AI systems don't fail loudly. They drift quietly, and most operators never see it coming. AI Compute: Reverse Engineering Trust and Control is the second volume in the Field Manual Series for professionals who manage, deploy, and oversee intelligent systems in real-world environments. This book builds a complete operational framework for understanding how AI systems learn, why they drift, and what structured control looks like when stakes are high and oversight is thin. Across 35 chapters you will learn how to read system behavior before it becomes system failure. How to distinguish alignment from control. How to apply verification architecture, constraint logic, and stabilization mechanisms to workflows that depend on machines making consequential decisions. Inside this field manual: Why AI behavior must be understood operationally, not academically The difference between trust and fluency in intelligent systems Drift detection, stabilization, and feedback loop mechanics Supervision frameworks that survive real deployment pressure Operator control doctrine and responsibility that cannot be outsourced Recovery protocols, failure containment, and control maturity models This is not a consumer guide. It is not a think-piece about AI risk. It is a working manual for operators, managers, and technical leads who need control doctrine — not comfort. Field Manual Series — Book 2 SPQR — Saunders & Hanley Edition