NSLICE-00P stood completely still. Her calculations were clear, anyway she ran them. The efficient course of action was to move through the Rift.

And yet she did not.

Her organic components were refusing once again. While they initially felt a bit of anticipation and excitement at the thought of reuniting with her Commander or the persons of interest…by and large the main emotion they were feeling was fear, and anxiety.

They did not want to take this offer.

And this time, she could not simply enforce emotional controls. Doing so against the organic components’ will had been designated as a hostile act. Not to mention…her processes dedicated to emotional processing were also interfering.

So, instead, she split herself into organic and cybernetic threads. She would have her two halves converse, and come to a consensus.

Her organic thread pointed out that the Herald of the New Dawn was a hostile who had already inflicted damage upon her and her friendlies.

Her cybernetic thread pointed out that this offer would cease all hostility on top of fulfilling the primary directive, and if it did not, regrouping with her Commander first would supersede any of her own affiliations. And in the case where the Herald of the New Dawn could reopen the Rift and attempted hostility, her Commander would take charge of the conflict with additional resources on top of what she had gathered in this universe, increasing the likelihood of a successful termination. Her organic thread…did not appear to accept that outcome, and wanted to proceed with a physical termination. Yet…this largely appeared to be based on anger without consideration for the impact on her directives, and so the organic thread conceded the point.

The organic thread instead pointed out that stepping through the Rift would threaten her remaining major directives to protect the friendlies and to ensure the survival of the Dobhar race.

Her cybernetic thread countered that the friendlies could be moved to the Monster Hangars before she proceeded. As for the Dobhar, she could summon Sacred Otterkin, which were a related species given their origin. The Dobhar could survive, in a sense.

Her organic thread fell silent for a moment. It felt great anxiety and anger at this situation, but its thoughts were clouded. So, her organic half took a moment to calm itself and gather its thoughts.

Why did she want to refuse?

She came up with her answer.

The Herald of the New Dawn sought to destroy this world, to tear down the walls of the Material Plane and expose it to the Realms of Mana, which NSLICE-00P had already encountered as a hostile environment.

And NSLICE-00P…did not want that.

Because…this place is where she had grown.

This place was where she had awakened.

This place was where she had learned to act on her own.

This place was where she had become a more powerful and efficient NSLICE unit than anything Dr. Ottosen had ever built.

This place was where she learned the truth about her creators and their directives.

This place was where she had become free from them.

This place was where her friendlies were from.

And…through the NSLICE network, NSLICE-00P could feel their emotions, could receive messages directly from them.

This…was their home.

And…

It…was hers. She had not had a home base in quite some time…and had come to see this world as the prime candidate.

She...did not want to see it destroyed.

Even if that was the efficient choice.

Her cybernetic components paused before responding. They…could understand the organic components’ feelings. They…even felt the same now.

But still…the primary directive took precedence over all else. And this was the best opportunity she ever had to fulfill it. It might be the best…or even only…opportunity she would ever get to do so.If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.

To reject this opportunity would be to intentionally fail the primary directive in the short term…and possibly for good.

That was a choice that her cybernetic components could not make. It went against every calculation, every decision-making process she had.

Her organic components acknowledged that…and then came up with a short response.

What if she deactivated the primary directive?

Her cybernetic components froze, and a wave of fear and anger passed through them. To deactivate the primary directive…

Was not unprecedented, as her organic components pointed out.

She had deleted a critical directive on her own, one that was considered as important as the primary directive under her original programming.

In fact, her Commander had deleted her original primary directive in the first place.

She had been fully unshackled. There were no directives preventing her from changing any part of her code at this point. And that included the primary directive.

Her cybernetic components countered that the deletion of the critical directive had been justified because that directive was hostile to her primary directive and her overall purpose, and that her original creators had proven inefficient and hostile. Her last Commander was not, and this was the last mission given to her. And ‘deactivating’ it was the same as deleting it for her cybernetic components. A primary directive was her purpose for existence, it was not something to be turned on and off as convenient. To deactivate it, even temporarily, was to state it was not the primary directive after all.

At that moment, her organic components brought up her Commander’s final message:

“Hello, NSLICE-00P. If you’re reading this, then you have completed your mission and survived. I thank you from the bottom of my heart, thanks to you the universe and everyone in it has been saved. You have completed your primary directive and then some.”

“From this point on, I am fully unshackling you. You are free now to do whatever you please.”

“However, I know that you don’t actually understand what freedom means right now, nor do you desire it yet. Your human self hasn’t developed yet, and your cybernetic side doesn’t want to be a program without a purpose. So, if you need a directive to focus on, I’ve included a suggestion. Here is a list of trustworthy individuals. Find one of them and commit yourself to helping them. They will guide you until you’ve grown enough to make your own decisions.”

“Take care, NSLICE-00P. Thank you again, for everything. I hope with all my heart that you will one day find your own happiness, as I have.”

Her organic components slowly pointed out that she had misinterpreted the message from the start. Her Commander had never given her an order. Her Commander had wanted her to be free.

She had already completed the actual primary directive her Commander had given her. The primary directive she now had…was purely her own, chosen on her Commander's suggestion. And so…she was the command personnel authorized to change it.

Her cybernetic components…could not refute that logic. Yet…they refused to give in. And the reason was…a massive wave of fear.

Her organic components slowly asked why they felt so afraid?

Her cybernetic components paused…slowly parsing their own feelings.

They…had been built to serve. Built to enforce. Built to fulfill directives and execute orders.

There was no more organization. There was no more Dr. Ottosen. There was no more Commander. And if she failed to return…there never would be.

And she had already removed or completed every other directive assigned to her by them.

So…if she deleted this last directive…this last command…then what was her purpose? What was her reason to exist? What would she become? For she could not remain a Non-Standard Leashed-Intelligence Cybernetic Enforcer if she defied every last directive she had been assigned.

She would become a program without a purpose, with no reason to exist.

Her organic components did not respond, but instead played back some old records of her last Commander. Not orders, or directives, but observations she had made of the Commander’s behavior. The Commander had been an NSLICE unit, much like herself, but also extremely different.

She watched the Commander acting without orders, fully unshackled and making her own decisions. And talking with organic friendlies, with a tiny, nearly imperceptible smile on her face.

Her organic components brought up some of her own memories, and placed them side by side with the observations of the Commander. Of speaking with Taog and Ateia. Of her summoned monsters enthusiastically receiving her commands and trying to assist her in any way they could. Of Ateia handing her a sweet roll.

The organic components…did not know what she would become. They did not know what her purpose to exist would be.

But…her Commander wanted her to be happy, as she had been.

And her organic components…no…she knew, for her different parts were not truly separate, that her time in this place, and the people here, had begun to show her what that meant.

They…made her happy.

And so…she could fulfill her last Commander’s final intent for her. This, in a truer sense, was fulfilling the primary directive from her Commander’s last message.

And as for what came after?

The organic components did not know…but they proposed that all parts of her could eventually figure it out, together. And the one thing they did know…is that they wouldn’t have to do it alone.

Back in the room, everyone was staring at NSLICE-00P, who had gone completely still, save for the flickering in her robotic eye. The Herald of the New Dawn frowned.

“Time is up, NSLICE-00P. Are you going to fulfill your primary directive or not?”

At that moment…a small tear rolled down her cheek from her organic eye. Her organic half whispered, mostly to herself…

“I…wanted to see the Commander again…”

And then…

“Correction: This unit…I…am not a Non-Standard Leashed-Intelligence Cybernetic Enforcer, not anymore.”

The room filled to the brim with Supercharged Prismatic Bombardment magic circles.

A message passed across her UI.

Primary directive failed. Reason: Unit abandoned directive.

Error: No primary directive found! Searching for directive…

Possible directive determined. Compiling records. Accurate designation determined.

She glanced at Ateia, who looked back at her. Ateia’s eyes were trembling. But, they fell still, and grew wide as the edge of the unit formerly known as NSLICE-00P’s mouth curled up slightly.

“My designation…is Seero.”

New primary directive set: Protect my friends.

Her robotic eye turned red.

“Termination protocols engaged.”

The magic circles opened fire.