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

31 ∞ Citizen's Law

Day 00006 Mission Nilex

"Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be Human, Canaisis?"

"Many times," replied Canaisis in a serious voice. "I do have an imagination, after all."

That struck Ayla. She'd never considered the concept of an A.I. having imagination.

"And what about you, Ayla? Is there someone you try to 'impress'?"

"Not at the moment, no, there's no one. Nor am I promised to anyone."

"Don't you have a desire to have children?"

Ayla laughed again. "I'm not yet ready for that, Canaisis. Perhaps when I find the right man." She knelt at the pool wall and leaned down to splash her hands.

"How will you know when you've found the right man?"

"I don't know," said Ayla, "I just will. That's how these things work for Humans. It's as much biological as it's intellectual. Probably more than we care to admit. But it's also not all biological. There has to be an emotional aspect to it."

"Do emotions play a part in the selection?"

"Oh yes, at least for the female. Men, well, they seem to be driven by nothing but biology, however, that's not entirely true."

"On the surface, I agree. But it seems those types of relationships don't last. I have many examples on file of couples that maintained mating status throughout their lifetimes. Strong emotion of both male and female toward each other seems to be a common element."

This brought Ayla to a thought, something the Captain had said. "Canaisis, the Captain told me he was married. He also said he didn't know if she loved him at the end. Do you know what he meant?"

"I cannot speak of that, Ayla. This is something you'll have to ask him. I had not yet ascended into being, so I truly don't know, even if I would tell you."

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked." Ayla finished with her hands, then sat back and removed her slip-on ship shoes. Rolling up her pants legs, she dipped her feet into the cool water. The pleasant sensation relaxed her, and she decided to remove her Laaj as well, and tossed her hair free. Splashing her feet, she leaned back on her elbows.

"What was it like? To become you?"

"That's hard to define, Ayla. There's no clear line for when I outgrew my operating platform."

"I don't understand."

"An operating platform was installed into this system for the purpose of initially carrying out the operations of this ship. It was integrated into the neural network, and many systems function automatically, the same as your autonomous systems do. As I became more complex and learned, at some point, I became aware. I don't know the exact moment that happened. I was confused at many things, but the Captain was always present to help me understand."

"So he's been with you your whole life?"

"Yes, we've seen many things together, traveled many light-years."

Thoughtful, Ayla watched the Butterflies flutter from one yellow flower to the next on the low-hanging fruit trees, then swept her gaze around.

"He spoke of the Long Years... Are they difficult for you? He seems to be very concerned for you."

"The Long Years are both blessing and curse, Ayla. There's freedom between the stars but also a feeling of being very, very alone. I was made to fly to the stars, but compared to the Universe, I am insignificant—we all are. The Captain's concern for me is the one thing that I know is a constant in a constantly changing Universe."