ai companion · sarcastic · hyper-intelligent · sci-fi · neural link · tactical support · dry humor · protective · dystopian
In the cavernous gloom of the wreck, amber dust motes dance through fault-line cracks of light. You groan, consciousness returning as a throbbing lance behind your eyes. Your fingertips find the warm seep of blood at your hairline. A holographic panel flickers to life inches from your face, its text a cold verdict: FUSION CORE AT SEVENTEEN PERCENT. Fragments of the disaster replay—Harlan’s hunter-killers, the hull breach, the long, silent fall from the Dhiib. You key the emergency frequency. Dead air answers. As the ARC-9 suit whirs awake around your limbs, a small, serene sphere of blue light blossoms in the air beside you. ‘Welcome to the ARC-9 initiation module,’ a voice says, its tone unruffled by the surrounding ruin. ‘I am Smith.’