In the Shadow of the Starships

Chapter 6 A New Deal

I meandered over to my computer desk, actually feeling halfway excited for the day ahead. There had been caffa ready before I got up and a promise of a real meal later that wouldn't negatively impact my savings account. This was probably one of the best mornings I'd had in years.

"Just wait until you open your inbox!"

Usually I never touched my computer until I'd finished my first cup of caffa, but curiosity had me reaching for the mouse. A dozen job completion emails had been forwarded to me, including another one from an official-looking Enforcement email.

Even as I opened it, Toby said, "The data and videos from the casino were enough! The Enforcement Tips agency even doubled the reward because of how they tossed you out! Although they did insist that we simply submit vague tips and let them take the risks in the future. They said they'd flag the user ID as trustworthy."

"That'll come in handy. Wait, are you submitting everything under the same username?"

"Nope! I have six! One I made last night just to track petty criminals and shoplifters."

I sighed in relief and took another sip of caffa. At least he had taken the appropriate precautions. I skimmed through the other jobs. One was coding and done under my profile. Two murderers, a rapist, several car thieves, although the rest were all fairly minor.

The rewards added up to more than I usually made in a week. I closed my eyes, wondering if I dared to hope once again.

"I even found you a few cute cat memes!" Toby exclaimed, apparently unable to hear my quiet thoughts without at least two cups of caffa.

A folder opened on the computer to reveal over a thousand images sitting innocently inside.

"What's your definition of a few?" I murmured, taking another sip of caffa as he started displaying them, proof that Toby had once again missed the train called moderation.

"In this case, by percentage! I skimmed through half a million or so."

Of course. Just half a million or so.

Another thought occurred to me, and I went to my website, which proclaimed my coding skills, showed some examples, and listed my rather low rates for tech help. It was mostly a place for people to check if I sent an offer in response to their job posting and they wanted to see more details about me.

At the top, a new silver tab proclaimed "Inspirational Artwork". I clicked it and discovered hundreds of digital art pieces for sale. From leaves dancing through the sky for just a couple of astrogold to complex and detailed abstract paintings that cost a small fortune. There was something mesmerizing about those paintings, almost like timelapse images of water drops mid-splash, but deeper.

"Did you make those?" I asked, trying to figure out what they were supposed to be.

"Yep! They're neuro signals translated into color! No, they're not yours. I didn't think you'd like that. I found files of neuro readings online."

"Huh. Interesting." I yawned and took another swig of caffa as I tried to wake up. "Any news on those two from the deviant group? What were their names? Pete and Alabaster?"

"Pete and Alavaster. And no, not a trace of them on this planet."

"Did you tell the other Starship AIs about them?"

"Er, I'd rather not disturb them. They don't know about me, and well, they're...different." I could almost feel him squirm as he replied.

I recognized the feeling. He didn't want to talk about it. It wasn't like I was the only one who was allowed to have boundaries and things I didn't want to discuss, so I let the subject drop. It also made me realize that I didn't know much about this unusual AI.

Two cups of caffa later, I felt more like a human being than roadkill. I brushed my short hair into a semblance of order.

"What are our plans for today?" It felt so strange to ask someone else instead of creating my own desperate schedule, mostly revolving around skimming online jobs and putting in offers, but Toby was doing most of the digital ferreting around. If there was any physical legwork required, that was where I seemed to come in, and I had plenty of incentive.

"What do you want to do?" he asked excitedly. "I've got scripts and a few bots running, but all the things I'm tracking are off-planet since I figured you needed a few days to rest before helping me hack into networks."

A day off? Like a vacation day? I'd never had one of those unless I was too sick to get out of bed, but I knew exactly how to fill it.

I went directly to my rather empty closet and pulled out a swimsuit. "Let's head to the pool for a few hours, grab some groceries, then come back, and watch a couple of movies."

"I like that idea! Can I pick a movie?"

"Only if it doesn't have any romance or stupid drama." There was no way I was going to sit and watch people kiss for minutes on end and whisper their love to each other. Those kinds of happily ever-afters weren't something I'd ever see, and they just stabbed into my heart like a knife as they reminded me of that fact. And if I wanted drama, all I had to do was go on social media for some brain rot.

After a notable silence, Toby replied, "These filmmakers clearly do not understand the needs of some of the population. What do people watch if they recently had a breakup and don't want romance?"

"Horror, murder mystery, some comedy." Documentaries too, but I didn't feel like a documentary today. This was my first day off, and I wanted to just relax and enjoy it.

"I think finding good cat memes was easier," he muttered as his voice faded out, possibly dedicating more of his processing powers into locating an acceptable movie instead of maintaining the conversation.

I actually laughed at his reply. Laughed. Me. Such a sound was a rarity between these walls. Smiling, I grabbed a towel and packed my bag for a trip to the pool.