Joah Maroon 1

brain, did she?  Her decisions were made by an immensely powerful computer inside her synthetic skull.  She only knew what she was programmed or taught to know.  Just like back in my high school computer class, it was garbage-in, garbage-out.
When Lin asked how things went, I handed her the chip.  The thing was so small like a pinky fingernail I was worried that I might drop it.  She carefully extracted it from the palm of my meaty paw and returned to her station on the bridge.  The data was converted quickly by our computer and displayed an alien underground wish list on the screen.
"I don't know what half of these things are," Lin told me.  They hadn't been listed by category.  We had to assume that most were types of alcohol or drugs that we could obtain at other locations on our trade route.  That was until the computer translated the very last item on the list.
Human cadavers.

Chapter Four
I had to admit, there were certain advantages to having Portia as part of our crew.  In my two years with the Chargreuse I never saw loading and unloading near as efficient.  Plith's experienced three-person cargo team typically took at least twice as long and complained most of the time.  No wonder he was looking into having an android on every ship.
I later sat patiently in the pilot's chair as the Andromedas Glow station computer pushed our ship gently away from the station.  Our own autopilot engaged then and sent us down an invisible traffic lane away from the massive trade center at a steadily increasing speed.  In less than half of an hour we would be free to activate our navigation to eventually exit the system.  Next stop was Pegillas, another alien environment.
Unlike at Andromedas, the Peggies allowed humans to build structures in their system.  Space stations and mining colonies on asteroids mostly.  They had their own orbiting stations as well, but we were headed directly for their planet.  A place that I had never been before.
No all planets were alike.  In fact, the most similar in my experience were Earth and the island planet that the Thesphilians stranded us on.  Some had harsh climates, others required sealed domes to support life.  The Pegillas world was said to be one of the better ones.
"Captain," Portia addressed me in the control room.  "We have nine hours before we jump.  I can handle things if you and the other crew members want to get some rest."
"That's okay," I replied, not near as annoyed by the suggestion as I would have been previously.  The android had definitely been proving her worth.  First with the jump engine malfunction, then with the cargo handling.
"Robot," Nancy said with a harsher tone.  "We like to hang out here.  Maybe you should find another place if that is an issue for you."
"There is no issue Nancy," Portia replied without offense.  She had transitioned over to calling the girls by their first name as I suggested.  "Protocol states that this is the best location for me until there is a crisis or repair issue.  It was simply an offer.  I know that your kind likes to engage in various activities when you are not needed at your station.  Perhaps more sexual activity in the corridor would be a nice way for you to pass the time."
"That does sound like a good idea," Nancy replied instead of snapping back angrily.  I had expected a more go fuck yourself kind of response.  "But it is Lin's turn."
"Is there a rotation that I should add to my..."
"No Portia," I cut her off.  "You do not need to take an interest in my sexual activities.  In fact, why don't you just avoid making any reference to sex for a while?"
"Certainly, captain.  How long is a while in this instance?"
"At least a couple days," Nancy said.  "Damn, Portia.  It's like you keep getting horny.  You are worse than Lin."
“Hey!”
"Horny refers to an erection of the male sexual appendage, which I do not have installed..."
"Enough of the sex talk!" I commanded.  "Portia, you take all the fun out of it.  Haven't you been programmed to interact any better than this?"
"I have a personality program that is not scheduled to engage for three more days," she informed me.  "For the program to operate properly I must first collect sufficient data on my coworkers.  It is likely that my responses will be more agreeable in the near future.  The process of adapting to your vocal banter will take some time, but I am dedicated to learning how best to serve you in every possible way."
"Of course, you are," Nancy muttered.
After a pause, Portia responded.  "I look forward to understanding why you would say that, Nancy.  The more exposure to your conversations the better equipped I will be to interact.  Please continue with the comments."
"I'm sure she will," Lin replied.
Conversation settled down after that.  There wasn't much to say.  As mentioned earlier, this was one of the boring stretches.  A couple hours later our sensors picked up three ships moving at high speed toward the station.  They were large but we couldn't get visuals on them.  Warships?  Was the station under attack?
We watched for any sign of a conflict after that as we continued on our way, but there was none that could be picked up on at our range.  With just a few hours before jump I decided to take a nap.  Lin joined me in my bed minutes later.  Like Nancy said, it was her turn should she be in the mood.  There wasn’t an official rotation, of course.
"You want some lovin' girl?" I asked.  My mind went back to our first time together.  Back on the fake island right before we escaped.  Or we thought that we had escaped.
"Not really.  I just thought that we'd cuddle and fall asleep