Space Trucking

Cargo Diving

"I, am going to say hi to some little green men, and check out the device of theirs that found its way into my cargo hold," said Kim.

"I strongly suggest against going down there with a marine's mindset Mack, this requires a delicate touch," replied Slither.

"Oh, I'm gonna be delicate alright. As delicate as a debutant at her first ball," replied Mack.

"Cut the sarcasm Mack. We're faced with terrible consequences and infinite opportunities here," Slither retorted.

"Wait. Have you been talking to this thing? Or whoever's on the other end? Hold on, it just occurred to me, if you understand how it interacts with our tech, are you able to interact with it?" asks a visibly shaken Kim.

"No. But not for a lack trying, every query is met with stony silence. Which is baffling, assuming it understands any of the various communication methods I have employed," explained Slither.

"Which further cements my hypothesis that this is an inanimate object," added Slither.

"But it is an inanimate object from a different civilization Mack. Imagine what we could learn, or unlock, by being the first representatives of human civilization to study it or be in touch with whoever is on the other end," advised Slither.

"Not what's on my mind right now. I just wanna know where this thing was nudging us towards and whether or not there's a Baskin Robbins there," interjected Kim.

Kim checked the clip in his projectile accelerator, slotted it back in and cocked the weapon. As he shoved the gun back in its holster, Slither chirped, "take me along."

"How?" asked Kim.

"Let me commandeer one of the anti-grav scouting drones," replied Slither.

"What!? No. Guiding that unit in the narrow confines of the cargo compartments will get messy," said Kim.

"Maybe in the hands of a human. Not with me behind the wheel though," replied Slither.

Kim grunted his acquiescence. "Let's get to it then," said Kim. Slither decoupled the part of her consciousness that usually piloted wombat and shoved it into one of the three scouting drones that were part of the ship. She released it into space and flew it into the cargo hold via an emergency service hatch.

Kim jogged on the spot in preparation to leave the cockpit/living area. Once he got his head straight, he playfully tiptoed his way out onto the long gangway that lead to the cargo section of the hauler. His nerves were a frayed mess, he couldn't help but cringe at his luck.

It would have been any other Sunday haul had he not been thrust into the arms of the unknown. Why him? he wondered aloud. I'm a regular Joe, yet here I am confronted with an alien artefact, which could possibly lead to first contact, with an AI that wasn't supposed to be in the hands of a regular Joe.

He couldn't help but feel comforted having Slither along for the ride though. This would have been a hell of a lot scarier alone. Technically, in the human sense, he was alone. But Slither had a consciousness, and that mattered, having a second opinion mattered, he knew just how sensitive his predicament was.

"You inside?" Asked Kim.

"Yup. Triangulating your position," replied Slither.

"Gotcha," said Kim as he walked casually along the gangway that led to the cargo compartments. But as he closed on the cargo hold's blast doors, trepidation took hold of him again. Ordinarily, former marine Mack spat in the face of danger, but today Kim felt like his 6-year-old self in an unfamiliar playground.