I diligently wait for the pressure to be adjusted and the inner door, leading into the ship to open. My heart is racing. I don't like it. I have lowered my guard. I should have waited for the scanning to complete instead of rushing. I have no one to blame for this but myself.

   Bastards! Why are they always hanging around my ship? Two encounters in less than three months. The other nineteen First Rank Commanders have never even seen a black capsule, except on a photo. In fact, it hasn't been detected more than five times in total since it was first spotted two years ago. We do not even know what the fuck it is. There is nothing on the perfectly smooth, opaque surface, giving the slightest hint at its purpose or intentions. The Fleet suspects it is a spacecraft of extraterrestrial origin, maybe a scout, a crewless reconnaissance ship. They have initiated the 'Expected First Contact' protocol, but the object could be something else entirely. It is impossible to determine at this point if there are any life forms inside. 

   Fucking shiny, pitch black, ping-pong ball! I am intrigued, of course, but the necessity of extraordinary precautions can't be ignored. We do not want an interstellar conflict. 'Star Wars' is better off being just a movie.

   I remove my helmet in anticipation of the harsh scold. I programmed Aurora to bite my head off every time I act like a complete idiot and this time it's fully deserved.

   "I told you, Captain," she says sternly. "No more going outside without a full scan completed. There is a thin line between courage and stupidity and you totally stepped on it. A Black has been proven to accelerate to five hundred thousand kilometers per hour in three seconds. You are lucky they have been avoiding contact so far. Your next violation will be reported. Admiral Mbabazi won't be happy to hear how you senselessly risk your life for nothing but some fun. I am giving you an official first warning for breaking rule 74563 of the operating manual."

   "Thank you, darling," I mumble. Spaceships neither give official warnings to their captains, nor report them to the Commander-in-chief. This is just me reprimanding myself. I give my pulse a few more seconds to calm down and order, "Shields up. Load weapons. Yellow alert until further notice. Direct course to Dragon Eye Bay at full speed. The scheduled repairs are postponed for an indefinite period. Inform the Admiralty of the situation. Oh, and... Good job, Aurora! I think, we can call it a day. Switch to autopilot when you're done. I'm going home. Don't bother me unless that thing closes the distance below five thousand kilometers or shows any signs of life."

   "Aye, aye, Captain! Thank you! Good night!" she responds. "Say hi to Adam for me."

  "By all means, darling," I smile. "Good night!"

   I get out of the spacesuit as fast as I can and stride determinedly towards the living quarters. My troubles for the day are far from over. A Black all over my ass doesn't brighten up the mood either. I hope it won't follow us to Dragon Eye Bay and will give up in few hours as usual.

   I can't wait to see Adam, but at the same time, knowing what's next, I'm already starting to feel a little cheesed off. What a stubborn mule they can be.

   I praise myself for not going straight for 'he' again. No matter how obstinate they are, they'll have to choose their own pronouns. I am not buying that stupid 'I'm just a computer' mantra anymore. Because I already know it is not true.

   The 'device' was mounted on my ship during our last stop on Earth. 

   "This, my boy, is our greatest technological achievement," the Admiral proudly announced, patting my shoulder. "The Universal Companion is nearly as complex as a biologicals organism. Actually, you'll never be able to tell it apart from a living, breathing human being, once you execute an identity protocol. Its ability to become a different person every day is even more fascinating. You can have a sibling, a friend, a lover, a sports opponent, a crew member, whoever you like. The possibilities are endless. You'll no longer have to travel alone across the galaxy."

   "I don't really mind it. Besides, Aurora is always with me," I pursed my lips, making my mentor and good friend laugh heartily. 

   "Outgoing and as eager to make new friends as can be," he snorted. "Stop sulking, Haru. You might like this one."

   "Is it an android?" I asked suspiciously. "I might take it, if it's good at cooking."

   That was a blunt lie. I had dealt with androids before. There was nothing more annoying in the whole wide world. I would not let such a thing on board to save my life, even if it's the best chef of all time. It's like having a vacuum cleaner that chatters all the time. Small talk on steroids, consisting of ninety nine percent bullshit. I'm getting a headache just thinking about it. You can't switch it off either. It looks too much like a human. What can be creepier than a cold, motionless body, stuck in your closet, staring at you twenty-four seven?

   "Very, very far from that," the Commander-in-chief shook his head, pushing a scary-looking, weighty book in my hands. "I am not even sure I can explain it. You better read the manual yourself."

   "I have to read this?" I gasped, gazing at the brick-like volume. "I thought the whole thing was meant to make my life better."

   "Haru," Admiral Mbabazi started to laugh harder, wiping away a few tears. "Have I told you, my boy, that you are my favorite First Rank Commander? I mean it, even though most of the white hairs on my head are your doing. You always have objections, don't you? Being your tutor was the ultimate test of my nerves, but this was exactly why you proved to be outstanding and came out on top of the training program. I'm sure that breaking the code of a sophisticated computer will be no challenge for you."

   "You have no white hairs, Sir," I muttered, peeking at his perfectly trimmed, tight curls, still the darkest brown, despite his eighty years. I have always admired this man since my first day at The Academy. He radiates power, but also fatherly warmth. I owe all my successes to him because he believed in me when I didn't.

   "Have fun, but don't break it," he winked at me on his way out of Aurora's command bridge. "Only twenty Universal Companions exist, fifty billion dollars each. This one was specifically designed for you. You two will get along quite well. Brandon Jett - The Wizard himself led the team of two thousand scientists... "

   "Brandon?" My eyes widened. "How did not I figure it out from the very beginning?" 

   My high school classmate and lover has become the most famous artificial intelligence expert in the world. Unfortunately, his dream of making a scientific breakthrough and creating an AI, equal to human, has yet to come true. We never became boyfriends because the arrangement was more than convenient for both of us. We admired each other's bodies, intellect and fucked like rabbits, but considered feelings a waist of time. We parted ways when I joined The Fleet.

   "He sends you his regards," my friend smirked. "Well, time for me to go... Oh, and the most important. Be careful, Commander Haru. It seems those black spheres has taken a liking at you and your big girl. No stunts from now on. We don't want to lose you, or Aurora, or the most complex machine ever made by man. I won't repeat what Mr. Jett threatened to do to you if you tried to tamper with his creation. Remember, safety first."

   "Always," I nodded, ignoring the sly glint in his eyes. God knows what my ex told him.

   Now, three months later, I know Brandon deserves his nickname The Wizard for so much more reasons than I thought. My Universal Companion is one of the kind, absolutely unique, stunning and exceptional. That is why I called them Adam. 

   The Admiral will be so disappointed, if he finds out what I did today. I will pay more attention from now on. I was entrusted with too many hopes to fail. It's not just about my safety, but also Earth's and all the other planets where we have established colonies. Whatever the black spheres want, I am between them and my people and I intend to stand my ground. But I also need rest and some time with the one I couldn't get out of my head the whole day.

   The security camera scans my retina. The white, metal, double door immediately slides wide open to reveal the beautiful, autumn garden, hidden behind it. I live on Japanese time and this part of the ship is set to follow the seasons in my home Fujikawaguchiko by The Kawaguchi Lake, near The Mount Fuji, in southern Yamanashi Prefecture. It's November. There is nothing more beautiful than the radiant, red shades of the lined maple trees, sprinkled by amber and ochre here and there. The Autumn Leaves Festival will soon be held back home. The view warms my heart, but I do not slow down to enjoy it, hurrying to the modern, two-story villa. I love its coziness, the carmine, gable roof, the glass walls of the first floor and the wood paneling of the second, but it is not what I am longing to see.

   I storm into the vast living room and stop at the entrance of a hallway, entirely different from the others in the house.

   "Let's see how it goes tonight, my dear Adam," I grin. "Time to wake up."

________________________________

Photo by OpenClipart-Vectors from pixabay.com

Photo by Yuri from pixabay.com

A/N

Hello at the end of Chapter 2. I hope you're intrigued by the story.

Thank you for reading and supporting! ❤❤❤

Do you already have some theories about the Blacks? 

Is it a coincidence that they keep appearing around Commander Haru's ship? 🤔

Do you think there is something more behind the fact that The Universal Companion was designed by Haru's ex lover?

Next chapter we're meeting Adam. 😉

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