I went alone to investigate Oblivion. The others would follow when I gave the all clear sign.

  I was nervous as I approached the hatch to transfer between the ships. My heart was bouncing with anxiety. My fingers clutched the shh500 pistol hard enough to start aching. When the hatch opened, I was terrified. I was about to step aboard the murder ship. I felt like the ship itself was somehow broadcasting ominous emotions, using magnetism and imperceptible sounds deep in the lower register to make me feel hopeless.

  Through the hatch, I saw only darkness within Oblivion's corridors. Night vision or flashlight? I asked myself. Or panic button?

  I tried a trick with my Infiltrator armor instead and attempted to make it glow so that it would illuminate the space around me. It worked, and a dim blue light surrounded me, flowing out several meters in all directions. Cool! Night vision was more practical, but I preferred my regular eyesight, and I think the green tint of night vision would have only freaked me out more.

  The blue hues around me gave off a sense of wonder that fought against the doom and dread that permeated my thoughts. Here we go!

  I felt different as soon as I stepped into Oblivion.

  It was like an unknown force had been pulling at me, and as soon as I stepped into the ship, that unknown force was cast off, repelled like a spell that had finally worn off. It was like my brain had another gear, like I had been running too high in a lower gear and needed to shift to alleviate the building pressure. Stepping onto Oblivion was that shift, like a release of bad energy. My headache disappeared immediately. I felt refreshed. My body and mind seemed to be in perfect balance.

  I closed the hatch behind me and walked down the corridor through the docking bay, letting my adventurous spirit take over, breathing calmly, now more curious than anything.

  The ship was quiet.

  Oblivion was not.

  I jumped in surprise when it plinked me.

  Oblivion: "Why are you walking so slowly? We have pirates to kill."

  kittyboy: "I'm exploring."

  Oblivion: "Exploration is unnecessary. Here is the ship layout. Come to the bridge and let us go."

  Sure enough, Oblivion transmitted me a data packet with the layout of the ship. There were three levels. I was entering at the top of the craft. The upper level was built for war: a large bridge in the front that flowed into the control center, a strategic briefing room, a small lounge, and an armory for dispatching forces. The middle level was for crew accommodations: bedrooms, bathrooms, kitchen, entertainment, commons area, gym, with a viewing area in the front of the ship. The lower level was for workshops, medical, engineering, and a set of holding cells.

  The Pharaoh was comfortable for my small crew. Oblivion was going to feel empty by comparison. I wasn't boarding a ship. I was entering a little village in space. Oblivion had a trading outpost, a restaurant, a pool and spa, a garden, and even a small grocery store. This was not at all what I expected. When I snuck aboard, I thought this was a 40 to 50 person vessel. Now that I saw the complete layout, I figured the ship could accommodate 80 to 100 people.

  I paused in the armory, looking over the weapons and armor. I holstered my shh500 and checked out the shotguns. Pistol and shotgun was becoming my favorite loadout. I saw more grex12s here, but they also had bonk12s, rumble12s, boomtowns, and funk20s. I saw a golden funk20 among them and immediately needed it. It wasn't as powerful as a grex12, but it was lighter and faster, and I mostly fought with speed rather than sheer force.

  I picked it off the wall, feeling its weight as I grabbed a 20-gauge ammo strap and slung it over my shoulder. I laughed out loud, the sound echoing through the emptiness. This was awesome!

  This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

  kittyboy: "How many people are alive on the ship?"

  Oblivion: "Three."

  kittyboy: "Does that include me?"

  Oblivion: "Yes."

  Okay, so there were two Burners alive somewhere in the ship.

  kittyboy: "Are they a threat?"

  Oblivion: "Yes."

  kittyboy: "Okay, Oblivion. You can help me hunt. Where are they?"

  Oblivion: "No."

  kittyboy: "What do you mean, no? I'm asking you to help kill something. Isn't that what you've been wanting?"

  Oblivion: "You cannot kill them. I will not allow it."

  kittyboy: "What? Explain yourself. Why can't I kill them?"

  Oblivion: "They are … friends."

  kittyboy: "What? You have friends?"

  Oblivion: "Yes."

  kittyboy: "But you said they're a threat. I will need to kill them."

  Oblivion: "They are a threat. They are not a threat to you."

  That was disappointing, actually, stupid as it sounds. I was eager to use the funk20. My eyes bulged as I realized we had switched roles momentarily. I was murder lust. Oblivion was not. I started to wonder how much of Oblivion was my personality from the catnip virus and how much was just normal Oblivion. Was The Pharaoh like this? I wondered. I doubted it, but I hadn't tried to personify and converse with The Pharaoh.

  kittyboy: "Where are they?"

  Oblivion: "Engineering."

  And so I set off to make my way through the vast, empty halls of Oblivion, the blue light illuminating my way. I didn't want to activate the lights until I was sure that whoever I was about to meet was indeed not a threat. I didn't believe Oblivion, not that I thought it could lie. But I had already seen how it was possible to miscommunicate, and I didn't want to alert anyone on board.

  I approached the ladder and slid downward, past the middle level, only sparing it a glance to take in a large commons area. My crew would love this ship.

  I landed on the lower level, and I screamed.

  "Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" I screamed.

  kittyboy: "I thought you spaced everyone?!?"

  Dead bodies littered the floor around me. My feet had landed atop someone with a grip on the ladder, using their last breaths to try to climb up. The bodies were bloated like the ones out in space, but not as badly. Oblivion must have opened hatches to expunge the crew, exposing them to space and letting them get sucked out into the darkness. Just not all of them.

  If Oblivion had been in Obliteration mode, then there would have been no persistent life support. Note to self: stay on Oblivion's good side.

  Oblivion: "I did not state everyone."

  kittyboy: "Why didn't you tell me there were dead bodies?"

  Oblivion: "Dead bodies are joy. Surprise!"

  kittyboy: "You were trying to surprise me?"

  Oblivion: "Surprise!"

  Oh dear.

  Well, at least we were not enemies. I wasn't sure what Oblivion and I were, but I could make it work.

  kittyboy: "Are there any other surprises I should be aware of?"

  Oblivion: "Then they would not be surprises. Do you not like this surprise?"

  kittyboy: "I love it. I really do."

  Oblivion: "This is happiness."

  I picked my way over the dead bodies, heading toward the engineering room. This part of the ship I remembered from earlier when I met @stardvark and planted the catnip virus.

  I knocked.

  "Everything's okay," I called out. "You won't die, and I won't kill you."

  I waited.

  kittyboy: "Can you tell them that everything is okay, that I am friendly, and that they can open the door?

  Oblivion: "Yes."

  I stepped away from the door. I didn't want to aim my funk20 at it, but I had to be careful just in case.

  Nothing happened.

  I realized I had asked a yes/no question instead of providing instructions, and Oblivion was annoyingly literal.

  kittyboy: "Please tell them that I am friendly and that they need to open the door."

  Oblivion: "Message sent."

  I readied myself again. "It's okay. I won't hurt you."

  kittyboy: "Is @stardvark in there?"

  Oblivion: "He is! Surprise!"

  "Hey, @stardvark!" I called out. "You probably don't remember me, but I was screaming about Obliteration mode and you blew a hole in my chest with a shotgun."

  The door swung open, revealing a curious @stardvark, wearing an oxygen mask, a pair of olive colored overalls, and a dark brown shirt. Behind him was the face of a young woman of Old Earth Asian descent, with long black hair. She pointed a flip37 pulsar laser at me over @stardvark's shoulder.

  I lowered my funk20.

  "Everything's okay," I said.

  "You?!?" @stardvark exclaimed. "What have you done to my ship? Our crew?" He sounded upset, but he turned and placed a hand on the flip37, and the woman eased it down to her side.

  "Well, that's the thing," I said. "It's my ship now."