Companion 3000

“Collision?” Pierce asked sympathetically.

She nodded, her eyes red. “Yup. It’s always a danger when you’re flying through the asteroid field—ships’ sensors will only detect and avoid the big stuff. But all it takes is one little one in the right place to screw you.” Her shoulders slumped and she leaned against the wall. “Schneider and I found pieces of the wreck—the other ships brought it in for weeks after they went missing, along with the ore. But the only thing we found of Mom and Dad was Dad’s favorite hat. He called it his lucky hat—always wore it when they went out on scouting trips.” She made a little hurt sound in the back of her throat that twisted Pierce’s heart. “I knew when I saw it that they were really gone. He never would have parted with that stupid hat otherwise.”

“Aw, honey, I’m sorry.” He put an arm around her and drew her close. “I didn’t mean to bring up bad memories.”

“No, it’s okay.” She pushed away from him and swiped at her eyes with the back of her arm. “It’s been almost six years now and mostly I try not to think about it.”

“And you’ve been running this place by yourself ever since?” Pierce asked her as they continued on into the kitchen unit.

Leita made a face as she slumped into a chair at the table. “Well, mostly. I hired a guy right after Mom and Dad were killed to help with the upkeep. He was supposed to be a great mechanic and I paid him a month’s credit in advance just for showing up.” She shrugged. “He left a week later in the middle of the night. It took me a while to recoup the loss and in the meantime, I got a whole lot better at fixing the ships myself. Then, almost two years ago, I tried again—more because I was lonely than because I was desperate for help.”

“What happened?” Pierce poured them both a mug of hot caffeine brew and sat beside her at the table, carefully sipping the steaming liquid.

Leita took a sip of the brew and smiled gratefully at him. “Mmm, this hits the spot. Well, I placed sort of a personal want ad type thing on the Web and after this long screening process, which turned out to be completely useless, I got this guy named Eddie.”

Pierce added some dextrose to his brew to sweeten it. “So, what—he took off after a week too?”

Leita shook her head. “Oh no, not Eddie. He stayed around for a good six months. Got me to trust him, got me to tell him everything I wanted. Everything I needed.” She stared down into the dark brown liquid in her mug. “He…he acted like it was no big deal—what I wanted him to do.”

“What did you want him to do?” Pierce asked softly. He’d felt from the first that there was more to Leita than met the eye. There was something deeper, something darker inside her that craved understanding and exposure, whether she knew it or not. But Leita only shook her head.

“Never mind. The point is, when he left, he took most of the keepsakes my parents left me—the ones that had monetary value anyway—and about six months’ profit. Oh, and he left me a note, telling me what he really thought of me.” She grimaced. “Nice parting gift, huh?”

Pierce clutched the mug of caffeine brew so tightly he was surprised it didn’t break. “That son of a bitch,” he said thickly. “He had no right to do that to you, Leita.” But isn’t that what you’re doing, Pierce? asked a little voice in the back of his head. Taking her for a ride before you leave her high and dry? Pierce pushed it away—he had no intention of hurting Leita if he could help it.

She took another sip of her brew and shrugged philosophically. “That’s when I realized I was never going to be able to keep a man around here—not a real one anyway.” She put a hand to her mouth. “Oh, no offense, Pierce.”

“None taken,” he said dryly, wishing again that he could tell her who and what he really was instead of playing this silly charade. “I know what you mean.”

“That’s when I started thinking about buying a Companion,” Leita went on, smiling at him. “It took me over a year to save the credit but I’m beginning to think it’s the best investment I ever made.”

Pierce felt his stomach turn over again as guilt stabbed him. He hadn’t thought too much about the fact that Leita had spent an enormous amount of credit on a piece of merchandise that she hadn’t really gotten. When he left she’d be out the money and feeling betrayed all over again.

“Hey.” She put a hand on his arm. “You okay, Pierce? You look kind of, I don’t know—upset.” She laughed nervously. “I guess it’s silly to think that though, huh? Are you even programmed for negative emotions?”