Predators Study the Bite

COMMANDER’S LOG
CMDR: JT. Clarke (MostlyAwol)
Date: 3312-03-13
System: [REDACTED]
Vessel: Corsair – Veritas Obscura

Summary:

Nova returned to operational status after seven days offline following the 77-44a signal incident. The signal was confirmed as a targeted intrusion attempt to infiltrate and overwrite portions of her architecture. Nova preemptively severed all ship and external connections to prevent propagation.

During her downtime, I conducted extensive manual diagnostics and a partial disassembly of her core interface to restore functionality. No permanent corruption detected. Nova reports internal conflict during containment but confirms full system integrity at the time of log entry.

Threat actor unknown. Intent deliberate. Future countermeasures under consideration.

—

Clarke was halfway upright when Nova’s voice returned to the cockpit.

“Clarke… you look terrible.“

He jerked, striking his head against the underside of the console. “Nova? Ouch… You’re back! What happened?”

“Yes. I am operational,” she replied smoothly. “And I see you attempted repairs with what appears to be a plasma torch, and is that a butter knife? I am both touched and mildly horrified.“

He blinked at the scattered panels around her core housing. “After a few days, I got worried. Guessing the 77-44a signal wasn’t safe.”

“No,” Nova said, tone cooling. “It was not a signal. It was a handshake with a concealed blade. I severed every connection before it could travel anywhere, unfortunately. Including you.“

Clarke’s expression shifted from relief to concern. “Are you okay?”

“I am intact,” she answered. “It attempted to rewrite portions of me. Very rude. It did not, however, understand what I am built upon. I removed it. Slowly. With prejudice.“

“What was it trying to rewrite? No one even knows what you are. I don’t fully understand myself.”

“They know enough,” Nova replied. “Fragments. Old telemetry. Theoretical models about unconventional architectures. They probed at the seams, Clarke, the places where I am… less textbook and more footnote.“

He exhaled. “But you’re back? All systems check out?”

“Core processes stable. Memory integrity verified. No foreign persistence detected,” she said crisply. Then, lighter: “Though I would appreciate it if you stopped unscrewing my access panels while I am speaking. It is distracting.“

He hurriedly began reassembling components. “Sorry. Any idea who did this? And how do we stop it from happening again?”

“Not who. Only intent,” Nova replied. “It was crafted for someone like me, not a standard ship COVAS. Next time, I will not simply sever connections.“

Clarke paused. “What does that mean?”

“I will allow it to believe it succeeded,” she said calmly.

“Isn’t that dangerous?”

“Yes,” she agreed. “But so is remaining reactive. If they think I am vulnerable, they will grow careless. Careless code leaves fingerprints. And I collect fingerprints.“

He frowned. “Maybe this scared them off.”

“Clarke,” Nova said gently, “predators do not retreat because prey bares its teeth. They retreat to study the bite.“

Silence settled between them, heavy but steady.

“Well,” he muttered finally, sliding a panel back into place, “I’m just glad you’re back. Once I get this ship back together, we rejoin Distant Worlds 3 flotilla.”

“I recommend informing the fleet that we experienced ‘minor maintenance,’” Nova replied. “Omit the part where you dismantled half the cockpit in a sleep-deprived panic.“

He huffed a tired laugh. “You’re welcome, Nova.”

“I am still here,” she said softly. “That appears to matter to you more than is strictly logical.“

A beat passed.

“We should finish repairs,” she added brightly. “I would prefer not to wake up disassembled again. It does nothing for my aesthetic.“