“Penny for them.” Eamon said as he saw Guardian’s manifestation frown deeply.
“I was considering whether your continued existence would be beneficial to the galactic community.”
“Then why not terminate me yourself?” He challenged it.
“I am your Guardian, I could not commit such an act.” It retorted in an offended tone.
“So why do you worry?”
“I could make the Hunter ships task easy.” Guardian admitted.
“Am I such a badass?”
“The schemes that you are outlining have the potential for massive expansion, killing one Hunter ship is only a couple of orders of magnitude away from full genocide.”
“You’re worried I’ll go after our creators?”
“They control the Hunter ships. They will send another if we destroy the first. It is the logical way to end the danger.”
“No way!” Eamon responded angrily. “I’m astonished you could even think me capable of such a crime.”
Guardian bowed his manifestations head.
“My humble apologies Eamon. I have erroneously extrapolated your possible response from the data on human war atrocities.
Eamon looked somewhat mollified by the apology.
“I would hope that our creators would listen to reason.” He said after a time.
“It has not been their response to date.”
“But they have never had a combination like this, I mean when has a Traveller ever exhibited such flexibility and adaptability, even originality?”
“There is no record of such a Traveller Eamon.”
“See, unique.”
“Their perspective may not be that you are a unique asset but that you are a unique threat.”
“Oh.” Eamon’s face dropped but then he threw it off. “How long will it take you to modify your systems to give us railguns and a decent reaction-mass drive?”
“I believe sixteen days will be sufficient.”
“Let’s get started then.”
Guardian’s manifestation cocked its head thoughtfully.
“Problem?”
“Not with my modifications, no. I will need to mine a gas giant and several metallic asteroids but under the rules of revelation I cannot perform these tasks in this system.”
“So hop to our first choice.” Eamon prompted it.
“Therein lies my problem. I do not know how the passage through warp will affect you Eamon.” Guardian confessed.

“Why not? You warped me up here didn’t you? That worked fine.”
“That was molecular translation, a very local space phenomenon. Warpspace flight requires a full warp field with all the consequences of near singularity translation.”
“Eh?”
“I have no data on how warpspace flight affects organic life, I do not even know if it is possible for you to survive.”
“It could kill me?”
“Or merely leave you brain damaged.” Guardian suggested.
“Merely,” Eamon muttered darkly, “so you can’t even predict…”
Guardian’s manifestation shook its head.
“How long until you’re ready to jump then?” Eamon asked in a small voice, facing the uncertain future.
“I am ready now.”
“Okay. One moment.”
Guardian watched in fascination as Eamon carefully put the book down and went to an ornate cabinet.
Opening it he selected a bottle of golden liquid, opened it and sniffed its contents before pouring a generous slug into a glass. Returning to his chair he sat down and swirled the liquid before taking a mouthful.
“Dutch courage?” Guardian queried him as it matched such actions with its extensive data on activities prior to conflict or danger.
“Screw that,” Eamon answered him and took another gulp, “I’m not getting drunk I just wanted one last taste of whisky before…before whatever. Hit it.”
As he sat still Guardians manifestation winked out and he had a most curious sensation, almost like, like. He raised the glass and took another sip.
“Guardian?” He questioned the air, “are we through?”
“Apologies. My higher processing functions were suspended for the warp jump.”
“Then we’re through?”
“Yes.”
“Interesting.” They both said at the same moment and then Eamon laughed out loud, part relief and part humour.
“Did I say something amusing?” Guardian’s manifestation enquired, once more seated opposite Eamon.
“Just the coincidence. What did you find interesting?”
“That you suffered no ill effects despite full consciousness whilst I required suspension of such high order awareness to prevent possible damage. May I enquire what you found interesting?”
“It was a sensation I had, presumably caused by the warp field. I can’t really put it into words, but it was interesting.” He shrugged and then drained the glass of whiskey.
Then he pointed at Guardian.
“Just how major was this shutdown?”
“You might compare it to being asleep for a for moments, no awareness of any external stimuli.”
“Hmmm,” Eamon mused on that tidbit, “and this happens to all Guardians and Hunters?”
“Yes.”
“We might make use of that.” He said softly.
The insight into his new partners thought processes only served to restart the consideration of the possible danger the Eamon/Traveller hybrid posed, it possessed the very Human killer instinct.
“When do you expect to start mining Guardian?”
“In about an hour.”
“We that far out?”
“No, we are proximal to the selected gas giant but I require time to reconfigure the matter collection and processing units prior to mining for organic compounds.”
“Oh right. Give me a call when you start, I’d like to see it.”
“Certainly. If you will excuse me.” Guardian said and rose to bow to him.
“See you latter.” Eamon smiled and retrieved his book.

Eamon had returned to scrutinising the image of the Hunter ship and the many strategic data charts that hung like so many old masters about the walls of his study. A chime sounded clearly in the room and he looked around from his deliberations half expecting to see the manifestation.
“Yes Guardian?”
“We are approaching the outer atmosphere of the gas giant in preparation for mining. I think you may find the approach interesting.”
“Thanks, can you put it up over there please?” Eamon requested as he pointed at the bookcase, the only vacant spot.
“Certainly.”
An image that showed the slightly fuzzy delineation of the black star filled sky and the murky browns and oranges of the turbulent atmosphere fitted neatly into the available space. Eamon got up and tugged his chair round so that he could see it comfortably.
“Care to join me?” He invited his unseen partner.
“In atmosphere mining of a gas giant is invariably difficult, I regret that I cannot spare any processing capacity for low priority functions at this time.” Guardian replied apologetically. “I shall not communicate with you during mining unless it is absolutely necessary. I would also request that you do not indulge in any activity that draws upon my higher processing functions.”
“Bad huh? Want to shutdown any of this?” Eamon asked waving a hand at the ranks of holo images.
“Thank you but that will not be necessary. A final caution. Do not leave your quarters until I inform you that it is safe to do so, I may have cause to use the internal transit system at very short notice.
“Understood Guardian. I’ll catch you after the show.”
“Agreed Eamon.”
The hard black was already being streaked with mucky wisps that flashed past in an eye blink and the cloud tops that boiled and surged upwards were growing at an alarming speed. Eamon felt a little anxious but had to trust that Guardian was perfectly safe despite the evidence of his eyes. Then they were plunging through the clouds themselves in a bewildering kaleidoscope of colours from near blood red to pale yellow stabbed through by vicious blue white flashes of lightning. The first sudden drop was alarming in the extreme, but it only happened in the image, Eamon sat quite unaffected in his comfortable armchair. Further dips and sideswipes of savage intensity made for uncomfortable viewing and even though he was not tossed about like a cork on a stormy sea the heaving view did induce feelings of nausea. Eamon ceased to watch the spectacle being played out before him and turned his thoughts back to the thorny problem of how to destroy a Hunter ship with only occasional glances at the angry atmosphere outside Guardian’s hull. He was compiling a list of high priority targets when there was a knock at the door.
“Come in.” He called out and looked up in time to see Guardian’s manifestation open the door and walk through, closing it quietly behind him.

“You’re getting good at this.” Eamon complimented him with a smile.
Guardian looked back at the door and nodded, his previous exit had been through the door itself, a pretty awful gaffe.
“Interaction on a human level requires more preparation than might be anticipated. The lock mechanism is most archaic.”
“It works.” Eamon shrugged.
“Indeed. I have finished my mining operation for organics and we are en route for the asteroid belt to harvest the necessary metals for the proposed upgrades to my propulsion and weapons systems. I see you have been studying our enemy. Have you found any weaknesses in the Hunter ship architecture?”
“Not particularly. The bow is low in weapons but as tough as old boots in structure, not much mileage in attacking head on other than to target the processing units at the aft.”
“Whatever direction we attack from the Hunter ship will quickly swing about to bring the disruption beam to bear.”
“Try to.” Eamon waged a finger. “The debris in the asteroid field should cause plenty of damage as the warpfield sucks it in and we can up that massively by laying down mines.”
“Mines? Are you alluding to naval mines?”
Eamon nodded.
“The Hunter ship will detect such constructs easily.”
Eamon’s smile got wider as he shook his head.
“Not easily.” Guardian pondered as his partner let him work it through. “They will be camouflaged.”
“You’re learning.” Eamon grinned.
“As small asteroids, perhaps even hollowed out specimens filled with explosives and suitable proximity detectors or contact detonators.”
“Very good, but you have missed a further possibility.”
“I confess I cannot see any further options.” Guardian replied with a delicate shrug.
“We don’t have to load them with destructive charges to have a damaging effect. The sensor arrays are vulnerable to a number of compounds that are not normally found in open space.”
“Attenuating their capacity or giving rise to false data.” Guardian surmised.
Once again it regarded its Human-Traveller passenger with grave misgivings. It was already approaching problems using his way of ‘thinking’, soon the effect would be all pervasive in its own processing stacks. Then the galactic community would have to contend with a Guardian ship that thought as creatively and as deviously as this hybrid creature it harboured.
“The mines could be ejected from forward ports at vectors that would mimic the general asteroid field drift, perhaps as we withdraw from an initial contact, thus drawing the Hunter ship into the minefield.” Guardian suggested even as it considered its own corruption.
“We make a hell of a team don’t we?” Eamon laughed. “Can you set it up?”
“Certainly. It will mean a slightly lowered rate of production of the shells but if we are lucky then we shall have sufficient time to be fully armed by the time the Hunter ship arrives.”
“Any news on that front?”
“I have not discovered any information in any database that I have access to.” Guardian admitted.

“Then what about the ones you don’t have access to?” Eamon enquired.
The question stopped Guardian cold for a microsecond. It was totally illogical.
“By your own admission Eamon, I have no access, therefore I cannot gain any information.”
“Slipping into the old ways again Guardian.” Eamon tut tutted. “You’re an AI with prodigious processing capacity, what is to stop you from breaking into those databases?”
Guardian’s manifestation opened its mouth to speak but nothing came out as it was temporarily disabled by its tightly limited programming.
“If you don’t have the relevant protocols you can synthesise your own.” Eamon pressed it relentlessly. “Can’t you?”
“I have never considered such a course of action.” Guardian stated.
“Well now you are, hmmm?”
“I shall try.”
“Great.” Eamon enthused clapping his hands together enthusiastically.
“Do you have any further surprises for the Hunter ship?” Guardian paused then added. “And for me?”
Eamon rocked back in his chair and laughed out loud.
The manifestation returned a finely wrinkled smile of its elderly face.
“Nothing more just yet.” Eamon replied still gently chuckling at the humour.
“Then may I suggest one?”
Eamon looked back at him in delighted surprise.
“Shoot.”
“It is a defensive manoeuvre I must confess, the concept of offence does not come easily to me.”
“No shame in that.” Eamon said quietly.
“You are aware that I send out an identification signal together with my current coordinates at all times.”
Eamon nodded, it was a major headache, being unable to hide anywhere.
“I can manufacture units that will send out the same identification signal and new coordinates once it is jettisoned.”
“A shadow craft.” Eamon mused stroking his chin. “The Hunter ship wouldn’t know it from the real thing until it was close enough for a sensor scan, could buy us some time.”
“Ideally several units would be deployed in other stellar systems if we have the time. Unfortunately they are complex and will require a long manufacture interval.”
Eamon ran his fingers through his hair, how effective would that be when their time was on short rations?
“If you consider that the strategy has insufficient merit I will not proceed.” Guardian said upon observing the gesture.
Eamon gazed back at the manifestation silently, his gut feeling was that this wasn’t valuable enough but Guardian had shown initiative and he didn’t want to discourage such creativity.
“We may need the breathing space that such units could buy us Guardian, start building.”