Chapter Twenty?Nine

  The Joy That Laughed

  Jessica Star led the siblings down Hearthpoint’s docking corridor with the worried determination of someone escorting guests into a haunted house they stubbornly insisted wasn’t haunted.

  Lyra nearly bounced off the walls. “I can’t wait. A laughing ship?! This is the best day of my life.”

  Jarin walked calmly beside her, carrying diagnostic tools. “Let’s not assume it’s cute. Malfunctioning resonance nodes can be dangerous.”

  Kessa whispered loudly, “Jarin is just mad the Clover likes us more.”

  Jarin inhaled slowly through his nose. “I am not jealous of a ship.”

  The Clover’s distant hum — audible even from the station’s walls — rumbled in amused disagreement.

  Kael smirked. “She heard that.”

  Jarin closed his eyes. “Of course she did.”

  Jessica snapped her fingers. “Focus, team. We’re entering the belly of the beast.”

  The Starlifter Joy loomed ahead — a compact, well-loved hauler with neon sidemarkings and a hull that wore its scuffs like badges of honor. She was a sturdy little ship… normally with a calm, steady posture.

  But today?

  Today she vibrated faintly. Like she was holding in laughter.

  Jessica pointed. “You see that?! That’s not normal!”

  Kael frowned. “It’s subtle.”

  “I KNOW,” Jessica said dramatically. “THAT’S WHAT MAKES IT CREEPY.”

  Lyra gasped. “She’s giggling.”

  “No she is NOT,” Jessica snapped.

  The Joy’s airlock hissed.

  Then emitted a faint, mechanical snicker.

  Jessica buried her face in her hands. “Stars save me.”

  Inside the Starlifter Joy

  The moment they stepped inside, the atmosphere shifted.

  The Joy’s ambient lights flickered in gentle pulses — warm pinks, playful yellows, soft blues — like mood lighting at a very confused party.

  Kessa clasped her hands dramatically. “She’s BLUSHING.”

  Jessica groaned. “She was not like this yesterday!”

  Lyra knelt on the floor, pressing her ear to a deckplate. “She’s resonating at 3.4 hertz.”

  Jarin crouched beside her. “That’s low-level emotional feedback frequency.”

  Kael narrowed his eyes. “Jessica, did anything unusual happen before she started… laughing?”

  Jessica hesitated. Then looked away.

  Kessa gasped. “Jess.”

  Jessica winced. “Okay. Maybe. Possibly. There was… an incident.”

  Jarin straightened. “What kind of incident?”

  Jessica inhaled. “I may or may not have tried to install a vocal enhancer so she could—” She coughed. “—compliment my driving.”

  Kael pinched the bridge of his nose. “Jessica.”

  “It’s VALID,” Jessica protested. “Ships should support their haulers emotionally.”

  Lyra slapped the deck. “KAEL! She tried to make her ship sass people!”

  Jessica pointed. “Self-care!”

  Kael exhaled. “So you installed an enhancement mod without calibrating it to the Joy’s system personality.”

  “I calibrated it!” Jessica said.

  Jarin glanced around at the shifting colored lights. “No you didn’t.”

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  The Joy’s overhead speakers clicked on.

  A glitchy, chirpy voice burst into the room:

  “HELLO JESSICA STAR! NICE JACKET! YOUR HAIR LOOKS FLUFFY TODAY!”

  Jessica shrieked. Kessa shrieked. Lyra collapsed into giggles.

  Kael sighed. “Okay. That’s… not terrifying. Just overly friendly.”

  The Joy added cheerfully:

  “KAEL HARTLEY: YOU ARE VERY STERN BUT HAVE GOOD CHEEKBONES.”

  Kael’s mouth fell open.

  Kessa wheezed. “SHE COMPLIMENTED YOUR FACE!”

  Lyra rolled on the floor. Jarin choked on a breath.

  Jessica groaned loudly. “SHE NEVER DID THIS BEFORE.”

  The Joy chimed again:

  “LYRA HARTLEY: YOU ARE A PRECIOUS GREMLIN.”

  Lyra squealed. “I LOVE HER.”

  Jessica stomped her foot. “Stop encouraging her! She’s broken!”

  The Joy snickered.

  Diagnostics and Disaster

  Jarin ran a scanner over the main console. Lights pulsed in unpredictable patterns. The sound system giggled. A vent grate whistled ominously.

  Jarin frowned. “Her emotional modulation circuit is looping.”

  Kessa poked a blinking light. “Maybe she just wants to be seen.”

  Lyra nodded. “Ships have feelings.”

  Kael joined them, inspecting the main board. “Yes. But not this many feelings. Jessica, where’s the module you installed?”

  Jessica pointed to a compartment near the cockpit. “There.”

  Kael opened it.

  Inside was—

  A small round device. Cute. Pink. Covered in glitter-star stickers.

  Kael stared. “Jessica.”

  Jessica winced. “It wasn’t pink when I bought it.”

  Kael slowly lifted it.

  The Joy buzzed excitedly:

  “THAT’S MY NEW VOICE FRIEND!”

  Lyra clapped. “She made a friend!”

  Kessa gasped. “We can’t separate them!”

  Kael sighed long and deep — The Responsible Sibling Sigh?.

  “Jessica, this device is overloaded with emotional output. It’s sending affirmations into the Joy’s resonance core nonstop.”

  Jessica blinked. “Is that bad?”

  Jarin deadpanned, “Yes.”

  Kael nodded. “Yes.”

  Lyra added, “YES. But hilariously so.”

  The (Ridiculous) Solution

  Kael rolled up his sleeves. “We need to re-balance the output.”

  Kessa cracked her knuckles. “And maybe redirect the feedback into something more stable.”

  Jarin nodded. “A grounding sequence.”

  Lyra raised her hand. “Ooooh! OOOOH! I HAVE AN IDEA.”

  Jessica paled. “Lyra please—”

  Lyra slammed her hands onto the console and declared:

  “WE FIX HER WITH A HUG.”

  Kael paused. “…What?”

  Lyra pointed wildly. “Jorin said ships resonate with affection! The Clover hums when we’re all together! We HUG THE JOY.”

  Jessica threw her hands up. “THIS IS NOT A REAL SOLUTION.”

  Jarin considered. “Actually… physical grounding works on some resonance-driven systems.”

  Kael blinked. “Are you saying we need a… group hug around the engine core?”

  Kessa beamed. “YES.”

  Jessica choked. “Absolutely not—”

  The Joy chimed blithely:

  “I WANT A HUG.”

  Kael rubbed his face. “Stars help me. Let’s do it.”

  The Hug That Saved a Starship

  Inside the Joy’s engine compartment, the siblings (and Jessica reluctantly) formed a circle around the central column, hands pressed to the metal.

  Kael started the grounding chant Jarin taught him. Low. Steady. Like a heartbeat.

  The Clover’s distant hum answered, drifting through the open dock like a supportive friend.

  Lights flickered. Buzzers calmed. The Joy sighed — a delicate sound, almost like relief.

  Jessica leaned her forehead against the engine casing. “I’m sorry I messed with your voice, sweetheart.”

  The Joy replied softly:

  “IT’S OKAY. YOU’RE TRYING.”

  Jessica sniffed.

  Kessa wiped her eyes. “She’s so sweet!”

  Lyra squeaked, “I want to adopt her.”

  Kael smiled softly. “She’s already family.”

  Jarin nodded. “Resonance stabilizing. Good job, everyone.”

  The Joy pulsed a soft pink glow.

  Jessica exhaled. “Okay. That… actually worked.”

  Kael smiled. “Ships are strange, Jess.”

  Kessa hugged her. “You fit right in.”

  Jessica smirked. “If she starts flirting with Kael again, I’m filing a ticket.”

  Kael’s ears turned bright red.

  Lyra cackled. Jarin laughed quietly.

  The Joy whispered:

  “NICE CHEEKBONES.”

  Jessica groaned. Kael covered his face. Kessa fell over laughing.

  Lyra shouted triumphantly:

  “JOY HAS A CRUSH!”

  Kael wailed, “WHY IS THIS MY LIFE?!”

  The Clover hummed affectionately from the neighboring dock.

  And somewhere between the laughter, the blushes, and the soft engine glow, the Hartleys had fixed a starship… and strengthened a friendship.