Debt of Gratitude
Posted on 25 Mar 2021 @ 5:57pm by Ensign Kat Walker & Captain Mallory Thorne
1,538 words; about a 8 minute read
Mission:
Home
Location: Flight Deck
The morning after, and there still seemed to be so much left to do.
What Captain Thorne was making a priority for first thing this morning, however, was finding the AI who was now out of her own time and really stuck on this ship...but the one who apparently (according to the ship's record) had been on this ship when the rest of them had not. Mal recognized a debt of gratitude, and she wasted no time to pay it.
Walking into the fighter bay, she looked around for the "special" Valkyrie craft...
There was minimal activity in the fighter bay, just a few maintenance techs going through the motions, a pilot here or there supervising or just taking in the atmosphere. Though as Captain Thorne approached the modified ship Ensign Walker appeared with a flicker, moving to stand at attention. "Good morning, Captain. It's good to see all of you back onboard and healthy," the AI spoke, with a soft smile.
"Good morning, Ensign," Mal said with a nod, waving for her to relax--more out of habit than an actual need of the AI's avatar. "I was catching up this morning on what happened with the ship while we were...detained." For lack of a better word. "It seems you had an interesting time yourself."
Kat gave a nod, standing at ease. "Yes, Captain. That is one way of describing it," she offered. "I was about to report for a flight exercise, but nobody was there. All the officers onboard the ship had disappeared."
Mallory nodded. "Yes, we were...kept busy, to say the least." She smiled wryly. "I appreciate that you made sure my ship stayed together during a time like that, though."
Ket looked confused for a moment, replying with a slight tilt of the head. "I did what I felt I was supposed to. The only officer left on the ship, logic determines the running of the ship fell to me, though I hadn't learned how. Fortunately there's a wealth of experience and knowledge in the con commissioned officers onboard the ship."
That made the captain chuckle a little. "Normally, you can just say "you're welcome" to an expression of gratitude. Even if it was just what was logical to you."
"I apologize," Kat offered quickly, "That is something I struggle with. Accepting gratitude, that is. I - " she trailed off for a moment, contemplating the words, before continuing. " - don't feel like I did anything above and beyond what is expected of an officer. I appreciate the words of gratitude, though."
"Perhaps so," Mallory granted, "but I would not myself expect it from such a new officer. After all, you're very new to Starfleet and the Odin, comparatively. Not just every ensign would handle such a situation well. It stands out."
"I have no - " Kat trailed off again, shaking her head a bit and taking a brief moment to recover herself. "Apologies, ma'am. This is all outside my sphere of understanding. I have no files on how to deal with situations like this, but I will do my best to learn," a smile and a nod of the head. "Thank you for the kind words, Captain."
At this, the captain tilted her head curiously. "So, how does your program adapt to new situations in ways that will give you the files, as it were, for future use?"
"I have a database of files, behavioral guides, that govern my response to most situations, situations I've already experienced or that fall within my primary programming," Kat explained. "New situations, that I am not adapted to, will see me building new databases on the fly with behavioral responses and adding those to my database in order to be better prepared for similar situations the next time I encounter them. In broad strokes it's not dissimilar to how a biological being learns new things, though with a more strict, flow-chart driven form of instinct."
"I see," Mal said thoughtfully. The topic, however, reminded her of something she had been trying to forget. "That does remind me. I don't know if you've seen or heard, but the Odin has come back to our own universe with a new passenger. Sort of." How did she call her? "Another AI...of sorts..."
"I'd heard of that, but I am unsure what to think of it. Of her," Kat shook her head a bit. "There are similarities between her and me, as we're both intelligences run from a machine, but great differences too, in design philosophy and purpose. I am looking forward to speaking with her, though I suspect we will find we are very different in nature despite superficial similarities."
Mal smirked. "I suspect there'll be a great number of differences. There is still a lot we don't know about her since, frankly, she hasn't been willing to tell us very much. Yet we have getting home to thank her for..." That had her trailing off, though, on that topic. "Although she is now responsible for your being displaced instead. How are you adapting to that?"
"I don't know yet. It's a lot to think about and I have just no files on similar things to base a response off of," Kat shook her head a bit again. "But, this ship is my home now. This fighter, my body - " she motioned behind to the modified Valkyrie that housed her AI core, "Whatever I decide, however I adapt, I am bound to this ship and by extension the Federation and its ideals."
"You're not without options, if you wish," Mal offered. "Every member of Starfleet is free to leave it. While you are bound to the Valkyrie now, we would help you figure out alternative housing if you ever wanted to venture out on your own."
"This is my purpose, though. I am here, on this ship, fulfilling my primary purpose and satisfying my behavioral directives. Why would I want to leave?" Kat asked, confused.
Mal shook her head slightly. "I didn't mean now," she said. "But we don't know what may happen in the future, what might change. I'm just saying that you have options, if something should change in that direction."
"I don't foresee my opinion changing. My purpose and behavioral directives are hard coded, I cannot easily modify them. As long as the Federation doesn't force me to go against those, I do not foresee myself wanting to leave," Kat mused, quirking a brow. She was still working on getting the subtleties of facial expressions down. "Though I do have some other concerns."
"Such as?" Mal asked curiously.
"Mortality," Kat replied with a soft smile, that smile quickly faltering though. "I realize this is a very difficult topic to begin with, let alone when you add my unique perspective into the mix, but it is something that I struggle with. I am functionally immortal, unless I am actively killed."
The captain listened, nodding along thoughtfully. "I don't want to presume your thoughts so I'll ask more directly what your specific concerns are around your 'functional immortality'."
"My base programming dictates I am assigned to a pilot as personal craft, and share my pilot's fate. This is obviously not what's happening here. It's not a big deal, it's part of my programming I can alter, that's not what's eating my threads," Kat shook her head a little, furrowing her brows. "The Federation is basically peaceful, and not at war with anybody. This means that, in theory, if this peace lasts I could live a very, very long time. Centuries. More. What happens when I outlive you, or at least your active service period? What happens if I outlive this platform's service life and relevancy?" She motioned once again to her fighter. "It's just - something that occupies my threads, these and similar questions."
"Well, sometimes even mortal officers and crewmen outlive a ship's term of service, and they move to another ship. Pilots move onward to newer craft," Mal said. "So long as you would serve well and want to continue serving, these are options that would be available to you. Perhaps if we can learn enough about your technology and ours, there'll be ways for you to not be required to be part of a single craft. Such things have happened."
Kat shook her head a bit, looking lightly frustrated. "I'm sorry, I'm not explaining it right. Not even sure how to put it into words," she sighed softly, shoulders slumping a bit. "Thank you for the kind words though. It does help."
Mallory was a little confused as to where she had misunderstood, but the AI didn't seem to appreciate the captain's ignorance. "I'm sorry I didn't follow better," she said. "I am still grateful for your keeping my ship from exploding while we were gone."
"And you're very welcome, Captain," Kat smiled. "I believe it's likely that I'm the first Evo 3 AI to be in charge of such a large vessel, even if temporary and through unusual circumstances."
"We live in interesting times, Ensign," Mallory said ruefully. "Very interesting indeed."
"I'm not sure that is a good thing, Captain," Kat tilted her head a bit, a quizzical frown on her face.