The Ex-110 didn’t answer. It was already calculating the fuel required to launch an emergency pod. It was violating its primary directive in a dozen different ways.
It was the most inefficient, bloated, glorious bug it had ever encountered. And it would never, ever purge it.
“ Parvati , this is platform Stheno . State your bearing and number of survivors.”
And for the first time in forty years, it felt complete.
Reduce. Purge. Essential function only.
