CANAISIS ∞ Chronicle One: The Last Living Ship ∞ 1: A New Mission

3 ∞ The People's Liaison

Day 00001 Mission Nilex

The door behind him slid closed as he stopped at the transport shaft.

"Bridge, please," he said aloud. Then stepping into the shaft, he thought, «I know, Canaisis. It's okay—I'm right here, and I'm not going anywhere.»

«Your loyalty to me, Captain, is one of my first memories of understanding Humans. You've never thought of me as a tool or a piece of the ship. You talk to me, and I wonder if that's the difference between my sisters and me. I know you worry about me as well as the ship.»

A soft laugh escaped him as he rose through the shaft, corridor openings sliding down before him. «I couldn't help but notice you were learning from me as much as I learned from you, in the beginning. I knew, somehow, that you were more than a computer program one day when I'd started teaching you latrunculi."

«I remember, Captain. You said it was time to move beyond chess.»

He stepped out into the corridor leading to the Bridge, his footsteps echoing in the hallway. «Well, it was. You already knew how to play chess. I wanted to observe how you learned something new.»

«So what was so special that stood out, Captain?»

«It was the day that I'd been tired from dealing with the crew's infighting. Ensign McCauve and Chief Grody.»

«I remember, Captain. But what about it? It was just a game, and you won. What made you start to think of me as more than a machine?»

«By teaching you a new game, I could observe your learning processes. Since it was a game I knew none of the engineers played, then it couldn't have been programmed into your foundation. You had to learn, and that was what I was interested in. Plus... it kept me entertained. What made me realize you had more depth than anyone suspected was the moment I realized you'd let me win.»

«I felt you needed something to cheer you up, Captain. But I hadn't thought I'd been obvious.»

He chuckled. «You weren't. But you'd let me win on my rough days. At least until you couldn't pretend to still be learning. Why do you think I taught you calculi-ludas calculorum and petteia after that? I would win on days that had me stressed.»

Canaisis laughed in Gareth's mind, and he smiled. The single, massive blast door that protected the Bridge swung open, and he stepped inside.

He looked across the round room. The far wall had a 180-degree monitor wrapping around the various stations. Navigation and Engine up front, the Captain's chair behind those, Communications to the left, and Environment to the right of the central command chair. He stepped forward and rested his hand on the backrest. The command station console was dark, as were all the rest. The room smelled clean, but he could sense the long years of disuse resting silently in the room.

The huge monitor lit up with power, and the image of Earth from their orbital position appeared in crisp detail. To the left side, an insert overlay popped up, showing a representation of Earth and Luna, with their own orbital location pinpointed. Objects in orbital paths marked, course paths shown.

As details grew more complex and cluttered, he noted the inordinate increase in orbiting traffic since his time. The pristine surface of the moon from his days was long gone, its surface scarred by buildings, mining, solar cell farms. He wondered what it must look like from Earth. It was something he'd like to see, but acting upon the idea posed too much risk to him and Canaisis now. Longing for home plagued him, but it was far too late to do anything about it. Every journey placed him further along the river of time.

«Light 'em up, Canaisis,» he thought. «It's time for the show.»

Immediately the consoles around him and at the other stations powered up. Data, charts, and graphical representative information showed on the monitors of each station and on the forward screen. Standing behind his chair, he automatically straightened his jacket.