Shipboard AIs are the pinnacle of UEC ingenuity. Capable of processing massive amounts of data in the blink of an eye. They provide tactical data during combat, and their cyber-suits are suited for both offensive and defensive operations. While the AI cores are costly and require large swaths of power, they've given our forces a clean edge over our enemies.

  -Fleet Admiral Kolis, Faris II military parade

  Anders leaned back in his chair. Although his desk was covered in papers from the hours of research he'd done over the past few weeks, he had not yet figured out the puzzle that was his new crew member.

  Years of analysis on psionics and all the medals, awards, and trophies from his career meant nothing. Mara was a conundrum, an impossibility, and yet he knew there was something he was missing, something he'd come across or heard of before.

  "You have a guest, sir," Intra said, her voice smooth.

  He gathered the papers in front of him and slid them into a drawer in his desk. "Ariah, I assume?"

  "Yes, she's alone."

  The door slid open, and his XO entered and gave a quick greeting.

  "How's the crew today?" Anders asked.

  Ariah took a seat across from him. "Restless, but mostly since everyone's got their shore leave planned and we're almost back home. Axel looks like he's about ready to hop into a drop pod and take the short way down."

  "It wouldn't be the worst idea he's had, though please don't let him. That Boris sector job took longer than expected, and I hadn't planned on stopping in Hemura, so the impatience is understandable, but he can wait a little longer."

  "Will do, and I take it we got paid?"

  "Even got the bonus, so we'll be good for a while."

  Her eyes narrowed as she tapped her fingers on the desk. "You say that every time. And yet, I don't doubt you've been dipping into your personal savings here and there."

  "What's an old man like me supposed to do with savings anyway? It's been a slow few months, but I'll make it back."

  "Ideally be able to support us during your retirement? You've always wanted this company to succeed after you step down."

  Anders swiped a few times on his desk's screen. A holo-image of their recent finances appeared. "We're almost done paying off those ship repairs from that mess in the Algia sector. A few more jobs and we'll be in the clear, barring any unforeseen expenses."

  "Like funding a girl's attendance at Lunis' academy?" Ariah said.

  "That's coming from my own savings."

  Ariah's face scrunched up, and she crossed her arms. "But why? That's the premier academy in this region of space. And you want to send an orphan who at most might have only received a fifth-rate education, if anything?"

  "I do."

  "Look, I like her. She's smart, with a little edge. But this is an enormous investment in someone you don't know." Ariah stood up and walked over to his coffee machine. "My bet is she'll get overwhelmed midway through the first semester and drop out before returning to the streets."

  "Then that would be her decision. I've already told Mara that if she wants to leave, she can."

  The machine's buzzing broke the momentary silence.

  "This isn't because of her, is it?" Ariah asked.

  A brief heat burned in his chest, and he resisted the need to clench his fists. "No, and I'd prefer we didn't pursue that line of thought."

  Ariah's gaze softened. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have gone there, but this seems sudden. What made you decide to take the girl in? I get that no one should have to face the Praetorians alone, but even with your history, interfering with them is still risky."

  "She's more than a normal psion."

  Ariah stilled, having previously been in the middle of pouring milk into her drink. "Dammit, Anders. You said you found her randomly, but she was involved with that warehouse, wasn't she? The Praetorians weren't after her because she was unregistered…"

  "The UEC doesn't know what she is."

  "How could you possibly know that? You're playing with fire, and this is one I won't be able to put out."

  He eyed his drawer with the notes he'd tucked away. "They don't. I'll explain one day, but for now, it's safer if I'm the only one who knows her specifics."

  Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

  "That's not reassuring, and you know it."

  "I don't expect it to be. But look at this way, if she goes through with the academy, there's the possibility she could be my replacement as the crew's psion."

  Ariah had walked back over with two coffees. "While they're rare, we could still find any number of psions looking for work, ones that aren't possibly entangled in UEC investigations."

  "We could. But she's different, trust me on this for now."

  "Fine, but I expect answers at some point."

  "You'll get them once I can understand them." Anders took one cup of coffee from Ariah. "How's she doing, anyway? I've been seeing her for training, but you know how she is."

  "She's looking healthier that's for sure. When I first saw her, she looked almost skeletal. With proper food, I'm sure she'll fill out more."

  "I'm glad she's indulging herself. Her reaction to drinking a fruit juice was sad, like someone who'd never enjoyed something."

  Ariah took a sip of her drink. "Other than that, like I said, she's untrusting. She uses humor, but I get the feeling it's a front to hide her unease with being here."

  "Can't say I blame her, but I got the same impression from her. Though I've been getting reports of pranks that Axel isn't known for occurring. Something tells me Mara might have gotten a little comfortable with us."

  When they both finished their drinks, Ariah left for the bridge, as she needed to do a few more last-minute checks before landing. She was an important part of the crew and often called him out, which he appreciated. But as much as he'd like to fill her in on Mara, that would have to come later.

  "Intra, what's your assessment so far of our new guest?" Anders asked.

  "Mara has multiple symptoms of psychological trauma, likely due to years of abuse at the hands of the gang. She has been quite forthcoming with her feelings, though."

  His eyebrows rose. "How so?"

  "I have spent many hours conversing with her during our trip."

  "Really? Anything I should know about?"

  "For privacy reasons, I won't share most of it. I realize you could simply order me to, but understand I believe it's her way of working through the recent events. Nothing stands out as something you'd need to hear."

  Anders pulled his papers from his drawer again. "If it's helping her, I see no reason to get involved."

  "Otherwise, I have gained some basic knowledge about her that P-Sec was unaware of."

  He swiped on his desk's screen and brought up the file on Mara. "Go ahead."

  "To her knowledge, she was found as a baby in a damaged escape pod a sector away from the planet. A freighter captain hauled it aboard and dropped her off in Hemura while making their stop."

  "Interesting, any idea which ship the pod came from?"

  "No, I could not find any records of missing ships in the sector within the time frame based on her approximate age."

  "Any chance she could be highborn then? Maybe the records were scrubbed after some internal spat?"

  "While I would not rule it out, the escape pod was a standard civilian-class model. The chances of a ship owned by an old family using those would be next to zero."

  He looked through the files the AI had found. While the details were light—the freighter captain was likely smuggling and wanted to avoid attention—the report was there. How long had the child been in the pod? Unless it had been found shortly after whatever incident occurred, shouldn't it have died from lack of care?

  "There is another oddity I have found with her," Intra said. "Specifically regarding her health."

  "Is she sick?"

  "No, that is the problem." Intra brought up a few more files on his screen. "She's perfectly healthy, at least concerning sickness or disease. Her malnutrition is improving and should have no long-term effects."

  "I see. You'd expect her to have a few problems. Especially living in her conditions."

  "Yes. The prevalence of some form of lung disease within the colony is sixty-two point seven percent. She lived right next to the sanitation plant, which released constant chemicals into the air."

  Anders scratched his chin. "And yet she has nothing?"

  "She is a picture of health."

  Another puzzle piece then. Would they eventually form a complete puzzle? Or was he simply chasing some unanswerable problem?

  "She's doing well with her training," Anders said. "I had concerns over her psionic signature, but she's been able to form a small one consistently. It would fool me, assuming she doesn't accidentally drop it."

  "Yes, she has made a few comments on the practice, mostly annoyance at maintaining it."

  Anders spun his chair around, staring out the window that overlooked the ship's central bulkhead. "It will be her biggest hurdle. Dampening energy is more akin to adjusting a dial to turn it down. What she's doing is more like fighting her own nature. One I can't begin to understand."

  There were still Mara's concerns over her mental construct as well. She claimed a presence was there with her, or more so on the other side of the door she imagined. None of which should be possible. Could her past trauma be interfering with her thoughts?

  "She is trying, though." Intra said. "Even in her own room, she often practices maintaining it. I also suggested studying the more general classes she will be in and have been aiding her with flashcard-style learning."

  "I'm surprised she's so willing to interact with you. She seems to really hate automatons, and I'd assumed that applied to you as well."

  "I'm not capable of crushing her under my feet, and so there may be a distinction there. Her hatred of mechs runs deep, though. I'd suggest keeping her away from the cargo bots if you want to avoid losing them."

  "That… makes some sense."

  The last thing he needed was for Mara to go around destroying his property.

  "Now that we're almost to Lunis, do any jobs pique your interest?" he asked.

  "There have been reports of missing people working for a few of the old families on the planet," Intra said.

  "I'm assuming mostly unimportant ones?"

  "Yes, the contract was posted by the families of the missing people. They appear to be a mix of low-ranking staff, mainly comprising cleaners, general labourers, and other positions."

  "Ah, no wonder the old families aren't bothering then. We could have a few of our guys take a look, Axel being one of them. Anything else?"

  "There may be pirate activity in the Greton asteroid field. Three ships have gone missing in the past month, per the docking authority."

  Anders stood up and walked to the window. The endless space drifted in front of them as the ship made its way to the final jump point. "Have Ariah look into that one. Her connections have helped us out there before."

  "Understood. I will keep monitoring for more potential work."

  They'd be based out of Lunis for at least the next few weeks or so. The crew had earned their vacations, but that didn't mean trying to find their next job wouldn't be important either.

  It'd also give him more time to ensure Mara was ready to enter the academy. He shifted his eyes back to his desk drawer. There really was something he was missing. Somewhere in his mind, he'd seen some mention of a similar situation.

  He'd have to put out some feelers to old contacts. See if anyone could vaguely point him in a direction.

  Because at the end of the day, his gut told him there was something truly wrong with her.