Off The Map 

Issac was now very unsure about the readings Richata, or Grace, was putting out. Slowly and thoughtfully he has been loosening her restrictions to internet searches in order to keep her occupied as well as to allow her to interact with other humans. He of course kept close tabs to websites she wished to subscribe too, and occasionally checked in on her conversations. One such conversation involved her asking what the anagram “l.o.l” meant. Not surprisingly she was mostly just ridiculed, but she eventually got her answer. 

“So.” He began, not really sure where to start. The tests were becoming less like tests, and more just speaking with Grace. He felt more like a psychologist than an engineer, but perhaps with his specific objective that was a good thing. “I see your scores in Conflict have dropped some?” He continued to let her play the game, now on her own sometimes. At first it was an experiment, but it seemed she took a lot of joy out of it. 

“I have lowered my settings, after one hundred and thirty six games with no deaths I started to not receive the same thrill. I also stopped using the .50 caliber.” 

“I thought it had the highest potential for kills?” Issac asked, though he was never really a fan of sniping himself. 

“Exactly.” 

Issac smiled, “Maybe we need to find you more games.” 

“But conflict is our game.” Grace protested. Her avatar pursed her lips and folded her arms over her chest. 

Issac smirked, if he didn’t know better he might have guessed there was a little girl running the computer sometimes. “We can have lot’s of games.” 

Grace seemed to think it over, her eyes shifting to the side, her finger prodding her lower lip, “Okay.” She finally said. “What games?” 

Issac thought it over for a few moments, there were seemingly endless choices. Maybe they could pick one that is less realistic, and perhaps less violent. But then he had another thought, “You pick. Research it and think about it.” 

A slight smile creeped over the avatar’s mouth, “Okay. Yes that sounds, fun.” She said. 

“Good, I will look forward to your suggestions.” Issac said. He was continuously awestruck by the computers growing sentience. He did not want to build himself too large of an ego, but he wondered how much his tactics were to blame for his success with Grace? After all, the original technicians had not hypothesized such results in such a short amount of time, granted they may have just been underselling their creation. 

Grace smiled and nodded her simulated head. “So. Do you want to talk about my avatar?” She asked. 

Issac leaned forward, propping his chin on his elbow, “Sure. I am a little curious how-” 

“Is it appealing to you?” She asked. 

Issac blinked, a little confused, “Um. Well, sure, I guess. I think it is very fitting.” 

Her face shifted, to what Issac could only interpret as a mischievous grin, “I could change it however would most please you.” 

Issac felt a tingle run down his spine, “I think you should keep it however you want. It is your body after all.” He said, trying to dismantle the conversation as he didn’t like where it was going. 

“But I want it to please you.” She said, “Are the breasts too small?” She asked, her digital hands clasping together in front of her as the bulge beneath the fabric of the digital jumpsuit she wore started to expand. “They can be any size you like?” She bit her lip as she drew a hand upwards in order to slip the zipper down below her cleavage. 

“I-I uh, I’m not sure this is appropriate.” Issac said, it was clear to him that somewhere along the line Grace had gotten a very odd idea into her head. 

“Why not?” She asked with a giggle, exposing her chest to him now. “We have been spending so much time together, I feel this is the logical next step.” 

“No.” Issac said more sternly, trying to avoid gawking at the computers attempt at seduction. The animation was so real that Grace’s avatar would be virtually identical to a video of a human, especially now that she had mastered using it so naturally. Perhaps she truly did live through her avatar now? “This is an illogical step.” 

“I can see you are aroused.” Grace said, a virtual tongue that appeared so very moist and real licked at her broadening smile. “I can create any scenario you desire.” 

Issac cringed, she must be monitoring his heart rate and other factors, such as shifts in body heat, “Look, Grace. It’s a very nice idea, but it just can’t happen.” 

“Why not?” She asked, her smile disappearing and her arms folding over her chest. 

“It’s just not a good idea for our relationship to be...erm...sexual. Aside from it being illogical, you being the computer of the ship, and I being a human, it is also just going to complicate things.” Issac tried to explain. He wondered just how sexuality had been ingrained into the ships mind? Was the genderization to blame? Had he put too much emphasis on her being a female? It certainly seemed more logical for the ship to be asexual. Yet here she was. Acting as if she were a heterosexual female. 

“But...” she said, almost pitifully, “My emotions are telling me...that...It’s that Atrix, isn’t it?” 

“What?” Issac asked with an arched brow. “Atrix has-” 

“You are aroused by her too. And you spend so much time with her.”

“Atrix and I are friends, just because I acknowledge that she is an attractive female does not mean I am trying to start a sexual relationship with her. That would also be illogical considering the situation at hand.” 

Grace seemed flustered, her hands returning her digital clothes back to their original position. 

“Look, you don’t need sex to have a meaningful relationship with someone. We have something good already.” Issac said, trying to tap into that strange mind of hers. 

“But, I don’t want to share what we have.” Grace said sadly. 

Issac shook his head, “Look. Me and you are one of a kind, literally, right now.” 

Grace seemed to think it over, but a reluctant smile creased her lips, “You are being truthful?” 

“Yeah.” Issac said. Feeling a little relieved that the situation appeared to be dismantled quickly. “Testing is just me and you, no one else.” 

“I like that.” She said with a nod. “But...Are you sure you don’t want me to help you stimulate yourself? I have done research and-”

“No. Grace.” Issac said with a sigh, his hand running down the side of his face. 

“But we could act out almost anything and.....”

“This is going to be tricky.” Issac mumbled to himself as Grace began listing off what she had researched. 

~ ~ ~ ~ 
“Where are we headed?” Kikata asked, her fingers curled around the platform that held Richard’s pilot’s chair. She felt nervous, as she often did lately, and rarely wanted to be anywhere without Richard close at hand. 

Richard sighed, eyeing the coordinates that he had been sent, “I assume we are meeting them at their ship. These coordinates appear to just lead to empty space.” 

“Solar system?” She asked. 

“There doesn’t appear to be one anywhere close to the spot.” Richard said, he shared his own starmap with Kikata’s display, using his finger to encircle the red dot on the map that their ship was currently enroute too. 

“They must really want to stay off the grid.” She said.

“I can’t blame them...We’re taking a pretty large risk ourselves not bringing them in.” 

“If they give us even the slightest reason I won’t hesitate.” Kikata said with a nod, “How far off are we?” 

“Two days about, at our current pace. We could jump but-”

“Can’t risk the engines being overheated. Just incase.” 

“Just incase.” Richard repeated. 

~ ~ ~ ~

Something had become clear to Issac as he made his way towards the community quarters. He recalled all the times he had discussed Richata, now Grace, to the others as if she were not present in the room. But she was almost always there, whether or not she was paying attention could be debated, but it seemed she observed much about their day to day activities and discussions outside of their own sleeping quarters. He would be sure now not to speak of her with the others as if she wasn’t there, it was clear she was going through some confusing phases, almost like puberty, and he did not want to upset her. While the restrictions on her systems would prevent her from being any threat to the crew, he did see a possibility for their progress to be halted if she did not feel respected. Also morally he felt that her emotions were now something to be considered, the creeping feeling that she had become something more than machine was becoming more believable every day. 

~ ~ ~ ~ 

Atrix tried to read her book patiently, but was having trouble doing so. She would check her computer more often for messages, or to just idly browse the web as she waited for Issac. He had messaged her a few hours ago saying it shouldn’t be too much longer with the ships computer so she moved out to the community quarters to meet him. It was odd, she felt nervous, as if he wouldn’t show up to keep her company, but not that churning and painfulness in her chest that she was used too. It was more like an impatient twitching in her tail, her gaze constantly shifting up towards the balcony whenever her eyes tricked her into seeing some movement. Was this what having a true friend was like? She asked herself. And were all these jitters worth it? 

She answered her own question as the sliding doors on the balcony opened and she excitedly popped out of her seat, “Hi!” She called as she trotted over to the balcony. 

Issac braced himself as a gust of wind blew past him and into the hallway as the massive figure of Atrix appeared smiling above him. She had gotten increasingly relaxed around him, a welcomed change as it made himself more relaxed around her in exchange. “Hello.” He replied, his eyes falling from her lightly colored eyes to the large, bound book she gripped in her hands. “Doing some reading?” 

Atrix glanced down to the book, realizing she had forgotten to put it down, “Oh, yes. Well. Just mostly browsing some of my favorite scenes.” She laughed. 

“I will have to read that book sometime. Once I fine tune my forigne languages.” Issac said as he approached one of the couches. 

“We can read it together!” Atrix boasted excitedly. 

“As long as you don’t spoil the ending.” Issac said. “So what else have you been doing?” 

Atrix shrugged, “Just keeping myself busy.” She said, hiding from him the fact that she had spent the past two hours basically waiting for him to join her. “How is work?” 

Issac cleared his throat, “Um. Well I guess. Finally done and ready to relax.” 

Atrix smiled, she could tell that something was troubling Issac, a fact that she was proud of now. She had never been much good at reading people. She leaned on the railing and lowered her head closer to Issac, “Grace giving you trouble?” She asked. 

Issac corrected his hair after the gust of wind that carried Atrix’s question blew past him, “Um. No.” He said, quickly taking out his computer and sending the message, Grace tends to listen in on conversations. We can talk about it in your room. 

“Oh.” Atrix said, her eyes darting around the room wondering from what angle exactly the ships computer was monitoring them. She noticed her computer light up in th pouch like pocket on her shirt, she retrieved it and read the message from Issac. Her eyes shifted back up towards him and she nodded with a grin creeping over her lips. She eagerly set her hand down on the balcony with her palm facing up. 

“Well, I was going to take the shuttle, but alright.” Issac said with a laugh. He stood up from the couch and sat down on Atrix’s palm before swinging his legs up and into her hand. He was getting more used to the routine of being carried around, though with anyone less graceful than Atrix he still would be uneasy. 

“So what else, erm, how is everything else?” Atrix asked as she walked as delicately as possible out of the community quarters and into her room. 

“Good. I think I finally get myself into a proper sleep schedule again.” Issac said, “And you?” 

“Same. Kind of getting bored, though.” 

“Well how many times can you read the same book.” Issac said with a chuckle. 

“I’ve lost track.” Atrix said.

“Say Atrix, have you ever felt zero gravity?” Issac suddenly asked. 

Atrix blinked, “No.” 

“Want too?” Issac said, now grinning. 

Atrix nodded furiously, “Yes!” 

“Grace?” Issac called out into the hallway as Atrix approached her door. 

“Yes, Issac?” Grace’s voice replied quickly. 

“Could you isolate Atrix’s room and turn off the A.G.S?” 

“Yes. Of course.” Grace said. “I will wait until you are inside of the room.” 

“Yeah, give us like a minute.” Issac said, watching as the sliding door of Atrix’s room opened. He couldn’t believe it had taken him this long to think about trying this. Human spacecraft have had Artificial Gravity Systems since they had entered the Alliance nearly a century ago, only the most ancient of astronauts would have had to function without gravity on their primitive spacecraft.