by Paul Phipps
I tell you this to give you an inkling of the capabilities that have been revealed to us here in the Cold Ocean waters of the South Pacific.
Now we, that is, the United States Navy are being given the use of the Epiphany. She is an Auxiliary of the Terran Space Navy but under the Command of the Captain the Navy will provide for her. She will be manned by the Men and Women of the United States Navy. Treat her well and she will love and treat you the same. Treat her with disrespect and you are gone. You will not be a member of her crew and will be issued a discharge from the United States Navy in addition.
Now, each of you will undergo a quick interview process to determine your ultimate place in her crew. If you wish to decline with no repercussion now is the time to say so. Just pick up your Seabag and move to the rear of the formation and you will be ferried back to the George H.W. Bush.”
He waited a minute or so, and none of the men and women before him moved from their place in line. He turned to His officers and Chief Petty Officers and said.
“Let’s get them processed and aboard the Epiphany.”
“Admiral Crane I suggest that we use the Trans-Portal System to speed up the interview process. A number of rooms equal to the number of your personnel here are ready for them. I don’t think it will take longer than an hour or so to get them all settled on board the Epiphany.” Admiral Webster said.
“Sounds good to me, if you would please direct them to where they need to go, I would appreciate it.”
“Ladies and Gentlemen, gather up your Seabags and approach one by one the Trans-Portal on my Left.” A Glowing Green and Gold Trans-Portal arose out of the deck. “May your time on the Epiphany be an educational one for you.” He said with a smile. And then he and Commander McAndrews entered the Trans-Portal together.
Master Chief Hartman spoke loudly at that time. “Attention on Deck! Ok, that’s all there is to it. Just walk up to the Trans-Portal and touch it and you will be at your destination. And no I don’t know how it works but that’s the way they do things here in the Terran Space Navy.
First Rank! Forward March in Rank!” And one by one the Men and Women that would become the First Crew of the Epiphany walked forward and disappeared into the Trans-Portal, And then the next rank until all were at their destinations”
* * *
Ansel found himself in a small room with no obvious doors and only a large Flat screen Monitor on one wall across from a comfortable chair with a small table next to it. On the Table was a teapot with the smell of his favorite tea wafting from it. He took the obvious invitation and went to the chair and sat down. The Monitor then showed a very pretty blonde haired woman Officer in the uniform of a Navy Commander.
She looked at Ansel and smiled and indicated that he was to enjoy his tea and then she began to speak.
“I know that it is very late for you and we will try to get through this interview in short order so that you can get some rest. Please state your name, rank and specialty rating.”
“Ansel Noah Webster, Electronic Technician Second Class.” Ansel stated clearly.
“Thank you, I have your personnel file now. Interesting… I see you put down your Master’s Degree in Computer Science and your Doctorate in Robotics under Hobbies and not Education. A Doctorate at 21 years of age, quite impressive and from MIT too. Why did you enlist instead of applying for a position as an officer in the Navy?”
“I have no problem with being an officer. My Great Uncle Carl told me once that the best officers were the ones who had had the experience of the enlisted ranks first before moving up the chain of command.” Ansel told her candidly.
“I understand. Why did you join the Navy instead of another service?” She continued
“Uncle Carl had been in the Coast Guard, He said that he enjoyed it for the most part but thought that a young man in the Navy would have a better chance of seeing the world and different cultures if he was in the Navy and the Navy sent their ships everywhere. Well, that was true in his time but today we stay closer to home and don’t show the flag as much as we used too.”
“Thank you for that insight, another angle on that question would be: Why join the service instead of going into industry?” She probed with a smile.
“It may sound trite, but I was raised to appreciate the fact that I was an American and that I owed my country a debt of service before thinking of myself and my future career possibilities. As you can see from my personnel file I was also Home Schooled. I got a great education but not as much social contact as someone who went to public school would have. My time in the Navy is an education in people and Society and it has definitely been an education.” He said with a rueful smile.
On and on went the interview and Ansel found that he had gone through the entire tea pot before they were done.
“Petty Officer Ansel Webster, this concludes your initial interview. I wish to be the first to welcome you to The Epiphany and look forward to having you as member of her Crew. The Trans-Portal behind you is now active and will take you to the Epiphany. Your Berth is in Operations Berthing area one. A guide will be waiting for you when you come aboard. Muster will be at 0900L on the Flight Deck. Initial orientation and work assignments will be given to you after Muster. Your Department head is Chief Petty Officer Duncan.” She smiled at him then. “Dismissed to quarters.”
Ansel picked up his Seabag from behind the chair and went to the Green and Gold pattern on the wall….. And then he was in a room with a long Gangway leading to the Quarterdeck of the Epiphany. He walked down the Gangway looking over the side at the great shape in front and then Down what he assumed was the Starboard side and looked at the huge sponsons with the propellers in the front of them instead of at the rear as he was used to seeing. ‘If I have the time I need to model the efficiency of such a configuration’ he thought to himself.
And then he was on the Quarterdeck, a First Class Aviation Machinist Mate was there, his name tag said Dixon. He looked over Ansel, and then said “Welcome aboard the Epiphany, You are number six to make it through the interview, congratulations!”
“Thank you Mr. Dixon, I appreciate that.” Ansel was struck by the man’s appearance, ‘Where, have I seen this guy before.” Then he remembered he was one of the Navy men who had been watching the Epiphany being built from the Observation Gallery on the Lucky.
“Excuse me, but weren’t you on the Lucky when the Epiphany was built? Ansel inquired.
Petty Officer Dixon looked surprised and then he had a pleased smile. “Yes, I was. You my young friend have a good eye and a good memory too. You will go far.”
“Thanks, I appreciate that. The Commander that interviewed me said that there would be a guide to show me the way to my quarters. I hate to say it but I’m beat and I need a little rest before muster in...” He looked at his watch, “six hours.” Ansel said tiredly.
Petty Officer Dixon handed Ansel a plastic button shape and told him, “Put this on behind your ear and just ask for directions to where you need to go and follow them. I’ll see you at muster. The whole crew will be there.”
Ansel did as he was directed and shortly thereafter he was at his room He was pleasantly surprised to find out that he had a two man room all to himself. He quickly put his clothes away and got a shower in the attached restroom and was in bed and asleep in minutes.
Terran Space Navy SFC Lucky 0600L November 4, 2026
Admiral Webster walked into his private dining room on the Lucky and saw that Commander McAndrews aka Seeker was there waiting for him and his favorite breakfast was already at his place.
He sat down and picked up a cup of coffee and took a sip. Then he smiled at her and said:
“Well Love, you look like you are just bursting to tell me something. Should I eat first or let you get to it?”
“Eat first and then I will let you in on my ‘surprise’. “ She said with a broad smile. “Oh yes, Lucky and Epiphany are included in our breakfast this morning.”
“Good Morning, Lucky,
Good Morning Epiphany.” He dutifully said. “Epiphany, how are you adjusting to a Surface Ship? Do you miss the capability of Flight?”
“It’s different and a bit limiting and I feel a little naked without the masking generators and my War Shields. But I do like having all of the people aboard. I am sad that I had to reject so many of them though. I did as you and Seeker directed and only allowed those who would have been acceptable to the TSN.
I was surprised that there were several spies too, especially that poor young man who had the deep implanted personality. Then there were those four men and two women that had the Bio-explosive implants. And the fact that they never had a clue that it had been done to them just makes me angry for them. At least I was able to remove the implants. I will make sure that Admiral Crane and his people know about that.
“Is there anything else that you want to talk about?” Admiral Webster inquired.
“Yes, but Seeker told me to wait until you were done eating your breakfast.”
“Hmmm, then I best get to it.” And then he started to eat a bit faster. Everyone was quiet while he ate and he was done shortly. As he pushed the plate and utensils to the Disposal chute in the table, he then poured another cup of coffee and said:
“Alright then, I’m done eating and you ladies have had the chance to come to an agreement on how and what to tell me. So let’s get to it.”
“Very well, I have found the man I want for the Captain of the ship that is my body.” Epiphany said with a very pleased tone to her voice.
“Wonderful, is he just good enough or is he your Mindmate.” Admiral Webster said with a smile on his face.
“I think he is my Mindmate but I am hesitant to initiate the process. Seeker has told me how it was for you and how long it took to recover your equilibrium afterwards.” Epiphany told him.
“Also I have some very interesting news too. Ansel is one of the Navy men who volunteered to be crew on the Epiphany.” Seeker said with a grin to her face.
“Ansel!? Ansel is here? My god, it’s been at least 10 years since I saw him last.” Admiral Webster said with a tone of wonderment.
He thought then about his Grand Nephew and how much the boy meant to him and how damn intelligent he turned out. Even more important Ansel had that quality called ‘Common Sense’, which really was anything but common. He mused about the various things that he had done with young man on their ‘Camping Trips’.
He turned to Seeker and asked, “The blocks, are they still in place? Or does he have dreams about the trips onboard with us and playing with Ariadne.”
Epiphany then spoke, “Father, the mental blocks are still in place and he doesn’t remember those trips on board Mother and playing with me. It’s a pity, it would make some things a bit easier. You see, Ansel is the man I want for Captain. He still fits me nearly perfectly like he did when he was still a boy.”
“I remember how the two of you were inseparable. But if he had gone back home and told the stories of what he did with us, his Mother and Father would have had him committed. So he had to have the block put there to allow him to have as normal a childhood as possible.” Admiral Webster told her.
“Well, that may be. But his mind must have been highly stimulated anyway. Ansel went on to earn himself a Doctorate at MIT when he was 21 and then joined the Navy to get some real-world experience. You see he did listen to you when you kept spouting off all of that off-the-cuff advice.
He is now a highly regarded Petty Officer Second Class Electronics Technician and has some suggestions in his Personal File that he should go to Officer Candidate School.” Epiphany said with pride.
Admiral Webster sat quietly then and did some heavy thinking.
“Ok, I need to talk to Ansel.” He turned to Seeker, “Dear One, I will need your help to break that mental block on Ansel. He is going to need those Memories. Then we need to talk to Admiral Crane and inform him that Epiphany’s Captain is going to be a former Petty Officer Second Class.”
“I just hope that Admiral Crane remembers what we told him when he first agreed to take the Epiphany.” Seeker murmured, and then she brightened up. “If not while I’ll just have to play the recording over and over till he does!”
“Ari! Ansel! Time for supper!” The two children heard Ariadne’s mother call from the back yard of the house nestled on the hillside of a small holler somewhere in Eastern Kentucky.
“Coming Momma!” Ariadne yelled from the edge of the creek that she and Ansel had been exploring.
“Race ya, Ari!” Ansel cried as he was already running for the house.
Ariadne shook her hair and started back at a run and soon caught up with Ansel and passed him just before they reached the house.
“Darn it, you beat me again.” Ansel said between gasps of air. “Just you wait, one of these days I am going to be just as fast as you are.”
Ariadne just wrapped her arms around Ansel and hugged him. “Yes, you are. And then I won’t be able to beat you at running.” She gave him a big hug and then said, “Then we can run together and see what we can find to get into trouble with.”
Ansel laughed at that and hugged her even harder.
“Let’s go eat now. Aunt Sarah is waiting and I want Uncle Carl to tell us another story before bedtime.” Ansel said with a gleam in his eye. He found his Uncle Carl’s Stories to be wonderful and the best part is that they were mostly true ones, not make-believe.
TSN/USN Epiphany – Construction Bay, 1000L November 4, 2026
“Attention on Deck!” The command was heard both by their ears naturally and through the bone conduction of the Earbud that each crewmember wore.
There were only around 300 men and women as far as Ansel could tell from his place in the fourth row of the formation.
‘We started out with around 460 and we only have 300 or so left. Wonder how many decided to opt out during the screening?’ he mused to himself as the people around him snapped to attention.
Admiral Crane stepped up to the lectern that had been placed on the immense flight deck. He looked over the men and women in their Dress Blue Uniforms, smiled and then began to speak.
“At Ease. Ladies and Gentlemen, Welcome aboard the Epiphany. For those of you counting there are 307 of you. 24 officers and 283 Enlisted men and women. You are special and yes, unusual too as everything about this cruise of Task Force 14 has been. You are at the forefront of an entirely new era. I am of the belief that we will eventually label our years around this time. Before Epiphany and After Epiphany.
The Epiphany is both a Super Aircraft Carrier and an intelligent being. Oh yes, She is alive. She is intelligent and now, and now she is one of us. A member of the United States Navy. We will work and live in and beside her. We will do our best to make her proud of us as she will do the same for us.
There is much that you will need to learn about this ship and her and vice versa she will learn about us. In the screening interview that each of you went through you each met an avatar of Epiphany. Most of you made it through with flying colors.
Others... others weren’t so fortunate. We found a number of spies, there were a few unfortunates that had been turned into living bombs without their knowledge. Those people have been treated and the bombs were removed and they have been sequestered so as to be interviewed to determine when the implantations occurred. Why, they occurred… Well, we all here are intelligent adults. The Civil War our nation has gone through created some very vicious people. Let’s just say that we will get down to the truth in this matter.
In any case, you are here. You are now the original crew of the Epiphany. The first Plank Owners of a new Naval vessel in almost 15 years. Congratulations, now it’s time to get to work. When you came aboard this morning you were told who your department head was. You are now dismissed to your department head. Congratulations once again!”
“Attention!” the voice came over the Earbuds. Everyone came to attention once more. “Dismissed.”
Ansel looked around to
see if he could spot Chief Duncan. “Okay, where is Chief Duncan?” He muttered.
“Chief Duncan is currently located to your right and is standing next to the Bulkhead door leading to the Central Control Tower.” A feminine voice came though the Earbud behind his right ear.
“Epiphany?” asked Ansel with surprise.
“Yes, I am Epiphany.”
“Thank you for the directions.” Ansel said. “Are you listening to all of us?”
“Yes, either I am or a sub-AI is listening to each of you.”
“Very, interesting. The processing power you have must be immense.” Ansel said “How much of the ship are you controlling in addition?”