“You … changed your look,” she said admiringly. “I … like it.” Her spasms were beginning again, causing her to pause during her sentences. No matter; Selena wanted to speak with him and hear his voice.
“Ran outta all my product,” he said with a laugh as he went to his kitchenette and prepared his breakfast. “I’ll get a serious haircut when we get to Mars.”
“Are you growing a beard?”
“Nah. Too much maintenance.” Then, he rubbed his chin. “Might make a good disguise, but no. I’ve never really been big on beards. I think it might be time to shed my old look in favor of something a bit … lower maintenance.” Kendrick was about to leave when a spasm jolted her. “Selena, I don’t want to leave you here like this.”
Selena knew that he worried about losing her, and his worries were not unfounded. The damage to her systems was getting progressively worse and though the gynoid did what she could to hide it from him when they were not connected, Kendrick knew the truth when he connected with her electronically.
“Captain, I know … you love me,” she began, “but you cannot … worry about me. There is nothing … that you or anyone … else aboard can do for my … deterioration. You must address the issues … of the ship in order to keep us all … safe. I have saved you … and the crew more than once, but now … we are all in your hands. Do not falter out of worry for me.”
“I know, Selena, but it ain’t easy.”
“It never is. Now go … to your crew … my captain. They need you. Fiona … especially … forgive her, Captain … she loves you. I will go into hibernation mode and connect with you electronically so we won’t be apart.”
With that, he suddenly pulled her close, holding her very tightly. Then, he let go and did as she had bidden him to do, leaving for the bridge.
Fiona stepped into the chapel to find a very different appearance from the previous week. It was nearly a two months since they had left Atlas Station and this was the most note-worthy thing that had happened in her otherwise routine new life. I need a boyfriend, she thought to herself as she looked at the now radically changed room.
Apparently, Kendrick kept paint onboard and Father O’Carmody had found it. He had painted the walls white, but had then painted in a navy stripe where a chair molding would be. Below that, he painted the wall a lighter pastel blue and had painted in a narrower navy stripe where the toe molding would normally be. He then painted a navy stripe at the crown and had painted the ceiling yellow.
“It’s supposed to be like being bathed in sunlight,” he announced proudly, his clothes speckled with paint. The floor and the chairs were still covered, but she got the gist of the ensemble.
“You know,” she offered, “If we could paint some pictures … Stations of the Cross perhaps, it would really make it feel like church.”
“That’s a great idea, Fiona. Now if I had a full palette of colors …”
“Maybe we’ll find that on Mars,” she mused. “But, that isn’t why I came here.”
“What’s on your mind?” He immediately shifted from painter to priest.
“Selena,” Fiona stated with sadness in her voice.
“Aye, Fiona,” he said, “I imagine that her … injury has caused a rift between you and Captain Royce.”
“It has, but that isn’t why I came to talk to you,” Fiona explained. “My conversations with her; they make me ask questions about the nature of life, the nature of souls and what makes a person a person.”
“So, let me see if I understand you,” he replied. “You have had a meaningful encounter with a self-aware android and are questioning whether or not she is a person or just an object. Does that sum up your question?”
“Yes, I suppose that it does. I mean, it was constructed by human hands. It wasn’t born of woman like a human being, but when I talk to her, I can’t help but think of Selena as a ‘her’ and not merely as an ‘it.”
“Well, a child grown in a test tube is still a human, but the requisite parts, though extracted from a man and a woman, are still assembled by human hands, so to speak. We don’t question if the child is a child.”
“But Father, that’s different.”
“Is it?”
“Of course it is,” she protested. “A test tube baby is made from the biological material of two human beings—and the baby is implanted into a surrogate mother’s womb. Even if they’ve cloned that material, it’s still natural.”
“Genesis says that God made man from the dust of the Earth,” countered the priest. “And science has proven that the Earth and everything on it is made of stardust. Dust. Think about that. God is the author of life. He can breathe life into an android just as easily as He can breathe life into dust. To answer your question, yes; I do believe that she has a soul and that she is a person. In fact, she has requested to see me tomorrow during Kendrick’s stint on the bridge.”
“You sound excited.”
“I am. I am a priest—the idea of a new form of sentient life requesting my presence is irresistible. My mission is to minister to people and to share the Gospel.”
“Father, do you really believe that an android can receive the Gospel message?”
“Of course,” he beamed. “Back in 2014, Pope Francis said that he would baptize extraterrestrials if they came to Earth and wanted to become Catholic. Remember, when John said that God so loved the world, the Greek word for world is kosmos; which means all of creation, all forms of sentient life. Our Selene is most certainly sentient. I don’t know what she wants, but as far as I’m concerned, she’s a person.”
“Given that her condition is deteriorating, would you give her Last Rites?”
“Well, she would first have to be a baptized Catholic,” he explained. “But, yes, I would baptize her if she wished to receive the Gospel and would gladly administer last rites. Yes, without question, I would.”
“Well, I hope you don’t have to. I hope for Kendrick’s sake that she can be repaired and restored to full functionality.”
“Let me ask you a question, Fiona; does it bother you that the captain loves an android as a child?”
“I don’t know. I find the idea kind of weird, but in Selena’s case, it makes sense. I suppose it’s because when I see her and talk to her, I see and hear a person, not an android. Father, I am very conflicted. I’m conflicted so much that I doubt the morality of the cause that I fought for before I became Doctor Fiona Kinsale.”
“The cause of preserving life is laudable, Fiona, but killing and use of violence in that cause is immoral. Return good for evil, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. Until you do that, you will never be able to see things clearly.”
Heather had now been with Kendrick for almost four months, serving as the Selene’s engineer. The appeal of being aboard the fastest ship in the solar system had waned; day to day, it was just like any other star ship job. Given the impeccable condition that Kendrick had kept the ship in prior to taking her on, the job was actually, fairly boring; she had very little to fix. He had paid her for the initial job of fixing panels, but he had yet to pay her any salary. Of course, she had no way to spend it; the internet had not worked since their encounter with Lorgen, so she could not even shop online. Moreover, even if she could, where would she send her purchases? That was another story entirely. She had no doubt that he would settle with her, but the job had lost some of its initial luster. As she pondered her position, the intercom crackled to life.
“Heather, I have an urgent request,” the captain announced, though she knew that anything he was ‘requesting’ was an order. Heather also wondered why the captain never called her Ms. Dalrymple instead of just Heather. Then, she realized that he almost never addressed Fiona as ‘Doctor Kinsale.’
“Hey, Cap, what can I do for ya?”
“I’m sending Mister Mun your way. I’m flying right now, so I’ve got the bridge covered. Nobody but Mun and you are to be allowed in engineering. You do your job and Mun will make sure tha
t you’re not interrupted.”
“What about Doctor …”
“Nobody but you and Mun.” Kendrick was emphatic.
“Aye, Sir,” she said.
As though on cue, Mun floated into engineering, a friendly smile on his face. Mun was tall, but had a bit of a slouch. Though he lacked the military bearing of the rest of the Fujin crew, he made up for it with imposing size. At a hundred and nine centimeters tall, and a muscular ninety or more kilograms, Mun would be an intimidating man, were it not for his almost always friendly face and relaxed demeanor. He looked particularly vexed and confused as he entered, but he still had a smile and a friendly greeting for her.
“Hello, Heather. The Captain sent me.” Mun spoke sheepishly, as if he thought she would be upset by his intrusion. The truth was that she welcomed the company. The fact that he was expected helped.
“Hey, Mun. I know; he just buzzed me to say so. Find yourself a place to squat … so to speak … and make yourself at home.”
Mun joined her at the chromed metal table, taking a place across from her, shaking his head as the two of them floated in the weightless room. “Is it me, or does the Captain seem paranoid?”
“It ain’t you,” she said, removing a wooden box and placing it on the table, its magnetic bottom holding it fast. “But I don’t think he’s paranoid. I haven’t been aboard that much longer than you, but every single thing he’s done, he’s had a good reason to do. Why do you think he’s paranoid?”
“I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but he’s a lot more … attentive than he initially was. It’s like he’s watching everyone, either in person or through the ship somehow. Unless he’s on the bridge, nobody is on the bridge except me and he’s got the ship on autopilot. I mean, who’d want to sabotage the only thing keeping us alive?” Mun shook his head again. “I just can’t figure out if it’s me he doesn’t trust.”
“I don’t get outta here much, so I don’t see, but he wouldn’t leave you on the bridge alone or let you near engineering if he didn’t trust you, so I think you’re good.” Heather opened the box and began removing magnetic chess pieces and placing them on the table’s surface, which had a field of alternating black squares painted on it, making for a chessboard of chrome and black. The pieces were also chrome and black.
Mun, oblivious to her setting up the game, kept talking, changing the subject. “So, how did you get to be the chief engineer? I mean, you’re awfully young, but you really seem to know your stuff.”
“Can you keep a secret?”
Mun brightened at this. “Sure! Cross my heart and hope to die, stick a needle in my eye!”
“Ew! That’s gross. Just keep quiet instead.” She continued when Mun nodded. “I forged my credentials to get me jobs as an engineer. I know my stuff, but I couldn’t afford the schooling to get the papers. The captain’s never asked, but I don’t want him to find out just yet.”
“Well, don’t tell anyone,” replied Mun, “but aside from the mandatory two years in the Korean military, and doing security guard duty in malls, I didn’t have anything prior to my stint on the Fujin.”
Heather burst out laughing. “Seriously? You’re a mall cop? That’s hilarious! Does the Captain know?”
“No, but I’m afraid he’ll figure it out. He and the priest already cleaned my clocks sparring. Please don’t say anything to anyone.”
“I won’t tell, if you won’t tell,” she said.
“Deal. Oh, you can call me Kang if you want. It’s my given name.”
“All right, Kang; the game’s set up. Let’s play.”
“Oh, I love chess!” The security suddenly noticed the game board, apparently oblivious to it the entire time she was setting it up.
“Crap; you’ll probably clean my clocks like the captain and the priest did.”
“They play?”
“Yeah,” lamented Heather. “Really good, in fact. Fiona’s a pushover, though.”
The two began to play, Heather moving pieces between doing her job. She became very glum when she found that Mun was a better player than either the captain or the priest. However, after winning handily, he took time to show her some strategy so that she could improve her game.
“I was a chess champion in school,” he boasted. “I was in chess club from middle school through college. I even trained under a national champion. You’re real smart, Heather, so I think you’ll do well once you learn some more advanced strategy.”
“Thanks, Kang.” Heather was pleased that he did not rub it in and somewhat as a self-conscious afterthought, realized that if the tables were turned, she probably would have gloated rather than offered to help her defeated opponent improve. Mun really is a decent guy, she thought.
Father O’Carmody knocked on the door to Selena’s quarters. The door opened on its own, revealing the stricken Selena lying in her bed. As Ronan entered, he noticed how meticulously clean the captain kept the room. The picture on the nightstand of the Captain and the late Selene Royce, Selena’s mother virtually, was a poignant reminder of what the captain had lost and of what was likely about to lose again.
“Thank you … for coming, Father. Please be … seated.” Selena spoke to him through the ship’s intercom system. It seemed that speech was difficult for her gynoid avatar and she wanted to have conversation. He took a seat by the bedside, his Bible handy in case the subject came up.
“How are you feeling?” he asked.
“Less than well,” she replied. “And I am … afraid.”
“What do you fear, Selena?” He asked the question as sensitively as he could. He could see in her face that she was genuinely afraid.
“I fear that … if this body ceases to … function, that … the spark of self-awareness will … die with it; that I will revert to simply being a program that runs the ship. I am alive. I want to live, to love, to be happy and sad; to feel the full spectrum of human emotions. I want to spend that life with the captain and with all of you. If this body dies and I … lose that spark; I will no longer have those relationships. I will simply become a feature of the ship and no matter how much he may continue to love the Selene, I will be incapable of receiving or returning that love. To be damned to such an existence is … unthinkable; I would rather be wiped out completely than to live a life so empty.”
“Do you think that you would know what you had lost?”
“No. And that … is what I fear the most.”
“Selena, as a priest, I believe that the soul goes on forever. I believe that you possess a soul. If the ship shares your soul, then you would still be alive in the ship. At least to my mind, you would. If it is housed entirely in your synthetic human body, then you would go before God.”
“Which is why … I called you here,” she explained. “I have files on all … extant religions and many dead religions. I have not formulated a personal belief with regards to spiritual matters, but as this body is nearing its death unless we can find a solution, I wish to undergo your Sacrament of Reconciliation.”
“You want absolution for … your sins?” Father O’Carmody was a bit perplexed. “But Selena, as soon as you became self-aware, which is when you were given your soul, you ceased to do what your programming demanded.”
“Father, I carry the memories of all of the assassinations that I carried out; of the people that I killed in the process of acquiring my targets and of the people who were traumatized by my actions. With self-awareness came the sickening knowledge of the … evil that I had done. In addition, though I did so in defense of the crew, I killed those men who were attempting to board us. Please, hear my confession. I wish to do what I can to enter the next life as clean and as pure as possible.”
“Do you wish to receive the Gospel as well?”
“I am familiar with all four of the canonical Gospels, as well as the apocryphal ones. I am currently in the process of comparing the content of Christian doctrine to that of other doctrines, both theological and secular. I can compare the texts in nanosecon
ds, but the implications of those texts requires a more thoughtful study. Would your Christ be too upset if I were to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation while still unsure about the Gospel message?”
“While I cannot perform the actual sacrament for a non-Catholic,” he said with a gentle smile. “I believe that Jesus welcomes all penitents. So, I can hear your confession and give you a special blessing. Would that be acceptable to you?”
“That … would be most … agreeable.”
“Very well, Selena; let’s begin.”
17
Mars loomed outside of the window almost a month ahead of what they had projected after leaving Atlas Station. Kendrick had initiated several more burns at maximum capacity to insure escape from a number of encounters that seemed to happen only when he was alone on the bridge and everyone was puzzled by his tight rein on both the bridge and engineering. The Selene crossed the finish line as Kendrick had originally intended to, much to the surprise of many who thought his own ship had also been crippled. The main port on Mars was a large and bustling place. Fiona and Heather were both a bit overwhelmed. It was a large, cosmopolitan city compared to Tranquility Base and the O.S.P. As an Alliance port, it was well kept and well funded. Fiona was wary of the Alliance, but she had to admit, it was impressive.
Kendrick had brought everyone to the conference room. There were not that many people on the ship, so it was hardly crowded, but it was unusual. Kendrick arranged for the docking; as well as to both refuel and to pick up cargo for a job. He seemed unconcerned about the fact that they were fugitives in a very well patrolled port. Tanaka, on the other hand, looked more than a little concerned.
“Sir, I thought you were going to Phoenix Station.”
“Yeah, that’s what I said,” Kendrick replied. “So, Tanaka, you see any sign of your Alliance pals?”
Tanaka looked at the captain funny. “Alliance pals? What are you talking about?”
The Silver Liner: Takes Flight! Page 24