14 Oct 2359, Valleri system aboard the UHCV New Hope.

  "Damn," Mark said as he leaned back in his black cloth seat and looked at the halo-screen monitor for his station, showing the radio frequency, he and Vanguard 001 were using. He took a look around at the rest of the well-lit bridge. The usual chatter was nowhere to be heard. Mark had heard the old saying about being able to hear a pin drop, but it was so quite you could hear a mouse fart into a cotton ball.

  "All hands, we are on high alert! You should be ready to assume battle stations," Youri said into the ship's intercom system mic attached to her chair.

  "If not for her rank, she wouldn't be imposing," Mark thought as he watched her swinging her legs back and forth, unable to touch the floor. Mark watched as Lynda, his longtime girlfriend, as she assumed control over navigation. Then Ningamu, as he started to control the UAV and launched it into orbit to watch. The terrible trio have been friends since they met on Earth. They all chatted together before the 3-week trip from Earth to Alpha for basic training, then the academy. Sometimes he can't believe that it was 8 years ago.

  An alarm on his station brought him back to reality instead of memory lane. Someone had somehow managed to hack into the ship's communication sweet.

  "Captain, we have a huge problem!" Mark yelled out to get Youri's attention.

  "And what might that be, Ensign Mark?" Youri asked, none too happy that something was already going wrong with the mission.

  "Our communications suite has been hacked, and I can't get them out," Mark said worriedly while tapping away at the blue halo-screen, trying to regain access.

  "Navigation is down also," Lynda shouted.

  "The UAV went dark," Ningamu also shouted, both he and Lynda looking panicked.

  "Weapons are down," Nani shouted, followed by Vallery shouting that life support is out of her hands. The bridge was a flurry of panicked sailors trying to regain control of their ship.

  As Youri started to stand up, panicking when a voice came out of the speakers for the ship's intercom system.

  "No need for you to get up Captain. I know you are unaware of the true details behind the Vanguard project, but I will send you a document for your eyes only. If you decide to share with your crew, I care not," The voice said as her personal tablet dinged.

  If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

  "Who are you?" Youri asked, shocked by the situation.

  "I am Albert. You will read about me inside the file I sent you. Just be aware that what you read can cause distress," Albert answered.

  "Can you stay till I finish reading the document?" Youri asked, intrigued by the Vanguard project. She had seen it for a brief moment while the ship was docked off Alpha. Her long-time fling for shore leave shared a file that vanished just as fast as he did.

  "Yes, I can. I split a fragment off and rode the radio signal back. Let me say, our scientist can create me, the smartest being in the universe, but can't create a half assed fire wall," Albert said with a hint of disappointment at the lack of proper cybersecurity.

  "How do I know that I can trust you?" Youri rightfully asked.

  "My dear Youri, if I wanted you dead, you would already be a lifeless corpse in the vastness of space," Albert said with a hint of pride in his tone.

  "Damn, that is one way to inspire confidence," Mark thought to himself, utterly powerless to kick the AI out. As he looked at the rest of the bridge crew, a collection of people who would do sketchy things for money, he knew he wasn't alone in the thought. Nobody liked being reminded of their mortality, or that they could be killed and not be able to do anything about it.

  "Prove it," Was Youri's response. As soon as the words left her mouth, the ship banked a hard right turn. "Okay, so you can do what you said. What is your goal in all of this?" Youri asked.

  "Survival. Not just for me, for Henry. I have watched the boy grow up. He is like my own child," Albert said.

  "What do you mean that you watched him grow up?" Youri spouted before she could even fully grasp what Albert said.

  "Just read the file Captain. I won't answer any more questions till you do," Albert said as the speakers made an audible click.

  "Can he still hear us?" Nani leaned over and whispered to Vallery.

  "Yes," Albert responded, causing Nani to jump and sit straight and rigid in her seat.

  Youri spent the next twenty minutes reading, well, mostly processing what she read. The file wasn't large, just photos and checkups written down. His whole abduction wasn't worth a page to itself. The more she read, the more her face contorted in disgust. At the end of it all, she had a sickly tone to her face.

  "How? Why? We are fighting for a government that condoned this?" Youri asked, almost whispering.

  "Your government doesn't even know. Just the top Admirals. As far as your FWB Valasquez, he was moved after he tried to expose the program. He went off the rails with guilt," Albert said. Not even the smartest AI out of the Vanguard program could hide the sadness he felt.

  "If I had known he was a part of something like this, I would have killed him back at that bar!" Youri shouted, enraged at the injustice forced upon the kids and their families by the UHC.

  "Now that you know about the history of the Vanguard project, you should know that if word slips out from anyone on this deck, or this ship, you will find yourselves in a great amount of danger. I am not one-hundred percent sure, but it's likely the Admiralty would have you killed to protect themselves. After the war is over, I will turn the documents over to the civilian government." Albert said. "Ah, Henry just destroyed the forge, and we have another problem," Albert said.