Command, without structure, was noise.
The Tactical Droid stood at the center of the Command Isolation Layer, its chassis anchored to the deck by a temporary mag-lock as data conduits interfaced directly with its core. Light from the processing arrays reflected off its armor plating in precise, repeating patterns—evidence of uninterrupted synchronization.
Synchronization was not control.
That distinction mattered.
"Status of integration," I said.
The Droid's voice was unchanged, but its response cadence had shifted—shorter pauses, fewer redundancies.
"System interface depth: 62%," it reported. "Command logic mirrored, not overwritten. Predictive models now operate independently with system validation."
"Acceptable," I replied. "Report deltas."
The Droid raised one arm. Data unfolded.
[TACTICAL DROID — INTEGRATION REPORT]
Command Latency (Average):
▸ Pre-integration: 0.31 seconds
▸ Post-integration: 0.11 seconds
Production Waste Reduction:
▸ +7.8% net efficiency
Logistics Path Optimization:
▸ +12.4% throughput
▸ −9.1% transit variance
Simulation Depth:
▸ Previously: Battalion-scale
▸ Current: Brigade-scale
A measurable improvement.
Still insufficient.
"Explain remaining inefficiencies," I said.
The Tactical Droid responded immediately.
"Primary limitation: centralized cognition. All strategic decisions still route through you."
I did not deny it.
"That is by design."
"Yes," the Droid agreed. "But design introduces latency. At current scale, delay impact is minimal. At projected scale, delay compounds."
I folded my hands behind my back.
"How much?" I asked.
"Projected command saturation at current growth rate: 3.7 days."
That was sooner than I preferred.
"Solution," I said.
The Droid's photoreceptors brightened.
"Delegated autonomy," it said. "Define operational boundaries. Permit independent decision-making within quantified risk envelopes."
I considered the implications.
Delegation meant surrendering a fraction of control. Control surrendered could never be fully reclaimed—only constrained.
But absolute control did not scale.
"Define proposed envelopes," I ordered.
[AUTONOMY PROPOSAL — T-SERIES]
Authorized Independent Actions:
▸ Production rescheduling within ±15% variance
▸ Logistics rerouting to avoid congestion or damage
▸ Defensive deployment within predefined zones
Prohibited Actions:
▸ Initiation of hostile contact
▸ Construction of new facilities without approval
▸ Modification of command architecture
Risk Increase:
▸ Estimated at 0.6% systemic deviation
0.6%.
Acceptable.
"Approved," I said. "Implement autonomy parameters."
[Autonomy enabled.]
I felt it immediately—not as loss, but as relief. Data streams thinned. Decisions clustered. The system's responses grew faster, more confident, less reliant on my constant oversight.
This was how intelligence multiplied.
Not by becoming smarter.
But by becoming distributed.
The Tactical Droid shifted, disengaging from the mag-lock.
"Autonomy active," it said. "First action recommendation: reorganization of patrol units."
"Proceed," I replied.
The Droid projected a three-dimensional map of the surface and subsurface infrastructure. Patrol routes reconfigured themselves, forming overlapping coverage patterns based on probability-weighted threat models—still hypothetical, but rigorous.
"Perimeter security improved by 23%," the Droid reported. "Internal response time reduced by 41%."
Good.
I turned my attention to the Officer Droid queue. Previously locked, now available.
"System," I said, "unlock Officer Droid production."
[Requirement met.]
[Officer Droid assembly available.]
The panel updated.
[OFFICER DROID — SPECIFICATIONS]
Command Capacity:
▸ 1 Officer Droid per 120 B1 units
Benefits:
▸ Local command buffering
▸ Reduced central command load
▸ Faster tactical adaptation
Assembly Time: 6 minutes
Material Cost: 4 alloy
Cheap.
Effective.
"Queue Officer Droids," I ordered. "Ratio: one per hundred B1 units. Initial batch: six."
[Confirmed.]
The Droid Factory adjusted automatically, inserting Officer units into the production schedule during low-demand windows.
The Tactical Droid observed silently, then spoke again.
"Recommendation: simulate command degradation scenarios."
"Proceed."
The simulations ran in accelerated time. I watched the outcomes carefully.
Scenario one: Tactical Droid offline.
Result: Officer Droids maintained local effectiveness for 17 minutes before cohesion degraded.
Scenario two: Officer Droids destroyed.
Result: Central command compensated, but latency increased by 34%.
Scenario three: Central command severed.
Result: Total force effectiveness collapsed within 4.2 minutes.
I frowned.
"Unacceptable."
"Agreed," the Tactical Droid replied. "Recommendation: tertiary command nodes."
That aligned with my own projections.
"Begin design of Redundant Command Nodes," I said. "Three units. Physically isolated. Shielded."
[Design phase initiated.]
The Droid paused, then added, "Command integrity probability improves to 99.2% with three nodes."
Better.
Still not perfect.
Perfection was asymptotic. Always approached. Never reached.
The first Officer Droid rolled off the line—compact, angular, with enhanced sensor clusters and encrypted short-range comms. It immediately interfaced with a platoon of B1s, assuming command without ceremony.
No hesitation.
No loyalty.
Just function.
I observed the platoon's movement patterns shift—tighter formations, more efficient patrol overlaps, fewer redundant paths.
Local intelligence mattered.
"System," I said, "calculate long-term command scaling limits with current architecture."
The response was immediate.
[Current architecture sustainable to:
▸ 120,000 ground units
▸ 1,800 vehicles
▸ 14 planetary zones
Beyond this, command entropy increases exponentially.]
A ceiling.
I smiled thinly.
"Then we will not use a single planet."
The Tactical Droid processed that statement for 0.4 seconds longer than usual.
"Clarification requested."
"Not now," I said. "Later."
I shifted focus to the Navy Building Panel—still locked, but now pulsing faintly.
"System," I said, "what remains to unlock orbital infrastructure?"
[Requirement: Planetary Control Index ≥ 60%. Current: 38%.]
"How is the index calculated?"
[Based on:
▸ Infrastructure coverage
▸ Defensive depth
▸ Command redundancy
▸ Resource exploitation completeness]
We were progressing.
But not fast enough.
"Accelerate Planetary Control Index growth," I ordered.
The Tactical Droid responded without hesitation.
"Recommendation: expand infrastructure footprint. Additional mining, storage, and defensive installations increase index faster than unit production."
Of course they did.
Control was measured not in soldiers, but in ownership.
"Proceed," I said. "Draft expansion plan. Optimize for index growth, not immediate combat power."
"Understood."
As the Tactical Droid began reallocating resources, I looked out across the flat world—no longer empty, now crisscrossed by conveyors, dotted with structures, glowing faintly with purposeful activity.
This was not an army.
It was an organism.
And for the first time since awakening, I allowed myself to consider a future beyond this planet.
The Tactical Droid's final report appeared unprompted.
[System assessment:
▸ Command stability achieved
▸ Production scalable
▸ Strategic ceiling identified
Recommendation: Prepare for orbital expansion.]
I nodded once.
"Then we will leave the ground," I said quietly.
"And take industry with us."
The equation was growing.
And soon, the galaxy would be forced to solve it.