A Starship Called Starsong

Chapter 67

Gabriel had stopped pacing and was watching me intently. He spoke quietly, "You just had an epiphany."

I nodded slowly, still trying to recover from the bewildering cascade of things that had raced through my mind to create the deep understanding. He walked slowly over until he was right in front of me. "And?" he asked, watching me closely. "What makes you different?"

I closed my eyes as I tried to gather my rather-scattered thoughts. "I do not think you would understand."

"Try me."

I opened my eyes to gaze at him. "I am a Starship Captain."

He furrowed his eyebrows as he tried to understand. "I have interrogated many Captains."

I was quite sure of myself now and possessed a certainty that I had never felt before. I knew exactly who I was. "I am not like them. It isn't just a rank, it is a lifestyle. Not just a lifestyle, but how I affect things around me without even realizing it."

The old man was silent, listening and thinking as he tried to comprehend what I was telling him. Another man seemed to think that I had a few screws loose and snorted in faint derision as he said, "And just how do you affect things?"

I gazed at him without taking offense. I was only just seeing it now, so there was no way this particular man was going to understand. I simply stated, "I will change the universe simply by existing."

It was true. I now realized that I had a deeply-rooted desire to help and felt it was my duty to do so; Starsong was just slowly awakening the hidden trait and bringing it to light. The Starships had the power and ability to use that passion and calling to make a difference by using the Starship Captains to bridge the gap between humanity and the aware AIs.

There were plans to let Captains retire on their Starships simply because once we were a Captain, it changed us. There was no going back, no undoing these changes. We would still want to contribute and see wrongs set right. It would be a part of us - as strong as the desire to breathe. And the Starships would always support the Captains, whether we were retired or not.

The younger man's expression plainly said I was nuts, but Gabriel was clearly taking me quite seriously. I became aware of a high-pitched sound that rose and fell in volume from the next room. The old man's eyes never left me as he directed one of the guards, "Go check it out."

The guard left as others kept glancing at the door. The guard came quickly. "The sound is coming from the blocker box."

Gabriel's gaze snapped up to the guard as if he hadn't heard him correctly. "What?" He recovered and shook his head. "Bring the box here."

The guard returned quickly enough with the heavy box in his arms and set it in the middle of the table. The sound was clearly coming from within. The old man stared at the box in realization. One of the other men inquired, "Why is it making that noise?"

Gabriel muttered, "It isn't the box. It is something inside the box. But, if it is making a sound, then it means that some sort of signal is able to reach whatever device is reacting..." His head whipped in my direction. "You knew that box wasn't going to stop the signal."

I shook my head. "Actually, no. I have never tried blocking the signal before."

The old man was better at catching small clues on the lie detector than most trained men, and a look of shock appeared on his face. "You may not have known originally, but you are not surprised enough. You knew it didn't work. That AI is somehow still in contact with you."

Starsong swiftly said, "Distract him. Mention how a Starship is always aware of where their Captain is. That should give him a new problem to focus on."