Where the stars are greener
03 Dec 2021Sylvie Wayfare
A Beluga Liner shines as it begins it's it's entry into a station. Sitting back in the pilot seat is the content Sylvie Wayfare, having taken her last group of passengers for the night. As per usual, she is going to spend the next few days getting the ship and it's interior into perfect shape for her next guests. Her Beluga, The Southern Sun, lands and locks in place with a satisfying creak. She pokes a few buttons on her holo-terminal to send the ship down into the hanger. Once the weight shifts, she gets up, going into her quarters behind her to change, and assumes her staff of one can handle the disembarking passengers.The woman emerges, in something looser fitting then the pilot suit to keep appearances, hearing the scuttle and idle chatter of the last of the passengers getting into the air lock and makes her way to her ship's bar. A few stray glasses and plates are strewn throughout the tables and the bar itself, where Sylvie starts to collect them.
"The usual?" Asks a monotone, feminine voice from the direction of the bar.
Without even looking up, but still smiling to hear the voice, Sylvie responds "Of course Susanne." She heads over to the bar with a couple armfuls of plates and glasses. Two panels open up on the bar's table. One was yellow, that politely said "Please place plates and glasses here", the other elevated a wine glass filled with a crimson liquid. "At least you waited for me to say it this time." Sylvie says as she places the plates down to be taken by Susanne, sits down, and sips her wine as she relaxes in one of the bar stools, looking up to screen when she finishes.
The view-screen presented behind the bar simply had the Saud Kruger logo, a line under it, and the name Susanne under that. The line moved, not too dissimilar to a sound wave, witch is exactly what it was. "You ask for wine - ninety - seven - percent - of the time at the end of a day Sylvie. I try to ensure there is at least one bottle is in reserve." The voice was always monotone. Something that can't be helped, as giving it the guise of emotion was somewhat unsettling at first.
Sylvie found it comforting all the same, hearing her design and creation being as intelligent at knowing people as it does. "Anyone familiar today? Any good conversations?"
"Yes." Susanne says cryptically.
"You and your privacy protocol. Did you at least enjoy the company."
"You made my privacy protocol Sylvie. And yes. However taking conflicting passengers may cause disorder."
"Is that why there was a mess?" Sylvie asks, looking to the panel with the now gone plates and glasses, now somewhere down in hidden parts of the ship where they were being cleaned.
"No, that is because they are human. My concern is should a fight occur again, I have no active means to stop it."
Sylvie finishes her glass, sets it on the panel to be taken away. "You say that like its my fault that happens. Besides, you and I both know we can't put sleeping gas for you to use in the air vents. We have a reputation to uphold my dear." Sylvie stands up and heads to the individual cabins. As she walks, panels light up, and turn off with that same logo and line, signifying that Susanne was 'following' her as she went to make sure the rooms were cleaned up and looking as pristine and welcoming as they can be. She spoke as she folded used sheets and waited for a panel to open, bringing forward new ones. "Anything stolen?" She asks casually
"No."
"Really? All day?" Sylvie asks, shocked.
"All day." Susanne confirms. The panel opens up with new, clean sheets underneath the small view-screen. Sylvie retrieves them, and replaces them with the used sheets to be taken away and cleaned.
"What a shame. Clearly I need to get more comfortable robes." Sylvie lets out with a sigh. Having the occasional bit taken from her ship, while it did cut into the money she made doing this. However it was something she took as a sign that her passengers liked The Southern Sun's accommodations so much that they wanted to take a little piece of comfort with them.
"Perhaps nobody was on board long enough to enjoy them." Susanne says, in an attempt to reassure her. "May I make a recommendation?" The voice asks, mostly to change the subject.
"You know I love when you have questions. Most of the time" In the first year of activation, she had gotten a few odd questions, unsettling at times. But now it she understand Susanne's concerns, at least some of them. While she did create Susanne, sometimes it's thoughts are not fully under her own control.
"After maintenance, I request we use the - KELTIM - system as location to ferry people to and from." Most named locations or numbers were something Susanne had to access separately. It made some of it's statements sound more robotic. A boon in some cases, but something that made it feel inefficient at times, especially when it came to responses
Sylvie had moved on to the next room, and continued to talk as she worked. "Oh? Heard good things? Or does someone suspect something?" The concern of anyone finding out what Susanne actually is has always a concern that settled uncomfortably at the back of her mind. Getting caught for making an AI was one thing. Knowing her greatest work would be destroyed was another. The years Sylvie had spent not only getting Susanne in place and working as she does, but the entire ship itself. So many credits, so much time planning and drawing out blueprints. The Southern Sun was a statement of her time serving with Saud Kruger, she liked it, but wanted to give people the comfortable trips they deserve. When the world told her settle and compromise, she built her own world. It was also advantageous when the occasional pilot would ask about having their own ship upgraded. Something that had not happened for a few months now.
"Nobody suspects me as far as I'm aware Sylvie. Contingency plans remain dormant. I ask because I have heard the name from passengers over the past few weeks. System expansion. Minor factions attempting to attract pilots. I recall you enjoying when pilots complement this ship, and receiving upgrade requests.." As per usual, it knew Sylvie better then she knew herself at times.
"I do..." she says, still taken by surprise sometimes by Susanne's free flowing thoughts when not around people. "Its a little out of the way though. But maybe a fresh start is just what we both need. Some new faces, new opportunities. Empire controlled too right? We might even get people that clean up after themselves... I feel like I'm forgetting something" She says looking at the current room.
"As mentioned, you need the extra stimulation. This room meets your minimum requirements." Sylvie was about to open her mouth but Susanne preemptively continued on "Perhaps you should rest. You've been flying for - thirteen - hours and-"
"Ok ok, I get the idea. I'm old and need to sleep sometimes. But you're not getting out of your maintenance!" She says, like she would to a child trying to avoid doing chores.
"I'm aware. I require maintenance. So does this ship. Mostly this ship. Paint flakes detected on front wigs. Thruster 12's efficiency is low. And the latest interdiction caused temperatures to rise to 86% But for now, you require rest. I don't want you conducting labor in your current state."
"Look at you caring for an old woman." She says, patting the door frame as she leaves and heads in the direction of her own quarters on the ship. "Don't worry, it'll all be taken care of. Then we should be headed out to the Keltim system in about a week. Sound good?"
"Optimal." Susanne says coldly, not to say it was not content with this, but that anything it says would be perceived as such. It continued to 'follow' Sylvie until she went into her own room. While Susanne could monitor most parts of the ship at will, Sylvie had given it a privacy protocol. In some rooms, especially personal quarters and passenger cabins, it could not actively monitor those areas until a key phrase caused it to do so. It was alone.
Susanne knew Sylvie was still on the ship. She wore something at all times that would give a constant signal to it, so as long as Sylvie was not too far away, Susanne knew her current status. For now, Susanne did what it usually did to keep itself stimulated: downloading local news broadcasts, trying to stay up to date on details of the goings on in the bubble. While it was not too fond of any faction, given what would happen on discovery, it gave something to attempt to talk about to passengers who were less keen on speaking their mind, or perhaps to those who simple need to be caught up themselves. It also made sure to know about Ketim's status, given it would soon be traversing that part of space, and it and Sylvie would surely meet plenty of interesting people there...