The security drone was re-purposed, and working beautifully. I walked it around, the magnetic clamps on. Already I'd spotted a few potential problems that the cameras and other sensors couldn't see, mainly because a few of them were out. Nothing immediately dangerous, though I wasn't sure how I could possibly begin bending that support strut back. It annoyed me that one of the bones of the ship was bent out of true, even if it was just a little. Maybe I could....

The drone chirped, and Oddball's voice came through it. Why hadn't I disabled that while I was at it, with the drone at my mercy? “Visual survey complete. Initial analysis concludes the damage thus far is minor and does not endanger the mission. Further impacts will require further evaluation.”

Well, no kidding. I sipped my juice; I was conducting this inspection from the cafeteria; it was nice and quiet, with an audience of one. Claire was all but biting her nails as she looked on over my shoulder, her domain already secured against catastrophic impacts and power failure. A fire extinguisher was on the table next to her, the ring teased half out. I was waiting for it to pop out and spray our foam mix all over her; the stuff was annoying to clean up.

“Will you relax, Claire? We aren't even getting hit by anything anymore.” That wasn't quite true, but we weren't getting hit by anything big.

“They say it's always the one you don't see, Mouse.”

That was true. Our parents had drilled that bit of wisdom into us from the crib on.

“True, but we have probes sent out to increase our sensor range, there is no reason to believe we won't see them in time.”

“Oh? The Captain okay-ed the expense?” The drones were partially of alien make and were expensive to produce. We could do it, but usually Oddball made them, and they were supposed to be used for planet surveys.

However, even if we couldn't recover them (a probe fired off while we were going at speeds was a probe we couldn't catch up with) they wouldn't do us any good sitting in the bay if something our size slammed into us. We normally carried six, and I'd fired five.

“No. I did, and Oddball concurred.” I hadn't even needed to convince Oddball, which was more than a little worrying.

So far the expense hadn't been worth it. The increase in range was nice, but it hadn't picked up anything we hadn't already found. That is, the space was empty of anything big enough to really hurt us so far, which was more than a little troubling; it meant that the debris field here was constantly impacting itself, the various space objects grinding each other down by hitting each other.

Our shields were getting ground down the same way, but right now it was a slow process.

Well, speak of the devil, and Captain traitor appears. He walked on in, bold as ever, and wasted no time seating himself at my table. “Mouse. Everything alright with shield number four?”

I slid my pad his way; he could find the playback button himself. “See for yourself. Looks alright to me.”

He didn't take the bait.

“I thought you were going to run an EVA to check?”

Oh, so that's what his problem was. He was beating around the bush for it, but wondering why I hadn't actually logged any time outside when I logged the order to go; they were still tracking me. So he thinks I didn't do it, or half-assed it, which is more than a little infuriating.

“I did, remotely. Oddball and I re-purposed one of his drones. That's the footage on my pad; going over it reveals nothing immediate, and Oddball agrees. For as bad as it looks, the Magellan is still spaceworthy, and the shield will hold against anything that won't crack the ship in half.”

Captain Traitor nodded, slowly. I used to be able to read him better; what was he thinking? “Alright. And this notification about our probes Oddball sent me?”

“We used them to extend sensor range around us, to give us more time to evade the larger space debris. All of them are online and still sending telemetry; we can recover one of them at the very least. I set it to tow behind us, so unless it gets trashed I can just reel it in.”

“Why didn't you consult me on this decision?” I couldn't read him, but I knew that wasn't what he wanted to ask.

“You were asleep and I already had a consensus.” Oddball and I counted as one, and for all that I hated Oddball at the moment, he was on board with not dying.

Seig had also backed me once he knew Oddball was on board, but I wasn't going to tell him that; he could look it up himself if he was so interested. Heck, I wasn't even supposed to be on shift right now. I was the last person to question anyone else's sleeping habits, but being a captain wasn't like being an engineer; having more than one on shift was actually helpful.

I took my pad back since he didn't want to double-check, and watched the drone cycled the airlock and came back inside the ship, none the worse for wear. I'd had complete control, but apparently, the thing was still Oddball's. I tested with the arm, and found I could still move it. Oddball didn't counter my commands to have the drone smack itself in the face.

My pad chimed with a message the same time Captain Traitor's did. Mine was from Oddball... and it was requesting a meeting as soon as possible. As soon as possible?!? Oddball never requested meetings as soon as possible; he always set a time and kept to a schedule. Captain Traitor looked up from his pad; I could just make out that he had gotten the same message.

Whatever it was, it had to be important.

“Got to go, Claire.” I stood up and left, not waiting for Captain Traitor to stammer out his own excuses.

He followed me into the hall, however, and caught up quickly. We walked in silence; I didn't have anything to say to him, and he didn't want to say what he should to me.

Oddball was just as I'd last seen him – and yet not. He came out of his wall looking almost... pensive? How did he even manage to look pensive or hesitant at all?

He came out of his wall and gestured to us. “Chief engineer Mouse, Captain Smitt, please come in.”

He waited for the automatic door to close behind Captain Traitor before animating himself again. “I have asked you to come to discuss the rift in trust among the crew.”

I shared a look with Roger; did we really have time for this?

Oddball continued. “I have pondered and calculated, and I believe I have a solution which will be mutually beneficial for all parties concerned.”

Well time or not, I was all ears. “And what solution would that be?”

Oddball paused, stopping dead again for about half a second before turning his face my way. “First, a clarification. You do not wish to be female, correct? Being female does not make you happy?”

He really didn't understand this? “No, being female does not make me happy! Why would you ever think it would?”

Truth told it was more that I had been chosen against my will than anything else; I wasn't a woman hater.

Oddball paused again, then nodded. “However, the crew requires a certain number of females in order to procreate effectively, as well as to ensure a proper family dynamic required for best human interaction. This was agreed to by human governmental forces in power during the inception of our mission as well as past crews. If we counter my programming in such a way, any future colony made by this ship will suffer. I cannot counter my programming, and yet there has been talk among the crew of taking me offline due to the decision made in your case. This is an undesirable outcome for us all.”

Oddball knew. He had heard me plotting rebellion. No, he had heard us; Roger had been discussing turning off Oddball with me before. But Oddball couldn't just ice us or space us; he needed us.

Well, unless he did then converted some other unlucky members of the crew to make up the numbers. I wouldn't put it past him to try, not anymore. “How would such a future colony suffer if I was a guy?”

Oddball's response was immediate, no pause this time. “If both yourself and Roger are male, genetic variation will be less, increasing the incidence of diseases and unfavorable genetic mutation. If you are male, our population size requirement for colonization will not be met.”

Roger got involved, asking a question he really should know the answer to. “Can't some other girl just have more kids to make up the numbers?”

“It's about speciation, Roger. Oddball is saying that our genetic variance will suffer already with a small population size, and we can't take another hit; so we need more girls, more X chromosome carriers, to lower or offset the risk of genetic diseases. If we don't, then ten generations down the line our family trees won't fork enough, and our entire population will be at risk of something that could wipe us out.”

It was really no different than the Botany classes we all took as kids stated; our crops worked better mixed than bred to be pure; at least on a planet. We had two different kinds of seeds for that reason, tagged 'planet use' and 'ship use'.

It was rather illuminating, how Oddball saw us, the crew, as no different than plants.

But that wasn't quite right, even so. We had the genetic profiles of every creature that had survived on Earth until our departure, not to mention our own stock of frozen animals. The intent was to unfreeze them and then clone babies for the needed genetic variance, assuming an ecosystem is needed on whatever planet we find. So if humankind was no different than any other animal, why wouldn't that work for us? I mean, we could take care of cloned babies far easier than some lion or something, and we wouldn't even have to be drugged in order to make it happen.

I was always told the expense for cloning without planetary support was prohibitive, but it beat not have suitability as a species. Besides, it was mostly chemical now, and couldn't really be that bad.

“Why not just use cloning?”

Oddball paused, stopping dead for almost a full two seconds before reviving himself. His answer was mystifying. “I do not know. The answer on record was that a clone might be improperly socialized, and the mission compromised as a result.”

However, he did not believe that. It was obvious, his disbelief and worry. Just as obvious was that his hands were tied; as a machine, he had to do as programmed, and follow his mandate. He was backed into a corner.

I could almost pity him. “Well, I'd say this decision compromised the mission too.”

Oddball rolled his shoulders, left first and then right – was that supposed to be a shrug? “It has. To that end, I would like to propose a compromise.”

“I'm listening.” Just how by all the stars could you compromise this?

Oddball made a show of pacing. “You are no doubt aware of the process used to prepare you for your role among the crew. The process is reversible. However....”

“Wait, you can reverse this?!?” How would you even do that? You'd need certain... parts. Oddball was a machine, though, keeping things in jars and on ice wouldn't be too big a stretch for him, if it was a stretch at all.

Oddball paused at my outburst, nodded, and continued. “I cannot simply reverse it now, however, such an act is contrary to the mission and my programming. What I require is two successful conceptions, two children on your part before I can reverse the procedure as you request.”

….Oddball wanted me to have kids. Oddball wanted me to do THAT. With a guy. And have kids. Only one thing to say to that. “You're out of your mind.”

Oddball ticked through a mechanical sigh. “I cannot give specifics due to confidentiality, but you would not be the first member of the crew to view conceiving with a member of the opposite sex to be distasteful; those crew members did their duty.”

Oddball then stared directly at me and added. “Will you?”

Insufferable bastard. “But I wasn't a girl until you got your metal claws into me. That's a pretty big difference between being born gay in my opinion.”

Oddball whisked himself into the air, giving another shrug, this one a bit more even. “Noted. However the fact remains you are female now, and this solution is the only solution I have been able to calculate that gives all parties involved what they require.”

I didn't even have to think about it. “Your solution sucks.”

Oddball nodded. Nodded! “I know. But tell me, chief engineer Mouse – in another instance such as we find ourselves in now, would you rather have my assistance or be without it? I have calculated fuel expenditures, shield angles, and potential threat avenues as well as the orbit and distance of all known debris around the planet we are currently passing. I know you can do the same, but can you do it in seconds, while seeing to other matters? Answer me truthfully, please.”

Damn him, no I couldn't and he knew it. So this was his game now? To have me admit he was indispensable? He continued.

“I admit in my investigations into your species that one of the primary things I have found is your tendency to risk, but is the risk of turning me off worth the failure of the mission? This crew may be all of humanity left in the universe, in a universe so sparsely filled with intelligent life My own creators have not found another like your species.

I admit your discomfort and my part in it. I apologize for it. But how much is your comfort worth? Is it worth the loss of all you hold dear?”

That I had an answer for. “If what makes humans actually human is lost, then yes, it might be worth the risk. And gender is part of what makes humans who and what they are.”

I was beginning to suspect that the aliens humanity had met, just before the end of Earth, hadn't had genders at all.

Oddball sighed again. “I am.. prepared to negotiate further actions on my part. I am prepared to agree that if at all possible, I will seek and act on advice or options from the bridge crew on all future actions which might cause divisiveness or a lack of unity among the crew. This is contingent upon your agreement of my earlier compromise, of course.”

So... we'd have a say on what Oddball did in the future before he did it? Not only that, but future bridge crews would too! I looked at Roger, who'd been silent so far. His eyes were as wide as mine had to be. I didn't have to think twice... but I was going to.

“I'd like to think on it, and give my answer when the current crisis is resolved.”

Oddball paused a moment before backing up through the air, nodding along the way. “That is acceptable. Please, have a good evening.”

And back into his cubby he went, powering down. The door opened, and a shell-shocked Roger went through. I guess we were done for now; I followed.

“So, um... you weirded out by that too?” He asked.

“Officially weirded out, yes. Anything new from our friendly neighborhood planet?” When in doubt, substitute problems.

Roger checked his pad. Mine hadn't chirped during the meeting. If I had gotten a message, it would have interrupted anything, even Oddball. “Nothing. I'd feel... happier knowing you were back in engineering though.”

“Sure, no problem.”

We split up, roger headed up, and I headed down. My thoughts kept coming back to one thing; had Oddball ever apologized or explained anything? In all the records and conversation transcripts I'd seen, the answer was no. Not even once. Other people had figured out Oddball's reasoning later, or made excuses, but Oddball had never explained himself.

Maybe he hadn't needed to, with earlier generations understanding more of his programming and how he thought, but that didn't ring true to me.

I didn't see anyone in the halls – was everyone still at emergency stations? Were we even still taking hits? I hadn't heard or felt any impacts through the hull in some time.

That actually struck me as a little ominous.

Brun was back in engineering, watching our sensor screen with an intensity bordering on single-minded. She waved as I approached, but that was all.

“Shield four is fine, for now. Are we through the debris field?”

She nodded. “Yeah, the ring or whatever it is is behind us now. We're just starting the slingshot maneuvering we need to. Ronald's handling it, Spetz was relieved to go rest up.”

Not surprising, she had been up there for twelve hours or more. Oddball hadn't mentioned her at all; I had the feeling that it wasn't an oversight – she must be happy being made female by the orders of another. I couldn't understand it, but if she was happy being a she then good for her.

Ronald was good. Not as good as I was, or even as good as Will was (what had she said her new name was to be? Willemina? No that wasn't it) but he was good.

I settled in to watch, trying not to blink.

…....

Mouse hadn't said no. I had been so sure she would say no, just spit it out, right there in front of Oddball's face, and lunge to turn him off. But she hadn't. What had changed? Was she really considering... that?

It was a great deal, an amazing deal, a deal which could change everything. The impact on our future endeavors and the future of the crew could not be understated. All it required was the sacrifice of one crew member, which was really no different than before. Less, really, since Mouse was the only one objecting to the current situation at all.

I had the feeling more would, if more were affected; Mouse was not universally well loved, for all that she thought she was. Jealousy was an ugly, ever-present emotion that even I had felt once or twice.

Who would even want to deal with Mouse in such a state? Sure, she was hot... but she was still angry and had a chip on her shoulder a mile wide. Normally the crew paired up as sort of a 'first loved, first serve' with the people unable to find romance just pairing up with each other and keeping a cool but not cold household; those who found love, like Mouse's parents, were the lucky ones. But I didn't see Oddball leaving things to chance, or letting Mouse take the spinster route.

Too bad I still couldn't figure out what its game was.

Why was Oddball, a computer made to ensure the survival of the human race, trying so hard for one member of the crew? Even if it was Mouse, the best of us, it didn't make any sense. It was inefficient and wasteful to expend so much effort, so much care... wasn't it?

Why would Oddball be so illogical? Or was the fault not in the stars, but in ourselves? I had to be missing something.

I wish I could miss the bridge, but no such luck. At least no one looked panicked. Seig came strolling up with his hands hooked in his belt, no less.

“What's up, Captain?”

“Nothing much - just had an emergency conference with Oddball.”

He perked up immediately, and behind him. Ron did too. “Oh? Something he knows that we don't?”

“No, he just finally chimed in on the Mouse situation; everything is still in the green as far as this emergency, even though it doesn't approve of the risk we're taking to gain speed.”

Seig shrugged. “Well, that isn't a surprise; Oddball doesn't approve much of what we do. If it had its way, we'd be dumb babes in the woods, relying on it for everything.”

I snorted. “Probably.” As if any human population, even a desperate one, would allow that to happen. Obstinate self-reliance was in our blood.

….in our blood....

“What's up Cap? You look like you've seen a ghost.”

“No, nothing like that. Just thought of something, that's all.”

That was it. Oddball wasn't just interested in the survival of humanity, he was interested in improving it. I had forgotten, we all had, that our families were originally chosen for our genes, not just our skills.

And if Oddball had a plan, one that had to be enforced both by its masters, and our earlier generations, then it had someone in mind. It had picked Mouse, and had someone in mind for Mouse to mate with. It really wasn't doing anything differently than our distant ancestors had done with dogs, cats, mice, and rats.

And earlier generations had to know.

Mouse should know about this, but I wasn't about to be the one to tell her. She'd figure it out herself if she hadn't already. I was going to look for evidence of the mandate given Oddball; one had to exist, and Oddball couldn't hide the data from me. I was the one person it couldn't hide anything from, in fact.

“So, Oddball chimed in on the Mouse situation, huh? What did it say?”

I turned back to Seig. “It offered a compromise. It's up to Mouse whether she accepts it; other than that I can't say.” He didn't need to know how beneficial it would be for us. No one did – if they did then they might try to pressure Mouse to accept, and that would be a disaster.

Seig shrugged again. “fair enough. As long as it's solved.”

He went back to watching the sensor screens, and I joined him. It wasn't like I'd be able to sleep more tonight in any case.