“Times change, the ancient problem stays the same.”

***Agena***

***Antioch***

“Another energy bar?” I offer a second bar to Silith, hoping that she will take it. She looks at the food and then at me.

Over the last three days, she kept insisting on us eating and sleeping together. I didn’t mind eating together, but sharing a bed with her was more than awkward in the beginning. Nonetheless, she turned out to be good company and I got used to being with her. Somehow she is always able to complement my weaknesses. It isn't so different from what I remember having with my brothers. The thought of them sends a sting through my heart, but I try to concentrate on the matter at hand.

I would say that Silith and I worked out a rhythm between the two of us, though I have a feeling that I don't get all her motives and goals. Sometimes, she seems insulted when I question her actions. Other times, she is happy about the strangest little thing. Once, when I mentioned that her new ponytail-hairdo fits her, she clapped her hands and smiled, her cheeks turning red. It obviously pleased her that I noticed it.

To me, it was just a random comment on a fact of life. And it was true, the ponytail and the wisps of hair at the sides of her head fit her. I often catch myself following her hair’s movements when she turns quickly.

The rest of the days, she spent all her time trying to recover the information within the damaged database. The task was clearly complicated and tedious. She explained it to me when I asked if I am able to help. It quickly became obvious that my bots don’t have the necessary tool for the task.

At first, I thought that Silith wasted a point when she got a single bot for herself, but that’s clearly not the case. The little thing’s equipment is ingenious. In fact, it’s almost like a little laboratory of its own. The sensors and tools are much better than what my bots have. It’s becoming clearer and clearer that Silith’s class is geared towards research and development.

It's the morning of our fourth day together, and I had a little shock when I noticed that she slimmed down rapidly, her hourglass figure slowly losing its curves. She isn’t quite back to the point where she simply looks undernourished, but if this goes on, it will be an issue again.

I watch her sitting on the other side of the table, glaring at the food in her hand. Somehow, I can tell that she wants it. Her eyes are moving here and there but always return to the food. Yet, she doesn't want to eat for some reason.

Why doesn't she just tell me what's wrong? “You have lost weight. Are you alright?”

She looks insulted and shifts her weight around. There is that expression on her face which I started to recognise as reluctance. Oh, yeah. Lately, she is a little edgy too, though I still have to find out why.

She snatches the energy bar out of my fingers. The damned thing was there one moment, and the next it was gone! Damn! That woman is quick.

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Silith points the energy bar at me, using it as some sort of accusing weapon. “Could you just make up your mind? When I am curvy, you say that I shouldn't eat so much, when I am slim, you say I should eat more. Pick something! Damn it!”

I raise my hand to stop her. “Waaait… Are you saying that you were changing your body to look more pleasing to me!?” I ask, shocked. “There is no need to do that! You are your own person. I have no right to dictate what you do with your body!”

An uncomfortable silence fills the mess hall. Only the silent vibrations of the distant fusion engine are noticeable. She opens and closes her mouth several times. Her voice is at the edge of shrieking when she speaks. “Are you saying that you don't care if I am pretty or ugly? That it doesn't matter?”

What is she saying? I press my lips together, thinking hard. It feels like we are talking past each other, failing to get the meaning across to the other party.

Somehow, I managed to step on a landmine. Silith looks like she is at the edge of either bursting into tears, or choking me to death.

G.O.D.: Go forth, young padawan! Understanding the other gender is a task for the gods. Sometimes, men simply find themselves in life or death situations. Which answer will you choose?

  - I like the curvy ones!

  - The trained type is definitely the best.

  - You will always be my friend, so it doesn't matter how you look. (Use that one, trust me!)

Oh, for... Why is it doing that!? Life or death situation!? Like hell, I certainly won't trust you! How stupid do you think I am!?

I swipe at the messages, causing Silith's expression to darken even further. Oh, damn! I have to say something. Maybe I should go with the truth? Apologizing first may be a good idea. That can't be wrong, whatever I did to cause her ire.

“I am sorry. If it's important for you to look pleasing to my eyes, then go with the curvy look. I can't say why, since I never met a woman before you, but you look healthier that way. Certainly, more eye-catching. It's just that I was worried that you are sick. We only met three days ago, but I care about you. It's a relief that you were just messing with your nanotech.”

G.O.D.: You are so boring.

Her cheeks redden, and she takes a bite from the energy bar, cooling down. “There, that wasn't so hard to say, was it?”

“We are good?” I ask.

She nods. “I actually wanted to tell you that I managed to recover the lost data. There is a pirate base just a month’s trip away from here. It isn’t clear how big it is, but it supports at least fifty ships. Here, let me update our maps.”

I access the network and study the new map which Silith uploaded. “That base isn’t exactly on our path. If we go there and find out that they can’t help us, we will have lost at least a month. I am also not entirely sure if I want to mess with pirates. They are outlaws, but who says that they want to trade with a species which violated the bans on A.I. research.”

Silith shrugs and plays with her hair. “What’s a month compared to a year? We already invested several days of our time without moving from the spot, simply drifting at the edge of this system. I think that the potential benefits outweigh the lost time. After all, we need something to occupy ourselves with. The pirates must have at least something of interest, even if we don’t get a better drive.”

I look at her sceptically, not totally sold on the idea. The whole thing came from her in the first place. Maybe she is a little too intent on seeing her idea succeed. “Are you sure that you aren’t too focused on pursuing that idea, just because you spent so much time to recover the data?”

“I understand what you want to say, but I really think that we can pull it off. What we intend to do poses a risk. Is it an avoidable risk? Yes, surely, but I think that we can overcome it and even come out ahead. What will happen if we simply proceed to G.O.D.’s next quest-markers? Will the other prisoners also be able to shut down the facility from within?” She waits a moment to give me time.

That’s right. I escaped thanks to pure luck, and from what I heard, Silith also only managed to reach the facility’s surface thanks to a mixture of luck and taking considerable risks.

She continues when she sees doubt creeping into my expression. “If nothing else, then we can get proper equipment and knowledge from the pirates. We can use the travel time to the next facility to prepare ourselves to the best of our ability. The trick will be not to be ourselves.”

“Not to be ourselves?” I furrow my forehead. “What do you mean by that?”

She smiles. “I mean that we will pretend to belong to another species. We just have to pick one which we can impersonate.”