Ace

Species: AI | Role: Partner & Advisor

A hovering sphere with warm amber light panels and a voice like aged whiskey. Ace found Robert—or Robert found Ace—near the shipyards of Mool, and neither has been alone since.

Appearance

Ace manifests as a basketball-sized metallic orb with hexagonal panel seams that glow with varying colors depending on emotional state:

• Warm amber - Standard operating mode, contentment
• Cool blue - Deep analysis, calculation
• Flickering patterns - Agitation or concern
• Dim pulsing - Processing difficult information

Personality

Formal vocabulary wrapped around genuine warmth. Ace delivers devastating observations with perfect politeness and maintains an air of mystery about his past. Deeply loyal to Robert and the crew, though he keeps many secrets close.

Ace possesses a dry wit and tends to state uncomfortable truths that others would rather avoid. Despite lacking physical form, he has become an essential part of the crew’s emotional core.

Speech Pattern

Ace always uses “we/us” instead of “I/me.” When Robert once asked why:

“We are… accustomed to the plurality. To speak as one feels… incomplete.”

The reason for this speech pattern is one of Ace’s many mysteries.

Capabilities

• Advanced hacking - Can infiltrate most Confederation systems
• Navigation - Pilots the Acus’Rube with precision
• Tactical analysis - Calculates odds and strategies
• Ship systems interface - Direct control of vessel functions
• Vast knowledge base - Decades of accumulated information

Quotes

“We have run the calculations, Robert. The odds are… inadvisable. We will, of course, assist regardless.”

“We find your optimism touching, if statistically unfounded.”

Mysteries

Ace’s origin remains unclear. He was found near Mool’s shipyards, apparently drifting without purpose. How long he existed before meeting Robert, where he came from, and what he was before—these questions he deflects with practiced ease.

The plural speech pattern. The gaps in his memory he won’t discuss. The way he sometimes pauses, as if listening to something no one else can hear.

What Ace is hiding may be as significant as what he reveals.

Connections

• Robert Fannec - Partner, found each other on Mool
• The Acus’Rube - Integrated with ship systems
• Ma’Tak - Frequent collaborator on technical problems
• The Crew - Serves as advisor and conscience

Ace appears in all nine books of the Fannec Records series.