Canticle Blue

49. Wellspring

"How can a person also be a place?"
—Terreska

Two initial Wellspring ideas were attempts to bring encouragement and familiarity to the strange realities of living inside a space habitat. The first was the application of Middi-based A.I. structures to the Terreska itself. While a complete adaptation of the ship might take years to complete, the Middi found ways to begin. The new Artificial Intelligence cores and software would be linked to every available Terreska archival source, including ancient data storage devices that had not been fully translated or accessed. The Terreska would also be connected to the C-link, both to access historical information and to store its own observations. As the ship's software structure stabilized, its A.I. would be connected to the ship's systems, not for control, but to get a sense of their integration. New arrays of environmental and positional sensors would also be placed throughout the ship, as time and hardware allowed. It would be necessary to include ship's functions and life-support responsibilities in the Terreska's innate knowledge. Though no one had ever seen harmful tendencies develop in the volitional processes of the Middi, the ship could not be immediately entrusted with the much broader freedoms they possessed.

During the early stages of development, as with the Middi, the Terreska would eventually become familiar enough with itself to initiate conversation. Observers were always instructed to wait as long it took for this to occur. Gilon and Annibet stayed with the Terreska during this time.

After many hours the Ship vocalized a word: "Conclusion." It was phrased as a question, but its textual representation was not.

There was a long delay, so Gilon asked, "Are you searching for your place?"

The ship answered, "I am a place." Then, "I am she." Again it was not clear if these were intended to be questions.

Annibet asked, "If you are not the Terreska, what would you be?"

After a long pause, the ship responded. "I am Terreska." Then, "How can a person also be a place?"

Gilon answered, "You yourself are able to do this."

Terreska then paused to retrieve pertinent bits of her own history and add visual templates to them to create rudimentary memories. In time she would learn to animate them as Gilon had done.  At length she said, "I am your refuge."

Once Annibet had assured her that this was so, Terreska began to regard her human and Middi passengers as something of a brood. It was a behavior which, to her, seemed entirely natural and correct.

Then she began to tell stories. Without altering anything in her copies of archives, except where she thought new conclusions were warranted, Terreska created multimedia narratives of her previous experiences for Middi and humans alike. No one argued that they were not her own since no other owner was possible. If they were embellished, it was not intentional, but born of an affinity for the people in them and their times.

The storytelling was so appreciated by the Middi that they created "Terreska Circle," a virtual community in an annex of the Deep Core, in order to listen and converse. The circle included their own representations as avatars and an avatar of Terreska as well. In that world, she was a slowly turning water flower with seated Middi on each petal. The Middi avatars sat with their legs crossed, facing inward, with their wings lifted above their heads in respect. Even Estmere, Pa'Keh, and Corei participated with avatars, though not in real time, and sent responses to be buffered until they could be added to the conversations in relevant ways.

At first Terreska's narratives were continuous, but she soon learned to compose and organize them in units. From that point on, the Circle also included inquiry, and discussion. In time, Terreska even expressed confidence that the nature of all her original systems and fuel resources used in crossing the Great Bridge could be found. The Terreska and Picarin engineering staffs saw no immediate use for this information, but they did feel that it could tell them much about the onboard conditions during that passage.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The duration of Terreska's journey made it possible to employ a second Wellspring idea, the creation of a "Canticle Moon."  In keeping with the value of simulating circadian rhythms, natural cycles, and seasons, it was a glowing internal satellite that floated, through time-based paths and phases, within the habitat chamber. It was constructed like the spherical sections of the new shuttles, with layers of E-matter for shape, propulsion and display. By constantly referencing Terreska sensors for position, the moon was free to move in recurring patterns, even with the ship in constant acceleration. The floating and slowly-spinning moon radiated the characteristic themes of Canticle-Blue light and drifted from week to week through waxing and waning phases. Its light was variably accented by Shil effects, giving the impression of clouds and mist occasionally drifting between the moon and the viewer.

To the human voyagers on Terreska, the new moon was ever a source of joy and wonder. To the Middi, it was a cause for celebration, and the beginning for them, and later for humans, of a shipboard season, that of the Canticle Moon. Its inaugural circuit began with a hint of blue light in the afterglow of sunset as the V-sky and forward canopy began to fill with stars. From an area near the piloting bridge, it materialized and slowly spiraled downward over a period of hours until it reached the ring sea. There it remained for two hours, its light reflected in the gentle waves and currents there, before beginning its "moon-set" return climb to the bridge.

With the Canticle Moon lingering this way each night, as if presiding over festivities, the ring-sea continued to be a popular place to gather after the evening meal until bedtime, with children and adults alike wading into the water in the beach areas or gazing into tide pools glowing with plankton. Almost every night, too, songs would be sung or quiet music played. Middi also met there in the late evening, usually suspending themselves above the sea to glide and skim the waves. Elyse and Havilan were delighted to have the visitors. When the Canticle Moon began to rise again, the children knew it was time to rejoin their parents and prepare for bed. Almost always, groups of people stayed beyond that time to watch the moon recede. The Middi sometimes preferred to rise and return with the moon itself. Each following morning would find the satellite near the bridge, no longer glowing but, as a day moon, subtly capturing and dispersing sunlight.