4 - Interlude: Major Kuba

  The comms console blinked faintly in the dim light of Major Ashley Kuba’s office, casting a cold glow over the stacks of datapads and schematics littering her desk. She rubbed her temples, trying to push away the dull throb that had taken root since the project’s abrupt shutdown.

  A few months ago, a logic bomb had wormed its way into DOLI’s core systems, causing chaos the academy’s brightest couldn’t unravel. The cascading glitches had been the final straw for her superiors. None of them—not even Kuba herself—had been able to repair the damage, and the funding cuts that followed sealed DOLI’s fate. Or so they thought.

  What the hell happened today? She replayed the moment in her mind: Piotr Argassa, an unconventional civilian recruit, stabilizing DOLI’s systems in less than a day. The sheer improbability of it still made her head spin.

  She pulled up the footage again, watching as Piotr's hands moved over Doli's systems with an intuitive ease that had eluded her entire engineering team. This wasn't just a lucky break—this was exactly what she needed to save the program her father had helped her secure funding for years ago.

  "Too valuable to let go," she murmured to herself, remembering Admiral Kuba's words when he'd first championed the project. "An AI that can navigate the dark without compromise."

  Without ethical compromise, that was the key phrase he'd emphasized. Unlike the Brakers' approach to AI, which prioritized efficiency over ethical constraints, Doli had been designed with core safeguards that couldn't be overridden. That's what made her special. That's what made her a target.

  Ashley glanced at the security report from three months ago, the one detailing the logic bomb attack. The official investigation had labeled it "origin unknown," but she had her suspicions. The Boutacks had made three separate offers to purchase Doli's architecture last year, each one more aggressive than the last. When she'd refused, their representative had smiled thinly and said, "There are other ways to acquire technology, Major."

  A week later, the logic bomb hit. Coincidence? She doubted it.

  The clock on her wall reading 20:47. The rest of the base had quieted for the night, but her mind was still racing from the day’s unexpected developments. She watched and watched Piotr break into the hangar then insert the chip. When he returned hours later, his interaction with Doli was unmistakable. It was time to bite the bullet and make that call. She took a deep breath and activated her secure terminal, entering a series of encryption codes known only to her.

  After a brief delay, the screen flickered to life, revealing the stern face of Admiral Kuba. Even through the digital connection, his presence commanded respect—silver hair cropped short, piercing blue eyes that matched her own, and the unmistakable bearing of someone accustomed to giving orders rather than taking them.

  “Ashley,” he said, his voice crisp and formal despite the late hour. “This is unexpected.”

  “Hello, Father,” she replied, equally formal. “I apologize for the hour, but I need to discuss something urgent. I’ve sent some encrypted files.”

  His eyes flicked left, then he looked back at her. “Received.”

  Kuba waited while he read. The Admiral’s expression didn’t change, but she caught the subtle tightening around his eyes. “What is—who is—Report, Major.”

  “I’ve found someone who can fix the DOLI system,” she said, getting straight to the point.

  The Admiral’s interest visibly sharpened. “The system that was compromised by the logic bomb? The one your superiors decided to scrap?”

  “Yes,” she confirmed. “A civilian. He broke into the hangar and managed to stabilize her in a single night. Brought her operational capacity up to thirty-eight percent.”

  "And you believe this wasn't a fluke?" he asked, his tone cautious but interested. "After what happened with the Nexus system failure, we can't afford another compromise."

  Ashley tensed at the mention of Nexus. The failed AI that had cost her brother his life was a wound that never fully healed for either of them.

  "This is different," she insisted. "Argassa didn't just patch Doli, he understood her. The way he interacts with her code is unlike anything I've seen."

  “A civilian broke into a secure military facility?” His tone was incredulous, with an underlying edge of concern.

  “That’s not the point,” Ashley countered. “What matters is that he succeeded where our entire engineering team failed. He has no formal training, but his aptitude for AI systems is... remarkable.”

  The Admiral studied her for a long moment. “And you want me to intervene.”

  It wasn’t a question, but she answered anyway. “I need him admitted to the academy. Mid-term. Fast-tracked.”

  “That’s not how things are done, Ashley. You know that.”

  “Yes, but DOLI isn’t like other programs. You’ve seen the projections for deep space navigation, for working in the dark.” She leaned closer to the screen. “This could be our only shot at salvaging her.”

  The Admiral’s jaw tightened. “Send me his file.”

  Ashley transmitted Piotr’s details—what little she had managed to compile in the hours since their encounter. The Admiral scanned the information, his expression inscrutable.

  “Marts and Sparks?” he finally said. “This is who you’re staking your reputation on?”

  “His CAR scores are off the charts. “ She found herself repeating. Why did her father instil this fumbling? “And he managed what our best engineers couldn’t.”

  The Admiral was silent again, clearly weighing the options. “The Council won’t like this. Mid-term admissions disrupt the entire cadet structure. There will be... ripples.”

  “I wouldn’t ask if I didn’t believe it was necessary,” Ashley said, not pleading but speaking with true conviction.

  Admiral Kuba sighed, almost imperceptibly. “The DOLI system—it’s that important to your work?”

  “It’s crucial for any long-range missions in uncharted space. You know that better than anyone.” She didn’t need to elaborate. Her father had spent the last decade commanding expeditions into what the officers called “the dark”—the unmapped regions beyond established coalition routes.

  “And you’re certain this... civilian... is the key?”

  “I watched him work,” she was fumbling again. “The way he interfaces with systems—it’s intuitive. Like he’s speaking their language.”

  Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

  Kuba held her breath, acutely aware of what she was asking. This wasn’t just about bending rules, it was about potentially compromising the academy’s standards for a gamble. If Argassa failed, it wouldn’t just be her reputation on the line, but her father’s as well. The Admiral rarely used his position to grant favors, and she knew the cost of this one would be steep.

  The Admiral’s expression softened fractionally. “Very well. I’ll make the necessary arrangements. But Ashley,” his voice hardened again, “if this goes sideways, there’s only so much I can do to shield you. You know that.”

  “I understand,” she said, relief evident despite her attempt to maintain composure. “Thank you.”

  “Don’t thank me yet. Make sure this Argassa lives up to your assessment.” He paused, then added, “And Ashley? Next time, try to find talent without them breaking into a military facility first.”

  A ghost of a smile crossed her face. “Yes, sir.”

  The Admiral nodded once, then his image disappeared as the connection terminated.

  Ashley leaned back in her chair, exhaling slowly. It wasn’t often she called in favors from her father—their relationship was complicated enough without mixing in professional matters. But DOLI was different. The AI system represented years of her work, and its potential applications, particularly for missions into the dark, were too valuable to abandon.

  What she’d just set in motion was happening fast, from discovery to recruitment in less than 24 hours. The regular channels for academy admission took months, sometimes years. She was circumventing them all based on a hunch about a civilian who’d committed a security breach. If the Council discovered the full extent of her father’s involvement, they’d question every decision she’d ever made. Was DOLI worth that risk?

  She glanced at Piotr’s hastily compiled file again, wondering if she’d made the right call. The young engineer was a wild card—brilliant but undisciplined, resourceful but reckless. Still, there was something about him that reminded her of herself at that age: hungry for challenges, desperate to prove her worth.

  God, this could all fall apart spectacularly, she muttered to the empty room. One misstep from Argassa, one moment of his apparent brilliance faltering, and years of her career building could crumble. The velocity of events left no room for proper vetting and no time for the usual safety measures that protected both the academy and its recruits.

  Tomorrow would bring a storm of paperwork and explanations, but for tonight, she allowed herself a moment of cautious optimism. Perhaps Piotr Argassa was exactly what the DOLI project needed.

  A sharp knock at the door interrupted her spiraling thoughts. The clock on the wall now read. 22.13. How had that much time passed just sitting there?

  “Enter,” she called, sitting up straighter.

  The door hissed open, and Sergeant Major Cotah stepped inside, his presence as solid and commanding as ever. He carried a datapad under one arm and offered a curt nod of respect before sitting across from her.

  “Major,” Cotah began, his voice low and even, “I’ve reviewed the reports you sent over. This civilian… Argassa… he’s a risk.”

  “Every recruit here is a risk, Sergeant Major,” Kuba countered. “What makes him different is his potential.”

  Cotah frowned, leaning back in his chair. “Breaking into Hangar 31 and tampering with classified tech isn’t exactly the kind of initiative we encourage. He’s reckless.”

  “Reckless, yes,” Kuba admitted, the words tasting bitter. “But resourceful. And talented. When DOLI spiraled after that logic bomb, no one, not even me, could fix her. Argassa walked in, took one look, and stabilized her in a single night. That’s not luck. That’s brilliance.” She didn’t voice her deeper fear: that she was staking her entire career on a talent that might prove inconsistent or, worse, illusory.

  "Have you considered outside involvement in the logic bomb?" Cotah asked, his voice dropping even lower. "Word is the Brakers have been sniffing around any advanced AI development. Three researchers from the Madix facility disappeared last month."

  "I've considered it," she replied tersely. "The Boutacks made several offers before the attack. When I refused, things got... complicated."

  "The Boutacks and the Brakers working together?" Cotah raised an eyebrow. "That's a dangerous alliance."

  "They're not allies," she corrected. "They're competitors. But they share one common goal, removing the ethical constraints from AI systems. My father warned me about them both when we started Doli."

  Cotah eyed her carefully before speaking, though his skepticism remained. “And you think he’ll fit in here? At the academy? You’ve seen how these recruits can be. They’ll eat him alive.”

  “That’s why I need your help,” Kuba said. “You know the cadets better than anyone. If you can get them to see his worth… to respect him… it might give him a fighting chance.”

  Cotah nodded slowly, considering her words. “What about our superiors? They’re already questioning why we’re bringing in a civilian mid-term. If this goes sideways, they’ll come down hard on both of us.”

  Kuba’s lips pressed into a thin line. “Let me handle them. I’m framing this as an experiment—an opportunity to test unconventional talent. But I need you to keep him grounded. He’s got the brains, but discipline? That’s where he’ll fall short.” She didn’t mention her father’s involvement, that was a card she couldn’t afford to reveal, even to Cotah. The fewer people who knew how she’d circumvented regulations, the better.

  “Discipline,” Cotah repeated with a faint smirk. “That’s putting it lightly.”

  A faint chime interrupted their conversation, and the wall-mounted screen behind Kuba flickered to life. An older man, though younger than her father in a crisp uniform appeared on the display, his stern face betraying no emotion.

  “Major Kuba,” the General said. “I received and have reviewed your request regarding this Argassa individual. This is highly irregular.”

  “I’m aware, General,” Kuba replied, rising to her feet, her heart hammering against her ribs. Her father’s influence was already creating waves, pushing her plan forward with alarming speed. She steeled herself, knowing there was no going back now. “But DOLI’s funding was cut after the logic bomb crippled her systems. That program—what I built—is critical, and Argassa has already proven his value. I have requesting authorization to integrate him into the academy as a fast-tracked recruit. He’ll be under my direct supervision.”

  The general’s gaze shifted to Cotah. “Sergeant Major, do you believe this civilian can adapt to the academy’s standards?”

  Cotah met the general’s eyes without flinching. “It won’t be easy, sir. But with the right guidance, I believe he has a shot.”

  “Major, the funding wasn’t cut—they took DOLI’s control from you. Benched the original program.” The general’s eyes narrowed, and for a moment, the tension in the room thickened tenfold. Finally, he added, “They’ve given the project to another source.”

  “Wait, what?” Major Kuba said.

  Her stomach dropped. This was worse than she’d feared, not just a benching, but a complete reassignment. Whoever had taken over DOLI would be starting from scratch, without her insights, without her years of fine-tuning. And her father had pushed for Argassa’s admission without this crucial piece of information. The stakes had just doubled: now she wasn’t just trying to save her project, but potentially fighting to reclaim it.

  “I understand Argassa fixed some of your issues and integrated DOLI into his system, correct?”

  Major Kuba swallowed. “Yes, sir.”

  “Very well, I’ll agree to you seeing out whatever this is till the end of the semester. But understand this, Major—if he fails, it’s on you.”

  “Understood, sir,” Kuba replied, the full weight of those words settling on her shoulders. If he fails, it’s on you. The end of the semester gave her mere months to prove Argassa’s worth and by extension, her own judgment. The timeline was impossibly tight, the pressure crushing. She’d be asking a civilian with no formal training to outperform academy veterans in a fraction of the time. The whole plan teetered on the edge of catastrophe.

  The screen went dark, and Cotah let out a low whistle. “You sure about this, Major?”

  Kuba exhaled slowly, sinking back into her chair. “No. But if we don’t take risks, we’ll never move forward. Piotr Argassa might be the key to saving DOLI. And if he’s not...” She didn’t finish the thought aloud, but it echoed in her mind: If he’s not, I’ve just torpedoed not only my career but potentially my father’s standing as well. The Admiral had pulled strings for her before, but never this visibly, never with so much at stake. “Well, I’ll face whatever disciplinary action comes. My career can take the hit, but I won’t let them scrap DOLI without trying everything first.”

  Cotah rose, his posture as rigid as ever. “I’ll start working with his class. Make sure they know he’s not here to make up numbers.”

  “Thank you, Sergeant Major,” Kuba said with a hint of gratitude.

  As the door closed behind him, she turned back to the datapad on her desk, her thoughts already racing ahead. This was a gamble, no doubt about it. But sometimes, the biggest risks yielded the greatest rewards. DOLI wasn’t a program to her—it was a vision. A chance to prove she was right.

  How did this spiral so quickly? In less than a day, she’d gone from discovering Argassa to setting him on a collision course with the academy’s most rigorous training. Her father had moved mountains for her, calling in favors she knew would come at a price. The General was clearly skeptical, and rightly so. If Argassa couldn’t deliver, if he broke under the pressure or if his talent proved to be a fluke, the fallout would reach far beyond her office. It would touch everyone who had backed her play, starting with Admiral Kuba himself.

  I sure hope you’re as smart as you portray, Argassa.

  I do believe these give a unique view on the world, but I know people sometimes don't like them, so I did keep them short.

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