by Divya Singh
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This time the glass gates of the elevators and also the Navigation Chambers opened, apparently because of Von’s authorization. There were many movable machines of which I had no knowledge of; they seemed to be tending to the other machines which appear to be computers.
Suddenly a room opened and an enormous machine with a medium size screen and 4 robotic arms wheeled towards me.
He said: “Hello D.S. welcome to Perpetua! I am The Navigator, a supercomputer. I have had many different functions before I was assigned the function of Navigation of the ship, to which no expert was available. I will need your credentials to approve your authorization.”
I thought: ‘What! So the Navigator is a walking computer?’
The Navigator: “So tell me what is your full name, job, background, police record, SSN, passport ID etc. Were you cloned or developed from an embryo, your biological parents if you were born …..” & he continued.
I said: “I know none of these; I just woke up from a Cryosleep and was reanimated. Sadly, I do not remember anything about my origin or past life so…..”
I saw ZA-vi taking over from me: “I will explain everything and furnish you all the minutest details of the case D.S. and her previous life. But not in front of her, in private, please take me somewhere where all the information about her secure and unheard.”
The Navigator: “Let’s go to my room, the information you will share will be secure there.”
They stomped back to his room. They talked and I felt all left out, deprived of my own self. The right to my personal information was just mine. The privacy thereof rests with me and it is me who this sensitive information is being conceded from. This is a crime, in the world at least, which I come from even if I don’t have any memory thereof.
Soon enough, they both came back.
The Navigator said: “Madam, with all the information from your android and uplinks of records and results relating to medical observation from Dr. Von, I feel confident to pass you to eligibility of authorization so what pass key should you want to have?”
I said: “I don’t know about myself, so I have no idea or preference for any such favorite Pass Key. You give me anything that authorizes my access to all the areas of the ship.”
The Navigator: “Ok thanks for entrusting me with the privilege. I think considering your history and rebirth, I will prefer DS Reborn 01 as your Passkey. What do you say?”
I smiled and nodded in acceptance. In fact, I also liked the new passkey. I saw The Navigator up close now. He was some 8-9 feet tall, he had robotic feet, while some dual 2 tier wheels, rolled up at his back. When he walked, he stamped pretty hard as if he must have weighed a few tons. His head was a suspended screen, above which he had bulb eyes for a more human outlook & below which his mouth was made of blocks of plastics, he rearranged them to exhibit different types of expressions like smile & shocks. He was a plain looking robot with various boxes which can be opened and closed like drawers if need be. It looked like he could be transferred into another structure. He had 4 robotic arms and 4 more clipped at sides. The arms could also be plugged in different other sockets. While I was scanning his body so closely that the Navigator had noticed and said-
The Navigator: “Yes I have many retractable parts which can also be rearranged. I am 27th generation supercomputer and can cover a large area for work. So I can be programmed for any or all of the purposes together. I am an AI machine and can attach as many peripheries or detach them at my own will or requirement. I can restart or switch myself off. I can even format and program myself. I evolve and can arrange myself as per the needs, requirements and comfort. As of now I am assigned to one major function of navigation and security of this ship. When doctors and researchers require, they can also employ me for research or complicated medical purposes.”
I said: “Ok I am sure you are one of the most efficient and capable machines I will see in this world. So tell me what about the ship we are in.”
The Navigator: “The ship is called Perpetua, it was designed by Magnifique Incorporation of French Origin. It set course from Los Angeles on 23 Dec 2281 for a higher land with stable seismic activity. But we kept getting negative news from everywhere. The perception we had about people from different lands went wrong. Countries did not have their entities intact, economies had collapsed and societies broke up into small radical groups. Till then it was still acceptable, but then there came an outrageous movement called technology and resource ‘Disruption’ and these radical groups became too harshly powerful entities. These were the last pieces of messages which we considered authentic information coming from the landmasses.”
The Navigator continued: “We decided to stay on the sea rather than confirm or discard the authenticity of further information. We later preferred to stay offline, so that we don’t risk ourselves into being pursued and destroyed. Since then we have remained afloat on the ocean and have been self-sufficient. Time and again we periodically contact the other ships we know of, being on the oceans at our proximity.”
I ridiculed: “Ha ha ha! So you are trying to say that this ship is not going anywhere but staying right here afloat individually on the sea, for 180 years?”I asked. I really had no reason to believe that the Navigator was saying anything even remotely relatable to reality. Instead, I thought that he was being funny with me.
The Navigator: “Yes!”
I was still not buying what he said: “Yes? What, really? It is not believable, though I confess that nothing is really believable in this present day world, but then how did you survive and float a ship this big on water for 180 years? I sternly asked.
The Navigator: “I said about being self-sufficient. We have food and water and fuel.”
I ridiculed again: “Really, and how do you get these all?” I quipped.
“We produce these.”The Navigator.
I still laughed it off: “Really?”
I began feeling that it was not frivolous anymore.
“How does it happen?” I asked again.
The Navigator: “We have solar energy, tidal energy etc. We grow crops and fruit-bearing trees, we breed whatever fish & seafood we can, we desalinate sea water efficiently.”
I said: “Oh! I had forgotten that I was living in future! I would wish to see how it all is done on this ship.”
The Navigator: “The ship is as much yours as is anyone else’s you have the authorization to go see everything you wish
I concluded: “Ok thank you for it!”
I faked a smile at the Navigator and said, “I must go now, I will go and check those things and meet you here again. Thanks once again.” I waved at the Navigator and walked out of the hall with ZA-vi
Chapter 13: The heinous act