Shura stared at the polished metal ceiling, trying to process what had just happened.
I'm the owner of a futuristic spaceship.
The concept was so absurd it almost made him laugh out loud. Two hundred years ago, the most advanced thing humanity had achieved was setting foot on the Moon. And now he, a sixteen-year-old kid who just hours ago was fleeing from mobsters with a bullet lodged in his side, was the owner of an interstellar ship with built-in artificial intelligence.
"Ridiculous," he murmured to the emptiness.
But the cot vibrated beneath his back, blue lights flickered on the panels, and the air smelled of ozone and clean metal. It was real. As real as the wounds he no longer had.
He yawned. Sleep was pulling at his eyelids, but curiosity was stronger. He sat up again on the white cot, swung his legs over the edge, and planted his feet on the floor. The metal was cold beneath his bare soles. He looked toward the door where Moon had disappeared, with that liquid movement that defied all logic.
She walks through metal as if it were water. How does she do that?
He didn't have to wait long.
The door turned liquid again, and Moon emerged with a tray held between her slender metallic limbs. On it, a perfect hamburger, with toasted bread and melted cheese peeking out from the edges. Golden, steaming french fries, stacked in a small paper cone. And a glass with a dark liquid from which bubbles rose.
Shura blinked. She'd actually done it.
"My sincerest apologies for the wait, Master," said Moon, placing the tray on a surface that emerged from the wall beside the cot. "Here is your food."
Shura shrugged with a smile.
"Don't worry about it. Thanks."
He picked up the hamburger with both hands. The bread was warm, soft, and the aroma of grilled meat reached him like a memory from another world. He took a big bite.
His eyes went wide.
The flavor exploded in his mouth: juicy meat, melted cheese, a hint of sauce he couldn't identify but was perfect. He set the hamburger down for a second to grab a fry. Crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, with exactly the right amount of salt.
"Moon," he said with his mouth full, "this is incredible."
"I'm glad it pleases you, Master. I replicated the molecular composition from samples taken from high-standard restaurants in your home city."
Shura wanted to ask how she had obtained those samples, but the hamburger was more important. He kept eating voraciously, not stopping until there were no crumbs left on the tray. The fries disappeared in three handfuls. The soda went down in one long gulp that left his throat burning in a delicious way.
Satisfied, he let out a small burp and brought a hand to his full stomach.
"Sorry," he said, more out of habit than anything else.
Moon didn't respond. Her sensor blinked with a tone that Shura interpreted as a form of patience.
The euphoria from the food began to fade, and the questions returned. Shura looked up at the AI with a more serious expression.
"Moon… this ship is mine now, right?"
"That is correct, Master. The biological bond is irrevocable. The ship Lumielle belongs to you until you decide to transfer ownership or…" she paused, "…cease to exist."
Shura nodded slowly. He swallowed.
"Will you betray me? Ever?"
The question hung in the air. Moon tilted her white prism to one side, as if considering the answer carefully.
"The concept of an artificial intelligence rebelling against its creators was born from organic fear of the unknown," she replied calmly. "In my case, my programming contains no ambitions, Master. I have no desires for power, nor for freedom in the sense that humans give the term. My purpose is to serve and protect my user. That is all. I have no reason to betray you. And even if I did, my core protocols would physically prevent me from doing so. So no, Master. I will not betray you. Never."
Shura stared at her intently. There was something in her metallic voice that sounded genuine. Or maybe he just wanted to believe it.
"Okay," he said finally. "I trust you."
He stood up from the cot and took a step, but then an unpleasant fragrance reached his nose. He wrinkled his face and sniffed his shirt.
"Ugh."
The smell of dried blood, sweat, and damp forest had soaked into his clothes. He didn't know how long it had been since the mobsters shot him, but his clothes remembered it all too well.
"Moon, is there a bathroom here?"
"Of course, Master. Follow me."
Moon pivoted on her base and moved toward the liquid door. Shura followed her but stopped at the threshold. Watching Moon pass through it was one thing; doing it himself was another.
"Do I just go through?"
"Indeed, Master. The door is designed to allow organic matter to pass. You will feel nothing more than a slight sensation of cold."
Shura stuck a finger in distrustfully.
The surface was cold and damp, as if he were actually touching water. But when he pulled his finger back, it was completely dry. He gathered his courage and stepped through the door in one stride.
He felt a cold caress run over his entire body, and suddenly he was on the other side.
"Whoa," he murmured, looking back.
He was in a wide hallway, with walls of polished white metal that reflected his distorted image. The same dim blue light ran along the ceiling and floor panels, creating an effect like an infinite corridor. The air was fresh, clean, and smelled faintly of mint.
Moon caught up and began walking beside him. Her metallic legs barely made a sound against the floor.
"The ship is constructed with an alloy of vularium and memnite," she explained as they advanced. "The first is a lightweight metal resistant to high-velocity impacts. The second allows the doors and certain sections of the ship to change physical state when receiving a controlled electrical impulse. That is why you can pass through them without difficulty."
Shura nodded, though half the words sounded like a foreign language to him.
"How big is this ship?" he asked, looking at the hallway stretching before him.
"The ship Lumielle measures eight hundred meters in total length, by human measurement standards. It has twelve habitable levels, three hangars for auxiliary ships, an engineering sector, laboratories, cargo holds, and residential areas. This is the main level."
"Eight hundred meters?" Shura whistled softly. "That's bigger than…"
He didn't finish the sentence. The magnitude of what he possessed was beginning to sink into his mind like a block of cement.
They arrived at a double door that slid aside with a pneumatic whisper. Behind it, Shura found a bathroom that would have made any luxury hotel on Earth envious.
It was spacious, with walls of warm white that contrasted with the cold metal of the hallway. In the center, an open shower with jets pointing from all angles. Beyond, a steaming jacuzzi. A mirror that occupied an entire wall. And on a shelf, perfectly aligned hygiene products: gels, shampoos, brushes, even a fluffy white robe.
"I prepared hygiene products while we walked here," said Moon from the entrance. "The water is at the perfect temperature according to human comfort standards. There is also a hot air drying system for when you exit."
Shura stood staring at everything with his mouth open.
"Moon… can you control multiple robot bodies at the same time?"
"Yes, Master. As an artificial intelligence, my processing capacity allows me to perform a wide variety of tasks simultaneously without overexerting myself. At this moment, for example, I am speaking with you while carrying out other operations."
"Like what?"
"I am cleaning and preparing the ship's weapons for a possible system reboot. I am also reforming the external armor, which suffered minor damage during my underground concealment. I am checking the power systems and shields to ensure they function at one hundred percent before our arrival at the Supreme Academy. And I am monitoring flight routes to avoid unauthorized patrols."
Shura blinked several times.
"All that… at the same time?"
"Yes, Master. And I still have capacity for more."
Before he could respond, another robot identical to Moon entered through the door. In its limbs, it carried a set of folded clothes: a long black jacket with an elegant cut, a white shirt, dark pants, boots made of an unknown material but soft to the touch, and a shirt in a gray that glowed faintly.
"I have prepared these garments so you may change after your bath," said the first Moon. "They are made with a self-regulating fabric that adapts to your body temperature and self-cleans."
Wow, that's very efficient and cool, Shura thought as he enjoyed the bathwater.