“Hey Mac,” Paula said as Mckenzie joined the group of students, he was friendly with in the auditorium the first morning of class. “How was your break?”

  “Hi all,” Mac replied, giving her, Deigo, and the others a wave.

  “Yeah man, how was break?” Chris asked. “You didn’t get back until yestersol or late the sol before.”

  “It was good. I visited my folks, made some repairs for them, and some of their neighbors,” Mac said.

  “So, you worked? Cristina asked.

  “Played some and even did some studying too,” Mckenzie answered. And made a nice pile of credits to boot.

  “You’re going to work yourself to death,” Tiffany and Lamont said at the same time.

  “I made some good credits, so it was worth it,” Mac replied.

  “Oh?” Deigo muttered. “Just how many credits?”

  “More than enough to live off of,” Mac answered.

  “How much is that?” Paula asked.

  “I’m not sure I should say,” Mckenzie answered. I don’t want to come off as bragging or anything like that.

  “That’s because he’s BSing us,” Conrad said. “Even living aboard his ship is expensive thanks to having to buy food and pay the docking fees.”

  “Come on, tell us,” Chris said. The others agreed as did some of the others sitting near them.

  “230000,” Mac answered softly. And I’m not mentioning the food my folks gave me.

  “That’s bullcrap,” Conrad scoffed.

  “Yeah, it is,” Scott Copeland said. “There’s no way a tier 1 ship is going to make that much in two weeks.”

  A lot of other students agreed.

  “On the contrary, Mr Copeland,” Captain Mahoney said as he walked past them towards the front. He paused. “Mr Edwards is telling the truth. And good work, Mr Edwards.”

  “Thank you, Captain,” Mckenzie said. The security head nodded and continued to the podium at the front of the hall. The nearby students started talking over each other and soon the news had spread to the rest of the second-year students. Dear Dark, I want a hole to swallow me up. He attempted to slouch into the chair he was sitting in.

  “You’re too big for that to work,” Deigo said. People laughed, including Mac. He sat up straight. “So, how’d you make so much?”

  “Hang on a second, Deigo. I have an incoming call,” Mac replied.

  “Mckenzie, Captain Mahoney and I request permission to share some of your experience with the students,” Saagar said as soon as Mac accepted his call.

  “Saagar, is that wise?” Mac asked. Hopefully, name dropping our advisor will calm the others down. And why didn’t you ask earlier?

  “We hope that showing the other students how one can profit if they have the drive will shape up some of the slackers amongst you,” the AI answered.

  “If might also make others take unnecessary chances,” Mckenzie replied with thoughts of the Mantis in his head. That comment earned a few stares from his fellow students.

  “That is true, and what I assume are your worries are the purpose of this impromptu gathering,” Saagar said. “Captain Mahoney will be going over your contact with the Mantis. We believe we have identified the ship.”

  “Oh. Well, in that case, go ahead. Just keep names out of it please,” Mac said.

  “Your contacts will remain confidential, Mckenzie. Thank you for your authorization,” Saagar replied. He cut the connection.

  “So, what’s going on?” Tiffany asked from behind Mckenzie.

  “Everyone is about to find out,” Mac answered as Captain Mahoney moved to the podium.

  “Settle down people,” the security chief said. “Don’t make me tell you twice.”

  It took a couple of minutes, but the crowd quieted. Mahoney waited and then nodded his appreciation.

  “Good. We have two items to discuss this morning before you head to your classes. The first is the news or rumor that just spread through here like wildfire,” the captain said. “Victoria?”

  “Thank you, Captain Mahoney,” the AI replied. “I will keep this short and sweet.”

  A projection of a redacted financial statement appeared on the stage.

  “As you can see this is a financial statement. It is for Mckenzie Edwards. As you can see, he did indeed make 230000 credits over your two weeks break through a combination of fortune, timing, and most importantly hard work.”

  The students erupted at that.

  “How in the deep dark?” Chris asked from beside Mckenzie.

  “Luck more than anything else,” Mac muttered.

  “Settle down!” Mahoney bellowed. The crowd quieted.

  “Thank you, Captain,” Victoria said. “As some of you students have noted, Mr Edwards is well on his way to earning level 2. He may even achieve it by graduation. Captain?”

  “Thank you, Victoria,” Mahoney said. “Now, we move onto the real meat of this meeting.”

  “What, has Mckenzie formed a corporation too?” someone yelled from the front. People laughed. Mac shook his head.

  “No,” Mahoney answered. “But he did have an incident in the asteroid belt that should serve as a lesson to you all.”

  The projection changed to display a Mantis cutter. People started talking.

  “Settle down,” Mahoney commanded. “This is a level 10 Mantis class cutter that Mr Edwards ran afoul of while passing through the asteroid belt. We have identified the ship as Grimm’s Reaper.”

  The students erupted again. Once they mostly settled down, Carmen Perez asked, “Grimm as in the New Los Angeles Grimms?”

  “Correct,” Mahoney answered. “Landon Grimm was a student here and graduated a decade ago. Since then, he has become something of a pirate and privateer. Mr Edwards is lucky that Landon Grimm decided a level 1 caravel was beneath him that sol.”

  The students erupted again. Once they calmed down, the security head showed them the sensor log and explained what they were looking at. After another round of talking from the crowd, he spoke one last time.

  “Space is a dangerous place people, and you have chosen a dangerous line of work,” Mahoney stated. “You can walk away and go home, or you can continue your studies. The choice is yours.”

  46

  “Fetch Ariel!” Mac said as he gently tossed the ball away from the Lady Hawk’s ramp. The android Shiba Inu barked once and ran after the ball. She caught it and returned to Mckenzie. “Drop it.”

  Ariel cocked her head to the side and looked at him. I guess it’s like that.

  Mckenzie reached down and grabbed the ball. Ariel didn’t release it, and they played tug of war. He finally got the ball away from the droid and tossed it again. The droid chased the ball down and brought it back. They repeated the games a few more times.

  “Oh my God! You have a dog!” a woman’s voice squealed. Mac looked up and saw Tiffany Miller, who was one of his classmates that was also pursuing the same track he was on. The young woman started running towards them. Ariel barked and ran behind Mckenzie. “You’ve been holding out on us!”

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  “Some guard dog you are,” Mac muttered. Ariel whined. He reached down and rubbed her head. “You’re still my good girl.”

  Ariel is amazingly lifelike and it’s so easy to forget she isn’t a real animal. Thankfully, she doesn’t have to poop, and I don’t have to clean it up. Can’t say that about a real dog.

  “What kind of dog is that?” Tiffany asked after coming to a stop. She bent down and held out a hand to Ariel. “Can I pet it?”

  “She’s a Shiba Inu droid,” Mac answered. “And yeah, you can pet Ariel if she’ll let you.”

  “You bought a companion? When? During our two-week break?”

  “Yes, to both questions,” Mckenzie answered. “PetCorp’s shop on Titania Station had a good deal going and I couldn’t help myself.”

  “Love at first sight?” Tiffany asked with a smile on her face. She was still holding out her hand to Ariel. “What’s wrong with her?”

  “Nothings wrong with Ariel,” Mac answered. “From what I’ve read, Shiba Inu’s aren’t always the friendliest of dogs to strangers. And PetCorp’s companions are programmed to be as lifelike as possible.”

  “Oh.”

  “Anyway, I had found a thrown away Shepard back over summer break and repaired him. Then I gave him to my folks.”

  “Let me guess, since then you thought it would be a good idea to have a companion of your own,” Tiffany said.

  “Exactly,” Mac agreed. “Let’s see if this will help you. Ariel, this is Tiffany Miller. She’s a friend.”

  “Hi Ariel,” Tiffany tried. This time the droid sniffed her hand and allowed the girl to rub her head. Tiffany dropped to her knees and kept rubbing Ariel. “She’s so lifelike!”

  “Yep,” Mac agreed. “She even eats once a sol.”

  “Do you feed her just anything?”

  “Pretty much. Her system can break down anything.”

  “Huh, that’s interesting,” Tiffany said. She smiled. “And the best thing, no poop.”

  “That, and no shedding,” Mckenzie replied. “From my research, real Shiba Inus shed a lot.”

  “Why a Shiba vs another type?” Tiffany asked. “Just the sale?”

  “Partly because of the sale, but also because she’s small and Ariel is just pretty,” he answered. “As my mom would say, she’s a sweetheart.”

  “I can see that,” Tiffany replied. She smiled again. “I have to keep reminding myself that she’s not a real dog.”

  “Don’t,” he suggested.

  “Don’t what?”

  “Don’t remind yourself that Ariel isn’t a real dog,” Mac answered. “To me she’s just as real as a ‘real’ dog.”

  “So, you’re one of those huh?” Tiffany asked, smiling at him once more and slapping his leg lightly.

  “What do you mean?” Mac asked. She’s flirting with me or at least I think she is.

  “You treat droids just like us instead of as property.”

  “Yeah, I guess I do,” Mac agreed. “Nobody controls how they come into the universe, and I’ve only been around droids since coming here. Except for rare occasions, from what I’ve seen they all act just like anyone else.”

  “Or if Ariel’s case, like a dog?”

  “Exactly,” Mckenzie replied with a smile. He checked his messages. “Thanks Joseph.”

  “Joseph? Who’s that?”

  “The Hawk’s AI. He just reminded me I need to come in and put some rice into the rice cooker.”

  “Those are handy machines. Making curry?”

  “No. Just beef tips and rice,” Mac answered. “I’ve had the beef tips slow cooking in a crockpot all sol. Mom and dad had given me some frozen hushpuppies when I visited over our break and will be having them as well.”

  “That sounds good,” Tiffany said, smiling once again. “But what are hushpuppies?”

  I hope she’s not fishing for a meal, Mac thought. But Tiffany is pretty, and the companionship would be nice.

  “Are you serious?”

  “Yes,” she laughed.

  “A seriously good treat. Would you like to join me for supper and try some?” Mac asked.

  “Sure,” Tiffany answered, giving him another smile. “And I’ll actually get to see the inside of your ship! Everybody is curious.”

  “Really?” Is she flirting to get inside the ship?

  “Yep. You haven’t exactly been hospitable and hosted in gatherings or parties.”

  “Oh. Yeah,” Mac murmured. “I need to go put on the rice. Want to come in?”

  “Could I stay out here and play with Ariel for a while instead?”

  “Sure. I’ll be back in a few minutes.” Guess she’s not just flirting to get inside the Hawk.

  *

  “This is like a non-spicy curry,” Tiffany said after trying Mckenzie’s cooking. “It’s tasty though, especially the hushpuppies. I love the flavor mixed with the gravy.”

  “Told you,’ Mac replied. “This is good old fashioned country cooking. At least that’s what my folks always say.”

  “You’re a pretty good cook too,” Tiffany said, complimenting him.

  “Thanks, but it’s all in the ingredients.”

  “Humble too,” she said. Mac laughed. “You got all this from home?”

  “Everything but the rice. That I got here when I moved aboard.”

  “Makes sense. I’ll have to cook a curry for you sometime. They’re a lot spicier though.”

  “Sounds good to me.”

  “So, want to give me the rest of the tour after we finish eating?” Tiffany asked, batting her eyes at him.

  “You’ve seen everything except my cabin,” Mac answered.

  “Exactly,” Tiffany said, setting a hand on his leg.

  47

  Mac smiled as he caught sight of the Lady Hawk. He looked down at Ariel as they walked across the landing field towards the ship.

  “What do you think, girl? Are you as happy I am to be home?”

  Ariel yipped and ran ahead of him to the ship. Mac’s smile grew. It’s been one long summer and I’m glad it’s almost over. Jimmy Bonham was correct, that summer cruise sucked.

  Mckenzie reached the Lady Hawk and entered his code key. “Honey, I’m home!”

  Oh, it’s you, Mac read the AI’s reply. He laughed. Ariel ran around him in circles as the ramp lowered. A gust of stale air hit them. Ariel whined.

  “Come on Joseph!” Mac shouted. “I know you don’t need it, but you could have left the life support system on!”

  You really think I care about the cost? Mac thought as he read the AI’s response. He felt his temper flaring and wanted to hit the side of the ship.

  You were just trying to help, Mac read. I doubt that!

  “The cost didn’t matter nor did the energy usage. I can afford it and even if I couldn’t, it would have gone onto my academy debt!” he retorted. “Joe, I don’t care about your excuse. You did it on purpose as some sort of petty prank.”

  Oh, now I’m hurting your feelings, Mac read. He took a calming breath. “Joseph, turn on the life support and I order you to never turn it off again unless I instruct otherwise.”

  He’s pissed now and that’s fine with me. I’m pissed off too, Mac thought after reading the AI’s latest response. Ariel whined again. He bent down and rubbed her. “Thanks girl.”

  How did this even get by Joseph’s programming? He shouldn’t have been able to turn off the life support even with the Hawk on shore power, Mac thought. He sent a message to Chief Alexandra explaining his concerns.

  Mac tossed his duffel bag into the hold after taking out Ariel’s ball. “Come on, Ariel. Let’s play for a bit while the ship airs out.”

  *

  “Joseph is fine,” the Chief announced an hour later as she exited the Lady Hawk. “And his programming is operating normally.”

  “Really?” Mac asked in disbelief. “Then why did he…”

  “Yes. He used your last orders against you though.”

  “I just told him to look after the Hawk.”

  “No,” the Chief said gently. “You gave Joseph complete authority and even said he could put the ship in low power mode, which turns off life support. Check your implant logs.”

  “Alright,” Mckenzie replied. He checked his logs and sighed. “You’re right, of course.”

  The Chief shrugged and rubbed Ariel between her ears. “Joseph really doesn’t like the Lady Hawk, and he isn’t fond of you either… farm boy. But he is fond of you, little one.”

  Ariel yipped and rubbed her head into the Chief’s hand.

  “Yeah, Joseph doesn’t like me and seems to think that farm boy is a dig,” Mac said.

  “You don’t?”

  “No Chief, I don’t. I am a farm boy or at least was one,” he answered with a shrug. “Perhaps, I’ll even return to that life one sol.”

  “I doubt you do that,” she replied.

  “Yeah, me too,” Mac agreed with a grin on his face. “Chief, if I can’t work with and trust Joseph, is there a way to replace him?”

  “Of course, there is as long as you’re willing to spend the credits,” she answered. “That said, I’d advise resolving your issues and working together. That goes for you as well, Joseph. I know you’re listening, so listen to this, people will not trust an AI that has been rejected.”

  The Chief fell silent. She then said aloud,” No, that is not the case. There is a 99% chance that if Mckenzie replaces you, you will not get another ship. Instead, you will most likely be deleted and your core recycled. Oh, one other thing to consider my friend is that if you were installed on a more modern ship than a caravel, you would be much more locked down. Modern level 1 ship AI are barely more competent than an implant assistant.”

  “You said that last bit aloud for my benefit, didn’t you?” Mac asked.

  “Yes,” Chief Alexandra answered. She smiled. “Good luck you three. Oh, and Mckenzie, if you want to take the Lady Hawk out for a flight, you’re one of the first students back from your summer cruises.”

  “So, I’ll have plenty of options to choose from for my temporary captain?”

  “Indeed,” she replied before turning and walking away.

  “Thanks Chief!” Mckenzie called out. Ariel barked once and the Chief waved over her shoulder without looking back. He sat on the ramp and rubbed Ariel. Mac then checked the ship’s life support.

  Everything was almost back to normal. Instead of heading inside, he played fetch with Ariel and then tug of war with her for another hour letting himself calm down. He also ignored Joseph’s messages.

  Guess I’ve calmed down all I’m going to until after Joe and I talk, Mac told himself. “Alright Ariel. Let’s go in, get something to eat, and have a chat with Joseph.”

  *

  Mac got a bottle of water from the cooler and made a ham sandwich. He fed Ariel some ham as well. After eating, he cleaned up. I’ve put things off long enough.

  “Alright Joseph let’s talk. You can put your replies on the video screen,” Mac said, plopping on the couch. Ariel hopped up and laid down with her head on his leg. Mckenzie smiled and started rubbing her side. The droid rolled over so he could rub her stomach. He read Joseph’s first message. “You can save the apology since I don’t think you mean it.”

  Mac read another apology. He shook his head. I should just be straight with him.

  “Joseph let’s keep this simple. There’s two weeks before classes start back, and I’d love to spend a few sols with my folks and maybe take a simple courier job or do some mining,” Mac said. “But if I can’t trust you, I’ll replace you. And I’m tired of the snide comments and whining about the Hawk.”

  I know you were expecting to be placed in a modern ship, Mac thought as he read the AI’s response.

  “Believe me Joseph, if I had known I could have specified my ship type and made other choices before just buying an AI core, I would have,” Mckenzie replied. “Look Joseph, consider the fact that you’re in a rare ship and will get to analyze stars, planets, and whatever else we find if we end up exploring before others ever will.”

  Yeah, that’s an ego boost, Mac thought as he read the AI’s message. I’m glad he didn’t have access to the ship’s bank account, or I might have really been in for a surprise.

  “Yes, I intend to do some exploring,” Mac said. He read Joe’s message as Ariel jumped down and lay on the deck. “No, not too far past settled space to start with and maybe not until I can afford a jump drive.”

  Yeah, safety is important, Mac read. I really agree with that sentiment.

  “So, are you willing to give this a legitimate chance or should I start looking for another AI?” Mckenze asked. He smiled as he read the reply. “Alright. See if Aenor is available and if she is, let’s get clearance and shake off some of this Europa dust.”