Another crackle of static. "Failure… is a recalibration event. New parameters must be input by a command authority."
"There is no command authority left for you here," Julian pressed. "The Arbiter is dead. The network is silent. You are a weapon without a target. A function without a purpose."
This time, the silence from the Ghost felt different. Not defiant, but… empty. A profound operational void. It had stated its nature, and in doing so, had painted itself into a corner of existential obsolescence.
Fey, who had been quietly examining the capacitor links, spoke up. "So it's a fancy gun with a broken trigger lock. We can't get answers from it because it never knew the answers. But…" She looked at Julian, a glint in her eye. "A gun can still be pointed. If we can't get data out of it, maybe we can put new data in. Reprogram the scalpel."
