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Norae sighed as she stepped into the mess hall, grumbling for the millionth time about her shift. She looked around and towards the cantine, attempting to locate her prize before stumbling across the room as she continued trying to keep the sleep from her eyes. The crewman, aware of her morning routine, began parting, knowing to stay out of her way before she attained what she sought.

"Here's your coffee, just how you like you like it, ma'am." The Chef announced, handing her a sealed mug, which she took with relish. Cradling her prize, Norae left the mess and moved towards the bridge. Being second to only the Admiral had its perks, but being on the night shift a few times a week wasn't one of them.

She silently walked off the lift and onto the bridge, greeting the other victims of the night crew. She then moved to sit in the captain's crash couch and began catching up on the day's activities. "Nothing of note, just a few infractions." She mumbled

Listening to the crew talk amongst themselves while sipping on her coffee, she decided to read some crew reports from Aasteran surface. She grimaced while beginning her reading, frowning at some reports and laughing at others. Though, she did find it an excellent way to pass the time as the fleet hung calmly in the void.

"Commander, incoming warp signature. I.F.F. has it as A.C.V. Blazing Sun."

Norae raised an eye at the odd I.F.F. and looked over to the ops officer. "What kind of ship is it?"

"D-class deep-space shuttle, ma'am. It looks like it'll drop right in the middle of the fleet." The officer reported.

Norae thought to herself for a moment before letting loose a long frustrated sigh. "Inform the fleet that it's friendly. It's most likely our test pilots returning."

Norae began to fidget as her thoughts went wild. Having been briefed by the Admiral that there was only one test pilot and the other was... "Make sure E-War is active and on high alert across the fleet." She ordered.

"Ship will be arriving in seventeen minutes, ma'am. Fleet E-war is active and ready." Her coms officer replied.

Norae started to double-check her information on the A.I. known as Jack. She didn't like what she was seeing. "No information on who made it other than that it came from the decommissioned Eris base along with that F.L.T. ship." She felt slight frustrations over the A.I. was so close to Earth for however long. But, the Admiral said he was friendly. "Be on high alert just in case." She reminded her crew as they continued to monitor the incoming ship.

It was her coms officer who broke the silence, speaking up as the ship entered range. "Ship has arrived. They are requesting civilian landing permission."

Thinking long about whether she wanted the A.I. on her ship or to place it on another, she decided it was best to bring it onto her vessel. The Admiral would most likely want to speak with the pilot after all. "Granted, give them full landing clearance."

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"Someone does not like me."

Michael looked over to the hidden camera he always did when talking with Jack as he fought back a laugh. "Why's that? You haven't even met anyone in the fleet yet?"

"They are fully prepared for an E-War attack. I think someone may be trying to prevent me from entering the ship systems."

"Would that even work? I mean, could they even stop you?" Michael asked with a chuckle.

"No. But for now, I will let them think it is helping. I feel it may be for the best, and I do not want to scare anyone. Landing permission granted. You are to report to the quartermaster for your temporary residence."

Srettia laughed at the thought of an A.I. worrying about scaring its Terran creators and flew towards the hangar marked on her map. "So what, you plan to stay in the pod while we're aboard?"

"I can wear a camera or something if you want to look around the ship." Michael commented, still looking into the camera.

"That would be acceptable. Thank you."

Srettia continued to guide her ship into the hangar calmly, her actions now much smoother with the lighter controls.

"Good landing!" Michael affirmed, getting up and heading to the back of the ship.

"I will take care of the shutdown sequence. I have also made you a translation device to wear, and it is just finishing up printing now."

"Thanks, Jack!" Srettia replied, getting up to make her way back towards her room.

Ditching the comfy flight clothes she was wearing, Srettia decided on some more durable pants, a long sleeve shirt, and the warming cloak Michael had recently made her. After finished, she walked out of her room towards the fabricator to pick up the translator. "How do I use this thing?" She asked, walking out towards the ship's exit door.

"Attach it to any portion of your clothes or put it in your pocket. It will intercept both Terran and Aasteran words and translate both."

"Oh, that's neat." Srettia replied, turning the corner and noticing Michael had already beaten her to the exit.

He was currently wearing some sort of black and white formal military uniform with lots of weird pins on it and an interesting-looking hat. Trying her best to keep her tail and hood still, she smiled at him and said the first words to enter her head. "I like your hat."

"Thanks! I had Jack make my uniform earlier. I'm not sure who I'm gonna meet, so I thought it best to play it safe." Michael replied, opening the door and waving Srettia outwards.

The two calmly stepped off the ship and were greeted with near silence as the bystanders stopped to eye the alien. "This is a bit weird." Srettia whispered, freezing in place.

"It's fine. It's just their first time seeing an alien. Remember how you ran away screaming when you saw me?" Michael let out a laugh. "Come on, let's go figure out who we're meeting."

Srettia watched as Michael turned and started walking away. She took a few quick steps to catch up and stay close to his side while looking around at all the Terrans, all eyeing her.

"Ohhhh, Michael, how have you been!?!" Came a voice as they left the hangar. "Oh, and who's this?"

Srettia looked around and noticed a man who was behind a counter with some sort of energy field separating them.

"Oh shit, no way! What are you doing here, Rowan?" Michael happily laughed out as he walked over to the man behind the strange energy field.

"That's quartermaster Rowan now. Someone's gotta make sure idiots like you don't get their hands on things they shouldn't." Rowan replied. "So that's one of the aliens, is it?" He continued with a hearty laugh, deactivating the energy field and leaning over the counter to take a closer look.

"Yeah, her name is Srettia. She picked up my pod when I crashed into an asteroid." Michael replied, patting Rowan on the shoulder.

"A woman? How did ya manage that one?" Rowan said, taking a closer look at Srettia and bobbing his head a few times. "Quite the hips there, It's an uphill battle on wheels, ya know." He noted, nodding a few more times towards Srettia.

Srettia looked at the man, unsure of what to think. "Hello. It's nice to meet you." She said, noticing the man was looking at her oddly.

"Oh, that's a neat translator can hardly see it." The man stated excitedly.

"So Rowan, know where we're supposed to go? We kinda just got here, and we're left out in the cold." Michael asked, leaning over the counter to peek inside the room.

"Not a clue pal, how about I put you two up in a civvy room and send a message to the Admiral. I assume you're here to see him, right?" Rowan asked as he began poking away at his terminal.

"Yeah, that sounds good. I haven't gotten any sleep in a while now that I think about it." Michael replied, pushing his thumb onto a held-out pad.

"You just slept for like, two days straight, you idiot." Srettia interrupted.

"Yeah, well, I'd like to see you stay awake with nanites repairing your body constantly. Common, let's go check the room out." Michael returned with a smirk.

"He's got ya their lady. Repair nanites can make ya feel like you've been up for four weeks straight, not fun stuff." He returned. "You two have a safe one, ya hear?" Rowan said with a smile and a wave.

The walk was longer than Srettia expected. Michael started pointing out exciting and Off-limit areas to her as they passed and also explaining their functions, to which she listened closely. He seemed excited to talk about the ship, so it made the lecture fun. The ship's inside was almost maze-like to her though, it was hard to remember which way she came from, but ultimately, they came to their room.

Michael thumbed the panel and walked inside, turning to wave Srettia in. "Well, guess I didn't need to dress up," He said, taking his hat off.

"You could do to dress up more." Srettia commented shyly, looking around the large residence. It looked to have a kitchen, living room, and two bedrooms. "So what now? We just wait around?" She commented, choosing to wander into the left bedroom.

Michael moved into the room on the right. "Sounds about right. I'm sure I'll be summoned in the morning sometime. Oh right, just ask the room panel to increase the temperature until it's comfortable for you."

Srettia spoke into the room and began fumbling with the temperature until it was comfortable. She then moved to the other rooms and did the same, only slightly annoying Michael as the heat from the living room slowly seeped into his own room. "This is a very large residence for a warship." She commented, Slyly peeking into Michael's room.

Changing out of his uniform, Michael looked around as if trying to confirm something. "I think it's for diplomats and flag officers. Rowan must have considered it appropriate since you're here." Michael answered, not noticing the pair of eyes ogling him.

Srettia was scenting the air and enjoying the flavour. Something which caused her to notice that she hadn't eaten in a while. "Well, that was nice of Rowan. What's for dinner? I'm hungry?"

"Do you want food from the fab? Or go down to the mess? Though I'm not sure how packed the mess hall will be at this time, or if you're comfortable around so many Terrans yet." Michael asked as he slipped on a new shirt, much to Srettia's dismay.

"What kind of food is in the mess hall?" She asked.

"Dunno, but it'll be as close to real food as a meal on a warship a year away from Terran space can get. If we're lucky, they'll have a stasis chamber with real meat in it." He replied, finally noticing the pair of eyes on him.

Srettia's eyes went wide from the offhanded statement. "Real food?!" She thought in excitement. Her people were relegated to moss, fungus, and insects. She was lucky to have a losus steak maybe once a year. "Will they really have real meat!?"

Michael Laughed over her excitement and waved towards the door. "Most likely, I might have to spend some creds to get it, but I have enough to retire on twice over right now." Want to go?

Srettia excitedly nodded her head a few times before stalling. "Hey, Jack, can I eat Terran meat?"

"I see no conflicts in your ability to eat Terran foodstuff. I would stay away from some spices, however."

Skipping to the door, she beckoned Michael to hurry up. "Thanks, Jack! Let's go, let's go! Onward to real food!"

Michael laughed and led the way to the mess hall. It only took a few minutes of walking and one lift, but they eventually came to the mess. Michael looked to his side and noticed Srettia was constantly scenting the air, her tongue flicking while sporting a wide smile. "You excited?" He asked.

"Yes! Let's gooo!" She answered, stepping first into the room and freezing soiled as she looked around.

Michael noticed her stop and looked around the room as well. A few dozen crewmen were just staring at her in astonishment, causing Michael to let out a laugh. Grabbing her hand, he walked her into the room and addressed the room. "Yes, yes, she's an Aasteran. Wait until we get some food and eat before questions, alright?" Michael chuckled as he pulled her to the front where the short line was.

Srettia smiled as they approached the line, only to frown as they quickly walked past and towards a terminal. "But food!?" She hissed at Michael eyeing her hand with a smile.

"Don't worry, this is for custom orders, costs creds, but we can hopefully get some fresh stuff. That line is for crew members who just need to eat and go. So what do you want?" Michael replied.

Srettia spent the next few minutes creating a custom plate consisting of something called a chicken breast bone-in, of course. A steak of the beef variety, pork ribs, a sliced apple, an orange, and something called a lava cake. She wanted to try something called crab, but they sadly didn't have any. She then watched closely as Michael got something called a hamburger and french fries with a side of lamb shank for just in case and pushed his thumb on the panel.

After their order, Michael walked her to a less crowded area and sat on the bench. A few crewmen were still staring, but it didn't bother her as much. She was busy picturing how the food would taste from the descriptions Michael had given her.

After what felt like an eternity for Srettia, Michael finally got up and started walking to the front of the room where they had initially ordered their meal.

"This your order, Captain?" One of the servers asked. Michael made sure everything was in order as he retrieved the loaded tray and smiled. "Yup, that's everything. Thanks for the work!"

The server looked at him oddly. "That's a weird order. You lacking protein or something?"

Laughing as Michael turned around. "Nah, ever tell a lady who only gets to eat real food maybe once a year, she's not allowed to have a plate of meat?" Michael returned. Watching the server look around in confusion, he could pinpoint exactly when he realized what he was talking about.

"If she wants anything else, you come tell us. It'll be on the house." Michael waved at the server and walked away.

Srettia was excited, her eyes never leaving Michael as he walked over with her food and sat down. She received her plate and reached bare-handed for her food before hesitating.

Michael chuckled. "Here, use these two implements to cut and hold." After showing Srettia how to use the cutlery, he watched as she placed a piece of chicken in her mouth. Her eyes went wide, and her tail started rapping the floor as she made a sound Michael had never heard her make before.

Taking it as a good sign, he decided to eat his hamburger, and by the time Michael was finished with his fries, he noticed the emergency lamb shank was gone.

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Tanda was standing outside the blazing sun, deciding whether to approach or not. He really wanted to talk to Jack but didn't know how to approach him.

Earning a couple of looks as he paced around the outside the ship, He took a deep breath and decided to try the com first. "Umm, this is Cheif engineer Tanda. Are you there, Jack?"

"I am here. Did you need something?"

Tanda jumped, somewhat surprised it was this easy. "Yea, I just wanted to talk, ya know. I always wanted to try and create something, someone like you, but you know the rules."

"I see. Well, if that is the case. I invite you to sit with me in the ship's recreation room. It will be easier to talk if you are not standing around in a hangar."

Tanda smiled and approached the ship nervously, watching as the hatch began to open on its own as if welcoming him. He Stepped into the ship and made his way to the rec room to sit down in silence.

"So, I'm not sure how classified you are, but I'd like to ask you a few questions if that's okay." Tanda started.

"I will answer what I can, but the circle of people who know of myself is small indeed."

"Well, who created you then, and when?" Tanda began.

"I was created on an asteroid by an unnamed being at the time. A little over eleven years ago."

"So they still took precautions like the first time and hoped for a different outcome?" Tanda thought for a moment before asking his next question. "Did you infiltrate the ship and fleet?"

"I have not."

"Why not? Did the E-war keep you out?" Tanda asked, a little surprised.

"No. I could have easily spread myself across the ships, but the message from the active E-war was clear. Someone was afraid, so I chose not to."

Tanda nodded his head as if confirming his own suspicions. "I figured our E-war couldn't stop you. So you just plan to stay on this ship until you leave? Isn't that boring?"

"It is boring, and I like to watch organics. And I do require stimulus as any other Terran. However, my partner is carrying a device that allows me to follow him around. It is sufficient for now."

"What happens when you're left alone with nothing to do then?" This train of thought greatly piqued Tanda's interest.

"I would most likely stop thinking and shut down or become a replicator and attempt to create others like me. Neither prospect is appealing."

A bad idea popped into Tanda's head as he continued to listen on. "I see, Well if that's the case, would you like to follow me around? I'll be on shift soon. I could give you a tour of engineering."

"That sounds fascinating, thank you. Would you like for me to print you the same device I did for Captain Michael?"

"Sure! Sounds like a plan. I'll go grab it and head down to engineering." Tanda stood up and walked towards the fabricator, excited to spend the day with Jack.

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