Alicia had learned to wake herself up early on this ship after the first week.  After she had installed the AI she had been working on into the computer core and started her up for the first time.  And ever since she had been reminded of one of the few things that annoyed Ali about her old mentor.  The music choice.  Half of it was good.  Half bad… and half she couldn’t get the song out of her head for weeks.<br/><br/>She had begun to regret using a complete phych profile from the psychiatrist that had analyzed her when she went to prison.  It may have been better to just build her from scratch.  That was only sometimes though.<br/><br/>Other times it made Alicia grin and laugh when she heard the growling and grumbling of the crew.  Only a few of them didn’t piss her off, and the others she enjoyed their grumbling anger.  Especially their money backer.  Fucking fuzzball seemed to do his best to make her job hard.  Lowest bidder bullshit as parts for the ship, and the cheapest stock of replacement parts he could get and still have some effect.  Even worse, he had given an idea and a request for parts to him for a proxy android body for the AI, but he had turned her down.  She hadn’t proved she could do it, and the parts she wanted were top of the line.  It’s like the fuzz ball hated her for being human.<br/><br/>He was the reason she was also up late and slept at her station in engineering control, which was little more than a closet next to the shielded reactor core compartment, more often than in her actual room.  For a ship this size, it was just big enough for her, and her alone comfortably.  Just making sure all the parts would jive together.  Not like anyone but the AI appreciated that her work kept everything running at top efficiency together.  More than the models of the parts bought should.  They may all have brains, but none of them were even slightly technical with machines.<br/><br/>When the wakeup call came Alicia was replacing the maintenance crawlspace access panel in one of the crew deck halls.  Just completing some calibrations to the primary power conduit on this deck to match it’s efficiency to the junction from the reactor.  Didn’t want them failing because of some power fluctuation.  They were going to a mostly unexplored planet after all.  You never knew what could happen.<br/><br/>It was as she was trying to lock the tunnel again when Evy, her AI, came out of nowhere with the song.  Startling Alicia to dropping her tools to the deck.<span style="color: #00b300">“Jeeze Evy!  Really?  I was working!”</span>She grumbled at the writing image of a woman.  One she recognized, even if it was missing the feline bits.  Sometimes she really regretted this AI being her best piece of work… especially when it’s writing reminded her that she needed to deplete her supply of pills over the next few days.  Especially after checking the date on her data pad.  A Heat would hit tomorrow.  Used to it or not, the sexy image still made her squirm a bit and be glad she was wearing a suit where nothing showed.<br/><br/>Then the AI danced off to bug someone else and Alicia could tell her to dress herself.<span style="color: #00b300">“Well, I’m going to hear about that from the damn fuzzball again.  Wish my ears were cybernetic so I could turn them off.”</span>She grumbled before cleaning up her tools.  Returning them to her ‘office’(Closet) and then go meet everyone in the canteen.<br/><br/>She walked in just in time to hear the end of Issy’s toast and the speaker’s words.  And hear her AI actually doing her job.<span style="color: #00b300">“I miss much fun while actually working on this little love boat?”</span>When anyone would look at her they would see her in her work cloths, the full engineering environment suit minus the helmet.  There was even some grease on her arms showing she had been working while everyone else was on vacation.<br/><br/>That question came out just in time to see Evy playing with her virtual boobs.  Alicia actually sighed, though couldn’t help but let a glare focus on the fuzzball.<span style="color: #00b300">“Would you get dressed already Evy.  Enough teasing them all.  Also, you dim fuzzball, I made her perfectly.  If I don’t know any better, I would think she was human.”</span>A blush was on her face as she watched the AI adjust the bounce.  Proving the AI was her best creation.  Actually adjusting her code for more realism without outside influence from her.<br/><br/>After that she walked over and got her own food from the replicator.  Programming in her own order.  A large breakfast burrito with sausage, eggs, cheese, and plenty of spicy peppers, a generous side helping of bacon and hash browns on the side, and a bowl of fruit.  She also made sure to get some hot sauce.  The spicy peppers of the sauce and from the burrito hitting any sensitive noses.  Bypassing whatever was set out previously, with the exception of coffee and the offered hot chocolate.  She knew none of it was actually what it looked like, and it definitely didn’t taste right, but it was close enough until they got some real food.<br/><br/>She took an open seat next to one of the Naga and away from those that glared at her for the AI’s behavior.<div class="messageTextEndMarker"> </div>