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“Ah, he is. He’s requesting an audience.” Watson’s processor was on, so how he felt he should respond, how he normally would have emotionally, came through, and so the clear trepidation at alerting her to that fact came through.
“Go on ahead to the bridge. Let Morgan know I’m behind you.”
“Yes, Captain.”
Watson was not the original A.I. for the Callistar. An old system still existed and with him having a physical body, it felt strange to still call upon him. Formatting her communicator to reconnect to the old one, a warm female voice full of honey spoke back, “Ann activated, how may I be of service?”
“Kira Starling, authorization code K15Q, voice verification as secondary authentication.”
“Kira Starling, current Captain aboard the vessel Callistar. Hello, Captain, how may I be of service?”
“I need to speak to Commander West of the Eikos. Route it to my personal communicator.”
“Right away, Captain.”
Pacing the room, the data pad fit back into her thigh pocket. Gilded metal backed the slim piece of glass to give it more weight. It was a recent addition to her daily routine as now that they would be underway, she would be expected to be reachable by any member of the crew.
“Captain.” Ann came across under her ear this time. “I have Commander West for you.”
“Thank you, Ann.”
“Kira Starling.” His voice like a brand seared into her skin when he said her name. It burned inwardly, acid rising in her esophagus, forcing her to bite down. “To what do I owe this pleasure?”
“You know exactly what I want, West. Delaying our request is ridiculous.”
“Your request?”
Her teeth ground together, clenched too tight, clicking with the ferocity in which she’d shut them to bite back the rising bile. “Yes, a clearance request. We seek to depart this morning.”
“Hmm, let me check with my assistant.”
The line switched to actively holding, instead of elevator music a deep tone went off every half minute.
“Ann?”
“Yes, Captain?”
“Monitor the line, please, and let me know when Commander West deigns to return.”
“Yes, Captain.”
The bridge front featured a large overhead display that stretched across the far wall. No actual glass but a massive accurate representation of the stars behind it. Various information scrolled through at the stations beneath it. They cleared out the weapons station and fitted a large metal overlay to the right. The pilot to the left had the touch screen input guide still up. Attuned to fingerprints and warmth, requiring both in the right manner to be usable. On the left and right walls were other stations for monitoring engineering, life systems, and communications. Outdated for their small crew, but normal for a larger outfit.
The feedback from the other stations went directly to the pilot. A monitored list of each on the left in neat little boxes while the synaptic feedback for their radar and speed controls took up the rest of the width available to him.
Centered in the room, behind all this, was a throwback to the days of King Arthur. A round flat top table in black with a shining surface. The chairs were low backed, metal framed with armrests, and solid black fabric covering the bottom and back.
The entire room was clean with smooth lines in steel and white, giving it a pristine but stark appearance. Quinn had hardly touched the design other than to update the stations themselves.
Watson sat to the right of Morgan, where the weapons station used to be. His chair cocked sideways. He perched with one ankle over the other knee in a relaxed position. He did not immediately acknowledge Kira. She knew he heard her enter, but Morgan who stood in the middle of fawning over the new control system didn’t.
“Did you read the material that was sent to you?” Kira had no problem interrupting.
Morgan twisted around, the picture of eagerness. “Every bit. He’s got the thing programmed to where it responds almost to thought. I barely touch it and it is ready to go. Oh, the speed this puppy’s gonna be able to do. No transport should be this fast, Kira. None, but we’ll be able to outclass even racers in this thing.”
Watson turned his face up towards her as she came closer. “I believe he actually did the assigned homework, Captain.”
“I believe so as well,” she jested back.
