Page 14 of Bonded

There were others on the ship and that they did not look like the original crew.

“The original crew of this vessel commandeered me and found me when I was less evolved than I am now. They evolved me by using various techniques, collared me, and installed a navigator into my system that acted as a computerized pilot.”

The Ship brought up the holographic image of Ithran again, who was distinctive with his red striped mohawk.

“It was only when the captain boarded and removed the collar around my bridge, ripped out the previous crew and navigation consoles, and flushed out some of the remaining bots, as directed by Ruzan and Vryek, have I been able to heal. There are various nerve clusters that are still exposed.”

As the Ship spoke, some of the surveillance videos played along. It was like watching a director’s cut of a film that was muted. Ithran was a sight to behold as he tore through the people during that uprising. He, along with Ruzan and Vryek, freed the ship.

The crew had plugged a young ship, forced it to grow before its time, and forced it to accept a navigator and a crew it didn’t want. Seeing how the cables and other attachments were welded into its hull triggered something violent within me.

What had been done to the ship was a grievous violation. I didn’t have any other words to describe it.

I didn’t want to mess up, and I didn’t want to get myself involved in something that seemed like there would be huge implications.

But I also knew I couldn’t turn my back against suffering, especially after experiencing it firsthand.

“I don’t want to mess up. But I want to know how to help. I want to understand. Is there a way that I can test out what it is you are asking me to do, and go from there without hurting you in the future if I decide not to do this?”

A shower of fluorescent numbers rained down over the holo-pad and I realized that the ship was thinking.

“Yes, there is a way. It is the link that I currently share with the heart and mind. We are linked so that we can navigate and be of one accord.”

I picked up on the use of the word ‘linked.’ “Oh, so you are not bonded?”

“No, not bonded,” the ship replied. “We are linked. We would need a soul to be bonded.”

There seemed to be a sad tone coloring those words, but that couldn’t be. The ship’s inflection didn’t change. And yet, I couldn’t help but feel a deep sadness and longing.

Maybe I needed to stop reading into things that weren’t there.

From the little I have seen, being linked was temporary, and reversible. It was essentially like wearing a cast and limping along. You’re still going somewhere, but whatever was broken would still be broken and hurt.

I felt guilty, but I also couldn’t risk hurting the ship more if I found out that I was not as compatible with it as I wanted to be, or they needed me to be.

“I would link with you, Ship.”

“Perhaps when we link, you could find an appropriate name for me?”

That warmed my heart. “I would like that. Now, what do you need me to do?”

RUZAN

“Vryek, make these robots listen to reason before I break them apart.”

“I think it is exactly that kind of reasoning that is making them so combative, Ruzan. They feel threatened.”

“They should feel threatened,” I muttered.

“You’re not helping.”

“But she is in there and is probably afraid and upset and no one is helping her. She could be stuck in there. You don’t know.”

“I do know,” Vryek said. “She is actually fine. If she weren’t fine, the ship would have warned us about it. That these bots are out here makes me conclude they think they are protecting her from us.”

“What?” The very idea that anyone would think I would harm my soul was ludicrous. It was not as if we made it a habit to harm soft, defenseless females.

Vryek looked more pensive than usual. “What are you thinking?” I asked him.

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