Note: This kind of came to me as an idea for the setting, and a one shot set in the Mad World universe. Wanted something with the AI Fighters I'd mentioned and combined that with the need for some of the normal crew to make appearances...
xXx
AI pilots had advantages over their flesh and blood counterparts. Processing speed alone gave them the ability to pull stunts that would never occur to a human, but then again there were ways around that for training scenarios.
One method that remained in use was to load the processor to the point where the AI was stuck dealing with human speed thought processes.
The pilot knew that what was around him wasn't real, but he still felt some connection to it. Every boy wants to grow up and be a fighter pilot someday, even though fighters weren't manned by organic pilots because the craft were deathtraps. But still the myths and romance of history spoke to the hearts and minds of the young, leaving the mystique to remain.
However, a human working in conjunction with an AI handled other small craft far better than one or the other alone. Frigates being the largest for the tandem piloting to have much of an effect before the larger bridge crew and limitations imposed simply made things difficult for either on their own and led to larger teams.
He was trained for handling frigates, but sims kept him enjoying the thrills of what he wanted even if the goal was completely unreasonable in the end. Though it was one of the things that the higher ups did put to good use.
Fighter pilot hopefuls were useful in training the AI pilots, layering programs to keep their mental capabilities matched while pitting them against each other in a virtual arena. Giving experience to back up the programmed skills for the real fighter pilots while giving recreation to the organic members of the fleet.
Even then, there were still several genuine human aces still working the sims as a full time job that might be in the rotation.
The current mission rotation was a simple setup, one organic on each side as a leader with an AI wingman. A basic mission that left far more for skill, and all available battlegrounds for it tended to be set up to encourage knife fighting range with battlefield hazards ranging from dust bomb remnants, asteroids, or derelicts.
At least it wasn't an escort operation, those tended to suck for whoever ended up playing defense.
The countdown was almost complete as he forced out a breath, lightly gripping the stick.
And then there was the familiar white flash as the simulators systems kicked in around him, giving him a view of the battleground. Grinning even as he throttled up to full, signaling his ally to match and stay with him as he surveyed their surroundings.
Ruined hulks tumbled around them, all major Contact War species designs were visible while slowly drifting in the void.
A half second later the serenity left his mind as hostile missiles disrupted the scene, and he spun and dove into the maelstrom of shifting wreckage. The position vacated quickly filled by the blast pushed bulk of a freighter.
His partner hadn't reacted quickly enough, being slammed by the hulk.
The attack had given away his opponents position though, a relatively rookie mistake at close range that gave him a momentary clean shot with the close range weaponry his craft was armed with.
A variant of the guardian laser system helped deal with missiles and enemies that came in close, canons worked well to the mid range, while missiles of various kinds covered pretty much anything that wasn't directly in your face.
The laser burst ignored his opponents barriers, a clean hit mid fuselage as his own trained hand brought his fighter into a semi-controlled tumble while checking various feeds to the helmets HUD.
Grinning slightly as his downed opponents mistakes revealed themselves.
While the missile was enough to move the rubble, it didn't give it enough force to penetrate the fighters kinetic barriers, meaning that his wingmate was still active in the swirling debris field.
The fact that a human pilot would still probably be out of the fight following the pinball like reaction while the AI didn't have the same worries hadn't phased him.
One enemy was still out there, and if the downed foe's skills were the indication, then he'd taken down the AI.
Unless he ended up with a rookie pilot for an enemy paired up with...
No, that wasn't a good possibility for him, but it was one none the less.
But it did give him an option.
One of the major advantages synthetic pilots had over their organic kin was that they were difficult to kill, even if their form could be destroyed. Data transferred, giving them the ability to learn and be redeployed even within the same fight.
And with the spectacular opening move of their side, he had an ace in the hole. It had looked like his partner had bitten the bullet in the opening salvo, something that he could now take advantage of.
He shot back into the chaos of the still tumbling debris field where his wingman still waited, before downshifting from active combat to a low emissions setting while ordering his partner to exit the field on his original heading.
It would be easy enough to give the enemy a target, get him out of hiding and pounce on the unsuspecting foe.
His grin widened as the bait was taken and his own systems went active once more.
"There's always a Joker in the deck," Jeff chuckled to himself as he fired off his own missiles at the now exposed target.
xXx
AI pilots had advantages over their flesh and blood counterparts. Processing speed alone gave them the ability to pull stunts that would never occur to a human, but then again there were ways around that for training scenarios.
One method that remained in use was to load the processor to the point where the AI was stuck dealing with human speed thought processes.
The pilot knew that what was around him wasn't real, but he still felt some connection to it. Every boy wants to grow up and be a fighter pilot someday, even though fighters weren't manned by organic pilots because the craft were deathtraps. But still the myths and romance of history spoke to the hearts and minds of the young, leaving the mystique to remain.
However, a human working in conjunction with an AI handled other small craft far better than one or the other alone. Frigates being the largest for the tandem piloting to have much of an effect before the larger bridge crew and limitations imposed simply made things difficult for either on their own and led to larger teams.
He was trained for handling frigates, but sims kept him enjoying the thrills of what he wanted even if the goal was completely unreasonable in the end. Though it was one of the things that the higher ups did put to good use.
Fighter pilot hopefuls were useful in training the AI pilots, layering programs to keep their mental capabilities matched while pitting them against each other in a virtual arena. Giving experience to back up the programmed skills for the real fighter pilots while giving recreation to the organic members of the fleet.
Even then, there were still several genuine human aces still working the sims as a full time job that might be in the rotation.
The current mission rotation was a simple setup, one organic on each side as a leader with an AI wingman. A basic mission that left far more for skill, and all available battlegrounds for it tended to be set up to encourage knife fighting range with battlefield hazards ranging from dust bomb remnants, asteroids, or derelicts.
At least it wasn't an escort operation, those tended to suck for whoever ended up playing defense.
The countdown was almost complete as he forced out a breath, lightly gripping the stick.
And then there was the familiar white flash as the simulators systems kicked in around him, giving him a view of the battleground. Grinning even as he throttled up to full, signaling his ally to match and stay with him as he surveyed their surroundings.
Ruined hulks tumbled around them, all major Contact War species designs were visible while slowly drifting in the void.
A half second later the serenity left his mind as hostile missiles disrupted the scene, and he spun and dove into the maelstrom of shifting wreckage. The position vacated quickly filled by the blast pushed bulk of a freighter.
His partner hadn't reacted quickly enough, being slammed by the hulk.
The attack had given away his opponents position though, a relatively rookie mistake at close range that gave him a momentary clean shot with the close range weaponry his craft was armed with.
A variant of the guardian laser system helped deal with missiles and enemies that came in close, canons worked well to the mid range, while missiles of various kinds covered pretty much anything that wasn't directly in your face.
The laser burst ignored his opponents barriers, a clean hit mid fuselage as his own trained hand brought his fighter into a semi-controlled tumble while checking various feeds to the helmets HUD.
Grinning slightly as his downed opponents mistakes revealed themselves.
While the missile was enough to move the rubble, it didn't give it enough force to penetrate the fighters kinetic barriers, meaning that his wingmate was still active in the swirling debris field.
The fact that a human pilot would still probably be out of the fight following the pinball like reaction while the AI didn't have the same worries hadn't phased him.
One enemy was still out there, and if the downed foe's skills were the indication, then he'd taken down the AI.
Unless he ended up with a rookie pilot for an enemy paired up with...
No, that wasn't a good possibility for him, but it was one none the less.
But it did give him an option.
One of the major advantages synthetic pilots had over their organic kin was that they were difficult to kill, even if their form could be destroyed. Data transferred, giving them the ability to learn and be redeployed even within the same fight.
And with the spectacular opening move of their side, he had an ace in the hole. It had looked like his partner had bitten the bullet in the opening salvo, something that he could now take advantage of.
He shot back into the chaos of the still tumbling debris field where his wingman still waited, before downshifting from active combat to a low emissions setting while ordering his partner to exit the field on his original heading.
It would be easy enough to give the enemy a target, get him out of hiding and pounce on the unsuspecting foe.
His grin widened as the bait was taken and his own systems went active once more.
"There's always a Joker in the deck," Jeff chuckled to himself as he fired off his own missiles at the now exposed target.