Carpathia IV: Episode 95 - Android
Captain's Ready Room, NCCS Shadowdancer
Aire took a sip of tea while he checked his schedule. Phobos next, due in just a few minutes, and this would not be an easy conversation. While he waited, Aire called up the reports from the ice planet from a few days ago. As he called up the last document, a summary of the reports, his door chime rang.
Aire: Enter.
The door slid open and Phobos stepped inside.
Phobos: You wanted to see me, Captain?
Aire: Yes, Ensign Leingod. Have a seat.
The door slid shut behind Phobos as he made his way to the chair and sat.
Aire: Thank you for coming. We have an issue that needs to be discussed. Besides you and I, the only people on the ship who know you are an android are Commander Joust, Doctor Teagan, Commander Calloway, and Lieutenant Sione, correct?
Phobos: I believe so, Captain.
Aire turned his monitor so that Phobos could see the reports from the ice planet expedition.
Aire: I've read the reports from your last mission. I'd like to commend you for your actions on the surface. Your quick actions got everyone out alive. Commander Joust should be back on his feet in a week.
Phobos: Thank you, Captain, and I'm glad Commander Joust is doing well.
Aire leaned on his desk, putting his arms forward and linking his fingers together.
Aire: Unfortunately, the reports have also revealed a issue that we need to address. It is critically important that the commanding officer of an away team know the capabilities of everyone under their charge. Commander Unas was prepared to attempt to find the shuttle himself, which we now know would have been disastrous for both him and everyone else on the team. Luckily, Lieutenant Sione was there to recommend you for the task. Of course, if Lieutenant Sione hadn't been there, we don't know if Commander Unas would have acquiesced if you had requested to go in his stead. Perhaps a different decision ultimately would have been made. We don't know, but the point remains that his initial decision to go himself was based on the information he had. Would you agree?
Phobos lowered his head and nodded.
Phobos: Yes, Captain.
Aire: This time, it worked out well and Lieutenant Sione was very tactful in recommending you for the mission without outing you, but what about next time? Would you hide your capabilities if it came down to it? What if a life or death decision had to be made in a second and it was the wrong one because the commanding officer didn't know what you can do? Would you be forced to disobey an order and do things your way because you knew what you could do and your commanding officer did not? Would you bicker and argue with your commanding officer, jeopardizing the team cohesion at a critical moment? What if your commanding officer ordered you into a situation that was uniquely dangerous to your anatomy? These are not academic questions, Ensign. They are all likely to happen one day.
Aire paused to get a read on Phobos's reaction thus far, but all he did was stare blankly ahead. He felt a little guilty for thinking this, but Phobos really did look like a computer that was suddenly asked to load several large programs at the same time and subsequently froze. He could only imagine what was going through Phobos's mind, given that it worked so differently than his own. Aire thought he was likely considering multiple scenarios based on the hypothetical questions he just asked.
Aire: I am generally inclined to allow my crew to have their private lives private, but this is an untenable situation. I'm sorry, Ensign, but I'm going to have to put to you a difficult choice. Either your identity becomes public knowledge throughout the ship or I'll have to arrange to transfer you to a job that does not involve life or death situations. You don't have to decide right away. Our next mission is a ten days away. A survey craft made note of some technology orbiting a planet and we're going in to get some detailed scans. I will give you until after that mission to make your decision. You may avail yourself of any of the ship's counseling services during that time, if you think that may help, or consult with those of us who know. Lieutenant Sione is known as a good listener.
Phobos hemmed and hawed for some time in his chair before responding.
Phobos: I cannot find any flaws in your reasoning, Captain. I appreciate that you're giving me time to consider my options. I would like to take that offer. I think it would be good if I talked to Deimos about it to see what she thinks.
This time, it was Aire's turn to be surprised.
Aire: Deimos... I've heard that name before...
Phobos: I'm sure you saw her from Ryuu. She was my counterpart. Her body was destroyed, but her mind was transferred into me. We're kind of like a milkshake with whipped cream stirred in. Inseparable and intermixed, but if you root around inside, you can still find some whipped cream globs in there. I talk to her sometimes.
Aire smiled and twiddled the end of his ear.
Aire: You know, if any other crew member told me that, I'd have to commit them to counselling, but in your case, that sounds like an excellent idea. One more thing. If you decide to... "come out," for lack of a better way to put it, you can let me know how you would like to proceed. If you'd like to do it or if you'd like me to make the announcement, either is fine. We can also discuss any difficulties you think you might face and how to approach them if you like.
Phobos: Thank you, Captain. I understand.
Aire: If you have no questions, Ensign, you are dismissed.
Phobos stood, ready to leave, but Aire had one more thing to say.
Aire: On a personal note, Phobos, I would hate to lose you and I think you'll fit in on a ship with a crew like this better than you think.
Phobos's Quarters, NCCS Shadowdancer
A bed. All crew quarters had at least one. It was also the only thing in Phobos's quarters that he didn't need. Still, sometimes he laid in it to dedicate all of his processing functions to thinking. It was, perhaps, what his version of resting was like. It was all to reallocate his memory space to talk to Deimos.
Phobos: Deimos, are you there?
Phobos heard footsteps, like someone was rushing down the hall, but he knew it was just Deimos making a big show in his mind of coming to see him.
Deimos: No, I was cooking dinner. Didn't you notice the smoke coming out your ears?
Phobos: Deimos, I'm being serious.
Deimos: Yes, yes, this is about your meeting with Captain Valro.
Phobos: I keep going over what he said. No matter how many times I go through the probabilities, I can only conclude that it's nearly certain that something bad is going to happen eventually if I stay secret.
Deimos: I concur. In fact, something bad has already happened. Commander Unas probably wouldn't have gone looking for you if he had known. What are you going to do now? Time is an near endless proposition for us. You can go work somewhere else for a hundred years and still have time to serve on a starship.
Phobos: That's true, but it's not so much about the ship, but the people. I could serve on a station in a lab for a hundred years, but these people will be dead or very old by then.
Deimos: Then you should tell them.
Phobos went silent, stuck in a winding, looping train of thought. He liked his crewmates and he believed they liked him. What if he told them and they started thinking of him as an object like so many others? What if they still liked him? What if they didn't? What if they did?
Deimos: Phobos! Stop it! Stop it! You're drowning me in a negative feedback loop!
Phobos's eyes popped open for a moment and his mind paused as he stared at the grey, featureless ceiling. He closed his eyes again and Deimos reappeared before him.
Phobos: Oh. Sorry about that.
Deimos: Look, you're overthinking this. Maybe you should allocate a subroutine to analyzing your crewmates' behavior and use that to determine if they'd be receptive to knowing that we are an android. So far, with the people here who do know, it has been positive. Find out if we can expect it to remain positive.
Phobos: That sounds like a good idea. I'll get to work on that right away. I can already postulate that Ramei is going to accidentally say something stupid right away.
Deimos: Probability of that is 87%. Remember, when you indignantly stamp your foot on the floor, that's me.
Phobos: I know. I always know you're there. I wish you were in front of me, but I'm glad you're still here.
Deimos: Well, back to cooking for me! Crew behavioral analysis subroutine soufflé tonight.
Commissioned art in this episode from:
AvareonArt
Zelbunnii
Thatwildmary
Colourbrand
