Chapter 4

Captains Log,

I received a summons from the Admiral a little bit ago. I was taken aback that it came over the ship’s systems rather than in my head. It seems Bonnie and I were officially summoned to appear in the Admiral’s office as soon as we were docked. I decided to use standard priority docking. It would give us a few more cycles before this meeting. For some reason, I don’t think the Admiral wants us for an after-action review. It has more to do with Bonnie. I am happier with this new development.

We stood before the Admiral, ‘awaiting his pleasure.’ He was unhappy that so many pirates were operating in his sector. Lakey Station had never seen so many raiders in one place before. Then, to find that The Raven was also among them ... well, this was not a good sign.

The Admiral’s worry was plain as could be. His face showed his concern with deep worry lines. He announced it was time for the battle review. It was rare for this to happen. At least not in the presence of the Warrant Officer involved.

The flight deck recorder and ship’s camera records were displayed on the monitors before us. The Admiral reviewed the battle from start to finish. He commended me on using the missile system’s tracking lock to target the raiders before losing my laser cannons at each ship.

It was an excellent trick to guarantee more accurate hits with the lasers. I had learned it quite by accident, early in my trading days. It was not a commonly known method but effective for extreme long-range laser fire. It also reduced the heat buildup. Less heat also allowed for better ship performance.

We continued through the raider’s attack. The admiral’s running commentary on my actions somehow reassured him that I was Warrant Officer material. After the data displays were complete, the Admiral shocked me by shaking my hand and telling me that my work was first-rate.

The Admiral then thought at me with his cerebral communication implant: ‘OK, hot shot, you set a new record on your test flight, but why did you have to risk my granddaughter’s life doing it?’

‘Grandpa!’ Bonnie thought, ‘He didn’t know they would be there. Besides, I am registered as the first officer of ‘My Love.’”

The Admiral scoffed at this, “So, that’s how it is. Your hormones got in the way of your judgment.”

She replied verbally, “No, Grandpa.”

‘I want this, and you know it,’ she transmitted via her implant.

Yes, the Admiral did know it. She had gone out with him on many trips. She loved the stars and longed to be out among them. He should be mad at this new officer. However, he was mostly sure that his granddaughter was really to blame.

He resigned himself to the inevitable. His granddaughter would be going out without him there to protect her. At least this new officer was competent. Eight Raiders and The Raven was an excellent way to start your commission. Maybe his granddaughter would be safe after all.

The Admiral sighed and said, ‘Very well, have it your way. But know this, Warrant Officer: If one hair on her head is damaged, I will be on you like a thermo-nuclear hunter. Do I make myself clear?’

I thought back, ‘Perfectly, Sir.’

‘You had better. Thanks to you, I have learned that there is a black market bounty on her head of one million galactic credits. Can you imagine a million for a first officer? It’s unheard of. She may be good, but she is too young to have worked up a bounty of that size.’

Then, he shifted his thoughts to Bonnie.

‘And you, Granddaughter,’ his tone softening, ‘need to be more careful. I don’t want to have to tell your mother bad news.’

She responded, ‘Yes, Grandpa. I will be more than safe with him.’

The admiral needed to be more sure. But then he realized that the Warrant Officer was not safe. He relaxed his stance and smiled.

He finally thought, ‘Dismissed.’

We fled his office quickly. I was still in shock. Did I ever realize that she was his granddaughter? No, I decided. The subject had yet to come up. Please wait a minute. Yes, it had. The Admiral had said to take good care of his granddaughter, but it hadn’t registered. She had been a Med Tech, and I had fallen for her. I had even given in to her hopes to be a crewmember on my ship when my original plan had been to add the personality crystal to the AI system. Well, I had better get that crystal after all. Then, as if she could tell what I was thinking, she took my hand and led me to the refitting shop. We needed more torpedoes for the missile system.

Once reloading was done, we went to another shop, the TransGalactic AI computer dealership.

She thought, ‘Do you want me to pick the AI crystal for you?”

I was shocked. I didn’t expect that from her. Most women would have insisted that the crystal be removed from the ship.

I gulped in hesitation as she suggested the Jenny Mark 4000. It was a renowned and famous porn star’s personality. Its label was slightly different than others I had seen before. It was labeled with a “BI” mode enhancement.

I thought, ‘What does ‘BI’ mean?”