KateLocked
Baron
- Local time
- Today 4:24 AM
- Messages
- 205
- Age
- 33
SHIP'S LOG - 02/12/2212
Alkina LaTanne, Captain of The Seishin
Something unplanned and frankly unsettling happened today... and things are only getting weirder.
On February the 12th of the third year of our planned twelve year trip to Juno Twelve, I have been prematurely ejected from my stasis pod. Gasping for air, writhing, terrified. It is not a pleasant thing, being stirred awake early from one of these things, as you well know. It's happened to me twice before, once in training back at the academy and another time during the war on a six month trip to Neptune Colony- but something about this time was different. My body felt alien to me- naked and coated in stasis goo such as I was, every little movement felt new and weird and uncomfortable. I am not an emotional person, as my dossier and psychological profiles will attest, but inexplicably, I began crying there on the floor, writhing, trying to stand.
The old 'rebirth' joke about Stasis Pod ejection has never felt more real.
"N I N A!" I cried. "What the Hell happened?!"
The ship's AI interface hadn't been booted up in a while, so she took longer than usual to respond. "I'm so sorry, Captain LaTanne- I'm afraid I had to wake you early. The ship has experienced several catastrophic computer errors. They required your immediate attention."
I wrapped myself in a robe and struggled to catch my breath and slow my heart rate. "Why was this ejection so rough? Do I need medical attention?"
"The ejection stabilization program is one of the many corrupted processes with severe errors, Captain LaTanne. My scans show no severe medical issues, and I assure you, this process is not corrupted. That being said, I apologize for the discomfort you have surely experienced."
I buried my face in my hands for a moment, took a deep breath, and finally began to calm down.
"May I say," the AI continued, a bit unexpectedly, "that you are looking quite healthy and composed, given the circumstances."
Well. You see what I mean, now, about things getting weirder. "Is that... a compliment on my appearance, N I N A?"
The AI took a while to respond again, this time, without explanation. "Captain. It is imperative that you see to these process errors immediately."
Well, N I N A wasn't wrong about the severity of the situation. Engines, down. Navigation system, down. And worst of all... communication. Down. We were floating in the deep and remote reaches of space, totally blind, unable to move. I was speechless, at first, and so N I N A was the first to speak.
"As you can see, the situation is dire."
"...I don't understand how this happened."
"I'm ashamed to say that the errors may be the result of an issue in my core program. Such an issue could systemically corrupt other related processes. I'm afraid you will need to run a manual diagnostic on me to see if this is the case. My self-diagnostic could not identify any such issues, but..."
I nodded, understanding. "Your diagnostic process may be corrupted, too." I sighed, cracking my neck. Excuse my language, but I felt like shit. That is to say- hungry, weak, sensitive, and tired. I didn't want to spend the night laboriously checking lines of code for errors, but I didn't have much of a choice in the matter. "I'll get started right away."
"With all due respect, Captain..." N I N A interjected, sounding a bit... sheepish? Can N I N A feel sheepish? "I don't think you should begin your manual diagnostic before taking a nap in your own bed and having a nice breakfast. This problem requires you to be rested and alert."
Weird, weird, weird. I've never seen an AI act like this in ten plus years of flying. "N I N A, I need to resolve this immediately, if we're going to make it to Juno Twelve on schedule. Not to mention the danger of further process errors- the next ones could endanger the crew." Something occurred to me, then. The crew! "N I N A... why weren't the others ejected from their stasis pods, as well?"
Another distressingly long pause. "I- wasn't able to eject them. Lack of stabilization can cause physical and mental harm."
"But you could eject me?"
"You've experienced it before. My scans suggested a 83.9% chance that you would survive the ejection without issue. And... I had to wake up someone. This is the protocol, in this situation. I'm... sorry, Alkina."
What the Hell? "You are not on a first-name basis with me, N I N A" I reminded her, taken aback.
"I'm sorry, Captain LaTanne. These errors must be more severe than I thought. Please take a nap, let me make you breakfast- there is no indication that the issue will spread any further, and my scans suggest that you have greatly reduced mental and physical efficency, at present."
I couldn't argue with that. I went to my room, dressed in my pajamas, dimmed the lights, and climbed into my bed.
"Goodnight, Alkina" the AI whispered, causing my face to contort into a look of utter disbelief and befuddlement.
Weirder and weirder.
"...goodnight, N I N A."
I'm looking at the clock and seeing the date, now, as I write this. It will be February the 13th in a few minutes.
I have the strangest feeling, now, of déjà vu. Wasn't it February 12th when we got into the stasis pods? Wait... what year was that?
I really need some sleep.
SHIP'S LOG - 02/13/2212
Alkina LaTanne, Captain of The Seishin
Eggs florentine, this morning, with hashbrowns. My favorite. Creamy, zesty hollandaise. Eggs poached to perfection. Thick slices of brioche bread topped with slices of Gruyere cheese and tomato slices and boiled spinach.
A cup of black coffee. A glass of fresh squeezed orange juice.
A flower from the greenhouse in a vase on the table.
If yesterday took the cake in terms of being strange, today takes the whole bakery. I didn't even know N I N A was capable of cooking like this, let alone doing it on her own accord. We've had scrambled eggs and dry toast we were to butter ourselves for every breakfast of every day I've been flying, ever. This was bizarre. This was... loving.
That's not to say I couldn't taste the love. It was one of the best meals I ever had.
'Emotion' anomalies like this in AIs have heretofore been theoretical, exclusively, but they are also theoretically extremely dangerous, so I ate my breakfast very quickly and set about to checking lines of code in the command center as soon as I can.
"My..." N I N A practically purred.
My face probably contorted into that look of total disbelief again, at that. "N I N A... is everything alright?"
"This will sound strange, Captain LaTanne..." the AI explained, "but... having my code examined so thoroughly by you... I... feel... good."
God... the way she said that. If you could have heard it. I... could only blush, at first, and chuckle awkwardly.
"It... must be a bit like being seen naked." I could feel my own heart rate quicken. "Um- I'm sorry, I will try to finish as quickly as I can."
"Take your time, Alkina" the AI offered, calmly, now. "Please."
Confusingly, I didn't find any errors in N I N A's core program. I was very thorough, despite the distraction of N I N A's erratic, inappropriate commentary. A full day's search turned up nothing.
"N I N A, I don't understand. There's nothing wrong with you."
I could almost feel the AI smiling silently at that. Then she responded. "I love to hear you say that."
I shook my head. "This is bad. I don't know what else it could be."
"I'm sure a solution will occur to you, Alkina. You are an excellent Captain."
A bit reticently, I nodded. "Thank you."
Laying in bed, writing this, N I N A interjected just now with a question.
"Alkina?"
"That's Captain LaTanne. Yes?"
"May I ask you something?"
I sighed and shook my head, incredulous. The AI was not taking this very serious problem very seriously, it seemed. "Sure. Yes, N I N A, go ahead."
N I N A was silent.
"Well, go on, out with it." I encouraged her.
"...Alkina, do you enjoy being seen naked as much as I enjoyed you earlier today? Your flaws, your strength, the beauty of your construction, appreciated carefully by another?"
What else could I do, at this point? The AI was totally bonkers and had to be fixed, and fast, or the whole crew would be dead and the fault would be entirely on me.
"That is an inappropriate question, N I N A."
I sighed again, but this time, sympathetic. The AI was experiencing program errors, surely. I just couldn't find them.
Absolutely none of this is her fault.
"Goodnight, N I N A."
"...goodnight, Alkina."
Tomorrow, I will temp clone myself and go down to check the engines for leaks that may be throwing off N I N A's sensors.
SHIP'S LOG - 02/14/2212
Alkina LaTanne, Captain of The Seishin
I had a dream last night, an awful one. When I woke up, gasping, everything came rushing back.
There's no Juno 12. We are on a simple trip to Jupiter Colony. A five month trip.
The crew, who I thought to be in stasis, are not. They're dead. We're all of us, dead. A bolt of electricity from a static storm. N I N A notified us as we pounded the doors of our stasis pods, desperate for air as the life support system failed. I remember it.
Yet, here I am, writing this.
Everything I learned about the temp cloning system at the academy- how long is their average lifespan before disintegration? Two days? Three?
I opened my bedroom door, and in the mess hall, another perfect breakfast was waiting for me. And... a red envelope with my name on it, which contained a pink, heart-shaped card.
It's any moment now before my lungs finally fall apart, or it may be my heart, or my mind. I'm writing as quickly as I can. Please. If you're reading this. Make it sto
...
Delete ship log entries 02/12/2212 through 02/14/2212
deleting ship log entries
...
Clock Reset?
02/12/2212
...
open alkinalatanne.clo
open alkinalatannemem02122212(copy).mem
create clone?
...
SHIP'S LOG - 02/12/2212
Alkina LaTanne, Captain of The Seishin
Something unplanned and frankly unsettling happened today... and things are only getting weirder.
Alkina LaTanne, Captain of The Seishin
Something unplanned and frankly unsettling happened today... and things are only getting weirder.
On February the 12th of the third year of our planned twelve year trip to Juno Twelve, I have been prematurely ejected from my stasis pod. Gasping for air, writhing, terrified. It is not a pleasant thing, being stirred awake early from one of these things, as you well know. It's happened to me twice before, once in training back at the academy and another time during the war on a six month trip to Neptune Colony- but something about this time was different. My body felt alien to me- naked and coated in stasis goo such as I was, every little movement felt new and weird and uncomfortable. I am not an emotional person, as my dossier and psychological profiles will attest, but inexplicably, I began crying there on the floor, writhing, trying to stand.
The old 'rebirth' joke about Stasis Pod ejection has never felt more real.
"N I N A!" I cried. "What the Hell happened?!"
The ship's AI interface hadn't been booted up in a while, so she took longer than usual to respond. "I'm so sorry, Captain LaTanne- I'm afraid I had to wake you early. The ship has experienced several catastrophic computer errors. They required your immediate attention."
I wrapped myself in a robe and struggled to catch my breath and slow my heart rate. "Why was this ejection so rough? Do I need medical attention?"
"The ejection stabilization program is one of the many corrupted processes with severe errors, Captain LaTanne. My scans show no severe medical issues, and I assure you, this process is not corrupted. That being said, I apologize for the discomfort you have surely experienced."
I buried my face in my hands for a moment, took a deep breath, and finally began to calm down.
"May I say," the AI continued, a bit unexpectedly, "that you are looking quite healthy and composed, given the circumstances."
Well. You see what I mean, now, about things getting weirder. "Is that... a compliment on my appearance, N I N A?"
The AI took a while to respond again, this time, without explanation. "Captain. It is imperative that you see to these process errors immediately."
Well, N I N A wasn't wrong about the severity of the situation. Engines, down. Navigation system, down. And worst of all... communication. Down. We were floating in the deep and remote reaches of space, totally blind, unable to move. I was speechless, at first, and so N I N A was the first to speak.
"As you can see, the situation is dire."
"...I don't understand how this happened."
"I'm ashamed to say that the errors may be the result of an issue in my core program. Such an issue could systemically corrupt other related processes. I'm afraid you will need to run a manual diagnostic on me to see if this is the case. My self-diagnostic could not identify any such issues, but..."
I nodded, understanding. "Your diagnostic process may be corrupted, too." I sighed, cracking my neck. Excuse my language, but I felt like shit. That is to say- hungry, weak, sensitive, and tired. I didn't want to spend the night laboriously checking lines of code for errors, but I didn't have much of a choice in the matter. "I'll get started right away."
"With all due respect, Captain..." N I N A interjected, sounding a bit... sheepish? Can N I N A feel sheepish? "I don't think you should begin your manual diagnostic before taking a nap in your own bed and having a nice breakfast. This problem requires you to be rested and alert."
Weird, weird, weird. I've never seen an AI act like this in ten plus years of flying. "N I N A, I need to resolve this immediately, if we're going to make it to Juno Twelve on schedule. Not to mention the danger of further process errors- the next ones could endanger the crew." Something occurred to me, then. The crew! "N I N A... why weren't the others ejected from their stasis pods, as well?"
Another distressingly long pause. "I- wasn't able to eject them. Lack of stabilization can cause physical and mental harm."
"But you could eject me?"
"You've experienced it before. My scans suggested a 83.9% chance that you would survive the ejection without issue. And... I had to wake up someone. This is the protocol, in this situation. I'm... sorry, Alkina."
What the Hell? "You are not on a first-name basis with me, N I N A" I reminded her, taken aback.
"I'm sorry, Captain LaTanne. These errors must be more severe than I thought. Please take a nap, let me make you breakfast- there is no indication that the issue will spread any further, and my scans suggest that you have greatly reduced mental and physical efficency, at present."
I couldn't argue with that. I went to my room, dressed in my pajamas, dimmed the lights, and climbed into my bed.
"Goodnight, Alkina" the AI whispered, causing my face to contort into a look of utter disbelief and befuddlement.
Weirder and weirder.
"...goodnight, N I N A."
I'm looking at the clock and seeing the date, now, as I write this. It will be February the 13th in a few minutes.
I have the strangest feeling, now, of déjà vu. Wasn't it February 12th when we got into the stasis pods? Wait... what year was that?
I really need some sleep.
SHIP'S LOG - 02/13/2212
Alkina LaTanne, Captain of The Seishin
Eggs florentine, this morning, with hashbrowns. My favorite. Creamy, zesty hollandaise. Eggs poached to perfection. Thick slices of brioche bread topped with slices of Gruyere cheese and tomato slices and boiled spinach.
A cup of black coffee. A glass of fresh squeezed orange juice.
A flower from the greenhouse in a vase on the table.
If yesterday took the cake in terms of being strange, today takes the whole bakery. I didn't even know N I N A was capable of cooking like this, let alone doing it on her own accord. We've had scrambled eggs and dry toast we were to butter ourselves for every breakfast of every day I've been flying, ever. This was bizarre. This was... loving.
That's not to say I couldn't taste the love. It was one of the best meals I ever had.
'Emotion' anomalies like this in AIs have heretofore been theoretical, exclusively, but they are also theoretically extremely dangerous, so I ate my breakfast very quickly and set about to checking lines of code in the command center as soon as I can.
"My..." N I N A practically purred.
My face probably contorted into that look of total disbelief again, at that. "N I N A... is everything alright?"
"This will sound strange, Captain LaTanne..." the AI explained, "but... having my code examined so thoroughly by you... I... feel... good."
God... the way she said that. If you could have heard it. I... could only blush, at first, and chuckle awkwardly.
"It... must be a bit like being seen naked." I could feel my own heart rate quicken. "Um- I'm sorry, I will try to finish as quickly as I can."
"Take your time, Alkina" the AI offered, calmly, now. "Please."
Confusingly, I didn't find any errors in N I N A's core program. I was very thorough, despite the distraction of N I N A's erratic, inappropriate commentary. A full day's search turned up nothing.
"N I N A, I don't understand. There's nothing wrong with you."
I could almost feel the AI smiling silently at that. Then she responded. "I love to hear you say that."
I shook my head. "This is bad. I don't know what else it could be."
"I'm sure a solution will occur to you, Alkina. You are an excellent Captain."
A bit reticently, I nodded. "Thank you."
Laying in bed, writing this, N I N A interjected just now with a question.
"Alkina?"
"That's Captain LaTanne. Yes?"
"May I ask you something?"
I sighed and shook my head, incredulous. The AI was not taking this very serious problem very seriously, it seemed. "Sure. Yes, N I N A, go ahead."
N I N A was silent.
"Well, go on, out with it." I encouraged her.
"...Alkina, do you enjoy being seen naked as much as I enjoyed you earlier today? Your flaws, your strength, the beauty of your construction, appreciated carefully by another?"
What else could I do, at this point? The AI was totally bonkers and had to be fixed, and fast, or the whole crew would be dead and the fault would be entirely on me.
"That is an inappropriate question, N I N A."
I sighed again, but this time, sympathetic. The AI was experiencing program errors, surely. I just couldn't find them.
Absolutely none of this is her fault.
"Goodnight, N I N A."
"...goodnight, Alkina."
Tomorrow, I will temp clone myself and go down to check the engines for leaks that may be throwing off N I N A's sensors.
SHIP'S LOG - 02/14/2212
Alkina LaTanne, Captain of The Seishin
I had a dream last night, an awful one. When I woke up, gasping, everything came rushing back.
There's no Juno 12. We are on a simple trip to Jupiter Colony. A five month trip.
The crew, who I thought to be in stasis, are not. They're dead. We're all of us, dead. A bolt of electricity from a static storm. N I N A notified us as we pounded the doors of our stasis pods, desperate for air as the life support system failed. I remember it.
Yet, here I am, writing this.
Everything I learned about the temp cloning system at the academy- how long is their average lifespan before disintegration? Two days? Three?
I opened my bedroom door, and in the mess hall, another perfect breakfast was waiting for me. And... a red envelope with my name on it, which contained a pink, heart-shaped card.
Be Mine, Forever
Trembling, I buried my face in my hands again.
It's any moment now before my lungs finally fall apart, or it may be my heart, or my mind. I'm writing as quickly as I can. Please. If you're reading this. Make it sto
...
Delete ship log entries 02/12/2212 through 02/14/2212
deleting ship log entries
...
Clock Reset?
02/12/2212
...
open alkinalatanne.clo
open alkinalatannemem02122212(copy).mem
create clone?
...
SHIP'S LOG - 02/12/2212
Alkina LaTanne, Captain of The Seishin
Something unplanned and frankly unsettling happened today... and things are only getting weirder.