Ship's Interface Ch. 005

"How about we find a nice restaurant and have a decent meal? We'll have extra spending cash after the ferry fee." June suggested.

"I could go for a nice steak, medium-rare, a nice salad, and a tall beer," Will said, excited at the prospect of any meal other than survival rations.

"Alright then, while you go talk to the Quartermaster about the batteries, Ben, Inta, and I will go find a nice restaurant for this evening," June said. "Just contact us over the comm and we'll meet up somewhere in the central hub."

"Oh, that reminds me." Interface turning to Ben. "I fabricated this for you last night and meant to give it to you this morning." While it was unclear where she had been keeping it, she produced a little white box and handed it to Ben. "For you." She said, giving him a peck on the cheek.

He opened it and saw a small, not quite cylindrical device. "It's an earpiece like the ones I gave June and Will. It should be a perfect fit." Interface said.

Ben slipped it into his ear, then his face went beet red, and Interface's expression looked as though she was saying very naughty in his ear. "Yup, it works!" She said with a flirty grin.

Ben gave her a gentle swat on the rump, and then Will said, "Okay, let's get going then. Interface, you'll let us know if anyone bothers the ship, right?"

"If I can multitask the three of you, I can handle watching the ship and exploring at the same time." She smirked, patted Will on the thigh, and planted a wet kiss on his lips.

"Are you going to be okay, leaving the ship?" June asked, always concerned for the silver girl.

"That's really not going to be a problem anymore. I was well below my energy safety margins when we met, but now, I'm strong, getting stronger every day. And as long as you three keep railing me every chance you get, I'll be strong enough soon to take over control of the core from the computer." June's shoulders relaxed in relief, glad she didn't have to worry so much about Interface overextending herself.

"Alright gang, let's go," Will said. They all stood up and went to the airlock, everyone feeling the excitement of going out and interacting with society again. Interface was practically bouncing up and down. This meant so much to her. It had been such a long lonely existence, stuck on that planet, the chance to interact with new people positively made her giddy.

As the airlock opened, they noticed the long, curved railing on either side of the docking collar, intended to help travelers transition from their ship's gravity plate orientation to the stations. As they exited Nestia's airlock, they found themselves in a small pocket of zero gravity. On the floor in between the two yellow handrails was painted red, indicating zero-G, which transitioned to yellow indicating low-G, and then finally green at the end of the railing indicating one-G.

A wide green stripe on the floor ran down the arm of the station to the central hub, showing where it was recommended to walk. All of them were accustomed to space travel and the quirks of gravity-plating orientations, so were able to make the transition with ease.

June looked back to the Nestia and watched the airlock close up, blending in seamlessly with the rest of the hull. She stood there for a moment, recognizing that in her heart, this ship truly felt like home, which made her smile.

There was almost no traffic at all on this arm of the station, as it seemed that everyone had already disembarked and headed into the heart of the station earlier on in the day. It only took them fifteen minutes to walk the length of it.

When they reached the wide opening to the central core of the station, the gravity plating curved gently and re-oriented them so that down was the outer shell of the central cylinder.

When they crested the curved grav-plating, they were treated with a panoramic vista, the central core opening up for them like a flower, covered with the busy comings and goings of hundreds of people in every direction. Paths for pedestrians and heavy equipment sprawled off up and down the length of the central cylinder and the cross-path traffic traveled the circumference, such that you could look straight up and see people walking, carts, and heavy machinery driving, all upside down.

Directly through the axis of the central core ran the air purification and handling systems, suspended by a multitude of girders and maintenance walks stretching out to the central cylinder walls.

There was a lively buzz in the air as people of all shapes, sizes, and races went about their business. Interface's expression was one of joy and wonder, seeing the vast hive of activity. June noted a small tear of happiness in the corner of the silver girl's eye, so she brushed it away with her thumb and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek.

"You okay?" June asked.

"More than okay," Interface replied, her mood nearly incandescent.

Will stopped in front of an information board with the station's directory posted on it. "Looks like the administration offices are at one end of the cylinder and the maintenance shop is at the other end, that way." he pointed to their right. "Okay, I'm off then. Stay out of trouble and have fun." He gave the girls each a peck on the cheek and put a hand on Ben's shoulder. "Keep an eye on these two," he said with a grin.

"I'll do my best, but they have a knack for mischief." Ben jokingly said as both Interface and June said together, "Hey!" and each pinched one of his arms.

"Let me know if you need anything. I'll see you when I'm done." Will said smiling, then headed in the direction of the maintenance shop.

He didn't have any money for the tram that ran up and down the length of the cylinder at regular intervals, so he walked the whole way. He didn't mind it though, the light exercise felt good and he enjoyed the commotion of the busy spaceport.

He always looked forward to the hustle and bustle of a spaceport at the end of a shipping run when it was just June and him on the 'Saturn's Heart'. The long, peaceful quiet of travel on a ship was nice, especially since he shipped out with his best friend, but it was also nice to break up the monotony with a port visit.

After about an hour's walk, he arrived at his destination. The clean glass door to the front office had the department name and walk-in hours neatly scribed on the glass, and since it was currently during business hours, he opened the door and walked inside.

The noisy traffic from outside was mostly muffled by the glass door and wall, making the office seem quiet in comparison. There was a reception counter and a waiting room with a few seats scattered around, but there was no one waiting, so he walked up to the counter.

No one was on the other side of the counter, so Will took a moment to look around. There were the usual business notices tacked to the walls, a few pictures of far-off, tropical beaches, and calendars featuring scantily clad models holding the latest and greatest tool every mechanic was sure to need in their toolbox, or so the sales literature said.

Will found the 'Press here for Service' button on the counter so he clicked it and waited for someone to come to the front. It took a few minutes, and when he heard the door in the back open and close, he happened to be leaning on the counter with his back to it, watching the goings on outside through the glass wall.

"Hello, can I help you?" Said the man behind the counter.

Will turned, and said, "Yes, Lieutenant Fredericks said I should speak with the Quartermaster about...", but stopped short when he recognized the face of the man. "Jeremy? Jeremy Walters? Is that you?" Will asked incredulously.

"Well, I'll be. Will Foucault. How've you been? It's been, what, nine years?" Jeremy said, surprised at seeing Will.

"Ten. I haven't seen you since that party just after graduating from the Academy." Will smiled broadly, reaching over the counter for a handshake that Jeremy immediately returned.

"I recall that it was a hell of a party, and someone got so drunk, they passed out in the bathtub." Jeremy smiled, teasing Will. "Judging by the wild silver tattoos, you haven't slowed down at all."

"Funny, I don't remember that at all." He joked back. "And yes, my life has become pretty wild as of late. So what have you been doing with yourself since last I saw you?" Will asked.

"Well, I shipped out for a while on a merchant marine vessel for a couple of years, but then I met Sarah. We settled down and I found a permanent post here on Penrose. We got married and have a lovely five-year-old, Tara." Jeremy beamed with pride. "We have an apartment here on the station, you should come by for dinner and catch up." He offered.

"I would love that." Then Will added, "But I'm crewing a ship nowadays with three others, and we are planning to catch the next ferry heading into the core worlds. I'm afraid I'll have to take a rain check."

"Nonsense. Bring them along too. The more the merrier. Unless one is a Garlaxian.." It was an old joke they shared during their academy days.

"No, no Garlaxians." Will chuckled.

"Then it's settled. Come by tonight, Sarah and I will whip up some dinner and we'll catch up over a bottle of wine." Jeremy said.

"That's perfect. Thanks." Will said, graciously. "But for the real reason I came here today. I'm a little cash-strapped at the moment and I have some salvaged rad batteries I need to get rid of. The assistant dockmaster said I should speak with the quartermaster about selling them to the maintenance shop as spares."

"Well, the Quartermaster is out on a little R&R right now, so I get to make the decisions. What do you have?" Jeremy asked.

"Eight delta class rad-batteries, in good condition. They've seen use, but still in good working order." Will said, rattling off the details.

"Hmm, delta class huh? We need a few for a set of maintenance pods we're in the middle of refurbing. You couldn't have shown up at a more perfect time. It would have cost me an arm and a leg to have what I needed to be shipped special." Jeremy paused, scratching his chin while he thought. "How's six grand sound for the lot?" Jeremy offered.

"That's extremely generous, that will help us out tremendously. Sold." Will said, then reached out his hand. Jeremy took it, clasped it tight, and shook on it. "You'll need a couple of your pods to offload, I'm at slip 47A and only an externally accessed cargo bay. Will that work?"

"Sure thing, not a problem," Jeremy replied.

"Just let me know when they've arrived, and I'll signal someone on the ship to open the cargo bay door," Will said.

Jeremy continued to hold Will's hand tight. "I'm just glad I finally get a chance to pay you back, at least in some small measure," Jeremy said, his voice suddenly tight with emotion.

"Like I said back then, You don't owe me anything," Will said, sharing the sentiment.

"Like hell, I don't." He released Will's hand and grabbed a notepad and pencil, then jotted something down on it. Handing to Will, he said, "These are the directions to our apartment. Follow those and you can't miss it. Six o'clock." Jeremy smiled again. "It's really good to see you again, Will."

"Same, Jeremy. See you tonight."

****

Interface stood with her eyes closed, feeling the pulse and hum of activity in the station's central core. The sound of people, vehicles moving cargo streaming back and forth, hundreds of conversations all washed over her, a much-needed balm for the pain of her long isolation.

She remembered fondly the centuries she and her crew wandered, exploring the galaxy, the ship a constant hive of activity and full of life. The slow passage of time had worn her down to almost nothing, but now, especially in moments like these, she felt herself blooming back to life.

"You okay, Inta? You look like you went somewhere else for a minute." June asked, with concern.

"I am better than okay." She took June's hand and kissed it, smiling broadly.

June returned the smile. "Okay then. Let's get going."

The three of them strolled casually along the footpath running the length of the central core, lined with merchant shops, trade offices, and small cafes. People of all shapes and sizes browsed wares, conducted business of one kind or another, or were just chatting enjoying some company. The buzz and hum of it all made Interface smile.

"I have a little cash in my pocket, do you two want to stop, get something to drink, and do some people-watching?" Ben asked.

"That sounds great," June said. "I'm dying for a proper espresso."

Interface nodded as well. "I don't need much in the way of food or drink, but I would love to just sit and watch people go by."

They walked for a short while longer until they found a little cafe with a few tables situated outside, positioned perfectly to be able to sit and watch the foot and vehicle traffic crawl by.

Interface's eyes never stopped glancing around, looking at all the people, taking in the sights and sounds all around, as they stood by the hostess' stand waiting to be seated.

The hostess appeared from the kitchen, a young brunette, hair tied back, wearing a white blouse and black pants. "Three?" She asked and they confirmed. "This way please." The hostess led them to a small round table out front, and as they took their seats, she filled three glasses full of water.

"What can I get for you?" the young hostess asked.

"An espresso, please." June requested.

"I'll have a black coffee. Oh and do you have any scones?" Ben asked.

"We do. Lemon and blueberry." the hostess responded.

"I'll have a blueberry. You want one, June?" Ben asked.

"Yeah, I could go for one. Lemon, please." June said to the hostess.

"And you, Miss?" There was an unmistakable sparkle in the hostess's eyes when she addressed Interface.

"Just water thank you." She said, then added with a wink. "For now." The hostess blushed, then hurried to fill their order.

Ben chuckled. "Will's right, you're insatiable."

"I can't help it if she's cute," Interface said, with as much innocence as she could muster. They all smiled, and a short while later she returned with their order, smiling sheepishly at Interface. Then she returned to the kitchen to fetch orders for her other customers.

"I bet you could have her if you wanted to," June said. "She looks delicious."

Ben smiled and shook his head. "You're almost as bad as her, you know that, right?"

For the next few minutes, they sat in companionable silence, nibbling their pastries and sipping their drinks. Ben watched in surprise as Interface sipped her water while watching the traffic go by.

"I didn't think you needed food or drink?" Ben asked her.

"I don't really. I just sip the water to blend in." Interface replied. "I'll get rid of it later, either perspire it out or squirt it. You boys seem to like that." She said, with a sultry smile.

Ben and June chuckled at that, and then Ben asked, "Alright then. There's something else that I've been dying to find out. What do you do with all the cum you swallow?" He asked, half trying to shock her, half curious.

"Well, whenever I receive your 'material', I break it down and analyze it to make sure all your bio-markers indicate you are in good physical health." She replied with a smile, eliciting chuckles from June and Ben, obviously impervious to shame.

"Since we're having so much fun interrogating you," June began, "I have a real question. I'm still trying to make sense of all the overlay information I'm seeing in my new eye."

Ben's eyebrows pinched in confusion. "New eye?" He questioned.

"I lost an eye before we met you, and Inta replaced it with a bionic one," June answered, as if it were no big deal, hiding the pain.

Ben leaned close to June, then asked, "Which one?" as he tried to figure it out.

The fact that he couldn't discern which one, put June at ease. "I'll never tell." She said with a playful tone.

Interface spoke up. "Well, your eye can pick up a bunch of stuff. You should be able to see in low light, for one."

June confirmed. "Yeah, that one has been pretty easy, mainly because there are no other signals. It's when they're all piled together that it turns into a confusing mess, like right now. There's so much going on, I can't make sense of it."

"Okay then, let's work on some filtering exercises," Interface said. "Take a look at those two cute blondes at the other table," she said, tilting her head in their direction. The two blonde women looked to be on their lunch break, wearing tight-fitting uniform overalls indicating they were a couple of the station's dock workers. They sat close to one another, chatting back and forth and smiling occasionally, in between taking bites of the sandwiches they had ordered.

June focused on the two. "Think about their comm devices. In the station, they probably use short-range radio waves for communication. Picture the texture of an electromagnetic wave, the electric field oscillating perpendicular to the magnetic. Focus on that." Interface instructed.

"June did so, and in her vision, most of the noise of the overlays she was seeing faded, and she could see wispy white clouds coming off the wide bracers they wore on their forearms.

"Wow, that works!" June exclaimed. "I can see the E-M waves clearly."

"Excellent!" Interface praised. "Now, let that go and think about their body heat, and how it radiates in every direction."

Again, June followed Interface's instructions, focusing on the two blonde's thermal signatures. As she did so, she could see a warm orange glow surrounding the two.

"Watch them closely," Interface said. As the two dock workers looked over at their table, Interface caught their eye. She then smiled at the pair and gave them a suggestive wink.

June immediately saw the heat light up in their laps, as both blondes shifted their legs, seeking stimulation. June laughed out loud, and playfully slapped Interface's shoulder, "You are incorrigible." She looked down at her own lap and saw the bright orange glow corresponding with her own increased arousal. She smiled and patted her hand on Interface's thigh.

Then she shook her head and got back to her original line of questioning. "There's also this weird, multi-hue overlay that I see when I look at people. I can't make any sense of it."

"Hmm. I bet you're seeing their auras." Interface guessed. "Think about seeing through the person, down to their core, who they really are."

June concentrated on Interface, and only saw a bright white glow. "You're bright white." She said.

"It doesn't quite work as well for me; I'm a bit more complex and not quite a person," Interface explained.

June's face twisted in offense at the statement. "That is not true." She said forcefully. "You are as much, if not more of a person than anyone I've ever met."

Interface's eyes shone with kind remarks, then said gently, "That's not what I meant. A significant portion of who I am resides in parts of the crystalline matrix that is projecting into higher dimensional space. Your eye is still mostly a 3-D construct and you are seeing auras from fully 3-D beings." She reached up and softly touched June's face. June smiled and kissed her palm in response.

June turned her attention to Ben, who had been fascinated by the whole line of conversation, but now shifted uncomfortably in his seat, beneath June's gaze. She saw lots of warm reds and pinks, with a blue undertone, and one small black thread running through the background.

Realizing his discomfort, June turned to Interface and said, "Thanks, Inta, I was starting to go crazy trying to figure it out on my own." Taking a sip of her espresso, "I think I'll practice some more on the passers-by."

They sat there for a while in silence again. Ben picked at his scone, lost in thought, Interface exchanged flirty glances with the two blonde dockworkers, and June watched the passing pedestrians and traffic.