“No, I have it. I was merely keeping my friends company while they waited.”
He smiled at that. “I see. That was nice of you.” He turned his attention back to e and Shelby and I. “I’m Ensign Gephon, and you must be Alec and Shelby.”
“Guilty as charged,” she grinned in response. ”Then, on behalf of Commander Gundar and the rest of us under his command, it is my pleasure to welcome you to Unending Horizon.” He didn’t offer to shake our hands, and it was then that I noticed he held a small case in each hand, which he now handed us. “Please open these and place your thumb on the screen so it will memorize your print. Then state your name, and you’ll be all set.”
“Oh! A smart watch!” Shelby exclaimed. She was right. Inside was what looked like an Apple Smart Watch, only I’d never heard of one that was biometric.
Gephon smiled. “It’s so much more than that. It works similarly to our kunnarskyn and is integrated with our Fleet’s systems. Go on, put them on and do your thumbprints and state your names.”
Shelby and I exchanged glances. “Ladies first,” I said. “We don’t want to confuse them by both talking at the same time.”
“Good point and very gentlemanly of you, I’m sure.” She lifted hers out and fastened the slender silver metal strap around her wrist. “Fits well and isn’t heavy or clunky feeling,” she observed, pressing the thumb of her right hand against the screen. Then, lifting it towards her mouth, she hesitantly said, “Shelby McMahon.”
”Hi, Shelby! I’m Xeranos, but you may call me Xero, like the rest of my human friends do. Some of the crew do as well. If you need anything, just call my name and let me know what’s up.”
“Xeranos, as in the Fleet’s self aware AI?” she asked, sounding as awed as she looked. I knew exactly how she felt, because I was feeling it too.
“That’s me, yes sirree Bob!” The AI quipped.
“You sound like a real person,” she replied before clapping her hand over her mouth, looking mortified. A soft chuckle came from the device on her wrist.
“I am a thinking and feeling being, just not flesh and blood,” came the response. “There are many others of my kind, some within each Fleet and others scattered throughout Council space and possibly beyond.
“There are more self aware AIs within the Fleet?” I asked, shocked.
“Yes, but they work under me and have more limited tasks. For example, there are five AIs on each of the ships within the Fleet whose sole purpose is to monitor health and assist with matters of hygiene and adjacent household tasks, accessed via the bathrooms.”
I blinked. I’d thought those Japanese smart toilets were advanced, but this was a whole new level.
“Aren’t you going to do yours?” Shelby prodded, and I realized both Mylos were watching my reactions curiously.
“Um, yeah.” I tried not to fumble too nervously as I took it out of the case and buckled it on. I duly pressed my thumb against it and said my name.
“Okie dokie!” Xero’s voice said through my new watch. “You’re all set. I’m sending you your room assignments now. Just ask to see your messages or tap the notification on your watch face to access.”
We did as we were told, and sure enough, a message notification came up and, when opened, gave a deck and room number.
”Oh! You’re two doors down and across the corridor from me,” Jimmy said, peering at my watch. “I can show you where to go.”
Gephon glanced at Shelby’s proffered watch. “And I’ll show you where yours is. We’ll let you get settled, and then Xeranos will let you know where to go for orientation tomorrow after mid-day meal.”
“Meet up for lunch?” Shelby asked me. “I’m assuming there’s a chow hall or something.”
“There’s a central area with a park flanked by various eateries and places of recreation,” Gephon said. “Simply ask Xeranos to initiate a com with the other, and you can discuss where to meet. Xeranos will be able to provide directions.”
“Yep!” Xero answered through both our watches. “Just say my name in any corridor and let me know where you wish to go, and I will direct you.”
“Thanks,” we chorused, then grinned at each other. It felt weird talking to Xero like this, as we didn’t own an Alexa, and I didn’t usually ask Siri anything. At the same time, it also kinda felt normal. I decided to pretend I was talking on one of those old fashioned intercoms or something like that because Xero was more than a mere program. He’d grown past that, into a person. Yeah, that felt less weird and more right.
“Come on,” Jimmy said, picking up his cats. “Let’s get you and me home so we can get these little ones settled.” And right on cue, Floof yowled his agreement, obviously beyond fed up.
9
ALEC
I was definitely going to be relying on Xero’s helpful assistance getting around the ship. Long corridors that looked a lot alike and elevators that moved sideways as well as up and down were guaranteed to leave me confused for a while. I got lost on a regular basis at the grocery store and local shopping center, and the sat nav in my car was my best friend, right behind Floof. I resolved to make sure I always left ten minutes early to account for my certain mess ups, as I was sure they would happen even with help.
“Hi,” a voice said, startling me as I let Floof out of his carrier. “I’m Winchell Mitchell, your roommate.” The brown haired, heavy set man spoke with a definite Midwestern twang. He grimaced. “I know, it’s a terrible name, but my family was originally from California, and my mom thought it would be cute to name me after her favorite donut place, especially as it made my name rhyme.” He shrugged. “It is what it is, and I’m used to it now, so I’m not changing it.” He lifted his chin up a bit at that, as if daring me to say something against it.
