My guess was right about Vik choosing half acceleration.  It would take just over thirteen hours at a hundred gravities to make it to our destination, including flip ship and deceleration.

I was working on more simulations, I had more to learn, but I could look at the shows and books to learn some of more of their culture on my own time, I didn’t think Vik would appreciate me using bridge time for it.

It was about an hour later when Rilok said, “Incoming transmission sir, from the governor of Vehiri.”

Vik said, “Hologram it.”

Rilok looked right at me, “Would you rather use an overlay, sir?”

Vik growled, “Do it commander, now.”

A hologram of an Isyth woman came on screen.  She was attractive, but not nearly as much as Jillintara was.  She was also a bit older, looked to be in her thirties, which probably meant the lady was a few thousand for all I knew.

“Governor Natalya, it’s a pleasure to speak to you.  We’re in route with a few deliveries.”

Apparently, the resources in the hold were split up and sold to three separate companies, they were expecting us.  No one told me, it was in the daily log which I now knew to read at the start of every shift, and before the end of shift.

Natalya replied, “Your highness, you are looking well.  I have sensitive news, perhaps you will consent to join me for a quick conversation on the surface?  It’s rather urgent.”

My eyes widened, and I stared at Vik.  Your highness?  Who the fuck was he?  Rilok stared at me like I was a snake, and I resisted the urge to give him the finger.  What?  I was mature for my age of nineteen given my life and upbringing, but I was still nineteen, and completely done with Rilok’s attitude.

Maybe I’d ask him if he wanted to spar tonight, compare techniques.

I shot a genuine smile across the bridge at him, as I pictured hip throwing him into a wall, and he narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

“I’d be pleased to join you Aunt Natalya.  We’ll be there in… call it twelve hours.  Or should I increase our speed?”

Natalya shook her head, “It’s serious, but I don’t think three hours will make a difference.  I’ll be expecting you then.”

The hologram winked out.

“Rilok, stop being an ass, and Lori, stop baiting the ass.”

I blushed, “Yes, your highness.”

Vik rolled his eyes, “I’m eighteenth in line, forget that shit.  It doesn’t matter, I’m a captain, and a merchant, I’ll never rule, and I wouldn’t want to.”

Rule?  Fuck, was he the emperor’s son?  I also got why he didn’t want to rule, far too many of his family would have to die for that to happen.  He was also far prouder of his own accomplishments, than the family he was born into by chance, it was easy enough to see.

Wow, I totally fucked the shit out of an alien prince.  A hot blue alien prince that was a god in bed.  This wasn’t helping me believe this was reality, if I’d read that in one of my torrid romances I’d have rolled my eyes and called bullshit.

“Okay Vik, forgotten.”

I sighed, when I got to the galley.  Rilok was not only already eating, but he only got food for himself.  I walked over to the food synthesizer, and put together a quick meal of my favorite foods from my meals with Vik and Telidur, and then walked over to join the asshole.

“The only reason I even sat down is because it seems like Vik wanted us to talk.  So, talk.”

He grunted, “You don’t belong here, you’re a security risk, and unknown.  A threat.  If we needed a weapons officer, which we don’t, any of the top ones in fleet would have jumped at the chance to serve on this ship.  What does that tell you?”

I smirked, and said sarcastically, “He hired me for my wit, and my body of course, he just had to get his dick in my exotically beautiful body, what does it tell you?”

He shrugged, “I didn’t think you’d believe me, but can you possibly think it will go anywhere?”

I’d be angry if I hadn’t already had similar thoughts, it wasn’t like we’d be able to cross-pollenate so to speak.  But there would be friendship, there was no way Vik and Telidur were faking interest.  They were alien, but they were also people.  It was impossible to fake that level of genuine interest, or at least, I’d like to believe I was wise enough to catch someone trying.  Plus, I was a little guilty of that as well, hot blue aliens good in bed, sign me up.  Just because I had those thoughts didn’t mean my interest was skin deep, and the same applied to them.

“It goes where it goes.  I’ve also reviewed the last battle, and you do need a weapons officer.  Efficiency dropped once the fighter squadrons were launched.  I get that you don’t trust me, I’m just not entirely sure why.”

He snorted, “You’re naïve, and your only here so Vik can get his dick wet.”

Wow.  That was harsh.  He was also trying to provoke me, and it almost worked.  I imagined taking him down and stomping on his face, that calmed me a little.

“Doesn’t he have Jillintara for that?”

His eyes widened, and he looked disgusted, “The Artificial?  No, we don’t sleep with machines.”

I frowned, I’d gotten the impression they did, though Jillintara had never said that.  She’d expressed interest in me though, and I’d been considering the idea.  She felt as real as I was, and had an incredibly voluptuous and sexy body.  I started to eat so he wouldn’t pick up just how disturbed I was by how they saw their artificial assistants.

I also hadn’t expected the disgust, but maybe that was just him?  I wasn’t sure what to think anymore, the Isyth might have made slavery illegal, but maybe they were practicing a form of their own.  Jillintara was too vibrant and alive to be labeled a machine, and she even had a flesh and blood body.  I’d need to think about it later, and talk to her about it tomorrow night.

“People as a rule project their own ambitions and desires onto other people.  Just a thought.”

He snickered, “Any other sage advice?”

I nodded, “Habit.  People have habits, routines, and generally fall into ruts.  Operational security should be obvious, I mean it makes sense, but really it isn’t obvious at all.  It’s a learned and trained behavior, like for someone who is a bodyguard, they’re taught to keep their mouth shut if they hear something sensitive.  The former is the only reason I came up with a workable plan so fast, habit I mean.  I didn’t have years of expectations and successfully finding information in the way you three did.  There’s a saying on my world, putting fresh eyes on it.  The latter part though, should really make you think.”

He stared at me for a moment, “About what?”

“The Stolavii don’t practice it, operational security.  They’re mercenaries who do a job and then talk too much over a beer, or whatever their equivalent is.  What does that tell you?”

He sneered, “What does it tell you?”

I smiled, I really loved getting under his skin.

“It tells me that if a large group of Stolavii suddenly got operational security discipline, they’re being paid a lot of money to accomplish that.  It also tells me, whoever is behind taking all those humans, isn’t Stolavii.  It’s someone whose been taught the value of keeping their mouth shut.”

He shook his head, “A guess.”

“An educated guess.  Trust me, my old job depended on these concepts.  People are just as predictable as machines.  They do the same things over and over once they find a method that works, and find comfort in familiar habits.  It was why you three were stuck, you’ve always cracked the cases by getting your hands on a Stolavii who was bound to have heard the rumors, or seen something on their data net.”

Maybe I was wrong, but I didn’t think so.  I knew they weren’t human, but some things seemed to be universal.  I finished up my meal, and tried not to smile as he brooded.  Then I got up without a word, and headed back to my quarters.  It was still early, but I knew we’d be at the planet in about six hours, and off shift or not I was supposed to be another bodyguard when we went off ship.

So, I tried to sleep, and my thoughts stuck on his comment.  Were the artificial assistants, slaves?  They were self-aware, simulation of life or not, wasn’t that life?  To me, Jillintara seemed alive, so I’d go with that until shown otherwise.

I was also pretty sure Rilok was so harsh to make me angry at the others and do something stupid, he’d tried to play me to get me off the ship.  It backfired, if anything I regretted the fact that I hadn’t jumped into bed with Telidur last night.  One thing I wasn’t experienced at was matters of the heart, and I did worry about getting my emotions tangled up, but I figured that would happen whether I slept with them or not.

I’d always been calm in tense circumstances and danger, perhaps a result of my training.  I was still waiting for reality to crash around me, finally sink in, and for me to break down.  But… maybe I wouldn’t, that last part I mean.

“Ann, wake me up fifteen minutes before we reach orbit.”

That would be good enough.  With the health nanites, I didn’t wake up slowly like I did back on Earth, all it would take was a quick sonic shower and strapping on my weapons, to make me feel sharp and awake…