[snip]

And once more, the physical indication of joy - the small rise of synthetic lips into a ‘u’ shape - was displayed on Eve’s own robotic face at the words ‘Senior Officer’.

Swallowing hard the NE tried again. “..Uh yes ma’am. I have Lieutenant Eve’s transfer orders here but I need to remind you ma’am that travel of.....” he began but again Drudoc interrupted.

”..As of 0930 hours today, ENSIGN, I’ve taken over personal observation and care of Lieutenant Eve. This has been confirmed by Admiral Reignheart of Starfleet Command. Such information though is above your pay grade. Now since time is essential for me and my fellow officer, transport us to the Ark Angel without further complaint. Unless you would rather have a mark of unruly conduct put on your record?” She said.

”..N....no ma’am…” He said turning back to the console to bring up the holo interface for beaming.

Drudoc nodded then turned back to Eve. “..Sorry, as I was saying things have been hardly anything but normal. To bring you hastily up to speed, the Ark Angel was attacked by Orion pirates in this region and two of her crew kidnapped. Sadly, Command is refusing to allow my pursuit of these pirates to avoid a diplomatic incident with the Bolay Military District. Once, we’re aboard the Angel you’re to report to your department head Lt Miz’uki..” She said taking her stance on the transport pad.

“Yes, Ma’am,” Eve replied, the smile still fixed across her lips as if it had been hard-coded as their new and permanent configuration - something the android considered might be true for some time once back onboard the Ark Angel.

And then came the transport. Eve possessed no scientific data to confirm it, only the personal reports and opinions of countless humanoid crew members, but it seemed as if, for non-synthetic lifeforms, the act of transportation was concluded painlessly and ‘in the blink of an eye’. Not so for androids. Eve’s own digital consciousness remained aware of every nanosecond of disassembly and reassembly of her atoms, as if she were being stripped down to her core components for essential maintenance, before being hurriedly rebuilt by expert hands. She often wondered if she might re-appear at her destination as someone else. Perhaps one day, she would materialise onto a transporter pad with her molybdenum-cobalt frame replaced by a skeleton of collagen and calcium phosphate, her ocular implants substituted for balls of fibrous and vascular tunics and in place of her primary processor, that most precious possession of all lifeforms, the mass of neurons, glial cells and neural stem cells that made up the brain.

But not today - today, she found herself appearing on the transporter pad of the USS Ark Angel as the same robotic entity she had always been. The synth. The most curious and dangerous and universally despised computer of all.

Once both were aboard Drudoc nodded to the NE who wordlessly engaged the transport cycle beaming both over to Transporter room 1 on the Angel. Once she stepped off the pad she turned to Eve. “..I wish I could spend time to catch up on past events and for the future. But I am needed elsewhere. I trust you can find your way to Main Engineering?” She asked.

Once confirmed Drudoc nodded and strode hard down the hall to the nearest turbolift for the bridge.

Drudoc Andone CO

“I can, Ma’am,” Eve replied, the optimal route to her former workspace already selected and plotted out within her directional program.

For a moment, she remained on the transporter pad and simply observed as her Captain headed towards the door. Then at the last minute, she found her vocal synthesizer activating and words spilling out into the otherwise silent room.
“And Captain…Thank you.”

• Eve (Eng)

Drudoc paused by the door glancing back returning the smile. “..Any time Lieutenant. Now let’s get to work..” She said then departing once more.

Drudoc Andone CO