Admiral Sakaki reached for his cup of coffee and took a long sip. He carefully placed the cup back on the table, noticing that his hands were shaking as he did so.

“Admiral Sentori, I assume you have read the latest intelligence reports,” he said slowly.

“Yes,” the Zruthy flag officer said simply.

“Then you know about the strike fleets that we have detected heading straight for Earth and the Zruthy homeworld.”

Sentori tapped his metal finger on the table randomly. “Yes,” he said again.

Sakaki stared straight at him. “We have to ensure we are all executing the same strategy,” he said. “Lack of coordination has hurt us before. We have only one chance for success this time.”

The Zruthy Admiral stared off into space for a moment. “I am to be wondering the status of a particular rumor,” he said at last.
“Is it to be true that you have been taking tactical and strategic advice from an artificial intelligence unit?”

Sakaki bristled. “That is not relevant to this situation,” he said. “If I may continue…”

“If we are to be allies, you are to tell me the truth!” Sentori bellowed. “Are you to be consulting this AI or not?”

“Yes,” Sakaki replied crisply. “We are using any and all resources available to us. Now, as I was saying…”

“It is not to be acceptable! We Zruthy are not to be dictated to by any machines!”

“But I don’t understand!” Sakaki’s voice registered genuine surprise. “Why would you distrust this? After all, are you not products of artificial intelligence technology yourselves?”

Admiral Sentori stood up quickly, displaying the full two meters of its shimmering metal bulk. “This discussion is to be over!” he barked, and turned around and stormed out of the room.