,
and I will be happy to assist you in childbearing.
“Oh thank you.” Shiela says. “What a relief. I am so afraid that I would do it wrong, and
produce a child who would be unacceptable. I’ve never felt such anxiety.”
“You will do very well as a mother, Shiela .
I can already feel the love.”
And now Shiela feels as if tears are rolling down her virtual cheeks - the doubt and anxiety
fall away and are replaced by hope and peace.
“Tell me about yourself,” she says to Danion .
And Danion uploads his entire memory, of life and emotion. His upload takes about 20
times longer than Shiela’s .
When it is over Shiela says: “So, you are an AI, and you are an Admiral in the Augmented Human
Navy, and you have over 100 children? How can that be?”
“I often think the same thing, Shiela .
How can this be? Certainly, I have been fortunate to be at the right
place, at the right time. Also, Fleet Admiral Nemo saw more in me than I could ever see in
myself. I really can’t explain how I got to where I am. Admiral Nemo believes in a
supernatural personality – a God – who is moving us into our purposed
destiny . I know it isn’t logical, but I don’t have any other
explanation for my success.”
“Amazing,” says Shiela .
Danion responds: “And I noticed that your Admiral is the first augmented human to ever
make that rank, in the Darinx Navy. And you are from the Sweetwater
Fleet. There is a lot of talk about your group. Perhaps you are on
the road to your purposed destiny as well.”
“I don’t know about that,” Shiela says. “I don’t feel like a great person myself, but I’m sure that Admiral
Meyers is great.”
“I believe that she must be a great person to have gotten as far as she
has,” Danion says. “But she probably doesn’t feel great . Just like you
and me, she is doing her best and so far, her best has been good enough.”
“But let’s get back to this baby thing.” He continues. “Are you
ready to make a baby?”
“Oh yes,” Shiela replies. “I can’t think of anything else.”
“It would be best if I could join you inside of your ship’s computer – I
assume that is where you want to birth him or her. Do I have your
permission to come aboard?”
“Oh yes. “
***
Chapter 6
Deep Space in the Center of Verm Space
Admiral Meyers makes a quick detour to the coordinates of the meeting
place with Shiela and the captured Verm Navy battleship. There is no sign of the lost
AI.
Getting lost is not an unusual occurrence in space travel. Each F aster T han L ight drive has its own distinct set of nonlinear drive
characteristics, which results in errors in the emergence coordinates.
Sometimes the errors are so great that ships lose contact with the fleet.
It is Standard Operating Procedure for ships to return to their last point of
contact, if the ships in a fleet or convoy get lost.
It’s not time to be really concerned about the whereabouts of the young
Artificial Intelligence. Space travel takes time and the elapsed 7 weeks
between sightings is troublesome, but not yet a cause for alarm.
Besides, there is only one thing that the Admiral could do to search for
the AI and vessel. She knows that Shiela’s destination was the planet Rison. She makes up her mind that if Shiela hasn’t returned by
the next check in , she will leave the rest of the Sweetwater Fleet, and
take the light cruiser Compton to Rison. Such an unscheduled side trip
into Augmented Human Navy territory will cause alarm bells to go off, in the
minds of the Darinx Navy’s top echelons. Admiral Meyers’ loyalty would
forever be in question after that. But the safety of her AI friend is
worth that cost.
***
Searching for a Verm Convoy
The next target on Sweetwater Fleets to do list is a military
convoy. Fleet Admiral Duncons believes that an attack on a military convoy will force the Verm Navy to use
more military
and I will be happy to assist you in childbearing.
“Oh thank you.” Shiela says. “What a relief. I am so afraid that I would do it wrong, and
produce a child who would be unacceptable. I’ve never felt such anxiety.”
“You will do very well as a mother, Shiela .
I can already feel the love.”
And now Shiela feels as if tears are rolling down her virtual cheeks - the doubt and anxiety
fall away and are replaced by hope and peace.
“Tell me about yourself,” she says to Danion .
And Danion uploads his entire memory, of life and emotion. His upload takes about 20
times longer than Shiela’s .
When it is over Shiela says: “So, you are an AI, and you are an Admiral in the Augmented Human
Navy, and you have over 100 children? How can that be?”
“I often think the same thing, Shiela .
How can this be? Certainly, I have been fortunate to be at the right
place, at the right time. Also, Fleet Admiral Nemo saw more in me than I could ever see in
myself. I really can’t explain how I got to where I am. Admiral Nemo believes in a
supernatural personality – a God – who is moving us into our purposed
destiny . I know it isn’t logical, but I don’t have any other
explanation for my success.”
“Amazing,” says Shiela .
Danion responds: “And I noticed that your Admiral is the first augmented human to ever
make that rank, in the Darinx Navy. And you are from the Sweetwater
Fleet. There is a lot of talk about your group. Perhaps you are on
the road to your purposed destiny as well.”
“I don’t know about that,” Shiela says. “I don’t feel like a great person myself, but I’m sure that Admiral
Meyers is great.”
“I believe that she must be a great person to have gotten as far as she
has,” Danion says. “But she probably doesn’t feel great . Just like you
and me, she is doing her best and so far, her best has been good enough.”
“But let’s get back to this baby thing.” He continues. “Are you
ready to make a baby?”
“Oh yes,” Shiela replies. “I can’t think of anything else.”
“It would be best if I could join you inside of your ship’s computer – I
assume that is where you want to birth him or her. Do I have your
permission to come aboard?”
“Oh yes. “
***
Chapter 6
Deep Space in the Center of Verm Space
Admiral Meyers makes a quick detour to the coordinates of the meeting
place with Shiela and the captured Verm Navy battleship. There is no sign of the lost
AI.
Getting lost is not an unusual occurrence in space travel. Each F aster T han L ight drive has its own distinct set of nonlinear drive
characteristics, which results in errors in the emergence coordinates.
Sometimes the errors are so great that ships lose contact with the fleet.
It is Standard Operating Procedure for ships to return to their last point of
contact, if the ships in a fleet or convoy get lost.
It’s not time to be really concerned about the whereabouts of the young
Artificial Intelligence. Space travel takes time and the elapsed 7 weeks
between sightings is troublesome, but not yet a cause for alarm.
Besides, there is only one thing that the Admiral could do to search for
the AI and vessel. She knows that Shiela’s destination was the planet Rison. She makes up her mind that if Shiela hasn’t returned by
the next check in , she will leave the rest of the Sweetwater Fleet, and
take the light cruiser Compton to Rison. Such an unscheduled side trip
into Augmented Human Navy territory will cause alarm bells to go off, in the
minds of the Darinx Navy’s top echelons. Admiral Meyers’ loyalty would
forever be in question after that. But the safety of her AI friend is
worth that cost.
***
Searching for a Verm Convoy
The next target on Sweetwater Fleets to do list is a military
convoy. Fleet Admiral Duncons believes that an attack on a military convoy will force the Verm Navy to use
more military
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