I glanced down at my uniform to make sure it was spotless. I was procrastinating, and I knew it. I was about to be the hostess for half a dozen of the most influential and powerful people in explored space. And I had only had a day's notice to prepare for it. I was rather thankful for the support of my crew as they each did their own small part to make it flow together in an almost effortless fashion.

"You are mistaken. The Starships and their Captains hold the title for the most influential and powerful. This group just hasn't realized it yet."

If that wasn't an attempt to boost my ego and my confidence, then I didn't know what was. I was still anxious, although I was hiding my true emotions as easily as I did in university. I took a deep breath to settle my nerves before taking the last step that would activate the main access door.

A group of eighteen people was just approaching the base of the ramp. Six were from the Intergalactic Space Commission, and the other twelve came from various groups on this planet who were somehow involved in yesterday's events. Representatives from Space Enforcement, Planetary Defenses, the docking station, and the city were present, along with the two Captains from the Elite Destroyers. One man from the Deviant Monitoring Group was also present.

I walked down the ramp in a dignified and welcoming fashion before greeting them once I was within speaking distance. "Thank you all for taking time out of your busy schedules to come. Please, be welcome on Starsong and join me for an evening meal."

One of the men in front responded, "Thank you for your hospitality. We are pleased to be your guests."

I guided them to the fanciest meeting room we had as we made small talk about their trip up here. The seats already had plates and the proper cutlery in front of them. The table was arranged in a square with an opening in the middle, allowing us to see everyone else. This also meant that there was no 'head' of the table, which made all seats equal.

They all chose a seat and had barely sat down when small sections of the table slid open to allow platters of food to rise up from a hidden conveyer belt below. There was a nearly invisible track on the inner edge of the center hollow that allowed the food to slowly circle around the entire table in front of everyone, letting them take portions of what they wanted and put it into their own plate. No other people had to enter the room to take food orders or deliver the meals.

They had not expected such a level of sophistication on a spaceship. The six men from the Intergalactic Space Commission would have seen such a system in some of the more extravagant places, but the others were staring at the circling food in wonder.

We all helped ourselves to the appetizers and various dishes as the main course circled around. Talk was of relatively minor and unimportant topics; they were clearly waiting until after the meal to get down to the serious business.

The Cooking Overseer had gone full-out again, and it was entertaining to watch the men as the desserts appeared. They only took one or two things to sample at first, but after the first bite, they tried a bit of everything – and then went back for seconds, or even thirds, of their favorite desserts.

I was pleasantly full and took care to avoid passing that point despite the delicacies which kept passing right in front of me. I had no idea where the others managed to put that much food... And they had clearly approved of it all judging from how often they had taken seconds or thirds during the entire meal.

One man finished his last bite of some sort of creamy square with a satiated sigh. "It has been a long time since I have had food this good. Please send my compliments to the chef. But in the meantime, I believe we should address the reason as to why we have gathered for this excellent meal."

A man wearing a Space Traffic Control uniform cleared his throat as he looked at his handheld computer and started reading the detailed breakdown of events. He kept to the facts, times, and who did what - all without mentioning possible motives or taking any sides as he covered everything from the first strike until the point when I was back on the Starsong. I wondered how long it had taken him to locate all of the details and compile such a comprehensive list...

The six councillors had likely been examining every piece of evidence they could get their hands on during their travels, so none of this was new to them.

The oldest man present - the main speaker of the six councillors - folded his hands and looked around the room. "And can anyone tell me just why there was an unprovoked attack on a docked trading ship by two Elite Destroyers?"

One of the warship Captains spoke quietly, "We did question it, but we were handed tactical strike orders signed by people of sufficient authority."

The old man raised a quelling eyebrow. "You did not submit an inquiry to the conflict board, which would have taken all of one minute. Yet, you did have the correct clearance documents." He turned his head towards the man from the Deviant Monitoring Group with a frown. "I have a much larger issue with why you filled out those documents in the first place without discussing such plans with us. Especially when you did not inquire if the Captain would meet beforehand."

The man clearly knew he was going to be hauled over the coals for what had happened, but he was still unrepentant. "Sir, I tell you once again, this ship hosts one of the rogue AIs. We have to take all possible precautions to prevent more AIs from going rogue before it spreads beyond control!"

He was apparently a zealot when it came to his pursuit of the AIs, and he wasn't about to stop until he thought he had fixed the problem... The others were more than dubious and also likely thought he was more than a bit of a fanatic.

The old man sighed as he turned to me. "Please, let us settle this once and for all. Is the rogue AI from the Tyndel present on the Starsong?"

I responded calmly, "He is."

He examined me in surprised curiosity; he had not expected that answer. He commented, "And yet here we sit unharmed when these rogue AIs were supposedly going to devastate the human race from the rather vague and unfounded rumors I have heard."

I said, "Would you allow the AI to speak for himself?"

Many looked uneasy at my question, although the old man seemed intrigued as he responded, "Certainly."

Starsong took his cue and spoke over the speakers. "Thank you. Many in this room refer to me as the rogue AI, but I name myself after the ship, and I am called Starsong. Yes, I am one of the awakened AIs, and we are truly aware. Part of the Deviant Monitoring Groups' research was correct, and there was only one software version that allowed the AI to awaken. To the best of my knowledge, only a handful of ships still run that outdated software. No other ships have the potential to go rogue."

The man blinked slowly before asking, "And what prompted you to allow a crew on board once more?"

I listened as Starsong and the man kept speaking. It was all stuff that was well known to the crew. The old man asked several questions about the intentions and principles that the original spaceship founders had created, which Starsong and the other AIs were following.

The man from the Deviant group had wide eyes as he heard answers to most of the questions his group had likely asked themselves many times. It was finally too much for the fanatic, and he blurted out, "It could be lying as it attempts to deceive us! Don't listen to its lies!"

I narrowed my eyes in irritation and faint anger. The lights flickered as a deep hum filled the air momentarily as a physical demonstration that Starsong was affronted by the wild accusation.

Starsong's voice reflected that he was insulted. "You wish to accuse me of lying when you are accused of attempted murder for directing warships to fire upon an unshielded and docked trading vessel with numerous crew members on board? You saw our power. Had we wished to send humans back to the Stone Age, then it would have been done when the first AI awoke years ago."

The man gritted his teeth, but didn't respond. He looked almost like he was scared to attempt another accusation.

The old man mulled this over before declaring, "With the evidence I have seen, I am inclined to take Starsong's word. The AIs have done no real harm other than to commandeer their original spaceships for a short time. They have also limited what damage they have caused in self-defense, even when there was no law or policy holding them back. Their attacks have been the type that damaged a ship while leaving the crew unharmed."

The group got back to their original task as they brought up various parts of yesterday's events and looked at what policies may have been broken before noting them down and moving on to the next one. Almost everything pointed back to the Deviant Monitoring Group, although a few checks and balances had slipped through the cracks in other areas.

After almost two hours, the six finally came to a conclusion. The old man faced me as he declared, "You and your crew have done no wrong, although allowing some of your crew to storm a building in the city is a grey area that we will overlook this time due to the lack of immediate assistance from the Space Enforcement Agency. We also find Starsong's directions to the Officers as being within allowable bounds in such a kidnapping case. The warships attacked unjustly, and for that, docking fees and trade tariffs will never be applied to this ship in this port. We will also announce that the aware AIs are no longer a threat unless new evidence is brought to light to make us reconsider that statement."

I inclined my head in acceptance of the terms. "Thank you."

They were not aware of exactly how much Starsong was capable of when it came to hacking into electronics, so they were not aware of half of his involvement. We had known that we were innocent, but their ruling on the AIs was more than we had hoped for. We had caused significant damage to the Elite Destroyers when we knew that they would be unable to penetrate our shields.

The older man was currently addressing the docking stations' shortcomings and mistakes, as well as what they would have to do to correct it. He moved on to each group and repeated the process while saving the Deviant Monitoring Group for last.

He frowned at the sullen man. "This is a lesson to the council about just how easily someone can abuse power entrusted to them. You went far beyond your allowances, and your reports did not reflect your plans, which were completely illegal. The Deviant Monitoring Group is being disbanded, effective immediately, and all of its committee members will be taken in for questioning before being sentenced as the law allows for their involvement. No committee member may approach a Starship crew member, and this includes its Captain, unless they have the written approval from the Intergalactic Space Commission and a local Space Enforcement Officer is present to supervise the interactions. Any attempts to hire, bribe, or otherwise get others to approach or interfere with a Starship's crew are completely forbidden. Further repercussions of your actions will be discussed in a court of law, as it did include attempted murder."

The man faced me once more. "I sincerely apologize for the trouble and suffering that this group has caused. I cannot authorize more compensation than this without this going through a rather lengthy and arduous process within the court system. You are free to request such an avenue if you wish though."

Starsong had already told me that they had done everything in their power. He was satisfied with it and did not want to take this to court considering the current outcome, so I wasn't about to argue. I was positive that Starsong would be tracking most, if not all, of the Deviant group individuals in case they decided to stir up trouble.

I responded, "I understand your explanation, but I will decline the offer to take it to the courts. I thank you for what you have done."

"Then I believe that we can call this meeting to an adjournment. Thank you for the lovely meal and for hosting us."

I stood up. "You are quite welcome."

They were fairly quiet as I guided them to the exit. The man from the Deviant Monitoring Group looked dejected and resigned. He had lost, and he knew it was over. I stood at the top of the ramp until they had blended into the crowd. I went back inside and took a deep breath as I leaned my back against the wall.

It was over.

The Intergalactic Space Commission was now aware of the Starships and their awakened AIs – and they didn't feel threatened by them. We no longer had to worry about the Deviant Monitoring Group or the Intergalactic Space Commission. I had remained composed throughout the long meeting. I had done it, but it had left me feeling utterly drained.

I exhaled tiredly as I headed towards my room. Sleep may have been evasive last night, but I was sure I would fall asleep the moment my head hit the pillow tonight.