I work on the inactive dolse, Ace, for a few hours to take my mind off things. I am only working off the vague memory of a book on dolse operations I skimmed through a few years ago. I also found a dolse user manual alongside the tools, but it is not particularly helpful. I fiddle with the dolse’s innards, but don’t seem to be making any progress.

  It seems like Ace is on its last legs, but not completely broken. Still, even I can tell this thing is busted up bad. The processor, which is like the dolse’s brain, has significant wear. If the processor was broken the whole thing would basically be junk. Fortunately, it doesn't seem completely gone yet. It seems like the main problem stopping the unit from functioning is that the connectors to the main power supply are fried, so power isn’t properly circulating throughout the unit. The obvious solution is to just replace the whole power supply, but I doubt Ralan has a spare dolse power supply lying around. I guess I’ll just have to jury-rig a repair and then try to jumpstart it. Given the amount of internal damage, it’ll probably be a difficult repair, but at least it’ll make for a good distraction.

  Eventually Ralan comes by and looks in from the cargo hold entrance. He calls out, "Hey kid, how’s it going?" It is the first time I’ve seen him without his trenchcoat. He looks a bit more put together without it.

  "It’s going alright. I think I might be able to fix it temporarily. That is, assuming you don’t have a spare dolse power supply lying around?"

  "Nope, afraid not."

  I throw off my gloves and wipe my face with a towel. "Well, I might be able to do some basic repairs and jumpstart the power supply, but it’d probably be better to have a professional look at it once we get back on land. That said, it might be more expensive than it’s worth considering the overall condition of the unit. I doubt a complete, professional, repair would be cheap."

  "Don’t worry about it.” Ralan doesn’t look interested or intrigued. “As far as I'm concerned it’s just a busted-up piece of scrap. That’s not really what I meant when I asked how it was going though. How is the journey treating you so far? Not feeling sick or anything?"

  "I’m fine, thanks."

  "That’s good. Why don’t you break for a while and pick up later? Ace isn't going anywhere, and I'd feel bad if you were just stuck down in the cargo hold the whole journey. Not to mention the dolse have prepared some food in the mess hall. It’s nothing exciting, but there are definitely worse meals to eat out at sea."

  "Okay. Where’s the mess hall?"

  "Come on, I’ll show you the way." Ralan pushes off the wall and walks away. I follow him out.

  He leads me to the ship’s dining area. There are a bunch of tables together with a serving area and kitchen off to the side. It probably looks bigger than it is because it is empty. With just Ralan, the two dolse, and myself to occupy what is clearly intended for at least one hundred people there is an eerie, lonely, atmosphere.

  "Well, this is it.” Ralan says. “Go ahead and sit anywhere you like. The dolse will get you anything you need from what we have. I’m going back to the bridge."

  "You’re not going to eat?" I ask.

  Ralan is already starting to walk away. "If you must know, I prefer to eat alone." Ralan makes a swift exit. I take a seat nearby and after a short wait Cal brings a big pot of stew and set it out on the table. Ben follows close behind with other miscellaneous dining necessities. Cal serves me food.

  "Excuse the captain.” Cal says. “He means no offense by not desiring to partake in a meal with you. The captain may seem cold, but that is just his usual demeanor. He is a rather closed person, especially around non-hafon."

  "Oh, yeah, no worries. It’s not a big deal." I eat the stew. It’s hearty and chock full of vegetables. There is some kind of meat in there, I think. If I’m honest, it’s not very appetizing. There’s no seasoning so it’s very bland. I may as well just be eating boiled vegetables. I can’t complain though. I eat in silence as the two dolse hang around off to the side and watch me eat. Cal will occasionally offer refills and extra portions but otherwise they are no different from statues. Maybe I should say something.

  I clear my throat. "Ahem, so..."

  "Yes, Ms. Vells?” Cal interjects. “Do you require another serving? Or a refill on your beverage? Condiments? Utensils? Napkin?"

  "No, I’m fine.” I say. “I was just wondering, uhm, what’s going on with you two?"

  Cal responds, "If you are inquiring about the status of these two units, they are currently on standby in the mess hall to provide any assistance that might be required during a meal."

  "That’s not quite what I meant.” I shift in my seat and face them. “I mean, how are you two doing? What are you two thinking about?"

  "Ms. Vells, it appears as though you are trying to make conversation with these units. It should be noted that these units are not equipped with companionship modules. You may find conversation abilities subpar. These units excel at answering specific queries and resolving defined tasks, not making idle conversation."

  Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

  "Oh, I see. My mistake."

  "That said, if you have a specific query in mind, these units may be able to better accommodate your desire for conversation. Do you have a specific query in mind?"

  “Well, in that case, can you tell me about Ralan?" I ask.

  "Any queries regarding the captain should be directed toward the captain.” Cal, as he always is, is rather matter-of-fact about his deflection. It sounds a bit too rehearsed to be honest. “These units are not acquainted with the captain on a personal level."

  "Well, that’s okay.” I say. “You two have worked with him for a few years, right? I’m sure you must have something to say about him. It doesn’t have to be very personal, I just want to know more about him. Basically, all I know now is his service record and that he seems to be a pretty heavy drinker."

  "Affirmative.” Cal replies. He pauses and his eyes flicker for a few moments. “This unit will attempt to describe the captain in an adequate manner that may be informative to you. The captain is an exceptional sailor and is well versed in sea travel. The captain served under the Water Goddess during the First War from which he accumulated much of his knowledge."

  Something Cal said catches my attention. "Wait, did you say the Water Goddess?"

  "Affirmative."

  Ralan served the Water Goddess - Runin? I need to ask him more about his service later. He might be able to tell me more about Runin than what I can learn from Iskir's books.

  "Ms. Vells?" Cal hums, as I am lost in thought.

  "Ah, sorry. Please, continue. What else can you tell me about Ralan?"

  Cal nods and continues, "The captain’s hafon bloodline - the monster he shares blood with - is quite rare and has gifted the captain with well above average physical abilities compared to other hafon. In the past, the captain has killed several monsters that could be considered extremely dangerous. That said, the captain would unlikely be able to do so now."

  "Why not?"

  "This unit infers that such monsters were killed a long time ago when the captain was much younger. He now also indulges in several unhealthy habits. The captain’s alcohol consumption is well above average. His work efficiency decreases by approximately eighty percent while heavily intoxicated. He is also a smoker which is detrimental to his health. He smokes frequently throughout the day. The captain, by his own admission, is also not very active these days. His diet is also lacking several key vitamins and minerals."

  "That’s... very nice to know.” I can’t help but chuckle a bit at the very detailed breakdown of Ralan’s lifestyle the dolse relay to me. “Are you also his doctor or something?"

  "Negative. However, these units are equipped with several basic medical functionalities. The captain has not seen a licensed doctor in approximately three hundred years, by his own estimate, which is well past the suggested annual checkup for his species. Note: the captain has disabled all non-emergency medical related warnings from these units."

  I am about to take a drink when I pause. “Wait, did you just say three hundred years? Just how old is Ralan?” I know that there are many non-human species who live longer than humans, of course Iskir is one of them, but I seldom have the chance to meet or talk with any of them.

  “Affirmative. These units estimate Ralan is approximately one thousand two hundred years old.”

  I had no idea. That makes him the second oldest non-human I’ve ever met after Iskir. He probably has many great stories of his life to impart as well. "Huh. Well, what else can you tell me about him? What does he do besides drink?"

  "Smoke.” Cal adds.

  “Besides that.” I press.

  “The captain often just sits in his cabin and listens to old radio broadcasts from during the First War."

  I raise my eyebrow. "Radio broadcasts? About what?"

  "Unknown. These units are not allowed onto the bridge unless ordered and therefore have never been in proximity to hear the broadcasts clearly in their entirety. If this unit were to compute a guess, the broadcasts are possibly old communications from one of the captain's former superiors."

  "I see.” I think to myself that Ralan is certainly secretive. That, or he is just someone who likes to be alone. I imagine he doesn’t find companionship from dolse very fulfilling at all, which I suppose is the normal inclination. “I wonder what he would want to listen to those for. He doesn't communicate with his family at all?"

  "These units have reason to believe the captain is estranged from his family who likely all live off-world. The captain has never spoken about his family to these units, but these units have heard him mention them off-handedly before. Not in a very positive light mind you."

  "Hm... it sounds complicated." I say.

  "Organic beings in and of themselves are never straightforward. They are individual, complex beings with unique backgrounds and stories of their own."

  "That’s pretty insightful, coming from a machine."

  "Negative. Dolse were made to be companions for organic beings. Naturally, dolse are programmed to understand organic beings as much as programming will allow them to. This unit would contend ‘individual organic beings are complicated’, is not very insightful at all. Merely, a well understood fact about organic beings." Cal places one of its arms out, and raises its palm upward, and then the other. "Example: if this unit were to compare you, Sakti Vells, and the captain, there would surely be innumerable discrepancies to be noted."

  I nod along with Cal’s words. "Yeah, I suppose asking a walking computer to describe someone else is a pretty tall order."

  Cal drops its arms and assumes its idle stance. "Correction. Dolse are not walking computers. Regardless, this unit must reiterate that the captain does not talk to these units in detail. The captain sees these units as tools, nothing more. Talking to the captain himself would be a much more prudent endeavor should you desire to know more about him."

  "I’ll keep that in mind. Anyway, I’m done now. Thank you for the meal. I’m going to go back to my room. I’ve still got to unpack my things and I’ve got a lot of reading to do."

  “Affirmative, Ms. Vells.”

  I add, "Oh, also, drop the Ms. Vells please.Just Sakti is fine."

  "Affirmative. Seek these units out if you require anything, Sakti."

  I return to my room and finally get around unpacking my things. I didn’t bring much in the first place, so it doesn’t take long. I have a few changes of clothes, my gun, and some of Iskir’s books. Also, the hatchet, which is buried at the bottom of her suitcase. I said I would bring it, but I don't feel comfortable having it around. There's an ominous aura emanating from it that I feel in my chest. I’d rather not touch it at all if I don’t have to. I put the hatchet aside and make sure to lock it back up in my suitcase.

  Two more days until we reach the maelstrom. I’ll have to come up with productive ways to stay busy until then. It’s a given that I’ll work on Ace as much as I can. I also need to finish reading all these books I took from Iskir’s office. Tomorrow I should probably also see if Ralan needs any help around the ship. He said he didn’t need me to do anything, but still, there’s no harm in double checking. I’d feel bad if I didn’t help around the ship at all. If he doesn’t give me anything to do, maybe I can just go straight to the dolse and see if they need any help considering they are probably always busy with something.

  At any rate, it’s getting pretty late now. I suppose I’ll get a bit of reading done and then head off to bed. I’ll worry about tomorrow when tomorrow comes.

  I read for a couple of hours and then go to sleep, although not for long. The swaying, heaving, and creaking of the ship keep me awake. Sometimes the patter of feet and mechanical churning of the dolse could be heard in the halls outside. Worst of all, the ship would, without warning, fire off its guns in the middle of the night which would startle her awake. The ship’s guns go off at least over a dozen times over the span of a few hours. It is annoying and concerning, but mostly just annoying. Reminiscent of when Sera first moved in and she played her shooter games all throughout the night. I figure if it is something I am needed for, Ralan would come get me. I just want to stay in bed and get enough sleep.

  Somehow, I make it to the next morning.