HUMAN BRAINS IN SUCH A WAY AS THAT BRAIN IS NOT EVEN AWARE IT IS TAKING

PLACE. IN THIS WAY I AM AT LEAST TEN THOUSAND TIMES MORE COMPLEX THAN

YOU ARE, MR WEST.

West was unfazed. “But I know your central core isn’t that complicated,” he said. SINCE THE MODIFICATIONS MADE BY MY GOOD FRIENDS HERE, THE CENTRAL

CORE IS MERELY ONE SMALL PART OF MY INTELLIGENCE. MY MIND NOW EXTENDS

INTO ALL PARTS OF WHAT YOU WOULD CALL THE SHIP.

Vick and Streemly looked as smug as two cats that had died and gone to mouse heaven by mistake. West was at a loss. “Well, whatever,” he said, “I don’t believe a pile of wires can be considered alive. And anyway; what has it got to do with me?”

“Sooner or later,” said Streemly, “we’ll go back home. And as the presidium representative you will have to put our case.”

“What case?”

“The case that Marshia is an individual and has the same rights and privileges as any other intelligent life form.”

“I can’t say that!” saidWest . “Marshia is a piece of machinery representing a huge amount of investment in time and money. They won’t just give her up, you know.”

Vick stood up. “WELL THEY’LL BLOODY-WELL HAVE TO!” he bellowed, advancing towards West, stopping an inch or so from his nose. “SO YOU HAD BETTER GET USED TO THE IDEA AND FIGURE OUT THE BEST WAY TO BREAK THE GOOD NEWS!”

Vick turned to Streemly. “Come on,” he said, “we’ve wasted enough time.”

Streemly followed Vick to the door. She turned to West just before leaving and said, “Just think about it and talk some more with Marshia. Please.” They left.

West stared without seeing at the newly closed door. He became acutely aware of the room around him. He felt very inside the room yet distinct and apart.

A tiny room in a huge space ship.

A tiny space ship hanging in the void near a huge planet.

A tiny planet in an unimaginably huge nebula.

A tiny nebula lost in an immense galaxy.

An insignificant galaxy in a black, empty universe.

He was alone.

West looked around his quarters as if seeing them for the first time. “Marshia?” he said quietly. YES, MR WEST.

“I’m not alone, am I?”

NO, MR WEST.

Tears meandered slowly down West’s cheeks. He slumped forward on the stool and sobbed uncontrollably into his hands.

*

The control room holoscreen displayed a rotating image of the Armpit Nebula with the position of Marshia and a remote star picked out.

A STAR SYSTEM, CATALOGUED AS OMG42 DOES EXISTS AT THE CO-ORDINATES

SUPPLIED.

“Thank you, Marshia. I feel that should be our next port of call,” said Bev, pointing at the screen.

“It was pretty obvious that Pykes was just a lackey of someone at that location,” said Kwait. Captain Phoenix looked thoughtful. “What do you say, Apricot?”

“I agree, sir,” said Apricot. “Checking out the system at those co-ordinates seems to be the next logical step.”

Phoenix looked thoughtful. “I disagree,” he said at last. “I think we should do a little more checking in USO City before scooting off.”

“In what way, Captain?” asked Bev.

“I think we should be as sure as we possibly can be that Django Twip is at this location,” said Phoenix, waving the piece of paper. “We don’t know who Pykes ’ boss is. It could be anyone. The head of some drug dealing cartel, for example.”

The group looked thoughtful.

“Any thoughts, Marshia?” said Phoenix.