Carter was taking stock of his ship and its capabilities. However, he was still having a hard time thinking of the ship as his own in any way. He might be captain and even have a significant say in what it gets up to, but the sheer age and weight of the ship seemed so far outside of what any human could truly command that he felt like a very small man with a giant bear on a leash. Sure, it might do what he says most of the time, but if it decided it didn't want to listen, or worse, that it was better off without him, there wasn't much he could do to control it.

Still, it was probably a good idea to see what it could do if he was going to be leading it into battle. Not to mention, he never knew what bit of information might just save his life one day. So, it was as he was doing an inventory of weapons systems that he was interrupted by the girl. "Sir, you might want to disconnect from the ship. You've got company. "

That confused Carter. "Company? Who the hell is at the bridge? And how the hell did they get here?"

The girl adjusted her glasses with a mild look of annoyance. "It's Alen, Erik, and Vanessa. You apparently told Alen that he was supposed to act as the representative for his people, and he's here to represent them by speaking with you. If you didn't want him to visit, maybe you should have given him some way to communicate with you first."

Carter had to think back a moment. "Oh yeah, I guess I did say something like that, didn't I? I totally forgot about that... Alright, I suppose the least I could do is hear what he has to say."

With a quick mental adjustment, Carter disconnected from the ship. By now, he expected the mild feeling of vertigo that came with returning his consciousness to his body, but that didn't make it any easier to process, forcing him to briefly grip the chair. Thankfully, he was fully in control of his senses by the time the door opened, and Carter stood to meet his guests.

As they walked onto the bridge, they all took a moment to look around, giving Carter a chance to give them a brief once-over. The kid, Alen, looked mildly shell-shocked. The Sybils probably had gone and had a little fun at his expense then. Though it couldn't be too bad judging from Erik's characteristic grin. As expected, the weaver was utterly unreadable, though if Carter had to take a guess, he'd say she seemed mildly bored.

Carter nodded to his guests. "Quite the trip up to the bridge. I'm kinda surprised you made it all in one piece. What can I do for ya?"

As the kid seemed distracted, the weaver, Vanessa, Carter reminded himself, answered, "Erik and I are mainly just escorts. Alen wished to have a word with you."

That drew Alen's attention back to Carter, though the kid's eyes still seemed mildly unfocused. "You're all alone on the bridge? Shouldn't you have more...crew members around?"

Carter chuckled while trying to think of a way to explain things without seeming too vulnerable. "Oh, I'm not as alone as it might seem. In fact, judging by your expression, you met a couple of members of the crew. Did they do that thing where they open an airlock outside and start to suck you out of the ship, only to shut the door at the last moment so you slam into it?"

The kid blinked a few times, then shook his head. "Uh, no. They just kind of ran us around in circles for a while and made the hallway kinda creepy looking here and there."

Carter laughed. "Sybil must like you then! That's a better treatment than I got my first day aboard. Hell, I had to threaten to piss all over their wall just to get them to unlock the bathroom for me!"

Alen looked like he was struggling to process that information. "So, what, this really is a ghost ship? It's run entirely by AI?"

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Carter shook his head. "Not exactly, and despite what you might think, don't let them hear you calling them AI. They're something different and far older. It's not entirely wrong to think of them as ghosts."

Vanessa seemed interested in that. "The apparitions are not AI? How old are they, exactly? How did they come into existence?"

Carter held up a hand to stop her there. "Woh now, that's not my story to tell. If you want to know more about them, maybe speak to them a bit. Though I have to warn you, there's a certain amount of risk in getting to know them. They're not always the most...stable people in the galaxy."

Suddenly, one of the consoles started blaring a warning. Carter walked over to it and sighed. "Alright, maybe that wasn't the best way to put it. I'm sorry. Now, can you please stop the process of spacing my pod? I've still got some personal effects there I'd rather not lose."

Suddenly, the alarms shut off, and Carter turned back to his guests with a sheepish smile. "Case in point. Try to stay on their good side, or you might find yourself in more trouble than you're ready for."

Then, turning to Alen, Carter addressed the kid directly. "But you probably came up here for a reason. What can I do for you?"

That finally seemed to snap the kid out of whatever haze he was in, and Alen nodded before speaking. "Uh, right. I just wanted to talk to you about how we would go about raiding pirate ships. You mentioned just giving us a ship and letting us fly back to controlled space, which is certainly generous, but chances are a number of us will die taking that ship. However, if you're willing to properly gear us up, we should be able to take the ship with few, if any, casualties. It'll also benefit you in that you'll need to expend considerably fewer resources taking a ship you won't be able to cannibalize afterward."

That argument certainly made sense, but it also begged some questions. Carter looked at the kid appraisingly. "And just what kind of gear are we talking about here?"

The kid seemed to hesitate, meaning it was probably not some minor request. "Well, guns, of course, but also, if possible, some battle suits would make a huge difference."

Carter laughed. "Well, kid, you sure know how to shoot for the stars! That's not exactly a small ask, is it?"

Alen shook his head. "No, but think of all the ammunition you'd have to expend and the damage you'd have to repair. By sending us in properly geared, you could save a lot of resources and some lives in the process."

Carter thought about it a moment, then called out. "Hey, Sybil. What do we have to spare that we could give these guys?"

The girl appeared next to Carter with a clipboard in her digital hands. "Well, we don't have any battle suits or guns that they could wield, but it wouldn't be impossible to fabricate some. However, it would take considerable resources to do it. I'm not sure we have any to spare."

Alen cut in. "What if we gave you all our escape pods to use for material? You could even keep any extra."

The girl paused for a moment. "Yes... I suppose that is viable. However, as you have not brought this idea up with any of your crew, you may want to speak with them before committing their assets to such a plan."

Carter had to keep from chuckling. That was more than just a helpful piece of advice. It was also a warning that Sybil was listening and would know if they planned to cause any trouble. The girl might not be as flashy about it as the vixen, but she could be every bit as diabolical and dangerous in her own way.

Judging by his expression, the kid seemed to get the message. Both of them. "Uh, yes, of course."

Carter nodded. "Sounds good! Oh, and Sybil, if we could get some two-way communication going, that'll save them a trip up here again."

The girl nodded. "Very well. That should be easy enough to set up."

Carter knew very well that if she was already spying on them, it meant the system was already set up, and it would be simple enough to grant them limited access to contact Carter whenever it was needed. However, sometimes it paid to pretend. Instead, he turned to Alen and nodded. "Is there Anything else we can do for you at the moment?"

Alen shook his head. "No, that was everything I wanted to discuss."

Cater nodded. "Alright, then, I guess you're dismissed. Hopefully, your trip back is less...eventful."

The kid nodded. "Yes...uh...thank you!"

With that, the three of them turned and left the bridge. Just as the door was closing, Carter caught sight of Erik slapping the kid's back. "Ya did good, kid!"

After the door closed, Carter turned to the girl. "And you made them wander up here to look for me rather than just telling me they wanted to speak to me because..?"

The girl smiled innocently. "Well, I wanted to get to know our guests better. This group in particular seems...interesting."

Carter didn't know if Sybil's interest boded well for those three. He was just glad he wasn't the prime target for her amusement, for now.