Chapter 10: First Recruits or Re-Crew-Ation

The chips arrived by special delivery. The courier, a lithe long legged young lady, wearing very short short-shorts with massive camel-toes making a positive impact on the contour hugging impressionable fabric, boldly flirts with me.

She intrigues me, this pony-tailed, Rollerblade shod, gregarious young entrepreneur. Self employed, she’s working her way through college doing odd jobs. When I ask what her available hours are and her rates, she offers me her card. It definitely pays to advertise.

“ALL THE WAY FAYE” 24 hour Home Delivery Service, is the card’s legend, and includes her mobile phone number.

“What are your scheduled class hours, Faye? I wouldn’t care to interrupt your education.”

“Very flexible hours, Captain Hest. I’m enrolled as an online student. It allows replaying missed or interrupted lectures at my leisure.”

“Do you have anything else on your schedule today?”

“Nothing would inhibit me from servicing you, Captain, for the remainder of this afternoon and evening too, if you desire.”

Oh, indeed I desire! It’s sticking out all over. Faye is such a distraction, I haven’t even opened the package she brought me yet.

“Would you like champagne, Faye? Help me celebrate? My house-mate doesn’t own any stemware. My apologies. I can offer you a repurposed jelly jar to drink from? Drink straight from the bottle? Sure, be my guest.”

While Faye is removing the wiring and uncorking a fresh soldier, I rip off the brown paper concealing my packages contents. Four external drive cases with computer connection port cords are banded together inside, presumably housing the AI’s chips. What’s this?

On top, slipped beneath the banding on the drive casings, is a credit card. Almost no one uses cards any more. The digits of your account manually or voice entered, is sufficient for all transactions. Apparently this archaic card is a anachronistic trick representing the enormous cash award promised me in the settlement.

The glowing figures, or on this particular card a figure ∞, on the constantly updated balance readout, is the sideways eight Greek symbol for infinite. A sticky tape covering the card ID number reads “Use to actuate”.

“Hey, Faye! Look at this.”

Faye, after only a glance, glues her mouth to mine, and forces a mouthful of champaign through my clenched teeth.

“You looked thirsty.” Faye excuses her aggressive behavior.

“Did I say I was available for this afternoon and evening? Amended to forever, you sweet man!”

I just may take her up and hold Faye to her offer. Recruiting a crew for a longish one way trip is an urgent priority. Faye is definitely eye candy and I could enjoy looking at her for a few hundred years, if she doesn’t age. Urban myth claims starship crews don’t age during those near light speed voyages.

Something about time being elongated or compressed, hell, I don’t recall or know what the the explanation is, just time doesn’t affect the voyagers. Attractive, you bet! Both the voyage and Faye.

“You aren’t the jealous sort of girlfriend are you, Faye?”

“If you mean you already have multiple girlfriends and want little me for your girlfriend too, would I want exclusivity and a monogamous relationship? I’m not a troublemaker. More the merrier I say, as long as there’s enough to go around. According to the balance on that card in your hand, you could afford to fund a whole colony of girlfriends with none feeling the slightest deprivation. Are you inviting me? Don’t feel shy. Let me heartily assure you of my acceptance in advance.”

Faye couldn’t be more passionate or affectionate or demonstrative if she were totally enamored of me. Enamored forever with the ∞ part of me I believe, and I’m convinced it’s true love.