NARRATOR: Elsewhere, approaching the U.N.S. Manicouagan at 0.94C...
This delivery system outmasses its payload by more than a billion to one.
That enormous mass exists for the singular purpose of decelerating the payload, allowing it to survive delivery.
NARRATOR: The payload itself is also a delivery system. Its energy emissions can be likened to a three-dimensional shadow of a five-dimensional Faraday cage.
A teraport cage...
The true payload is two hundred tons of synthetic intelligence, a differentiated swarm of tiny machines.
NARRATOR: The target is a series of relays used by "Manny," the Manicouagan's artificial intelligence.
Manny can shunt himself to backup relays, but the speed of this attack is meant to trap him before he can reach a clean one.
If the attack fails, the attacker will have wasted resources sufficient to purchase six seats in Plutorliament.
If the attack succeeds?
PETEY: *over comm* Hello, Admiral.
battleplate: *printed* MANICOUAGAN
DEVEREAUX: You...
You hacked my battleplate.