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Description
"How's it coming?"
"Slow," I tell my Captain. "Whoever this was is very good. They've covered their tracks well."
"Don't tell me they're better than you?"
"Are you serious?" I ask. Callisto meows loudly. "Your cat thinks you're nuts."
"Probably," the sweet alto says over the comms. "But my question stands."
"I think I can bypass the controls," I say, rewiring panel eight. The cat meows loudly again.
"Don't let her chew on any cables," Vanessa tells me. "We have enough problems as it is."
"This doesn't make sense," I observe.
"The virus?"
"No," I say. "All of it. Programming a vulnerability into the ship that would kill us then taking control and not killing us but speeding us out to Saturn." My HUD gives me a red light. "Damn, no luck."
"They really are smarter than you,": she surmises. I can see the shit eating grin on her face.
"Keep that up, Captain," I tease back, "and you'll be sleeping alone."
"Well - "
"And I saw you watching me in my new shorts," I add. "You couldn't take your eyes off me."
"Well - "
"If I were you," I pointed out, "I'd swallow my pride and keep a fabulous bedmate like me."
"Pride swallowed and apologies, Ms. Marsh," she says with some (but not enough) contrition. "How's my ship?"
"Speeding to Saturn," I tell her. "And how long will it take us to get there."
"You know I don't have system access," she points out.
"And that's why the test is unannounced," I fire back. "How long?"
"Ummm.... dividing by..."
"How long? I don't invite lemmings into my bed."
"Don't rush me!" she says. "And I don't recall you ever having complaints about my performance in bed."
"But this could change things," I say, grinning. "And you're stalling."
"12.3 days."
"Wrong," I say. "And I had such high hopes for you."
"I was pretty sure - "
"You got the decimal point wrong," I tell her. "One point two-three days."
"Oh. At least the numbers were right."
"On the bright side," I chuckle, "since I'm letting you go, you can keep the Lead's bed warm."
"Fine! Fine!" she says, panic stricken. "I am really sorry. And you know I love you."
"And you won't disrespect me again."
"And I won't disrespect you again."
"And you'll take over my week of litter box duty."
Laughter. "That's crazy talk," she says. "But get my ship fixed and we'll talk."
Trying another shunt and again it's ineffective. It's like the infection knows what I'm doing as I'm doing it. No, it knows just before I do it. A crazy idea occurs to me.
"Callisto is being awfully well behaved," I observe.
"First time for everything," 'Nessa says. "Unless you brought along a six pack of tuna."
"Didn't," I say. "And she's watching everything I'm doing."
"She's always been a smart cat."
"Yeah, I know," I say, "that's why she prefers me."
"That and you feed her whenever she wants."
"Gotta keep her happy," I say, "and she's not fat."
"Yet," she laughs. "Just don't turn her into the Lead."
"Perish the thought." Time to get serious. "Don't laugh at me."
"Not while you're wearing those shorts."
"I'm serious," I insist.
"So am I," she says. "I need you in our bed tonight."
"I think Callisto is somehow part of what's wrong with the ship."
Silence.
"Say something," I say.
*Astute observation, human," I hear in my head. And know for a fact that came from my cat.
"What the heck is going on?!"

Description
"How's it coming?"
"Slow," I tell my Captain. "Whoever this was is very good. They've covered their tracks well."
"Don't tell me they're better than you?"
"Are you serious?" I ask. Callisto meows loudly. "Your cat thinks you're nuts."
"Probably," the sweet alto says over the comms. "But my question stands."
"I think I can bypass the controls," I say, rewiring panel eight. The cat meows loudly again.
"Don't let her chew on any cables," Vanessa tells me. "We have enough problems as it is."
"This doesn't make sense," I observe.
"The virus?"
"No," I say. "All of it. Programming a vulnerability into the ship that would kill us then taking control and not killing us but speeding us out to Saturn." My HUD gives me a red light. "Damn, no luck."
"They really are smarter than you,": she surmises. I can see the shit eating grin on her face.
"Keep that up, Captain," I tease back, "and you'll be sleeping alone."
"Well - "
"And I saw you watching me in my new shorts," I add. "You couldn't take your eyes off me."
"Well - "
"If I were you," I pointed out, "I'd swallow my pride and keep a fabulous bedmate like me."
"Pride swallowed and apologies, Ms. Marsh," she says with some (but not enough) contrition. "How's my ship?"
"Speeding to Saturn," I tell her. "And how long will it take us to get there."
"You know I don't have system access," she points out.
"And that's why the test is unannounced," I fire back. "How long?"
"Ummm.... dividing by..."
"How long? I don't invite lemmings into my bed."
"Don't rush me!" she says. "And I don't recall you ever having complaints about my performance in bed."
"But this could change things," I say, grinning. "And you're stalling."
"12.3 days."
"Wrong," I say. "And I had such high hopes for you."
"I was pretty sure - "
"You got the decimal point wrong," I tell her. "One point two-three days."
"Oh. At least the numbers were right."
"On the bright side," I chuckle, "since I'm letting you go, you can keep the Lead's bed warm."
"Fine! Fine!" she says, panic stricken. "I am really sorry. And you know I love you."
"And you won't disrespect me again."
"And I won't disrespect you again."
"And you'll take over my week of litter box duty."
Laughter. "That's crazy talk," she says. "But get my ship fixed and we'll talk."
Trying another shunt and again it's ineffective. It's like the infection knows what I'm doing as I'm doing it. No, it knows just before I do it. A crazy idea occurs to me.
"Callisto is being awfully well behaved," I observe.
"First time for everything," 'Nessa says. "Unless you brought along a six pack of tuna."
"Didn't," I say. "And she's watching everything I'm doing."
"She's always been a smart cat."
"Yeah, I know," I say, "that's why she prefers me."
"That and you feed her whenever she wants."
"Gotta keep her happy," I say, "and she's not fat."
"Yet," she laughs. "Just don't turn her into the Lead."
"Perish the thought." Time to get serious. "Don't laugh at me."
"Not while you're wearing those shorts."
"I'm serious," I insist.
"So am I," she says. "I need you in our bed tonight."
"I think Callisto is somehow part of what's wrong with the ship."
Silence.
"Say something," I say.
*Astute observation, human," I hear in my head. And know for a fact that came from my cat.
"What the heck is going on?!"