The Cherry On Top

Novgorod Station > Shuttle Bay
After the crew had been announced, one of the members of the science team, Dr Kele Akande, stepped next to the captain and whispered to him, to which the captain nodded.

"Founders and crew of the Nomad. Our science team has a special announcement to make. The final member of your crew, to round it out to an even 10..."

"Ah ah, eleven." Yoshida pointed at Ghost.
with a smile

"Ok, she certainly is an 11, and the cherry on top. We are pleased to finally present to you... SA-Miii, come on out, please."

The gull wing door of the transport shuttle gently hissed as it opened and a blonde woman stepped out.

"Nomad, meet our Synthetic Assistant model 3 - or SA-Miii, for short. She will take care of the ship while the team is away or in cryosleep."

The synthetic woman waved. To the crowd she looked like completely human.

Povel’s head turned on a swivel, outpacing everyone else’s shifting gaze, like a kid at Christmas that thought they might just get a glimpse of Santa Claus. With his attention on SA-Miii, his eyes began to involuntarily water. It looked like a mixture of pure delight, deep sadness and seeing a ghost all in one; though he remained calm otherwise. He had only ever seen her as schematics and code, not finished and operational. He felt time stand still.

Akande continued, "In lieu of an onboard AI system, SA-Miii will pilot the Nomad using our proprietary AP3x - Aether Protocol v3, stellar navigation operating system, engineered and manufactured by our own tech and engineering teams. And one of your crew. Mr. Povel Vieregg."

Akande shook Vieregg's hand and whispered congratulations to him.

Vieregg shook Akande’s hand while simultaneously distracted. He realized his hand was moving and quickly changed gears and engaged in the congratulatory gesture fully. He smiled in thanks, making it appear that his wet eyes were perhaps an indication of joy.

The assembly applauded, clearly impressed by the unveiling of a new model of natural-looking synthetic. Few companies made them with such detail, in fact, Blackwood-Mori's first android model was akin to Seegson's Working Joe, with the same source code, but a slightly less creepy look. This new model was sure to rival even Hyperdyne and Weyland Yutani.

SA-Miii bowed to the founders, the tech team, then to the captain, and Vieregg.

Then Emilia Blackwood took the microphone again.

"One final tradition here, before SA-Miii gets you all fitted into your customized EVA suits, and you embark on the maiden voyage. A toast." she motioned to a few corporate reps who handed out champagne flutes. SA-Miii was handed the bottle to uncork and there was a buzz of activity as celebratory champagne was poured.

Ghost wagged his tail in excitement at the party. Kenji Mori presented a gift for Yoshida's captaincy, a silvered, ceremonial katana, wrapped in the colors of the company logo. He bowed in thanks as they exchanged respectful words.

Before they knew it, the hungover crew had a celebratory drink in their hand and the shuttle was being sprinkled with some kind of iridescent fluid that shimmered in the artificial light of the hangar.