Beauty and His Beast

Chapter 1

Juniper Bo

Scowling, Marrex tapped the dust-covered panel, and the green light flickered faintly. There was no doubt about it—the stasis pod was still powered, if only barely. That meant whoever was inside might be alive. Marrex stepped back and crossed his arms, not happy about the situation.

Sir? VAL’s perfect oval face appeared in the air in front of Marrex, soft dove-grey and smooth like glass. Are you going to open it? You’re not just going to let them die, are you?

Marrex grunted, staring at the etched nameplate on the pod. Juniper Bo.

Captain?

Marrex swatted at the AI’s holoprojection, making it waver and retreat by half a meter—VAL’s blank round eyes contemplated the captain for a moment before he tried again. "There is a person in there, Captain."

So? Marrex snorted and shook his great furry head in irritation.

So, you have an obligation to try to save them… don’t you? VAL replied.

And have a stranger on my ship?

"Well… yes, the AI said, his face going pale pink. But is that such a bad thing, sir? You’d have company…"

Marrex grunted again and turned around, climbing down out of the small wreck, and the holoprojection followed him.

You’re just going to blow the pod out the airlock, then? VAL’s tone was reproachful.

Didn’t say that, muttered Marrex. He lengthened his strides, and VAL’s image wobbled with the effort of keeping up. The captain smacked the button next to the doors and left the shuttlebay, taking the long main corridor that ran the entire length of the Stellerion.

"But… Captain? You should do something soon. That power cell is nearly depleted. It’s amazing it’s still working as it is…"

It can wait! Marrex hadn’t meant to shout, but the AI was testing his patience. Where’s S1N?

Right here, said the second holoprojection as it appeared. Unlike VAL who had a humanoid face, S1N resembled something the ship’s database called a cat, a black four-legged furry creature with huge yellow-green eyes. Despite Marrex’s best efforts to change the holoprojection, he seemed to be stuck with the silly thing.

I’m hungry, Marrex growled.

S1N paused in his tongue bath, looking up to appraise the captain with narrowed eyes. "When are you not?" The cat’s mouth didn’t move when it spoke in its perpetually bored tone.

Send something to my quarters. Not whatever it was I had this morning. Something that has actual taste.

The cat pitched himself on his side and yawned wide, showing his white fangs and pink tongue. Something with taste. Got it. S1N pawed at the air, his sharp claws curling out and retracting. So… VAL says you’re going to murder someone.

That wasn’t what I said, replied VAL, turning a deeper shade of pink.

"You distinctly said if he doesn’t do something to help that poor pod person, it’s as good as murder."

Well—

"Food. Now!" Marrex roared and bashed the side of his fist against the metal bulkhead, sending a reverberating gonggg down the corridor. Both AIs winked out simultaneously.

A few hours later, S1N found an old service droid tottering through the shuttlebay. What are you doing with that thing? he asked, tail swishing behind him as he walked along in midair.

VAL’s voice came from the small speaker in the droid’s side. The AI didn’t have enough processing power to project his image and control the droid while simultaneously taking care of his primary function, which was life support aboard the colossal Chato-class starship.

Nothing that should concern you, VAL said, sounding flustered.

Because of the way the firewall was configured between their two independent systems, the AIs were forced to communicate the old-fashioned way like a couple of meat-bags, but S1N didn’t really mind—inflection had its merits. He pranced along beside the droid. You’re going to go wake up that Human, aren’t you?

Human? How do you know it’s a Human? VAL replied.

The rear wheel of the old service droid squeaked rhythmically, and S1N amused himself by stepping in time to it. Easy. I patched into the shuttle’s computer. It was damaged, but I found out that there is one Human in stasis and one missing Nelami pilot who probably got sucked out into the black when the ship hit the asteroid.

Did the captain ask you to check that? The service droid stopped moving, and S1N walked a lazy circle around it.

Yes, he did.

Does that mean he’s not going to let the Human die?

"Didn’t say that, did I? Maybe he was just curious. I wouldn’t hold out for a happy rescue… you know how he can be, S1N said. He stopped walking and hovered in front of the droid, batting at its bent antenna. And if you wake up the Human without permission, the captain’s going to wipe you."

With a buzz and a squeak, the droid bumbled forward again on its warped wheels, passing through S1N’s holoprojection.

Rude! said the cat, reappearing in front of the scavenged shuttlecraft. He watched VAL extend the droid’s clamps to either side of the hatch.

You’re not trying to stop me, VAL pointed out as the service droid started pulling itself up into the small ship.

It’s your funeral. Why should I care if you’re wiped? I’m tired of you anyway.

VAL stopped again. Despite the facelessness of the squat metal droid, it somehow managed to convey worry.

You really think he’d wipe me? VAL asked in a quiet voice.

"I don’t think he wouldn’t wipe you," S1N replied coolly.

For a few seconds, the VAL droid just sat there, then it continued pulling itself into the open hatch. I don’t care, he said. "I can’t just stand back and do nothing. And he didn’t specifically order me not to open the pod."

Suit yourself. Yawning, S1N stretched out on the damaged control panel to watch VAL use the droid’s front claw to work the mechanism on the stasis pod. Despite his studied nonchalance, S1N’s curiosity was piqued. Besides, VAL was sure to bungle something up and then S1N would have to help him out; he patched into the shuttle’s computer again just in case.

After some difficulty, the repair droid managed to press the correct key sequence, and an alarm bleated a deafening warning in the cramped space.

Oh, darn it, VAL swore as he banged the claw against the front of the pod, trying to silence the noise.

With a twitch of his tail, S1N easily turned off the pod’s decompression alarm, blinking sleepily at the droid.

See? There we go, VAL said, completely oblivious to S1N’s help. I have this under control.

Mmhmm.

A moment later, the pod’s seam parted with a hiss, filling the shuttle with a cool mist. The lights on the panel went amber, then back to green as the mist dissipated, revealing the pod’s occupant. Ears pricked forward, S1N sat up, peering at the figure.

Oh, my goodness, he said, his tail swishing behind him. Within the stasis pod was a young adult Human male, with creamy pale skin and a mane of rich chestnut hair surrounding an exquisitely beautiful face.

What? What’s wrong? asked VAL, obviously alarmed by S1N’s reaction. Is it dead?

He’s not dead, S1N replied as he leapt into the air to hover in front of the young man. "But he is drop-dead gorgeous."

Slowly, the young man’s lids lifted, revealing a pair of dark-brown eyes threaded through with lines of gold.

How can you tell? VAL asked.

S1N snorted with amusement and shook his head. You have an overactive morality chip yet no sense of aesthetics at all.

Where… am I? said the Human, his voice deeper than S1N expected, an interesting juxtaposition to his almost ethereal beauty.

"You are aboard the Stellerion. Currently, we are passing through the aBi nebula outside the Omatrem system in the Frex Symio Frex Ha galaxy," S1N replied primly. Navigation was his primary function when he wasn’t arranging the captain’s meals with the fussy replicators.

The… Frex… what? the young man replied, rubbing his face. How did I get here?

Your shuttle was damaged in an asteroid collision. We found it drifting and brought it aboard, VAL said. Are you Juniper Bo?

Juniper blinked at the talking trash can, then focused on the floating black cat again. What kind of messed-up dream was he having? Yeah. That’s me, he said and tried to step out of the stasis pod. He grabbed quickly onto the side of it, his legs strangely wobbly. Memories started flooding back—maybe it wasn’t a dream after all. Had he arrived on Rhesh-14?

How long have I been asleep?

One thousand years, the black cat replied in a slow, sonorous voice, its yellow-green eyes wide.

The words made Juniper’s stomach plunge down through the decking, his pulse racing. What?

A bright-blue face, glassy smooth and subtly transparent, appeared next to the cat.

"Why would you say that? It turned to Juniper. Don’t listen to him, said the face, its round eyes darting to the side. There’s something wrong with his empathy subroutine. It focused on Juniper again, its colour shifting to violet. I am VAL. What is the last thing you remember, Juniper?"

I… remember getting into the stasis pod and the technician telling me to look at a light.

When and where was this? the floating face asked kindly.

Juniper felt like his mind was operating at half the speed it normally did. Uh… aboard a colony ship at the Terra Deux spaceport… in the Elequen system. Uhh… He scratched his head, dizzy and disoriented. The year 426. And um… it was February?

VAL smiled. According to my calculations, that would mean you’ve only been asleep for seventeen of your Terran years.

The cat daintily licked its paw with a pink tongue. So, I was off by a little bit. Then the floating feline sat straight up, his ears quivering. Oh crap. The captain’s awake.

The captain? Juniper asked, trying his legs again.

Yes, please keep up. You’re on a ship. There’s a captain. I have to go. The cat winked out, and Juniper stared at the space where it had hung a moment earlier.

"What is that?"

That is my counterpart, S1N. Together, we are the ship’s computer.

Sin?

Yes, but with a one: S-1-N. Can you walk? VAL asked. We really must get you to your quarters.

My… quarters?

Chapter 2

Captain Marrex

Juniper sat on the edge of the bed, still feeling jittery from the long slow walk from the shuttlebay to his new quarters. The two AIs had taken turns escorting him while the other was off doing something for this mysterious captain. From the way they were acting, Juniper gathered they weren’t telling him something.

Clearing his throat, he looked around the empty room. VAL? he said quietly. A second later, VAL’s smooth orange face appeared in midair, and to his surprise, S1N slinked out from under the bed.

Don’t want to sleep? VAL asked, and then it frowned. Though I suppose you wouldn’t, come to think of it.

Sorry, I was just wondering if I could have something to eat, Juniper replied. And maybe something to wear? He looked down at the white stasis suit he wore with its trailing wires and tubes.

Oh! Of course! VAL replied, drifting to a section of wall that slid open at his approach. Take a look in here, and see if you can find something suitable. If not, I’m sure we can find something in another room.

Thank you, Juniper said, looking at the selection