The Corporate AIs of the 21st Century were an interesting mix. Smaller corporations sought AIs that would get attention amongst the “computer nerds” of the time, so some became sexy anime girls, some were out of this world wacky “aliens,” and many were a mix of comedic and sexy. Most were female. Larger corporations sought far more serious avatars to represent them since they were more interested in gaining corporate allies than the “nerd cred” of the time.
I grew up watching the search for new life and new civilizations. The first books I read of my own volition concerned that starship. I learned what volition and so many other words I’d never heard of meant from those books. And in a testament to the America I grew up, I thought the kiss between a certain comm officer and a captain was naughty because he was her superior officer. The color of their skin meant nothing to the world I grew up in. I video taped every episode and watched as a cold-blooded, green-blooded alien proved himself as human as any other member of the crew. I learned about life, death, and life from those people and they have influenced how I write today. I have been and always shall be a Trekkie. Live Long and Prosper Leonard Nimoy. You fly now with those who passed on before you.
The veterans of Vietnam became a blight on American history. Too many Americans on the ideological left despised them, and too many people in the center or on the right ignored them. The Vietnam veterans fell through the cracks of society and the wandering homeless slightly crazy veteran became a stereotype of the time. It was a shameful time in American history that was not ended until well into the next century.
Jesse is another of the friends I made during The War. One of the few who never got killed during it. He was a good man. Didn’t hate the Shang like me and Ken did. He was a Kansas farmer before Yosemite and it showed in how he worked. He made me feel kinda lazy sometimes in fact. Probably the best thing he brought to the Cowboys was his morality though. He never enjoyed killing. He did it if he had to, but he didn’t rejoice in death. He was a good example to follow in that.
Many AIs that came out of the networks in the 2050s never fought. For every government or college student there was a corporation that made one to represent them in the digital age. Microsoft’s Cortana, Blizzard’s Nova, Disney’s Snow White, and Dreamworks’ Fiona are several examples of such personas. These corporate AIs rarely engaged in hostilities, though there are the rumors of corporate espionage and of course the various digital shenanigans they aimed at each other. They truly enjoyed embarrassing the competition…
Forge of War on Amazon
Angel Flight on Amazon
Angel Strike on Amazon
Angel War on Amazon
Wolfenheim Rising on Amazon
Wolfenheim Emergent on Amazon