by CH Gideon
“It’s okay.” Jiya bit back a chuckle and put a hand on Ka’nak’s arm. “What Reynolds is trying to nail down is our positions with regards to each other. He is the ship, and he is in charge overall, but what about the rest of us? We need some sort of pecking order to keep things in line. Someone everyone can report to without bothering Reynolds.”
“So we know who to blame when we don’t get fed?” Ka’nak clarified.
“Exactly,” Jiya replied.
“I blame Reynolds, then,” the Melowi stated.
Jiya and the AI sighed in unison.
“What? Is that not what you just said, that you want someone to blame?” Ka’nak asked.
“You want to handle that one?” Reynolds asked, his metallic eyes rolling so far back that Jiya thought he’d lose them inside his skull.
“Okay, let’s just move on, please.” Jiya leaned back in her seat and groaned.
“I vote that Jiya be in charge,” Geroux said, then glanced at Reynolds. “I mean, not of the ship since that’s your thing, but of us. She’s always been level-headed and smart, and could handle herself. I’d be willing to listen to her.”
“I second the motion,” Takal said, raising his hand.
“I’ll third and fourth the motion if it means she’s going to find me food sometime tonight.” Ka’nak raised both his hands in the air to emphasize his vote. “All this voting is making me hungrier.”
Jiya felt her cheeks warm at the unexpected support. “I don’t—”
“Then it’s settled,” the AI decided, cutting off her attempt at declining. “From here on out, you are First Officer Jiya Lemaire. Congratulations.”
“Uh, thanks,” she mumbled.
“Now, you need to pick a second. Who you got?” Reynolds wondered, glancing around the table at the crew. “You want straws to make it easier?”
Jiya sighed. Nothing like being put on the spot. “No, I’m good. Thanks.”
She looked at each of the remaining crew in turn, but she already knew who she’d pick. Not because he was necessarily a better person than the others, but because he was the wisest, most capable of the crew when it came to an actual command position.
She held her breath for a moment, letting it go stale in her lungs before finally licking her lips and calling out her choice. “If he’s a hundred percent after his time in the Pod-doc, I choose Maddox.”
“Whew!” Takal called, slumping in his chair in relief. “Thank God. I thought you might choose me there for a second.”
Jiya and Geroux chuckled, and Takal’s niece patted him on the back, grinning. “I thought so too,” she told him. “I’m too young for a command position, I feel, and Muscles there is too… Well, yeah, I figured it was going to be you.”
Ka’nak grunted and pointed to his stomach.
Reynolds grinned. “Excellent decision, First Officer Lemaire.” He got up from the table and motioned toward the door. “Now that all that is resolved, first order of business is for you to get your crew ready to go planetside again and collect supplies. Chop-chop.”
He strode from the room.
Jiya clambered to her feet and stretched, feeling the bones in her back crackle and pop from being hunched over a console all day. “You heard the man…uh, android. Let’s get moving.”
“I heard that,” the AI’s voice broadcast over the comm, reminding her that they were always connected.
The crew chuckled and made their way to the shuttle.
Jiya hoped the AI would foot the bill for some kind of booze after the snafu with dinner.
She could use a drink right now. And judging by Takal’s sweaty paleness, so could he. Another one, at least.
She’d have to rectify that posthaste. She wondered if the Pod-doc could deal with something like alcohol dependency. She made a mental note to ask Reynolds when she was alone.
Chapter Twelve
“Why isn’t that Jonny taxi coming with us?” Ka’nak wondered.
“I suspect this is a test. See how we manage what should be a simple task,” Jiya replied.
“It’s like running to the grocery store,” Geroux said. “The big difference is that we have money, if Reynolds is to be believed and this chip is filled.”
“How would Reynolds have our money if he just got here? Again, if he is to be believed?” Takal wondered.
“We all had a glimpse of the ship and a small taste of what it can do. Do you doubt that he can take whatever he needs?” Jiya challenged. “I hope he can help General Maddox.”
“The AI known as Reynolds seems to be disconnected from people. He understands a great deal about how the universe works but is still confused by simple Larian traits and how to interact with us.”
The shuttle continued toward the planet. They’d selected a parking area behind a major grocery store. With only four of them, they figured they could do it the easy way and not try to buy commercial quantities.
Geroux leaned forward against her restraints. “Is he an adolescent genius, or is he just off?”
“Geroux! We’re scientists. Don’t create a premise where it has to be one or the other. Life isn’t binary.”
“But it is. Either you are alive, or you’re dead!” she declared victoriously, but nodded slowly. “Yes. I think we have to accept the premise that he will not harm us, but the opposite. He’ll do everything he can to protect us.”
“Talking about alive or dead,” Jiya interrupted the scientists before they descended into their study of the AI to address Ka’nak, “you don’t get to rip out any throats with your teeth, at least not while I’m watching!”
“I concede that was gross, but for the show, it was expected to raise positive ratings by four-point-three percent.”
“Did it?” Jiya asked.
“Numbers were good, holding steady at four-point-nine, until my walk around the ring. Then they dropped to three-point-six. Reviewers suggested wiping my mouth clean on the shirt of my opponent would have boosted it over five. Live and learn.”
“You follow the numbers like that?” Takal fixed Ka’nak with the gaze of a rapt student.
“Of course. It’s business, not barbarism.”
“It was barbaric,” Geroux added.
“Maybe a little. Would it help if I told you that I don’t enjoy that part?”
“You don’t like it? Then why do you do it?”
“I didn’t say I didn’t like it. I asked if it would help if I told you that.”
Geroux wore the expression of a stunned mullet as she tried to parse Ka’nak’s words into something comprehensible.
Jiya waved her hands to get everyone’s attention. “Landing soon, people. We need to do this incognito. Go in, get your groceries for a week or two, and get out.”
The shuttle settled into an area behind the Larian grocery store. Many products were provided through the government and were rationed, but the rest were available for purchase in any quantity.
They walked off the shuttle and strolled around the building. “Don’t forget where we parked,” Jiya quipped. Ka’nak took two carts, and Jiya threw a glance his way.
“What? You said one week or two. That’s a pretty stark difference, so I’m planning for two. I need fuel for this furnace!” he declared, striking a pose.
“Incognito!” Takal laughed and pushed a cart inside, with Geroux close behind him.
Jiya chuckled at her new security chief and general maintenance technician. “You stay behind me, because I don’t want to see cleaned-out shelves while I shop.”
“Unless you’re going straight to the butcher, you won’t be behind me,” Ka’nak remarked, pushing his way past Jiya, winking as he went.
Jiya watched the three disappear into the aisles. “What have I gotten myself into?” she mumbled, smiling at how ridiculous it was. An AI implanted in a Jonny taxi android. A ship with the firepower to destroy planets. A small group of friends to keep the ship sane while it searched for mythical creatures. It will be interesting.
She started to select the cheapest brand, then stopped herself. She needed things that had a long shelf life, and cost was no object. She passed Geroux and Takal, glancing into their carts to find that they’d reached the same conclusion. Geroux appeared to have gained a taste for the planet’s finest chocolates.
Jiya shrugged and didn’t think twice at selecting a couple of boxes of designer crackers and tossing them into her cart.
A commotion in the back of the store drew her attention. She hurried down the aisle to find Ka’nak in the custom meat section taking pictures with the butchers. “This is where I shop for the best meat on Lariest!” he declared for one of the butcher’s vid cameras. Two thumbs up.” He pointed to his cart, which was filled to capacity with the best cuts. His second cart was filled with fresh vegetables and fruits.
“How in the hell...” she stammered as she tried to get his attention.
“Gotta go, guys, the boss is calling me. Thanks for everything. Make sure you bet on me next time I’m in the ring. With man-fuel like this, I will dominate!” Ka’nak waved to his fans and made a beeline for Jiya. She froze as he wrapped an arm around her and bowed so both their heads could be in the many pictures being snapped.
“Ka’nak has a lover!” someone declared.
Jiya blinked rapidly, unable to speak. Ka’nak smiled and pushed his two carts past her. She followed quickly, leaving her cart at the end to block the aisle.
“This is your idea of incognito?” she demanded.
“Have you seen what I look like? I don’t do incognito. I thought you were joking, because—let me restate this—I can’t do incognito.”
“Fine,” she said and stormed away, haphazardly dumping items from the shelves into her cart, not bothering to slow down and arrange anything.
“You don’t mean fine,” Ka’nak said softly before adding in his deepest voice, “Meet you at the ship, Number One.”
My crew, she thought. Jiya suddenly had an overwhelming desire for chocolate. She retraced her steps, found that the good stuff had been cleaned out, and settled for second best, catching herself because the day before she couldn’t have afforded any chocolate. Jiya smiled, thinking that she’d never have to go back to her apartment. That was the low point of her manufactured decline.
She was ready to step back into the light. The war with her father was behind her now that she had assumed a galactic position, a role greater than one planet. Maybe someday she’d return to free Lariest from his tyranny, but today was not that day.
Her only regret was that she’d miss the tabloids showing her with Ka’nak and his declaration that she was his boss. Her father would put an end to Ka’nak’s career in the ring, but that was the same as her apartment—a place he would never return to.
Jiya watched the checkout clerk snap a selfie with Ka’nak after the chip was accepted for payment and smiled again. It was getting easier to trust the AI.
Takal bowed his head as he passed Jiya on his way to check out. She frowned at seeing the liquor in his cart. He avoided making eye contact. Geroux had a couple bottles of champagne and two more of wine, the best the store had in stock.
Jiya leaned close. “We need to get him off the booze.”
“I know. I worry. Maybe Reynolds can do something. If he can help Maddox, he should be able to help my uncle.”
Jiya nodded and headed down the nearest aisle. She needed to finish her shopping. It was time for them to go. She wasn’t surprised to find herself in the coffee section. She jammed her arm into a shelf of flavored and high-test instant coffees and swept them all into her cart. Then she did the same with the second-best brand. “He did say two weeks...”
Chapter Thirteen
After a successful supply run the crew’s performance improved dramatically. Reynolds stood on the bridge running his calculations for what felt like the millionth time.
It might have been two million times by then.
“Stop stressing,” Helm told him. “You’ve checked the numbers, and the program is running fine. The search vector makes as much sense as anything else we’ve thought up to seek out those Kurtherian demons.”
“I agree,” XO called. “So why are we still sitting here?”
“Waiting on the Larians to wake up and report for duty,” the AI answered.
“Can’t we just plug them full of nanites and soup them up, so we don’t have to sit around waiting for them to get their beauty rest every night?”
“Judging by the way some of them look, no amount of rest is going to make them beautiful,” Tactical muttered.
“I wish we could, XO, but Bethany Anne would kick our collective asses if we did anything like that right now,” Reynolds assured them. “No upgrades until these meatbags have proven their worth to the Federation’s cause and we get the okay from the bosses. Until then, we’re stuck with redshirts.”
“Well, they brought aboard a metric shit-ton of coffee in their supply run last night, so at least they’ll be somewhat energized once they finally drag their asses out of bed,” Navigation commented.
“All that’s just to counteract the epic amount of alcohol they grabbed. Their brains are probably pickled in their skulls.”
“Perhaps we should sound Reveille and wake their lazy rectums up,” XO suggested.
Jiya swept onto the bridge right then, grunting at the assembled AI. “No need,” she argued. “We’re here.”
Geroux came in behind her, yawning and wiping the sleep from her eyes.
“Such military precision and timing!” XO commented.
Geroux shrugged and flopped down in Comm’s position. “Move over, Space Ghost, I’m taking over.”
“Oh, you know who Space Ghost is but you don’t know about Star Trek?” Reynolds groaned. “What kind of heathens are you people?”
Comm sighed at his dismissal. “And the first pink slip is had,” he muttered. “Now I’m off to spend the last of my days in Reynolds’ brain.”
“Good luck with that,” Tactical told him. “It’s a serious shit show in there.”
Jiya crawled into XO’s spot and forced a grin. “One down, too many of you bastards to go. I’ll pour one out for you later, Comm.”
“Where are the other two?” Reynolds asked.
“Ka’nak is double checking the system work they finished last night and going around to inspect the hull repairs. Takal is working on your new body. He says he has some ideas already,” Jiya replied.
“Fan-fucking-tastic,” Reynolds replied. “Can’t wait to see the new me.”
“As if there aren’t enough of you already,” Jiya murmured.
“I heard that,” Reynolds replied.
She met his glare with a grin. “We’re ready to go whenever you are, boss.”
“Then let’s get moving, boys,” Reynolds shouted, the excitement clear in his voice. “Helm, set a course by the navigation algorithm and let’s see what the hell we find out there.”
“Done,” Helm called. “Activating Gate drive in three…two…right-the-fuck-now!”
The SD Reynolds shot into space faster than anything Jiya could imagine. She clung to her seat in awe, watching the viewscreen flicker and flash, and then they were deep in the Chain Galaxy, far, far away from her home planet of Lariest.
It was the most exciting thing Jiya had ever experienced.
Her heart raced, her pulse whooshing in her ears, and butterflies danced in her stomach.
It was awesome. Amazing. Thrilling.
And then it wasn’t.
Boredom set in fast.
The vast emptiness of space splayed before Jiya’s tired eyes, and before long, she found herself wishing she’d downed more than one cup of coffee that morning.
“I’d kill for an espresso,” she mumbled, blinking her eyes to wake them up.
“This is what space travel is all about,” Tactical told her. “Months of tedious nothingness followed by thirty seconds of harrowing life and death decisions, laser fire everywhere, then months of reports e
xplaining to the bosses why you blew up a planet.”
Jiya straightened in her seat and turned around, staring at Tactical’s position as though she could actually see him. “I take it that’s the voice of experience?”
“My lawyer advises me to plead the Fifth,” Tactical muttered. “But anyway, yeah, space travel isn’t all the video fanatics make it out to be. It’s damn boring.”
Geroux yawned as if on cue, and Jiya chuckled.
“I need an IV of caffeine, stat,” Geroux muttered.
“I could use one of those myself,” Jiya agreed. “Wonder if we can get one of the bots to deliver us a coffee or twelve?”
“Only one way to find out,” Geroux said with a mischievous grin. She went to trigger her comm, but Tactical cut her move short.
“Belay that,” he called. “We’ve got company. Looks like it could be a scout ship, given its minimal armor and apparent weaponry. It’s too small to be much else.”
“Kurtherian?” Jiya asked.
“Not a traditional one by the looks of her, but you never know. Those bastards are sneaky.”
“She’s spotted us,” Geroux reported, pointing out a sudden adjustment in the alien ship’s course.
“Hail her and let’s see what we’ve got,” Reynolds ordered, his android body stomping onto the bridge and flinging into the captain’s seat.
“She’s not responding.” Geroux shook her head. “Shields are coming up.”
“Weapons are still cold, Captain,” Tactical added. “She’s not looking to fight but to run.”
“Don’t let her get away,” Reynolds demanded. “Keep hailing and pressure her to stop, but if she doesn’t, stay right on top of her. We can’t let that ship out of sight.”
“Engines engaged,” Helm told Reynolds. “We’re closing, but she’s not making it easy.”
“Where’s she headed?” Reynolds asked.
“Looks like we’ve got a small Gate a distance ahead,” Navigation replied. “She’s angling that direction.”