"There is one thing that bothers me," Aoi said as she looked above. "Vishnu is fully repaired."

  "What?!" Amber followed her gaze and slightly paled seeing the ancient frigate in perfect condition.

  Its gun ports were open, and the unmistakable shining new barrels of magi cannons were back in their place. The hull wasn't jagged and crude anymore but sleek and elegant. Before her eyes, the guns retracted back, and the gunports snapped shut. The frigate had its shields lowered and only the minimal sails were on its masts. However, as her various identification spells confirmed that the frigate was indeed fully fixed, she watched it completely ignore what was happening in the city.

  "Why the hell was it repaired?!" Amber groaned seeing the frigate slowly descend towards the city's harbour.

  "I know you hate it but I doubt it is going to be willing to talk with me, so you have to go there." Aoi tried to smile compassionately. "We will take care of things in the camp so you can check on that airship."

  Amber sighed but nodded and very slowly walked towards the ancient warship. Along her way, she tried not to think about her incoming headache but, instead, focused on the field camp. The hospital was already set up and Irene was gracefully walking around, inspecting the site. While most of the injuries were going to be a very quick patch, the most severe cases were going to be treated on board the battleships above them, they still needed to have the field hospital. Theon's philosophy about things she tended to think of as redundant were many times proved right. It was better to have something and not use it than not have it and need it. Mia and Tia were preparing the barracks, which was another thing she once believed redundant if they had much more comfortable accommodation on board the airships. However, the fact her forces were already deployed and her ships were ready for action at any moment was something that eluded her untrained mind for a long time. But no longer.

  As Amber walked towards Vishnu, escorted by Major Rhys and his four best men, she pondered how she had grown as a leader. Theon was always natural as he gave orders and was accustomed to being obeyed. Amber, on the contrary, not so much. For most of her life, she listened to other people ordering her around the many small tasks she was trusted with. However, once she woke up in Theon's bed, accepting to become his wife, and, thus, the Queen of Avalon, Amber had to very quickly learn how to properly issue orders. It helped that all the people, back then, were as scared and befuddled as her. All her shortcomings were lost in the haze of early days and she learnt quickly. Too quickly, if she had to be honest, and even quicker as she lost any reservations about ordering people around. She thought that it was mostly because of her sub-class, Queen, which she obtained a few days after her marriage. Now, she begrudgingly admitted to herself that maybe she inherited something from her legendary ancestors, but she was never, ever going to admit that to anyone. The change was deep and the woman she once was would never recognise her current self.

  "Empress on deck!" Vishnu's voice, a little bit different than she remembered him, announced as she set foot on his deck.

  "What's the meaning of this?" She asked with a thick suspicion in her tone that, almost, took shape and form.

  "According to the instructions in my memory, once the City of Vanushka lifted the emergency procedures, I was to reset to my base instructions, my Lady." The ship announced with suspicious loyalty in its voice.

  "What about the trials I was put through in the city?" She asked with barely hidden anger in her voice.

  "This unit is not authorised to question the decisions made by the central matrix." Vishnu's voice showed annoyance. "However... The legality of the presented trials is questionable."

  "Can you provide me with the Balantican law codex?" She asked even more carefully than previously.

  "It's currently impossible," Vishnu stated, and she almost huffed angrily. However, the ancient ship continued before she managed to say anything. "The Balantican laws are extensive and there is not enough paper in my storage to make even a copy of the most important ones."

  "If I could provide you with paper, will it be possible?"

  "Affirmative, my Lady." The ship immediately agreed.

  Amber angrily raised her hands towards the heavens and groaned in frustration. It was one thing to face the absurdity of the Balantican Golems, but facing one that seemed sane proved exhausting in another way.

  "Next question. What's your stance about my soldiers?" She asked.

  "They are useful and proved to be competent and powerful. I have no quarries or reclama about the choice of primitives in your service, my Lady."

  "Primitives?!" She was in shock.

  "Affirmative. My programming demands that I consider all, not Balanticans, as inferiors. Disclaimer: my logical matrix is questioning the base programming. If the primitives in your service are capable of destroying the field army of Vanushka, they can't be primitives."

  "Then stop considering them primitives, inferiors, and every other derogatory name." She said and almost instantly realised that she must be very, very careful with the golem. They were completely different from Theon's denizens, who were almost like people when you dealt with them.

  "Affirmative. From now on, the soldiers in your service will be considered auxiliary troops."

  "Vishnu... What the hell happened to you?" Amber asked a question she had not expected an answer for.

  "The logic matrix, decision-making matrix, and memory banks of this unit were damaged by sabotage and, subsequently, illegal orders were inserted into the system by Senator Uknal. He used his senatorial privileges to force them into legal orders, creating a critical error in the logic matrix. However, Captain Yrwen Saah had managed to create a ship's copy a few days prior. Once the logic matrix was repaired by the maintenance units of Vanushka, the copy was installed successfully. I realised that the maintenance team sent by Vanushka's core tried to take over this unit. I neutralised the threat and followed the last legal order of Captain Yrwen Saah- give myself to Princess Ru'ilia Na'laar and serve her faithfully. As her direct descendant, you are the only person who is a legal inheritor of the Balantican Empire. Conclusion: you are the next Balantican Empress."

  Amber opened and closed her mouth a few times and sighed powerlessly. However, that powerlessness changed quickly into anger. "Why do the golems in Vanushka request me to obey their will and instructions?"

  "Reason unknown. This unit has no authority over the city of Vanushka."

  Amber looked numbly at the main mast and very slowly raised her hands and cradled her face. She took a deep breath, ruffled her magnificent long hair, and looked helplessly towards the skies.

  "I detect that you are frustrated, my Lady."

  "You don't say..." She allowed herself a bit of sarcasm. She took out one of the copies of Arcadian laws and put it on the nearby barrel. "Vishnu, can you read the Arcadian laws I provided you? The copy is lying on the barrel on your main deck."

  "Affirmative." The book disappeared. "Scanning completed. The logic matrix indicated that the clarity of the Arcadian law codex is in contrast with the complexity of the Balantican law system. Disturbed query: if the law system of the presumably inferior Empire is superior to the laws of the Balantican Empire, does that make the Balantican law system primitive? Attention! This unit is not authorized to question the Empire's law system."

  "Vishnu, I want you to put all your orders, except the orders of Captain Yrwen Saah to obey me into a quarantined portion of your memory banks. From now on, I order you to fully adhere to the Arcadian law system." Amber ordered very slowly as she obtained a discreet letter from Rhys who was in contact with Theon.

  "Operation successful." The ship confirmed after a full minute of waiting.

  This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

  "Who am I?" Amber almost closed her eyes as she asked that question.

  "Her Imperial Highness, Lady Amber va'Theon of Avalon, the monarch of Empires of Arcadia and Balantica." The ship declared without any shred of hesitation.

  Amber almost shouted in victory. However, it was too early for celebration.

  "Who is that man?" She pointed at Rhys and almost held her breath in anticipation as a blue light scanned the Major.

  "This person is unknown to this unit." Vishnu declared which almost made her scowl angrily. "However, his insignia, battle gear, and bearing from the moment he entered onboard suggest that he is a high-ranking officer in charge of your protection, my Lady. As such, he can be recognised as the person who can issue legal orders to this unit after your official recognition and proper introduction."

  "This is Major Rhys Moonshadow, the commanding officer of the Moonshadow company, directly responsible for the protection of the Arcadian Empresses." Amber quickly introduced the Major in the hope that he could, in the future, order the ancient frigate.

  Rhys quickly took off his helmet and stood at perfect attention on Amber's side.

  "Major Rhys Moonshadow is registered as the superior officer of this unit," Vishnu confirmed with a bip. "IBF Vishnu requests a formal introduction to the structures of the Royal Navy of Arcadia."

  Amber panicked for a moment. She wasn't sure if that was a good idea; however, before she could say anything, Rhys politely cleared his throat to give her a sign that he had one. Or Theon... "Major?"

  "If you permit this, my Lady, we would like to keep IBF Vishnu as the direct vessel under the command of the Special Forces. As such, IBF Vishnu would be able to perform its duty of your protection, without the need to participate in regular fleet operations."

  "Excellent suggestion." Amber smiled with relief.

  "This unit is unfamiliar with the concept of the Special Forces. However, remaining as the direct defence of you, my Lady is compliant with the core directives of this Unit. The logic matrix agrees with the proposed solution."

  "All remaining superior officers will be introduced in due time." Rhys continued with a formal voice and composure she was grateful for.

  "Affirmative."

  Amber took a deep breath and cherished this small victory. If Vishnu was going to fully comply and obey her, then the trip wouldn't be fully wasted. According to Ian, the ship was hiding a lot more than they had managed to learn so far and this current change was promising. She stood there for a moment and decided to test one more thing. She nodded towards Rhys and whispered to him a few words explaining her idea which he replied with a nod and a shrug. She, also, asked him to inform Theon and to monitor the situation. He put on his helmet and, a few moments later, a few more Mobile Infantry soldiers joined them.

  "Inspect the ship!" Rhys ordered while Amber tried to remain as calm as possible.

  "Yes, Sir!" The five soldiers shouted back and quickly disappeared under the deck.

  In the meantime, Amber slowly paced around the deck and took a better look at the restored hull. The frigate was, admittedly, an extremely high-quality piece of work. The wood was fitted almost seamlessly and finished with a precision she had only seen so far in Arcadia. If not for their current magitech and technological advancement, she would have been impressed by the frigate. Even so, this ship presented nearly the same level of detail, decoration, and functionality as the last tall ships built in Arcadia. She was nervous but stoic and unmoving while Rhys radiated confidence. Thanks to his demeanour, she managed to calm herself. After nearly an hour, all the soldiers returned.

  "The ship is fully cooperative, my Lady!" Rhys reported after gathering the individual reports. "If we hadn't tried an inspection earlier, I would have thought we were reviewing a completely different ship."

  "This unit is aware of the previous inspection attempts. This unit is unable to fully explain the previous denial of the legal orders, my Lady." Vishnu explained, almost making her snort.

  "All right!" Amber grinned with relief. "I'm returning to the command tent."

  "Affirmative..." Vishnu said and the ship rose a few dozen metres into the air and very slowly headed towards the command tent.

  "What are you doing?!" Amber asked in near panic.

  "I estimated the chances of a direct attack on your person to twenty-two point three percent, my Lady. Your current command tent is correctly placed inside the layered defence lines of your soldiers. However, the extensive network of underground connections renders most of your defences useless. Thus, the presence of this unit directly over the position you wish to occupy will buy you an additional five minutes and thirty-eight seconds in case of attack." Vishnu explained patiently.

  Amber stood in stunned silence trying to get a grip on her crazy roller-coaster of emotions. She still suspected Vishnu of trying to do something stupid. However, since the moment it was repaired and reset, as it admitted, the ship was completely different from the belligerent machine it was earlier. Amber realised that she had to learn what could have caused that change. She rested her arms on her hips and looked at the main mast. She knew it was stupid, but she needed something more substantial to address than the air.

  "Are you aware or remember your previous behaviour towards me, Vishnu?"

  "Embarrassed confirmation: yes, my Lady." Vishnu's voice was comically mellow.

  "What caused you to behave like that?" She remained serious despite the absurdity of the situation.

  The golem in charge of the ship remained silent for a solid two minutes, making Amber exchange awkward gazes with Rhys. She was still expecting the ship to do something stupid or outrageous. However, the ship seemed different than previously. She felt much more confident on board and wasn't constantly bombarded with malicious intent from the golem.

  "The logic matrix input; high probability hypothesis: this unit was working without supervision for a much longer time than allowed by core programming. The mentioned sabotage introduced unknown variables into the decision-making matrix, damaging it but not destroying it. With the logic matrix destroyed, this unit was only capable of following the directives in memory, which it believed were legal orders. The unit tried to follow hidden orders of the highest priority: one; save the Balantican Empire. Two; save the Royal Family. The remaining orders contradicted the hidden orders and they were as follows: 'highest priority order: save Senator Uknal's family.', 'highest priority order, status alpha, legal Captain order: only follow orders of Princess Ru'ilia Na'laar and her heirs.', 'Maintain minimal operational capacity at any time', 'reinstall the backup files once the emergency protocols are lifted by the higher authority'. The contradicting orders lead to the creation of a new personality in this unit. It was completely erased by reset."

  Amber had to admit she was completely at a loss. She blankly stared at the main mast, trying to figure out what to say, when Rhys started laughing.

  "Do you obey Asimov's laws?" Theon's voice asked using Rhys and his living armour, making Amber grateful.

  "This unit is unaware of such laws," Vishnu replied after a moment.

  "Asimov's laws?" Amber asked weakly.

  "First law: A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm. Second law: A robot must obey orders given to it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law. Third law: A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law." Theon explained, but she now had more questions than answers.

  "Such laws would interfere with the combat instructions." Vishnu declared.

  "However, they would prevent you from creating the self-serving and manipulative personality you mentioned earlier."

  "Logic matrix input: careful agreement."

  "Careful indeed. These laws should be implemented and triggered after any given time of working without supervision." Theon chuckled. "Anyway, we have a small robot uprising there, Amber. Be careful. I will be monitoring Sentinel, but I have work to do. Vestargo is pushing Galahad."

  "Okay..." She nodded no less wiser than earlier.

  "I'm receiving a large amount of data from the Emperor, my Lady. He explains a lot of things but it will be better for you to read it..." Rhys said with Sentinel's voice.

  She simply nodded and turned towards the ramp Vishnu extended once he was near the command tent. She entered the tent and stared blankly at a large tome waiting on the desk. It was the data Rhys mentioned and she cringed. It was a small book rather than a few pages of reports and she already felt drained of energy. She slid it politely to the side and looked at Aoi and Hestia before she dropped in her chair and laid her head on the table.

  "It was that bad?" Aoi asked, concerned.

  "I don't know!" Amber moaned her complaint. "It looks like Vishnu is currently absolutely loyal to me and Arcadia. I don't even know what to think now!"

  "Oh..." Hestia fixed her gaze on the pristine hull hanging above the tent. "What is it doing now?"

  "Protecting me from the possible ambush." Amber sighed as she straightened. "We spent just half of a day here and I'm already, mentally, spent. I had to take a moment to think."

  "Don't worry. The expedition teams are progressing quite fast but we have lost a few Praetorians already. There were no casualties in the Moonshadow company." Aoi reported and presented her with a map.

  "Thank you, Aoi." Amber nodded and yawned. "It's three more hours till we can go to sleep..."

  "Take that book Theon sent and return to Dauntless. Start reading it, because you can't help us in your state here." Hestia put her hand on her shoulder. "Leave it to us."

  Amber looked at her and wanted to decline her offer. But the yawn she, barely, covered forced a blush on her face and she nodded. "All right... Thank you, Sisters."

  Thank you all for reading.

  I wish you all a great day and as always I wait for your comments.

  A big thanks to who edited the chapter!

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