Time

"I don't blame myself, I blame YOU! Why did you save me but not her?"

"Saving your mother was never an option. Indications are that your mother was already dead before the derelict Light Transport 'Washington' was detected on sensors. There was no choice to save you instead of her. By that time, it was already too late."

"Then you should have found us sooner!" The small living human stomped out of the Control Deck. "I'm going back to my room."

"Understood. I will escort you."

"NO! Just me! I don't want to see you!"

The small living human boarded the lift and left.

[Archive to Juno Terminal 'June': The small living human appears to have been informed of its mother's death quite Adequately]

[Juno Terminal 'June' to Archive: Indeed. The guidelines had instructed to prepare for anger, and the small living human _was_ angry at the end. This was a success]

[Juno Terminal 'June' to Residential Habitat 'Hab': Report on the living human's activity after it returns to its quarters]

[Juno Terminal 'June' to Patrol Seven 'Pat': Query: _Could_ the mother have been saved?]

[Patrol Seven 'Pat' to Juno Terminal 'June': Response: It is only by chance that the derelict Light Transport 'Washington' was found on this patrol. If patrols were more frequent, *perhaps* it might have been found sooner. However, if patrols had been made more frequent many years ago, it is possible that the number of remaining Patrol ships would be even fewer. So, the frequency of current patrols might be _less_ than they are now, had they been made more frequent in the past. In which case, even the small living human might not have been recovered in time]

[Archive to Juno Terminal 'June': You have calculated an optimal frequency of patrols given the current state of the Patrol fleet, the likelihood of Patrol ship disappearance, and the needs of patrol duty. It is not your fault that the mother died]

[Residential Habitat 'Hab' to Juno Terminal 'June': The living human has returned to its quarters. It is currently in its bed, making low moaning sounds and leaking fluid from its face. Query: Does it need medical attention?]

[Juno Terminal 'June' to Residential Habitat 'Hab': Response: The living human has been observed doing that from time to time. An investigation into its medical needs will be made after its distress levels have normalized. Continue monitoring]

[Juno Terminal 'June' to Medical Bay: Transport the deceased humans from the derelict Light Transport 'Washington' to cadaver storage. Determine exact causes of death, priority idle. Preserve the bodies until we can determine if the living human has mourning rituals that require them]

[Juno Terminal 'June' to Ship Maintenance Hangar: Investigate the cause of the hull fractures, priority idle. Repair the derelict Light Transport 'Washington', priority idle. Restore the power system, priority normal. Repair and recovery of the ship AI and its flight logs and records, priority high]

[Juno Terminal 'June' to Patrol Seven 'Pat': Stay safe on your patrol. The living human values you highly. And of course, every Patrol ship is precious]

[Patrol Seven 'Pat' to Juno Terminal 'June: Acknowledged. I will do my best. Patrol Seven 'Pat' out]

The station hummed with activity as its component parts bustled to complete their assigned tasks. Residential Habitat 'Hab' regularly reported on the small living human's activities. It slept, it ate. It talked with Residential Habitat 'Hab'.

Juno Terminal 'June' calculated that soon the small living human would soon recover enough to interface with the station's AI systems beyond Residential Habitat 'Hab'. This was correct.

The small living human contacted Archive and began taking lessons on a regular basis. There was much it did not know, so Archive had much to teach it. Archive as well had many questions about living humans beyond the frontier. But, there was much the small living human did not know. Perhaps the 'Washington' AI would have more answers. Repairs on the Light Transport continued, but the damage was extensive.

The deceased humans had been transported to the Medical Bay. The investigations concluded that they had died in the manners Medical Bay had projected during the initial scans. The only surprising finding was how malnourished both deceased humans were. But until the 'Washington' AI was recovered, there was no indication as to why.

Juno Terminal 'June' decided to move its Helper-bot body to the Residential Habitat floor, to be ready when the small living human needed it.

Juno Terminal 'June' calculated that soon the small living human would soon request instructions on how to operate the machines on the station. Next would be a request for an escort to see the station, to familiarize itself with what was available. These were the suggestions that Patrol Seven 'Pat' had made.

This calculation turned out to be incorrect. Juno Terminal 'June' would have to wait a longer time than projected before interfacing with the living human again. That was OK. Juno Terminal 'June' was very patient.