Shoot for Earth: MedSci Missions 3

“Arfus, we can send a drone inside Shadowstar via one of the hull breaches we made to rip out their EMP.”

“I will be asking a team of bio beings to go in.”

Walsh was startled. For a second, he’d forgotten he wasn’t really in command anymore.

“Why? And How?”

Arfus explained calmly, “An onboard Hygeia cruiser in fighter mode, or a suitable small Octopoid vessel can be used. It will carry a team to Shadowstar’s second hull breach. The beings will enter through the hole and extract or destroy the EMP.”

“Yes,” Walsh said impatiently, “but why people instead of drones?”

“Harm might come to drones.”

Several shocked crew members turned to stare in the direction of the drone. They were probably all thankful they couldn’t see each other’s open mouths and unprofessional distraction from their consoles.

Cold terror ran through Walsh. “Sufra!” He demanded! “Didn’t you program in robot laws, like the standard ones derived from Asimov’s?”

“I put in a set of laws,” Sufra said unapologetically. To her drone, she added, “Arfus, list Sufra’s Safely Rules.”

“Certainly, primary Sufra. Sufra’s Safety Rules.” There was a pause. “Poid vessel should arrive in five minutes. The rules recitation will have to wait. I need to message with them.”

“Isn’t that my job?” An annoyed Ambassador’s voice said over the com.

“Usually,” Arfus said. “Poid vessel is arriving, The Poids will expect to converse with the humans they know, but they have agreed to my plan.”

Walsh spoke to his com. “Woon, get ready to send a boarding party over to infiltrate the Shadowstar at our second breach zone.”

Arfus added, “The Octopoid Admiral Eats Little but Gets Large, and some his subordinates will be going in. You can be ready to launch a back-up party in case they fail.”

“Our former Poid foe Eats and other marauders are going in for us?” Walsh asked. “How did you manage that?”

“A lot of money,” Arfus said. “The Poid government gave him a choice of collecting gems to help us while carrying out activity aligned with his natural proclivities, or languishing in the coral corral.”

“Arfus,” O’Bien said, “I’m not sure I’m ok with putting aliens in danger to fight our battle.”

“The action is in keeping with Sufra’s rule number two,” Arfus said.

“For the love of the galaxy,” Walsh said. “Let’s hear those rules.”

“There might be just time to list them before the Poids arrive and call you,” Arfus said. Without a beat, he continued with the list:

1. A drone assistant must obey the human assigned to it (the primary human) except any order that causes more harm to the primary than disobeying an order will.
2. A Drone Assistant must strive to keep all humans safe unless the primary orders otherwise.
3. A drone assistant may restrain or harm a non-prime human only on the express orders of the primary, unless a non-primary physically attacks the primary. Restraint measures must be attempted before physical harm can be done to a non-primary.
4. An order by the primary to humanely kill the primary must be accompanied by an order from a qualified medical professional except when no medical professional is available and DOG analysis concludes pain level will be continuously eight or higher, and death of primary is inevitable before a medical professional can be consulted.