The Tales of The Aurora Pt. 02

"You seem a little young to be a ship's engineer," he said, with a curious look on his face.

Taking offense to that statement, I fired back, "Well, I'll have you know I graduated top of my class, with a master's degree in Ion Drive Systems and Robotics," puffing out my chest, while boasting about myself.

He still had that confused expression on his face, and I thought he didn't believe me.

"Wow, you must be a child prodigy, and cute to boot, as well," he said, with a small smile.

Thrown off by his comment, I said, "Are you making fun of me, are you making fun of my body?" crossing my hands, thinking he was trying to insult or mock me, as all the other women did.

Raising his hands, waving in front of me, he said, "No, no, not at all. I am truly amazed that someone as young as you could manage to earn an important position on this ship. To do it at such a young age, only speaks to the magnitude of your intelligence," trying to defuse the situation. Realizing his voice's sincerity, I quickly apologized to him for my outburst and explained to him that for a long time people had been making rude or sly remarks about my young age and high intelligence. So when he called me a child prodigy, it just brought back some bad memories.

"Yeah, people can be cruel to those that have something truly special. They would try to find ways to tear them down just to make them feel better about their ordinary selves," he said, in a reassuring tone.

"You sound like you know what you are talking about," telling him, in a pointed look.

"Me, personally, no," shaking his head. "But it is a common thing, as old as mankind began to walk. People always try to take things, or tear them down, trying to make them feel special," telling me his view on the subject, while walking to his storage unit. "Oh good, you brought my unit. I was about to go crazy in here," he said, changing the subject. Then he proceeded to lift the box off the moving cart with relative ease, like the unit weighed nothing to him. He placed the box next to the computer terminal and began to open it.

Curiosity crept into my mind and decided to see what he kept in it. At first glance, it was rudimentary things: storage data cores, media drives, books, and what appeared to be a personal computer terminal. One thing I noticed was that there was a lack of personal items, like souvenirs, trinkets, not even personal clothing. Making my presence known I asked him about what's in the box.

"Oh, just stuff I collected over the years," he said, while still rummaging around it.

"Where are your clothes?" I asked, while still looking in.

"I don't have any. The GFC provides us all the basic living essentials, including clothes."

"You don't own any?"

"No, I outgrew them ever since the GFC took me in."

"What about souvenirs or trinkets? You must have plenty from all the planets you visit."

"I never really saw any of the planets I traveled to; all I have ever seen were the insides of the GFC facility."

"Never seen any of them, not even one?" Surprised by his response, he probably traveled to more planets than I ever would, and he hadn't seen any of them.

"No, we were precious Eros Candidates, and would be a security risk if we left the facility grounds, so we never get a chance to see the outside world."

Astounded by his tale, I couldn't imagine spending a good portion of my life inside the buildings, not seeing the outside worlds.

"That's why I have these," gesturing to the data cores, "they keep me entertained while having my downtime.

"What's in them?" I asked, while picking one up off the desk.

"Oh you know, movies, TV shows, e-books, some personal projects, anything and everything I can get my hands on to keep me busy. Speaking of which, I want to show you something." He lifted out a small data core and large black book. He handed me the books and told me to take a look. What was inside astounded me. They were hand-drawn detailed sketches of robotic arms, legs, and a few other things. The design was so elegant that I thought that they were designed by a high-level designer.

"Are these designs for a fully-functioning android?" I asked, still not taking my eyes off the pages?

"Yes and no. They are mostly conceptual designs I came up with in my spare time, I have more detailed blueprints right here," he said, holding up the data core. "Since you said you earned a master's in robotics, I might get your option on some of my designs, and where I can make improvements on them."

Finally turning my eyes to him in wonder, I said, "I would love to discuss your designs with you. How did you learn all of this, android-based robotics is a tough subject to grasp."

"Well, I'm not as dumb as I look, and we Eros Candidates don't just impregnate women 24/7."

That last commit brought a blush to my cheeks. Clearing my thoughts, I spoke up. "Can I borrow these? I would love to look over your designs," asking in a shy voice, "I'll bring them back, of course."

"I'll tell you what. I'll let you borrow my sketchbook and my blueprints, but I need you to do something for me."

I nodded to his request.

"The Captain told me she is considering allowing me to roam the ship on the condition that Dr. Blake clears me, and that I am trained by the crew to work on the ship and not cause any trouble. She will probably inform you all about her plan and might ask for your opinion. Maybe you can volunteer to help train me, and in return, we can discuss the fundamentals of humanoid robotics, and how we can make improvements in my design."

His request was reasonable, and the prospect of having someone to talk to on an intellectual level was thrilling. I agreed to his terms.

He handed me the sketchbook and the data core and I went on my merry way, clutching the book between my arms and my chest, like it was the most precious thing in the galaxy. Once reaching my room, I safely placed the sketchbook and uploaded the blueprints to my hand-terminal. Noticing the time, I started to head towards the mess hall for lunch. I couldn't wait to finish my meal so I could finally take a look at what was inside that data core of his. If the Captain was going to ask us what to do with James, I already knew what my response was going to be.

Chapter 7

Elizabeth

Lunchtime was a more peaceful affair; everyone was quietly eating their meals. Looking around, I noticed something was a little off, but I couldn't put my finger on it. The usually-outspoken Emma, was sitting quietly in her chair, looking at her hand hand-terminal, deep in thought. Then there was Ava, she seemed to be squirming much more in her seat, like she couldn't find a comfortable position; it was almost like she had something stuck in her butt. I smiled to myself from that silly thought. Grace had been stealing glances towards Dr. Blake like she was going to ask something, but didn't want to, or know how to. For the doctor, she still had the icy-cool demeanor, that earned her the nickname 'Ice Queen' from Emma, but she was eating a lot more than she usually does, which I just figured that she was just extra hungry today. Once I noticed everyone was almost finishing up, I finally spoke about our situation with James.

"Okay, everyone. Since we are all here, I would like to talk about James and his foreseeable future," After waiting for that to sink in, I continued, "As it stands, his stasis pod won't be fixed anytime soon, and it would seem he will be living among us until we reach Alexandrea. He asked that he be permitted to walk around the ship and not be confirmed to his room for the next eleven weeks." I paused and waited to see if anyone needed to speak up. "I know, this is highly irregular, but I did promise him that I would take it under serious consideration, on the understanding that Dr. Blake clears him, and that it was okay for the rest of you to have him roam the ship unescorted. So, before I ask any of you, whether or not we should allow him free passage to our ship; Dr. Blake, how do his test results look?" I asked, turning towards her.

Clearing her voice she spoke out, "His test results all came back negative for any abnormality that might have come up while coming out of stasis. By all indications, he was in perfect health. The only thing left, is the full-body scan which just finished an hour ago and was about to check the results."

"Have you had a chance to look at them?" I asked the doctor.

"No, I was going to look at it as soon as we finished lunch, along with the blood test results from the samples from today. As for James' clearance to roam the ship; unless something comes up from the scan, or the blood test, then I see no reason not to clear him," the doctor finished explaining everything toward the crew.

"Okay, thank you for the update, Dr. Blake, and I would like to see his test results when they come in." Aletta nodded to my requester request. "Since the doctor gave her seal of approval, does anyone object to James' new status?" I asked, looking around the table. When no one raised any objection, I was a little surprised an. I would have thought Grace or Sasha might have objected to it any but they didn't speak up. I had to know why. "XO, are you okay with James moving around the ship while he is not on your watch?"

"Yes, Captain. He has been behaving perfectly, while showing no indications toward violence. We don't have to give him access to the entire ship, only areas that are not system critical." Sasha finished her assessment of the situation.

I turned my attention towards Grace, knowing she wouldn't speak up unless asked directly.

"How about you, Grace; anything you want to say?"

"No, Captain. I have no problem with him roaming the ship; he will be abiding by the rules and regulations of the ship, right?"

I nodded to her question.

"Then I'll be fine with it, as long he follows the rules and doesn't cause trouble for us," she said, finishing in her sheepish tone.

Taking her response into my final decision, I also addressed the other issue. "Well if I do decide to allow James to roam the ship, then I will need some volunteers to train him how to walk around the ship, and to tell him about our emergency procedures. So who will do it?" Not even waiting a minute after I finished asking my question, Emma raised her hand and said she would do it, almost jumping out of her sleep.

"I will also help, if you need it," Ava added, as she also decided to speak up. "I don't have too many responsibilities on this ship, and would have more time to show him how things work around here."

"Okay, after talking to all of you, with Dr. Blake's clean bill of health, and everyone okay with James being allowed to walk the ship; I don't see any reason to keep him confined to his quarters. Emma, Ava, I expect you to teach him everything he needs to know, and Dr. Blake, please inform me when his test results are ready."

With everyone nodding to her orders, Ava stood up. "Excuse me, Captain, but if you don't mind, could I bring James lunch to him before it gets too cold," she asked, with a slight bow.

"Go ahead. I'll send you his door access code right now, but don't tell him about our discussion. I'm still waiting for the test results before I make my final decision."

"Of course, Captain," Ava said, before taking James' tray and headed out of the door.

Ava

I was a little nervous when I was walking down the hallway delivering the tray of food to James. I was thinking of what to say to him, so I can worm my way into being friends, and maybe more. I never had trouble trying to think up a conversation with someone before. It was like trying to talk to someone when you had a huge crush on them and were having trouble trying to speak with them. I never had that issue; if I liked someone, I'd find a way to let them know, but with James, I'm drawing a blank. The tingling sensation from the vibrator, and the butt plug, didn't help things either.

During lunch, I was trying my best not to squirm in my seat while the Captain told us about her plan with James, and that we needed to help him function on the ship. I volunteered because it would give me more opportunities to talk to him. I was a little surprised to see Emma practically jumped from her seat to help with James' training. I figured she has something planned, but for now, I'll file that for later. Reaching James' door, I was a little nervous about what to say to him, so I just decided to wing it, typed in the door access, announced my presence, and walked right in.

James was sitting at his desk looking through what appeared to be a media drive. I would know because it was the same one I used, to carry all my movies, TV shows, and a few pornographic materials. Realizing he was now looking at me, I finally spoke up as to why I was there. to begin with.

"Hello, my name is Ava, and I'm the ship's cook. I'm here to deliver your food to you," I said, flashing him a warm smile while lifting the tray of food at him.

"Oh, thank you," he said, while cleaning up an area for me to put the tray on. "You can put it right here."

Placing the tray next to him, I took in his scent; it was a pleasant smell, not feminine like the other woman, but more of an earthy tone. I stood next to him and asked in a soothing voice, "If there is anything I could do for you, please let me know?"

I was about to turn around and leave until he spoke up to me. "Actually, if you don't mind, could you stay here with me for a bit. I would like to have some company while I eat."

Taking the opportunity, I agreed and took a seat.

He took a bite of his grilled chicken and greens, by Dr. Blakes's dietary recommendation. His eyes lit up and said, "Wow, this tastes pretty good, you must be a pretty good cook," while continuing to eat more of his food.

I waved my hands, trying to hide the blush from his compliment, "No, no I'm not that great of a cook, it must be because this is the first solid food you have in a week." What I said was true, I wasn't a good cook. In fact, I never really put that much effort into cooking any of the meals for any of the crew, but still, his praising my skill, warmed my heart a bit. It was nice to have someone appreciate something you did for them.

"That may be true, but it is a lot tastier than I'm used to."

"Really?" I asked, as my interest piqued.

"Yes, the food they provided for us, is designed for nutritional purposes, jam-packed full of vitamins, nutrients, and supplements; the trade-off being that it doesn't taste very good, not like this," he said, gesturing towards the food.

Then a light bulb lit up in my head, maybe the best way to get closer to James was through his stomach. "Well, then I guess I'll start making sure your meals are just as good, if not better than this one," I told him with self-assured confidence. I thought to myself, 'Don't worry James, I'll make sure your meals will be the tastiest you will ever have, that way when your lips touch my food, you will be thinking about me,' which brought a smile to my face.

For the next several minutes, I answered the questions he asked me about myself--why I was a cook, how I like to see new places and see new people, and how I wanted to have an adventure in my life.

"Interesting, your family must be proud of you for getting the chance to see all the worlds in the galaxy?"

That last statement brought me into a more somber mood. "Actually, I don't have any family; my mother died when I was very little, and I had no one to take me in, so I was brought up in the foster system until I aged out."

"Oh, I'm sorry, that must have been difficult for you to be all alone," he said, placing a more reassuring hand on my shoulder.

"It's okay, it was tough at the beginning, but I learned fast how to take care of myself. That's why I joined the RTC corporation since I have no roots to hold me back. I am free to travel the galaxy," I said, trying to brighten up the room.

"Well as long as you are happy, then that's all that matters."

"Yeah, I am happy, and besides I am not alone, I have Gracey to look after."

He looked at me with a confused look.

"Gracey or Grace, the one with the long black hair; I believe she ran into you on your first day on this ship."

"Oh yeah, the cute one. She came out of nowhere and went head first into me. I was afraid that I might have hurt her, but she said she was okay," he said, realizing who Grace was, then he looked at me and continued, "Her name is Grace, but you call her Gracey. I'm assuming you two are friends?"

"She is not just my friend, she's my sister--well, my self-appointed sister," answering him while puffing out my chest, hoping he liked what he saw. "I met her while training at RTC, we were roommates as it turned out; she was so shy and precious, that I had to protect her and claim her for my own."

"So are you too involved, or something," he asked, delving more into our relationship.

"Or something," I replied. "We are not together in that way, although I would like for it to happen. Grace was an incredibly shy person and a little skittish around people. She would always be by herself, always looking afraid of people in general, and looking so alone. I knew what loneliness felt like and didn't want to see the precious little thing wither away all by herself; so I decided to be her friend. It took a while, but I managed to gain her trust and she slowly opened up to me. She told me a few things about her past, which I'm not going to get into because that is her story to tell, not mine." Telling him in a pointed look, "And from there, I told her that no one is going to hurt you, for now on, count on your 'Big Sister', and then on out, she stuck by my side ever since," finishing the tale on how Gracey and I met.

"Wow, that was mighty nice of you to go out of your way to help someone out," he said, praising my big heart.

"Well, yeah, isn't it the right thing to do, wouldn't you do that?" asking him the question.

"You would be surprised at how many people wouldn't do the right thing; they are too selfish to do what you just did," he stated, in an informative tone of voice. "And as for me, no, I wouldn't do it."

"But why not? Are you telling me you are a bad person," I asked, crossing my arms, preparing myself for the answer.

"I wouldn't say I'm a bad person, but I'm not saying I'm a good one either. But if I was in the story of you and Grace, then I wouldn't be you in that story, I would be Grace," he said, finishing the last of his lunch. "Well, that was good," he added, while placing his hands on his now-full belly. "And thanks to the company, it's a hell of a lot better to eat with someone than to eat alone. And tell Grace I said hi.'' Then he turned to me and had a more serious look in his eye. "Keep her close, may not realize it, but your friendship means more to her than you realize. It is important to always treat her like family. Family is important in my opinion."

Taken aback by his commitment I pressed the issue, "You seem to know a lot about Grace's situation, do you know someone in the same situation."

"Something like that," he said, deflecting the question.

"You said that family is important, are you close with yours?" and after finishing my question his eyes took a more softened, saddened state.

"I was... close to my mother before the GFC took me, I haven't seen her in a long time," he said in a heavy, sighful voice. "Moving around from planet to the planet hadn't been easy, and when the GFC took me in, they said that I have a higher purpose now, and cannot spare the luxury of family."

Realizing the enormity of his sacrifice, I rushed toward him and wrapped him up in a big hug. "I'm sorry, that it must be tough not being able to see her," I said, reassuring him, while also admiring his body. While women had a softer feel, his was firmer and broader. A body that I can hold on to for dear life and wouldn't even hurt him.