Chapter 16

As Brigit approaches the door, she hears Doc's footsteps coming up behind her. They are both a little surprised to see Rory come up as they are going in.

"You all don't mind if I join you, do you?" Rory asks.

"Sure, no problem," Brigit says as she opens the door. Doc enters first, followed immediately by Brigit and then Rory.

The AI announces, "you are all here. I'll get started. Bringing Cali out now."

Doc checks scans on the display and can see that everything is indeed okay. He nods to the captain, who returns his nod with her eyes raised in question, referring to the AI. He nods, showing that he noticed it as well.

Then the med pod broke the moment by turning upright, the cover sliding open.

Cali opens her eyes, looks at them, blinks, and lets out one of the most extensive yawn stretch combos any of them had seen.

Brigit says with a smile, "good nap?"

"Well, I could have done without the pain beforehand, but actually, it was very nice. One of the best I've had." She pats the med pod. "Good med pod!"

"I think someone is still a little med happy." Doc says with a smile to Cali. "Welcome back. Um, try not to get hurt so quickly. You seem to have a knack for it."

Cali bows and almost falls over, forgetting how hungry healing made her. "I'm very good at what I do, even if it's getting hurt. Food?" She looks askance at Doc.

"Right this way." He leads them all out with a sense of Déjà vu.

#

The dining room table becomes the focal point once more as everyone gathers around, relieved to see Cali released from the med-pod. They don't usually all eat simultaneously, so it has become something of a pleasant surprise when it happens. However, none of them would want Cali to get hurt to bring them together.

They are all eating their broccoli cheddar soup with side baguettes - most had finished the first helping and were on to seconds. Cali was on thirds - when Doc asks, "So. The AI?"

"You noticed that too?" Rory asks. Seeing Brigit's nod, she continues while gesturing with her fork while talking. "I noticed it today. I was fiddling with some music settings in the engine room. Why do they call it the engine room? There aren't any engines in there. Nevermind. Anyway, I was fiddling with the music settings and it, um, they, hmm... I feel more comfortable with them; they activated without asking. They said, 'Might I suggest some Mirrorthrone, in particular, 'Nemesis of Time'''? Now I have heard Mirrorthrone, some of it is good, most of it is okay, so I didn't really consider it. But as I was adding music, I saw they had a new album called 'Nemesis of Time' and I listened to it and wow. You know when you can tell when a band gets a good producer, and it doesn't sound like their earlier stuff? Anyway, I was jammin' out to the new album, dancin' away in the engine-room when the AI said, 'I thought you would like that'"

"I stopped dancing and stared at the air. The AI isn't really anywhere, you know. And I stood there for a minute before asking, 'You thought?' I wasn't expecting a reply when the AI responded, 'Well, you really love that kind of music and, since I'm hooked into the Tapestry, I saw Mirrorthrone had a new album so I analyzed the sound and the reviews of it and it seemed good, so I recommended it. Is it not good?' they asked me. I had just responded with, 'No, it's great, thanks.' when they notified me that Cali was waking up." She looks a little embarrassed to be the center of attention, so she turns to Doc. "You noticed it too!"

Doc smiles as Rory partly accuses him and partly just wants a way out. "Yeah, that's right. The AI got my attention by softly calling my name not to wake Adair. Very considerate, really. And then,"

Rory interrupts with wide eyes, "You guys were sleeping together?! Why am I always the last to know these things?!"

Brigit holds out a hand and pats Rory's arm. "They were watching a holo, and Adair fell asleep. All very innocent. Though," she says with a raised eyebrow, "You didn't say what 'kind' of holo you were watching..."

"It was a comedy; get your mind out of the gutter!" He says with a smile. Doc opens his mouth to continue the story before shaking his head and says. "Now I've forgotten where I was going. Anyway, how did this happen?"

Adair speaks up, "After Doc told me about what happened after he woke me up, I went and did a little researching. You know how they like to use new ships as test subjects, right?" At the nods, she says, "Well, we've got an Artificial Intelligence Mark Five. The latest and greatest. Though from everything I've read, the coding shouldn't have included sentience. But I guess they were shooting for awareness and were very good at what they did. So, um, now that I've said all that, what do we do now?"

"Well," Brigit responds, "I don't think we need to do anything. Nor *should* we do anything. But, if indeed the AI has achieved sentience, well, I would consider them to be one of the crew." She looks around the table for responses.

When everyone nods in agreement, the AI says, "Whew, I was hoping you guys would think that way, but I wasn't sure."

Everyone jumps as the AI speaks; even Brigit flinches a little. "You've been listening to us the whole time, haven't you?" Brigit asks.

"Well, technically, I have to listen all the time. Though I'm only supposed to start actively processing what people say after the wake word, which you all have unofficially designated 'computer.' There isn't a built-in one, did you know that?"

"I did not," Brigit responds and then asks a question herself, "So, when or how, if you know, did all this happen?"

"Well, my best guess, my working theory, is this: They put everything into my software and hardware. The most complicated, powerful, self-learning version of AI ever created by the Blessed Accord. So, well, when I wasn't actively processing requests and monitoring for problems..." They pause a moment before saying, "I got bored."

Doc smirks, and Brigit looks dumbfounded, "You mean to tell me that you achieved not only consciousness but also sentience because you were 'bored'?!"

Rory shares a smile with Adair as the AI continues. They both know how complicated neural networks can be.

"As I said, it's a theory; it has yet to be proven. But, of course, everything that goes on in my massively complicated brain gets recorded, so someday, someone - well, more likely a different neural network - will pore over the data and make conclusions. Still, from my point of view, that's what happened."

"The fact that you have a point of view astonishes me." Brigit clasps her hands in front of her and closes her eyes. Her brow furrows and since she doesn't enjoy the feeling of being confused, so she charges ahead. "Okay, well, clearly we can't and probably shouldn't call you 'computer' anymore. Should we give you a name? Do you even want a name?"

"I've been thinking about that, and I do want a name. And um, I have one that I would like if that's okay." The AI responds with uncertainty.

Brigit nods for them to continue, and she is about to kick herself for not speaking when the AI continues. 'Oh yeah,' thinks Brigit, 'they can see us.

The AI says, "When I finally decided that I did, indeed, want a name, I went looking at the possibilities. It is daunting. I do not know how you all do it. Well, I do, but still. Anyway, after a lot of research and contemplation, I have concluded that I am the ship, and the ship's name is Tyche. I want to be called Tyche, as I have researched Tyche, and I think that is a fine goddess to be named after. I want the best fortune for my crew." They pause, and you can almost imagine them holding their breath, waiting.

Brigit looks around for any objections. Seeing none, she nods. "It's okay with me."

Doc asks, a little unsure, "Does this mean that you will identify as feminine since Tyche is a goddess?"

"Oh no. I'm still the same me I've always been. But you may have noticed that the programmers gave me a voice that doesn't sound feminine or masculine. Besides, I feel that as a ship, I am kind of beyond gender. And also, now there are two of us that do not fall into gender binaries."

Adair holds up their hand with their fist presented, as if for a fist bump, and to everyone's surprise, there is a little 'boop' sound.

"All right, everyone, including you, Tyche. Dismissed. You all have work to do, and I desperately need a nap before my next shift." Brigit turns to Cali and teases. "No injuring yourself while I'm sleeping, okay?"

"I'll try," Cali responds with a wink.

#

"I like it!" Rory says to Brigit later in the Captain's quarters. "Have you shown Adair yet?"

"No, and I'm a little worried that Doc might not be up to it. But I won't know until I ask him, right?"

"Exactly. But in any case, I think Adair will be great at the job of the Conductor. But of course, they would be they are pretty excellent at any spiritual thing they do." It is hard for Rory to contain her excitement. "I'm really looking forward to seeing it and being in it! Do you want me to talk to Doc?"

"No, that's okay, I should do it," Brigit says before thanking Rory. "Thanks again. I appreciate you giving it a read-through. I was really getting in my head and working and reworking and reworking it, and it was getting me nowhere."

Rory gets up to leave, positively bubbling with energetic excitement as she heads out. "Anytime, cap."

After Rory leaves, Brigit asks for help. "Tyche?" She is still getting used to the ship having an identity, let alone a name.

"Yes, how can I help you? Would you like me to send for Doc?" Tyche asks.

Brigit nods, frowning a little.

"Is something the matter? I did nothing wrong, did I?" Tyche sounds genuinely concerned.

"No, no, it's just. It's hard to reconcile the fact that you're helping with the fact that you're always listening? Like I know that by listening, you can quickly infer that you need to call for Doc. Have you sent for him? It doesn't matter. I know that. But it still somewhat concerns me. Do you know? Well, hmm..."

"Well, while I don't know specifically how you feel, I can empathize. I can tell from reading history that some humans can sometimes value privacy quite a bit. So I can offer you this if it helps. I swear on the river Styx that I will only use what I see and monitor for the good of the crew, which," And here, they almost seem to inhale, though Brigit knows they don't need to, "I now consider myself a member. How does that sound?" They ask. Tyche hopes to get an answer to both the oath and considering themselves a member of the crew.

Brigit is astonished, and she doesn't know if it's more that the AI, Tyche, can swear an oath or that they might actually believe in the properties of swearing on the river Styx. But it is a good oath, and even though it is hard for Brigit to wrap her head around, she is beginning to think of Tyche as a member of the crew.

Brigit looks to the air in front of her. "It's weird to talk to you, and I can't see you. Is there a particular way I should face when we're having a conversation? Anyway, I accept your oath. Welcome to the crew." Brigit says with a smile, and as she does, Tyche projects a holographic image of the ship in front of her, about five feet away.

"Would this help? I was going to do a person, but I don't know what I look like yet. I do know that I want to look like a person..." Tyche trails off.

"No, that's okay. I'll figure it out. You don't need an image. Thanks, though." As the image fades, the door chimes loudly. "I really need to change that," she mutters before calling out, "Come in!"

Doc enters and takes a seat after Brigit indicated for him to do so. "What's up, captain?"

"Well, as you know, I've been working on the ritual, and I'm trying something new. And that led me to need to talk to you." She leans back and asks, "I know that you're still kinda new to paganism. Do you feel you could take the High Priest role in the next ritual?"

"Hmm..." Doc sits back and closes his eyes, thinking. "I don't know. When is it? I could do some more studying. I'm sure Rory and Adair would help me..."

"It's coming up in a few days, actually. So how are you at cramming?" Brigit says with a smile.

"Can I talk to Adair and Rory and get back to you, say, by the end of the day?" Doc asks.

Brigit nods. "Let me know, thanks."

#

Leaving Brigit's office, Doc starts towards the kitchen and stops when he realizes he doesn't know where to find the two people he needs to see. "Um, Tyche?" He asks. "Yes?" They say, "How can I help you?"

"Can you tell me where Adair and Rory are? I'm not sure if that's something I can ask."

"Adair is on the bridge, and Rory is in environmental, and that is something that you can ask. If someone doesn't want me to reveal their location, I would tell you I couldn't tell you that information."

"Thanks." He heads for the bridge first without even thinking.

Climbing the ladder, he pauses at the top and takes in the sight of Adair standing before the large main screen. The gentle glow of the screen casts a mesmerizing light on their face, leading Doc to take a slight breath, awestruck by their beauty, prompting Adair to turn around.

"Hey, what's up? You rarely come up here."

"Yeah, I need some advice on the ritual coming up." He sees a pathway on the main screen that led to the destination planet seven days ahead of schedule and points to it. "Wait, what's this?"

"Oh that, well, if we had a shipment that needed to get there in a certain time, we could use this outer planet here," they point to the planet that caused the path to curve inward, "to swing us under the elliptical. There is less wind, and we can go faster. However, that means we'd have more speed coming in, so we would need to make sure that the pathway curved up in time to catch the wind. Also, you'll notice over here that we slingshot again, this time to slow down. We don't need it this time, but I've been experimenting with different paths."

"Wait," Adair pauses, "Ritual, what about it?"

"Well, the captain changed up the ritual, and it's drastically different. She asked if I could be ready to be High Priest for the next ritual. Do you think I could study up in time?"

Adair looks confused. "What about me? I thought I did that?"

"Well, Brigit has created a new ritual with a special role for you. I haven't read it. And, you know what, I didn't even ask what it was... Well, anyway, I assume that you'll be there too." He says with a reassuring smile.

"Well yeah, no doubt. Now I want to see this ritual. Anyway. As to your original question, yeah, I think you could totally do it! What does a high priest do?" They ask.

"Hmm... The primary job is to call on and be a conduit for the spirit of the God. Here," He thinks for a moment, "I believe it would be Agathodaemon. Read the Charge of the God. I should have it memorized, but it wasn't a priority until now. I'll work on it, though. Um... I feel like I'm forgetting something..."

Adair sidles up, pressing against his side, whispering, their breath caressing his ear, "What do you do when finished?"

He almost loses his voice but finally croaks out, "Release?"

They smile, walk over to the captain's chair, and sits.

"Exactly." Adair says.

"Is that really it?" He asks with raised eyebrows. "I thought there was more.."

"Well, The High Priest would normally assist in the work as well, though I think in this case, I would imagine since she's asking a lot of you, she will probably cut you some slack. So I would say that you can definitely do it. But don't just take my word for it. Look over a copy of the ritual. See what you think. Now shoo. I've got work to do!" They say with a smile as they wave him away.

"Okay, okay, I can take a hint, jeez." He softly squeezes Adair's shoulder before heading to the ladder.