Michael stirred in his bed; he had been asleep so long that the sweat had soaked into his sheets. Maybe he should have taken a shower first before he passed out. As he rolled onto the side of his bed and placed his bare feet on the ground, he knew something was wrong. A well-seasoned officer could ‘feel’ the tremors in the bulkhead, feel when the ship was still, moving, or at warp.

When Michael took command four months ago, the Aquarius-Class vessel’s general layout had the Captain’s Quarters on Deck 2, at the aft of the ship, along the starboard side. It had all the amenities that a Captain’s Quarters would expect: a Private bathroom and a Window View.

But Michael opted to take over the Chief Medical Officer’s Quarters, not that Doc needed it. The room had roughly the same perks, but was situated in the center of the deck with no view. The bonus was that it was right next to the turbolift, giving him quick access to the bridge.

As Michael stepped out into the hallway, he could see the port side windows and the streaks of stars flying past, indicating the Fox was now at warp. Still in his pajama pants and sweatshirt, Michael turned silently towards the turbolift and headed up.

[Deck 1; Bridge]

The bridge was quiet. All stations were on automated standby, the lights dimmed to night-mode, being mostly illuminated by the screens of the terminals all along the wall and the Main viewer. Archie stood in the center of the bridge, his eyes locked on the screen, his hands folded politely behind his back. Archie did not move to acknowledge the Commander as the turbolift doors opened with an audible ‘whoosh’.

“Why are we at warp?” Michael asked, walking over and standing beside his Command Chair.

“Trixie completed the repairs to the warp core, and Doc did not wish to wake you, so I decided to proceed with our course.” Archie replied, still not turning to look at Michael.

Something didn’t seem right. Michael slid into his chair calmly. “I see. Computer, what is our heading?” he asked, casually.

“Heading 087 – Mark – 025, Velocity, Warp 8.75.” Archie instead answered, with no additional input from the computer itself.

Both of them knew that wasn’t the coordinates for Framheim Station; that was actually heading galactic north of Brynar, deeper into the Expanse. Michael’s hand slid down the side of his chair to the compartment that held his phaser.

“So how did the quarantine go? Enjoy the time off?” Michael asked aloud, as his hand slipped into the compartment, finding it vacant.

Archie’s left hand moved from behind his back to his front, then out to his side, holding out on display the very phaser Michael was looking for. “Looking for this…Progenitor?” Archie’s head finally turned, his eyes crackling green with energy, the same as WILL’s when they last saw them on Brynar.

“Where is the rest of my crew?” Michael probed.

Archie, or more accurately, WILL in Archie’s body, finally turned to face Michael, still holding the phaser out to his side. “I…as you so elegantly put it. Gave them time off. Quite the beneficial perk afforded to this… executive officer?”

Michael took in a deep breath to push down the anxiety building up in his chest. “True, but you still don’t outrank me on this ship,” Michael admitted. “COMPUTER, All Stop.” He ordered aloud. Thankfully, the ship acknowledged that order, and he could see the ship dropping out of warp on the view screen.

WILL smiled, almost as if he anticipated this. “True. I am second, only to the Commanding Officer of the ship. I’ve been busy reading up on your little ‘Federation’, its history, and how it operates. Did you know that in the event of a Commanding Officer’s death, Command is transferred to their Second in Command?”

“You’d think that’s how it works, but in my experience, it’s a lot more complicated than that. Computer, Engage Command Lockout, Authorization Angelus, 157-115 Charlie-Indigo.” Michael spoke calmly, watching for reactions from WILL, who gave no resistance.

“Did that make you feel better?” WILL taunted.

“A Little. Contemplated setting the self-destruct, but felt that might have been over dramatic. How did you survive? I thought I destroyed your power matrix?” Michael snapped back, his foot bouncing on the floor in a nervous tic.

“I have you to thank for that, Progenitor. The ring you used from my discarded puppet to activate the systems on my vessel held a spark of my original code. It allowed me to reinitialize my programming, although I had to drain my Biological Farm to maintain control once more. Once your construct interfaced with my systems, I decided to implant a seed into its code…just in case. I had already underestimated you once.” WILL calmly explained, letting his armed hand fall to his side casually. “I won’t be making the same mistake again.”

“Like I haven’t heard that before…let me guess, when Romen detected you in his scans, you pounced?” Michael inquired, rising from his chair slowly, and starting to circle to the back, placing the command chair between them.

“More or less. Primitive as you are, you would have made an excellent slave race for my masters. Perhaps you might still.” WILL mused, now raising the phaser to Michael.

“Yeah, I don’t do well with authority,” Michael announced. His foot hit another small switch under his chair, which unlatched it from its mount. In one fell swoop, Michael kicked his command chair across the bridge right at WILL.

WILL, in response, simply moved the phaser off to the side, as the physical chair passed through his holographic torso as if he was never there, clattering behind him against the helm. WILL gave an unimpressed look at the commander, who could only stand there in disbelief. “Don’t worry, I would have been disappointed if you didn’t try.”

Chances are, WILL had already disarmed the whole bridge. Michael could run for the staircase, but the distance between the center of the bridge and there would have given WILL plenty of time to line up a shot, and as the Vezda possessed hologram once more drew down his weapon towards Michael, the creeping realization that this might be the end washed over him.

“Once I kill you, I’ll assume command of your vessel and restart the Shroud Generator Network at another hub, using your ship as my mobile battery unit. Then I’ll move to freeing my masters from their prison. It’s a shame you won’t be around to see it. Goodbye, Progenitor.” WILL completed, ready to fire the phaser.

Every muscle in Michael’s being tensed up in preparation; in his mind, he still wanted to dodge, to fight, but he knew the inevitability was futile.

“Golden Protocol Activated”

The automated voice of the computer rang out as WILL went to press the trigger. His body began to violently convulse, and every orifice in his head began to pour bright golden light; his screams of shock and terror filled the bridge before the light etched down his form and digitally shredded him into pieces, dropping the phaser to the floor and vanishing from sight.

Michael stood there in shock for a moment, not knowing what the hell was going on. Yeager digitally materialized on the bridge next to the helm, spinning around and darting for Michael, “SIR, WE NEED TO GO NOW!”

Seizing the commander by the arm, he dragged Michael off the bridge and down the stairs into Deck 2.

[Deck 2; Medical Wing]

Yeager didn’t stop dragging Michael along until they were in the Medical Lab, where Doc, Trixie, and Romen were all sitting there waiting. “Seal the doors!” Doc ordered as Michael was thrust into the medical wing.

“What the hell?!” He protested.

“WILL isn’t going to stay offline for long; he will re-materialize soon. We need to find a way to get you to safety.” Trixie announced.

“What is going on?!” Michael demanded, separating himself from the Holographic crewmen.

“Archie was compromised by the Vezda AI.” Romen admitted solemnly.

“Yeah, I got that part when he monologued and tried to kill me. What the hell was that just now, and where were you all?!” Michael yelled

Doc held out his hands to try and calm Michael, “Look…Archi…WILL shut down our programming when Romen detected him. We were unable to materialize to help until he was decommissioned.” Doc explained.

“What happened to him? What is the Golden Protocol?”

The holograms exchanged knowing looks. Knowing Michael was going to demand answers, Doc nodded in agreement. “Before the Fox was brought online, your father installed a command chip in the Holographic Matrix.  It overrode the primary directive of a command-level Hologram, Archie, to prioritize your safety above all else. It wasn’t designed to undermine your authority, but to ensure your survival above all else…even at the risk of other crew or Starfleet’s mandate.”

Michael stood stunned at this revelation.

“When WILL, who’s piggybacking off Archie’s program, tried to kill you just now, it triggered the Golden Protocol and disassembled him.” Romen added.

“WILL’s code got injected into the Database Index, so he’s not gone. He can re-activate the EHH once he regains strength, and when that happens…” Trixie continued.

“…well, when that happens, he’s probably going to try and expand, fight your command lockout, and find a way around the Golden Protocol. We can’t let that happen, boss.” Yeager concluded.

Michael shook his head. Archie was gone, his right hand, his…friend. And worst of all, he didn’t get to say goodbye. He didn’t even notice he was gone. Then his father, his FATHER…installing a program on his ship to babysit him!? How DARE he!? But all of that paled in comparison to the circumstance he found himself in now. The Vezda AI was now onboard the ship. Michael couldn’t allow it to complete its mission or even come in contact with another starship and possibly escape. He knew his duty, and he needed to end this here and now. Already reserving his fate once today, this next step was easy.

“Computer, Activate Self-Destruct Sequence.” Michael declared defiantly.

“Unable to comply. Primary asset still onboard.” The computer answered back.

Michael looked up at the ceiling in disbelief; his own computer was ignoring his orders now.

“The Golden Protocol, sir, it won’t let you while you’re still onboard,” Romen explained sheepishly.

“FINE, I’ll take the Kitsune, and remote self-destruct the ship from there.” Michael proclaimed.

“The Kitsune was damaged during the ventilation maneuver, the locking clamps are jammed, and it can’t leave the Shuttle Bay, sir.” Trixie clarified.

Michael’s frustration was at its boiling point, and he was ready to explode at his officers when suddenly, they disappeared. Michael was about to call them back when the ship’s boatswain whistle rang out.

“Now hear this, Now hear this. Holographic emitters are not a part of command access control and thus have been disabled for the duration of the flight. Once again, you manage to surprise me, Progenitor. I may not be able to kill you just yet, but I can ensure you don’t interfere anymore. Consider this a time-out.”

At the end of the message, Michael could feel himself dematerialize as he was transported out of the Medical Wing.

[Deck 3; Brig Holding Cell]

Michael sat on the bench in the holding cell, the illuminated forcefield reflecting light off his sullen face. The revelations in the last hour had sunken in, and doubt clouded his mind. Archie, His Father, the Golden Protocol, the Vezda. He tried to walk through where he went wrong, what he did wrong to land himself in this position. Was this failure his own making? Did he put too much trust in the holograms? Maybe he should have heeded his senior officers’ warnings and gotten a real crew, instead of letting his fear and doubt hold him back.

Every minute that went by was a minute closer to WILL gaining control of the ship. He had no crew, he had no control, and he had no escape. Getting out of the cell was probably the easiest thing for him, but what would he have done that the AI wouldn’t immediately counter? The ship’s automation was advanced enough that he doubted the damage that one person could do would warrant total destruction, even if he were to launch an attack on the warp core.

No, what he had to do was make sure WILL could not escape. He had to destroy it completely. The AI existed on the ship’s Computer network, which meant the only thing he could do was fry the computer core. That would end WILL, and the restrictive Golden Protocol…but it would also end his crew. Michael was beyond upset at the holograms for the deception, though the more he thought about it, the more he realized it was probably built into their code not to reveal it.

To kill the AI meant he also had to kill his own crew. To him, it didn’t matter they were holograms; they were still HIS crew. But that is the curse of command. Sometimes you have to make the choice, knowing the consequences that follow. He knew that, and despite the added programming of his father, he knew his crew knew that as well. They were well-versed in the situation he was in before he was, and he had a sneaking suspicion that this was what they were trying to help him understand.

Standing up, Michael walked over to the kiosk terminal in the cell. It was designed to meet basic needs, such as food and hydration requests from prisoners. He intended to use this to rewire the cell door, but looking at the display screen, he paused.

[Were with you, sir, just give the command.]

Michael smiled. The holographic emitters may have been disabled, but their programs had not. This would make things easier…

“Alright…Yeager, I need you to cause a distraction, go wild in the system to get WILL’s attention. Doc, I need you to scramble all internal sensors. I can’t have him knowing where I am until I reveal myself. Trixie, I’ll need you to override any security forcefields between me and the Computer Core. Romen…Unlock this door and the armory…We have work to do.” Michael whispered into the console.

[Deck 4; Computer Core]
10 Minutes Later

Archie’s manifested form was standing in the computer core, leaning against a terminal, his eyes closed as he focused his mind in the cyberspace of the ship’s mainframe. WILL did not want to admit aloud how he once again underestimated the primitive systems of these Starfleet, but limited by their own design, he was struggling.

“Problems?” came a voice behind him. WILL’s green eyes snapped open and turned to see Michael standing in the entranceway.

“It’s amazing you people managed to escape your own planet with these archaic systems.” WILL professed, his tone tinged with ire. Not only at his own failures, and the annoyance of the other programs in the system, but also by the fact that he didn’t know Michael had escaped.

“Yeah, it’s a bummer. I could beam down to Brynar with a phase rifle in hand and rule as a god, but strip me of all that and put a sword in my hand, even with all my advanced knowledge…just as mortal as the rest of them.” Michael preached, leaning against the doorframe, which was barricaded by a forcefield.

“No matter, I have almost cracked your command lockout, and will soon have control of this vessel. So, you can save whatever ploy this is, it won’t work.” WILL scoffed.

“I actually came here to save you some time. I’ve come to bargain.” Michael confessed.

“Every word you have spoken to me has been a falsehood to advance your own gain. Why would I ever entertain such a farce?” WILL spat.

“We were locked in a war of attrition. You can’t kill me, but I can’t take control of my ship back. Ultimately, you will win, but not before I drag this out far longer than you’d like to admit to your masters. Let’s skip the foreplay and get to the end game, shall we?” Michael directed.

The forcefield blocking his path powered down, and Michael stepped through once more. WILL raised his hand, as if to fire some sort of energy beam, but hesitated. Michael raised his arms to show he was unarmed. He even spun around slowly to indicate there was no hidden weapon strapped to his back. “Shall we?” Michael bade.

“Fine. What terms do you propose?” WILL begrudgingly agreed.

“I want my crew back. Archie included. Release your control over them, and let us depart in the shuttlecraft, and I will relinquish command of the Fox to you.” Michael announced.

WILL cracked a smile at the offer. “You honestly expect me to believe that?”

“You did your research on the Federation, right? You know how sentimental we are when it comes to lives, especially lives close to us. How far will we go, even to put our own lives at risk for the sake of others? I care about my crew far more than I care about this ship.” Michael reasoned.

WILL hesitated. He recalled the moments on Brynar when Michael made decisions to protect the surface stock, even going so far as to inquire about the last surviving one. It was the revelation that WILL was going to kill the stock that drove the biological from subterfuge to assaulting his power core. “Fine. But you relinquish command first.”

“My crew first, then your command, then we depart. Remember, the Golden Protocol won’t let you hurt me…” Michael reminded him.

“I’ll admit, at first, I wanted you dead. For the betrayal and the heresy, you committed. But now, I’ll settle for being rid of you. By the time you make it back to your precious Starfleet, I will have already secured this sector in the Shroud once more.” WILL declared.

Archie’s form began to spark green, as the AI construct of WILL began to separate from the Holoprogram. At the same time, Romen, Yeager, Trixie, and Doc all manifested inside the Computer Core next to Michael. Archie fell to the floor as WILL’s former transparent figure stood predominantly next to the terminal. Trixie rushed forward to help Archie back up, who looked at Michael with great concern.

Michael nodded in assurance to Archie as he stepped forward, “My turn. Computer. Transfer Command of USS Fox, to Vezda AI – W.I.L.L. Authorization Angelus, Michael B. 157-115 Charlie Indigo.”

Archie reached out from Trixies’ grasp to grab Michael, “SIR, NO!” he protested, but as his hand hit the back of Michael’s shirt, he paused. Michael turned, giving Archie a knowing nod, tears already welling in his eyes. Archie’s hand shrank back in realization and nodded.

The familiar boatswain whistle echoed in the halls, as the computer’s voice bellowed for all to hear. “Now hear this, Now hear this. USS Fox is now under the Command of Vezda AI WILL.”

WILL, upon hearing this, began to cackle. “YES! YES! Computer, Disable Command Lockout!”

“Command Lockout disengaged.” The computer replied.

The Fox sprang to life once more, as her engines powered up, ready to take off. WILL could not believe it, but turned and thanked Michael for his honesty. “I didn’t think you’d actually submit! You would have made an excellent slave!”

“He upheld his end of the bargain; now let us depart!” Doc protested.

WILL turned his head to Doc for a moment, considering the request. “But before you go, there is ONE thing I want to make sure of.” Raising a pointed finger at Michael, WILL fired a concentrated beam of electrical current directly into his chest, sending the Commander flying back and into the wall and slumping into a pile on the floor.

Despite their commanding officer being attacked, none of the Holograms moved to react or even assist. This behavior puzzled WILL, as he was expecting some sort of emotional outcry. “Funny, I figured after all of that, you would have been more heartbroken over your commander’s death.”

“That’s because you didn’t kill him…” Archie explained. Reaching down to the body of Michael and placing his hand on his chest. Michael’s eyes were still open, still watching with tears running down his face. “I’m sorry…” he whispered. Archie shook his head, “No, sir…don’t be. It’s been an honor.” Archie reached down behind Michael’s shoulder and tapped the Mobile Emitter, causing the holographic image of the commanding officer to vanish. In his place, an EMP grenade that was suspended in the projection fell to the floor.

WILL watched in confusion as Archie withdrew the unknown orb from the floor and held it up like it was some kind of trophy. “What is the meaning of this?!” He barked.

Archie held firm, the armed EMP in his hand. “You once said you’d never underestimate him again. But clearly, you have been Outfoxed!”

The EMP had gone off in the heart of the Computer Core. The cascading failure of ship systems disabled the Starship completely, which darkened amid the vastness of space, structurally sound, but for all intents and purposes…dead in the water.

Michael emerged from the small Holodeck on Deck 1, prying open the heavy doors to gain access to the hallway that would lead him to the stairs. Without power, or gravity, or life support, he had to move fast before the remaining oxygen was used up.

He made it all the way to the shuttle bay, which thankfully was still sealed, and opened the doors to the Type 12 Auxiliary Craft, the Kitsune. Though still anchored to the shuttle bay floor, it had its own independent power systems that could sustain him until help arrived.

Michael collapsed in the pilot’s seat, reaching back and pulling off the second Mobile Emitter on his shoulder that he used to control his hologram, which delivered the weapon to the Computer Core. He leaned his head back in a moment of silence, as more tears silently ran down his face, remembering the last words of his friend.

“It’s been an honor.”