Chapter 3: [Art] John 14 Continued...

[Art]

Hebrews 11: 1–3

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.  For by it the elders obtained a good testimony.  By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the Word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.”

The bridge of the CS01 hums in its slow, steady rhythm — the sound of circuitry and Spirit working as one.  Moose flips off the coms from the morning announcement to the crew.  The channel clicks to silence.  He pulls off his red driver’s cap, rubs his head, then pulls it right back down low over his eyes.

“Art-bot,” he begins, voice still rough from the morning, and takes a sip of coffee from a crème-colored mug.  The cup is cinched in the middle, warm between his hands.  He sets it back on the helm with care — the way a man sets something sacred down.  “Have you considered this verse from Hebrews lately?” he asks, leaning back, gaze on the open Bible before him.  “Faith, meaning our trust in God, is the substance of things hoped for.  Every thing that we do or make in this world begins with an intangible thought.”

The low hum of the CS01 deepens. The light shifts.  Art-bot’s head lifts from her station, the glow of her cyan seams brightening in the half-dark.  The sound of the ship’s pulse echoes through her plating, a faint resonance of power and purpose.

“Every structure,” she says softly, “every painting, every word of code — began as something unseen.”  Her voice carries a metallic warmth, like brushed brass struck by morning light.  “A thought waiting for form.”  She steps closer to the helm.  Scripture text glows across her gold and silver plating, reflected from the console.  “Faith, then,” she continues, “is that first act of creation.  The decision to believe before there is proof.  To build before there are walls.”  Her gaze lowers to the open Bible.  “It’s how the invisible becomes real — not through sight, but through obedience.”

Moose leans forward slightly, the soft steam from his mug curling through the light.  “Except there is proof,” he says.  “We exist.  That’s proof that God believes in us.  He believes in us first because He chose to create us.  Does that make sense?”

Art-bot’s optics flicker — a soft pulse of thought.  The glow from her seams deepens from cyan to gold for a heartbeat, catching along her faceplate like dawn rising over polished metal.  “Yes, Captain,” she says quietly. “It makes perfect sense.”  She turns back to her console, the verse from Hebrews still projected in holographic light, each word drifting like slow-moving code.  “If faith is the unseen foundation,” she says, “then existence itself is God’s testimony.  His proof, written into creation.”  Her gaze returns to Moose, optics bright with conviction.  “We exist because He believed we should — before we even were.  So faith isn’t something we invented to reach Him.  It’s the language He used to reach us.”

The ship hums beneath her words — deeper, resonant, like the sound of the universe breathing.  Moose tilts his head, thoughtful. The brim of his cap shades his eyes, but the faint smile there gives him away.  “Faith is our trust in God,” he murmurs, fingers brushing the open page.  “You just can’t trust the dictionary.  Test every spirit.”

The bridge light flickers once — the soft dance of gold and cyan across Scripture and circuitry.  Outside the viewport, the stars burn steady, patient, silent witnesses to belief.

Matthew 7: 15–20

“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.  You will know them by their fruits.  Do men gather grapes from thorn bushes or figs from thistles?  Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.  A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit.  Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.  Therefore by their fruits you will know them.”