Unexpected News, part 9

The Eureka Maru drifted silently through space, its engines on idle. If not for the beacon flashing out a continuous signal, it may have been mistaken for a derelict, but then, most people don't venture this far out into inter- stellar space.

Add to that, someone had stencilled 'Just Married' on the back of the cargo- pod.

It's two occupants where lying quietly in a hammock they had strung-up in the crew quarters. Dylan turned his head to the side, "How do you think the others are doing?" Rommie smiled, "Well I know you left Beka in charge, but I doubt that she has them running cargo while we're away. We did leave them with a baby-sitter." Dylan laughed, "I doubt Andromeda would like to hear you call her that." Rommie nodded, "True, but we have to draw a line between the two of us now."

She turned her head so she could look Dylan in the face, "What's my new position on ship going to be?" Dylan hugged her tightly, "Well, we have a first officer, a tactical officer, a chief engineer and a life-support officer, so I can't think what job you can have." Rommie hit him with a pillow, "Can you be series for a moment?" Dylan giggled, "Well, the only job you really suited for is AI-system's officer." Rommie sighed, "Is that your polite way of telling me to keep doing what I've been doing since Harper built me?" Dylan winced, "In a way, yes."

Rommie's elbow caught him just below the ribs, driving the air from his lungs, "Thanks a lot!" Dylan gasped, trying to get his breath back, "It's the logical choice: you know more about quantum-commuters then anyone else in the known universe. And I don't mean you should continue as Andromeda's Avatar. You've moved beyond that: you're your own person now. You just happened to have a built-in real-time link to the ship's AI." Rommie blushed, "I'm sorry, I just want people to stop treating me as part of the ship. I'll talk to Andromeda when we get back and see what she says about it." Dylan nodded, "I'm sure she'll be fine with it."

Rommie smiled in a way Dylan had learned to understand a long time ago, "Dylan, how tightly did you tie the hammock up?" He smiled, "As tight I could. Why?" Rommie kissed him, "I'm just wondering how much strain it can take."

TBC