Stellar Dust 4 - A Simple Raid by Isaac Orr

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SUMMARY: Stryler embarks on his first raid as a pirate.

Stryler was not amused to discover that he was rostered on duty aboard the Anomaly for every waking shift while they were in port at Delta 2. Loramy was obviously not content to merely rely on the threat of being hunted down to ensure that he stuck around.

He spent his time familiarizing himself with the ship's layout and systems as well as the roles of various crew members. Despite all of that he was thoroughly bored by the second day, which found him in the cruiser's hanger working on a troublesome gravgen in one of the fighters.

"Stryler?" The calm voice caused him to start.

He recognized it after a second. "Hi Arti." He continued to work. "What's up?"

"Nothing specific. I just thought I would say hello."

Stryler looked up out of the maintenance hatch into empty space. "Really? I didn't know AI's did that sort of thing."

There was a moment of silence. "Sometimes we do."

"Stryler thought for a minute as he inspected a connection in the gravgen's bay that needed some repair work. "Can anyone hear us in here?"

"No sir."

"So why don't you tell me why you're really talking to me?" Stryler loosened the faulty connector and pulled it out of the fighter.

Again there was a pause. "I was bored."

Stryler chuckled. He didn't have a whole lot of experience with AI systems, but he'd never heard of one that lied before. Or perhaps they did, just not this badly. "Well then. Have any advice on the repair of gravgens?"

"I would suggest replacing the entire unit, sir."

"Well as far as I know there isn't one spare." Stryler replied.

"You are correct. However it is common for this particular unit to malfunction. I believe they do not replace it because repairing it is a useful task for keeping crew members occupied."

Stryler wasn't sure if the AI intended that as a joke or not. He checked a handful more connections within the unit and replaced the faulty connector plug before reinstalling the maintenance cover and climbing into the fighter's cockpit to fire up a test sequence. He watched the display readout with satisfaction. "Well, it looks better now."

"It appears to be functioning adequately."

"I'm going to go get myself some food," Stryler said as he climbed out of the fighter and began walking to the hangar entryway. "If there really was anything you wanted to tell me in private, now would be a good time." He stood still for a moment. No answer. "Talk to you later then, I guess." He resumed walking.

"Stryler?"

He stopped. "Yes?"

The voice was quiet now, almost uncertain, with a slightly childlike tone to it. "When you leave, will you take me with you?"

"What?"

No answer.

"Arti?" Stryler waited, but all that he could hear was his own breathing and the mechanical whir of the ships systems echoing in the bare metal hangar. "Arti?"

"Yes sir?" The AI's voice was back to its normal, cold synthetic self.

"What do you mean, take me with you?"

"I'm not sure I understand what you are referring to sir."

"You said..." Stryler began.

The AI cut him off.