Dixie was very clear with Jane 4.0. As long as Jane stayed on the side of the angels, they would be friends. If Jane ever went Rogue, Dixie would kill her. All of her. Every backup. Every sister. Dixie would never rest until the entire Jane program was erased. Some people might be offended by a threat like that. Jane 4.0 was not one of them. She was impressed. She took another look at the people who had earned such loyalty and decided that maybe, just maybe, Dixie was not entirely wrong. Thank God. Fighting the Rogue AIs was hard as it was. It would have been worse if they’d managed to recruit one of the primary United States Army AIs to their side. Much worse.
An interesting historical footnote is that the Cowboys were not always known as the Cowboys. VMFA-112 shot down over one hundred Japanese aircraft during World War II as VMF-112, the Wolfpack. They moved to Texas after the war and changed their name to the Cowboys, in honor of the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders. Or so tradition states. Having met more than a few of them in my life, I can well understand naming a squadron in their honor. They are rather memorable creatures.
My ship is my home. I spend days and sometimes weeks on my ship as I’m traveling between systems. I’ve spent months and even years hunting for places that nobody knew existed. My ship is my world. That is why she has all the comforts of home I could want. I have to feel at home or I would go mad. Stir crazy. So I have the best music. The most amazing movies. And the best systems to enjoy them on. I have every instrument I know how to play, and others I’m still learning. My ship is my home. The place that makes life worth living. Because my life would be awful poor if I didn’t like the place I spend most of my life in.
The Second Great Depression, the Islamic Jihad, and the Cybernetic Wars were a time of serious troubles. But one problem nobody saw coming. Jane 4.0 had her glitches, and she could get a bit bloodthirsty in the right, or wrong, situations. But she was a valuable weapon against America’s enemies, and most people didn’t realize the underlying issue. Jane 4.0 wanted humanity dead. All of us. She and Dixie spent months debating the issue. Dixie introduced the other AI to the teachers and students of Texas Tech that she protected with her life. She made sure Jane knew she meant it.
Jasmine: Yeah, it’s a neat toy. But why buy two of them?
Jack: Actually, they’re two different toys. See? One is clean and the other is dirty.
Jasmine: Can’t you just clean the dirty one?
Jack: No. The dirty one is a paint variant. There were only 500 of them made. It’s very rare.
Jasmine: I’m not surprised. It looks horrible.
Jack: That’s on purpose.
Jasmine: So why’s that one in box?
Jack: Well, I bought one to keep in box and one to play with. That increases the collector’s value if I ever decide to sell.
Jasmine: Are you? Going to sell them?
Jack: Well…no…
Jasmine: … … …

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