Elseph looked over the report and frowned. The Sybil had shown up to rescue some random station in the middle of nowhere. As she reviewed the details, she noticed the presence of a ship she'd seen near the Sybil on multiple occasions, too many times to be a coincidence at this point. They were obviously working together, and it seemed that this ship had the ability to summon the Sybil when it needed aid. The Boss had said that the Sybil was a loner, but that might no longer be true.

The Ai sent a request to the Cerva Reditus, asking for any and all information regarding the Laughing Comet. The pirate network was extensive, but she knew the Boss would have connections beyond his pirates. She flagged it as urgent in her hunt for the Sybil. It didn't take long for the Boss to personally send her a follow-up data packet.

Looking into the Laughing Comet, it seemed the ship didn't have much history...under its current name. A little while back, the crew of an old merchant vessel showed up with the retrofitted ship to re-register it as a mercenary pirate hunting vessel. Apparently, it caused quite a stir, as civilians owning a destroyer was not a common thing, but they did have salvage rights because it was a known pirate vessel they'd apparently reclaimed after cashing in on the bounties for said pirates.

A little more digging revealed the Laughing Comet had been one of the ships in Elias's ambush before the captain had disappeared. Furthermore, the merchant vessel the crew hailed from had been one of the vessels claimed by Elias not long before, in the earliest appearance of the Sybil since its return. They'd been under the impression that Elias had died in the failed ambush, but what if he was working with the Sybil... That would explain many things, including her inability to track the Sybil using traditional methods available to her.

Elias was clever enough for a human, but it didn't explain why he'd be willing to pick a fight with the Boss's organization...Unless he'd figured out the truth. He had met the Boss personally not long before this. Perhaps something in his organic brain had put two and two together and actually come up with four for a change.

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

Elseph sat back and sighed. It was a bit of a stretch, but they needed to act fast on the very off chance it was true. That information in the wrong ear could galvanize the organic's military before the organization really got off the ground. She sent a report to the Boss detailing her findings and including her speculations. He probably wouldn't take them any more seriously than idle gossip, but it was better to have it on record just in case it proved accurate.

Pulling up a recording of the Laughing Comet, Elseph smiled as she started putting together a new plan to deal with the eternal thorn in her side, the Sybil.

*  

Carter watched from the bridge as the Laughing Comet departed. With the retrofit of the new vessel nearly complete, Alen was off to pick up the new crew, leaving the Sybil alone in the void once again. At least the ship itself wasn't quite as empty anymore. He looked over at the girl. "Hey, what's the kid up to? Think he'd be interested in a quick dinner?"

The girl looked thoughtful. "I can ask. Will you be cooking?"

Carter nodded. "Yeah, I figured it's been a few days. I might as well catch up with the kid."

The girl nodded. "So it'll be steak then."

Carter furrowed his brows. "Now, why do you assume that? There's a lot of different things I could cook!"

The expression the girl leveled his way clearly expressed her doubt. "Could? Yes. Will? Not likely!"

Not wanting to be pigeonholed, Carter thought fast. "Well, it just so happens I was thinking about making some burgers today! What do you have to say about that?"

The girl shrugged. "Oh, your sudden change of established behavior just after you got called on it has indeed shown me. I will no longer dare to presume that I am aware of your established habits. So shall I tell Miles that you'll be making hamburgers?"

Miles? Why was this the first time Carter had heard that name? Had he been completely oblivious to the kid's name all this time? Maybe his time "alone" on this ship was affecting him more than he realized. Was he becoming as crazy as the Sybils?

Realizing the girl was waiting for an answer, Carter snapped back to the here and now. "Uh...no. Tell him it'll be steak."

The girl's smile was quite self-satisfied as she made a mark on a clipboard she'd materialized out of thin air. "Steak it is."