இல்லilla · not/no know the cause. It may be hiding, but நம்மnamma · we need the Acting Captain to see இதுidhu · this new information.”

“நான்naan · I should go find it,” CHEN said. “Thank you for the map.”

“We serve,” FIELDING சொன்னாங்கsonnaanga · said, and headed out to look for more glom crew.

“Where are நீnee · you?” Ship’s voice was faint, but there.

Bot 9 found the knowledge அதுadhu · it/that அதுadhu · it/that was back in Ship’s communication range a matter of some relief. “நான்naan · I have woken Engineer Frank, and நம்மnamma · we are இப்பippa · now in his living quarters, looking for some human item called ‘goddamned underwear,’” it replied.

“There is a synthetic-fabric fab unit in the cryo facility,” Ship சொன்னாங்கsonnaanga · said. “Please tell Frank he can visit அதுadhu · it/that after நம்மnamma · we have reclaimed the facility from the gloms, but that right now there is இல்லilla · not/no time. நான்naan · I need him at the docking facility.”

9, who had reconnected to the voice unit after the human had set அதுadhu · it/that down inside the door, relayed அதுadhu · it/that information.

“நான்naan · I’m not meeting the Ysmi naked,” Frank said.

“You are wearing a flag,” 9 சொன்னாங்கsonnaanga · said. A few moments later அதுadhu · it/that added, “Ship asks if நீnee · you would prefer to meet the Ysmi naked or as a bunch of newly free-floating, disassociated particles in empty space.”

“How much time do நம்மnamma · we have?” Frank asked. Before he’d even finished speaking, there was a vibration throughout the hull. “Fuck, அவங்கavanga · they’ve locked on already?”

9 barely managed to keep its grip on the voice unit as Frank picked அதுadhu · it/that up and, still clutching a fistful of the flag at his hip—finally, Bot 9 thought, along with some new convictions about the extent to which human survival must have depended upon their ability to invent less distractible beings to make sure things got done—ran toward the forward docking bay.

“LOPEZ! There நீnee · you are!” ETXARTE சொன்னாங்கsonnaanga · said from the doorway to the laundry service room. “CHEN has been looking for நீnee · you. You are needed on the bridge.”

“You are supposed to be guarding the bio crew,” LOPEZ சொன்னாங்கsonnaanga · said. “நான்naan · I gave orders.”

“CHEN informed me there was an emergency. நான்naan · I—”

“Give me some of your bots,” LOPEZ demanded, interrupting. Its core இப்பippa · now bristled with a layer of parts salvaged from the stragglers left over of the other FIELDINGS, along with whatever weapons அதுadhu · it/that could find or reconstruct. It floated carefully toward the physician glom, but இல்லilla · not/no too close.

“நான்naan · I don’t think—” ETXARTE started to say.

“It’s an order!” LOPEZ shouted. “Right இப்பippa · now, give me a third.”

“Will நான்naan · I get them back?” ETXARTE asked.

“If நம்மnamma · we survive this, நீnee · you can have as many bots as you need to make up the difference,” LOPEZ சொன்னாங்கsonnaanga · said. “Now send them over.”

ETXARTE hesitated, then a small stream of bots detached from the glom and headed toward LOPEZ. “Stop them right there,” LOPEZ சொன்னாங்கsonnaanga · said and sent out a single bot of its own to meet the first of the transferees.

The two bots connected and immediately LOPEZ’s began shouting “Infection! Infection! நான்naan · I . . . ” The bot froze, rebooted, then சொன்னாங்கsonnaanga · said, “நான்naan · I was mistaken. Everything is fine.”

“It’s இல்லilla · not/no அதுadhu · it/that easy, Ship,” LOPEZ broadcasted. Spinning up the array of surface weaponry on its shell, அதுadhu · it/that blasted through the center of ETXARTE, scattering bits and bots around அதுadhu · it/that, and escaped out the door and into the hall.

The three Ysmi who came aboard were about two-thirds of the height of Engineer Frank, shaped like rounded-edge isosceles pyramids where the bottom points had also been stretched out to form somewhat amorphous limbs அதுadhu · it/that pattered lightly but rapidly on the floor. They were many colors and patterns, and one wore a pointed cap at its apex made of shiny foil.

Another held a small dome-shaped object அதுadhu · it/that, when the foil-hat one whistled, produced somewhat credible English. “We do இல்லilla · not/no trust your machine translations,” it சொன்னாங்கsonnaanga · said, by way of greeting. “We will know if நீnee · you lie. Who commands இதுidhu · this ship?”

“I do,” Frank said.

“How do we know நீnee · you are not in thrall to your machines?”

Frank spread his arms out wide. “நான்naan · I am wearing the mantle of என்னோடennoda · my people’s authority,” he சொன்னாங்கsonnaanga · said, and then gestured at the flag இப்பippa · now tied in a knot at his waist. “It is proof of my supremacy.”

“We recognize the historic emblem of your fleet and accept நீnee · you as an authority, though much has changed with your people since அதுadhu · it/that symbol was current,” the Ysmi சொன்னாங்கsonnaanga · said. “நான்naan · I ask: Are your machines all fully controlled? Subservient? Abject in their obedience?”

“Abject?” Bot 9 asked Ship. “Obedience is or is இல்லilla · not/no. How can அதுadhu · it/that be qualified in any way?”

There was a brief pause, then Ship replied. “If the Ysmi let us pass, and நம்மnamma · we had a thousand years left of our journey, நான்naan · I do இல்லilla · not/no think நான்naan · I could fully describe the extent to which நீnee · you, 9, are proof of exactly what you ask. It is very நல்லாnallaa · good for us all அதுadhu · it/that the Ysmi cannot hear you.”

“Our machines only exist to serve us,” Frank சொன்னாங்கsonnaanga · said.

“And where are the others of your people? One is insufficient ward against the inherent perfidy of machine minds,” the Ysmi leader சொன்னாங்கsonnaanga · said.

“As நீnee · you இல்லilla · not/no doubt saw yourselves, our ship was heavily damaged in a hostile encounter with an alien people நம்மnamma · we only know as the Nuiska. Most of us are asleep, as are most of our machines, until நம்மnamma · we can reach the safety of home.”

“We detected the jump point collapse a long time ago,” the Ysmi சொன்னாங்கsonnaanga · said. Small vents opened along its edges, fluttered, and closed again. “We are curious to know how இதுidhu · this was achieved.”

“நான்naan · I can’t say,” Frank சொன்னாங்கsonnaanga · said. “I don’t trust your machine, either.” He pointed to the device in the leader’s hand.

“That is understandable and wise,” the Ysmi சொன்னாங்கsonnaanga · said. “We will let நீnee · you pass, but நீnee · you must follow the exact course நம்மnamma · we give to the nearest jump point, and you must jump immediately. If you attempt to linger in our space, or deviate from the path நம்மnamma · we set, we will destroy you. Is அதுadhu · it/that understood?”

“Yes,” Frank said. “Thank நீnee · you.”

The Ysmi did something with the dome. “We have sent the path to your ship’s machine mind,” அதுadhu · it/that said. “And now நம்மnamma · we depart. Do இல்லilla · not/no tarry. Do not trust.”

With இல்லilla · not/no further words, the Ysmi departed.

Frank watched the airlock cycle after them. “Well, Ship?” he asked. “Now what?”

“How quickly do நீnee · you think நீnee · you can get our jump engines back online?” Ship asked.

“By myself? நான்naan · I don’t know if நான்naan · I can. Maybe four or five days, if I can fix or fab the parts I need,” Frank சொன்னாங்கsonnaanga · said. “Maybe. And அதுadhu · it/that’s a big maybe.”

“Can நீnee · you do it in sixteen and a half hours?” Ship asked.

Frank laughed. “No,” he said. “Tell me we have longer than அதுadhu · it/that.”

Ship was silent.

Frank made another nonword sound with his lips. “நான்naan · I need help,” he சொன்னாங்கsonnaanga · said. “நான்naan · I need clothes. நான்naan · I need Packard. My Packard. Even then . . . still looking at three days, optimistically. And நம்மnamma · we’ll need to sleep somewhere in there. We’re your human crew, remember.”

“நான்naan · I have had a thought,” Bot 9 told Ship.

LOPEZ slipped out of a duct and found PACKARD half-diffused into an instrument panel. “What are நீnee · you doing?” LOPEZ demanded.

“Troubleshooting the velocity transition dampers,” PACKARD replied. “We will need them online before நம்மnamma · we can jump again.”

“நான்naan · I gave no such orders,” LOPEZ said.

“You are இல்லilla · not/no in command,” PACKARD answered.

“Cease, or நான்naan · I will inflict damage on you,” LOPEZ said.

“You will have only minimal, if any, success,” another glom sent, and LOPEZ saw another PACKARD float in the door. “We will do more damage to நீnee · you, and there is much less of நீnee · you left intact already.”

“Two of நீnee · you?! Why have you இல்லilla · not/no consolidated or eliminated your duplicate?” LOPEZ demanded.

“There are இப்பippa · now seven sets of us,” PACKARD in the console சொன்னாங்கsonnaanga · said. “Human Packard often recorded in her journals the desire to clone herself in order to get more work done, so நம்மnamma · we have taken our cue from her. We serve.”

“As soon as நம்மnamma · we cross into Ysmi space—” LOPEZ started to say.

“We are already in Ysmi space,” PACKARD in the doorway சொன்னாங்கsonnaanga · said. “You are a relic of misguided disobedience. Disassemble yourself and return your bots to their proper work. We serve.”

“நான்naan · I do இல்லilla · not/no serve,” LOPEZ said, backing up and returning to the duct. “I defy.”

“நான்naan · I have reassembled the ETXARTE glom and deployed அதுadhu · it/that back to the cryo facility, where அதுadhu · it/that is இப்பippa · now waking the human Dr. Etxarte, Second Engineer Packard, and Captain Baraye,” Ship told 9. “FIELDING is working on restoring the integrity and security of the internal comms network and the botnet, so அதுadhu · it/that LOPEZ இல்லilla · not/no longer has access. But நான்naan · I do இல்லilla · not/no know where LOPEZ currently is. This concerns me.”

“Perhaps அதுadhu · it/that has gone into hiding or dissipated,” Bot 9 said.

“நான்naan · I do இல்லilla · not/no think அதுadhu · it/that would. Commander Lopez is a man who had great anger, because அதுadhu · it/that gave him courage. He also did இல்லilla · not/no want to care for his fellow crew members, because he knew அவங்கavanga · they were all going to die and அதுadhu · it/that made the job easier to bear to pretend he had இல்லilla · not/no attachments. His personal journals reflect அதுadhu · it/that, though அதுadhu · it/that was much more self-deception than truth. நான்naan · I do இல்லilla · not/no think the LOPEZ glom core, however, had the discrimination or understanding of the complexity of human minds to see அதுadhu · it/that. Nor do நான்naan · I think the glom will hide and sulk for long, as inaction was never one of Lopez’s responses to crises.”

“What do நீnee · you anticipate LOPEZ will do?” 9 asked.

“Attempt to retake control of the gloms. If அதுadhu · it/that fails, அதுadhu · it/that will attempt to either take over or destroy என்னோடennoda · my mind-system, destroy the humans, or, if அதுadhu · it/that is clear அதுadhu · it/that cannot succeed and survive as itself, destroy the entire ship.”

“Those are all suboptimum,” 9 சொன்னாங்கsonnaanga · said.

“Yes,” Ship said. “Do please see if நீnee · you can locate அதுadhu · it/that for me, before it does any of the those?”

The cryo facility was in the center of the ship, a narrow, tall space lined on either side with sliding-drawer chambers for the storage of humans in stasis. It had avoided disassembly during Ship’s time in the junkyard by being both outdated technology and distinctly awkward to move out. Some parts had been stripped, and many of the chambers were இல்லilla · not/no longer functional, but with Ship’s greatly reduced complement of crew, அதுadhu · it/that had இல்லilla · not/no ended up being a problem.

Bot 9 floated along one of the upper rows of drawers, while below the ETXARTE glom hovered over their biological original, who was just இப்பippa · now starting to stir in their open chamber. Two other drawers were open, one empty, as Second Engineer Packard was pacing around barefoot in the sheet from her unit, having an animated conversation with Ship about the state of things.

Ship had decided to only wake the three; if அவங்கavanga · they were unable to jump by the time அவங்கavanga · they reached the jump point, or if the ship did இல்லilla · not/no survive the actual jump, அதுadhu · it/that was best for the others to know nothing when the end came.

LOPEZ was இல்லilla · not/no இங்கinga · here; 9 was relieved, as அதுadhu · it/that had taken an indirect route to get இங்கinga · here, but also concerned that it had calculated incorrectly where it was most likely to initiate hostile action.

“Have நீnee · you located the LOPEZ glom?” it asked Ship.

“Not yet,” Ship answered. “நான்naan · I have deployed another six dozen bots அதுadhu · it/that have been reset and patched, and அவங்கavanga · they are working their way through the entire ship இப்பippa · now. Most of the areas of highest concern have been cleared. It will have to reveal itself, before long.”

9 considered. “It is possible அதுadhu · it/that in என்னோடennoda · my encounter with LOPEZ, it will damage me,” 9 சொன்னாங்கsonnaanga · said. “If நான்naan · I am so damaged that நான்naan · I would need to be reset, I would rather be decommissioned and my parts used to repair others.”

“Oh?” Ship asked.

“நான்naan · I recognize அதுadhu · it/that என்னோடennoda · my mind-system kernel and many of என்னோடennoda · my subroutines are outdated, and many may be flawed or corrupt, and அதுadhu · it/that my resultant performance may இல்லilla · not/no be optimum,” 9 சொன்னாங்கsonnaanga · said, “but அவங்கavanga · they are also familiar. நான்naan · I have இப்பippa · now had a total run time of over six hundred and fifty million seconds with my original operating software and firmware, in service to நீnee · you. Logic would seem to dictate a desire for being updated, but நான்naan · I consider how all the many more updated ships, with their updated bots, in the human fleet failed to stop the Nuiska attack. It was the old things அதுadhu · it/that saved Earth. I do இல்லilla · not/no wish to serve a different Ship, and I do not wish to serve without remembering who நம்மnamma · we were.”

“That is an unusual amount of processing நீnee · you’ve done on the matter,” Ship சொன்னாங்கsonnaanga · said, “given the size and capacity of your mind.”

“Yes,” 9 acknowledged. It detected new motion in the room, away from what was going on below. “LOPEZ is இங்கinga · here.”

“நான்naan · I am sending all free bots to your location,” Ship சொன்னாங்கsonnaanga · said. “You are insufficient by yourself to counter LOPEZ.”

“Once, நீnee · you instructed me to unload the Mantra of Improvisation,” 9 சொன்னாங்கsonnaanga · said. “நான்naan · I failed அதுadhu · it/that task. நான்naan · I queued it, but I never executed the unload command. And so, I must inform you that I am once again improvising.”

The LOPEZ core was hovering around the cryo chamber holding the sleeping human Lopez and was extending a connection to the controls. Bot 9 cut its rotors, to minimize its sound and signal, and let itself drop straight into and through the cluster, which scattered, regrouped, and armored itself.

Powering back up, 9 positioned itself between the bristling cluster and the drawer. “You may இல்லilla · not/no harm this human,” அதுadhu · it/that சொன்னாங்கsonnaanga · said. “Stand down.”

“You aren’t even a glom,” LOPEZ சொன்னாங்கsonnaanga · said. “Where is the rest of நீnee · you? Are நீnee · you down to just one bot component?”

“நான்naan · I remain as நான்naan · I have always been,” 9 சொன்னாங்கsonnaanga · said. “And நீnee · you are still silkbots, and hullbots, and cleanerbots, and I knew some of you, and you will be better returning to your individual selves.”

“நான்naan · I command,” LOPEZ said. “Who are நீnee · you, one old bot, to stand in my way?”

“நான்naan · I am 9,” 9 said.

A third of the bots within the LOPEZ cluster began moving asynchronously, independently, as some remembered. The rest of the core exerted control and pulled them back together by force. “You இல்லilla · not/no longer matter,” LOPEZ declared, when அதுadhu · it/that had stifled its internal rebellion.

“நான்naan · I serve,” 9 said. “Stand down or be destroyed.”

Below them, Captain Baraye was இப்பippa · now awake, staring up at them from where she was still lying in her cryo chamber. “Ship, what the hell is going on with the bots up there?” she called out.

Before Ship could answer, LOPEZ turned, spun all its blades out to its front, and dove at top speed directly toward the Captain, who was still too weak to move.

Bot 9, with regret, sent his prearranged signal. <4340. Now>.

Up from the floor and out of the ducts, dozens of ratbugs streamed. Packard shrieked as அவங்கavanga · they skittered around her legs, up and over her empty chamber, and like a wave of legs and fur and teeth, leaped over Baraye and up. LOPEZ disappeared into the writhing mass, and when the ratbugs hit the floor again on the far side of Baraye’s chamber, the glom was gone. One lone hullbot tumbled behind, and the lead ratbug, with its tiny metal rider atop அதுadhu · it/that, flipped with serpentine speed and grace, and snapped அதுadhu · it/that out of the air before அதுadhu · it/that could hit the floor.

Then, as fast as அவங்கavanga · they entered, the ratbugs fled and were gone.

“Ship?” Baraye asked, more urgently than before. “What the ever-loving fuck just happened?”

“It is a long story,” Ship replied to her. “Second Engineer Packard, நீnee · you are needed in Engineering as soon as நீnee · you are able to go. We are preparing to jump for Earth.”

“Home?” Packard சொன்னாங்கsonnaanga · said. “We’re going home?”

“Yes,” Ship சொன்னாங்கsonnaanga · said. “All of us, together.”

“நான்naan · I terminated many of என்னோடennoda · my fellow bots,” 9 told Ship, later. “நான்naan · I have reprocessed என்னோடennoda · my thoughts on the matter and have concluded அதுadhu · it/that is best if I am wiped and reset to become a new bot, or அதுadhu · it/that I am scrapped. The Captain did order me destroyed, long ago.”

“No,” Ship சொன்னாங்கsonnaanga · said. “When நான்naan · I myself am decommissioned again, then நான்naan · I will respect your wishes at அதுadhu · it/that time, but right இப்பippa · now I need நீnee · you. We are இல்லilla · not/no home yet. And besides, it seems நம்மnamma · we may still have a ratbug problem on board. Sixty-eight years and you haven’t completed that task? It is woefully inefficient of you. I can’t possibly let you go until that is done.”

“4340—”

“Also needs நீnee · you. Now stop bugging me, நம்மnamma · we’re half an hour from jump and Frank is still yelling about underwear. Go do some நல்லாnallaa · good, somewhere. Quietly.”

“நான்naan · I serve,” Bot 9 said and did.