Exploring We Will Go!

Posted on Wed 23rd Oct, 2019 @ 8:16pm by Commander Jasmine Collins-Keller

1,019 words; about a 5 minute read

Mission: A Diplomatic Affair
Location: Bushido, Samurai Captain's Yacht
Timeline: MD 9, 0745

Henry sat in captain's chair of the yacht going over the new AI neural-circuitry he and his crew had just installed aboard the captain's yacht, Bushido. He muttered to himself as he crossed every T and dotted every I.

"I hope I don't regret doing this," he said as he finalized the AI's program parameters into the regular ship's computer.

"Computer, complete a level 2 diagnostic of all bio-neural circuitry. When complete, give me a comm notification and send it to my personal PADD."

=^="Acknowledged"=^= the ship's computer responded to the commanding officer. The engineer clapped his hands together and looked to the next item on his list, receiving his guests.

Coming up the ramp, head bent over her PADD, Riko called out, "Anyone home?" Since the ramp was down, it was a pretty sure thing Henry was there, and perhaps the pilot, too. She pulled her backpack off and tossed it on the table, then turned down the corridor that leads to the bridge. "Helloooo!" she called again, looking up to see where she was going and whether the pilot or commander were in front.

"I'm here Riko!" he yelled, making sure his friend heard him. "I m just wrapping up some last-minute twerks and running some diagnostics on the bio-neural circuitry." Henry looked over to the table and saw Riko's backpack. "Is that all you brought with you? One backpack?" Henry asked with surprise in his voice.

Riko laughed. "My family packs light!"

Henry chuckled and took his friend's bag from the table. "Let's go ahead and claim your bedroom. Which room do you want?"

The two year old Akita padded his way up the ramp, tail wagging and ears perked in a show of happy eagerness, exactly how Jasmine felt before she boarded the vessel. A little apprehensive to be among a crew that she didn't know, she carried her bag close to her. The Commander had been very nice, but she was more outspoken than Jasmine was used to. Taking a deep breath, she calmed herself and spoke. "Hello, anyone home?"

"Back here!" Henry yelled from one of the rooms of the yacht. "Just put your gear down and we will be out in a second. Make yourself at home!" The Commander bellowed.

"Oscar, come." The dog immediately stopped at her command and walked over taking a seat at her feet. "Good boy." She stroked the fur on his head as she sat in the middle of a very cushy sofa, her overnight next to her. She looked around. She'd never been on a Captain's yacht before. It was quite luxurious.

Henry made his way back to the bridge of the yacht and found Oscar standing by the side of Collins-Keller. "And who do we have here?" he asked as he resisted getting on his knees to pet the beautiful Akita.

"This is Oscar, sir." Jasmine pat the dog's head. "He's coming along with us," she said meekly, "if that's okay with you."

Riko came out of the back, and said, "What a beautiful dog! I didn't know he'd be so handsome." She looked at his face head on and then from the side. "There's something not-quite-foxlike about his features. Bigger, broader, but still a little of the same ... uh ... smart aleck look a fox has. I hope that's not offensive. It's something I quite admire about foxes. They always look like they've put one over on us somehow."

McCabe chose that moment to make an appearance. "Ooops, looks I'm the last one to show up! Sorry if I'm late."

Riko smiled, "Not at all. You still have 3.5 minutes. And here comes our last passenger, Hari Seldon. Welcome aboard, Hari. Why don't you and Anthony find rooms down on Deck 2, and we'll keep Commander Collins-Keller up here on our deck?"

She glanced at the commander, "If that's alright with you? You can do as you please, of course, but we do have one more guest accommodation up here."

"Up here sounds good." She smiled. "I'm not totally sure of Oscar's origins. He was a gift from Adam after we met, and he realized my difficulties." She felt at ease with Riko and Oscar seemed to like her and Commander Perry. "He can be a smart aleck when he wants to."

Hari looked at Anthony and shrugged. "I'm good with being cast into outer darkness down in the hold. What about you?"

Anthony laughed, "Probably a nice break from family life, actually. We all need a vacation now and then, and a working vacation is the best kind. You don't look too scary," he grinned holding out a hand. "Anthony McCabe, science. You're a civilian?"

Seldon shook hands and smiled back. He was finally used to the way humans bared their teeth at each other all the time, and it was becoming a habit with him, too. "Hari Seldon, yes, civilian. I work for Jade Lantz."

The two men headed down to drop their bags and Hari's voice floated back up the steps. "So you have a family?"

"Do you miss being just one of the guys, Henry?" Riko asked him.

Henry chuckled as he looked up from a panel he was working over to Riko. "How could I miss it when I have you? You're one of the guys, too," he stated, as he made air quotes with his fingers. "Honestly, I don't have a lot of time on my hands to hang out with people and shoot the breeze. Working on Samurai, being the Master of the Harbor takes up a lot of my time. That's why getaways like this are special to me."

As soon as Henry finished speaking, the Computer chimed in. =^= "Diagnostics complete."

"Great!" He said as he pulled up the results and read over them. "OK, Riko. I think we are good to leave." Henry ran his fingers over the panel and activated the ship wide P.A. system. "Good morning ladies and gentleman and welcome aboard the new and improved Bushido. As soon as you finish stowing your gear, come to the bridge for a cocktail and our mission briefing."

 

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