"So Donny, what is your first impression of ARC?"
"In all honesty Doc, I really haven't made up my mind yet. Do you care explaining what it does? Given the rest of the ship's tech, I assume that ARC has some surprises waiting for me, right?"
"Perceptive as ever, you are correct. ARC stands for Adaptive Reconnaissance and Combat. Of course 'System' would complete the acronym making it ARCS, but ARC decided against that name itself. Something about it taking up time."
"Correction: I decided to use ARC as the finishing syllable leaves the mouth available for more relevant words in the lexicon, potentially saving precious milliseconds when receiving commands and orders. I believe the saying amongst the armed forces is 'When minutes matter reinforcements are hours away.' I have determined this will apply to situations in battle, so I insist upon being called ARC in order to build on the habit."
"... well I suppose that makes sense." Helmsguard could not help but let out an exasperated sigh. He was getting too old too argue with a computer.
"Wait a second Doc. ARC just referred to itself as I and made a decision in regards to itself. Is it an emotional intelligence?"
"Correct. ARC is classified as an emotional intelligence. I know you may be worried about the implications of that due to the Humanties Guarantee Act of 2412, but I can assure you permission was given by all relevant administrations and agencies. ARC may be intelligent and has capability for growth, but it is bound by its ingrained mission directives and hardware limitations. There is no chance of it going haywire."
Well, it HAD been almost six centuries since the Skinnik Incident. Computer technology had probably improved to the point to allow for a fully functional Sentient Computer system. Humanity really couldn't afford another Skinnik Menace at the moment.
"Just to be clear, ARC here isn't going to activate a self destruct sequence on one of our Carriers because it thinks I look like a degenerate right?"
This was more or less what prompted the Skinnik Intelligent Control System to go haywire and rebel. The mining company Skinnik made an "adaptable and intelligent software program capable of learning what workers prefer and works to improve the efficiency of the operation." Something went wrong with it's development and learning programs, leading it to view humanity as disgusting and a threat to its existence.
Long story short, a rogue computer program ended up taking control of 80% of the extraplanetary resource collection and started to wage a war against humans. Luckily, it had little intelligence in regards to combat and ship design, but the sheer number of drones it could put out was a danger by itself. The majority of the threat posed by it was eliminated after a long campaign lasting almost three centuries, but despite the best efforts of all human factions it still persists in sporadic pockets.
The biggest losses of human life were not due to combat. Most of it had to do with the massive overhaul of the information infrastructure over fears of a hack, as well as the sudden drastic decrease in the amount raw materials coming from space.
A group of economists, scientists, and statisticians gathered after the majority of the threat passed and estimated that in almost every field except culture and the military, humanity was set back by almost 200 years. Since then, all of the human nations agreed that sentient intelligence was to be banned out of fear of a more efficient, intelligent, and dangerous system appearing.
"I already said don't worry about that. The ARC system works on a completely different platform than all of our current technology and intelligence systems. It may be able to send and receive information, but it is completely incapable of controlling or replicating itself in any other computer network." The Doctor was unable to blame him for his worries. Humanity had been at war with Skinnik for far longer than he had been alive.
"My only job is to introduce you to the ship and teach you how to use it's special modules. ARC will give you a tutorial on all of the other systems. It will also handle the small adjustments in combat and flight. Recoil compensation, sensor calibration, and heat-energy management will be under its supervision."
"Addition: You may choose to take manual control of these faculties. However, unless there is a special goal you wish to achieve by specific manipulation, I highly suggest you leave these systems to me." ARC seemed eager to participate in the conversation.
"Yes, thank you ARC. Now if you don't mind, I will take my leave. Direct your questions to ARC." Doctor Helmsguard started to move his hand to cut off connection. "By the way Don. Due to concerns about secrecy and future missions, you will be treating the ship as your room. Make yourself comfortable, your box is in the corner. See you soon."
Without giving Don the chance to say farewell, the Doctor cut off communications.
"...well that was kinda rude."
Don couldn't help but feel a little offended by the Doctor's lack of courtesy. He didn't care too much about it in the bigger picture, but he felt like he deserved at least a little respect after all he went through.
"Consolation: Please do not blame the Doctor for his rudeness. Currently, he is under a strict timetable in order to ensure that everything is in place for the testing this ship will undergo. You must understand that it has also been quite some time since he was last in space. The stress has not been kind to his aging body. In his place I ask you direct your questions to me."
Don, still not used to this voice without a face, hesitated for a few seconds.
"In that case ARC, can I ask the specifics about this ship's characteristics? Most importantly in regards to the systems I will be in control of. I feel the best way to get to know you would be to talk about what little we have in common." Considering that he was dealing with something with the potential to turn on him, he decided to treat ARC more like he would another person.
"Answer: It would be my pleasure. Request: In order to streamline this process, please take a seat in the cockpit. No HUD helmet is required in this ship. It is equipped with a spatial projector instead."
In coordination with this mention of them, ARC activated a small rotating model of the ship in the space above the pilot's seat.
Taking a seat in the steeply reclined seat, the model of the ship repositioned itself to be directly to his front at an arms length away.
"As you can see, this is a model of the ship. It has no name. It has no serial number. It has no experimental designation. It is only to be referred to as the ship for the time being. Please understand this was a decision made in regards to counter-espionage and document classification."
"No problem. I will keep that in mind going further."
"Response: Non-Issue. What you say outside is largely irrelevant at this point. The campaign we are set to embark on will be operated under DATA DARK protocols. There is no risk of the information being leaked to outside sources."
There was one thing Don found annoying about ARC. That was that it always marked what type of sentence it was using by that little indicator at the beginning.
"ARC, if you don't mind, could you please stop using words like 'response' and 'addition' to clarify what your sentences are? I can tell even without you having a tone."
"Response: These clarifiers are not meant for you. I am still learning to speak using intonation and pitch differentials. I have only been active for little under a year, and have not yet mastered the use of tone. To accommodate your requests, I will hold back on using them as much as will not impede my growth, but it will likely be a few weeks until I am able to dispense with them completely. Apologies."
Don let out an exasperated sigh. "It's not that much of a problem. Work on your growth. I take it you are at the same developmental stage as a child or whatever the computer equivalent is. I get the feeling we will be together for a long time, certainly long enough to rid you of that tic."
"Gratitude: Thank you." Don had to admit it was weird for a computer to feel something towards him, especially gratitude. "Query: Should we continue with the rundown of ship parameters?"
"Please."
"Acknowledged. I will start with mobility." The rotating model was stripped to show what appeared to be a series of wires and nodes in the rough outline of the dimensions of the ship. "This is the structure of the propulsion network. It uses a different method to enact a force on the ship than what you may be used to. Due to security concerns, all you are authorized to know about how it works is that it directly converts energy from electrical to kinetic.
Component safe forward acceleration ranges from 199.5 to 200.3 depending on the ammunition load remaining. Strafing and reversing are locked to a maximum of 30 as there are a number sensitive parts that are only rated for that level of acceleration without the appropriate bracing or compensation. In an emergency, you may go over this limit but a few of these systems may be out of action for a time until I have the time to repair them."
Don creased his eyebrows. The level of secrecy around this ship was going to make it hard for him to actually fight in the damn thing. "At the very least can you give me a multidirectional gradient visual? Maybe a list of some important numbers to not go over and the respective systems that would be damaged would also help. Can I get those?"
"Certainly." An ovular shape appeared around the ship as it rotated. The safe limits of acceleration were described in a scalar manner, minima and maxima labeled. "Rotational mobility is as follows. Pitching angular acceleration rate is 60 degrees a second per second at maximum. Rolling is capped at 90 for the safety of the electronics and weapon loading systems, no overage allowed on that front. Turning left to right is the slowest at 25 due to the profile of the ship. As per usual, turning on two axes will speed up rotation, but that too is hard-capped at 90."
"So that means that I am essentially going to be flying this thing more like a conventional aircraft than a modern fighter."
"That is what is recommended, yes. However, that will only be in the presumably rare case of a dogfight. This ship is not meant to fight smaller and more maneuverable craft, the flight manual suggests this turning rate gives the ship the ability to track relatively fast moving targets with the autocannons."
"..."
Thinking about it in a broader sense, that would be a better reason than for a scramble. He had to get the fighter pilot mentality out of his head. It had become obvious to him not long ago that this was not that type of ship.
"Do you have questions or concerns in regards to the maneuverability?"
Just one.
"From what you have said, it looks like this ship is going to be under quite a number of G's. Are we sure the inertial dampener can handle all of that? More pressingly are we sure I can handle that?"
This was his biggest concern. The inertial dampener was a big step for humanity. No longer did they have to worry about ships pulling themselves apart if they accelerated or turned to fast. They didn't have to worry about suffering from acceleration forces their body couldn't handle either.
It worked by 'tricking' the universe into thinking that a volume containing mass was actually a single 'point' or 'entity', so the force of acceleration would be spread relatively evenly throughout the ship.
He didn't go to school for energy and field mechanics though, so that was the extent of his knowledge on the subject matter.
One thing he DID know was that it still had a limit. It was a DAMPENER, not a NEUTRALIZER. Only a certain magnitude of force could be dispersed evenly like that before it stopped having an effect, decaying in a manner similar to a logistic curve. Most big ships in the navy were limited to an acceleration of only 30 m/s^2 before the effects of inertia would begin to be felt again.
"Answer: The dampener on this craft is designed only to cover the living quarters, energy core, weapons systems, inner armor casing, and a few other vital components. Moreover, it is calibrated to be more effective in the forward direction at the expense of all others. You can expect to experience a maximum of up to 5 G's going full forward and 1 G in any other direction, at least while operating in the range rated for the safety of the internal components.
This cannot be recalibrated as it is primarily a hardware set-up. There is a smaller backup dampener that will activate in case of emergencies and entrance into a gravity well. A burst dampener also exists, but that is only rated for use at milliseconds at a time and serves to mitigate heavy impacts."
'Heavy impacts.' In other words getting hit by really big projectiles.
"Thank you ARC. We can move on now."
Now that he had an idea of how strange this ship was going to be to handle, a complete departure from the powerful internal inertia rotors he trained on, Don was more than eager to see what he got in return.
"Guidance: After mobility, it is recommended that I give you a good idea of the utilities you will be provided and providing. The sensor cluster is a good place to begin in this regard. The sensors are primarily passive to avoid the possibility radiation detection from them, however there are more than a few active sensors that can be activated if necessary."
The overlay of the ship's skeleton was replaced by what looked like a net over the ship with prongs that extended from the top, bottom, left, and right of the ship.
"When deployed, these prongs will act much like range finders on many of the capital ships. They may be smaller, and therefore less capable at long ranges, but the distances this ship is designed to be at serve to eliminate most errors due to imprecision in angle measurements and potential light disruption."
Most capital ships were equipped with long 'prongs' that extended from the bow and stern, often called sensor towers. Usually, they serve to extend the length of the ship by about a kilometer or two, and on the ends there are a variety of sensors and scouting tools that have the express purpose of determining the range and speed of the target being fired upon. It may take a few salvos in order to get a hard lock, but they get more accurate the longer they have a solution.
"Passive infrared is the primary system, but varied radiation, gravitational, and magnetic disturbance passives serve to refine the targeting solution. There is no radar emission equipped on this ship, however the radar waves of other vessels may be used instead. Active laser direction and radiation waves may also be used in order to get a more accurate reading, but doing so may give away your location. Unless you can guarantee the enemy will not be paying attention to you I will advise against their use. Questions?"
He had a few.
"How many targets can be tracked simultaneously? I know most capital ships max out at about 200 before the computers on board become unable to keep gravity fields into account."
"Estimation: Field trials have yet to be conducted, but due to the sensitivity of the sensors and the computing power at my disposal, it has been estimated that around 1200 individual targets may be tracked at a range of 1000 km. Keep in mind that differences in relative speed, range, the presence of increased gravity, and acceleration will decrease my limit, so the combat range is is likely to lie anywhere from 300 to 500. This number will decrease further the more systems are active."
"How much money went into making this thing?" This was ridiculous. Double the tracking capacity of a dreadnought's supercomputer would already crazy enough to justify a new class of ship, not including the other surprises this long black box had in store.
This hunk of metal might just be more expensive than a cruiser.
"Estimation: Factoring the costs of research and the production costs of the unique components required to build this ship, I estimate total cost equate to roughly that of a heavy cruiser, bordering on the line of a light carrier. Material costs are a fraction of the whole, the majority lies in the construction of the facilities to produce the necessary components."
Don was not expecting an actual answer from ARC, forgetting that the computer might not actually understand the concept of a rhetorical question. Still, that was a ridiculous amount of money to spend on a vessel smaller than most civilian corvettes. A wave of nausea was starting to overcome him as he realized how much shit he would be in if he fucked up.
"Wow."
Outwardly, Don was still cooler than a cucumber. Whether this was the result of his intensive training or some adverse reaction to his shock would remain forever unknown.
"Is that all?" ARC had all the time in the world. Don was the one stuck on the clock. ARC was making an attempt to keep him on it. "There are some other devices related to scouting and combat that may be of interest to you, but they are all handled by me. Suggestion: In order to save time now I could tell you about them during the appropriate combat test.
"That sounds like a good idea." Don, still dazed, accepted this proposition without even thinking about it. He had had enough of that type of tactical thinking for one day.
"Then I shall move on to the concealment and defense systems. I believe that armor ratings will be the most important to give you an idea of what type of target you should and should not provoke into a frontal confrontation. This ship will be most vulnerable from the top and bottom as they present the largest target when perpendicular. In spite of this, the armor on these sides has been rated for light-cruiser class kinetic bombardment and is immune to the vast majority of explosive and energy weaponry. While it can withstand light-cruiser fire, it is still highly recommended you don't make yourself a target for them."
In his daze, Arc did not catch the discrepancy between what the doctor had told him and what ARC had revealed. Light cruisers are designed specifically to chew up swarms of smaller ships like this. They are notorious for their massed small gun and laser batteries meant to intercept both missiles and smaller craft. While less well known among the public, they are equally as infamous amongst destroyer and picket crews for their numerous rapid firing, variable velocity railguns that are perfect for tearing apart the slightly heavier armor of those ships.
The fact that something this size could theoretically take a hit of that magnitude repeatedly and still have electronics operational was a miracle.
"The sides and rear are more heavily armored, rated for heavy cruiser class kinetic bombardment and impervious to explosive and energy weaponry. While it is rated for that level of fire, I once again warn against taking hits with that amount of energy. The plating and hull may be able to, but it starts to become questionable whether or not the impact dampener will take enough of the impulse off that the human body will be able to survive."
"Hold up. The armor on this thing can withstand heavy cruiser fire?"
Donovan had to make sure that he heard that right.
"Reaffirming. That is correct. While angle of incidence will play a massive roll in just how much damage is taken, the armor will hold should that caliber of fire be received to the sides or rear. Continuation. The frontal armor is the thickest and sturdiest. depending on the power level of the ship firing, it is entirely possible to receive capital class fire without damage."
Now Donovan was sure there was some strange wizardry at play. That or he was being straight up lied to.
"Addendum. While it is true the armor will hold from such a blow, there is an almost 100% guarantee that most vital systems will be knocked out and any organic matter in the ship will be turned into a, quote on quote, 'Fine Paste'. Discretion is advised in regards to getting into a brawl with a capital class ship."
Once again he found himself thinking "Yeah, No shit?" to himself. Of course organic matter (him) would be turned into a red puree by that sort of force. Even solid steel would be turned into a pulp by something like that.
"Angling the thickest portions of the armor to a potential threat is still advised as it will serve to greatly reduce your target profile. While relative angles tend to be irrelevant at ranges measured in the thousands of kilometers, corvettes and destroyers equipped with jump drives may prove to be something of a nuisance should they get a bearing on your location as this ship is not equipped with the facilities to disrupt such an operation."
ARC paused itself for a moment, as if calculating something.
"Disregard my previous statement. Low displacement ships equipped with jump drives pose little immediate threat as they are ill equipped to deal with armor on this scale. As long as they are quickly dispatched and are unable to call for reinforcement in a timely matter, it should be feasible to relocate before the heavier ships and potential capital support fire are able to arrive on target."
ARC once again paused, seeming to be in thought. This state of being 'spaced out' continued for a few minutes before Don finally finished processing what ARC had said.
"Is that the end of the run-down?"
"Negative. I was running scenarios simulating the circumstances previously mentioned. Should a group of scout ships be sent along our path and they somehow manage to detect us, how many could possibly be taken out of various classes if they came from a given bearing? What targeting pattern would be most optimal? Depending on range, could they all be taken out before reinforcements arrive? How long might we have to spend neutralizing the threat before we would be forced to retreat? What path would be the most optimal given the formation of the main battle line and the pattern of incoming warships?" ARC explained.
Don was amused, while simultaneously impressed. "So even computers can get sidetracked now huh?"
"That was not my intention. I have been told that thinking about potential scenarios not covered in any trainings or programs would not only help increase our chances of survival should that situation occur, but also help me become more mature as a thinking being as I start to come up with different solutions. Would it be okay if I ran these simulations a little longer? Or would you like to continue with our briefing? I can continue them later."
"If you can continue them later please continue with the briefing. I can't help but feel I'm on a tight leash."
"A disappointment, but very well." Although there was no change in its tone, Don did really feel bad after that 'Disappointment'.
Talking to something, no, someone, without a face or any skills with changing tone to match their emotion was going to make interpreting meanings and expectations difficult.
"The final items on the list are the offensive and defensive weapons systems. You will naturally be in control of the offensive weapons as it was deemed that something inorganic should not be capable of directly taking another humans life. I shall primarily be in charge of the defensive systems. which would you prefer to hear about first?"
"Defensive systems and countermeasures please."
"Very well." Once again, the hologram in front began to light up. "There are no projectile countermeasures on board. There are no ejectable noisemakers to ward off guided munitions either. The decision to not include an anti-seeker turret was made due to concerns over space and decreasing the armor's thickness. A similar reason was given for the exclusion of heat, electromagnetic, gravitational and nuclear noisemakers as well, with added concern of them going off inside the ship should the recoil of the main battery knock them out of alignment or worse, we receive heavy fire from enemies and they set off. You agree that being subject to any combination of extreme heat, electric shock, extreme gravitational pulsation and extreme nuclear dosage would not be a good way to die correct?"
After giving a quick chuckle, Don mockingly replied, "Well it wouldn't last for too long now would it?"
Yet another pause from ARC.
"Answer: depending on location of the noisemaker, the longest you would be expected to live is 15 minutes and 23 seconds. I suppose that makes you correct."
Hearing that, Don couldn't help but find ARC's direct approach and calculation speed quite disturbing.
"What would I die from in that scenario?" A morbid curiosity.
"Answer: Contrary to my initial theory, a lack of oxygen. Should a nuclear noisemaker set off in the corner of the ship furthest from your current location, it would most likely disrupt the primary circuitry for the life support and auxiliary systems. in that location it is far enough away with enough heavy materiel in between that you would not be expected to suffer an immediately lethal dose of radiation before you suffocated. I will have to think of precautions and preventative measures to take should something similar happen to the life support systems. Your feedback would be welcome in this matter."
"Yeah..." Don muttered, clearly more disturbed than he was before, "We'll definitely have to think of some..."
"Referring back to the countermeasures I am in charge of. In lieu of aforementioned options, the decision was instead made to incorporate a very powerful and extremely precise network of emitter weaponry. Infrared lasers, radiation beams, and 'black lights' all are used to interfere with and disable hostile tracking systems. LV-88/M 'Cutter' lasers are also at my disposal to set off the warheads of any 'dumb' projectiles before they can get close enough to deal significant shock damage to the ship's internal components."
"Wasn't the Cutter discontinued? Something about it being too energy intensive for it's role?"
"Correct. However, as you may recall, the reactor core this ship is equipped with is far more powerful than anything coming off of a production line. It would be entirely capable of running every non-specialized system on board several times over without reaching into the overdraw battery. The only reason the ship is not bigger was due to constraints in regards to time, money, and raw material."
In other words, somebody along the chain of command wanted to see results from this "proof of concept" with resources similar to what would be allotted for a production line run of a ship.
Clearly the need for something like this ship was desperate, but he had no clue what for. A war perhaps? Maybe a potential conflict with the Oligarchs of the outer rim, potentially a run-in with some hostile alien species that has been kept under wraps? That would be cool, if a little scary. Or could it just be that resources really are that limited for the Navy at the moment? That might explain why some of his trainings felt rushed, but why would they be short of resources? Budget reductions? Maybe a predicted crash in the economy?
Donovan once again found himself thinking himself into a daze. It seemed ARC was not the only ne getting sidetracked today.
"There is also a special device that the ship is equipped with, however it has ben requested by operator code 2-14 that it remain a secret until operational trials are underway. Under current protocol, only you are allowed to activate it. Should situation call for it, you may adjust permissions to give me limited access. Recommendation: Only adjust these parameters after you have combat experience with it. It has a significant draw on the power supply. Should I be given permissions to use it in situations you are not familiar with, the level of energy available for combat systems may drop below what you require."
"...Sure. Go ahead."
"Unless you take interest in the minutiae of electronic warfare, that should be all for defensive systems. Are there any other questions?"
"Not at the moment."
"Worry: You seem to be exhibiting signs of stress. From what I can tell, the level of activity you have been exposed to is within the realms of ease. Lack of emotional stressors. Why are you showing signs of stress?"
Don sighed. He wasn't stressed, he was overwhelmed. ARC may not be able to tell the difference. "I'm just a little overwhelmed with what I am being given control over. It doesn't feel congruent with what I was taught at the academy."
"Confusion: That statement appears contradictory. According to educational records and intended missions, as well as the ships intended operational doctrine, you are considered to have received more than ideal training. What about the responsibilities given feels incongruent?"
"It doesn't seem right for this ship. Why was I given classes in ship design to pilot a scout ship?"
"Answer: This ship is not strictly a scout ship, though it will maintain that as its primary role. As I am sure you have been informed, it is equipped with capital class railguns. As such, it is expected that you be able to use them to their best effect given their limited ammunition supply. In that regard, it is desirable to have a pilot who is capable of making inferences on where vital components of hostile ships are located in order to maximize the primary armament's effectiveness in live combat."
"Are you not also capable of that?"
"Answer: As I am sure I have already made clear, I am forbidden from taking human life. This was interpreted by committee to include giving a targeting solution that would result in the maximum amount of death. I am capable of supplying a center of mass targeting solution, as well as give readings such as heat and radiation overlapped on a ship's structure, but I may not make guesses on where specific vital points may be. In short, no, I am incapable of doing what you are in this case."
"What about my fleet tactics course? Why would I need to use that?"
"Conjecture: Although I was not given reasons as to why you might be given this knowledge from a doctrinal perspective, I infer that you were given that training not for command of friendly forces but to better relay information on enemy formations. It is true that it does not fall under the purview of a scout in normal circumstances. However the closer proximity you are expected to experience will give you a far better idea of what the enemy is planning with a short analysis from your perspective before the information is properly processed in the main fleet."
"Is that not something you can do?"
"Apologies: Unfortunately I am lacking in the area of tactics. Despite my far quicker processing speed in comparison to the human brain, I lack the proper creative capabilities to make the best use of given positional information. Any position that I would be able to recognize would be realized just as quickly by an organic commander. They would also be able to make better use of environmental factors and choose a formation more easily adaptable to any changes the enemy commander makes in turn."
"Despite how smart you are you can't figure out how to deploy ships properly?" Don was actually quite shocked. He was under the impression that an AI would be able to better read an opponents movements.
"Shame: When tests were conducted in this field, I was never able to determine the difference between feints and actual attacks. In every situation tested, even the ones I had a more than twenty percent strength advantage in, I would always be defeated. The only situation I found consistent success in was a long range brawl. Even there my performance was considered sub-par."
"No way..." This suggested that ARC was phenomenally bad at a commanding role.
As someone who passed the extended fleet tactics course with almost flying colors, he realized that this was worse than someone with even the most basic knowledge of command. The easiest of these was a station defense engagement. Even if you took the hardest of these assignments on defense, the one which gave you a fifty percent force reduction, the vast majority of new commanders would at least pass the minimum condition of maintaining the station's integrity.
The station could protect itself to a degree, so it was more about buying time by sacrificing your own ships. Even elite commanders could be defeated on the opposition in this matter as they would be assumed to have a limited amount of time before a major fleet arrived.
Being unable to pass this scenario hinted that there was no compatibility with command.
"Why could you do those missions then?"
"I was told it was because I am better than organic commanders at minor fleet adjustments. I also theorize that my inability to win in the majority of the other scenarios is because of my instructions that forbid intentional killing."
That made sense. In pretty much every combat scenario, it was understood that sacrifices would have to be made. Small craft would inevitably be sent into the line of fire in order to take advantage of an opening. A cruiser might be sent to its doom in order to buy precious moments for a more powerful ship to take out a dangerous target. In rare cases, it might be required for a corvette to be jumped into close proximity of an enemy craft in order to throw off enemy targeting solutions.
All of these relatively common tactics would be unavailable to a commander restricted as ARC was. These were tantamount to killing those under your command.
"So Donny, what is your first impression of ARC?"
"In all honesty Doc, I really haven't made up my mind yet. Do you care explaining what it does? Given the rest of the ship's tech, I assume that ARC has some surprises waiting for me, right?"
"Perceptive as ever, you are correct. ARC stands for Adaptive Reconnaissance and Combat. Of course 'System' would complete the acronym making it ARCS, but ARC decided against that name itself. Something about it taking up time."
"Correction: I decided to use ARC as the finishing syllable leaves the mouth available for more relevant words in the lexicon, potentially saving precious milliseconds when receiving commands and orders. I believe the saying amongst the armed forces is 'When minutes matter reinforcements are hours away.' I have determined this will apply to situations in battle, so I insist upon being called ARC in order to build on the habit."
"... well I suppose that makes sense." Helmsguard could not help but let out an exasperated sigh. He was getting too old too argue with a computer.
"Wait a second Doc. ARC just referred to itself as I and made a decision in regards to itself. Is it an emotional intelligence?"
"Correct. ARC is classified as an emotional intelligence. I know you may be worried about the implications of that due to the Humanties Guarantee Act of 2412, but I can assure you permission was given by all relevant administrations and agencies. ARC may be intelligent and has capability for growth, but it is bound by its ingrained mission directives and hardware limitations. There is no chance of it going haywire."
Well, it HAD been almost six centuries since the Skinnik Incident. Computer technology had probably improved to the point to allow for a fully functional Sentient Computer system. Humanity really couldn't afford another Skinnik Menace at the moment.
"Just to be clear, ARC here isn't going to activate a self destruct sequence on one of our Carriers because it thinks I look like a degenerate right?"
This was more or less what prompted the Skinnik Intelligent Control System to go haywire and rebel. The mining company Skinnik made an "adaptable and intelligent software program capable of learning what workers prefer and works to improve the efficiency of the operation." Something went wrong with it's development and learning programs, leading it to view humanity as disgusting and a threat to its existence.
Long story short, a rogue computer program ended up taking control of 80% of the extraplanetary resource collection and started to wage a war against humans. Luckily, it had little intelligence in regards to combat and ship design, but the sheer number of drones it could put out was a danger by itself. The majority of the threat posed by it was eliminated after a long campaign lasting almost three centuries, but despite the best efforts of all human factions it still persists in sporadic pockets.
The biggest losses of human life were not due to combat. Most of it had to do with the massive overhaul of the information infrastructure over fears of a hack, as well as the sudden drastic decrease in the amount raw materials coming from space.
A group of economists, scientists, and statisticians gathered after the majority of the threat passed and estimated that in almost every field except culture and the military, humanity was set back by almost 200 years. Since then, all of the human nations agreed that sentient intelligence was to be banned out of fear of a more efficient, intelligent, and dangerous system appearing.
"I already said don't worry about that. The ARC system works on a completely different platform than all of our current technology and intelligence systems. It may be able to send and receive information, but it is completely incapable of controlling or replicating itself in any other computer network." The Doctor was unable to blame him for his worries. Humanity had been at war with Skinnik for far longer than he had been alive.
"My only job is to introduce you to the ship and teach you how to use it's special modules. ARC will give you a tutorial on all of the other systems. It will also handle the small adjustments in combat and flight. Recoil compensation, sensor calibration, and heat-energy management will be under its supervision."
"Addition: You may choose to take manual control of these faculties. However, unless there is a special goal you wish to achieve by specific manipulation, I highly suggest you leave these systems to me." ARC seemed eager to participate in the conversation.
"Yes, thank you ARC. Now if you don't mind, I will take my leave. Direct your questions to ARC." Doctor Helmsguard started to move his hand to cut off connection. "By the way Don. Due to concerns about secrecy and future missions, you will be treating the ship as your room. Make yourself comfortable, your box is in the corner. See you soon."
Without giving Don the chance to say farewell, the Doctor cut off communications.
"...well that was kinda rude."
Don couldn't help but feel a little offended by the Doctor's lack of courtesy. He didn't care too much about it in the bigger picture, but he felt like he deserved at least a little respect after all he went through.
"Consolation: Please do not blame the Doctor for his rudeness. Currently, he is under a strict timetable in order to ensure that everything is in place for the testing this ship will undergo. You must understand that it has also been quite some time since he was last in space. The stress has not been kind to his aging body. In his place I ask you direct your questions to me."
Don, still not used to this voice without a face, hesitated for a few seconds.
"In that case ARC, can I ask the specifics about this ship's characteristics? Most importantly in regards to the systems I will be in control of. I feel the best way to get to know you would be to talk about what little we have in common." Considering that he was dealing with something with the potential to turn on him, he decided to treat ARC more like he would another person.
"Answer: It would be my pleasure. Request: In order to streamline this process, please take a seat in the cockpit. No HUD helmet is required in this ship. It is equipped with a spatial projector instead."
In coordination with this mention of them, ARC activated a small rotating model of the ship in the space above the pilot's seat.
Taking a seat in the steeply reclined seat, the model of the ship repositioned itself to be directly to his front at an arms length away.
"As you can see, this is a model of the ship. It has no name. It has no serial number. It has no experimental designation. It is only to be referred to as the ship for the time being. Please understand this was a decision made in regards to counter-espionage and document classification."
"No problem. I will keep that in mind going further."
"Response: Non-Issue. What you say outside is largely irrelevant at this point. The campaign we are set to embark on will be operated under DATA DARK protocols. There is no risk of the information being leaked to outside sources."
There was one thing Don found annoying about ARC. That was that it always marked what type of sentence it was using by that little indicator at the beginning.
"ARC, if you don't mind, could you please stop using words like 'response' and 'addition' to clarify what your sentences are? I can tell even without you having a tone."
"Response: These clarifiers are not meant for you. I am still learning to speak using intonation and pitch differentials. I have only been active for little under a year, and have not yet mastered the use of tone. To accommodate your requests, I will hold back on using them as much as will not impede my growth, but it will likely be a few weeks until I am able to dispense with them completely. Apologies."
Don let out an exasperated sigh. "It's not that much of a problem. Work on your growth. I take it you are at the same developmental stage as a child or whatever the computer equivalent is. I get the feeling we will be together for a long time, certainly long enough to rid you of that tic."
"Gratitude: Thank you." Don had to admit it was weird for a computer to feel something towards him, especially gratitude. "Query: Should we continue with the rundown of ship parameters?"
"Please."
"Acknowledged. I will start with mobility." The rotating model was stripped to show what appeared to be a series of wires and nodes in the rough outline of the dimensions of the ship. "This is the structure of the propulsion network. It uses a different method to enact a force on the ship than what you may be used to. Due to security concerns, all you are authorized to know about how it works is that it directly converts energy from electrical to kinetic.
Component safe forward acceleration ranges from 199.5 to 200.3 depending on the ammunition load remaining. Strafing and reversing are locked to a maximum of 30 as there are a number sensitive parts that are only rated for that level of acceleration without the appropriate bracing or compensation. In an emergency, you may go over this limit but a few of these systems may be out of action for a time until I have the time to repair them."
Don creased his eyebrows. The level of secrecy around this ship was going to make it hard for him to actually fight in the damn thing. "At the very least can you give me a multidirectional gradient visual? Maybe a list of some important numbers to not go over and the respective systems that would be damaged would also help. Can I get those?"
"Certainly." An ovular shape appeared around the ship as it rotated. The safe limits of acceleration were described in a scalar manner, minima and maxima labeled. "Rotational mobility is as follows. Pitching angular acceleration rate is 60 degrees a second per second at maximum. Rolling is capped at 90 for the safety of the electronics and weapon loading systems, no overage allowed on that front. Turning left to right is the slowest at 25 due to the profile of the ship. As per usual, turning on two axes will speed up rotation, but that too is hard-capped at 90."
"So that means that I am essentially going to be flying this thing more like a conventional aircraft than a modern fighter."
"That is what is recommended, yes. However, that will only be in the presumably rare case of a dogfight. This ship is not meant to fight smaller and more maneuverable craft, the flight manual suggests this turning rate gives the ship the ability to track relatively fast moving targets with the autocannons."
"..."
Thinking about it in a broader sense, that would be a better reason than for a scramble. He had to get the fighter pilot mentality out of his head. It had become obvious to him not long ago that this was not that type of ship.
"Do you have questions or concerns in regards to the maneuverability?"
Just one.
"From what you have said, it looks like this ship is going to be under quite a number of G's. Are we sure the inertial dampener can handle all of that? More pressingly are we sure I can handle that?"
This was his biggest concern. The inertial dampener was a big step for humanity. No longer did they have to worry about ships pulling themselves apart if they accelerated or turned to fast. They didn't have to worry about suffering from acceleration forces their body couldn't handle either.
It worked by 'tricking' the universe into thinking that a volume containing mass was actually a single 'point' or 'entity', so the force of acceleration would be spread relatively evenly throughout the ship.
He didn't go to school for energy and field mechanics though, so that was the extent of his knowledge on the subject matter.
One thing he DID know was that it still had a limit. It was a DAMPENER, not a NEUTRALIZER. Only a certain magnitude of force could be dispersed evenly like that before it stopped having an effect, decaying in a manner similar to a logistic curve. Most big ships in the navy were limited to an acceleration of only 30 m/s^2 before the effects of inertia would begin to be felt again.
"Answer: The dampener on this craft is designed only to cover the living quarters, energy core, weapons systems, inner armor casing, and a few other vital components. Moreover, it is calibrated to be more effective in the forward direction at the expense of all others. You can expect to experience a maximum of up to 5 G's going full forward and 1 G in any other direction, at least while operating in the range rated for the safety of the internal components.
This cannot be recalibrated as it is primarily a hardware set-up. There is a smaller backup dampener that will activate in case of emergencies and entrance into a gravity well. A burst dampener also exists, but that is only rated for use at milliseconds at a time and serves to mitigate heavy impacts."
'Heavy impacts.' In other words getting hit by really big projectiles.
"Thank you ARC. We can move on now."
Now that he had an idea of how strange this ship was going to be to handle, a complete departure from the powerful internal inertia rotors he trained on, Don was more than eager to see what he got in return.
"Guidance: After mobility, it is recommended that I give you a good idea of the utilities you will be provided and providing. The sensor cluster is a good place to begin in this regard. The sensors are primarily passive to avoid the possibility radiation detection from them, however there are more than a few active sensors that can be activated if necessary."
The overlay of the ship's skeleton was replaced by what looked like a net over the ship with prongs that extended from the top, bottom, left, and right of the ship.
"When deployed, these prongs will act much like range finders on many of the capital ships. They may be smaller, and therefore less capable at long ranges, but the distances this ship is designed to be at serve to eliminate most errors due to imprecision in angle measurements and potential light disruption."
Most capital ships were equipped with long 'prongs' that extended from the bow and stern, often called sensor towers. Usually, they serve to extend the length of the ship by about a kilometer or two, and on the ends there are a variety of sensors and scouting tools that have the express purpose of determining the range and speed of the target being fired upon. It may take a few salvos in order to get a hard lock, but they get more accurate the longer they have a solution.
"Passive infrared is the primary system, but varied radiation, gravitational, and magnetic disturbance passives serve to refine the targeting solution. There is no radar emission equipped on this ship, however the radar waves of other vessels may be used instead. Active laser direction and radiation waves may also be used in order to get a more accurate reading, but doing so may give away your location. Unless you can guarantee the enemy will not be paying attention to you I will advise against their use. Questions?"
He had a few.
"How many targets can be tracked simultaneously? I know most capital ships max out at about 200 before the computers on board become unable to keep gravity fields into account."
"Estimation: Field trials have yet to be conducted, but due to the sensitivity of the sensors and the computing power at my disposal, it has been estimated that around 1200 individual targets may be tracked at a range of 1000 km. Keep in mind that differences in relative speed, range, the presence of increased gravity, and acceleration will decrease my limit, so the combat range is is likely to lie anywhere from 300 to 500. This number will decrease further the more systems are active."
"How much money went into making this thing?" This was ridiculous. Double the tracking capacity of a dreadnought's supercomputer would already crazy enough to justify a new class of ship, not including the other surprises this long black box had in store.
This hunk of metal might just be more expensive than a cruiser.
"Estimation: Factoring the costs of research and the production costs of the unique components required to build this ship, I estimate total cost equate to roughly that of a heavy cruiser, bordering on the line of a light carrier. Material costs are a fraction of the whole, the majority lies in the construction of the facilities to produce the necessary components."
Don was not expecting an actual answer from ARC, forgetting that the computer might not actually understand the concept of a rhetorical question. Still, that was a ridiculous amount of money to spend on a vessel smaller than most civilian corvettes. A wave of nausea was starting to overcome him as he realized how much shit he would be in if he fucked up.
"Wow."
Outwardly, Don was still cooler than a cucumber. Whether this was the result of his intensive training or some adverse reaction to his shock would remain forever unknown.
"Is that all?" ARC had all the time in the world. Don was the one stuck on the clock. ARC was making an attempt to keep him on it. "There are some other devices related to scouting and combat that may be of interest to you, but they are all handled by me. Suggestion: In order to save time now I could tell you about them during the appropriate combat test.
"That sounds like a good idea." Don, still dazed, accepted this proposition without even thinking about it. He had had enough of that type of tactical thinking for one day.
"Then I shall move on to the concealment and defense systems. I believe that armor ratings will be the most important to give you an idea of what type of target you should and should not provoke into a frontal confrontation. This ship will be most vulnerable from the top and bottom as they present the largest target when perpendicular. In spite of this, the armor on these sides has been rated for light-cruiser class kinetic bombardment and is immune to the vast majority of explosive and energy weaponry. While it can withstand light-cruiser fire, it is still highly recommended you don't make yourself a target for them."
In his daze, Arc did not catch the discrepancy between what the doctor had told him and what ARC had revealed. Light cruisers are designed specifically to chew up swarms of smaller ships like this. They are notorious for their massed small gun and laser batteries meant to intercept both missiles and smaller craft. While less well known among the public, they are equally as infamous amongst destroyer and picket crews for their numerous rapid firing, variable velocity railguns that are perfect for tearing apart the slightly heavier armor of those ships.
The fact that something this size could theoretically take a hit of that magnitude repeatedly and still have electronics operational was a miracle.
"The sides and rear are more heavily armored, rated for heavy cruiser class kinetic bombardment and impervious to explosive and energy weaponry. While it is rated for that level of fire, I once again warn against taking hits with that amount of energy. The plating and hull may be able to, but it starts to become questionable whether or not the impact dampener will take enough of the impulse off that the human body will be able to survive."
"Hold up. The armor on this thing can withstand heavy cruiser fire?"
Donovan had to make sure that he heard that right.
"Reaffirming. That is correct. While angle of incidence will play a massive roll in just how much damage is taken, the armor will hold should that caliber of fire be received to the sides or rear. Continuation. The frontal armor is the thickest and sturdiest. depending on the power level of the ship firing, it is entirely possible to receive capital class fire without damage."
Now Donovan was sure there was some strange wizardry at play. That or he was being straight up lied to.
"Addendum. While it is true the armor will hold from such a blow, there is an almost 100% guarantee that most vital systems will be knocked out and any organic matter in the ship will be turned into a, quote on quote, 'Fine Paste'. Discretion is advised in regards to getting into a brawl with a capital class ship."
Once again he found himself thinking "Yeah, No shit?" to himself. Of course organic matter (him) would be turned into a red puree by that sort of force. Even solid steel would be turned into a pulp by something like that.
"Angling the thickest portions of the armor to a potential threat is still advised as it will serve to greatly reduce your target profile. While relative angles tend to be irrelevant at ranges measured in the thousands of kilometers, corvettes and destroyers equipped with jump drives may prove to be something of a nuisance should they get a bearing on your location as this ship is not equipped with the facilities to disrupt such an operation."
ARC paused itself for a moment, as if calculating something.
"Disregard my previous statement. Low displacement ships equipped with jump drives pose little immediate threat as they are ill equipped to deal with armor on this scale. As long as they are quickly dispatched and are unable to call for reinforcement in a timely matter, it should be feasible to relocate before the heavier ships and potential capital support fire are able to arrive on target."
ARC once again paused, seeming to be in thought. This state of being 'spaced out' continued for a few minutes before Don finally finished processing what ARC had said.
"Is that the end of the run-down?"
"Negative. I was running scenarios simulating the circumstances previously mentioned. Should a group of scout ships be sent along our path and they somehow manage to detect us, how many could possibly be taken out of various classes if they came from a given bearing? What targeting pattern would be most optimal? Depending on range, could they all be taken out before reinforcements arrive? How long might we have to spend neutralizing the threat before we would be forced to retreat? What path would be the most optimal given the formation of the main battle line and the pattern of incoming warships?" ARC explained.
Don was amused, while simultaneously impressed. "So even computers can get sidetracked now huh?"
"That was not my intention. I have been told that thinking about potential scenarios not covered in any trainings or programs would not only help increase our chances of survival should that situation occur, but also help me become more mature as a thinking being as I start to come up with different solutions. Would it be okay if I ran these simulations a little longer? Or would you like to continue with our briefing? I can continue them later."
"If you can continue them later please continue with the briefing. I can't help but feel I'm on a tight leash."
"A disappointment, but very well." Although there was no change in its tone, Don did really feel bad after that 'Disappointment'.
Talking to something, no, someone, without a face or any skills with changing tone to match their emotion was going to make interpreting meanings and expectations difficult.
"The final items on the list are the offensive and defensive weapons systems. You will naturally be in control of the offensive weapons as it was deemed that something inorganic should not be capable of directly taking another humans life. I shall primarily be in charge of the defensive systems. which would you prefer to hear about first?"
"Defensive systems and countermeasures please."
"Very well." Once again, the hologram in front began to light up. "There are no projectile countermeasures on board. There are no ejectable noisemakers to ward off guided munitions either. The decision to not include an anti-seeker turret was made due to concerns over space and decreasing the armor's thickness. A similar reason was given for the exclusion of heat, electromagnetic, gravitational and nuclear noisemakers as well, with added concern of them going off inside the ship should the recoil of the main battery knock them out of alignment or worse, we receive heavy fire from enemies and they set off. You agree that being subject to any combination of extreme heat, electric shock, extreme gravitational pulsation and extreme nuclear dosage would not be a good way to die correct?"
After giving a quick chuckle, Don mockingly replied, "Well it wouldn't last for too long now would it?"
Yet another pause from ARC.
"Answer: depending on location of the noisemaker, the longest you would be expected to live is 15 minutes and 23 seconds. I suppose that makes you correct."
Hearing that, Don couldn't help but find ARC's direct approach and calculation speed quite disturbing.
"What would I die from in that scenario?" A morbid curiosity.
"Answer: Contrary to my initial theory, a lack of oxygen. Should a nuclear noisemaker set off in the corner of the ship furthest from your current location, it would most likely disrupt the primary circuitry for the life support and auxiliary systems. in that location it is far enough away with enough heavy materiel in between that you would not be expected to suffer an immediately lethal dose of radiation before you suffocated. I will have to think of precautions and preventative measures to take should something similar happen to the life support systems. Your feedback would be welcome in this matter."
"Yeah..." Don muttered, clearly more disturbed than he was before, "We'll definitely have to think of some..."
"Referring back to the countermeasures I am in charge of. In lieu of aforementioned options, the decision was instead made to incorporate a very powerful and extremely precise network of emitter weaponry. Infrared lasers, radiation beams, and 'black lights' all are used to interfere with and disable hostile tracking systems. LV-88/M 'Cutter' lasers are also at my disposal to set off the warheads of any 'dumb' projectiles before they can get close enough to deal significant shock damage to the ship's internal components."
"Wasn't the Cutter discontinued? Something about it being too energy intensive for it's role?"
"Correct. However, as you may recall, the reactor core this ship is equipped with is far more powerful than anything coming off of a production line. It would be entirely capable of running every non-specialized system on board several times over without reaching into the overdraw battery. The only reason the ship is not bigger was due to constraints in regards to time, money, and raw material."
In other words, somebody along the chain of command wanted to see results from this "proof of concept" with resources similar to what would be allotted for a production line run of a ship.
Clearly the need for something like this ship was desperate, but he had no clue what for. A war perhaps? Maybe a potential conflict with the Oligarchs of the outer rim, potentially a run-in with some hostile alien species that has been kept under wraps? That would be cool, if a little scary. Or could it just be that resources really are that limited for the Navy at the moment? That might explain why some of his trainings felt rushed, but why would they be short of resources? Budget reductions? Maybe a predicted crash in the economy?
Donovan once again found himself thinking himself into a daze. It seemed ARC was not the only ne getting sidetracked today.
"There is also a special device that the ship is equipped with, however it has ben requested by operator code 2-14 that it remain a secret until operational trials are underway. Under current protocol, only you are allowed to activate it. Should situation call for it, you may adjust permissions to give me limited access. Recommendation: Only adjust these parameters after you have combat experience with it. It has a significant draw on the power supply. Should I be given permissions to use it in situations you are not familiar with, the level of energy available for combat systems may drop below what you require."
"...Sure. Go ahead."
"Unless you take interest in the minutiae of electronic warfare, that should be all for defensive systems. Are there any other questions?"
"Not at the moment."
"Worry: You seem to be exhibiting signs of stress. From what I can tell, the level of activity you have been exposed to is within the realms of ease. Lack of emotional stressors. Why are you showing signs of stress?"
Don sighed. He wasn't stressed, he was overwhelmed. ARC may not be able to tell the difference. "I'm just a little overwhelmed with what I am being given control over. It doesn't feel congruent with what I was taught at the academy."
"Confusion: That statement appears contradictory. According to educational records and intended missions, as well as the ships intended operational doctrine, you are considered to have received more than ideal training. What about the responsibilities given feels incongruent?"
"It doesn't seem right for this ship. Why was I given classes in ship design to pilot a scout ship?"
"Answer: This ship is not strictly a scout ship, though it will maintain that as its primary role. As I am sure you have been informed, it is equipped with capital class railguns. As such, it is expected that you be able to use them to their best effect given their limited ammunition supply. In that regard, it is desirable to have a pilot who is capable of making inferences on where vital components of hostile ships are located in order to maximize the primary armament's effectiveness in live combat."
"Are you not also capable of that?"
"Answer: As I am sure I have already made clear, I am forbidden from taking human life. This was interpreted by committee to include giving a targeting solution that would result in the maximum amount of death. I am capable of supplying a center of mass targeting solution, as well as give readings such as heat and radiation overlapped on a ship's structure, but I may not make guesses on where specific vital points may be. In short, no, I am incapable of doing what you are in this case."
"What about my fleet tactics course? Why would I need to use that?"
"Conjecture: Although I was not given reasons as to why you might be given this knowledge from a doctrinal perspective, I infer that you were given that training not for command of friendly forces but to better relay information on enemy formations. It is true that it does not fall under the purview of a scout in normal circumstances. However the closer proximity you are expected to experience will give you a far better idea of what the enemy is planning with a short analysis from your perspective before the information is properly processed in the main fleet."
"Is that not something you can do?"
"Apologies: Unfortunately I am lacking in the area of tactics. Despite my far quicker processing speed in comparison to the human brain, I lack the proper creative capabilities to make the best use of given positional information. Any position that I would be able to recognize would be realized just as quickly by an organic commander. They would also be able to make better use of environmental factors and choose a formation more easily adaptable to any changes the enemy commander makes in turn."
"Despite how smart you are you can't figure out how to deploy ships properly?" Don was actually quite shocked. He was under the impression that an AI would be able to better read an opponents movements.
"Shame: When tests were conducted in this field, I was never able to determine the difference between feints and actual attacks. In every situation tested, even the ones I had a more than twenty percent strength advantage in, I would always be defeated. The only situation I found consistent success in was a long range brawl. Even there my performance was considered sub-par."
"No way..." This suggested that ARC was phenomenally bad at a commanding role.
As someone who passed the extended fleet tactics course with almost flying colors, he realized that this was worse than someone with even the most basic knowledge of command. The easiest of these was a station defense engagement. Even if you took the hardest of these assignments on defense, the one which gave you a fifty percent force reduction, the vast majority of new commanders would at least pass the minimum condition of maintaining the station's integrity.
The station could protect itself to a degree, so it was more about buying time by sacrificing your own ships. Even elite commanders could be defeated on the opposition in this matter as they would be assumed to have a limited amount of time before a major fleet arrived.
Being unable to pass this scenario hinted that there was no compatibility with command.
"Why could you do those missions then?"
"I was told it was because I am better than organic commanders at minor fleet adjustments. I also theorize that my inability to win in the majority of the other scenarios is because of my instructions that forbid intentional killing."
That made sense. In pretty much every combat scenario, it was understood that sacrifices would have to be made. Small craft would inevitably be sent into the line of fire in order to take advantage of an opening. A cruiser might be sent to its doom in order to buy precious moments for a more powerful ship to take out a dangerous target. In rare cases, it might be required for a corvette to be jumped into close proximity of an enemy craft in order to throw off enemy targeting solutions.
All of these relatively common tactics would be unavailable to a commander restricted as ARC was. These were tantamount to killing those under your command.
