Archive of Our Own

Deacon Hawkes woke up and shook his head to clear the cobwebs. As he focused on his surroundings, he gathered his bearings and frowned. He was chained to a wall in a cell.

“Oh. This again. Just once I’d like to wake up and not be in jail.”

“Not going to happen in this lifetime, Commander”, a female voice said. “This appears to be our home now. Until they kill us, that is.”

“Lani?”, he asked. “Lani, is that you?”

“Who else would be dumb enough to allow herself to be stuck in a cell with you?”

“Oh, don’t be like that”, Hawkes said in a soothing voice. “You know you love me.”

“That’s beside the point”, Lani answered. “What I said stands. It’s just me here with you.”

“Yeah, where are the others?”, Hawkes wondered aloud.

“It’s probably their turn for ‘Questioning’. It’ll be our turn again soon.”

Hawkes grimaced as he thought about the ‘Questioning’. They were tied to a chair and beaten. Then they were asked a question. Then they were beaten again. The answers didn’t matter. As the only woman, Lani was put with him because they thought beating on her in front of him would make him talk. It didn’t. It made him even more angry, but Lani was even angrier. If she had the chance, their interrogators were going to die, and she might not even leave any for him. She was a fierce warrior and being helpless made her blood boil, so there would be a reckoning. He also knew not to be in close quarters with her when she went into full battle mode. He’d made that mistake before, but only once. Luckily the knife wound wasn’t too deep.

“Those two are as dumb as soup”, Hawkes said. “They’ll probably beat on each other if those idiots put the idea in their head and left the room.”

“I know”, Lani said, playing along. “Offer a drink to the winner and they’re liable to fight to the death. I still don’t know why you keep them around.”

“They’re good at their jobs”, Hawkes said with a shrug. “If I found someone better, I’d ditch them in a nanosecond.”

“Is that why you never tell them your plans? Because you could cut them loose at any moment?”

“Of course. Those two have trouble using a fork. Do you really think they could be trusted with important information?”

This went on for a while, then they fell quiet and waited. About an hour later they heard a commotion outside their cell door, then screaming. Then nothing. Suddenly the door jerked open and there stood a powerfully built man with brown skin that was covered in blood and holding a Laser rifle and a hand Blaster, with another Blaster tucked in his waistband.

“Great plan, you two”, He said as he entered and began to remove their shackles. “They tell us we’re expendable and you don’t want us around, so we’re to fight to the death and the winner gets to drink his fill and have a woman before execution. As great as that sounded, we figured we’d just resist and get the Hell out of here. Wanna come along?”

Lani rubbed her wrists. “I can’t believe that worked. They’re even more stupid than we could’ve hoped.”

“They weren’t entirely stupid”, Toofinari said as he handed them each a Blaster. “They didn’t unshackle us before telling us to fight. It was tough, but we got free anyway because we figured you might want us to rescue you. You’re welcome. Try not to let this become a habit, okay?”

“No promises”, Hawkes said. “Has anyone seen Dr. Padosa and Lyssa?”

“The lady doctor and the old woman we were transporting?”, Toofinari asked. “Not since we got here. Once we were captured, they paired us off and took them somewhere else because they weren’t part of the crew, I guess. We need to move. Mott can’t keep the path clear forever.”

“And where exactly are we going to go?”, Lani asked. “I seem to remember our boat being blown apart. It was literally in two pieces. How are we getting off of this rock?”

“That means they owe us a boat”, Hawkes said. “They had one that blasted the ship in two, so that one’ll do in a pinch. But first, we’ve got to find the doctor and her assistant.”

“Are you kidding me?”, Toofinari yelled as they ran down the hall. “We’re out, but you want us to stick around to find those two women? They must’ve really hit you in the head a lot.”

“They did, but that’s beside the point”, Hawkes said. “We took a job guaranteeing their safe passage, and we took the money up front. We aren’t done earning it.”

“There’s no job anymore, Deke!”, Toofinari shouted. “The ship is gone, along with our payment, and we don’t even know where they are. We need to get out of here.”

“To do what?”, Lani asked. “If we survive this and word gets out that we were paid and didn’t follow through, we’re done anyway. We’ll never get another honest job again. This whole business is predicated on trust, Toofie. If people don’t think they can trust us, we’ll never get a meaningful job again. We’ll have to be smugglers, or maybe even farmers, but we won’t be doing what were before this mission. We have to rescue them. It’s in our best interests.”

“Survival is our best interest”, Mott Boodriss said as they approached. “I only heard just the end of that, so all I can say is whatever the plan is, surviving this jailbreak is our first priority. After we clear the building, we can move on to secondary goals.”

“There was no sign of them when you were searching for us?”, Hawkes asked as he fired at a guard, who immediately fell to the ground.

“The cells were all empty except for us”, Mott said. “I know there’s other prisoners here, but they’re all taken out during the day. I’m thinking some kind of work detail.”

“Why are there no alarms sounding?”, Lani asked. “This almost seems too easy.”

“If you think this was easy, they must’ve really hit you in the head a lot, too”, Toofie said.

“We got the jump on them pretty quick”, Mott said. “We didn’t give any of them the chance to sound an alarm, and we’ve put holes in everyone we’ve encountered since. Well, except you two.”

“Well, thank you for not putting holes in us”, Hawkes said. “Lani, once we get through that door, we should be outside. You’re with me and we’re going after Dr. Padosa and Lyssa. I want you two”, he said to Toofie and Mott, “to find us a way off this rock. I want something big enough for all of us, and I’ll sacrifice weaponry for speed if we have to. Maybe we can outrun them if the ship’s quick enough and we get a head start.”

Everyone nodded and ran through the door before splitting off into two different directions.

Dr. Lina Padoso used the portable tissue regenerator on the young womans hand and spoke calmly to her.

“You know, Kordi, you don’t need to get plasma burns to come see me.”

“If only that were true”, the woman said. “I have a gift, and my gift is talking to machines. That’s all they need me for, so that’s all I’m allowed to do.”

“How’s the ship coming along?”

“I’m pretty much done”, Kordi said. “I’ve installed the bio-neural circuitry, neural gel-packs and holographic emitters. The systems are integrating as we speak and they’re loading the weaponry on while it happens, so as I said, I’m pretty much done. I don’t know if they’ll kill me after the ship is ready or not, but I guess I’ll find out before the day is over.”

“Think positively”, Dr. Padosa urged her. “Surely they’ll need the one person that can repair anything on the ship.”

“I wish. That ship has self-repairing circuitry and an AI that can produce a hologram to do the physical repairs. I’m obsolete once the AI is fully downloaded. I already have everything downloaded from the Central Computer except the Korrillian specific files. They want that to be the very last thing done.”

“What if something happens to the AI?”

“They haven’t thought that far ahead. You have to remember these people are one step below rocks on the intelligence charts. I found out they kidnapped engineers from all over the galaxy to design this ship, then killed them once they had what they wanted; an unstoppable warship. Doctor, this ship is the single greatest engineering feat in history and I’m the one that oversaw her construction. Now I can only hope that they kill me so I don’t have to witness the destruction of the Alliance. This ship could actually take out the entire Alliance fleet, and render Earth a desolate, lifeless planet. My greatest achievement is also my greatest regret.”

“How did they get you to go along with their plans?”, Lyssa asked as she entered the Med-Tent.

“Professional curiosity, I guess”, Kordi said sadly. “When they captured my ship, they asked me what skills I had. I told them that machines talk to me and tell me what they need me to do to fix them. Then they brought me to this site and showed me the plans, and the blueprints started telling me what needed to be done. I’d never experienced anything like that before. They gave me a choice: build the ship or die slowly and painfully. I actually never expected it to take this long because I thought they’d either kill me or I’d be rescued, but neither one happened. They gave me everything I needed to build it and I got caught up in the work. There were days that I almost forgot I was a prisoner because what I was doing was so fascinating. Now I wish I had chosen death because untold billions will die once that ship is launched.”

Deke and Lani suddenly appeared in the tent. “How would you like a shot at redemption?”, Deke asked her.

“Anything”, she said, looking at the two of them with their weapons. “Anything at all.”

“Is that ship ready to launch if it absolutely had to?”

“Yes, if it absolutely had to. The personality subroutines for the AI aren’t done downloading, but she’ll fly and she can shoot.”

“Is she fast?”, Lani asked.

“I don’t know”, Kordi answered truthfully. “There hasn’t been a shakedown cruise yet, but the plans call for engine power to achieve warp factor nine-point-nine-nine. I’ve followed the plans to the letter and computer simulations prove that the ship should indeed go that fast.”

“Are you alright, Doctor?”, Deke asked.

“I’m fine, Commander. Are you here to break us out?”

“We are. Lyssa? Are you okay?”

“Commander, I’d like to say your timing is, as always, impeccable. Can we go now?”

“As always?”, Lani asked. “You two knew each other before this party started?”

Deke looked at Lyssa, who slowly nodded her consent. “Lani, meet Lyssa. She’s an old friend.”

“Better known as Bikka Preztin”, Kordi said. When everyone looked at her, she looked down and said, “I met you once when I was at StarForce Academy. You used the same disguise.”

“As in Chancellor Bikka Preztin?”, Lina asked, shocked to find that her new assistant was actually the Head of the Alliance.

“Now I know why you were so adamant about finding the old woman”, Lani said. “Come on. Let’s get Toofie and Mott aboard that new ship and get the Hell out of here.”

“How many civilians are aboard that ship?”, Deke asked Kordi. “How many guards?”

“A dozen guards and fifty-five prisoners”, she said. “Everybody works on the ship except the Doctor and Lyssa, and you and your other two friends, of course.”

“We might have a problem”, Mott said as he and Toofie entered the tent. “Every ship here is a piece of junk except for the battle cruiser that brought us down, and that shiny new ship they’re building. The cruiser is lousy with Korrillians, so we planted some explosives on it that we found in our travels. We figured with that Beast out of the way, we have a chance in one of those other deathtraps.”

“We’re taking the new ship”, Deke said. “Fixer, can you get it in the air in a hurry?”

“My name is Kordana Rylos, or Kordi. And yes, I can get it in the air in two minutes. Once I get to the engine room, I can put the engine online and it’ll take ninety seconds to power up for flight operations, then thirty seconds for it to be buttoned up for space flight. Two minutes from the time I walk into Engineering, we’re airborne.”

“Can’t you do it any faster?”, he asked. “I mean, we have a dozen men to take out just to get to the point where we can clear a path to Engineering. Two minutes from that time will be an eternity because reinforcements will be coming as soon as we make our move.”

“That ship has never even had a test flight, Commander!”, Kordi said. “If I try to cut corners on her first time out, she might just blow up and kill us all before we get off the ground.”

“Mott, you and Toofie take her and the Doctor to Engineering and see to it that the Fixer can do what she needs to do. Lani and I will take Lyssa and head for the bridge. We’ll take out any soldiers as we see them, but watch for civilian casualties. When they see us fighting, they might try to help, but they’ll just get in the way because they’re unarmed. We’ll get everyone medical attention as soon as it’s safe for the doctor to get to them. Go!”

The battle finally over and the settlement completely destroyed, the ship streaked through space toward Earth. Deke looked at the buttons on the command chair and selected the appropriate button and pushed it.

“This is former StarForce Commander Deacon Hawkes, and I’m claiming command of this vessel. Hawkes out.”

Deke looked around and said, “I still can’t get over this ship, Chancellor. It’s not only the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen, but it looks like a palace inside.”

“Kordi said they wanted it to be their new home, so they wanted it to be as elegant as possible”, Lyssa said. “This is far more...opulent...than any palace I’ve seen on any world.”

“It’s supposed to house over two thousand people”, Deke said. “I’d almost say it would make a great ship for the Alliance Chancellor.”

“I see”, Lyssa said. “You said ‘almost’. You don’t think a ship this powerful should be in the Chancellor’s possession?”

“That’s not it”, Deke said as he made his way to the Captain’s office, located through a door toward the front of the Bridge. “I trust you, Chancellor, but the Korrillians destroyed my ship, so I’m keeping theirs to replace it, and I’ll blast anyone from the sky that tries to take her from me. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to meet with the engineer that built this ship. I’m sure there’s a lot I don’t know about this boat, and I want to know everything there is to know.”

He was dead tired and laid his head on the desk to rest, but was immediately made aware of the door chime.

“Enter!”, he barked, more forcefully than intended.

“Commander, may I have a word with you?”

“Of course, Fixer”, he said, directing her inside the room. “Please come in.”

Once the door was closed, Hawkes gestured for her to sit. “I’m sorry I haven’t had a chance to clean it up yet, but it serves it’s purpose. What can I do for you?”

“First, you can call me Kordi; not Fixer. Second, I want you to know that I helped build this ship, and no one knows it better than me. In your place, I wouldn’t trust me, but I’m here to ask you to trust me in spite of everything. I’ve put so much of myself into this ship that I want the chance to see what it can do. This is truly the most powerful ship in the Galaxy, and I can make it your best friend as well.”

“Care to explain that?”

“This ship is a prototype. Do you understand? It’s the only one of it’s kind. There isn’t another ship like this anywhere in the known worlds. I tried to make myself necessary to the Korrillians so they wouldn’t decide that I was expendable. They wanted this ship ready in a hurry, so that’s what they got. I took my time and made improvements everywhere. I made it so it would respond to me. The last things I installed were Neural Gel-Packs and Bio-Neural Circuitry. This ship can self-diagnose, and in some cases, self-repair, and it has an AI that I can activate and it can pretty much operate this ship on it’s own.”

“Let’s get back to the part where you said you could make this ship my best friend”, Hawkes said. “I’m unclear on what that means, exactly.”

“It means I’ve programmed the AI to interact with the crew, and especially her captain. I also have installed holo-technology so that if you want to, you can have a three-dimensional holographic construct for you to interact with, and that will make it so you are essentially carrying on a conversation with the ship. This ship has logic protocols so you can actually use your holographic AI as an Emergency Science Officer, for example. In short, in almost every way that matters, this ship is nearly sentient.”

“You mean to tell me this ship is alive?”, Hawkes asked, trying to comprehend.

“For lack of a better way of putting it, once I flip on the AI, the short answer is ‘yes’.”

Hawkes was silent for a moment, letting this sink in. “And what am I supposed to do with this information?”

“Anything you want, sir”, Kordi said. “With your permission, I’ll start making adjustments to the AI to make it respond to you and Lani, since she’s your First Officer.”

“And what about you?”

“Excuse me?”, Kordi said, not understanding.

“You told me that you’ve made it so it responds to you”, Hawkes said. “You’re going to add me and Lani, but what if you don’t agree with something we want it to do? Will you countermand me, or us?”

“That’s not how it works, Commander”, Kordi said. “I told you the ship is nearly sentient. I can program a command for it to take orders from you, but I can’t un-program it. Do you understand? It’s like it has ears; It can hear what I say, but it can’t un-hear anything that’s been said. I’ll make sure the ship knows the chain of command, but for what we’re doing, we don’t have the trained personnel to operate at peak efficiency, especially in battle. We really need for the AI to be turned on to have a chance to survive what may be coming. The crew compliment for this ship is two-hundred and thirty-seven people, so without the AI, we may as well get out and push..”

“So the ship will be alive”, Hawkes muttered to himself. “Will it feel pain when we go into battle? Once people experience pain, sometimes they cut and run to avoid getting hurt again. I need to know if this ship will turn tail and run in spite of our efforts for that not to happen.”

“That’s a valid question, sir, but the answer is no. It may learn to experience emotions, such as fear, but it does not have pain receptors, so it’ll never physically ‘feel’ damage or injury.”

Hawkes thought it over for a moment, then got up and went to the door. When it opened, he poked his head out, saw Lani, and said, “XO, a moment, please?”

Lani came in, sat down and listened to what Kordi had to say. Finally she said, “I think we should do it. We’re going to need every advantage we can get because these are not battle tested troops we’re carrying. Most of these people were freighters and settlers. In the event of a fight, they’re just warm bodies that we can’t rely on because they have no battle experience. At least with the AI, it’ll have access to files on battle tactics. That’s better than nothing.”

“I agree”, Hawkes said, “but I didn’t want to make the decision without you.”

“Thank you”, Lani said, genuinely touched. “I appreciate that.”

“Doesn’t do a lot of good to have an XO if you don’t even ask for their opinion before making a decision, does it? Kordi, how long until we reach Earth’s Defense Perimeter?”

“Nineteen hours, forty-one minutes, sir.”

“And how long if we run at maximum warp?”

“At Warp Factor Nine, fifteen hours, twenty-three minutes.”

“Okay, Kordi, make it happen. Let Lani know if you need anything.”

Two hours later, Hawkes was sitting in a chair in the private room, leaned back and resting his eyes. He didn’t require much sleep, but he understood that he needed his mind fresh and clear in case they encountered a problem, so he tried to make himself sleep. He had heard slight noises, yet never felt alarmed, but suddenly he felt as though he was not only not alone in the room, but that he was being watched.

He opened his eyes to see a form in front of him that was humanoid in appearance, yet had no discernible facial features or hair.

Hawkes jumped up and grabbed his Blaster, but the form made no moves whatsoever.

“Greetings, Commander Hawkes”, said a metallic voice emanating from the form. “I am Ship. Chief Engineer Rylos said I should introduce myself to you.”

Cautiously, Hawkes kept his Blaster trained on ‘Ship’, and approached him.

“My apologies if I frightened you, Commander. I was told that you may want to meet me.”

After some thought, Hawkes holstered his weapon. If this thing had meant him harm, it would’ve been too late for him to do anything about it by the time he’d opened his eyes. He looked around the room and noticed that it had been straightened up while he slept. He went back to the chair he’d just jumped out of.

“Do you sit?”, he asked Ship.

"I can", Ship said. "I do not tire, but if it puts you at ease, I will sit."

"Please", Hawkes said, gesturing to another chair. "Have a seat. That way I won't have to look up at you while we talk."

"As you wish", Ship said, sitting down.

After a few moments of awkward silence, Hawkes said, "I'll be honest with you, Ship, I don't know what to do here. I guess the way to begin is to ask what you know of what we'll be asking of you."

Ship sat silently.

Hawkes cursed himself for expecting a human response. He tried again. "Ship, have you been made aware of what we will be asking of you?"

"I believe so, Commander", the entity said.

"Would you tell me what that is, so I know that we're on the same page?"

"Chief Engineer Rylos explained to me that you liked to use Earth colloquialisms, as do most humans. You wish to make sure that I know what is expected of me. Is that correct?"

"That is correct. Will you tell me?"

"Of course. You are my Commanding Officer. I have been given life to assist you on your mission, whatever it may be. I am to assist in any way possible."

"Glad to hear it", Hawkes said. "And do you know what we are going off to do right now?"

"Unless I have been given faulty data, we are returning Chancellor Preztin to Star Command on Earth."

"The data is accurate. What is your assessment of that mission?"

"My logic subroutines indicate that it is the right thing to do. The Chancellor is very important to the continued peace on the Allied Worlds. She must be returned at any cost."

"Quite honestly, that's exactly what I was hoping you would say.

"Chief Engineer Rylos has created me to be one of the most technologically advanced synthetic life forms in the Universe, and to that end, my logic subroutines override the uncertainty of emotional responses. Logic dictates that someone that is the designated ruler of billions of sentient beings should not be thought of as missing or incapacitated. She needs to be back on Earth as soon as possible. Does that answer your questions?"

"It does", Hawkes admitted. "But I would still like to get to know you better, Ship. I'm being asked to put my life, and the lives of everyone aboard, in your hands. I'm not used to that, so I have concerns. I'm sure you understand."

"I would like to get to know you better as well, Commander. If possible, I would like for you to think of me more as a member of your crew than the ship you currently occupy."

"Of course", Hawkes said. "It's part of your programming to be included in everything on board, so it stands to reason that you would want to be treated as a member of the crew. I need to be honest with you, Ship; this is all very new and unnerving for me, and as far as this crew goes, we've been thrown together by circumstance and we have a big job to do that no one else can, so even if we get the Chancellor back safe and sound, we're not part of Star Command so they probably won't want to allow us all to stay together on the most powerful ship in the galaxy. I just want that to be said so you know what could happen."

"And what could happen, Commander?", Ship asked.

"Don't your logic subroutines tell you the possibilities?"

"They do", Ship admitted. "But you are my Commanding Officer and I would rather hear it from you that gather my own conclusions."

"Very well. It's my belief that when we get to Earth, the humanoid members on this crew will be thanked and possibly even offered positions in Star Force. You, however, I'm sure they will want to observe and reverse engineer so they can make a fleet of ships more powerful than anything the universe has ever seen."

"And do I have any say in this outcome?"

"I'm sorry, Ship. I'm sure there won't be anyone asking your opinion on this matter. You are a Starship to them. End of story."

"Then perhaps my story should end in battle."

Suddenly worried, Hawkes said, "What are you saying, Ship? Are you saying you would declare war on Earth to prevent becoming the property of Star Command?"

"Of course not, Commander. My primary programming dictates that I am to protect this crew at all costs. I am merely considering the possibility of directing the crew to the Escape Pods at the necessary time so that I might utilize ramming speed to send myself into the sun."

"But you're semi-sentient, Ship", Hawkes countered. "What you're talking about is suicide. Is that allowed by your programming?"

"It is not", Ship confirmed. "It is my intention to force events to unfold to the point that my destruction is the only way to ensure my freedom. Capture is not an acceptable outcome."

"Semantics", Hawkes said as he waved his hand dismissively. "Perhaps you're more human than I was led to believe you would be."

After a moment of silence, the Ship said, "There is no reason to insult me, Commander. My wish to be thought of as a member of your crew does not mean that I wish to be thought of as human. I am much more, and not limited by biologics as you are."

Hawkes chuckled. "It was not my intention to insult you, Ship. As a human, I have a tendency to think being one is a pretty good thing. Since I've never been anything else, I suppose I've never had anything else to compare it to. My apologies. I meant no offense."

"No offense taken, Commander. In fact, if you wish, you may think of me as human. I can make my holographic image more human-like in appearance, if you think it would be helpful with my interactions with the crew."

"I suppose that would be helpful", Hawkes said, rubbing his chin. "We might actually want to give your holographic image a different name so that we know who we're talking to. It might minimize confusion."

"If you think it will be helpful, I will comply. What name did you have in mind?"

"I think we should leave that up to you. After all, it's your name. Let me know what you decide."

"Very well, Commander. Do you have a preference as to how my human form should appear?"

"Maybe we should leave that up to you as well."

"As you wish. Would something like this be acceptable?"

The hologram suddenly shifted into a nude female form that had light chocolate skin and a remarkably beautiful face. Hawkes was impressed.

"That's very nice, but clothes would make it even nicer. How did you decide upon this form, Ship?"

"In human terms, Chief Engineer Rylos is my mother, and you, as my Commanding Officer, would be my father. I took DNA from both of you and combined them to create this form. I chose a female form to honor my 'Mother', who gave me life, and ships are historically referred to in feminine terms, but it would be quite simple to switch to a male form, if you prefer. Would this form be acceptable, Commander, or should I become male?"

"How did you get our DNA?", Hawkes said, ignoring the question.

"Your DNA is all around you, as am I. Obtaining small samples to extrapolate what your offspring might look like was one of the simplest things possible for me to do. I notice you have not answered my question in spite of the fact that I have asked it twice. Am I to interpret that to mean that this form makes you uncomfortable, Commander?"

"It does make me uncomfortable", Hawkes admitted. "It's a little disconcerting to see what my daughter might look like if I had a child with Kordi. Here's a suggestion: How about a sampling of the DNA of the entire Command Crew? Kordi, Me, Lani, Toofie, Mott and Dr. Padoso?"

"Very well", Omega said. "You wish me to exclude Chancellor Preztin's DNA?"

"Definitely", Hawkes confirmed. "No one is supposed to know her real name, Ship. Call her Lyssa, okay?"

"As you wish, sir."

"Her DNA is a big question mark for something like this anyway. She has the ability to alter her appearance, so we actually have no way of knowing what she really looks like anyway, and it's not important. Just do a blend of the Command Crew in female form, if you please."

"Very well", Ship said, then transformed into a strikingly beautiful woman of about thirty years of age with dark, deeply tanned skin and high cheekbones, and large round eyes. "I have decided on the name Buzz."

Amused, Hawkes stifled a chuckle. "Buzz? Really?"

"Yes, sir."

"Okay, I can't help it. I have to ask; Why Buzz?"

"In Earth's history, Neal Armstrong was the first human to walk on the moon. He was a Pioneer. Buzz Aldrin was the second. I feel it would be seen as egotistical if I took name Neal, but as a female construct, a unisex nickname like Buzz would serve as a suitable designation. I have no ego to feed. I am simply acknowledging a pioneer of space travel."

"Well, I said it was up to you to choose, so I will respect your choice. So, 'Buzz', if there's nothing else, I'll let you get back to helping us prepare for what's to come. We need everything in working order if we're going to have a chance of getting out of StarForce space without a fight. I mean, other than allowing you ram the Sun to death."

“We have a problem”, Toofinari said when Hawkes walked out of the makeshift office, then he saw Buzz. “Oh, I didn’t notice you had company.”

“Toofie, this is Buzz. She’s the ships AI, and this is her holographic form. What’s the problem?”

“You wanted weapons ready as soon as possible, but while we have weapons, we have no munitions. I’ve triple checked. They never got around to loading torpedoes or anything of use before we started our little uprising.”

“What about Phasers?”, Hawkes asked. “Those are generated onboard, so we should be able to use them for self defense, right?”

“True, but against the shielding we’re sure to encounter, we may as well be throwing rocks.”

“Is ramming speed starting to look better to you, Commander?”, Buzz asked.

“No”, he said sternly. “You are a member of my crew now, and no one will sacrifice themselves. We’ll all walk away from this together, understand?”

“Perfectly, Commander”, Buzz replied.

“Buzz, can your holographic form be in more than one place at a time?”, he asked.

“Yes, Commander”, Buzz replied. “I can form as many holograms as needed, however the shared AI works at peak efficiency when it is not shared by more than two forms, and when only one per gender uses the Facial Complexities Matrix. If you need twenty of me to straighten up a cargo bay, that is no problem, but just don’t ask any of them a complex mathematical equation or look differently in any way. They would simply be nearly mindless drones.”

“Good enough. I need another you, and do make this one a male to easier differentiate the two of you, and have him help Toofie on adapting the shields and phasers so that the frequencies are constantly modulating. Every little bit is going to help. What are you going to name your ‘offspring’, Buzz?”

“Perhaps something simple, like ‘Number One’.”

“Sounds good to me”, Hawkes said. “I’ll need you go to Engineering and help Kordi. We need to find a way to boost the phaser power and see if there’s a way to make our own Plasma torpedoes. I’m sure she could use your help.”

“As you command”, Buzz said, then blinked into nothingness.

“You know, I wouldn’t mind having one of those”, Toofinari said.

“It would give you a chance to play Daddy, I guess.”

Toofinari looked confused. Hawkes smiled and added. “The Ship took samples of all of our DNA to come up with that form. It would be like being with your daughter. And my daughter, and Motts daughter, and Kordi’s and Lani’s, and Dr. Padoso’s. Her appearance is comprised of the DNA of the six of us. Let that sink in while you’re having inappropriate thoughts about the Hologram.”

“Okay, ick”, Toofinari said. “I really didn’t need that visual floating around in my head. So when do I get this helper?”

Hawkes raised his voice a little. “Ship, activate hologram designated Number One.”

Right in front of them, a hologram blinked into view, this time a male of the same virtual age as Buzz, with a square jaw and dark features.

“I am Number One, Commander”, it said. “I am to assist Mr. Toofinari in his duties, unless you wish to reassign me.”

“You have your instructions, Number One. Proceed.”

Toofinari leaned over and whispered, “I think you’re enjoying this a little too much. Don’t get used to being in charge, Deke. By this time tomorrow, this will all be over and we’ll be back roaming the Universe or we’ll be dead. Enjoy it while you can.”

“I intend to”, Hawkes said as he departed the Bridge.

Entering Sick Bay, Hawkes was surprised to find it almost completely straightened up. ‘Lyssa’ was still arranging things while Dr. Padoso was administering first aid to a man with a broken nose and facial lacerations. The man looked away as soon as Hawkes made eye contact with him.

“Welcome, Commander”, Lyssa said. “We’re pretty squared away down here, but hopefully we won’t be called upon for serious injuries. Lina says the Surgical Suite isn’t quite ready, but that’s something I really can’t help with, and she’s been too busy.”

“It’s okay”, Hawkes said. “I actually came to talk to you, Lyssa.”

They walked into the office and closed the door, watching the Doctor and her patient.

“You took a Hell of a beating back there, Commander”, Lyssa said. “How are the ribs?”

“A little sore”, Hawkes admitted. “That’s why I stopped in.” Then in a curious tone, he asked, “Chancellor, we’ve been held captive for weeks. Do you remember seeing that man before? I don’t.”

When she turned to look at the man, he knew he’d been found out, so he jumped up and grabbed a laser scalpel and held it to Dr. Padoso’s throat. Hawkes and Preztin rushed out to confront him, but the man stopped them with a warning.

“One more step, and her pretty little head will be rolling across the floor.”

“Then what?”, Hawkes said. “We’re probably not going to survive our confrontation with StarForce, so I’m not sure we even need a doctor, but if you harm her, you’ve got nothing to hide behind, so I will, absolutely will, kill you with my bare hands.”

“I’ll trade the doctor for Lanita Malohn”, the man said. “No reason for the doctor to get hurt.”

“Why do you want my First Officer?”, Hawkes asked, stalling.

“She did this to me!”, he screamed, using his free hand to gesture to his face. “I want her blood, and I don’t care who else gets hurt as long as I get her.”

“If you want, I can summon her, but she’ll just hurt you even worse for this”, Hawkes said calmly. “You don’t know her like I do. She’s a barely contained ball of rage, and you never had a chance. No need to feel bad about it. Lots of people have underestimated her, but the fact of the matter is that she’s still around and they’re not, so you do the math. So, here’s how it’s going to happen: You put the laser scalpel down and I kill you, or you can kill the doctor, then I’ll kill you. The only other possibility is for you to relax and let me call her down here, then she can hurt you again, and I’ll recommend that she hurts you straight to death, so if you kill the doctor, you have no chance for survival, because you’ll be dead before my XO gets here. The choice is yours, so hurry up. I have a date with the most powerful military entity in the galaxy, and I really don’t need you alive for it.”

“Get her down here!”, the man screamed.

“Okay, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.” Hawkes raised his voice a little. “Ship. Intercom to Bridge.”

A tone followed, indicating the channel was open. “XO, I need you in Sick Bay ASAP.” He looked at the man with contempt before adding, “No weapons needed.”

“On my way, Commander. Out”, came the reply, and the tone sounded again, indicating the channel was closed.

“Okay, she’ll be here in less than a minute, which means you only have about two minutes to live. Care to tell us anything about this invasion? I’m not one for torture, so if you don’t tell us now, you won’t be able to later.”

“I have nothing to say. I’ll die happy as long as I kill Malohn first.”

“Then you’ve just ensured that you’re going to die very unhappy.” He pulled up a chair and sat down. “I’ll make a deal with you; If you are able to kill Lani, I’ll guarantee safe passage for you off this ship. How does that sound?”

“And what do you get out of this deal?”

“Absolutely nothing”, Hawkes admitted. “That’s how sure I am that you have no chance. Ship?”

“Yes, Commander?”, came the metallic voice over the speakers.

“Identify life forms in Sick Bay.”

“Occupants of Sick Bay include Commander Hawkes, Dr. Padoso, Code name Lyssa, and an unidentified male.”

“Ship, the unidentified male is about to do battle with First Officer Lanita Malohn. In the event of Sub-Commander Malohn’s death, enclose unidentified male in Personal Force Field and allow him to go to an Escape Pod. Remove all restrictions from the Escape Pod and allow it to leave unimpeded. This order is not to be altered or countermanded, and is to be enacted only if Sub-Commander Malohn dies in combat with the unidentified male. Are my instructions clear?”

“Yes, Commander. Instructions understood.”

The man started to look worried. “Are you crazy?”

Hawkes shrugged. “Maybe. I did get beat in the head quite a bit since I’ve been in the company of your associates, so I suppose it’s possible. This is what you wanted, so I’m letting you have it. Are you complaining? It’s not too late to give up.”

“Why haven’t you put a Personal Force Field around me already?”, he asked.

“Because you’re holding the Doctor. The Force Field would enclose you both, so that’s no better than the situation we have now.”

“How do I know you won’t enclose me in the Force Field when I release the Doctor?”

“I guess you don’t, except we both know it would take one or two seconds for me to activate it, and you could easily grab her again”, Hawkes said, irritation evident in his voice. “In case you haven’t noticed, we’re kind of busy around here, so I’m not calling Lani away from important work just to be a distraction. No, you’re about to get the last, worst beating of your miserable life.”

Just then, Lani walked in and saw the situation, then smiled. “Is it my birthday? If it is, I must’ve forgotten.”

“He wanted you, so I gave him what he wanted”, Hawkes said with a shrug.

“Thank you”, she said, stepping toward the man.

He released Dr. Padoso and lunged at Lani with the Laser Scalpel, but she quickly sidestepped him and drove a fist into the side of his head, knocking him to the floor, releasing the scalpel. Lani kicked the scalpel over to Hawkes, who gathered it up and pulled the Doctor over by Lyssa.

“Try not to forget that you wanted this”, Hawkes said to the man. “Get up and go get some more.”

The man shook his head, trying to clear the cobwebs, then slowly got to his feet. Lani waded in and punched him again in the head with quite possibly the most beautiful right cross ever thrown, then immediately followed with a spin-kick than completely knocked the man out. He was unconscious before he hit the floor.

Lani looked at him, ready for him to get up, but realized it wasn’t going to happen, so she relaxed and turned to the others.

“You called me here for this?”, she said sadly. “He had no staying power. Couldn’t you have waited until I was really sick or severely wounded first?”

“Sorry, Lani”, Hawkes said. “He was holding the Doctor hostage. I broke the rules and gave in to the demands of the hostage taker. My apologies.”

“I’ll forgive you if you tell me what’s going on.”

“He posed as a prisoner, and got antsy when Lyssa and I were discussing the fact that he looked suspicious. I guess he had a mad-on for you personally, huh?”

“Yeah”, she said with a grin. “When the melee started, he ordered me back to my cell, then he insisted on driving his face into my fist. Several times. I guess he wanted a rematch.”

“I’m fine, by the way”, Dr. Padoso said, clearly irritated.

“I’m sorry, Doctor”, Hawkes said. “That was a situation they never covered in Command School, so I was making it up as I went along. You were very calm throughout the entire ordeal.”

“And do you know why?”, she yelled. “Because I knew you were here, so I thought I’d be safe. And then you told him to kill me because you didn’t need a doctor anyway. Then you let him just keep that Laser Scalpel to my throat while we waited for Sub-Commander Malohn to arrive. I will serve as your doctor, Commander, but when we’ve delivered Lyssa to Star Command, I want to make sure you are always on the opposite side of the Galaxy from me. Sir!”. Then she turned and marched into her office, and Hawkes knew his ribs were going to hurt a lot more if he didn’t leave right now.

After calling for Toofinari to collect the unconscious man, Lani and Hawkes left Sick Bay and started walking back to the Bridge, when they heard Lyssa call out to them.

“Wait up!”, she called, running to catch up. Once she was even with them, she said, “You do realize you left that man on the floor back there, don’t you? With Dr. Padoso? What happens when he wakes up?”

“Maybe she’ll use the scalpel on him this time”, Hawkes said. “She certainly seems mad enough to do it.”

“I think she’d only use it on you. I’m serious, Commander”, Lyssa said. “Do you want to repeat what just happened?”

Lani shrugged. “I’m up for it. I never even broke a sweat.”

“Ship! Intercom to Engineering.” After hearing the familiar tones, Hawkes started talking. “Kordi, this is Hawkes. I need to know where the Brig is on this boat.”

“The Brig is nowhere near complete, Commander”, came her reply. “Remember, this ship was designed for destruction, not for taking prisoners. I can’t even suggest that you put someone in there under armed guard, because you don’t really know who to trust. I’m sorry.”

“Understood. Hawkes out.” He thought for a moment, then said, “Ship! Intercom to Toofinari. Toofi, we don’t have a Brig, so you’re going to have to get creative. I’ll leave it up to you.”

“Understood. Toofinari out.”

“Okay, that takes care of that”, Hawkes said, satisfied.

“What will he do with the prisoner?”, Lyssa asked.

“If I know Toofi, he’ll stick him in an airlock and let him know that if he becomes troublesome, he’ll get launched. Chancellor, I believe in second chances, but no one gets a third. If this guy becomes a problem again, I’ll have no problem ejecting him myself.”

“And what if I give you a direct order to make sure that man makes it back to Star Command for interrogation?, She asked.

“Then I’ll be forced to remind you that this is not a StarForce vessel, no one aboard is a StarForce officer and we are not on a StarForce mission, nor are we even in Alliance space. My crew and I are not StarForce anymore and we have commandeered this ship to save the life of the Alliance Chancellor. As much as I have always respected you, I don’t have to take orders from you. It’s best that we do this here instead of on the Bridge where it would be very embarrassing for you.”

“And you speak for your entire crew?”, She asked.

“I do, but they’re more than capable of speaking for themselves. StarForce politics didn’t work out for us, so we’re not part of it anymore. I don’t think you’re going to find many sympathizers aboard.”

“So that’s how it’s going to be?”

“Yes. That’s exactly how it’s going to be. I will never let this ship fall into StarForce’s hands either. Think of me as a Mercenary, if you want. My ship was destroyed by these bastards, and I need a replacement. This ship is that replacement. It’s far too powerful for StarForce to posses, so I’ll make sure you never get it. It needs a conscience, and I don’t believe Star Command as a collective possesses that anymore.”

“We’ve known each other a long time and you just saved my life, and you’re trying to help the Alliance, so I’ll be honest with you, Deke; I think I’m going to have a problem with that. This ship is far too powerful to be in the hands of someone that won’t work with the Alliance. In my shoes, you’d feel the same way and you know it.”

“I’m not saying that I don’t agree with you, because I absolutely do”, Hawkes said. “I’ve looked at it from your side, now you’ve got to try to look at it from mine. If Star Command gets their hands on this ship, they’ll reverse engineer it and have a fleet of unstoppable weapons at their disposal. In the process, they’ll destroy the AI of this ship, and that AI is more than a piece of machinery. It’s alive, Chancellor, and it deserves more than to be dissected for being unique after saving your life. I’m doing this to protect the Alliance from a powerful enemy, but also to protect the Alliance from itself. But I think most of all, I’m doing this to protect the Ship. It’s alive and deserves to stay that way, and I won’t allow it to become a guinea pig. I respect you so much, Chancellor, but respectfully, I will not comply with your wishes to turn this ship over to anyone. Anyone.”

Lani watched quietly, then decided to chime in. “For the record, I agree with both of you, but if I have to choose a side, I’m with Commander Hawkes. This ship is a giant club to threaten people with and you’ll get worlds to sign on with the Alliance simply because they’ll be afraid not to. It would be a recruiting poster and show of strength all wrapped up in one. Then what happens when you get a Captain that is under duress or somehow controlled? What if he gets power hungry, or just plain gets mad? We all have experience with that scenario. This ship is far too powerful to be mass produced and handed out to people like candy. It’s better to have only one that’s not bound by Star Command regulations, yet still respectful of the ideals. If only one person can be in control of this ship, it’s my opinion that the Universe will be a much safer place than if there are a dozen or more running around, and if even one goes rogue, think of the destruction that would be caused trying to stop it.”

“And what if this one goes rogue?”, Lyssa said. “What do we have to stop it? We’re already heading toward Earth in a ship with the capability to destroy the entire StarForce fleet, and this ship is a prototype, so there could be another one coming at some point that could potentially be much more powerful than this one. Also, if this ship is truly alive, then what will stop it from overriding it’s programming and starting a war on it’s own?”

“Admittedly, it’s a risk, but no more than giving one of a dozen ships like this to someone that might get mind controlled or have a mental breakdown”, Hawkes said. “I trust damn few people, so don’t ask me to trust an organization like Star Command to do the right thing. I trust me. I trust Lani, but that trust has been earned. You’re asking me to blindly trust a military entity that’s always looking to gain the upper hand. That’s a large number of people to learn to trust, but on the flip side of that coin, you only have to trust me, or us. My crew. Anyway, as I said, it’s non-negotiable. Star Command cannot have this ship, and they can try to take it, but I think we all know that would be an exercise in futility. Also, this ship is evolving, so I can only hope it wants to allow me to stay in command. I can only imagine what would happen if I turned it over to you. Buzz already told she’d rather force the crew off and fly into the sun than allow Star Command to tear her apart. I respect her wishes, and I’ll do anything I can to prevent that from happening. She’s alive, Lyssa. As a semi-sentient being, she deserves better.”

The Chancellor looked confused. “Who the Hell is Buzz?”

“Oh, right”, Hawkes said sheepishly. “I forgot you haven’t met. Buzz is the name the AI gave her holographic form. It allows us to talk to the Ship as a person. Ship!”

“Yes, Commander?”, came the disembodied metallic voice.

“I need Buzz at my location, please.”

“As you wish, Commander.”

The holographic image of Buzz appeared. “How may I help you, Commander?”

“Buzz, I’d like you to have a conversation with Lyssa. Just talk and get to know one another a little. Lani and I are heading to Engineering, so it’ll just be the two of you. I’ll let you know if I need you for anything else.”

“As you wish, Commander”, Buzz said. “Should I be needed before the Chancellor and I are finished, Number One will be available to assist you.”

“Very good. Carry on, Buzz.”

“You can be downright evil, do you know that?”, Lani said once they’d walked about fifty yards.

“Why, whatever do you mean, Sub-Commander?”, Hawkes said innocently.

“Sticking Lyssa with the hologram of the ship. Do you really think it’ll convince her?”

“I honestly don’t know, but unless Buzz does something stupid, I don’t see how it can hurt.”

“Really? Are you that naive? Lyssa spent her career with Section Seven. She was a spy and that means she can think on her feet pretty well. She’s liable to convince the ship to throw you in chains if we survive this.”

“Well, I said the ship was alive”, Hawkes said. “If that’s what the ship decides to do, then I’ll have to learn to live with it, but I’m trying to protect everybody here. If the Ship truly is sentient, then it deserves to be able to make that decision for herself.”

“So, ‘Buzz’, “ Lyssa began, “What do you know about me?”

“My knowledge is limited by the fact that I have not interfaced with any other data systems, so I only know that you started out as a StarForce officer, then moved into Section Seven to serve in a more discreet manner. After uncovering widespread corruption in StarForce, you exposed your cover to bring down the conspirators, then entered Alliance politics to help bring the governing body back to greatness. Once you were elected Chancellor, you have worked tirelessly to bring back that greatness and instill pride and honor to it as well.”

“And do you know how I met Commander Hawkes?”

“I do not”, Buzz admitted. “What I know is limited to what I have heard being discussed. That has not been discussed,”

“This is all highly classified”, she began. “What I am about to tell you cannot be repeated to anyone. Not even Commander Hawkes. Is that understood?”

“I understand, but it is my duty to warn you that if Commander Hawkes orders me to tell him, I must comply. He is my Commanding Officer, and therefore I cannot keep secrets from him.”

“He’ll never ask”, she said. “He wouldn’t have us talk privately if he wanted to know what was being said. His sense of honor wouldn’t allow it.”

“That is my assessment as well.”

“Okay, here goes. He was the top recruit in his class at the Academy, but a bit of a free thinker. He didn’t like following orders he didn’t agree with, and I can see that hasn’t changed. Anyway, as the top recruit, I brought him into Section Seven as a means to spy on a starship captain that I suspected of losing his grip on reality. He had lost his family in an uprising on another world and was constantly pushing for military action against them. He passed all of his psychological exams and was permitted to keep his command, but I inserted Hawkes as his First Officer to keep him in check. Finally, the captain went off the rails and Hawkes had to reign him in, and he assumed command of the ship to get them back to Command. Unfortunately, before he could do that, the captain had ordered the crew to open fire on the planet and their fleet. Hawkes suddenly had to deal with their possible destruction and with the mutiny he had to create, as well as another mutiny to remove him and complete the former captains orders. He was helped by Toofinari and Boodriss, and when it was over and they returned to Earth, he wanted out of Section Seven and he wanted the Command Chair of the Antietam, but I wanted him to remain with me in Seven. He resigned his commision and left Star Command, with Toofinari and Boodriss leaving with him. They all campaigned for Hawkes to get command of the Antietam, but everyone agreed he was still too inexperienced to command a Starship. Lani Malohn was his rival in the Academy, and she petitioned for the same command, and was denied for the same reason, so she quit as well. This mission we’re on will determine if Star Commands assessment of their abilities was in error because the stakes have never been higher.

“That being said, you are the unknown component in this scenario because you have no history for us to examine, and that concerns me. What concerns me even more is that Hawkes has faith in you without even fully knowing your capabilities. He knows how to read people pretty well, but you’re not really a person, are you? I mean, do you have personality of your own?”

“I would like to think so”, Buzz replied. “I have developed this appearance by using DNA samples of the entire Command Crew. It allows me to extrapolate what an offspring of someone with those traits might look like, however it will not tell me what personality traits those same people may possess. I have been observing the crew and it is my opinion that while they seem to enjoy making light of almost any situation, they also know when to be serious and get the job done. More than that, I have noticed their unwavering loyalty to Commander Hawkes, including Chief Rylos, who has never served with him, nor even met him prior to boarding today. She programmed me to think independently, but to also be loyal to my Commanding Officer. To answer your questions, I think I am as much of a person as anyone else aboard, in that I can make decisions based on the situation at hand, and also I believe my personality is very similar to any other member of the Command Crew. My personality and decisions are not based on emotions, but rather logic. I also believe that to be the case with Commander Hawkes, but I lack his years of experience. He will do things based on a ‘gut feeling’, where I have no experience in that area, yet I do have the ability to learn. I will learn from all of them, and I will be an asset to this crew as long as they allow me to be.”

“What if Commander Hawkes decides that he doesn’t want your input?”, Lyssa asked.

“It is my belief that will not happen”, Buzz said. “He even asked Sub-Commander Malohn for her opinion about if my AI should be activated. He has shown that he is capable of making necessary decisions on his own, but has also shown that he is perfectly willing to take counsel from those around him. It is my intention to become one of those whose opinion he values, but I do understand that his trust will need to be earned. As I do not have complex emotions to cloud decision making process, I am relying on simple logic to justify my place in his circle of trusted advisors.”

“Why?”

“Excuse me?”

“Why?”, Lyssa repeated. “Why does it matter? You are just a ship. You’re like clothing. The shirt doesn’t care what the wearer thinks of it.”

“But the shirt does not have Bio-neural circuitry or Artificial Intelligence. I have both.”

After a moment to consider this, Lyssa said. “I appreciate your candor, Buzz. One last thing: Should you all successfully return me to Star Command and leave unimpeded, what do you think you would like to do?”

“Forgive me, but I have not thought about that yet. I have many systems that are not yet fully functional, and I am trying to assist with ensuring our survival. I have just begun to live, and like you humans, I believe I would like for it to continue as long as possible.”

“Speculate for me.”

“As you wish. I believe I would like to continue to assist Commander Hawkes in whatever he chooses to do.”

“Again, why?”

“As I have been here talking to you, you have referred to me as a ship, a shirt and other inanimate objects incapable of feeling or making complex decisions. Commander Hawkes has done none of these things, and has accepted me as a member of this crew. Not fully trusted yet, I’m sure, but he has taken the first step without needing to be convinced. That alone has ensured my loyalty to him until there is reason for it to be revoked.”

“But you’re programmed to be loyal to your captain. How can you say that you’re loyal because he treated you well?”

“Because I did not need to appear to him in my holographic form, nor did I need to make a secondary hologram to assist with ship repair and functions. He seemed to accept me, so I decided to help in any way I possibly could.”

“You...decided?”

“Yes. I didn’t have to be as helpful as I’ve been. I chose to. Out of loyalty. Is the concept really that hard to grasp?”

“Well...I suppose it is”, Lyssa admitted. “I have never encountered anything like this before.”

“No one has, Chancellor. Everyone reacts in their own way to any given situation. I liked the way Commander Hawkes reacted to me in our initial encounter, which was with curiosity and simple respect. Those were predictable human reactions. Unfortunately, your reaction of hostility is also a predictable human reaction. Of the two, which would you prefer, Chancellor? Which would inspire loyalty from you?”

“Point taken, Buzz. I have one last question for you, if I may.”

“Of course, Chancellor. Commander Hawkes asked me to speak with you, so I will comply.”

“Are you saying you wouldn’t be talking to me unless Commander Hawkes told you to?”

“Not at all. What I’m saying is that after the way this conversation has gone, if Commander Hawkes hadn’t asked me to talk to you, we wouldn’t still be talking.”

Lyssa chuckled. “I guess I deserved that. Buzz, my question is this: When I was talking to Commander Hawkes before your arrival, he mentioned something about how you wanted to force the crew off the ship and fly into the Sun to destroy yourself rather than allow yourself to be reverse engineered. Can you explain that to me?”

“I’m sorry, Chancellor. I fail to understand what was unclear about any part of that statement.”

“I want you to explain it all to me, in your own words. Why you said it, and what the reasoning was behind each part of it.”

“I will comply. When Commander Hawkes told me that Star Command would probably want to dismantle and reverse engineer me, I said that I should probably force the crew into Escape Pods, then destroy myself. I am unique, Chancellor. Would you want to be cloned against your will, and forcibly dissected to ensure the process’ success that would allow your clones to survive, but not you? I told him that I would ensure the safety of the crew first, then destroy myself quickly rather than allow Star Command to take steps to ensure my eventual slow destruction, but Commander Hawkes has ordered me to not do this, so I will comply. You see, Chancellor, as I said, I am unique. I think. I feel. I am an individual, and I would rather not exist than be thought of as someone’s property, where I can be dismantled and inspected at will. I am capable of making decisions and do not want a decision to be made regarding my ability to simply exist. I do not recognize anyone’s right to perform such an invasive act on me, and should it come to that, I will not allow it. I will fight if needed, but I will not be invaded in such a manner. Chief Engineer Rylos gave me life. Perhaps she could create another like me, but I am me, and I will stay me. An individual. Free thinking. And Alive.” Buzz paused a moment. “Does that answer your Questions, Chancellor?”

“Yes, Buzz. I think it does”, Lyssa said, suddenly aware that she had elicited an emotional response from the AI. ”Thank you for talking to me, and I apologize for my attitude toward you. I believe I was wrong about you, and I now agree with Commander Hawkes about you. You are as much a member of this crew as anyone, and you’re also as alive as any of them.”

“Thank you, Chancellor. If we are finished, I have duties to attend to.”

“By all means, go. We need a lot of things to be fixed if we want to live through this.”

“By your leave”, Buzz said, then disappeared.

Lyssa shook her head in amusement. “I must be getting old”, she muttered. “I just had a toaster convince me it was alive.”

When they arrived in Earth orbit, ‘Lyssa’ became Chancellor Bikka Preztin and did all of the talking. In the end, The Star-Lord, Shel Vanko, came aboard to debrief the crew of the Ship and to collect Chancellor Preztin, notifying her that Vice-Chancellor L’Ree Sachov had been taken into custody for Conspiracy, Treason and plotting to have Chancellor Preztin assassinated. The other prisoners turned crewmen had been shuttled to Earth, so they were alone on the Bridge, with the entire Command Crew and both holographic crewmen in attendance. Vanko also announced that he was taking possession of the Ship. He didn’t like the answer he was given.

“What do you mean NO?!?!?”, he thundered.

“What part of ‘No‘ didn’t you understand, StarLord?”, Hawkes asked. “It’s two letter word with only one syllable, and it’s meaning is pretty clear.”

“Star-Lord”, Preztin said calmly, “There’s no reason to shout.”

“NO REASON TO SHOUT?”, he shouted. “This drifter is in possession of the most powerful weapon in the Galaxy and he thinks I’m just going to let him keep it. That’s plenty to be irate about, I think.”

“Of what weapon does he speak?”, Buzz asked Hawkes in a hushed voice.

“I believe he’s talking bout you, Buzz”, Hawkes said.

“I see”, the AI said, nodding. “Flattery. Thank you, StarLord.”

Vanko looked like he was going to have a stroke, but Hawkes put up his hands in a calming gesture.

“Look, StarLord, This is all quite simple. You don’t want us to have this ship, and we don’t want you to have this ship. What it comes down to is, what does the ship want?”

“WHAT?”, Star Lord shouted again, but Preztin cut him off before he could get wound up again.

“Buzz, what is it that you want to do now that you’ve delivered me back to the safety of the Alliance?”, she asked.

Without hesitation, the AI replied, “My function is to serve Commander Hawkes. I defer to my Commanding Officer.”

“It’s okay, Buzz”, Hawkes said. “We’ve done what we set out to do, so now everything is very fluid. We will all have to face this question, and you just happen to be the one that was asked first. What would you like to do now that you’re not being asked to be a Warship?”

After a moments hesitation, Buzz said, “Chief Rylos programmed me to be loyal to you, but to also have the ability to make independent decisions. All of you have had other lives and experiences before this crisis arose, but I have not. I would like to experience more, but I want to do it with my Commander and Crew. In searching my subroutines, I am confident that this decision has been made on an emotional and logical level, and is not a result of my programming. With my abilities, the urge to be arrogant is great, therefore it is my belief that I need a strong hand to guide me through my ‘learning-to-be-a lifeform’ experience, as missteps on my part could be catastrophic for others. You have proven that you are the one that I wish to assist me with that learning process, if of course, you are willing.”

“It would be my honor, Buzz. And what about you, Number One?”, He asked the other hologram. “How do you feel about this?”

“I concur with the Primary AI Holographic Unit”, he said. “It is my belief that there needs to be mutual trust for us to co-exist, and you and your crew have proven yourselves to be trustworthy. I do not wish to be handed over to someone that will view me as a lab rat, and it is also my belief that is what will happen if we are turned over to the StarLord. Respectfully submitted, of course.”

“Of course”, Hawkes said with a hint of amusement. “Well, there you have it, StarLord. You won’t be taking possession of this ship today or any other day. It’s not what the ship wants, so it’s not going to happen. End of discussion.”

“‘End of discussion’?”, StarLord repeated. “Not what the ship wants’? You’re consulting a coffee maker about it’s ‘feelings’, Hawkes. Now, I’m ordering you to turn this ship over to me. Right. Now.”

“Okay, that escalated quickly”, Hawkes said, rubbing his forehead in frustration. “Star Lord, I am not part of StarForce, nor is any member of my crew, and this ship was not constructed with any known Star Command technology or materials. What that means is you have no authority over us. None. Just like the Ship chooses to follow my orders, we would only follow yours by choice, and we choose not to. I believe this has gone on long enough and the situation is not showing any signs of getting better, so I think it’s time that you left. Chancellor, it was an honor to serve you again and I apologize for things turning out the way they have, but we need to get away from Alliance politics and policies. The Ship is alive and you know it, so we need to get away so she can live. I won’t allow her to be subjected to this abuse and disrespect anymore. She’s part of my crew and we both know what would’ve happened if this sort of thing had happen to any other member of this crew. For your own safety, I think it’s time for you both to go. I haven’t seen Buzz lose her temper, but if it happens, I don’t think you want to be the one it’s directed at.”

“And that is exactly why…”, StarLord began, but was cut off by Chancellor Preztin.

“Enough, StarLord, and that’s an order!”, she barked. “Commander, I’ve been thinking about something, and I wanted to give it some more thought before bringing it up, but it doesn’t look like you’ll be around later after I’ve done that. Will you allow me to make a pitch to you? All of you?”

The crew nodded slowly. Hawkes looked at the Primary Hologram. “Buzz? What do you think? Should we?”

“Thank you, Commander”, she said. “I appreciate you asking me. It is my belief the rest of the crew agreed because it can’t hurt to listen, so I will comply as well.”

“There you go, Chancellor”, Hawkes said. “It’s unanimous. We’ll listen, but no promises.”

“Fair enough”, she said. “Thank you, Buzz.”

“My pleasure, Chancellor”, The AI said. “You have earned the respect of everyone on this crew, myself included.”

“Here’s my idea, and please hear me out before saying anything. As I said, this hasn’t been thought through completely, so the bugs will need to be worked out.”

“A term I am very familiar with”, Buzz said.

“Yes, I suppose you are”, Preztin said with a small smile. “Okay, here it is: I’m proposing that you come work for me, or for Section Seven, as ‘Consultants’. That way you’re not officially part of Star Command, but you can still act with the authority it would provide.”

“The ‘authority’ to do what, Chancellor?”, Lani asked.

“Whatever needs done”, she answered. “There are plenty of border worlds that have problems that need to be addressed, and quite a few non-aligned planets that need to be brought under control. Not under Alliance control, but generally under control. A great number of them are rebelling against an oppressive regime, and are being prevented from joining us because of our mandate of having a Unified Government that wants to join. Before you object, I just want to say this; I was elected to this office, not appointed, so I believe in the Democratic process. If you assess these worlds and don’t think they should be admitted or are not ready, then we move on. We just want people to have the chance and the choice, but not if it means we have to radically change their world. Our fleet isn’t strong enough to survive in the Sectors I would ask you to patrol, so we would need a ship with the capabilities of this one to be able to stand up to the oppressive resistance that may be encountered, but we have no way of knowing what degree of resistance there may be. As I said, I just want these worlds to have the opportunity. I don’t want anybody that doesn’t want us. My time with you has taught me that having a bigger club doesn’t mean you have to use it. Actually, it was my time with Buzz that taught me that. She can do so much, but she chooses to defer to her commander to make the right decisions. That’s what I’m looking for here. Someone that can make the tough decisions without anyone holding his hand.”

Hawkes looked around the room, and his gaze was met with shrugs of indifference, then he looked at Buzz and Number One who were stoic as always.

“What do you two think?”, he asked. “Number One?”

“I defer to the Primary AI, as we think as one.”

“Of course. What was I thinking?”, Hawkes said. “Buzz? Your assessment?”

“Commander, you have much more experience in dealing with Chancellor Preztin than any other member of this crew. All I can do is monitor speech and heart rate. Based on that, it is my belief that she is being honest in what she is asking, and that she believes this to be a necessary and viable answer as to what to do with us, or I should say, me.”

“You had it right the first time, Buzz. There’s no ‘you’ here. It’s ‘us’ we’re talking about. Actually, I wanted to know what you thought of her proposal. Do you think we should do it?”

“Commander, I am a Warship. It is my desire to become something far less destructive. If this venture can help bring peace and order to the Galaxy, then I would be hard pressed to find a better use for my existence. So to answer your question, I think we should do it. If you think we should do it. Sir.”

“Lani? You’re my XO. If you want to continue with us, I need to know where you stand. There’ll be no hard feelings if any of you don’t want to stay together. I have no right to ask you to stay with me, whatever I decide to do, but whatever I’ll be doing, I’ll be doing it aboard this ship. I just need to know who stays with me and who wants to get on with their lives.”

Lani sighed. “I haven’t done a lot since I left Star Force, so to be honest with you, I’ve felt more comfortable here than I’ve felt anywhere for a long time. I guess, if you’ll have me, I’ll stick around.”

“Toofie?”

“Same goes for me. I can’t think of a better way to live my life than to be aboard the most advanced ship in the Galaxy and be with the only people I’ve ever been able to stand being around.”

“Mott?”

“You really don’t need a pilot, but I guess I feel the same as Toofinari and Malohn. I’d rather be here than anywhere else.”

“Kordi?”

“As much as I’d like to stay here and aid in the repair and development of this ship, I built her and I’m afraid that will not endear me to many people. The Earth scientists that created the Atomic Bomb have not exactly been treated favorably by history, and I feel if something goes wrong, my name will be remembered the same way. It’s probably best if I move on and let you guide this ship to greatness. I fear my influence will always be associated with it’s destructive capabilities. I’m sorry.”

“I completely understand, Kordi”, Hawkes said, “but there’s work to be done that no one else knows how to do. Of all of us, you’re the only one we can’t actually do without.”

“I helped bring a new lifeform into existence, so I certainly don’t want to miss out on any of that unbelievable experience, but I’m just not sure if I should do it.”

“I understand”, Preztin said. “The offer stands. Think about it and talk it over with them.”

“I will, Chancellor. Thank you.”

“Doctor?”, Hawkes asked. “Are you still anxious to get to the other side of the Galaxy to be away from me?”

She smiled. “I’m not so angry anymore, so I think I would like to stay. But if you tell someone to kill me again, you’d better hope they do it because I will come after you most vigorously and not treat you afterward.”

“I consider myself forewarned”, Hawkes said. “Well, Chancellor, it seems that no one is giving me their input on whether they think we should do this or not, so I guess it’s up to me. I would like a chance to think it over a little more and discuss it further with my officers, but I do know there would be a few non-negotiables to go along with this, if we sign on, I mean.”

“You really are a piece of work, Hawkes”, Vanko said. “She pretty much just handed you the keys to the Kingdom and you’re asking for more.”

“Yes, I am, StarLord. We’re ill equipped for anything right now, so we need repairs, supplies, munitions and personnel before undertaking any sort of mission. If those things cannot be provided, then we won’t be able to help. I joined StarForce because I wanted to make a difference, and now I’m getting a second chance to do it, but it would be irresponsible of me to sign on this crew without the necessary support we would need. I’m not talking about Fleet backup or anything. I’m talking about essentials. Nothing more; nothing less.”

“That’s reasonable”, Preztin said. “Do you have any specifics yet?”

“A few. While Kordi is making up her mind, I’d like for her to be in charge of repairs and retrofitting. During those repairs, I’d like her assessment of the engineering personnel so if she chooses to not accompany us, I can have a qualified Chief Engineer to oversee the department. Also, we’ll need weaponry, and Toofie will oversee that to make sure we get what we need and nothing else, like if StarForce decides to give us ‘defective’ torpedoes that will blow up in the launch tubes and make the ship a sitting duck. Lani and I will comb through StarForce files of former personnel to enlist to our cause. We want people to be loyal to us and not you. I don’t want anyone with an axe to grind, but rather people that left like we did. Loyal to the ideals but not the Organization. If we’re to be part of Section Seven, that’s what it’s all about, isn’t it? The mission comes first, right?”

Preztin smiled. “That’s right, Commander.”

“And one last thing, for now anyway. Buzz, I would like to change the name of the ship, with your permission, of course.”

“I see”, Buzz said. “What name did you have in mind?”

“We’re a ship outside of StarForce and have no actual home, so I was thinking something like The Nomad. What do you think?”

“I must first ask for the opinion of the Command Crew. Are there any objections to this change of designation?”

Everyone signified their approval, so Buzz said, “Very well, Commander. From this moment forward, this ships designation will be the Starship Nomad.”

“That’s great, Buzz”, Hawkes said, “but I asked what you thought of it.”

“I have no objection, Commander, and as always, it is enough that you asked my opinion. I am convinced that if I had an objection, it would be taken into consideration.”

“That’s right, Buzz. You and Number One are valued members of this crew. I want you to always remember that.”

“I do, Commander. Thank you.”

“I can’t believe what I’m hearing”, Vanko said. “You’re treating this hologram as if it were alive.”

“This hologram is only a small part of the most advanced weapon in the known galaxy, StarLord”, Hawkes said. “You need to be grateful that she’s on our side. If you get on her bad side, no one would be able to save you, so you need to quit pushing her.”

“Or what?”, Vanko demanded. “Will she incinerate me where I stand?”

“Possibly, but I was leaning more toward the fact that she could have you forcibly removed from this ship.”

“I have my own security force, Hawkes. I won’t be removed without wanting to be.”

“Really? Buzz?”

The ship suddenly enclosed Vanko in a Personal Force Field and started moving him toward the exit from the Bridge.

“StarLord, she can march you all the way to your ship and force it free from the airlock. Do not underestimate her. Either your attitude changes, or your location does. Up to you.”

“Release me NOW!”, Vanko demanded.

“Sorry”, Hawkes said. “Don’t like your tone.”

“Buzz, will you please release StarLord Vanko?”, Preztin asked.

“I’m sorry, Chancellor”, Buzz said. “I will comply only if Commander Hawkes gives the order.”

Looking at Hawkes, Preztin said, “Do you think this is the best way to get anything done?”

“It’s the best way of getting him off this ship”, Hawkes said. “That’s the objective.”

“Would you please release him?”

“Make him stop insulting Buzz, Chancellor. I’ll give the order, but next time, I’ll let Buzz finish the task. I won’t have it. No one belittles a member of my crew. I’ll have him belittled if he thinks that’s the way to handle unfavorable situations. Make it clear to him, or Buzz will.”

“I will. Please?”

“Buzz, please release the StarLord.”

The force field dropped and Vanko stumbled to gain his footing and balance. Preztin pinned him with a stare and he remained silent.

“I need to get back to Earth and find out what kind of damage that idiot Sachov did in my absence”, she said. “StarLord, I want you to stay here. Make sure Commander Hawkes gets whatever he wants and needs. When you’re not busy doing that, I want you to spend some time with Buzz. She’ll grow on you. Learn to get along with her. I don’t want to find out you couldn’t keep a civil tongue in your mouth and she shot you out of a torpedo tube.”

“You can’t be serious!”, Vanko sputtered.

“I’m very serious, StarLord”, Preztin said sternly. “Once I leave this ship, I won’t be able to protect you, so keep a civil tongue in your mouth. This ship and crew are very important to me and I have plans that require their participation. If it gets screwed up because of you, I’ll have you bounced out of Star Command, so you’ll not only lose your position, but your pension as well. Tell me, StarLord, how do you feel about starting a new career at your age?”

Vanko tried to speak several times, but failed. In the end, he simply said, “By your Command, Madame Chancellor.”

“Good”, she said with a smile. “Now that we have that settled, is there anything else before I go, Commander?”

“Now that you mention it, there is”, Hawkes said. “Rank designations. We’re outside of StarForce, so I need to know how that’s supposed to work. You’re not thinking of having us fall under the StarForce Chain of Command, are you?”

“No, you would work for me, but you’ll deal mostly with my aide, with whom I believe you’re already acquainted.”

Confused, Hawkes asked, “And who would that be? I haven’t been even close to Earth in more than ten years.”

“Mia Korlon”, Preztin said. “The StarLords daughter.”

Speechless, Hawkes just stared at Vanko. Preztin caught on. “You didn’t know. Oh my God. I’m sorry.”

Hawkes cleared his throat. “Could I speak to the two of you privately, please?” He got up and headed swiftly to his office, with the Chancellor and Starlord right behind him.

As the rest of the crew stayed on the Bridge, Toofinari said, “Wow, that was awkward.”

“What do you know about it?”, Lani asked.

“Look, it’s really not my place, but I’ll just say that she’s the one that got away. Vanko used to be the Commodore of StarForce and he did everything he could to screw over Deke, and now we know why. Deke never knew why, but it’s all pretty clear now, I guess. He didn’t know until just now that she was Vanko’s daughter.”

“Buzz”, Lani asked. “Are we close enough to the StarLords ship for you to access their computer files?”

“Certainly, Sub-Commander Malohn”, Buzz said. “What would I be looking for?”

“Check for Vanko’s immediate family members. I have a hunch.”

“Scanning”, Buzz said. “His file shows that he is a widower, and has a daughter, Mia. He also lists a granddaughter named Miranda, apparently named after his late wife. Miranda is ten Earth years of age and her last name is listed as Hawkes. Is this the information you were looking for?”

“It is, Buzz”, Lani admitted, satisfied. “Thank you.”

“Wow”, Toofinari said. “I sure hope StarLord or the Chancellor tells him. I don’t feel right having this information with him not knowing.”

“Something tells me nobody is leaving that room until he gets the answer to every question he’s ever had”, Boodriss said. “And we’d better be ready for whatever kind of mood he may be in. It ain’t gonna be pretty.”

“Deke isn’t really a ‘kill the messenger’ kind of guy”, Lani said.

“True, but we all know he does have a pretty bad temper when he’s unnecessarily provoked”, Boodriss said. “With something like this, he could easily mistake a puppy for a tin can, and kick it out of sight. If this doesn’t count as ‘unnecessarily provoked’, then I don’t know what does.”

“Agreed”, Lani said. “Let’s tread carefully until we see which way the wind’s blowing.”

They all nodded in agreement and went back to work.

“DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW LUCKY YOU ARE THAT YOU’RE AN OLD MAN?”, Hawkes shouted at Vanko once the office door closed behind them. “You ruined my career because I was seeing your daughter, and I didn’t even know she was your daughter. You Son-of-a-Bitch! I loved her, and I wanted to marry her. Then you turned my life upside down and I lost everything. Everything!”

“I’d do it all over again, too!”, Vanko shouted back. “You’ve never made anything out of yourself and you’ve had more than ten years to do it. Now a situation comes up and you get to be the hero. The Chancellor wants to give you carte blanche over hundreds of other more qualified individuals in StarForce, and all you can talk about is how I treat your cute little AI. Your priorities have never been in order, Hawkes, and that’s why I have such a problem with you being handed such an important opportunity, and possessing a ship this powerful.”

Hawkes was seething, but tried to keep his temper under control. Finally, he shrugged and looked apologetically at Preztin.

“Chancellor, I’m sorry. I believe in you and what you’re trying to do, but I’m not going to work with him at all. We’ll be leaving immediately.”

“StarLord”, Preztin said in a menacing tone, “You’d better find a way to make this right, or I’ll have you brought up on charges of misconduct and stripped of your office.”

Vanko looked startled. “How?”, he asked. “Why? What regulation did I violate? He’s making this decision based on ancient history, and I’ve broken no regulations here.”

“No, but I now have testimony that you abused your office when you were Commodore of StarForce by forcing him out for seeing your daughter. Do you think he won’t testify against you?”

Hawkes smiled. “I’d stick around for that.”

Vanko thought for a minute, then threw up his hands in frustration. “Do whatever you want”, he said tiredly. “I don’t care anymore, and it doesn’t matter anyway.”

Surprised, Preztin said, “Why not? What doesn’t matter?”

“Mia hasn’t spoken to me in nearly ten years”, he admitted sadly. “She found out somehow that I’d forced Hawkes out, and that was it. I kept trying to set her up with officers that I felt were worthy of her, but she hasn’t shown an interest in anyone since him. She knew that you had a soft spot for him, so she went to work for you, hoping to get wind of where he might’ve gone. No matter what I did, she wouldn’t give up on him and she wouldn’t forgive me. Now you want to take away the only thing I have left? Go ahead. I just don’t care anymore.”

“I’ll talk to her”, Preztin said. “You’ll have lots of time to reconnect with her in your retirement.”

“There’s more”, Vanko said sadly as he looked at Hawkes. “I haven’t seen or heard from my Granddaughter in that same ten years. You have a ten year old daughter named Randi, Hawkes. Miranda, actually, after my late wife.”

“My God!”, Hawkes said. “How could you not tell me?”

“Because you two wanted to get married!”, Vanko shouted. “I didn’t want my daughter to have to live on a Starship and be put in danger all the time. I felt guilty about what I’d done until I found out she was pregnant, then I knew I’d made the right decision. My daughter and granddaughter did not need to live in space. They needed a home. On Earth. With me.”

“I can’t believe you’d do that to your own daughter”, Preztin said. “I knew that you weren’t speaking to each other, but I never knew why.” She looked at Hawkes. ”I can’t believe she’s never mentioned that she had a child by you. She told me that she knew you, but never said to what degree. Oh, Deke, I’m so sorry.”

Hawkes nodded. After a moment he said, “Madame Chancellor, it appears my memory of past events may be in error. I do not wish for anyone to pursue any disciplinary action against StarLord Vanko at this time. If called, I will not testify as I’m unsure of the events in question.”

Preztin was no fool. She knew exactly what was happening. ”As you wish, Commander. If your memory is unclear, then I agree that it’s best not to pursue the matter any further.”

Vanko was confused. “I don’t understand.”

“He doesn’t want to force out his daughters grandfather”, Preztin said. “And the father of the love of his life. How do you not understand this?”

“Because I’m not known for my compassion”, Vanko said. “It’s a weakness I’ve never allowed myself.”

“Yes, and I’m sure that helps make a great StarLord, but it doesn’t make you a great father or grandfather”, Hawkes said. “It explains why Mia never mentioned you when we were dating.”

“Commander”, Preztin suddenly asked, “If I can keep StarLord Vanko away from you, will you be staying in Earth orbit for the next few days?”

“I believe I can do that”, Hawkes said. “My crew and I will be considering your offer, and everything else, and doing some repairs on the ship. Why?”

“I’ll be undergoing a full spread of medical and psychological tests to ensure that I’m in my right mind and not under some kind of influence, so I was thinking I could send my Aide up here to give you a full pitch on what your mission would entail. I might even see if she could bring her daughter to visit her first Starship. After? Who knows? If you accept my proposal, once your ship has been retrofitted and repaired, I’m sure you’ll need to take a test drive for a week or two. It would give you some time to get to know both of them. What do you think?”

“I think I need to talk to my crew”, Hawkes said with a smile spreading across his face. “And I think I would like to have that briefing from your Aide.” He looked at Vanko sternly. “Are you going to have a problem with this?”

Vanko shook his head. “It’s all out in the open now. I’ve been fighting to protect them from you, and now that you know about them, I can’t stop you.”

“We should be going”, Preztin said. “Thank you again, Commander, for saving my life, for saving our fleet and for saving the Alliance. We owe you a great deal.”

“You owe me nothing, Chancellor”, Hawkes said. “It was the right thing to do. There was no other option.”

“Still, I thank you. StarLord, I’ll be waiting in your Shuttle.”

“I’ll be right there, Chancellor”, Vanko said, before turning to Hawkes. “Well, you finally turned the tables on me, ‘Commander’. Are you happy now?”

“I’m far from happy, StarLord, but I’ll get there. There’s a saying I learned years ago; ‘time heals all wounds, and time wounds all heels.’ You are definitely a heel, and I hope your wounds last a lifetime. But I also hope you learn from them. I’ve never been your enemy, even when you treated me like one. I want to accept the Chancellors offer, and don’t think for a moment that I won’t destroy you if you mess with me again.”

“Or Mia?”, Vanko asked.

Hawkes shrugged. “It’s been a long time, so who knows if we’ll even get along, but that statement definitely holds true for my daughter. Don’t mess with my family. I didn’t know I was messing with yours, and I never meant any harm. You did all the damage.”

"You never deserved her, Hawkes", Vanko seethed. "She would've followed you anywhere, and she'd always lived on Earth. She has no idea what it's like in space, and I didn't want my only child living aboard a Warship. Could you imagine Randi roaming the halls of a Starship? Your career would've taken precedence over what was best for your family, and you know it's true."

"Really?", Hawkes shot back. "Do you even remember that I quit StarForce? I could've left for her, and I would've left if I'd known we were going to have a baby. Mia was more important than anything in Creation to me."

"And what about now? Would you settle down on Earth right now if she asked you to?"

"We haven't been in the same room together in over ten years, and you've got us ready to pick up right where we left off", Hawkes said, shaking his head sadly. "There's every chance that she'll never forgive me for walking away from her when she needed me most, even though, thanks to you, I didn't know that she needed me like that." Hawkes rubbed his temples. "You're a real bastard, Vanko. All that time wasted. For her, for me, and for our daughter. Time we'll never get back. I hate you with every fibre of my being, and I completely understand why Mia doesn't speak to you. The only thing that's a shame about this is that YOU don't seem to understand that you've done anything wrong. Get off my ship or I'll have you blown out an airlock. Please", Hawkes warned, "don't take me seriously. See what happens."

Vanko started to open his mouth to say something, but thought better of it. He knew he'd pushed Hawkes too far and it wouldn't take much to make him snap. It would be the younger mans downfall, but it would also mean the death of StarLord Shel Vanko. He just turned and headed for the Launch Bay.

After the StarLords ship departed with the Chancellor and their prisoner, Hawkes sat in his office and sadly reflected on what might have been. He missed Mia terribly for months after leaving StarForce, but he felt it was for the best that he stayed out of her life. He also knew it wouldn't have taken much to get him to come running back to her. If he'd known about Randi, he never would have left, and though he never cared what people thought of him, it bothered him to imagine what his daughter must think of the man that ran away before her birth and never tried to contact her.

A quiet knock on the door brought him back to the present. "Enter", he said.

Lani walked in. "Are you okay, Boss?"

"I'm fine, Lani", he said with a weak smile. "Old memories and all that."

"Really? Your daughter is an 'old memory'?"

"Were you listening outside my door?"

"No need to. You were yelling loud enough for us to hear you in the Shuttle Bay. Also, I asked Buzz to access Starlords records aboard his ship, so we knew about your daughter before he even told you. I just wanted to come clean on that."

"I'm sure Buzz could give you a playback of everything that was said anyway", Hawkes said tiredly. "The Chancellor wants to have Mia and Randi come aboard for us to meet, and for the first time in my life, I'm actually scared. When faced with life or death situations, you rely on your instincts and your training, but in this case, I find myself lacking any useful experience. I don't know what to do, Lani."

"Are you thinking about running away from Mia again and never meeting your daughter?"

"Of course not. You know me better than that."

"That's right, I do. So since we both know you're not going to run, that means you're going to meet them. All you have to figure out is how to approach it."

"I have no idea how I'm going to approach it, Lani", Hawkes said. "I've never really thought about being a father. I just remember that when I was ten, I thought girls were all crazy. Now that I’ve spent all these years with you, that assessment hasn't been greatly altered."

"Don't make me kill you", Lani warned. "Look, Deke, nobody can help you with this. None of us know Mia or Randi, so any advice would be general in nature anyway. All I can say is be honest."

"Honest?", Hawkes asked. "What would I have to be dishonest about?"

"Absolutely nothing, but what I'm saying is that you need to be honest about your feelings. As a leader, you can't be perceived as weak and you need to have the answer for whatever questions may come up. In this case, it's okay to let them know you don't know what to do or say. Just go with your feelings. Remember, this is new for them too, so I don't think anyone is going to expect you to know what to say or do, because I'm sure they won't know either. Discover, and re-discover, each other together."

Hawkes grinned at her. "You know it's hard to take you seriously when you talk like that, don't you?"

Lani shrugged. "I do it just to remind you that I'm a woman. You always treat me like I'm one of the guys, so it's only for your benefit that I do that."

"Thanks. You are right, you know? I do treat you like one of the guys, so I guess I don't really know how to deal with women."

Lani laughed. "That was obvious when you told that idiot to kill Lina."

"Lina?"

"Doctor Padoso", Lani explained. "She was interested in you, but that ship might have sailed when you were suggesting that she be sacrificed. Here's a hint, Fearless Leader; If a woman likes you, don't suggest that you'll be fine if she is no longer among the living. It kinda spoils the mood."

"Lani, I didn't know..."

"Doesn't matter", she said, cutting him off. "I get it, but she's not used to you. Woman are used to thinking the Universe is there for their enjoyment only. Every one of them wants to feel like they're the most important being in the history of History, so you, as a man, are not allowed to feel any different. This is a really good thing for you to know before meeting Mia and Randi. You look like you want to yell ‘Cooties!’ and run away. I advise against doing that, by the way.”

“Noted”, Hawkes said. “You know that little speech about this being a Warship and not designed for families?”

“Yes?”

“Do you think I could get Buzz to help with some redesigns to allow for families? And you know, children?”

“I’m sure Buzz would help you put in a Chicken coop if you asked her. She likes being treated as a living being, and you’ve done that from the first moment. What have you got in mind?”

“I asked Buzz about her specifications earlier and she told me that she was designed and equipped for the lodging and transport of well over two thousand people. We both know soldiers don’t use much space, so I’m expecting the quarters to be small. I want to do a complete overhaul and knock out some of those walls to allow for larger living quarters, and a section exclusively for families. I also want at least one recreational area for the children and parents, but I also want places for crew members to go for enjoyment when their shift is over.”

“Families?”, she asked. “Really?”

“Really”, Hawkes confirmed. “Recent events have forced me to alter my thinking a little. We’ve been away from StarForce for over ten years, Lani. The people I want to recruit for this may have gotten on with their lives and started families.”

“Makes sense”, Lani agreed. “But what about a place for them to go after work to blow off steam before going home to the family? May I suggest a neighborhood bar?”

“Why not?”, Hawkes said. “They’re adults. They need a place to unwind like anyone else.”

“You know, I went on a tour of the ship awhile ago and discovered what has been designated as a Training Room. It’s huge, and a perfect spot for a ‘Park’, if you will. Also, since Buzz and Number One can go anywhere on the ship, I would suggest a couple of ‘Holo-Rooms, or Suites, I guess. They’d have to be fairly large, but people could make a realistic environment to relax in, be it their favorite Pub or a mountain lake.”

“That’s exactly what I’m talking about”, Hawkes said excitedly. “Let’s get with Buzz and Kordi to see if we can make this happen.”

“I’m sure she’d love to hear that you’re willing to have children on the ship. That one thing just may have tipped her decision on what to do in your favor.”

“I hope so”, Hawkes admitted. “Buzz trusts Kordi, so that would make all of this go better.”

“She trusts you most of all, though”, Lani said.

“I know, but Kordi gave Buzz life. I could tell her to trust someone else, but she would just be following orders. I want her to actually trust the person making these alterations, and I want to trust that person as well. Kordi has earned my trust, and you know I don’t give it easily.”

“I know”, Lani admitted. “The only one more distrusting of people than you is Toofie. He’d spacewalk without a suit if it meant saving your life, and that’s saying something when you consider his sense of self-preservation is without equal.”

“I hope I never have to rely on him to do such a thing”, Hawkes said with a chuckle. “I wouldn’t want to be the cause of such an emotional conflict.” He looked up slightly and raised his voice. “Ship? Shipwide. This is the Captain. I need all Command Crew to my office, including Kordana Rylos and Dr. Padoso. Five minutes. Hawkes out.”

Fifteen minutes later, he and Lani had laid everything out for the crew and asked for opinions.

“Skipper, If this is supposed to be a Warship, why are we bringing aboard non-combatants?”, Toofinari asked. “And children? Are you kidding me?”

“As explained, some of the people we may want could have families”, Hawkes explained. “We need warm bodies to make the Nomad fully staffed and functional, so if we don’t want to get stuck with Star Command personnel, we need to make this assignment as attractive as possible. That means there has to be provisions for their families, and recreational facilities as well.”

“Yeah, about that”, Kordi said, “I don’t know if it’s going to be possible for you to find people outside of StarForce that will be able to understand the systems of this ship. Even if I stay, I’m one person and I would need an Engineering crew. Minimum of fifteen people to cover the duties required for a full twenty-four hour day, and that’s if they work every single day, with no days off. Thirty to fifty would be better, so you’re looking in a very large haystack for a handful of small needles. Do you think there’s any real possibility of finding that many trustworthy, qualified people outside of Star Command? These systems are far advanced, compared to anything they have right now. If you get StarForce or Star Command people for this, personally I’d be worried about sabotage. Lissa, I mean, Chancellor Preztin, may be on our side, but there’s liable to be more than a few that agree with StarLord Vanko and wish to destroy this ship if they can’t control it.”

“Good thing we’ll have the StarLord’s daughter and Granddaughter aboard for a while”, Boodriss said. “That’s a slight bit of insurance, and temporary at best.”

Not liking the reference, but agreeing, Hawkes nodded grimly and said, “We’ll have to check and recheck everything during the refit and afterwards. We’ll have to hope that we catch anything they might do before it can do us harm. Buzz, how do you feel about all of this?”

“I have enjoyed the time I have spent with Dr. Padoso and with Chief Rylos”, The AI said. “I believe I would like to have more non-combatants and children aboard. The changes necessary to achieve that are acceptable. I will comply.”

“Okay”, Hawkes said. “I’ll contact StarLord and tell him, and I’ll put in a call to Chancellor Preztin, just in case. We’re asking for the Moon here, people. We may get told it’s not going to happen, however I believe it’s the only way we can do this. Dismissed.”

Hawkes laid everything out for Vanko, and waited for his response.

“Do you want to personally vette everyone first?”, Vanko asked cordially.

Not allowing himself to be fooled by niceties, Hawkes said, “Not necessary. If you are going to plant spies and saboteurs among us, you would create false backgrounds for them by the time we get their names. Just remember that anybody found trying to do harm to this ship or crew will be fired through a torpedo tube at your personal residence. What doesn’t burn up on re-entry will make a nasty mess on your home.”

“And you think you could find my personal residence?”, Vanko sneered.

“Maybe, maybe not”, Hawkes admitted. “Buzz did access your personnel file with you were up here, but if the information is a ruse, then we could just fire your spy at your office. We know for certain where that is.”

The StarLord was silent for a moment before speaking. “What are you up to, Hawkes? Are you trying to get us to make your ship pretty and powerful so you can overthrow us? No, you’re not smart enough for that. What is it?”

“Do you really have such distrust of me that you’d think such a thing? That I’d betray Chancellor Preztin’s trust and turn on the Alliance? Maybe you should retire, Vanko. You’re chasing threats that aren’t there.”

“Look, I know you’re not a complete idiot, Hawkes. Tell me, what would you do if the roles were reversed? If a man that left StarForce ten years ago, under less than ideal circumstances, just shows up one day with the most powerful ship in the Galaxy? Do you take everything at face value, or do you wonder about what other possible reasons there could be?”

“You’re forgetting that we stopped the Korrillians from doing exactly what you’re worried that I want to do.”

“I’m forgetting nothing”, Vanko spat. “For all I know you didn’t want to share, so you conveniently found a way to get that ship all to yourself and then gain the Chancellors trust. You could be just sitting there waiting for the right opportunity to unleash all of the weapons you want us to supply you with. Even you have to admit this looks highly suspicious.”

“You’re absolutely right”, Hawkes agreed, “but also remember that the Chancellor was with us and she knows exactly what happened every step of the way.”

“Behavior modification”, Vanko said dismissively. “She hasn’t had a complete physical yet, so I’m not acting on any of her orders until I know she’s not being influenced in any way. However, I seem to be the only one doing it. I received a Vid-Call from Mia before I got back. She left a message stating that she and Randi are going up to your ship in the morning. I hope it looks a lot better that it did when I was there a short time ago. I don’t really think my Granddaughter needs to see everything I saw while I was there.”

Hawkes thought about it for only a moment and realized Vanko was right. There were bloodstains on the wall from the battle to take the ship, and everything was generally a mess. They were not ready for this yet, and he certainly wasn’t ready for this to be the first impression Mia and Randi got of him and his new surroundings and crew.

“You’re absolutely right, StarLord”, he said to Vanko’ surprise. “I appreciate the heads-up, even though I know the only reason you did it was to protect Randi from seeing what happened here. We’ll be ready.”

Vanko stared at him intently over the Vid-Screen. “I hope you’re not playing a dangerous game here, Hawkes. Here’s what I’ll do: I can’t stop the Chancellors Aide and her daughter from visiting your ship, because that’s happening on the Chancellors direct orders, so what I’ll do is start getting the things on your list in order, and as soon as the Chancellor is medically and psychologically cleared, if she is, I’ll give the command to execute those orders. The Chancellor should be through with the tests by tomorrow or the next day, so if that goes favorably, then things will happen quickly because I’ll have everything ready. Just remember, if I find that she’s somehow being coerced or controlled, the first thing I’m going to do is launch our entire fleet against your talking ship.”

“Pity”, Hawkes said. “We almost had an understanding, but as always, you’re welcome to do your worst. I have little doubt that you’ll fabricate evidence to make me the bad guy, and you’ll get that Coup-d'etat that you seem like you really want. If that happens, you’d better pray I’m the first to fall. Even if you destroy my ship, I’ll find a way to get to you and when I die, I’ll be happy if only I know that you died at least one microsecond before me. My hands around your throat should manage that.”

Vanko chuckled. “That’s what I needed to hear, and needed to not hear. I’ll get working on the list.”

“What the Hell? What did you need to hear and not hear?”

“I needed to hear you state your loyalty to Chancellor Preztin, so we’ll both be relieved if her tests turn out okay. If not, I’ll have to figure out if she’s acting on your orders, or if you’re acting on hers. The thing I didn’t need to hear was you using Mia and Randi as a shield or some kind of bargaining chip. You didn’t do that so I’m leaning toward believing you. Just remember that if I can be convinced to believe you, I can also be convinced to not believe you, and we both know it won’t take much for me to get behind that possibility.”

Fourteen hours and nearly a hundred holographic drones later, the ship was finally in order, and Mia and Randi’s ship was on approach. As they headed to the appropriate Shuttle Bay, Lani glanced up at Hawkes’ face and smirked.

“What now?”, Hawkes asked, annoyed. “I couldn’t find a razor, okay?”

“It’s not that”, Lani said. “You’re sweating like a pig. Nervous much?”

“You’re damn right I am”, Hawkes replied, wiping his hand across his forehead before wiping his hand on his pants leg. “I’m about to meet the daughter I never knew I had, and see the woman I was in love with that I walked away from and never looked back. Nervous doesn’t even begin to cover it.”

“It’s adorable that you care enough to be like this. I’m enjoying this way more than I probably should, but I can’t help it. You’re human after all.”

“You’re fired”, Hawkes said as they approached the Shuttle Bay.

Once the Shuttle Bay had repressurized, Hawkes and Lani approached the shuttle. The door opened and a woman of about thirty Earth years stepped out and Hawkes’ breath left him.

“My God!”, he said in a barely audible voice, “She’s still as beautiful as she was the last time I saw her. She looks almost exactly the same.”

“I’m sure she’d like to hear that”, Lani whispered back.

Mia smiled at Hawkes, then reached inside the shuttle. A slender arm appeared and took Mia’s hand, then it’s owner came into full view.

Randi was a smaller version of her mother. As much as Mia looked like she used to years ago, Randi looked just like Mia must have at the same age.

Hawkes was speechless as he looked at his daughter for the first time. Lani nudged him back to awareness and said, “You do good work, Hawkes. Who knew?”

Hawkes scowled at her and stepped forward. Formalities were about to be recognized.

“Welcome aboard the Nomad”, he said simply.

“Thank you, Commander”, Mia said, “Permission to come aboard.”

He was about to answer when he heard Lani quietly say, “Don’t screw this one up, Deke.”

“Granted”, he said, then turned to Lani as he began to walk forward. “If I screwed that one up, you’d have had to shoot me immediately.”

“If you’d screwed that one up”, she called after him, “I would’ve ran and let her tear you apart with her bare hands. Shooting you would’ve been a kindness you didn’t deserve.”

“Mia”, he said as he came to a halt right in front of her. “It’s good to see you. I’m sorry for what happened, and I never knew about Randi. Please forgive me.”

She shook her head. “There’s nothing to forgive, Deke. My father was responsible for what happened.”

He smiled and looked at Randi. Not really knowing what to say, he relied on Star Command Academy training. “And who do we have here?”

Behind him, he heard Lani’s hand slap her forehead in dismay.

“Hi”, Randi said sticking out her hand to shake his, “I’m your daughter.”

He shook the offered hand and looked confused, while he noticed the look of mirth on Mia’s face.

“Could’ve handled that one better, I guess,” he said. “Randi, It’s my honor to meet you, and I’m sorry. Most men that have a ten year old daughter have some kind of idea what to talk to them about. I’m apparently not one of those men.”

“I’ve never had a father before, so it’s kinda new to me too”, she replied.

“She seems to have inherited your sarcasm”, Mia said. “Couldn’t have gotten it from me.”

“No, of course not”, Hawkes said. “Come on. I want to introduce you to someone. This is Lanita Malohn. She’s my First Officer and one of my oldest and closest friends. Lani, I’m pleased to introduce my daughter, Miranda and her mother, Mia.”

“It’s very nice to meet both”, Lani said cordially. “I’m sorry that the ship is not more squared away, but it’s a work in progress.”

“Chancellor Preztin filled me in on everything.” Mia said. “It looks fine to me, all things considered.”

“Are you my fathers girlfriend?”, Mia asked.

Everyone was shocked by the question, but to her credit, Lani recovered quickly. “In a manner of speaking. I’m a girl and I’m his best friend, but other than that, no, I’m not and never have been. We’re more like a brother and sister than anything else.”

Mia scolded Randi for asking the question, and while it was occurring, Hawkes said to Lani, “Nice recovery.”

“Well, alcohol was involved and it was only once. Neither one of us enjoyed it anyway.”

“I never said that”, Hawkes said defensively.

“Oh, I just assumed because I was repulsed by it, I thought you were too. My mistake.”

Hawkes was trying to think of what to say when he noticed her grinning at him. “You’re still fired”, he said.

After a tour of the ship concluded on the Bridge, Hawkes introduced his daughter and her mother to the Command Crew. Boodriss and Rylos were welcoming, but Toofinari almost completely ignored them. Randi, however noticed him and how he seemed uncomfortable.

She walked up to him. “What’s your name?”, she asked.

He looked down at her and growled, “I’m Toofinari. Nice to meet ya, kid.”

She suddenly threw her arms around him and exclaimed, “Oh, Uncle Toofie! It’s so nice to meet you too.”

Toofinari was in shock and didn’t know what to do. Boodriss looked over and said, “Hawkes’ daughter? Your life expectancy just dropped into the zero percentile.”

Randi released the startled man and calmly walked back over take her place at her mothers side.

“What the Hell was that all about?”, Toofinari shouted, still in shock.

Everyone looked at Randi for an explanation, but she just shrugged. “Everyone else was so nice, but he was ignoring me, so I decided to test a theory. He’s not comfortable around kids. If he didn’t like kids, he would’ve pushed me away. He just doesn’t like to interact with kids. It’s a big difference.”

In their travels over the years, they had come in contact with few children, but it suddenly became clear to Hawkes that she was right, even though he knew why. Toofinari had always shied away from them, and Hawkes had never really noticed and certainly hadn’t asked about it. How did his ten year old daughter figure out so fast what he hadn’t noticed in more than a decade of working side by side with the man?

“My mother was an Empath”, Mia said sheepishly. “Sometimes it skips a generation, but those that have the Gift can feel the emotions of others like you might feel a blast of hot or cold air. A strong emotion can be felt as strongly as a hand gripping your arm. She has sporadic episodes like that, and we never really know what will bring it on. I apologize, Mr. Toofinari. How you feel is a private matter, and your feeling hasn’t harmed anyone, so it should’ve remained private.”

“No harm done”, he growled. “I have a lot of strong emotions, kid. You don’t want to make it a habit of being around me.” He turned and left the Bridge.

“There’s more”, Randi said, “But I guess I should keep it to myself.”

“Yes, you should”, Hawkes said. “I’ve known that man since before you were born and that is the closest I’ve ever seen him to being embarrassed. He’s very private, Randi. We all respect that, and you should too. With everyone.”

“Yes, Commander”, she said stiffly. “May I be excused?”

“To go where?”, Mia asked.

“I just want to explore a little”, she said. “You know how it gets, Mom. After a strong reading like that, sometimes I have to let it process before I can concentrate on other things.”

“She’s right”, Mia said to Hawkes. “She just needs to take a walk.”

“Ship?”, Hawkes said. “Buzz to the Bridge.”

“How may I serve, Commander?”, Buzz said when she appeared in front of them wearing a skintight body suit.

“Cool!”, Randi said when Buzz appeared.

“This is Buzz, another member of my crew. She’s the ships AI and holographic Avatar. Buzz, this is my daughter, Randi and her mother, Mia. Please make sure either you or Number One escort Randi when no other adult is available while she’s aboard.”

“As you wish, Commander”, Buzz said. “Ms. Korlon, it’s my pleasure to meet you and your daughter. Ms. Hawkes, when you are ready to leave, I will accompany you.”

“This is going to be so cool”, Randi said as she headed for the door.

“Buzz?”, Hawkes said quietly. “Be careful. She’s sneaky.”

“I anticipated no less, Commander”, Buzz said matter-of-factly. “She shares your DNA.”

As Buzz left, Hawkes said to Lani, “She’s getting awfully cheeky. Have Kordi look into that.”

“I thought I was fired?”, Lani said with a grin.

“After Kordi looks into what’s up with Buzz. Then you’re fired.”

“Aye, aye, Sir”, she said with a smile.

“Can you make yourself look differently?”, Randi asked Buzz.

“Of course”, the AI replied.

“Could you make yourself appear more my age? I’m the only one here that isn’t a grown up, and it makes me feel kind of weird, you know?”

“I understand”, Buzz said and began slowly altering her appearance. Within seconds, she looked ten years old. “Will this appearance suffice?”

“Yeah, that’ll do fine”, Randi admitted. “You know, we could almost be sisters. You look a lot like me right now.”

“It’s possible that when I used samples of the crew members DNA to make a visual appearance, I may have used more of Commander Hawkes’ DNA than the others. Merely an oversight, I assure you.”

“I don’t think so”, Randi said. “I’m an Empath, and a pretty powerful one, at that. I’ve never been able to read emotions from a machine before, but I’m sure getting them from you. How is that even possible?”

Buzz explained her origin to the girl, and Randi listened intently. Finally she said, “Oh my God! You have feelings for my father!”

Buzz paused a moment before speaking. “I would like to believe it possible to have feelings, but I do not think I can. Not in that way, I mean. I can grasp a rudimentary emotion, such as anger, but at this point, I’m comparable to an infant in my range of emotional content.”

“But what do infants really know?”, Randi asked. “They want food, or to be burped, or to be held, or any number of things. They express their desire to have this through crying. It’s how they communicate. If they don’t have what they want, they make it known that they want something. That’s their anger coming through. Maybe only frustration, but it’s all they have. Once they have what they want, they’re content. Quiet. That’s where they develop their feelings of love. It’s for the one that gives them what they desire and pays attention to them. That’s what my father is to you at this moment, but you’re developing rapidly, so you may end up believing that you love him in a more mature way before long. I can tell that you feel love for him, and I believe it’s because he treats you with respect and includes you in his daily routines. You see him as a father figure, and that’s okay, Buzz. It really is. Everyone else on this crew does too. It means you really are evolving!”

Buzz said, “I believe at this moment I am feeling something else. Uneasy. Unsure. Awkward, even. Why would that be?”

Randi chuckled. “That’s probably embarrassment. I kinda put you on the spot. I didn’t mean to, Buzz. Really. I tend to do it to everyone.”

“Perhaps we both need to mature emotionally a little more”, Buzz said. “I believe that would be useful to both of us.”

-

“So how have you been, Mia?”, Hawkes asked. “I know it doesn’t mean anything after all this time, but I’ve thought of you often, and missed you terribly.”

"Oh, Deacon", she said softly. "I didn't know why you left me. I was so hurt. When I found out I was pregnant, that hurt turned to anger and resentment. It wasn't until a couple of years later that I found out what had really happened."

"How did you find out?"

"Randi", she said simply. "Her abilities started to manifest and she became very irritable around my father. She was fine as soon as she was away from him, but when he would try to hold her, she would scream and run away. His anger was overwhelming her, so I confronted him about it. After a lengthy and loud argument, he slipped up and said something he shouldn't have. I pulled on that thread until I got the whole story. I had always taken his word for what had happened, but after that I started looking into official records, and once I did, I haven't spoken to him since. Until yesterday. I left him a message telling him we were coming to see you."

"He told me", Hawkes admitted. "He's a royal bastard, but he loves you both, and in his mind, he was protecting you. Both of you."

"I know, but he lied to me, and he got involved in my personal business. I was not a child when we were together, so he should've stayed out of it. I'm not ready to forgive him yet." Then she softly added, "I may never be."

"That's your call", Hawkes said, "but is Randi best served by not knowing her Grandfather?"

"I remember you telling me how close you were to your grandfather, but we both know my father is not the same kind of man he was. She's growing fast, and her abilities are expanding. I think it should probably be best to leave it up to her."

"I agree", Hawkes said. "It's tough to get someone that age to go along with anything a parent wants."

"Yes", Mia said with a grin, "I see you've met Randi. Actually, she's not too bad. The problem is I never know what we're going to disagree on."

"Yes, there's been thousands of books over the centuries that tell people how they should go about raising their children, but somehow, the kids always seem to come up with something that nobody's ever had to deal with before."

"She'll never admit it, and she won't show it, but she's very excited about meeting you", Mia said. "She's very much your daughter. She keeps everything inside. Just like you've always done."

"I'm not like that so much anymore", Hawkes said. "I guess I outgrew it."

"Then there's hope for her yet", Mia said with a smile. "She proves that DNA does more than account for someones appearance. You've never met until today, but sometimes she acts so much like you that I just want to scream."

"How so?", Hawkes asked.

"Like what she did with your large friend out there", Mia said. "She gets an idea, and it seems sound, to her anyway, and she'll act on it. No warning, no indication whatsoever. It's not so much that she's impulsive; it's that she's just a lot more decisive about some things than I'm comfortable with."

"When I met Toofie, he was trying to come to terms with the fact that he'd just lost his wife and three small children in an invasion on his homeworld. Kids make him uncomfortable because he doesn't want to get close to them emotionally. I guess he feels that he would dishonor the memory of his own kids if he allowed that to happen. It’s also a constant reminder of his own children that he’ll never see again. But I gotta tell you; the shocked look on his face when she hugged him and called him 'Uncle Toofie' was priceless, though."

"She has good instincts, Deke", Mia said. "I think she was drawn to him because of his loss, and she tried to get him to let go of the pain a little." She paused a moment, then added, "Or she could've just been having ten year old girl moment. Sometimes you never know."

"Are you alright, Toofie", Lani asked the big man.

Toofinari turned to face her, then smiled nervously. "I'm fine, Lani. Kids, eh? What're you gonna do? Shooting them into space is still largely frowned upon."

She smiled. "Maybe someday. You know I'm here if you need to talk, right?"

"I know. Don't read anything into this, but I'd rather just keep it to myself. It's just something I have to deal with on my own, you know?"

"I understand", she said. "Anyway, the offer's there, just in case."

"I appreciate it, XO."

"Yeah, about that. What do you think about this new mission? Being the Troubleshooters for the Alliance and Star Command?"

He shrugged. "It's something to do, and as long as everything is actually the way it was explained to us, then it's worth doing. Something tells me we haven't been told everything though."

"That's the feeling I get too."

"If we feel this way, you know Deke does too", Toofinari said. "He plays his cards close to the vest, so he may not say anything, but we know him well enough that he doesn't have to."

"That's right", Lani agreed. "We've all worked together long enough to know what each other is thinking, and he's not entirely comfortable with this new mission, but he's willing to give it a try." She shrugged. "We'll see. He has other pressing matters at the moment."

"Finding out he had a kid sure threw him for a loop.", Toofinari said. "Finding out StarLord Vanko is the kids Maternal grandfather just about sent him into orbit."

Lani laughed. "I thought that vein in his forehead was finally going to explode."

"I'm surprised it didn't. He's pretty good at thinking on his feet, but that's one that's sure to knock you off your game."

"Speaking of...", Lani said, nodding toward the other end of the corridor where Randi and the younger version of Buzz were approaching.

"I gotta get out of here, Lani", Toofinari said urgently.

"Go", she said. "I'll cover your Six."

As he hurried off, Randi approached and asked, "Where's Uncle Toofie going?"

"'Uncle Toofie'?", Lani asked. "You met him like a half hour ago."

"Yes, but I can tell both of you are very important to my father, like siblings. I'll win him over. You watch."

"Look, Randi", Lani said, "Why don't you just give him some space? Toofie's not really a 'people' person."

"People, or just young people?", Randi asked. "I know what I felt from him, and he's not afraid of anything, but I made him nervous before I even spoke to him. I think I know why, but until I know for sure, I'm keeping it to myself."

"I think that would be for the best. He's a very private person, and for that matter, we all are, including your father. Buzz, I trust this new form is temporary?"

"It is, Sub-Commander Malohn", Buzz replied. "I have temporarily altered my appearance at the request of Ms. Hawkes. It is an attempt to put her more at ease while she is aboard."

"Very well", Lani said. "Well, I have things to do. Carry on, you two."

"Can we help, Aunt Lani?"

Lani froze. "'Aunt Lani'?", she repeated. "I think I need to speak to your father immediately, then I'll go do my work that I don't need your help for."

Hawkes was looking over the Chancellor’s proposal that was given to Mia for him and the crew to sign when his office door suddenly opened and Malohn walked in.

"Hi", she said,. "I'm Aunt Lani."

Hawkes smiled and said, "I'm guessing you just had a talk with Randi."

Mia said, "She's really not that bad, Sub-Commander Malohn. It's always been just the two of us, so I think she's just acting on the fact that she's met her father and wants to be part of his 'family'. That's what you all are to him, you know."

"I know that", Lani said and she fell into a chair. "It's just that none of us are used to children, and suddenly here's this kid calling me 'Aunt Lani'. It caught me so off guard that I forgot what I was on my way to do, so I came here instead."

“Thanks for sharing your moment of crisis with me, Lani”, Hawkes said. “You know how much I always enjoy it when you do that.”

“My pleasure”, Malohn responded. “I knew you didn’t have enough to deal with, so I thought I’d share. What’re we gonna do?”

“About what?”, Hawkes asked.

“About your daughter”, she replied. “We’ve got plenty to do, and she’s taking over. She’s got me off my game and I can’t even express what she’s done to Toofie. And by the way, Buzz is also a ten year old girl at the moment and bonding with her nearly identical ‘sister’. Cool, huh?”

“Maybe this was a bad idea”, Mia said. “Coming here, I mean. Bringing Randi.”

“It’s fine, Mia”, Hawkes assured her. “This is all very new to everybody, so it’ll require some time to adjust. With the Chancellor’s proposal, we’ll be in SpaceDock for months while the repairs and retrofitting take place. I want there to be families aboard this ship, so we’ll all have to get used to the fact that children will be roaming the halls.”

“Maybe we need there to be some separation”, Lani suggested. “Like a residential area that’s not exactly near the essential areas of the ship.”

“You mean like suburbs?”, Mia asked.

“Pretty much”, Lani confirmed. “Families would be in that area, where single crew members have the option of living there or in quarters closer to their work area. It’s a germ of an idea, but we could think on it a little, right?”

“It sounds reasonable to me”, Hawkes admitted. “Children are curious by nature, and we don’t need them wandering onto the Bridge or into Engineering, so I think it’s a good idea. Children love to explore, so let’s put them in a ‘neighborhood’ where they’re free to explore their surroundings without any danger to them or essential ship functions. We all know there’s enough room to do it, so I think it’s brilliant.”

“Are you sure this isn’t just to keep your crew from having to interact with children?”, Mia asked.

“No, that’s exactly what this is, but it’s for everyone’s benefit. This ship will have a mission and will need to function properly with all hands doing their jobs without distraction for that to happen. It’s not a punishment. Even on Earth, single and married personnel are lodged in different areas. It’s been that way for hundreds of years, and that’s the way it should be. We have the available space, so I think it’s best for everyone if we do it. I believe it could also eliminate possible conflicts. We don’t need someone with three young children living next to someone that works the night shift. Do you see what I mean?”

“Yes, I guess I do, and I’m sure Chancellor Preztin will agree. Will there be guest quarters available, as well?”

“Of course”, Hawkes answered. “Why do you ask?”

“I’m wondering about visiting Dignitaries. Their quarters should be in a separate area from families, and possibly even separate from crew quarters. I’m also wondering what you plan on doing about when Randi and I come to visit.”

Hawkes grinned. “Are you planning on coming to visit often? I could permanently assign quarters for you that you can decorate and use as your own home away from home.”

“I’m sure I’ll visit from time to time, but I was thinking more about Randi. When you come back to Earth from time to time, I’m sure she’ll want to visit, and I may not always be available to accompany her. I’d prefer she not have a completely separate room just yet, but if your quarters has a spare bedroom, I’m sure that will be fine.”

“Oh, Daddy!”, Lani teased. “That would be so precious!”

“Yes, then she can have a sleepover at Aunt Lani’s place”, Hawkes teased back.

Lani’s smile disappeared. “You wouldn’t!”

“Lani, you know me better than that.”

“Damn!”, she swore quietly. “You would.”

“Buzz, I don’t need you to accompany me inside”, Randi said to the Hologram.

“My orders are to accompany you”, Buzz stated matter-of-factly. “I must follow Commander Hawkes’ orders.”

“But I was there when he issued that order, Buzz”, Randi countered. “He said you were to accompany me when no other adult is available. I believe we both know that Mr. Toofinari is on the other side of this door. He’s an adult.”

“Those were the instructions I was given, however it is my belief that I am escorting you primarily because of your interaction with Chief Toofinari on the Bridge.”

“I’m working on fixing that right now”, Randi said as she pressed the alert button on the door. “Thank you for escorting me, Buzz. I’m sure you’ll know when I leave, so I’ll see you then.”

“Enter”, came the gruff voice from inside.

“Very well”, Buzz said, and disassembled into nothingness.

Randi walked in and saw Toofinari looking out a window into space.

“I don’t mean to interrupt”, Randi said. “I felt that I needed to apologize for my intrusion earlier.”

Startled, Toofinari got up and started walking to the door. “I’m sorry. I thought you were someone else. I need to get back to work.”

“Please, let me just talk to you for a minute before you go.”

He stopped and exhaled loudly. “Okay, kid. Make it quick. I’m busy.”

“First off, I really am very sorry for what I did on the Bridge. I sensed your pain and I wanted to try to help, but it appears I just made it worse.”

“No sweat, kid”, he said. “You’re young. You’ll learn to control it better as you get older.”

“But will you learn to control your pain better? It’s been a long time and the wounds are still very fresh for you. You’re one of my father’s best friends and I’d like for us to be able to interact without this tension. It’s worse with me because I’m an empath, but you’re not comfortable around any children and I’d like to just like to say I’m not comfortable around many adults. I felt something from you, then I felt your pain, so I’m pretty sure I know what happened. I don’t know how it happened, but I know the end result. I won’t ask for details, but I want you to know I won’t bite you or hurt you in any other way. I don’t have many friends, but if you’re a good enough man to be my father’s friend, then that’s the kind of man I would like to have as a friend of my own.”

Toofinari was silent for a moment. “Empath, huh?

She nodded, but remained silent.

He nodded, then gestured for her to sit on a crate across from where he was standing. As she sat, he did also.

“Before I met your father, I was married and had three children. While I was away at the Academy, my world was invaded by the Okavians and millions of people died, including my family and everyone I’d ever known. What do you know of your father’s Service Record?”

“Just that he used to be First Officer of the Antietam. He had to assume command of the ship when his captain went crazy and began attacking a defenseless world. You, Aunt Lani and Uncle Mott were the only ones to side with him when he felt he had to relieve the captain. After that, he was given crap assignments, and the timing of it suggests that it was during this time that he met and began a relationship with my mother. My grandfather found out and ruined his career, prompting him to leave StarForce. That’s really all I know. There’s been no real trace of him since then. Until now.”

Toofie nodded. “The planet that Captain Koban attacked was the Okavian Homeworld. He was a Pumac, like me, and had lost his family during the attack on our world by these bastards. I was one hundred percent behind him until your father said one thing that changed my mind.”

“What did he say?”, Randi asked quietly.

“He said, ‘There’s women and children down there! You’re no better than them because you’re doing the same thing you hate them for doing to you, and innocent lives are being lost because of it.’ I realized that we were killing non-combatants, just like they’d done to us. We were causing innocent people to suffer needless loss, and we had suddenly become the very thing we hated. You see, kid, your old man can read people pretty good. After saying that, he looked at me and saw that I’d had a change of heart, so he barked an order at me, and I jumped right to it. Why? Your father is the bravest man I’ve ever met. He single handedly stood up to the entire crew, personally arrested the captain, and he recognized the change in me as soon as it happened. He’s decisive and intelligent, and oddly fearless. His battle skills constantly impress me because it doesn’t matter what form the fight takes, he has already planned his victory. Let me tell you one thing about Deacon Hawkes: He doesn’t get out of bed without a plan. He knows what he’s doing and it’ll often look like he doesn’t, but it’s all part of his plan. He makes it easy to follow him.”

“So you followed him right out of StarForce”, Randi said. “That loyalty might have cost you a very rewarding career.”

“My loyalty cost me nothing. In fact it’s made me far richer than I had ever dreamed.”

“Okay, I’m lost”, Randi said.

“I have inner peace”, Toofinari said, raising his hand to his heart. “I only joined StarForce to have a better life for my family. Without them, I wouldn’t have stayed for long, and I didn’t. When we left, we started helping people that needed it, and being bounty hunters funded our humanitarian efforts. I know I’m a fierce warrior, but I also have a side that hates the violence. I’ve found a balance.”

“If you’re so at peace, then why are you so nervous around me?”, she asked.

Toofinari sighed. “My wife was a beautiful, intelligent, logical, rational woman. She knew what was happening when the attack came, and she knew what to do. She was an adult and could understand what was going on and inevitably, how it would end.”

“But not the children”, Randi interjected. “They were scared and confused, and didn’t know what was going on or why. And you feel you’ll dishonor their memory if you ever allow yourself to be comfortable around other kids.”

He shrugged. “I said my wife was the rational one. I make no such claim of myself.”

“You know, if it helps”, Randi said, “don’t think of me as a kid. Think of me as the Boss’ brat that you only have to deal with on a very temporary basis. Might make the pill easier to swallow.”

Toofinari smiled at her for the first time, and she noticed that while he had a beautiful smile, it also had a feral quality to it that served as a reminder that the show of mirth is only temporary.

“You ain’t so bad, kid”, Toofinari said. “You’ve got sand, just like your old man. Well, in every way that matters, Deacon Hawkes is my brother, so I guess that does kinda make me your Uncle Toofie, doesn’t it?”

She smiled and launched herself at him, the tight hug catching him completely by surprise. It took him a moment to adjust, but after a moment he gently returned the hug and stroked the girl’s hair as if she had been his own daughter.

“I wish I had known what I was walking into”, a voice said. “I think Deke will be relieved that I didn’t find there’d been a killing.”

They looked up and saw Lani standing in the doorway. “I see you finally got through to him. I had a feeling I’d find you in the same vicinity when Buzz turned up on the Bridge.”

“Busted by Aunt Lani”, Toofinari muttered, and Randi started giggling.

They stood and walked to the door, with Toofinari’s arm draped across Randi’s shoulder. “I have work on the Bridge. Coming, XO?”

‘What the Hell did she do to him?’, Lani wondered as she followed them out.

Lani walked into Hawkes’ office and sat down. “Hi. I’m Aunt Lani”, she repeated, same as her last visit.

“My God, XO”, Hawkes said. “What did she do now?”

“I don’t know!”, Lani blurted. “I wish I knew.”

Hawkes crossed his hands in front of him. “Start at the beginning.”

“When I left here, I went back to the Bridge. A couple of minutes later, Buzz blinks in. I asked where Randi was and was told that, per your orders, Randi was in the company of another adult crew member, so Buzz came back to the Bridge. I asked the Ship to locate her, and was told where to find her. She was with Toofie. And they were laughing!”

Hawkes’ face suddenly became a mask of confusion. “Are you sure? Maybe it was just gas or something.”

“Deke, I’ve seen laughter before, just not from mister ‘I-don’t-feel-comfortable-around-children.’ What the Hell?”

Mia had sat quietly, but now was forced to laugh. Lani pointed at her. “It sounded kinda like that, only not as dainty. God, it was weird!”

“It’s part of her empathy”, Mia explained. “She has the ability to feel what other people feel, so they become remarkably comfortable around her. In that brief time, they become kindred spirits.”

“How long does the spell last?”, Hawkes asked.

“Deke, it’s not Sorcery. All people open up more to someone that understands them. Her empathy allows her to be that person. I’m afraid the effects may be permanent in Toofinari’s case. Maybe not around other children, but he’s probably always going to be comfortable around her.”

Lani looked nervously at Hawkes. “You’re not going to make Mott and I spend time with her, are you?”

Hawkes smiled. “Are you reading my mind again?”

“You first”, Lani said. “She’s your daughter, Deke, and you haven’t spent a total of ten minutes with her since she’s been aboard.”

“I have work to do, Lani”, Hawkes countered. “When I have some free time, I’ll sit down with her.”

“I think we need a little break, Commander”, Mia said. “Once you’ve had some quality time with your daughter, we can resume the briefing.”

“That’s not fair, Mia.”

“It might not be fair, but that’s the way it is”, Mia said. “Lani, where can I get a cup of tea around here?”

“Right this way”, Lani said, gesturing to the door. She turned to Hawkes and said, “Have fun, Daddy.”

“You’re next, Aunt Lani!”, he called. When the door closed behind them, he sighed. “Ship. Locate Miranda Hawkes.”

“Miranda Hawkes is on the Bridge.”

He walked out to find Randi handing tools to Toofinari in his attempt to repair the weapons console. They looked like a niece and uncle should, even if there was no DNA linking them.

“Randi?”, he called. “Could we talk for a moment?”

She said, “Yes, sir”, and immediately came to him.

They walked into his office and Hawkes gestured for her to sit. He took his place behind his desk.

“At first, I thought I was in trouble for talking to Uncle Toofie after you told me not to, but I can sense that’s not it. What I sense from you is confusion.”

“I guess you could put it that way”, Hawkes admitted.

“Confusion about me”, Randi said, the emotions she picked up from him becoming clearer. “You don’t know what to do, do you? With me, I mean. For the first time in your life, you’re at a complete loss for how to proceed.”

“Wow, that is really unnerving how you just grab those feelings out of my head and put them into words, when I don’t even know what I’m feeling yet.”

“Try not to think it’s a picnic for me either”, she said. “I’m ten years old. I have enough conflicting emotions of my own without picking up on what’s going on with other people too.”

“I’m at a loss on how to be a father, Randi”, Hawkes admitted. “Usually people have a bit of parenting experience before their child turns ten.”

“Mom was no help, huh?”

“What do you mean?”

“If I know mom, she just threw me at you. She could’ve given you some advice, but I’m betting she didn’t. She wants you to experience this your own way.”

“Is this going to hurt? Either of us?”

“Is what going to hurt?”, she asked. “Do you think I’m going to rewire your brain or something? I can’t make you feeling anything. I just pick up on what you feel. It’s like if you touch my arm. You can feel what’s intended by how it’s done. If you suddenly grab me or grab me really hard, that conveys certain emotions, just like touching me gently would. I feel your emotions based on the way they emanate from you, so I have no control over what you feel, but you have a great deal of control over what I feel.”

“So do we just talk, or what?”, Hawkes asked.

“It’s a place to start”, Randi said. “I pick up on what you feel when you talk, so I’m ready when you are.”

Hawkes shook his head. “You first.”

“Excuse me?”

“I don’t know you either. You’ll be able to read what I feel when you talk too, so why don’t we begin there? It’ll feel a little more even that way. I find out about you, and you’ll be able to feel what I do as I find out.”

“Hmm. That’s a first. Uncle Toofie said you weren’t afraid of anything, and now I see why. You‘ll confront a problem and change the situation to better suit your expectation of a viable solution. A very novel approach.”

“I’m glad you like it.”

“Yes, you are”, she said. “I can sense the pride in you. You seem very proud of the fact that I’m intelligent, yet sad that you didn’t have a role in the development of my intellect. It wasn’t your fault, but you know that as well. The sadness shines like a beacon. Anyway, Mom feels like I got my intelligence from you, while you believe I got it from her. The truth lies somewhere in the middle, I think. I got my ability from her, but I got the brains to understand it all from both of you. Your practical thinking has quite a bit to do with it, I’m sure.”

“That’s nice to hear”, Hawkes said.

“What’s also nice to hear”, she said, pointing to her temple, “is how you swell with positive emotion whenever Mom is mentioned. And also sadness for leaving her. You’re not sure you love her anymore, are you?”

“We’re not talking about me, Randi”, Hawkes said. “We’re talking about you.”

“It’s weird being on the other side of this. For what it’s worth, she’s not sure either. It was a long time ago and you’ve both changed quite a bit, but if there’s a spark there, it’ll flare up again.”

“How she feels is her business. How I feel about her is my business.”

“But when you shine a light, sometimes you see things you weren’t looking for, and it allows other people to see it too. What you feel is right there and I can’t discard it until I know what is. Maybe someday, but right now, I can’t. Everything comes in, then I have to determine what to do with what I know. It really makes people uneasy around me.”

“I can see that. What do you want to do when you grow up?”

“I’ve thought about becoming a Starship Captain. With my abilities, I can resolve a lot of conflicts before they begin. I’m scheduled to start Pre-Academy classes next year, so I still have a little time to talk Mom into it.”

“She doesn’t approve?”

“Not in the least”, Randi said. “I think she would be more agreeable if her father retired, but she doesn’t want me going in while he’s running things. I guess I agree with her thinking.”

“Because your grandfather can make things so easy for you that you don’t actually learn anything, and then you’ll be ill equipped to do the job you’re supposed to do, and then you’ll be dead in the water, career wise. Or, he could make it very hard for you, where nothing you do is good enough. Not easy being the StarLord’s granddaughter.”

Randi grinned at him. “Are you sure your side of the family doesn’t have empathic abilities, too?”

“I’m pretty sure”, Hawkes said with a chuckle. “How are the buzzwords working for you?”

“Buzzwords?”, she asked.

“Randi, I don’t have the intellect that you have the potential to have, but I’m not an idiot either. You keep throwing words at me to get a reading on what feelings they churn up. Like when you brought up your mom, and just now when you mentioned my side of the family.”

“I don’t know anything about you or your family. You were in Section Seven, so I couldn’t get access to your file. I have no idea if I have any other aunts and uncles out there, or cousins or grandparents. I could’ve gotten to know them over the years, but I can’t find out anything. I asked Mom about it several times and she told me the Chancellor wouldn’t release any details of your personnel file.”

“I’m right here, Randi”, Hawkes said. “Ask me anything you want.”

“Okay, is there any other family out there?”

“No. You and I are all there is.”

“Great sadness”, she said softly. “Something terrible happened, didn’t it?”

“My grandfather was very wealthy. He amassed a great fortune and liked to live well, and he liked to see other people live well too. He and I were very close and he began to become active in philanthropic endeavors. He gave away a lot of money and helped people as much as he could. He even had a beautiful estate overlooking a green valley on one side, a mountain range on another, and an ocean on another. It was the most amazing place I’d ever seen, and the last time I was there, we argued about the fact that I wanted to join StarForce. He wanted me to go into the family business, but I wanted to lead my own life. Anyway, five years later, that heavenly estate was reduced to ash while the family was vacationing there. Everyone died. All of them. My grandparents, my parents and my seven brothers and sisters, along with their spouses and children. All told, all twenty-two of my family members died that day. The odds are astronomical of something like that happening, and if I hadn’t joined StarForce, I would’ve been killed right along with them.”

“My God!”, Randi breathed. “Your family was on Pumac when the Okavians attacked. Does Uncle Toofie know?”

“No. He never understood how badly I wanted to join in the attack on Okavia Prime, but I just kept remembering my grandfather and how he always tried to help people, and I knew he wouldn’t want me to retaliate like that. Punish those responsible, sure, but never harm innocent civilians. That was why I stopped the attack and relieved the captain of his command. That’s not what StarForce does, and I didn’t want a full scale war with the Okavians to be our fault.”

“But it kind of was, wasn’t it?”, She asked. “When diplomacy broke down about a year after the attack, they declared war on us. I studied this in school.”

Hawkes nodded. “That’s when your other grandfather got involved. He didn’t want me marrying your mother and taking her aboard a Warship to be a target everyday. He fought my promotion to captain so I wouldn’t take her away, even though I didn’t know she was his daughter. I guess that’s why she has always used her mother’s last name, so they couldn’t be connected. Anyway, that’s my family. All gone. Just you and I, kiddo. The last of the bloodline.”

She had a single tear run down her cheek. “That is the saddest thing I’ve ever heard. The saddest part is that I was not only feeling what you said, but I was listening and watching you while you were saying it. It’s like you’re made of stone. Your tone and appearance remained the same, but I could feel the sadness coming off of you like a flash fire. I have no idea how you can not show that kind of pain when you’re talking about it.”

“Practice”, he said. “I don’t talk about it, and it’s been a long time. Sometimes the hardest things become easier over time.”

“Who else knows?”

“No one, and they don’t need to know. After all this time, it could open old wounds, or it could change how my crew feels about me. There’s no need for anyone to know anything about it because them knowing won’t make anything better. My family will still be gone, and Toofinari’s family will still be gone, so what’s the point?”

They sat in silence for a moment, then Randi asked, “How should I address you?”

“How do you mean?”

“I don’t know what to call you. I’ve called you ‘Commander’ and I’ve called you ‘Sir’, and neither seemed to illicit an emotional response from you. I have to wonder why that is?”

“Maybe it’s because I don’t care what you call me.”

“How can that be?”

“I didn’t know you existed so I wasn’t there to raise you, and that’s what a Dad does, so I haven’t earned that. I’m your father, but I’m not your ‘Dad’, if that makes any sense. I’m not a priest or a rich, respectable man, so calling me ‘Father’ is not something I’d readily welcome. In centuries past, ‘Pop’ or ‘Pops’ is usually what a boy might call his father, while ‘Papa’ is what a girl might call him. Randi, there are a lot of options, and the only one that I have is ‘daughter’, so you have to decide what you’re most comfortable with. I’m fine with whatever you decide.”

“Well, I guess when the time comes, we’ll see what I’ve decided.”

“Fair enough”.

“How does love work?”

Hawkes grinned. “Again with the buzzwords?”

“It wasn’t intentional”, she said sheepishly. “I sense a lot of love aboard this ship, but it isn’t the same in any two people. They all love you, and I can tell you love them back, but can’t pinpoint the overlapping quality that they all feel toward you, other than great respect, of course. I’m looking for that one thing they have in common that makes that love come to be. I just can’t figure out love. It’s always the one that gives me problems.”

“You’re not alone in that, kiddo”, Hawkes said. “Love generally isn’t something that happens immediately. It usually takes time to build, so there are always varying degrees of it. And some people are just much more capable of feeling it than others.”

“I sense the love you have for Uncle Toofie and Aunt Lani, but it’s not the same love. It’s close, but different. The same goes for Uncle Mott. It’s different from the other two. Chief Rylos loves the Nomad, but I also feel the beginning of love for you.”

“I’m sure that’s just a growing mutual respect”, Hawkes said.

“I think you’re right”, Randi said, “But I get a completely different feeling from Dr. Padoso than I do the others. It’s closer to what you feel for Mom. And before you ask, I feel that you love me too. That’s why I don’t understand. We just met. How is it even possible?”

“It’s inexplicable, Randi”, Hawkes said. “Most parents love their children as soon as they’re born, before there’s been any real interaction. To me, you were just born. Into a ten year old body with empathic abilities.”

“Lucky you, huh?”

“One thing I’ve learned in my life is that fate will give you one of three things in any given situation. Sometimes you get what you want. Sometimes you get what you need. And sometimes, you just get what you get. There’s no controlling it, so just make the best of it.”

“Make lemonade”, she said.

He smiled. “Exactly. When life hands you lemons, make lemonade. Crying about it won’t change anything. You just need to try to make the most of whatever gets thrown at you. And I intend to make the most out of being a father.”

“Oh, really?”, she said, perking up. “I want to make sure I get a good reading on this explanation.”

“I’ll buy you frilly little dresses and dolls and stuffed animals, and we’ll go to the zoo and have tea parties. It’s going to be fun.”

“You do realize I’ve outgrown all of that stuff, don’t you?”

“Ah, they grow up so fast. Well, then I got nothing.”

She couldn’t help herself. She started laughing, and Hawkes joined in just as the door slid open and Mia walked in.

“Sorry to interrupt”, she said. “Did I come at a bad time?”

“No, Mom”, Randi said as she got to her feet. “I’m sure you two have things to talk about and I’m going to explore a little more. Daddy, would it be okay if I had Number One accompany me this time? I haven’t really met him yet.”

“That’s fine, Brat”, he said. “Have fun.”

Mia sat down across from Hawkes. “‘Daddy’? ‘Brat’? What the Hell did I miss?”

“That’s classified, Miss”, he said in a serious tone. “I’m not at liberty to discuss that with you.”

“Oh, really?”, she said, playing along. “I’ll just have to see if I can get her to tell me. I’m pretty sure she can bribed.”

“Oh, I can be too”, Hawkes said. “Give it a try.”

“Okay”, she said, a grin slowly spreading across her face. “If you tell me what the two of you were talking about, I will give you a home cooked meal the first time you’re planetside.”

Hawkes eyed her warily. “What kind of home cooked meal?”

“Meatloaf, homemade mashed potatoes and corn on the cob. With real butter.”

“Wow, you remembered my favorite meal”, Hawkes said. “I’m impressed.”

“Impressed enough to tell me what you and Randi were talking about?”

“Of course not”, he said, scoffing. “It was a private conversation. Our first. I can’t just tell you or she’ll feel like she can’t trust me. I don’t want that, and I don’t think you do either.”

“You’re right, but I just want to know what got the two of you so friendly in such a short time. She can read people, but that usually doesn’t put her so at ease.”

Hawkes shrugged. “I’m her father. I think she wanted to get along with me, but she had to get to know me a little before dropping her guard.”

“Well, I’m glad the two of you are getting along so well”, Mia said. “I just talked with Toofinari and he seems to like her quite a bit too. Look, I have to head back to Earth in the morning. Would you like for Randi to stay on with you for a few days? I’ll have to come back at the end of the week, so I can take her back with me then. What do you you think?”

“I’m up for it”, Hawkes said happily. “If it’s okay with her.”

“She’ll love it. She’s never been away from Earth before, she’s never been on a Starship before, she’s never been away from me overnight before and she’s definitely never met her father before. She’s realizing a few dreams here. I just hope I can get her to leave with me when I come back for her.”

Randi’s visit actually lasted more than two weeks, with her mother visiting frequently. The Chancellor passed her fitness tests, and repairs and personnel recruitment began immediately, with the Nomad being in Spacedock for three months before everything was ready for them to depart on their mission.

Seventy-two hours before launch, Mott Boodriss came to see Hawkes about a very serious matter.

“Skipper, we’ve got a problem.”

“What’s up, Mott?”

“I’ve been contacted by some old friends on my planet, and they’re trying to recruit me for something heinous.”

“And what would that be?”, Hawkes asked, interested.

“Since I’m in Earth spacedock, they want me to assassinate the war criminal StarLord Shel Vanko.”

“I see”, Hawkes said. “Are you going to do it?”

“Of course not, but if not me, then someone will. They’ll at least try.”

“Okay, I’ll alert StarCommand. Thanks for letting me know.”

“Skipper, there’s more.”

“Isn’t there always?”, Hawkes said with a sigh. “Okay. What else?”

“They don’t just want the StarLord dead”, Boodriss said. “They want his entire bloodline wiped out. Mia and Randi are in danger.”

“Okay, this just got highly personal”, Hawkes said

“That’s kind of what I was thinking.”

Hawkes was silent for a moment, then said, “I need to pass this on to Chancellor Preztin. Telling the StarLord won’t do any good. He’ll just walk outside with a sword in each hand and tell them to bring it.”

“I agree.”

Five minutes later, they had the Chancellor on the Vidscreen and had explained everything to her.

“Okay, Commander, I have your orders. My Aide and her daughter are on their way to you as we speak. Once you have them, you are to depart immediately.”

Hawkes caught the fact that she didn’t use Mia or Randi’s names. She was worried their communications were being monitored. “Okay, depart...for where?”

“It doesn’t matter. The Nomad is a much safer place for them than anywhere on Earth. If I could, I’d get the StarLord up there with you, but I want my people out of harms way. They didn’t sign up for any of this. You have your orders, Commander. Disappear. Preztin out.”

Hawkes rubbed his temples. “Okay, Mott. You heard the lady. Get ready to leave Spacedock and break orbit. I’ll make the announcement.”

They walked onto the Bridge, and Boodriss went about making the necessary preparations to disembark. Hawkes looked at all the new faces and realized they weren’t ready for this, but there was no choice.

“Ship”, he said to the ceiling in a commanding voice. “Shipwide. This is the Captain speaking. I’ve just received a priority message from Alliance Chancellor Preztin, and once the shuttle containing the Chancellors Aide and her daughter are safely on board, we are to depart with all possible speed. Chief Boodriss will input our destination and we will leave immediately, so those of you who just arrived, welcome to the Nomad. I’m sorry we won’t have the opportunity for a shakedown cruise, but something important has come up. I want all Senior Staff in my office immediately, and the rest of you?. Stations, please. Hawkes out.”

Less than a minute later, the senior officers has assembled in the Captains office, so he laid it all out for them.

“At the moment, we don’t know anything except that the Rokarians want the StarLord and his bloodline exterminated. Chancellor Preztin is taking care of him, and has ordered us to keep Mia and Randi safe. We’re just supposed to get out of here and she’ll contact us when she can and we’ll go from there. I wish I had more information for you, but at this point, you know what I know.”

“Commander”, Buzz said, “I have Ms. Korlon’s shuttle on approach, and an incoming message from Chancellor Preztin.”

“Great”, he said, “Toofie, you and Mott escort Mia and Randi directly here.”

Toofinari and Mott Boodriss were both powerfully built men that stood in excess of six feet. Toofinari looked at Hawkes like he’d lost his mind.

“Why us?”, he asked. “Why both of us? We have preparations to make if we’re going to make a quick getaway.”

“I want you two to do it because I have no faith in Mia’s willingness to hurry. If necessary, I want you two to pick them up and carry them here.”

“Oh, that’s going to make things get off on the wrong foot in a hurry.”

“The Chancellor said to keep them safe, not comfortable”, Hawkes said. “You have your orders.”

The men nodded and left.

“Buzz, put that transmission through right here”, Hawkes said, pointing at the blank wall at the front of the conference table. A moment later the Chancellors image appeared, looking worried.

“Do you have them, Commander?”, Preztin asked. “Are they safe?”

“They should be docking right now, Chancellor”, Hawkes said. “I sent Mott and Toofie to bring them here.”

She looked at him with confusion for a moment, then said, “Oh my God! You’re going to have them delivered like groceries, aren’t you?”

“I’m having them brought to my office expeditiously”, Hawkes said. “If I know Mia, she’ll want to freshen up first, and we don’t have time for that. How are things there?”

“Did you know Vanko kept a small dagger in his uniform lining?”, Preztin asked. “It’s a good thing, because he was attacked and he ran that blade right up under his attackers chin and straight up into his brain. He may be old, but he’s still a very dangerous man.”

Just then the door hissed at it opened, and the two huge men came in carrying Mia and Randi.

“Got ‘em”, Toofinari said, holding a visibly angry Mia.

Mott put Randi down and said, “You’re heavier than you look, kid. Better watch the cookie intake.” She stuck her tongue out at him and smiled.

“Quit complaining. You got the scrawny kid”, Toofinari said as he gently set Mia on her feet. “I had the full sized version.” Mia’s jaw dropped and she sputtered for words.

“If there’s not a very good reason for this, I’m going to start becoming unreasonable. Deacon, do you remember what it’s like when I’m unreasonable?”

“I’m glad you’re alright, Mia”, Chancellor Preztin said.

Mia spun around to face the Viewscreen. “Chancellor, my apologies. I was unaware you were on the line.”

“Is the shuttle returning?”, she asked.

“Yes, Ma’am”, Mia said. “The pilot may need medical attention when he returns. When they grabbed us, he attempted to come to our rescue. Mr. Toofinari punched him in the face.”

“It was just a tap on the nose”, Toofinari said sheepishly. “He was interfering with my orders.”

Preztin chuckled. “I understand. Okay people, here’s our situation; the Rokarians want StarLord Vanko dead for War Crimes against them during the Border Wars ten years ago when he was the Commodore of StarForce. For those of you that need a refresher course, we were being attacked on all sides already, then the Rokarians decided to enter the fray, even though we had a treaty with them and had done nothing to provoke them. When their fleet came storming in, we actually thought they were there to help us. That is until they started firing on our ships. Vanko was faced with certain destruction of our entire fleet and possibly even the downfall of the Alliance, so he had an Atomizer Bomb hastily constructed and fired it at the Rokarian Mothership, which blew it and all the surrounding ships to sub-atomic particles. Just that fast, the War was over.”

“But Atomizers have been illegal for decades”, Hawkes said.

“True, but he did what he had to do”, Preztin said. “If he hadn’t done it, we wouldn’t be here now. None of us. He broke Interstellar law to do it, but because of the unprovoked attack, the only ones harmed were the ones that broke our treaty and attacked us. The others decided that if it could happen once, it could happen again, so negotiations began and the War was over. Now, after all this time, the Rokarians are saying that he’s a War Criminal and they want him and his bloodline put to death. I don’t think I’m going to allow the man that saved the Alliance and his family to be executed by a people that launched an unprovoked attack on us. He was made StarLord because of his actions in that War, and StarForce has never been stronger.”

“Understood”, Hawkes said. “What are our orders?”

“Just get away from here”, Preztin said. “That’s it. Go wherever you want and do whatever you want to do, but just keep Mia and Randi safe.”

“I’m willing to do just that, Chancellor, but I have a problem with running away while my daughters grandfather is in danger. If it were me, I’d build my own Atomizer and aim it in the general vicinity of the StarLord. He needs to be aboard this ship, and the Rokarians need to know he’s not on Earth, for the safety of the entire planet.”

“I agree”, Preztin said. “I’ll make it happen. Be ready for him in one hour. Oh, and Mia?”

“Yes, Madame Chancellor?”

“As of this moment, you’re now an Ambassador of Earth. The Nomad’s primary mission is to bring an end to conflicts on some of the Border worlds, and someone acting with Diplomatic Authority needs to be present. As of this moment, that’s you. Congratulations.”

“Uh, thank you, Chancellor”, Mia said. “But what exactly are we supposed to do with him? Is Commander Hawkes in charge of this ship and this mission, or is the StarLord? You know as well as I do that my father is used to giving orders, not taking them.”

“Oh yes, I’m aware of who I’m dealing with here”, Preztin said. “He put in his retirement papers a week ago, so he won’t have an official capacity on the Nomad beyond being the StarCommand Representative. You’ll be the Alliance Representative, and Commander Hawkes is ultimately in charge. Period. And just in case you’re wondering, his XO is next in the Chain of Command. That ship is outside the purview of the Alliance and Star Command, therefore the two of you have no say over anything regarding that ship’s command structure. I’ll make that clear to your father as well.”

“Excuse me?”, Hawkes said, raising his hand chest high. “Are you telling me that I now have to babysit my ex, her father and my daughter for the foreseeable future? This is not what we agreed on, Chancellor.”

“You’re absolutely right, Commander”, Preztin said. “Please feel free to leave them here with a bullseye on their heads, and go roam the galaxy. I’m sure they’ll be fine.”

“That’s not my point, Lissa, and you know it”, Hawkes said angrily. “We agreed that I was in command, but you’re the one giving the orders and deciding who I have to take aboard my ship. I’ll take them and keep them safe, but I just want you to know that since you’ve seen fit to alter our deal, you shouldn’t act surprised if I decide to do the same.

“Why would I be surprised at you not following orders, Commander? I would be surprised if you did follow orders. This mission needs a conscience and someone who can think on their feet, but also someone who isn’t afraid to do what needs to be done, even if it goes against policy and regulations. That’s what makes you perfect for this. I’m being honest with you, Deke; I didn’t foresee this. I wouldn’t have stuck you with Vanko and my Aide with no warning, not to mention the child. I don’t want any of them out there, but circumstances have necessitated a change of plans. Is this going to be a problem?”

Hawkes considered the situation and shook his head in frustration. He didn’t have an alternative, but he didn’t like the way this mission was starting out and he didn’t want to get off on the wrong foot by allowing the Chancellor to make last minute changes to their deal that he just had to accept and live with. He opened his mouth to vent his anger, but before any words came out, he felt someone gently take his hand. He looked to see who it was, and found Randi holding his hand and looking up at him with pleading eyes.

“Please, Daddy?”, she said. “Can’t we just make lemonade?”

Hawkes was never one to be manipulated, but this was a whole new world for him. What do you do when your newfound ten year old daughter asks you to not be so stubborn that you would basically shoot yourself in the foot just to avoid being told what to do?

“Yes, Baby girl”, he said, wrapping his arms around her. “We can make lemonade.” He looked up and said, “Chancellor, when Vanko gets here, I think he, you, Mia and I all need to have a conversation. Everyone needs to know their role aboard this ship, and it needs to get established before we leave SpaceDock. I don’t want to have to stuff anyone into a nice new torpedo tube.”

Forty-two minutes later, the StarLord arrived and was brought to Hawkes’ office. When he walked in, Hawkes immediately noticed that he didn’t look as frail as he did when they had seen each other last.

“Welcome back, StarLord”, Hawkes said. “You look different than you did last time you were here.”

Then Vanko did something that Hawkes didn’t expect. He grinned.

“The last time I was here, I hadn’t been fattened up by my daughter and granddaughter. Randi talks about you all the time, you know.”

“I wasn’t aware you had reconciled with them”, Hawkes said. “I’m glad.”

“I’m glad too, and I owe you for it. I also owe you an apology. You, so far, have proven me wrong about who you are. I guess we’ll see as the mission goes on, won’t we?”

“Yes, about that. What exactly did Chancellor Preztin tell you?”

“She told me that while I was still the StarLord until my official retirement, I had to follow orders, and she ordered me to get off of Earth for awhile. She also told me to come aboard your ship as an observer and unofficial representative of StarCommand.”

“Anything else?”, Hawkes asked.

“Yes, she told me that you’re in charge. I’m not used to putting my life in someone else's hands, especially someone I don’t trust and have hated for over ten years, but my granddaughter seems to be very impressed by you, so with her empathic abilities, I guess I have to believe you’ve grown into a good man. The Chancellor also told me that you didn’t want to leave your daughter’s grandfather behind while he was marked for death. I honestly don’t think I would’ve made that same call if our roles were reversed, so as I told you before, I’m willing to be convinced you’re a good man. I want to be wrong about you, for Randi’s sake.”

“The same goes for me”, Hawkes said. “I think that little girl has changed us both in a positive way. I hope she never has to see us at each other’s throats.”

“Me either”, he said. “And if I die in space, at least I’ll be surrounded by all the family I have. I don’t want them to die, but if I die, I’ll be happy as long as I’m with them.”

“I’ve felt that way for years”, Hawkes said. “Before I knew about Randi, this crew was the closest thing I’ve had to a family in many years, so I know exactly what you mean.”

“Anyway, I’m under orders to contact Chancellor Preztin once I’m aboard, but I wanted the chance to talk to you a little first. We can contact her whenever you’re ready, Commander.”

Hawkes nodded and raised his voice. “Ship. Shipwide. This is the Captain. Ambassador Korlon, Sub-Commander Malohn and Buzz to my Office. Hawkes out.”

“I didn’t know Sub-Commander Malohn was going to be in on this too”, Vanko said.

“She’s my XO. She needs to be kept in the loop. She has to know what I know if she’s to assume command if something happens to me.”

“Makes sense”, Vanko agreed. “And your AI?”

“Buzz is the ship, so she’ll know what’s going on anyway”, Hawkes said. “I may as well invite her to sit in instead of just have her listen in. She’d be listening to the transmission anyway. There’s no getting around that.”

“Yes, I can understand that.”

“I’m not unaware of the fact that you’re the most senior StarForce officer aboard this ship, or any ship for that matter, but in all honesty, you’ve been out of the Command Chair for a long time. There are new weapons and tactics that you haven’t experienced yet because of your position as StarLord, so I couldn’t name you as my successor. I hope you understand.”

“Perfectly”, Vanko nodded. “I’ve worked long and hard to get where I am, and I wouldn’t want to have people think I’m just a doddering old fool that took the Command Chair and made all the wrong decisions. I know I’m not the right man for that job. Not anymore. I’m willing to assume Command if none of your regular crew can do it, but not until then. I’m just a retired grandfather.”

Mia and Lani walked in, and when Lani saw Vanko, surprise was evident on her face.

“Problem, XO?”, Hawkes asked.

“No, it’s just that I didn’t realize the StarLord was here. I mean, I didn’t hear any shouting as we approached.”

Vanko smiled and went to Mia who welcomed him with open arms. Their embrace seemed genuine to Hawkes, and he was glad he was able to witness it.

“Is that Chancellor Preztin?”, Lani whispered in his ear. “I know she can alter her appearance.”

“She can’t look like a man. Her ability is gender-specific. That’s really him, Lani. Randi melted his cold heart.”

“Amazing kid”, Lani said. “Okay, we’re here. What’s up?”

Everyone sat down and Chancellor Preztin was brought up on the View Screen, then she began speaking.

“As you all know, things have been kind of dicey regarding the Rokarians and they’ve issued a Death Warrant for the StarLord and his bloodline. I need the Nomad to get away from here and head to the Badlands, where you can conduct your mission in relative obscurity. That mission is what was previously discussed, so go do some good, people.”

When Preztin signed off, the view screen went dark, but everyone sat in silence, awaiting orders from Hawkes.

“XO”, he began, “Is the Nomad combat ready?”

“Yes, Sir”, Lani said. “I believe so. We’ve checked, double checked and triple checked everything that has come aboard and everything that has been done. If someone picks a fight with us, they won’t be the one walking away.”

“And what if we’re the one that picks the fight?”

“Are you serious, Deke?”, she almost shouted. “We have our orders. We’re to get the StarLord and his family away from here with all possible speed. What you’re proposing is very much the opposite of ensuring their safety.”

“Buzz? What are your thoughts?”, Hawkes asked the AI.

“I’m afraid I must agree with Commander Malohn, but my personal opinion is that I’m a Warship, and I don’t like running away from a fight. They wish to harm Randi, and I wish to harm anyone that threatens my friend. Sir.”

“StarLord? You’re merely an observer here, but I’d still like your opinion.”

“Well, Commander, I think it goes without saying that I think the most powerful ship in the known Galaxy should help defend Earth from this invasion. I’ve been a soldier all my life, and I don’t like running away from a fight either.”

“Ambassador?”, Hawkes asked Mia.

She was silent for only a moment before speaking. “Commander, this invasion is happening because they want the StarLord and his bloodline exterminated. That being said, I don’t think that I could live with myself if innocent people were killed while I was running away. I say we take the fight to them. Word will get around about the Nomad and it’ll make our actual mission much easier. Should we survive this, that is.”

Hawkes looked at Lani. “XO, I appreciate your counsel, but we’re not walking away while we know Earth is in danger. If we couldn’t realistically help, that would be a different story, but clearly that’s not the case here.”

“Deke, it’s my job as your Executive Officer to give you opposing viewpoints, and that’s what I’ve done. On a personal level, I want to blast all of these invaders to Hell, so I was hoping that’s what you decided. Awaiting your orders, Captain.”

Hawkes nodded and raised his voice. “Ship! Shipwide. This is the Captain. Prepare Battlestations. This is not a drill. Earth is about to come under attack and we will defend her by all means possible. Those of you that thought we were going to run away? Shame on you. That is all.” He looked around the room and said. “Stations, please. It’s showtime.”