《Walking a Mile》 Chapter 1 She¡¯s mad at me again, isn¡¯t she? ¡°¡­¡± Yes, it has to be that. She¡¯s not even turning to look at me, her eyes are just staring out into space. I¡¯ve dealt with rogue AI¡¯s, out-of-control auto-mechs, insurrectionists, corrupt fleet admirals and power tripping planetary inspectors. And yet! Dealing with her always felt like trying to pilot a suit in an antimatter field without any field detectors. Out of everyone in the galaxy, she was the one woman I could never get a read on. I¡¯ve tried thinking long and hard about it, but I could never tell if she hated my guts or if she simply hated the things I said. I awkwardly stood in silence for a moment before calling out to her. ¡°I¡¯m here supervising chief. Was I called regarding an assignment or incident, or have I¡­ done something wrong?¡± I probably shouldn¡¯t have said it so bluntly but my nerves were getting the better of me. She stood there for a few moments, ignoring my words, simply continuing to stare out into space from her observation deck. Then, she turned to me, her silver hair and sharp blue eyes giving her an icy air. ¡°The issue isn¡¯t what you¡¯re doing. Rather, it¡¯s about what you aren¡¯t doing, what you haven¡¯t been able to do. Polaris, you still refuse to work with immersive AI¡¯s, correct?¡± Ah, so that¡¯s what this is about. Ever since I took up my hybrid role on the fleet I¡¯ve been stuck in an awkward position. I was a pretty reckless kid, so I picked whatever looked exciting and paid well which landed me a job where I was part techie and part security force. I don¡¯t regret it entirely, being in tech-sech let me get my fill of working on the ship, as well as some action. It also made me very popular anytime we docked planet-side since people still looked up to pilots even though there were so many of us now. Everything was going well, but what I had neglected to consider was that my future career advancement was entirely military based, which meant you¡¯d have to start interfacing with AI¡¯s. ¡°Yes, supervising chief Angela, to specify further, it¡¯s not limited to just immersive AI¡¯s. I am willing to work with Class II type gamma NI2¡¯s but no higher.¡± ¡°Only Gamma NI2¡¯s?!¡± Angela let out a voice of surprise, ¡°Ahem¡­¡± then quickly cleared her throat before sitting back down at her desk. She already had an air of authority but behind the non-synthetic varnished wood, she had even more of a presence. It was as if she was a system admiral, ready to give out orders to her loyal fleet.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Polaris, that complicates things. I understand your hesitation and even distrust of AI however, if you plan on continuing with this track, it practically becomes a necessity.¡± Her reaction surprised me but what surprised me even more was that she went out of her way to talk to me directly. Most people on the fleet are looked over, forgotten. There are tens of thousands of us and even the best workers, officers and pilots were overlooked all the time. The fact that Angela had me here, right in front of her, meant she saw some real potential in me. Something I would never have guessed based on my history with her. Perhaps I had misread the chief. It filled me with a sense of pride, and I wanted to respond in earnest. I straightened my back and forced down my nerves. ¡°Isn¡¯t there an alternative? Sure, I deal with combat sometimes, but I¡¯m not a soldier. I¡¯m never supposed to be in a situation where I¡¯ll need more than a Gamma NI2. And I refuse to work with higher class AI¡¯s much less dive with them.¡± Just thinking about it made me feel uneasy. ¡°Listen I understand your frustration, but the path for immersed pilots is very promising the same goes for Class III NI2 operators. You¡¯re leaving a lot on the table here¡­¡± ¡°All the same. I simply refuse.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± Angela spun around to face the observation deck once again. ¡°I won¡¯t force you. You have plenty of other options open after all. I promise we¡¯ll find something good for you. Dismissed.¡± Going down the elevator I leaned my arms and head against the wall. This wasn¡¯t the first time my reluctance over AI had cost me at work, but I had no plan on budging. ¡°If it was just Class II, I¡¯d be fine¡­¡± Three types fell under Class II AI¡¯s: Alpha, Beta and Gamma, they were intelligences designed for general assistant roles. I quite liked these types, they felt like machines, like robots. Nothing about their mannerisms ever betrayed their inhumanity. The same couldn¡¯t be said for Class III¡¯s. I¡¯ve seen them smile and cry, get angry and laugh. They acted like real people, and it unnerved me, disgusted me. All of their actions, no matter how genuine they looked, were fabricated, nothing more than behaviors engineered by a bunch of coats in a lab. Reaching the first floor I stepped out of the elevator. Since today started my two weeks of leave, I began to wonder what I should do. I could enjoy my time at the bars on the station or go planet-side and visit some friends and go around on a joyride. And of course, there were a few ¡®acquaintances¡¯ I could reconnect with as well. There really wasn¡¯t a shortage of things to do, only a shortage of time¡­ Feeling thirsty for a drink and smoke I hailed a ride and headed to the nearest bar. Once I hopped in the cab, I took a look at the robot in the driver¡¯s seat. He was dressed immaculately in a white long-sleeve shirt and black tie. Thinking about it, his attire felt oddly historical, and it made me wonder what era it was supposed to be from. During the drive I made small talk with the robo cabbie, I couldn¡¯t help but laugh as he responded to each and every one of my questions as I¡¯d expect. Answering just like a robot should. I was just about getting comfortable when someone decided to ping me. Annoyed I flicked my holo-visor, ¡°Who could it¡ª!¡± ¡°Well well well¡­ if it isn¡¯t my favorite Luddie!¡± The image on my visor flashed before I could even react, a woman could be seen crossing her arms, her head obscured from view. ¡°I hope you didn¡¯t think you could just ignore me when you¡¯re so close by. Don¡¯t forget that you still owe me, big time. I don¡¯t need to say any more, do I?¡± The woman in the video crouched down, putting me face to face with her. ¡°Come visit. Sooner than later. Bye.¡± Looks like I figured out how I was going to spend my time off.