Carter looked at the girl in surprise while her two other selves looked on in varying degrees of interest. "I didn't think you'd seriously consider the kid's offer!"

The girl smiled faintly and shook her head. "We've lived a long time, longer than you can perhaps comprehend, and the one binding rule throughout all that time has been, adapt or die. It would seem our time as a lone predator hunting for prey through the quiet void has passed, and perhaps a pack is what we now need. To that end, this 'kid' has already proven himself intelligent, capable, and loyal. He might just make a fine second in command to the captain of the Sybil."

That made Carter stop and question what he'd just heard. "Second in command? But I thought the whole idea was for him to have his own ship..."

John laughed. "You haven't been paying attention, laddie! Adapt or die! If these pirates are forming armadas, it's only natural that those they prey on will do the same! And I think you'll find that after this day, the Sybil will have a new reputation spreading amongst the stars as one of the few forces in this galaxy that can fight back!"

Carter's expression was incredulous. "So what? We're suddenly going to become a beacon of justice, fighting the good fight to save the small and helpless of the galaxy?"

The girl shook her head. "No, but the enemy of my enemy is my friend...at least until my enemy had been dealt with. The pirates have proven to be particularly interested in us, committing significant resources to hunt us down and ambush us. Perhaps it's time we stopped reacting and took the fight to them. Having allies in that fight could very well mean the difference between success and extinction."

Looking back and forth between the two, Carter realized the vixen had been uncharacteristically quiet on the subject. "What about you? I figured you'd have some thoughts on the matter."

The vixen looked up as if startled by her sudden inclusion in the conversation. "Um, yeah, sure. Do whatever you think is best..."

Carter had been expecting at least some witty barbs or maybe an expression of annoyance. To see the typically formidable vixen so passive was disconcerting. "Are you..?"

Before Carter could finish the thought, John interrupted him. "You might want to leave that one alone for now, lad. Worry not. She'll be stomping around like she owns the place before long! Just...give her time."

Carter didn't know what to make of that but decided to take the pirate's word for it and let it go. Instead, he shrugged. "Alright. So long as we're all in agreement, I'll go let the kid...er, Captain Alen know." The title felt odd to say, but no more than his own had felt at first.

-

Captain Luise walked through the empty halls of the Cerva Reditus with trepidation. Was this going to be her final moments? The hollow sound of her footfalls echoing around the empty halls seemed to echo the thudding of her heart in her chest.

Thankfully, as empty as the halls were, it wasn't too long a walk to the meeting room. When she opened the door to the showroom, Luise was met by rows of priceless antiquities, at the end of which sat the Boss's assistant, Miss Fortuna. The woman looked up and nodded. "Ah, Captain Luise. He's waiting for you. Please enter."

Luise nodded back. "Uh, thank you."

Walking into the actual meeting room, it was just as Luise had heard. A large empty room designed to look like you were outside the ship, walking through the void itself. It was a little disorienting, and took her a moment to begin moving toward the desk at the far end, at which waited the Boss.

As Luise walked up, the Boss stood and greeted her. "Ah, Captain Luise. Please have a seat. Welcome to my ship. I hope your flight over was smooth?"

Unsure of why he was talking about unimportant questions but too scared not to answer, Luise nodded as she sat in a large, surprisingly luxurious chair. "Ummm, yes, sir. It was very, uh, smooth."

The Boss, now seated opposite her across the table in a smaller, more tasteful chair, nodded. "Excellent! I think it's most important to get the small things right. Don't you? After all, if enough small things go awry, it's only a matter of time before you're completely in over your head, and everything falls apart."

Luise was more lost than ever. None of this made any sense to her, nor did she know why he was rambling about such things. However, she wasn't about to argue with him. "Uh, yeah. I've never thought of it like that, but I guess you're right..."

The Boss nodded. "Exactly so. Now, in your own words, tell me what happened out there."

Luise had planned out what she'd say, playing it over in her mind a thousand times, but still, her words stumbled and tripped over themselves as she rushed to explain. "I don't really know, but I'll tell you everything I know! Every member of my crew was ready for a rough fight, but before we could really get stuck in, our shipboard AI, Lisa, activated an emergency protocol and took the whole ship out of there! Afterward, she said she'd met the Sybil or something. I think she meant she met the ship's AI? But that doesn't make sense. From what you sent me, that ship was around long before any AI existed. Though, I guess it could have been added later... But anyway, the Sybil apparently scared her something fierce, and she decided to hightail it out of there!"

The Boss nodded. "Yes, that about matches up with the reports I've received. I suppose that's on me then."

Luise felt relief that he didn't seem angrier about this but thought she ought to protest the Boss saying it was his fault if only to stay in his good graces. "Oh, no, sir! It's not your fault! No one could have predicted something like this happening!"

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

But the Boss, looking a little weary now, only nodded. "I'm afraid it is. After all, I'm the one who paired up a young and inexperienced captain with a young and inexperienced AI. But it's not really that big a deal, right? After all, no one had any idea how formidable the Sybil would be. Not even myself! I'd thought I'd put together a strike force that could handle the ship several times over. It was a small mistake, really."

Luise nodded. "Yeah! No one could blame you, sir!"

However, the fact he'd used the word small at the end stuck in Luise's mind. It reminded her of what he'd been saying about small things a bit ago. Evidently, that had been intentional, as he sat back in his chair and continued. "The small things'll get you in the end..."

Then, the Boss seemed to straighten in his chair as he sat up. "Well, nothing to do about it now other than to learn from our mistakes, right? How would you like a chance at redemption? It would, in a way, redeem us both."

Luise sat forward now, eager to show her support. Maybe this wasn't the end for her after all! "Yes, sir! Just tell me what you need me to do, and I'll get right on it!"

The Boss nodded, smiling kindly as if things were looking up. "Well then, I think the first step is to pair you up with a more experienced AI. One who's been around and fought his share of battles. How does that sound?"

Luise nodded eagerly. She had no idea how the Boss had gotten his hands on so many AI, but that didn't matter. She was just happy he was giving her a new task rather than sentencing her to death. "Of course! If you feel they'd be an asset aboard my ship, I'd be happy to have them!"

The Boss nodded. "Good...good. I think you'll like her. At least, I hope so. The two of you will be working together quite closely." He then turned slightly as if addressing someone else. "Elseph, kindly introduce yourself."

A new AI popped into the air over the Bosses Desk. She looked stern, almost cold, and gave Luise a once over as if inspecting a side of beef before turning to the Boss. "Is this the human you want me to 'work with?' She barely looks like she's out of her diapers. What makes you think she can effectively run a warship?"

The Boss chuckled as if he'd been expecting that and shook his head. "Now, now. Be more kind to our guest and your new partner, Captain Luise. She volunteered to redeem herself, after all. I think she'll make a fine partner for someone like yourself. She'll help take the edge off when you're interacting with the crew."

Elseph looked back at Luise speculatively, as if assessing the Bosses words. "Very well, if you think it's for the best."

The Boss nodded. "I do." Then, he turned back to Luise. "Now, sit up straight so you can introduce yourself properly."

Luise did as instructed. "I'm Captain Luise of the..." Her words were cut off when out of the seat launched metallic cuffs, binding her hands, legs, and even her neck to the chair. "What's going on?!?"

The Boss inclined his head. "You're about to redeem yourself. Now, prepare yourself. You might feel a bit of a pinch."

Those words were followed by Luise's scream of agony, and then everything went black.

-

Carter was running through the halls of the Sybil, chased by the shades of its past victims. He had no idea how he knew who they were. After all, they were all formless shadowy things calling out to him as their shadowy limbs reached out to him. He could just feel their fingers graze his arms and legs as they tried to grab hold, though whether they were trying to hold him down or pull themselves out of whatever hell they were caught in, he had no idea. Nor was he about to stop and ask.

Carter didn't know how long he'd been running or how long he could last. It was only a matter of time... As soon as that thread of doubt crept into his mind, the shadowy hands grabbed hold, locking him in place. The girl appeared before him, but not as he knew her now. She appeared as if she had the first time they'd met, sickly and gaunt.

Just as he was about to scream, the lights in the corridor came on, and all the shades disappeared. The girl stood before him a moment later, looking more like her usual self. She chuckled. "Huh, I guess I left more of an impression than I realized the first time we met!"

His heart racing, Carter checked himself over before turning and looking at the girl. "What was that? What's happening?"

The girl shrugged. "I don't know. It's your dream, not mine."

Catching his breath, Carter looked around. "I guess...that makes sense. It's been a while since I had this dream. I guess it was about time."

The girl gave him a once-over. "Had this dream often, do you?"

Carter tilted his head. "A bit, now and then. Although you don't usually pop in like this. Well, not this you anyway. It's kinda odd that I'd dream about both versions of you at the same time, though. Well, almost the same time anyway."

The girl shook her head. "Oh, I'm not a part of your dream. This is the real me. You called, so I came. I had no idea what I was walking into!"

Carter shook his head. "That's odd. I don't remember falling asleep in the captain's chair..."

The girl shook her head. "You didn't. You're in your bed right now. Once in a great while, one of my Captains develops a deeper connection with me, and we can link together even when they're not directly hooked up to the ship. However, it usually takes a lot longer than this. I wonder if it's because of that time we flew the ship together?" She leaned in, inspecting him closely. "I wonder if I caused some brain damage?"

Carter backed up, more than a little freaked out. "Wait, so you can just invade my mind anytime you'd like?"

The girl shook her head. "No." Then tilted it as if reconsidering. "Well, yes, I could, but I won't. I'll only invade when I'm invited, like just now."

That confused Carter. "I didn't invite you in!"

The girl shook her head while looking around. "I can assure you, you did. I wouldn't have bothered to try connecting with you if you hadn't. Though perhaps 'invited' is somewhat inaccurate. You were more or less shouting for help."

Carter looked around. "So what now? Do I just wake up, or..."

The girl shrugged. "You'll probably wake up as soon as I leave. At the moment, my presence is kind of stabilizing your brain's activity. You're pretty much half asleep anytime you hook up to the ship, so we act as a kind of sedating presence."

Carter sat down at the desk in his room, then blinked. "Wait, am I..?"

The girl sitting next to him shook her head. "Still dreaming. You couldn't tell with the sudden change of location?"

Carter sighed. "This could... take some getting used to. And not in a fun way!"

The girl smiled a little less innocently than before. "Oh, I don't know. It could be more fun if you wanted. Should I go get the vixen?"

Carter's eyes bulged. "Oh god, no! I don't think I want to know her idea of fun!"

The girl, who was considerably older than her twenty-something appearance indicated, laughed. "Probably for the best. I don't think you could handle her once she really gets going. She doesn't play as nice as I do."

Carter cocked an eyebrow. "Do you...play nice?"

The girl smirked as if amused by his audacity, "Wouldn't you like to know?" then disappeared.

A moment later, Carter sat up in his bed, catching his breath as he ran his hand through his hair, speaking softly to himself. "That had to be a dream? Right?"

A soft quiver in the air could have been either the girl or the vixen laughing at his expense, but he wasn't quite sure.