Food for Thought

Within the older naming conventions of the Colonial Navy, a name like Apollo was reserved for either a battleship or a fleet carrier. Indeed, the name Apollo had spent many years moving from battleship to battleship as the fifth fleet's flagship name.

The High Admiral found it odd that Logan had picked that name. It hadn't been used since the last Apollo had been retired and replaced by the Endurance. The names of ancient gods were not actively in use, with a few exceptions still due for retirement.

"Interesting choice, Mr. Firth. Are you sure that's what you want? After the registration has been changed, you will have to jump through a few hoops to rename it." She gave him a cautious look.

"I'm sure. I've given it some thought." He said plainly.

"Very well." she hesitated. "The Apollo will be ready in about a week, maybe a few days longer than that. Some issues are still being ironed out."

With a curt nod, she terminated the communications link.

"What was that about?" Lilith asked. She had been sitting next to him and watching.

Giving her thigh a soft squeeze, Logan smiled at her, "I think there was some hesitation on her part, given the name I picked. It has a lot of history behind it."

"Why did you pick it then?" She looked at him curiously.

Logan took a moment before answering her, "I guess I wanted something a little different. I had a few other names in mind, but at that moment, it just felt like the right one."

"No regrets, hopefully." Lilith poked him playfully.

"I hope so." He laughed slightly. "How about we go get some lunch? I'm thinking about this noodle place I read about."

"Oh? Noodles, you say. I know just the dress to wear." She leaned in and kissed him before getting up to change.

It was like their first meal together when the events leading up to their current situation began. Logan and Lilith sat beside each other, eating some dumplings while waiting for their main course to arrive. The restaurant wasn't quite the same kind of hole-in-the-wall, but the food had good reviews on the info net.

"I haven't heard from Emily at all. It's worrying me a little." Lilith said between bites of dumpling.

"Between what we told her and the fact she's still on duty, it means she's probably busy," Logan tried to reassure her.

Turning to him with a frown, Lilith paused momentarily, "Why didn't they give her any time off?"

"They could have, just more than likely, she's stuck on Port Cephus for the time being." Logan kept his tone calm. There could have been a dozen reasons for the lack of communication, but Lilith seemed to miss her friend quite a bit. He guessed that over the last few years, her number of friends was pretty limited due to her being stuck at Steepler Interstellar.

"Pretty rude of them considering what we went through," Lilith bit into her last dumpling and sighed in contentment. "I think these may actually be real meat."

"Given the price, I would hope so. I know we both have some money now, but after all the spending, I think I'm going back to being frugal for a bit." Logan hadn't burned through all of the credits he had set aside. Some funds were needed for travel expenses and provisions.

"We have splurged a bit, haven't we." She smiled, playfully squeezing her breasts together, which almost caused them to pop out of her dress.

"Money well spent; I think." Logan gave her an affectionate squeeze. "By the way, how much did you get from the Steepler Settlement?"

"Five million credits paid out over ten years. I'll get 500,000 a year," Lilith said matter-of-factly.

"Wow, I guess you'll be treating me from now on." He said casually, clearly joking.

Lilith raised an eyebrow at him, "Oh? Considering the value of your new asset currently sitting in orbit, I thought lunch would be on you."

Without hesitation, Logan squeezed her a little tighter and kissed her neck. Lilith giggled happily. The two continued their banter and eventually finished their lunch, heading off into the city to find something to do that wasn't shopping or spending money.

*

The manifest in front of him was reasonably short. Provisions for two weren't challenging to prepare. Logan assumed that two months of food would be more than enough, given their ability to dock anywhere and resupply if needed. His first venture into ship logistics and management wasn't the best, but thankfully, Lilith helped. She was good at that sort of thing. Planning ahead was a strength of hers.

Logan stood at a broad window looking out into the hanger the Sparrow... the Apollo occupied. Despite the fresh coat of white paint with the ship's new name, it would take him a little while to remember he had renamed it.

Port Cephus's repair crews had done a fantastic job. You could see where the damage had been; the brand-new sections of hull plating were slightly brighter shades of grey than the older ones. What had surprised him the most, though, were the two small rail guns on the dorsal section. They were a far cry from any kind of main battery, but the added firepower was appreciated.

A destroyer like the Tilbor massively outgunned the Apollo. The Tilbor had a total of 12 guns, 8 dorsal and 4 ventral. 80 missile tubes and two rail guns was a modest armament, considering most ships could destroy a decent number of incoming missiles with their point defense.

He didn't want to think about the cost of resupplying ammunition if he ended up in a fight.

Logan wondered why they had added the two rail guns. He recalled his conversation with the High Admiral and Chief Auditor and tried to find something he had missed.

"Earth to Logan." Lilith's voice was soft and right next to his ear.

Glancing to his left, she stood beside him with a slightly humorous look. "Sorry?"

"You were spacing out." She hugged him gently.

"Oh, right. Sorry. A lot on my mind." Logan hugged her back.

"They really did a fantastic job fixing it." Lilith mused, looking out into the hanger as crews still worked on the hull.

Logan looked at the ship he still couldn't believe was his and then at the woman by his side who he also couldn't believe wanted to be with him despite everything that had happened. "Lilith, we've never actually talked about it, and the last thing I want to do is assume anything."

She turned and looked at him curiously, "Talked about what?"

"You coming with me." He said bluntly.

"Why would that even be a question?" Lilith looked a little confused.

"I guess after everything that's happened, part of me wants to hear you say it. Part of me worries that I've made a lot of assumptions regarding our time together, and rather than feeling like we are bound by the shit that happened on Skye..." Logan trailed off.

Lilith took his hands and squeezed them gently. "Logan, to some degree, we are stuck together by everything that happened on Skye. But that's not why I'm with you, and it's certainly not why I'm going to stay with you." She smiled as they looked at each other. "We've known each other for quite a while, and though our previous encounters were always limited by work, I genuinely wanted to see you far more often than the casual sex encounters we were having would allow."

"You never said anything." Logan looked a little surprised.

"To be fair, neither did you." She hugged him again.

Returning her hug, Logan wasn't sure what else to say. There had been a few other thoughts rolling around in his head, but they had all been put to rest.

"At this point, there's nothing I would rather do than get on that ship with you and see what kind of trouble we can get into. We'll figure it out. Being an auditor's sidekick sounds like fun." Lilith sounded certain, and Logan had no intention of questioning her motivation.

As they Separated from the hug, Logan looked into her beautiful eyes and realized something. "Lilith, I love you."

Her cheeks reddened, and Lilith bit her lip with a slightly out-of-character shy smile. "I love you too," she said.

They gazed at each other for a moment before kissing softly and deeply. They had forgotten they were standing in a public area. While no one had heard their conversation, there were undoubtedly a few awkward and interested glances at their public display of affection.

"*Cough* hello..." A familiar, if slightly awkward, voice caught their attention.

Laughing slightly, Logan and Lilith parted and saw Emily standing a few feet away. She gave them a small wave before walking closer.

"Hey, sorry to interrupt. I saw you guys over here, and you started making out before I could say anything..." Emily's cheeks were a bit red.

"I'm not quite sure that counted as making out." Lilith said playfully.

Logan smiled and shook his head slightly. "It's good to see you again, Emily."

"It looks like I'll be going with you." Emily had a strained smile and looked a bit awkward.

Logan and Lilith both noticed her demeanor and were a little worried. Lilith jumped into action, waving goodbye to Logan. She scooped Emily up and proceeded to march her off in search of a snack. He watched them go with some concern and wondered what the Navy was up to.

His questions were answered a short while later by a call from the High Admiral. She was devoting quite a bit of her attention to this despite probably being incredibly busy with the affairs of the entire Colonial Fleet.

From what he could ascertain, a few within the Navy were hesitant to hand over a retired warship to someone, even if he was an auditor. To some degree, that made their concerns more prominent. Despite the ship now being Logan's legal property, the High Admiral had to make a concession to some of the other high-ranking members of the general command staff in order to keep the peace despite her influence.

That concession was the now Gunnery Sergeant Emily Burbek. Emily would be a temporary observer until certain concerns regarding Logan's use of a warship, whether retired or not, were put to rest. It sounded like she was given the choice and decided to accept the posting. Logan wondered what was causing her behavior.

Emily had been promoted. Twice. Logan had to assume as a result of her actions on Skye, beginning to end. Curious that she had not mentioned it.

While being guarded with her speech, Logan got the idea from Samantha that certain individuals outside the Navy were essentially looking to spy on Logan. A fact Emily would later confirm.

"The Apollo will be ready to leave in roughly 36 hours. I've been told that at this point, you're welcome to board and get familiar with the ship. I think you'll find it a little different than you remember. Just stay clear of the crews who are still working." Samantha advised him at the end of their conversation. She looked distracted.

"I realize you're probably quite busy, and I appreciate the... level of personal attention you've given this matter, but I do have one question." Logan pressed.

"Make it quick." She said politely.

"Why the rail guns?" Logan started off.

"Given the report I read about your encounter with the pirates, many individuals in charge of ship refit and repair felt the ship needed additional armament. The Sparrow performed admirably given the circumstances, but a missile destroyer is easily outclassed these days. I was told there were two older model guns available that would either be scrapped or stored. They figured the pair would be better suited on your ship." Her answer was simple but didn't explain precisely why she figured he'd need the additional weaponry. Logan let it go.

"Thank you, Admiral. I'll make sure to keep out of trouble." He smiled.

"What are your plans?" she asked with a sly look.

"I think we are headed into Assath space for a little while. With my own ship, there are a lot of places I'd like to see, given the freedom of movement it affords. There's a ton of stunning scenery on their capital planet," Logan answered truthfully. While he wanted to see the scenery, there were other reasons he didn't voice.

"Tourism?" Samantha gave him a sharp examination. Logan couldn't tell exactly what she was thinking, but he got the impression she was on to him and had been since one of their first conversations. At least Logan thought she knew something odd was going on.

"Given our emotional hardship, an extended and exotic vacation seems appropriate." Was all Logan said.

"Hmm. Do enjoy yourself then, Mr. Firth. Don't leave a mark on the name Apollo." The High Admiral ended the call.

Logan couldn't read her at all. She was equally friendly, shrewd, cold, and pleasant. It was confusing to him. Then again, it probably took a great deal of character to become the High Admiral of the Colonial Navy. Her comment about besmirching the name Apollo was curious to him, though. He'd have to do some research.

*

The airlock on deck three looked much the same as Logan remembered, but much of the ship's interior looked almost brand new. There was plenty of original construction, but many rooms had been changed or removed altogether.

The Bridge, Captain's Office, and Conference room were much the same. Deck 1 hadn't received many changes except for some updates to the consoles, which were now larger, and an integrated fire control system at the tactical station.

Deck two was entirely different. With the newer and advanced fire control systems integrated into the bridge, the deck was repurposed into two bedrooms: an expansive master suite and a slightly smaller but still large suite. Logan was shocked at the change. The more significant accommodation had everything anyone could want out of a home: a comfortable bedroom set up along the outer hull with the original view screens still intact. You could look out into space from the large window, pull up ship statistics while lying in bed, or rotate through any of the exterior cameras.

A smaller living room with an inviting horseshoe lounge filled the rest of the central area. One wall near the bed accommodated a large wardrobe and a private bathroom with a walk-in shower and a large bathtub. Logan wasn't sure he had ever seen a bathtub on a spaceship before. The last amenity was a small personal kitchen. It was amazing.

Deck three's aft section hadn't been modified much. Engineering still spanned the aft sections of decks three, four, and five with little to no change. Some of the consoles looked newer, though. The one frustrating thing about the ship's design remained the same: the separated fore and aft sections, only accessible by a single corridor on deck four.

Forward on deck three, the infirmary had been completely repaired. The main addition to the space was a single auto-doc in the back of the room next to what was meant to be the medical chief's office. A welcome addition to any ship without a physician, though it couldn't fix everything. Entering the armory, it was empty. Logan should have expected as much. Many other rooms on deck three that used to be offices or other storage rooms now stood empty, devoid of purpose. However, two had been converted into combined storage and loading for the rail guns above them. The rooms were filled with solid projectiles courtesy of the Navy. While capable of throwing explosive projectiles, it didn't look like they had loaded any onboard.

Logan was utterly astounded by the changes to the forward section of deck four. What used to be officer's quarters, a mess hall, and some storage had been converted to a much smaller number of large rooms. Each had a small bathroom with a shower, lounge, and bed. A complete and expansive kitchen dominated a space next to the starboard observation lounge, which had been converted into a dining room area. The port lounge had more of a cozy bar vibe.

Every single room on deck five had been changed. Standing in the corridor next to where Logan and Lilith had spent quite a bit of time together, there was only a wall where the door to the cabin used to be. There was no trace of the enlisted bunks or mess hall. One ample space on the starboard side housed the new VI core. There was plenty of room left as the core only took up a portion of the floor. Looking at the bill he had been given, Logan stood before one of the most expensive things they had charged him for. As far as Virtual Intelligence cores went, this one was top of the line. However, having looked at the commercial price for one, he noticed that the Navy had obviously up charged him a few million credits.

The rest of the deck was dedicated to support facilities like a laundry, expanded water storage, and other miscellaneous cleaning needs. There were a few empty rooms here as well.

Deck six had very few changes. The cargo hold looked the same, with the exception of a new internal elevator meant for moving rail gun rounds up to deck three with an automated belt that fed through the thickly armored bulkhead between compartments. Logan didn't know why they didn't fit a small fabricator into each rail gun compartment. It seemed like there was more that could go wrong with this system. The ordinance and maintenance bays housed new fabricators to construct needed parts from raw materials.

Much of what Logan saw regarding internal systems seems like what they may have done if the Sparrow had remained in service. Fabricators were standard on most ships to increase survivability and reduce reliance on finding a port to make minor repairs.

The most significant change was the integration of a VI into the ship, which the Navy was forbidden from doing to the fleet. Logan guessed that some of the concerns other admirals may have had were likely in regard to the VI. Even if the ship had a full crew, not just Logan, Lilith, and now Emily, it was a game changer in terms of ship management.

Improved auto-loading systems for missiles and rail guns were the most notable, alongside its relatively simple navigation ability. It could fly the ship along common paths, land, take off, and dock. A human pilot would always be better, though. It was almost impossible to replace that human intuition that made some people outstanding pilots. That said, you were effectively giving control of most of your ship to a machine.

That idea upset many people, given humanity's history with artificial intelligence. The resulting overreliance on people power vs. fully integrated systems in the Navy was a little silly, or so Logan thought. He had looked it up once, and the law preventing VI use in the Navy dated back to right after the AI uprising ended. No one had ever even tried to change it.

The Apollo, though, could easily be crewed by a handful of people and remain relatively combat-ready. Needing an entire deck for fire control was indeed an awful design.

Lilith's voice dragged Logan from his thoughts for the second time that day. 'Hey, where are you?'

This was becoming a far more regular form of communication for both of them. 'On the Spa...Apollo. I've been checking out the repairs and modifications.' Logan managed to stop himself from saying sparrow.

'I made a few changes to the food supplies to account for Emily joining us. I also took the liberty to pay for some of it, considering this is a joint venture.' Lilith sounded happy.

'Thank you, I appreciate that. Is Emily doing ok?'

'Yes, she's fine, though there are a few changes if you get my meaning.' Logan could feel the sexual nature of her words, along with her signature playfulness.

'I'd love to know more. I'm sure you'll fill me in later. We should be set to leave in around 32 hours now.' Logan was very curious to learn how Emily had changed.

'Okay, I'm going to drag Emily down to the planet then. She was allowed to leave and get some rest on Aquilo but never did. Is it alright if I return a few hours before we depart?' Lilith was clearly excited about reconnecting with Emily. Having spent a great deal of time together over the last few weeks, Logan was actually looking forward to a small amount of alone time.