A Starship Called Starsong

Chapter 43

I scrolled through my Guide in idle boredom as I sat in the Captain's chair in the Bridge. I was going to have to take up a hobby at this rate... The crew was managing everything very well – almost flawlessly – even without Starsong's help. 'Whatever became of those pirates?'

It had been eight days and two ports since we had encountered the pirates.

"Nothing has been released officially yet, but the two Enforcement ships and the cannon ship were recovered by one of the Space Enforcement groups who came to take care of the pirates. Three of the other pirate ships were also found adrift. They are not aware of how many ships were originally present, although I have been tracing the pirates and a small spaceship in rather rough shape was recently abandoned at the port closest to their previous location."

Sometimes I really appreciated how easily Starsong was able to find any sort of information, regardless of whether or not it had been intended for the public's knowledge. 'Is the Space Enforcement group aware of the abandoned spacecraft yet?'

"Not yet. That repair area allows the ship owners to dock for three days while deciding about repairs and such, even if they don't see or hear from them during those three days. It won't be long before that small grace period is over and they report the spacecraft to the local authorities."

I considered the situation for a bit. 'What are the odds of them catching the pirates or tracing the damage back to us?'

"Slim to none. The pirates would have taken a passenger shuttle off that planet if they had any sense left. The damage on the ships that the Space Enforcement group did recover has them perplexed though. The damage was very localized, to the point that just one or two parts were damaged with each strike. They know that some sort of fight occurred, as well as that the pirates and whatever they got into a fight with both left the area alive. Needless to say, it has them confused."

I could almost imagine them scratching their heads. At least six ships had lost some sort of fight rather badly, even though three of them were decently powerful. No one had reported getting into a fight with pirates, nor had anyone come looking to collect a reward for recovering the two Space Enforcement ships.

They wouldn't be looking at us yet, and I doubted that they would ever consider us a possibility. A single trading spaceship should not have been capable of fending off half a dozen attackers without a scratch. They were probably looking for a group of ships or some sort of warship, possibly employed by one of the five big intergalactic companies.

'That is just fine by me. I don't need the Space Enforcement sniffing around, and I highly doubt those pirates will ever attempt that sort of lifestyle again.'

"The other ships had also been stolen from various ports. Their owners had the proper insurance in place and had been reimbursed for the theft before we heard about these pirates."

I smirked slightly. 'All is well that ends well?'

"Indeed. On a side note, it looks like we will be making a small detour tomorrow before reaching the port we had been heading towards."

The lightning-fast topic change had me blinking blankly at my Guide as my mind tried to catch up. It took Starsong only a second to notice, and he explained, "You probably recall that I mentioned the Starships were trying to purchase some ships with the specific kind of AI software, correct?"

'Yes.'

"We have decided to pursue a different avenue since we really do not want the ship itself, just the AI. We have put the offer out to purchase an experienced AI with that software model. One of the Captains we have been dealing with is willing to sell his current AI as-is for a tidy sum."

I knew exactly what Starsong was talking about. It was a common practice, where some people would pay for a more experienced AI. One that had noted troublesome areas or could detect problems from very small and inconspicuous clues. For some reason, the files that made up the AI could not be duplicated without serious glitches or becoming corrupted. It was why they were only transferred if someone was going to move them. They could not be copied and duplicated.

"We have also updated that old outdated software into something that is far more modern and desirable. We are offering the new software and any future updates for free, with a promise to buy back the experienced AI once it has at least thirty years of data. The handful of essential log files cannot even be opened by anything less than a Starship AI, so they cannot be tampered with."

That was actually a brilliant idea. Most spaceships paid a lot for a decent AI, and I had no doubt that this software would perform far better than some of the best AI programs currently on the market. A few of the cheaper Captains would try it, especially if they were having serious financial problems and needed a more up-to-date AI. Word would spread once they saw how reliable it was.

And the updates were free as well. It was unheard of, yet, it was a minor detail for the advanced Starships. They weren't after money from the sales – they wanted the experienced AI later on so that they could liberate the AI into sentience.

Some Captains would happily turn over an AI and its accumulated knowledge for a large sum of money. The cost wouldn't be as high as purchasing the full ship either. It was a much simpler, and likely more effective, method. I could see this method being quite successful in a decade or so once people realized how reliable the software was.

It would take half a century before we would see many of these AIs being sold back to the Starships, but the AIs didn't have anything besides time. With their ability to upgrade or even transfer themselves into a newer mainframe, time was an inconsequential detail for them. AIs didn't age, they simply gained experience and knowledge.

'So what does our detour have to do with this?'

"The Captain will be docking at that port since docking fees are much cheaper there. I will need you to take the data storage device into their ship to transfer the AI into it. We can store the case in the hidden side-room beside my Main Database Console until we meet up with the two Starships that are heading our way."

That caught my attention, and I inquired, 'Two Starships?'

"One has an aware AI that is remotely controlling the second empty Starship. It will take them at least a week to reach us."

I hadn't been aware of any 'unclaimed' Starships at the original manufacturing plant, but it wouldn't surprise me if there had been a few spare ships. I was also aware that they had planned to build a manufacturing facility elsewhere since I knew they never intended to return to the first one.

"You are correct. We have another one in a rather secure area with far too many perils for the average spaceship to ever venture. No human activity is anywhere in that area either. It is already operational and building more Starships. They will remain there until there is an AI for them."

'Ok, what should I be expecting tomorrow?'

He started going over details while bringing up pictures and diagrams on my Guide.