Chapter Twelve

Guun paused as V let out another sigh. "What now?" he grunted.

"I do not understand why you are attempting to modulate my hydrogen mix. My velocity is within acceptable parameters."

If you asked him, Guun would have sworn V sounded irritated. "You know we almost caught you on our last run and that was in the MorBui! With the kind of technology that K'rier seems to have at his command, I'm hoping to give us an edge if it comes to a run."

"O'Connell has confirmed that Captain Ashe is the one being pursued, not us. Hence your motivation for risking this adjustment is unwarranted."

Guun growled at the loose bolt. He had almost formed a terse reply when his comlink buzzed. "Saved by the bell," he mumbled. He pulled the comlink from his sleeve pocket and hit the button. "What's up, coach?"

O'Connell's voice crackled over the link. "We've met up with General Burke. He has agreed to the loan. The MorCai is located about twenty clicks from here. I'll contact you with coordinates when we reach the ship."

"Aye Captain." Guun paused for a moment, his tone serious. "I hate leaving her here."

"I know. But we're out of time. The General will watch over her."

"Hmmph," Guun grunted. "If he's anything like he used to be, he'll probably start a war just so he can take her into battle to see what she's got!"

O'Connell felt fear grip his gut for a moment. "Not funny, Guun."

"I know, Captain. I know. Check back when you've got the rendezvous. Guun out." Guun lay still under the hydrogen containment for a moment, his mind on the MorBui. He and that ship had been through a lot together. He prayed she'd come to no harm.

"What are you thinking, Guun?" V's question echoed through the engine room, startling him.

"Nothin', hon. Just thinking." He resumed his attack on the bolt.

"But your heart rate slowed, your breathing decreased. You were… what do you call it? Thoughtful? What were you thinking of?"

Guun sighed. "The MorBui, doll. She's a good ship and we're leaving her behind. I may understand why, but I don't have to like it."

"You have feelings... for this ship? She is important to you?"

Guun laughed. "Hell yea. She and I have been through a lot together. We've out run and out fought a lot of idiots in our time. She's always held together for me, always gave me more than I should have asked her for. Never complained, never gave up. She's a damn fine ship."

"Oh… I understand." V's volume decreased.

Guun returned his attention to the other bolts surrounding the casing. He had increased the hydrogen mixture volume by a half percent. It was a little risky, he was pushing the envelope on the casing's structural integrity, but he felt the risk was worth it. The additional power available with even that slight a differential could mean the difference if they had to run from that bastard.

"K. That's that. Can you run a diagnostic, V? I just want to check the coolant levels." Guun waited a moment, but there was no response. "V?" He climbed out from under the containment tank, his tone curious. "V? What's going on?" His question was met with only silence.

He moved toward the companel. It was silly to think the unit would make a difference. V controlled communications throughout the ship, a companel to talk to her was as unnecessary as a comlink to talk to someone standing next to you. Still, he hit a button and said angrily, "V, where the hell are you?"

There was a moment of silence before she replied, "What can I do for you, Chief Engineer?"

Guun glared at the companel, not noticing the change in her tone. "What the hell, V? Where were you?"

"As you are aware, Chief Engineer, I am unable to leave the ship. Therefore you will need to more clearly define the intent of your question, if you wish for an accurate response."

Guun stared at the panel, confused. "What the hell are you talking about? Why didn't you answer me?"

Another moment passed before she answered. "I was… thinking."

Guun glanced around him, wondering if someone was playing a joke on him. "What the hell? You were thinking?"

"I am capable of independent thought, Chief Engineer." This time Guun did not miss the name or the veneer of ice in her tone.

"I'm sorry…" he paused for a moment; completely out of his depth. His mind registered her anger, but he had no idea how to respond to her. She sounded like Ashe when O'Connell behaved like an ass. But V wasn't alive, she wasn't human. How the hell could he have hurt her feelings? How the hell did she have feelings?

"I'm sorry, V. Are you… mad at me? Did I say something that hurt you?" He leaned against the panel, trying to wrap his mind around her emotional response. Dealing with women was O'Connell's strong point not his. He only dealt with women made of metal and wires, phase adapters and hydrogen seals. Real women, live women, just confused the hell out of him. 'Holy crap,' he thought. 'Did I just compare V to a live woman?'

There was a short pause before her reply. "Apology accepted."

Confused as he was, Guun still sighed in relief. If V decided she didn't want to 'talk' to him, well… that would make their working partnership very difficult. Besides, he would miss working with her, her constant questions and insights, her compulsive interest in everything human; and he had to admit to himself, the sound of her voice. Still, even knowing he was out of his element, he couldn't help himself, he had to ask.

"So… what were you thinking about, hon?"

V sighed, the sound still made Guun's knees weak. "I am trying to calculate the… no… make sense of something, my Guun. Logically, I must acknowledge your attachment to the MorBui. You and she served together for years before we… met? Is that the correct word? I am… I… feel compelled to advise you, even though every microprocessor in my matrix triggers a negative response, that if you feel your relationship with the MorBui is superior to our own, you should take the artifact and use this time to rejoin her and leave me here on Xatra."

Guun stood in stunned silence. What the hell was she doing?

"I understand your years with… her," he would have sworn he heard anger and sadness in her tone, "has most likely created in you a symbiotic relationship that I may not be able to provide. This understanding may make a difference in the days ahead. I will not have you cease simply because I did not wish for your departure from me."

"Whoa! Wait up there woman!" Guun raised his hands to stop her. "I'm not goin' anywhere. Yea the MorBui is a fine ship, but damn it, girl," he shook his head, "she's just a ship! You are… well… you and I are… it's different with us." Guun leaned against the wall, completely out of his depth and overwhelmed by the rush of affection he suddenly felt. "You and I, we're a team, babe! The MorBui's not… real, not alive, not like you. We're partners, you and I. Nothing compares to what we've got! The MorBui is great, but she's got nothin' on you, babe."

The lights in the engine room blazed so brightly Guun had to cover his eyes. Then V's voice echoed around him, her tone both warm and sensual. "I am pleased, my Guun."

Guun shook his head, his declaration surprising even himself. This AI was obviously more a part of him than he realized. 'AI, huh' he thought. She was more real to him than any woman he had ever met. He knew it was strange but, the relationship he had with V, a brilliant, sensual disembodied voice, was the closest thing he had ever had to a female partner. Well, except for Ashe. He grunted and pushed the wall and those thoughts away from him.

"Well, now that your happy, darlin', can you run a diagnostic on the hydrogen casing for me?"

"Immediately, my Guun."

He waited while she ran her systems check. After a few moments, he began pacing around the room frustrated. When he was working, his focus on the task at hand, simply speaking out loud to her seemed natural. But when he stood here with nothing to do, the thought of just chatting with thin air bothered him.

"V…" he knew she could run her diagnostic and talk with him simultaneously, her capabilities far superior to his own.

"Yes?"

"What would you say to us getting you a holoprogram?"

He let a moment pass with no response. "V?"

"I am processing… thinking."

"It's not a big deal, hon. It's just that sometimes I'd like to see you when I talk to you. It's a human thing I guess. I want something to focus on when we're not working." He gestured into the air and growled. "Like right now. I wish I had a face I could turn to. A focal point, if that makes it easier."

"I understand, my Guun," she said, her tone suggesting she was still thinking. "I was accessing my data banks for information on holographic displays. After evaluating their effectiveness, I agree. I believe a holoprogram will increase the integrity of our communications."

"That's what I was thinking." Guun tried to keep the smile from his face. "Ok then, its settled. Next chance we get we grab a holoprogram. And you get a body to go with that voice."

"I find this development intriguing, my Guun," she almost purred her response.

Guun shook his head. If her body was anything like her voice, how the hell would he get any work done?