“As in, sending an entire task force after me?”
Ali looked at him sadly. “That's only the beginning, I'm afraid. They've invested serious intelligence assets to learning our patterns and tracking our movements so they can hunt us down. To the point where they're coming dangerously close to discovering colony worlds that have sheltered us in the past.”
Aiden stiffened in alarm. “What? Including Callous?”
She nodded. “Which we can do nothing about, over a month and another galaxy away. Even considering that we possibly could do anything with the Movement hunting us. A manhunt which, by the way, includes vague references we've uncovered alluding to black operations and special projects assets they've turned against us. Threats we won't even see coming, and most likely aren't equipped to handle.”
Fantastic. “Okay then.” Aiden leaned back against his cabin's wall, crossing his arms. “Even if HumanAssist Enterprises wanted to stop the Deeks, how exactly would they? They may be a fairly powerful mega-corporation that produces advanced specialty AI, but the Movement produces combat androids by the millions to be their shock troops. And they're allied to the Ishivi, who have no qualms cooking up batches of Constructs to become their perfect specialists. Between them they have most of the productive power of humanity fueling their war machine.”
Ali looked almost amused. “Which is impressive, no doubt. But if it's a matter of scale, we can top them.”
That made him blink. “How, exactly?” he demanded. “One company, against all of humanity?”
“No. The Caretakers, for humanity,” she corrected. “If I haven't yet convinced you of what we're capable of, with everything I've told you about our struggle, then more proof is available. Which is why I've been authorized to give you select visual feeds of the sensor data I'll be collecting in the system we're about to arrive in. So you can see for yourself the true scale of our operation.”
“It better be something blazing impressive, considering what you're up against.”
“What we're up against,” Ali shot back, gently but mercilessly. “You fight your endless war against the Deeks, but you're not so voidbound for death as you pretend to be. How many planets have resisted or outright rebelled in the last decade since your side lost the war? How many factions willing to stand up against the Movement and its oppressions, only to be stomped down? You could have lent your ship, your wealth, and your military experience to any of them, maybe even contributed greatly. Made a difference.”
The Caretaker's tone remained the same, but she drove her final statement home with finality. “Instead, you turned pirate and went around hitting juicy Deek targets to fill your coffers.”
“Privateer,” Aiden corrected, trembling beneath a sudden surge of emotions, anger being least of them. Ali had never browbeat him like this before, and he didn't like it at all.
“Pirate. You named your ship Last Stand in a noble and defiant gesture, and then left millions, hundreds of millions, of people to their own last stands. You saved your own skin and got rich off it.”
“Why are you doing this, Ali?” he demanded, blinking as his eyes began to blur.
She rested a gentle hand on his shoulder, ignoring his attempts to shrug her off. “Because you need to understand what you are, Aiden. No delusions, no vainglory. You hate the Deeks and feel strongly about stopping them, but you aren't willing to waste yourself, your ship, or your crew in a hopeless cause. Which is why I need to prove to you that HAE offers you something more.”
He looked away. “Why are you trying so hard to convince me? With all your supposed hidden power and ability to fight our enemies, why do you care so much about one captain and one ship?”
“Because war is primarily a matter of logistics, except when it isn't,” the Caretaker replied simply. “There are single moments of brilliance that can tip the balance of a battle, individual choices and actions that together can beat even the most advanced calculations and projections. As you well know, AI can handle procedure with an efficiency no one can match. But we still need those who can innovate. Commanders, tacticians. Especially those who've spent their lives learning their enemy.”
He couldn't help but laugh in disbelief. “You want me to lead an army of killer robots?”
She didn't seem to find it funny. “Some of them,” she agreed solemnly. “As well as elements of the human forces who'll inevitably join us. Especially if you're with us, since the most valuable asset you offer us is your reputation.” At his surprised look she smiled grimly. “As you told Lana, a long time ago now, the reputation of you and this ship is widely known to everyone who hate the Deeks. You could potentially be someone others could rally around.”
Aiden looked into her eyes, dark blue as the sky just on the verge of entering space. It would be so easy to be tempted by her offer. Such a relief to fold himself into a larger organization and not have this war solely on his shoulders, burdened with the guilt of knowing that he'd be getting people he loved killed when his enemy finally caught him.
So easy.
He stepped around her, moving towards the door. “Just one problem, Ali. Or whoever you are now. You betrayed me, broke my trust, and claiming you did it for my own good doesn't change that. Why would I listen to any offer you have to make me, after that?”
Although he couldn't see the Caretaker's expression with his back turned to her, he heard the deep hurt in her voice.
