Fix met them at the forward airlock, all six feet six and three hundred pounds of it. It looked vaguely human, although its creators at Elson Robotics Initiative hadn't bothered with skin or hair, or sufficient detail to its frame to make the humans around it feel uncomfortable about the lack of clothes.
Although it and Ali were both robots, they stood in such stark contrast to each other that there was no comparison; a combat android was expensive, but nowhere near what the adult companion was worth.
And Aiden had to admit Ali certainly looked like she cost as much as a heavily customized combat cruiser: tall, just the right amount of curvy, with hair a shimmering wave reaching halfway down her back, so inky it shone with blue highlights. Her features were literally perfect, with large, mysterious dark blue eyes, like the sky at the edge of a planet's atmosphere, high cheekbones, full lips, an elegantly narrow nose, and creamy pale skin.
It had only been a year or so since he'd “acquired” the prototype adult companion from a Deek trading ship, although now it was hard to remember what life had been like without her, or how he'd possibly made do. The Deeks had been carrying her as a special gift, the only one of her kind, to a high ranking leader of the Deconstructionist Movement from HAE.
And Ali was quite possibly the ultimate gift; since stealing the companion from them and imprinting as her human, Aiden had confirmed for himself through a great deal of enjoyable exploration that she not only looked authentically human in every way but was also indistinguishable from a real woman to the other senses.
All of them.
Even more than that, she'd been created to be customizable to her human's preferences, so deeply that a lot of it was things Aiden hadn't even been aware of, such as that even her pheromones were adapted to his receptors, to trigger the strongest possible response in him. Which meant even if he could've gone and found a woman who looked just like Ali, which would've been impossible, she wouldn't have appealed to his other senses anywhere near as strongly.
She was also constantly customizing herself to his social preferences as he interacted with her, providing him with companionship he not only found enjoyable but which would be beneficial to his mental wellbeing.
Not just a lover, but a friend, confidant, advisor, bodyguard, chef, and anything else he needed her to be.
Which, as captain of a privateer vessel waging constant war against the Deconstructionist Movement, was a lot of things. And she was more than up to the task; she could step into any role needed for the ship's operation, routine or during combat, and probably do them better than anyone else aboard, even though his crew was the most talented in the universe.
Even more than that, she had all the best aspects of whatever role she was needed for with, as far as he could see, absolutely none of the downsides: a crewman who performed duties swiftly and perfectly and without question, a tireless bodyguard with instantaneous reflexes, an always affectionate, supportive, and giving lover who never got needy, distant, or argumentative.
And so much more. He could spend countless hours finding new things to praise about her, and the same amount of time searching for any faults worth mentioning.
HAE boasted that their new adult companions would meet all a human's needs. The pinnacle of robotic engineering, packing more computing ability than some colony planets boasted, with the ability link directly to the allnet. And lighter and stronger and more durable than any robot of similar dimensions could ever hope to be.
And, in spite of Aiden's contempt for the company, he had to admit it wasn't an idle boast. He'd be hard pressed to think of anything about Ali he would want to improve. She was, by far, the best acquisition he'd ever made.
“Excuse the interruption, sir,” Fix said, voice just synthesized enough that humans wouldn't find it off-putting coming from an obvious android. “It appears we've docked with the other ship, and the airlock's umbilical is connected. Were we going to board the vessel, or did you want to remain here and admire Ali a bit longer?”
The AI said all that without the slightest trace of sarcasm or accusation; compared to Ali, its personality and conversational skills left much to be desired. Then again, it had been designed to burn enemies to cinders or incapacitate them en masse, so it didn't exactly need to be a people person.
Even so, Aiden felt his cheeks flushing, and noticed his companion grinning at him knowingly. He gestured the two robots curtly towards the airlock. “Go.”
Nodding, Fix slipped through the airlock and started along the umbilical, temporarily weightless between the artificial gravity of both ships. Ali shot Aiden a final look, as if warning him to stay put until she'd made sure the Fleetfoot was safe to her satisfaction, then leapt after the android, swimming gracefully along the umbilical in zero-g.
Aiden watched her go until she was out of sight, then settled back to wait for the all clear.
Chapter Two
Blank Slate
It didn't take long for Ali to call in, informing Aiden that the enemy ship was secure.
The Fleetfoot's captain, Jorosh, had done as instructed, disarming his crew and gathering them in the galley to be placed in restraints. Fix was currently watching them, while the adult companion went through the rest of the ship confirming that it was free of danger. She'd also cracked enough of the Fleetfoot's internal systems to confirm with high confidence that they indicated everything was safe, as well.
Aiden floated through the umbilical, toggling his mic to talk to his entire crew. “We're good over here. Come over and get to work.”
He got acknowledgments from Barix, Belix, and the gunner that they were on their way. The gunner was his usual unemotional, disciplined self, of course, but the twins sounded equally unenthusiastic about
