First Flyght – Chapter 8

Once the Amagi is fueled, and we’re cleared for departure, I take my spot on the bridge. I have a lot to learn about the ship’s defenses, life support, and other parts of the flight I’ll be responsible for, but I’m sure I can learn. I’ve just spent three years understanding the intricacies of greenhouses, aquaponics, and hydroponics. I built my own sensors and complex systems that relied on them. This ship can’t be that different, right?

Somehow I’m sure I’m talking myself into a position of confidence I don’t think I can make any claim to.

“It’ll be me, you, and Carlos until we get to Palo Alto, and then we’ll pick up more crew,” Skylar tells me as I slide into my seat.

“And then, the fun starts.” The disembodied voice that comes from the ship’s speakers makes me draw back from the console. “Hello, you. You’re new.”

If I didn’t know better, I’d think the computer was hitting on me. That sultry voice. That drawl. It’s something I’ve only ever heard in the movies.

“Ai, meet your new captain, Vivian Kawabata. Viv, this is Ai.” Skylar waves at the surrounding air.

“I do declare! What an honor it is to finally meet your stunning cousin. And you said ‘captain,’ did you? I’m not sure how I’ll feel obeying the orders of a gorgeous woman like yourself. I hope you don’t take advantage of a silly little AI like me.”

I don’t know whether to blush or laugh, so I do both. Who programmed this? She sounds like someone out of a Texan neighborhood on Palo Alto.

“Ai, cut it out. I told you that you need to keep your personality level on low,” Skylar grinds out between clenched teeth.

“Oh honey, it is on low. The very lowest it will go.”

I’m waiting for a woman to pop out of the air in a curvy red dress and bat her eyelashes at me.

Skylar clears her throat. “Uh, so, I spent all that money on the upgrade of the ship’s quarters and engines and ran out by the time I had to buy the actual AI for this hunk of junk. A friend of mine sold me Ai on the hush, real cheap. Only he didn’t tell me the AI was a Cupid beta, and he had been hacking it for months.” She scowls as she flips a few switches. “I’m pretty sure it’s illegal to have her, but I can’t afford a new AI right now.”

“From one of Laguna’s sexbots?” I whisper, and Skylar nods. Cupid is another one of Athens Industries’s inventions. Who needs women for sex when they can be manufactured, right? Ugh. But they’re a necessary evil. It’s unfortunate that all the Cupids act like they have a low IQ and nothing but air between their ears. It’s hard not to roll your eyes at them. But then there are the male sexbots that look pretty damned hot, so I guess we take the good with the bad.

“And let me tell you, it’s tough being a ship when you’re really supposed to be serving the men, and women, of a luxury resort.” Ai sighs, and I raise my eyes to the ceiling of the bridge. “But I’ve made my peace with it. Haven’t I, Carlos?”

“Leave me out of this!” Carlos calls from his room, located outside and to the rear of the bridge. “If we had it my way, you’d be gone in a microsecond.”

“Oh sugar, you’d miss me. I know it.”

“Not likely,” he grumbles.

“We’re ready to go, Ai,” Skylar says.

It’s only then do I realize the irony of calling this particular AI ‘Ai.’ Ai means ‘love’ in Japanese.

“Everyone strap in!”

The engines hum to life as the console in front of me shows the transcript of Ai interfacing with the spaceport’s AI. We’re given clearance to leave, and Skylar gets to business.

This is when I’ve always been both proud and jealous of her. She’s an exceptional pilot — learned from the very best, her own mom, and spent two years in flight school where she graduated the top of her class. The ship responds to her like it’s another limb, like they’re bonded.

The thrust pushes me back in my chair before the Amagi compensates. I focus my attention on the panels and consoles in front of me. Ai keeps a running tally of everything I need to know — life support systems, thrust compensation, artificial gravity on standby for when we break orbit, and a million other things roll by. I assume she’ll alert me if anything needs tending to. AI systems onboard ships are observers and are only semi-autonomous. They can’t make decisions for a human, though they can provide possible ideas and solutions to problems. The AI on Aunt Fusako’s ship was more of the stodgy old-man variety. Never wavering in his condescension, he was often accidentally funny in that way a clueless toddler can be. It was an odd mix.

“Estimated time of arrival at the Kawabata estate: three minutes,” Ai chimes.

“We’re going back home?” Sweat beads on my forehead, wondering what awaits us there.

“Of course. You’re not leaving without your belongings and Frogger now, are you?”

I cover my smile with my hand. “I get to bring my dog?”

Skylar’s smile lights up my heart. “There’s a lot more we get to bring onboard. And when we’re done here, we’ll break orbit for the jump ring to Californikos. We have more crew to pick up on Palo Alto before your first interview at Flyght.”

—-

Frogger barks and runs towards me as I exit out the cargo bay doors. I sink down and let him jump and lick my face then run circles around me. I love my dog. He’s precisely the bright spot I need in a day like today. And he looks good too. His rust colored coat shines like he’s been washed and brushed. Someone treated me to a well-groomed monster.

No sooner than Skylar and I are out of the ship when men carrying crates start loading up the cargo bay. I watch them go by me with interest. Most of the cases and what they’re holding look familiar.

Mom approaches, her arms open wide for a hug even though I saw her only a few hours ago. She squeezes me tight before letting go.

“I had to get in a good hug because I don’t think I’ll be seeing you for a while.” She pats my upper arms. “Now, we’re sending supplies away with you,” she says, indicating the cases being brought on board.

“What kind of supplies?” The bank owns everything we have. It may be wrong to take my own wardrobe, but I’m going to anyway. I doubt the bank will miss it. But real equipment we have invoices for? That’ll be harder to hide in an audit.

“This is your aquaponics set-up. We put the money to buy it in your education fund since it was your senior project, so we think it won’t be missed until the very end of the bank’s audit. We’re also giving you the lights from our old greenhouse, which we saved. This way you can grow crops on board and be self-sufficient. It will also help with the carbon dioxide scrubbing and hopefully save you both money and parts.”

“This is great, though I have no idea what will happen to all the water and the fish in the aquaponics pond if we ever lose gravity.”

“Just pray that you don’t.” Mom’s face is grim for a moment before it falls. “You went to Tomu’s apartment. Did you find anything?”

“Nothing really,” I say, shrugging. “A stack of business cards, a bottle of perfume… Did you know he had a girlfriend?”

Her eyebrows climb. “No. He never mentioned a woman. Your father and I suspected he was gay.”

Uh-huh.

“Well, if you need to find us when you come back, we’ll be living there. The lease on that place is paid up through the year. The bank served us an eviction notice to the house this morning. Two days to get out.”

“I’m sorry, Mom.”

“Don’t be,” she says, lifting her head. “I’m the sorry one. I was supposed to give you this house and farm after all of your hard work. I have failed as a parent, both for you and for Tomu as well.”

“Mom, Tomu’s actions have nothing to do with you.” I let my fingers rest on Frogger’s head, and he licks them.

“What if I had treated him better? Gave him more money, more freedom? What if he had inherited the land and house, like they used to on Earth?”

Anger heats my face. “You know that’s not the way it works. We’re the minority here, Mom. Fifteen percent. Fifteen,” I stress. “Why didn’t he get the land? Because we have to hold on to the few assets we have and land only goes to women here.” I sigh, trying to lose some of my anger. “Because a bunch of idiot men a long time ago decided that men were stronger and better planetary settlers, so they made changes that almost wiped us out as a race because, oops! Guess what? Men can’t have babies. And lord knows, they tried.”

“I know, I know. I just never thought I would give birth to an idiot.”

I pause, biting my tongue and trying to dissipate some of the heat of my anger. “As angry as I am at Tomu, I know he’s smart, too smart for his own good. He’s gotten himself in some kind of trouble. I can feel it. I need to find out what that is.”

We’re interrupted when one of my favorite farm workers, Lia, walks up with chickens under both arms, a goat on a rope leash, and several other chickens and a duck following behind.

“Lia Kang, reporting for duty, Captain,” she says, bowing. The chickens under her arm cluck and hum.

“Uhhh, I think you’re needed here, Lia.”

Lia’s parents are standing at the edge of the landing, her father looking a little skeptical and her mother donning a proud smile.

“This is my idea, Vivian,” Mom says, her hand extended.

My neck cramps with whiplash from throwing it back in frustration.

“Jesus Christ, do I not get to make any of my own decisions about my future? Are you going to come along and pick out every man I date too?”

“Watch your tone with your mother, Vivian,” my dad says, approaching with a cart full of chicken feed.

I don’t even want to apologize. I’m sure steam is coming out of my ears.

I’m so sick of everyone manhandling my life. I couldn’t even buy a pair of fucking shoes I loved.

“What’s your idea?” My jaw is locked tight, trying to keep my tongue from lashing out.

Mom pauses for a moment, obviously wanting my apology. “Lia’s family will be let go from work once the bank takes over the farm. Since she’s good with animals and she wants some time to travel before going to school or getting married, she asked if she could be of use to the Amagi.”

I get along well with Lia, so I don’t care either way that she’s coming. It just doesn’t feel right to take the most skilled workers from the farm where they’re needed.

Closing my eyes, I chastise myself. The farm is no longer my top priority. The Amagi and my mission are.

“You’re trained in jujitsu, aren’t you?” I ask Lia, and her face brightens.

Details. I’m a master of details. Working on the farm I thought I would own one day, I learned everyone’s names, the names of their favorite animals, what they liked to eat or drink. I remembered birthdays and wedding anniversaries. I showed up for every party, every christening, every funeral. I gave up sleep and meals to be there for the important events because I expected this would be my life someday. I set aside that space in my brain for the farm because it was essential. Usually, I don’t remember names or details. Only for the people and places I love.

I may not have always been a ton of fun to be around, too practical and too rule-abiding, but my family could count on me.

And my parents are counting on me now.

“Yes, Captain. I’ve taken jujitsu since I could walk.” When I express interest, she continues, holding the rope to the goat tight. “I’m also good with knives and can shoot a gun.”

“Have you ever hurt another person?”

Lia averts her eyes as she kicks a pebble in the dirt. She lets the chickens go and shoos them into the ship.

“Well, I did break a boy’s arm once. He was being fresh with me, and I defended myself.”

She doesn’t seem proud of it, just matter of fact. Good.

“You’re hired. I’ll need someone to watch and care for the livestock — I’ll help — and keep us on our toes when we’re in the more… lawless places in the Duo Systems. Okay?”

I hold out my hand to shake, and she takes it with a big grin. “Deal.”

She waves to her parents, and I remember myself at the age of sixteen, still spending my free time reading books in the hayloft, ignoring every boy who tried to talk to me, and trudging through the woods in muck boots looking for the perfect walking stick.

This girl is way more worldly than I ever was at that age.

I turn to Mom. “I love you, but I’m making the decisions around here from now on.” Mom stiffens, unhappy with my tone. “You tell the bank to contact me when they’re done appraising everything. Pack everything up and move into Tomu’s place. I’m sorry I left the place a mess.” I keep my eyes locked on hers. “If you ever hear from him, I better be the first person you call.”

The unspoken ‘or what?’ hangs in the air between us.

They’ve screwed up my future.

Now they should hope I don’t screw up theirs.