Deck 1. Front Section A. The Bridge.

“This ship ain’t big enough for the both of us, Bianca!” A young man dressed as a cowboy declared from the elevator.

“Been watching those old Earth vids again, darling brother? Why don’t you act your age?”

His sister didn’t even swing around in the command chair to answer him.

“And how am I supposed to act seven hundred years old?” He sauntered past the myriad of displays and consoles, stepping up to the chair that faced the massive viewscreen. “Check out these boots!”

She had no choice, as a brown leather high-cut boot slammed down onto the console in front of her. The cowboy almost fell over backwards, unbalanced by lifting a leg that high.

“Get off, you prick, you’ll delete all my star chart settings!”

He took his foot off her console but was far from done with his fashion show. He twirled around, showing off tight denim jeans, a yellow linen shirt and a ridiculous wide-brimmed hat sitting on top of blonde curls.

“The stars are in the same place as yesterday, sis. And last week, last month…”

“You know very well that’s not true. They move, like we do. And I chart them!”

“No, you don’t. Mary does.”

“Yes, well, I make sure Mary doesn’t make a mistake.”

Bianca rose from the command chair.

“Aw, don’t leave,” Sebastian pouted. “I was going to show you my quick draw skills. The fastest gun in the ship, I am!”

“The biggest idiot in the ship, more like.” His unimpressed sibling walked away from her fool brother. White silk dress and long black hair flowing behind her. She turned back to him from the bridge elevator. Her sharp features formed a grin, and a thin eyebrow arched upward.

“Think you can mind things while I get a fix?” The elevator doors swished closed before her brother could answer.

He flopped down in the command chair and propped both boots on the console.

“Mind things? She’s more delusional than I am. There’s nothing to mind. You’ve got it all under control, haven’t you, Mary?”

“I have, Sebastian.” A metallic, feminine voice answered. It filled the room, coming from nowhere and everywhere.

“And have you ever made a mistake with the star charts?”

“That you need to ask that, belies your ignorance of me, and AIs in general. We don’t make mistakes. However, while it entertains your sister, charting the stars is fruitless. I don’t have navigational control of this ship, nor the ability to override its pre-programmed course to Proxima Centauri.”

“Well, I know that!” Sebastian huffed, trying to reclaim his pride. “That’s why Bianca is so dumb.”

“She is not dumb, but she engages in worthless activity, much as you do,” Mary answered, “You should begin your studies, you both need to be fully conversant in several scientific and engineering fields for us to make a successful planet fall. Ignorance will lead to your demise.”

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

“I’m not ignorant! And I’ve got plenty of time. Bianca hasn’t started either.”

“No, she hasn’t. Unless you count her infatuation with the humans as studying. Biology, perhaps.” Mary was not without a sense of humour.

Sebastian relaxed again, slouching in the command chair, taking in the view. The milky way’s outer arm stretched across the screen. A billion stars blazed against the black firmament. He reached forward to the environmental controls and dimmed the bridge’s lighting by a few measures. The red hues became more venous than arterial. After a busy morning of constructing a cowboy outfit from his abundant wardrobe, a nap was in order.

“And what are the humans up to today?” He asked through a yawn.

“Their farmers are dealing with blight in the hydroponic section. There seems to be a unique strain of flu spreading. And that thief of theirs has been on another expedition.”

This news did not stop Sebastian from closing his eyes and snuggling further into the chair.

“So only the usual. That little bitch stole nothing important, I hope?”

“Unlikely.”

***

Deck 7. Front section T. The Blood Bank.

Bianca swept through the corridors like a strong breeze. She told herself to slow down and adopt a more dignified poise but found it hard to control her blood lust. To force down the urges welling up inside her. But prolonging the moment heightened the enjoyment when it came.

“Mary, how long has it been since my last drink?”

“Your last drink was a mere six hours ago, and well you know!” The AI answered in admonishment. “The donor will not have replenished.”

“Well, that’s why I think we should capture another one. That sneaky thief would be a fine specimen, for example.”

“I doubt it. Her bone marrow hasn’t developed yet, it won’t be producing as much haemoglobin as a mature adult.”

“You always have to get so technical. What’s wrong with doing something because I want to?”

“Doing things because you want to rarely aligns with what’s good for you. Case in point, drinking the remaining five hundred humans dry before we reach the destination. Your immaturity prevents you from controlling your vampiric desires. Not to mention your raging hormones. It’s not a chemical combination well suited to sound decision making.”

“Oh, spare me the lectures, Mary. Save those for Sebastian. I’m a grown woman, you know!”

“Barely, but regardless, there’s no correlation between age and wisdom, I’m afraid.”

But Bianca didn’t hear or didn’t care. She flitted around the last corner and swished through the opening doors to the blood bank.

The vampire siblings had decorated the circular room to resemble a chapel. At least as far as the ship’s limited resources allowed. Neither was much of an artist, so the religious themed paintings on the curved walls were digital projections. Mary had agreed to adjust the lighting in the ceiling to create the illusion of a sculpted dome. The tiled floor was not as gothic as Bianca wanted, but it made for easy cleaning.

Mister Campbell, the latest unfortunate human snatched away from the rear colony, hung naked, upside down in chains.

He had lost consciousness a while ago. Bianca slapped him across the face, but to no avail. She shrugged. It was always nice to have them squirm as she drank, but it appeared this one was done squirming.

“Mary, he’s dying, I think.”

“He’s not dying, yet. He’s been inverted too long, and the increased blood pressure to the brain has slowed his heart rate and his cognitive functions. I would suggest righting him, and soon.”

Bianca sighed and walked over to a medical gurney almost hidden by the room’s decorative effects. She pushed it under the swaying man and asked Mary to operate the chain hoist. The chains rattled as Mister Campbell’s head lowered onto the gurney, followed by the rest of him. Limp and pale. Bianca stroked his cheek, and he stirred, disoriented and groaning. She clapped her hands in glee, hitched her dress around her waist and straddled him. Hair fell about her face, so she gathered it into a messy knot behind her head. She smiled down at her captive, looking for an unblemished area of neck to bite. One side was now a mess, the result of her earlier feastings. She turned the other side upwards. A blank canvas.

Campbell awoke as Bianca sank her fangs into his jugular vein. His body jerked in shock underneath her. Bianca moaned as fresh, tangy blood washed over her tongue. A glorious jolt of primal electricity sped from her tongue to the pleasure centres of her brain. Every nerve in her body responded. She shivered in delight. And she drank.

And drank.

“If you continue much longer, that will kill him.” Mary advised.

“Way to spoil the mood, Mary.” Bianca grumbled when she’d caught her breath. She wiped blood from her lips on the back of her arm and clambered off the hapless Mister Campbell. Either the shock, or loss of blood, had sent him back into blissful unconsciousness.