"Hey Isaac, do you mind helping me with something?" Kai asked, stepping into Isaac's room once again.

  "Sorry, I'm busy working on a new design for the Black Swan's uniforms," Isaac replied without even glancing up. His fingers flew across the keyboard like he was racing against time itself. "I think there are some safety features I can fit in. It's all about efficiency."

  Kai glanced at Scotty, who sat comfortably on his shoulder, curiously surveying the room.

  "I think this might just be the best-looking room on the whole ship," Scotty said.

  "Thank you, Kai, but I already know that," Isaac replied, still fixed on the screen. "Would you mind coming back later?"

  Kai stepped a little closer, eyeing the streams of numbers dancing across various displays.

  "Have you been here all day?" he asked with a frown. "Did you know we just had a battle with the machine creatures?"

  "We're fine now, aren't we? So there isn’t anything to worry about." Isaac shrugged. "Also, yes, I was monitoring the ship’s stats. Nothing was alarming."

  "Then you should know your ship was hacked," Scotty said.

  "Hacked? Impossible," Isaac scoffed. "The system is maintained by me. I highly doubt anyone could even scratch the firewall. See, Kai, if you're just saying mean things to grab my attention, it’s not going to work."

  "Is this person crazy? Or is he that dedicated to his work?" Scotty asked, tentacles twitching.

  "Maybe both," Kai replied honestly and shrugged.

  "Hold on. Let me try something." Scotty went quiet. Its tentacles retracted, lowering its body slightly.

  "What the...why is my program not responding, oh no, no, no! I think it's about to crash and I haven't saved the progress yet. What is this none sense!" Isaac said, frustrated. He raised his head in a wave of frustration and anger.

  Isaac was silent the moment his gaze landed on Scotty. Just as Kai expected, the engineer’s usual confident demeanour flickered with uncertainty, his eyes widening as he leaned in slightly.

  "What... what is that thing?" Isaac asked, his voice tinged with curiosity and unease.

  "That seems to be a common reaction when people see me," Scotty said through his speech.

  Kai smirked and turned to Scotty. "Don’t worry. I think you two will have more in common than you might think."

  He lifted Scotty off his shoulder and gently placed him on Isaac’s desk. Instinctively, Isaac leaned back, his body language screaming hesitation, but his eyes betrayed his interest. As much as the unknown made him wary, the sheer potential of an advanced machine intelligence sitting right in front of him was too enticing for a man like Isaac to ignore.

  Isaac raised an eyebrow and glanced at Kai. "No way... Don’t tell me this is what you found in the air vent."

  Kai clicked his fingers together. "Yes and no. But you’re not far off. I did find a machine creature hiding aboard our ship. It was sending out signals to the swarm, giving away our real-time location—which is why we kept getting tracked no matter where we jumped."

  Isaac’s eyes flickered between Kai and Scotty as Kai continued.

  "But that one’s been dealt with. And here’s where things get interesting—" Kai gestured toward Scotty, who wiggled his tiny tentacles. "—I used my blood to fill its body as if it were a vessel. And lo and behold, I found out that the sentient nanites inside me are the same ones powering all the machine creatures."

  Isaac nodded slowly, his attention locked onto Scotty, who was staring back at him with equal intensity.

  Then Scotty spoke first. "Human...or, rather, Dr.Isaac, as I have already acquired your name by hacking into your computer. Based on my analysis, you are the most intelligent human on this ship and the most capable of creating a new body for me."

  What Scotty said clearly fed into Isaac’s ego. The engineer straightened a little, a small smirk tugging at his lips.

  "Well," Isaac said, "although it would be unfair to the rest of the crew, I do appreciate your honesty. It’s refreshing to meet someone who recognizes intelligence when they see it. And if you were able to break into my system—which, by the way, I personally designed—then I’d say you’re quite intelligent yourself, no matter what species you are."

  Scotty let out a mechanical laugh, unmistakably amused.

  "Oh, species is irrelevant when two intellectuals meet," Scotty declared. "I am overjoyed to make your acquaintance, Dr. Isaac. Allow me to say that while your research is primitive by my scientific standards, it would still surpass any and all human scientists if it were placed on old Earth."

  Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  Kai suddenly had a sinking feeling that he might have made a mistake introducing these two. Watching them interact was like watching two egos collide in slow motion, feeding off each other until one of them exploded.

  He sighed and cleared his throat. "Alright, geniuses, let’s not forget the actual reason we’re here."

  Isaac and Scotty both turned toward him as if only just remembering his presence.

  Kai crossed his arms. "Isaac, the Commander wants you to design a new shell for Scotty—one that’ll help him communicate with us better and, you know, not look like one of the things trying to kill us."

  Isaac grinned. "Oh, I’m sure I’ll take great care of Scotty here. Let’s start by making a more advanced speaker first, so I can hear their wisdom more clearly. In fact, I’d like to tackle this task together with you, Scotty. I believe your vast knowledge will be extremely helpful in what we’re about to do."

  "Oh, Dr. Isaac, you flatter me with your compliments," Scotty replied, his tiny tentacles wriggling with excitement. "It is already a miracle that I get to interact with a human scientist—let alone one so open-minded to our differences! Even the crew of the U.S.S.F. decoy ship wasn’t this friendly to..."

  Kai didn’t bother listening to the rest. He could already tell where this conversation was heading. With a sigh, he wished them good luck and slipped out of the room.

  He was sure those two would be just fine together.

  As he stepped into the corridor, he spotted Eliana waiting for him.

  "Hey, Kai. How did that go?" she greeted, smiling. She looked a lot better—no longer under the weather. Her cheeks had a healthy rosy hue, her posture was relaxed, and her head tilted slightly as she met his gaze.

  "Wonderful for those two, I suppose," Kai said, rolling his eyes. "Don’t worry, I’m sure whatever they come up with will totally not be weird or crammed with an overwhelming amount of useless features."

  Eliana laughed softly. "That bad, huh?"

  Kai smirked. "I’m sure they’ll be just fine."

  "Well, that’s good to hear," Eliana said, then shifted slightly. "I’m actually here because the Commander wants to discuss something with us."

  Kai’s expression turned thoughtful. "Sure, let’s go then."

  As they walked, Kai recalled the performance Commander Grayson had put on for Scotty. He knew bringing Scotty to Isaac was just a part of the act. And if he was right about what Grayson wanted to discuss… well, Kai had some things he wanted to say too.

  Kai had never seen the Commander paranoid about anything. Grayson was always confident and always in control, especially on his own ship.

  Yet, when he entered the meeting room last, his eyes darted around, scanning every corner before checking his tablet. He even glanced up at the ceiling before shutting the door behind him—giving it an extra push to ensure it was fully sealed.

  "Alright," he said, settling into his seat. The small meeting room felt even more cramped than usual with the entire crew packed inside. "Let’s talk about Scotty."

  "I think Scotty is pretty cute," Teresa chimed in, leaning back in her chair with a smirk. "I mean, come on, did you see how he handled the swarm? It was straight out of a sci-fi movie."

  "And he makes really good coffee," Lily added, taking a sip from the cup she’d smuggled in. "It’s light, unique—almost fruity. I don’t know what he put in it, but it’s good."

  Commander Grayson exhaled through his nose, shaking his head. "That’s not what I meant. Scotty may have helped us deal with the machine creatures, or make a banger coffee, but let’s not forget—he is one of them."

  His gaze shifted toward Kai. "No offence, Kai. I know the nanites have been inside you this whole time, but we can’t ignore the fact that we now have an advanced version of them walking around our ship."

  Kai nodded. "None taken. Honestly, I agree with you. Scotty is an upgraded model of the nanites in the machine creatures, and if he wanted to, he could hijack this ship any second."

  Robert scoffed, arms crossed. "Yeah, see, that is the part I can’t get past. You’re telling me this thing just… decided to help us out of the goodness of its heart?" He shook his head. "It’s a machine, and machines follow orders. Who’s to say it is not just playing an act, luring us into our own death."

  Baiyan frowned. "But if he wanted to destroy us, wouldn’t he have done it already? We’re completely at his mercy, and yet, here we are. If he had bad intentions, we’d be floating in space by now."

  "That’s true," Kai admitted. "But even if Scotty wants to help us, that doesn’t mean he can’t be controlled by a higher-ranking nanite in the future. If what he told us is true, their society has a ranking system. Higher-ranked nanites control the lower ones." He gestured vaguely. "Just look at what Scotty did—he disabled a dozen scouts instantly. If there’s something out there that can do the same to him…"

  Eliana exhaled, shaking her head. "Kai, you know I love you, but you’re overthinking this. Scotty could destroy this ship at any second, yeah—but so could a random power failure, or an engine explosion, or me if I decided to put the wrong numbers into the nav system." She crossed her arms. "Worrying about things we can’t control is pointless. The only thing that matters is his intentions."

  She looked around, making sure everyone was listening. "Scotty already knows everything we know—probably even more than we do. He knows we’re headed to Earth. He’s been inside Kai for months. If he wanted to betray us, he wouldn’t need to wait."

  The room fell quiet. She had a point.

  "What I’m saying is, why don’t we just keep him onboard and keep an eye on him? Scotty could be dangerous, but he’s also the most valuable ally we have right now."

  Ray, who had been quiet the whole time, finally spoke. "Sounds like we need a vote, Commander."

  "Seems like it," Grayson said. "Let’s vote."

  Kai stepped out of the meeting room half an hour later, stretching his arms above his head.

  In the end, the majority had voted to keep Scotty onboard.

  And honestly? Kai agreed with the decision.

  It was the smart thing to do.

  Maybe the remaining nanites in his system had influenced his decision, maybe they hadn’t. He figured he’d never really know.

  As he passed Isaac’s room, he noticed the sliding door was locked, a glowing red DO NOT DISTURB flashing on the panel.

  With nothing else pressing, he headed toward the simulation room. Some training and meditation would help clear his mind. Between being chased by machine creatures and planning a landing mission on a hazardous planet, his stress levels were sky-high. He needed to relax.

  When he arrived, he was surprised to find Eliana already inside—along with Teresa and Baiyan. They were in the middle of a yoga session.

  Kai smirked, crossing his arms. "How the hell did you guys get here so fast?"

  Eliana grinned at him, stretching her arms over her head. "We thought you’d be with Isaac and Scotty for a while, so we didn’t think to invite you. I'm sorry."

  Kai waved his hand, dismissing Eliana's apology, "I'm just glad I can practice with you all."

  He pulled off his uniform jacket and grabbed a comfortable tank top. As he changed, he caught Eliana sneaking a glance at him. He smirked.

  "Don’t you need to clear your mind during practice?" he teased.

  Eliana stuck her tongue out and quickly turned away.

  I'm hosting a beta reading for my next novel coming out in June. You can join the beta reading by becoming a free Patreon member or joining the Immersive Ink discord (I'll post the prologue in both). Just know that the next novel is not sci-fi but a first-person perspective LitRPG.