"I am prepared captain," Enterprise responded dutifully. "Mrs. Blackburn, I have decorated the living quarters per your instructions," it added.
Nadia's thin face seemed to light up. She gripped the captain's arm tightly as she squealed for joy. "Wonderful!" she answered in a mild, Eurasian accent.
Kyle's face turned quizzical. "Huh?"
Enterprise paused for a moment. "Mrs. Blackburn, did you not clear the interior design with Captain Blackburn first?"
Nadia's large, brown eyes sparkled as she looked off to one side and pursed her lips, trying not to laugh.
Kyle rolled his eyes. Without turning his head, he stared her down through the corners of his eyes. "Don't tell me... Victorian."
She turned back to him with a teasing smile. "You would never let me decorate our bedroom. You KNOW how much I love the Victorian age!"
"Shall I change the decorations, Captain?" Enterprise asked. Chain of command forced Enterprise to ask the question, even though it already knew the answer.
Her expression turned to what Captain Blackburn had frequently referred to as her 'puppy dog eyes'. "Oh, come on, Kyle. It's only for fourteen hours. Besides, after seeing the entire layout, you may decide you like it."
Kyle shook his head. "Yeah, I may like it as much as you may grow to like the Three Stooges."
"Oh, that's hardly the same thing..." she retorted.
Kyle interrupted her before she could finish. "Okay, okay... it's our anniversary. Enterprise, just leave the room the way it is." Nadia jumped in place and clapped her hands. "Beam us aboard. The sooner we get started, the sooner we can disembark."
"Understood, Captain. Stand by."
Enterprise engaged the transporter system. Within moments, Captain and Mrs. Blackburn had vanished from the virtual display and their apartment in Terra Haute and appeared in an open space in front of the pseudo-matter containers in Enterprise's cargo hold. The giant, cylindrical containers thoroughly cramped the cargo bay, leaving only twenty square meters of open space left. Soft, indirect lighting glowed from the ceiling tiles. A single door stood in front of them.
The Blackburns looked around. Nadia was the first to speak. "Well, this is... different."
Kyle shrugged. "Well, Enterprise wasn't designed to be a luxury liner."
Enterprise was taken slightly aback, though it realized it shouldn't be. Captain Blackburn was right, though for some reason, Enterprise felt a little defensive. "If the interior isn't to your liking..." it started.
Kyle raised a hand. "No, no, Enterprise. It's just fine. Go ahead and set course for Lorei IV. Engage as soon as you have clearance."
"Understood, Captain," Enterprise replied. "Request has been transmitted. If you don't mind my asking... the Lorei system is a long way away; fourteen hours by slipstream. Why choose there for your twentieth anniversary?"
"For the sunsets, of course," Nadia replied, still looking around. "I've been in holosims that recreated the colors as the suns reflected off the atomosphere, but we just had to see it in person." Kyle pursed his lips, as if holding back something he wanted to say.
"We've been given clearance to depart. Setting course for the Lorei system," Enterprise reported faithfully.
"So, let me get this straight," Nadia pushed, as though this topic had come up before. "We were just on the bridge of this ship, but the truth is; there really is no bridge on the Enterprise, right? I mean, we can't walk through that door and physically walk onto the bridge, right?"
Kyle nodded. "Right... the only thing in beyond that door is a handful of empty rooms. Enterprise can convert those rooms to living quarters if necessary." Kyle stepped forward and the door slid silently open. Before them was a nondescript hallway, no more than two meters wide, with four similar doors on either side also illuminated with the same light from above. The first door on the right slid open, allowing a warm glow of yellowish light to fill the hall.
"What if we get hungry?" She asked with a smile.
"My ship also functions as our personal chef. He can make any one of a thousand dishes, especially created to your personal tastes, right, Enterprise?" Kyle asked with a smile.
'My ship', Enterprise thought. 'My ship'... to its recollection, that was the first time Captain Blackburn had ever referred to it as 'my ship'. It was no longer simply a starship. It was a sense of ownership, of accountability, of belonging. For the first time in two years of service, Enterprise was more than simply a tool. Somehow, that sense of belonging made Enterprise feel... special. "Absolutely, Captain," it replied with pride. "We are on our way. Our estimated time of arrival to Lorei IV is fourteen hours, thirty-seven minutes."
The couple made their way past the cargo bay to their room. Nadia paused for a moment before looking at what she considered her 'perfect room'. "Enterprise," she started slowly, with a playful gleam in her eye. "Is it possible for you to turn off any sensor or viewing ability you have for our room?"
Kyle turned to her slowly and raised a knowing eyebrow.
"Certainly... if it is really necessary," Enterprise responded cautiously. It wasn't entirely comfortable with the notion of being out of contact with Captain Blackburn.
Kyle looked up, then back as his wife. "It would only be for an hour..." Nadia blinked several times and moved her head backwards in mock surprise. Kyle chuckled. "two hours, or so," he continued, correcting himself.
"Understood, Captain," Enterprise answered.
Kyle gestured towards the room with his hands and a bow. "After you, Mrs. Blackburn."
Nadia bowed before walking towards the door. "Why, thank you, Mr. Blackburn." She walked inside and squealed. "Enterprise! This is absolutely PERFECT! You are WONDERFUL!"
Kyle grimmaced as he looked in. As he walked in, he commented, "Well, maybe it'll look better when the lights are off."