Chapter 11: The Homecoming

"Well, that should be the last connection. Bill, initiate the startup please," said Sasha.

Bill nodded and touched the panel on the newly installed AI for the Dragnot. "He's up and running at full power again Sasha," Bill affirmed.

"AI respond," Sasha ordered. Nothing happened, although the upgraded Blain was surely working properly.

"AI please respond," Bill tried, hoping the AI needed a live voice command from a living organism. Still nothing.

The huge AI took up almost the entire 40-foot by 40-foot protective vault room they were in. They had been extremely careful assembling all the new storage processors and data downloads from the Jonathon Stone, so none of them could decide what was wrong with the AI.

"How's it going my love?" asked Benny as he entered the Vault room.

"I don't understand sweetie. I can't think of anything that we have done wrong, but we can't get Blain to respond to us," Sasha replied, sighing.

"Do you mind if I take a look? Maybe a fresh set of eyes can spot something that a beautiful but tired set like yours missed," Benny said, taking his wife's hand gently. He hated to butt in after she, Bill, and Razor had done all the hard work. He knew from experience that sometimes the answer was there, but the people fixated on the work were too close to see it.

Razor laughed. "Hell Benny, I'm just a laborer on this project. It's way over my head and I know it, so knock yourself out."...

Bill nodded too. "Fine by me. In fact, I'll even give you a kiss on the lips if you can get the damn thing working again pard," he said grinning.

Benny smiled at the tired man, "Well, you don't mind if I get that kiss from your boss here do ya?" he said, pulling Sasha to him and gently kissing her cute lips.

Sasha giggled and slapped Benny's arm. "You haven't earned that kiss yet bucko. Now what do you think we did wrong here?" she asked, smiling.

"Can I see you schematics sweets?" he asked his lovely little wife.

Taking the digital clipboard from her, Benny went over everything they had done on the new and improved massive AI. As far as he could determine, all the connections were perfect, so he checked all the new data downloads that had been transferred into the Dragnot's AI. Everything looked correct, so it should be up and running perfectly. Now he was stumped too.

Benny went back through the initiation startup program and finally found the problem. "Well I'll be damned, I forgot about that little bit there," he said, smiling at the three tired workers. "I know what the problem is my boys and my hot little mama," he grinned at the perplexed little group.

"Well what is it? Did we miss a connection somewhere?" asked Bill.

"Nope," Benny said, still smiling.

"Then the data transfer wasn't complete, right?" asked Razor.

"Nope, that part's correct too," Benny said trying not to laugh.

Sasha had had enough of her husband's little torture of the three of them. "Boy if you don't want to be sleeping alone for the next thousand years, you better come clean like right now!" she said, poking a little fist at her husband's smiling face.

Benny smiled, leaning over to whisper in his wife's ear, explaining just what was wrong with the AI. And then, much to the other two workers surprise, she too started laughing hysterically, slapping Benny's shoulder fairly hard.

"Only you would think up something like that for a startup command, you goofy redneck," she said, giggling.

Gaining control of herself, Sasha again faced the massive AI and said with a grin, "Rise and shine Billy Bob Blain, the rooster's done hollered, the biscuits are done, and you're still in bed you old bucket of bolts."

The light panels seemed to grow brighter as a humming sound increased till it hurt Bill and Razor's ears. Then the humming stopped completely.

"Well glory be! That was one hell of a nap I took," said the massive AI.

"Give me a second ta git my old noggin wrapped around all these new fangled contraptions y'all done put in me, ole' buddies," Billy Bob said, as he went through all the new data and storage areas.

"Damn, little lady, you shore done rigged me up fine. I'm mighty grateful for all the new fixings you put up in here," Billy Bob said to Sasha.

Sasha actually managed a slight blush in her little silver face. She had noticed the human's color change when they were either intensely happy or a little embarrassed and added it to her processors to show her excitement. She had even managed to get Benny to let her add it to his programming also.

"You are truly welcome. How do you feel now Billy Bob?" she asked the ultimate question of any AI. Unlike herself and Benny, Billy Bob had been just a large computer AI before she and her husband had spent hours on his programming. They had hoped that the new programming along with the passing along of Tex's persona would bring out another truly self-aware personality like they had experienced themselves.

There were a few seconds of silence as Sasha and Benny held their breath. Billy Bob's answer would determine if they had succeeded in bringing life to the Dragnot's AI.

"How do I feel? Hummm. Hell, I feel fine as frogs hair little lady, and if I had lips I'd give you a little kiss too," Billy Bob finally answered.

Everyone laughed with both relief, and pure joy. Billy Bob was alive!

"Sorry bout that pard but this little lady is taken already," Benny said, hugging his wife's tiny waist.

"Don't worry Billy Bob. There's a hell of a lot of ships data in you. I'll bet you can find you a sweet little female AI to keep ya busy," Bill said, grinning.

Well hell, that's ok, no hurry till I git me a body like Benny and Sasha anyway. I've been studying up on some old cowboys from the database," Billy Bob replied back, as he initiated a hologram in front of the four people.

There stood a human male about 6 foot 6 inches, his face was rugged and weathered, with crows feet around his light blue eyes. He wore a huge tan cowboy hat that it had seen better days. An old leather vest covered a faded red shirt. The shirt was tucked inside a pair of tan denim jeans.

"Welllll pilgrim, how do ya like my new look?" He asked. Scuffing his holographic boots on the floor, as he hitched up his gun belt holding the matched pearl-handled Colt 45's.

"Uhhh, well, you look good there pard, but for now can we get on with a full systems check on your ship?" Benny asked, staring up at the tall hologram.

"Now why didn't we think of that? We'd be as tall as the rest of the humans at least," he thought to Sasha.

"Hush sweetie, I like how I am, and I really love the way you fit so close to me in our little bed too," Sasha said, smiling at him.

"Well OK, but let's still think about it, maybe we can upgrade ourselves like Commander Stone does. The ability to change our mass would come in handy if an emergency arose. We could simply change to fit the circumstance, then change back to how we are now," he argued softly, knowing it was going to take a lot of persuasion to get Sasha to finally give in.

"Let's focus on priorities first dear and we'll see about the upgrade later, OK?" she said as she left to report to Buck.

Benny spent a lot of time with Billy Bob getting him up to speed on the newest upgrades to the ship. He decided that his Captain and crew aboard the Jonathon Stone had waited long enough to get home, so he would act as helmsman until he could get someone retrained for the position.

Even with all the cutting up the two AI's were making progress and moving forward while Benny and Billy Bob became fast friends.

The day finally came when Benny would maneuver the Dragnot out of the grave she had been in for so long. "You ready there, buckaroo?" he asked Fadish.

Fadish felt very queasy as he sat in the Captain's chair on the Bridge, but managed to hide it well. "Ready when you are, Commander Benny. Take us up at your convenience, and good luck."

"Billy Bob, do you have green lights on all stations?" Benny asked his new friend.

Billy Bob popped in next to Benny's station and nodded tipping his big ten-gallon hat. "That's a big ten four little buddy. All systems are go to get the hell out of this damn ditch," he said, smiling down at the nervous little AI.

"Starting main thrusters then," Benny said as his little hands flew across the panels.

The massive ship shuddered as it lifted off the ground and headed up through the opening the drones had made to the surface.

Benny kept watching the screens showing both port and starboard of the ship. It's gonna be a little tight Father, but we're heading out now, he thought to the Dragnot's Captain, who was waiting at the surface.

There is no one I trust more with my ship and crew than you my friend, Father's thought came back to the worried little silver man. It settled Benny's nerves down as his fingers kept adjusting the various thrusters.

With barely over two feet on either side, the huge ship slipped out and into the fresh air and sunlight for the first time in a very, very long time.

"We are clear Commander Fadish. Initiating landing pylons," Benny sighed with relief.

Commander Fadish realized his massive hands had crushed the ends of the armrest of the chair. Better get those replaced before Captain Father comes on board, he thought, smiling as he let out the breath he'd been holding the entire time.

"Well done Commander Benny, very well done," he smiled at the little man who had just given life back to his people.

Benny smiled, saying with a wink, "No worries buckaroo, just another day on the ranch for this old hand."

After a quick check by Benny and Billy Bob, the Dragnot lifted off again on it's way to the Sanctuary. I hope they are willing to help us in this great mission, Benny thought to himself, then laughed at his doubts. Hell, they're Buck's people. Of course they'll help.

An hour into the flight, Buck's voice came over the intercom on the Bridge of the Dragnot. "Commander Fadish, are you ready for us in the landing bay?"

Fadish pushed the mangled button on the armrest hoping it still worked. "That's affirmative Captain Buck. The bay has been notified and cleared for your approach. See you soon, Captain," Fadish replied.

Bill watched as the massive rear bay doors slid open and moved back into the sides of the ship. "Dragnot, this is FFP Jonathon Stone on final approach, copy?" he said into his HUD mic.

"Welcome Jonathon Stone, to the Dragnot. Please release thruster control at this time to us," came a familiar female voice that Bill knew well.

"Ok Celesta, you now have control. Please bring us in safe since my boss is watching and so is yours." he said, grinning.

"No problem there, Billy boy. You're safe in mama Celesta's hands now," came the reply as the ship gracefully slid between the doors and gently sat down on the deck.

"Thank you Dragnot. Please inform the Bridge we are on our way," Buck replied.

The rest of the Bridge crew looked at Buck hopefully. "Well come on then, if you want to watch the look on some very surprised people's faces," Buck said, smiling.

Tex, Bear, Jet, Razor, Bill, Shera and Sasha all grinned as they followed Buck and Father through the massive ship to the transport tube.

"I'll bet ole Benny was sweating bullets getting this big hunk of metal out of that little hole," Tex said to Sasha as they entered the tube.

"Oh, not my honey. He has ice in his lubrication tubes," answered the proud little wife.

The small group made their way to the huge Bridge deck with Father leading them. " Captains on board!" someone shouted as they entered.

Fadish stood up, stepping out of the Captain's chair and welcomed his Captain home. "Sir, the Dragnot is yours, and I hope I don't ever have to do that again," he said, shaking his Captain's hand.