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He paused in the doorway and stopped, his gaze sweeping over the destruction. It looked as though a whirlwind of violence had swept through the place. As he examined the scene, he noticed something off about the interface—aflicker in the central console that seemed almost hesitant.

“Welcome aboard, Zar’Ryn.”A voice, soft yet firm, echoed through the ship’s comm system.“I am Rory, the AI of this vessel.”

He’d stopped, his hand resting on the hilt of his energized sword, the familiar weight a source of comfort in the face of the unknown. The voice had been… different. Not the cold, detached tones of a typical Vettian AI. This one had held a hint of some odd emotion. Curiosity, perhaps. Or concern. He found it unsettling.

“Where is Jo’Nay?” he’d demanded, his voice echoing through the empty corridor.

“He is gone,”the AI replied, ahint of sadness in itstone.

Sadness? Zar’Ryn frowned. AIs couldn’t experience emotion. And then, to his shock, his gaze fell on a holographic image. Jo’Nay’sAI?

She wasn’t what he’d expected. Vettian AIs were typically gender neutral and housed within sleek, metallic spheres,formless, their presence unobtrusive. This one… This one was different. She looked almost realistic.

She’d taken on the appearance of a young Prime female, her features refined, her eyes a pale lavender, her hair a cascade of brilliant white. Delicate pointed ears parted her hair on either side of her head. She wore a simple white tunic, her arms crossed over her chest, her expression a mixture of sadness and defiance.

“You are the AI?” Zar’Ryn asked, his voice tinged with disbelief.

The AI smiled, aflicker of amusement in her eyes.“I am Rory. Or, as Jo’Nay preferred to call me, the ship’s computer.”

Zar’Ryn stared at her, his brow furrowed in confusion. This wasn’t right. Vettian AIs were supposed to be efficient. Detached. This felt wrong. Alien. An unsettling anomaly. He shook his head in dismissal. He had a mission. He needed to find Jo’Nay.

“What happened here?” he asked, his voice gruff. “Where is Jo’Nay?”

Rory’s expression darkened. “He was taken by the Marauders.”

Zar’Ryn felt a surge of fury. Her words confirmed his suspicion. He’d dealt with these pirates before, experienced firsthand their ruthlessness, their greed, their willingness to prey on anyone, anything, for profit. Now, seeing more evidence of their brutality, he thirsted for vengeance.

“Where did they take him?” he demanded, his hand tightening on the hilt of his sword.

“Information unknown,”Rory replied, her voice filled with regret. “They disabled my tracking systems before they left.”

Zar’Ryn swore, aguttural curse in his native tongue. He paced the bridge, his footsteps clanking on the metallic flooring, his mind racing. He had to find Jo’Nay and rescuehim.

“They also took his mate.”

He froze in confusion. “His what?”

“His mate. Winn.”

“Impossible. Jo’Nay has no mate,” he scoffed. “No Intergalactic Warrior has a mate. It is against our code and our programming.”

IWs were engineered for war, not love. They were sterile, their lives measured in battles, not relationships. Their Final Flight, the inevitable culmination of their genetically engineered lifespan, was a solitary affair, awarrior’s last stand against the encroaching darkness. To hear that Jo’Nay had defied this fundamental truth and chosen to take a mate made no sense.

Rory’s image flickered with a hint of defiance.“He has a mate. She carries his child.”

His eyes narrowed in anger. “Now I know you lie, youvexxingmachine. Warriors are sterile.”

Instead of arguing, she simply fell silent for an instant, her inverted brows lifted in an arrogant expression. Finally, she said,“Whether you believe that she is pregnant or not, the Marauders took her. They also took the child she carries.”

Zar’Ryn felt a cold knot of dread form in his belly. He knew what that meant. The Marauders were slavers, their ships filled with the stolen lives of countless beings. He’d seen the evidence of their depravity firsthand, the shattered remnants of civilizations, the broken bodies of those who’d resisted theirtyranny. He’d vowed to hunt them down, to eradicate their stain from the Nine Galaxies. And now, his First was in their clutches.

“We have to find them,” he said, his voice firm, his gaze meeting Rory’s. “Whoever this female is, we will rescue her, as well.”

“Affirmative,”Rory replied, her voice filled with a determination that surprised him. She wasn’t just an AI. She was… something more. He could see that now. Did she border on sentience? He shook his head. Only time wouldtell.

Zar’Ryn spent the next few hours assessing the damage, his movements efficient, his mind focused. He was a warrior, trained for battle, his skills honed by centuries of conflict. He knew how to assess a situation, how to identify weaknesses, how to exploit opportunities. The ship, though battered, was still salvageable. He could get her back online, get her flying again. But it would take too muchvexxingtime. Time he didn’t have. His first order to the AI—Rory, as she insisted he call her—remove all traces of the dead Marauders.

He worked alongside her, her holographic image hovering beside him, her voice guiding him through the intricate systems of the ship. Her knowledge impressed thezitzout of him. She could access every system, every sensor, every weapon, with a speed and precision that surpassed even the most skilled Vettian engineer. And her insights were invaluable. She could analyze tactical data, predict enemy movements, suggest countermeasures, with a clarity and foresight that astonishedhim.

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