Onna was devastated to hear Rodger hadn’t made it back. She didn’t blame them, though. If anything, it had been the man’s recklessness that had put them all in danger. He shouldn’t have taken them to the pit.

The fixers weren’t quite done yet with the repairs, so they decided to spend the night at the compound.

Val wanted to sleep on Starrider, but Onna advised against it.

“Although we’re almost done, we’ve had to power down the ship so we could work safely. You’d have no light, and likely not enough air to last until morning. You’ll be better off in one of our guest rooms.”

The guest rooms were small and sparsely furnished. There was nothing modern there. Just a cot, a small table, a chair, and a window that gave into the hangar.

They met in the mess hall to eat before calling it a night.

“What about my AI?” asked Val with some concern. “If you powered down the ship...”

“Don’t worry,” said Onna, “he’ll be fully restored once we bring the power back on.”

Val said nothing, though she still looked worried.

Kaine cleared his throat.

“Speaking of... I’d never seen an AI quite like yours.”

“Lay off Nim, if you know what’s good for you.”

“Why are you so touchy when it comes to him?”

“That’s none of your damn business.”

He held up his hands. “Alright, alright. No need to bite my head off.”

It wasn’t as if it made any difference to him, but he had always been curious. His friends used to say it’d be the end of him. Well, they were all dead now, and he was still here. He’d have argued his curiosity was what had kept him alive.

Val glanced at Onna, then at her plate.

They ate in silence.

Later, as he settled in his room, Kaine opened his bag and glanced down at the cube. It was frowned upon to ask questions in his line of work, but this thing puzzled him beyond words. What could it be? And how could it have so much value?

His employer had given him a rather generous advance, promising twice as much upon delivery. It had to be the best-paid job he’d ever had.

Then why did it leave a bitter taste in his mouth?

With a grunt, he closed the bag and pushed it underneath his cot before he lay down.

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The next morning, he found Val outside, staring at the ship as the fixers finished their work.

“How much longer?” he asked.

She glanced at him and shrugged.

“A few hours would be my guess.”

“I hope you don’t plan another excursion to pass the time...”

She shuddered and shook her head.

“No. I think I’ve had enough of this world.”

“You and me both.”

They fell quiet as they watched the men work.

“He’s not really an AI.”

Kaine blinked and glanced at the woman.

He had barely heard the words and wondered if he had imagined them.

“Say what?”

Though her eyes remained on Starrider, Val sighed.

“He’s my partner. Well, was. He died.”

Kaine stared at her. He was speechless. Was she really saying what he thought she was saying? That was impossible.

“It happened ten years ago. On Osaran. That’s where we found it.” She motioned with her chin toward the ship. “It was left there to rust in a graveyard of ships. And yet... it was magnificent. Because we could see it for what it truly was. A disused Corvair, but a Corvair nonetheless. We both fell in love with it and decided to take it. But...”

Her voice trailed off, and he saw a tear run down her cheek, which she promptly wiped.

“Nim fixed the ship... Just like these men are fixing it now. We were done and about to board when the Impies found us and started shooting. We ran in, but Nim got hit in the back.” Her fists clenched. “What kind of coward would shoot a man in the back? I helped him in and we managed to take off, but his wound was too deep.” She turned her eyes toward her companion. “He died in my arms.”

Kaine blinked. “I’m sorry. But I don’t understand. If he’s dead, how—”

“It was his idea,” she said bitterly. “We had noticed the ship didn’t have an AI. Surprising, I know. So when he understood he wouldn’t make it, he suggested we transfer his mind into the ship...”

“That’s a thing?”

She shrugged. “I wouldn’t know. But he did. It had to do with quantum physics and DNA. I don’t know. But whatever it was, it worked. It kept his personality intact, though not his memories. He made me promise to erase them.”

“Why?”

She looked away, lips pursed.

“He wanted to be with me, but said remembering what he had been would hurt too much.”

Kaine was stunned. How could this man have put her through this? It wasn’t just the Impies who had acted as cowards. To fear pain so much it blinded you to the endless suffering your loved one would have to endure struck him as incredibly selfish.

But he knew better than to point this out.

So he said nothing.

Val took a deep breath.

“And so I did as he asked. I erased it all. The good, the bad, everything we’d shared...” She had a sad smile as she tapped the side of her head. “Now all that’s left of it is up here. At least, I haven’t lost him—not completely. He’s always been with me ever since.”

That must have been her motivation, he realized, what had pushed her to accept this unthinkable solution. Faced with the prospect of the man’s imminent death, she had seen a way to keep him with her. And with time running out, she must not have thought through the long-term consequences of her actions. Though he wondered if she’d have done anything differently had she realized what it would put her through.

“But now,” she said as worry crept back into her voice and expression, “they powered him down.”

“Damn,” he said as sudden realization hit him.

If Nim wasn’t an actual AI, his connection to the ship would be of a different, more subtle nature. Bringing him back might not be as simple as turning a switch on.

“Do you think he’ll be okay?” he asked, his own voice now filled with concern.

She glanced at him. “What I know is that he’s strong. If anyone can pull through this, it’s him.”

They fell quiet again, both lost in their thoughts.

Two hours later, the ship was powered back on, ready to go.

Onna came to them.

“All done. We put some provisions on board for you, so you should be all set for a while.”

They thanked her, then boarded the ship with some apprehension.

Both of them wondered what they would find...