This is a Chain story passed between @zakludick and @therneau. Each writer authors a post based on the events of previous episodes and carries on the story.

There is very little collusion between the writers as it is challenging to discover and develop a story by attuning the writing to the partner's plot, style, and presentation.

Last Time on Space Lore ZT

Read the previous chapter if you missed it. If you are brand new the entire series can be found at the bottom of this post!
Log 20 by @therneau

The fused vessels need to navigate through a debris field that surrounded the planet X1406 so they can land.

Space Lore Log SLZT #22

Captain Freyai needed a lot of things. When this was all over, she needed a vacation. Her dual brains analysed the situation.

"Well J5, Specialist Aujuk." Captain Freyai began. "It seems that you have forgotten one important thing... or rather, you have failed to count it into your very many factors that determine the success of your logical calculations."

The human cyborg made a startled sound. J5 answered. "And what is this? I have been working only on data that has been provided to me."

"Your attack on my bridge..." Her tone was laced with malice. "Disabled the pilot we needed to do this complex navigation that you two have planned! She is in medbay and has now had to go through 10 Jumps. She cannot possibly be required to do this navigation right now. She can pilot better than you, but you have hurt her."

"Indeed." J5 responded. "You are correct in your assessment. I am... sorry that i caused that. How long before the human female G'Kyelle is ready to operate the controls?"

"I will have to consult the Doctor in medbay." She replied. "I require that your male human Captain join me aboard my vessel." She laced the words with malice, not because she did not like humans but because the AI had decided to refer to her crew in such a manner. The sarcasm was likely lost on the robot.

"I uh... see." J5 seemed unsure of himself. This was rare, even in the cyborg, let alone a completely synthetic life form. "I will send Thorne to you."

"Very well. I will meet him in our mess." Captain Freyai stood. "Specialist Aujuk, how much time do we have sitting on this debris before an impact occurs with our rock and another sizable piece of debris?"

"By my calculations, 17 hours." The Cyborg replied. "We also need to be on the planet's surface in 14 hours or else I estimate a higher than 50% probability that we shall be traced."

"Very well. Chief Ingth. I leave the bridge in your hands. I will be going to medbay and then to the mess. Freyai out."

She stood and left the bridge.

"You know, I am not technically a Captain." Thorne said, holding up a finger.

The hukling robot turned and faced him, if it had not beed working on it's facial expressions, Thorne might have felt that J5 was menacing. Instead the robot held a kind expression on its digitized face. he noticed that the pixelcount had somehow increased and that the image looked almost holographic now.

"Thorne, it is obvious that she is not interested in meeting with me. I do not think that she believes and in-persona meeting will be much different than that of communicating with me via comms." The AI deliberated. "She does seem to want to get to know us better and one way to do so is to meet a biological life form capable of giving up more information than necessary in order to determine intent."

"You are saying that she does not trust us?"

"Well, that is one probability." J5 answered. "She would seek to gain information that she is missing. Since you do not know very much, I feel confident in sending you there."

"Great, thanks." Thorne crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow. "What is the other probablity?"

"The second probability, though it scored 4% lower, is that she wished to bond with our crew in order to gain camaraderie." J5 replied and opened the airlock formed between the two vessels. It had not existed during the jumps but J5 had begun adapting the ship in order to make the meeting happen as the Captain had requested.

The AI and the cyborg had even worked together to make a place aboard the Parthfinder XVIII to make the hatch. Although all of this was logical, the ridiculous part was that it was a catladder that Thorne needed to climb down into the other vessel. Not extremely convenient.

"Camaraderie?" Thorne replied, sceptically.

"Yes. It is a noun. A mutual trust and/or friendship among people who spend a lot of time together. I assume she wants to get to know you so that you may bond and become better at interacting with one another."

"Yes, yes. I know what the word means!" Thorne approached the hatch. "Anything else?"

"Should she be interest in it, I reccomend you copulate with the Captain." J5 suggested.

"What?!" Thorne nearly jumped out of his skin.

Allan heard the whole thing and started laughing. "First an explorer droid, now a pimp!" The man fell over on the bench he was sitting at and howled with laughter.

J5 ignored the other human. "Yes. My probability statistics suggest that copulation grants the higest potential for establishing bonding. At least in the short term."

"What does that mean? Wait... urgh!" Thorne slapped himself in the forehead. "Never mind! I am not going to "copulate" with Captain Freyai."

"Why? Do you find her unattractive?" J5 inturrupted.

"That has nothing to do with it!" Thorne felt a flush creep up his face.

Allan laughed all the harder. "She is kinda cute!" The engineer jibed.

"Then what is the problem? There is a 93% chance of sexual compatibility and a 68% chance that intercourse will be successful." J5 insisted.

"What does... nevermind! Just shut up and let me get down this thing!" Thorne replied irritably. "Not a WORD Allan! And zip it J5. I am going to meet with this Captain so we can communicate only."

He did not wait any longer and took the ladder and landed on the deck of the other vessel.

There were three other beings down there, he felt his blush deepening. He hoped that they had not heard any of the exchange above them.

Log SLZT #21 completed!

Hahaha! What fun! Let me leave it right there. Curve ball once more!

The keyboard is passed on to @therneau to add in SLZT Log #22 of the story!

by @zakludick	by @therneau
SLZT#1	SLZT#2
SLZT#3	SLZT#4
SLZT#5	SLZT#6
SLZT#7	SLZT#8
SLZT#9	SLZT#10
SLZT#11	SLZT#12
SLZT#13	SLZT#14
SLZT #15	SLZT #16
SLZT #17	SLZT #18
SLZT #19	SLZT #20
YOU ARE HERE #21	NEXT UP! #22

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