Proving True

A different woman in a similar yellow and black uniform stops us at the door from the hangar deck. After verifying our identities she asks, “Is she with your party?” she’s pointing at Athena. “I don’t have her on my list,” she says referring to a handheld computer.

Shawna speaks up, “I don’t understand, Boss, I know I told them to put her on the manifest.”

I speak to the Purser’s assistant, “We all have working passage, is there a billet for a Debi class android? She is quite capable of combat, operations, and medicine. In fact, she can do practically anything. If necessary, I’m happy to pay for her passage but if she’s employed I’d like the fare returned. And your counterpart, Annabella Stapleton, had her on the list she referenced when we boarded.”

“I will have to investigate the passage issue. She can stay with you for the moment. Your stateroom has one bed but a chair does recline. I will list her as ‘traveling companion, fare pending’ while I investigate the working passage. Will that be acceptable, ma’am?”

“That will be fine, of course if any problems jump up I’m sure you’ll notify me immediately. Is there perchance a welcome packet or some such in my room? I need to learn my way around and learn how and where to find my boss, things like that.”

“Your room’s holoCom has an introductory briefing loaded to it as well as a directory and organizational chart.”

She allows us to pass. Entering the ship proper, it’s like walking into a shopping mall or something similar. I’ve grown accustomed to corridors, exposed conduit, doors and bulkheads aboard a starship, but this is completely different. There is an actual atmosphere here, it would be impressive if the interior of the ship were built as compartments, but these aren’t compartments they’re buildings; separate, independent, freestanding structures. Standing right here there’s a beautiful copse of trees interspersed with shrubs and grass, I’m not sure but I think there are bees, too. Looking across the yard (if there’s another word to describe it, it must be “garden”) the buildings are four stories tall. My reverie is interrupted by my perCom trilling, I have a text message from the Personnel section alerting me to a meeting in Area A at 0600, in the Chief Engineer’s office. It’s 1900 now.

Shawna turns to me, “Hey, Sonia, give me a holler when you get settled. I’m slotted as an SDB pilot, I know some of the other pilots and let me tell you, they are some prime specimens of the male of our species.”

Freddie chimes in, “If you like the arrogant, pretty-boy, know-it-all type they will do. But I wouldn’t want to depend on them in a bar fight.”

“SDB?” Again, I’m probably the only person on the ship who doesn’t know what that is.

“System Defense Boat. It’s sort of like a fighter on anabolic supplements. It’s bigger than a fighter but smaller than a destroyer.” Shawna replies.

“I’ll call you,” I tell her, “but I can’t make any promises. You know me, I’ll be busy until my boss says I can take a breather.” We shoulder our bags and start walking towards the dormitory areas. “Shawna, the scenery here is truly beautiful, I’m sure you’ve noticed,” she nods. “You might not want to be the first to go running through it naked. Just wait until you see someone else doing it before going all wood nymph, that’s just my opinion.”

“It’s like she knows you,” Freddie says to Shawna. She puts down a bag long enough to punch him in the shoulder. We all set out to our staterooms. It takes us about an hour to empty our suitcases and move what we brought with us into the various cabinets, closet and drawers. There’s also a small safe in which I store the gifts Captain Prowse bequeathed to me before I left Night Searcher: The digital copy of the Tome of the Ancients, the psionic amplification amulet, and the microfilament saber. I sit in the lounge chair and Athena starts the orientation presentation. It runs for an hour and directs us to several documents we can download from the Star Chaser casCom site. There’s a message in my inbox stating Athena’s working passage has been approved much to my delight. I’m assigned to the Transit drives in area Z and Athena will be assigned to the Medical section in area Q. She is capable of so much more, but they can always use more doctors. It’s getting late, so I set the alarm for 0500, so I can get some breakfast. It would not do to show up with a grumbling tummy on the first day.