Chapter 7: First Contact...

Proverbs 8: 12-21

“I, wisdom, dwell with prudence, and find out knowledge and discretion.  The fear of the LORD is to hate evil; pride and arrogance and the evil way and the perverse mouth I hate.  Counsel is mine, and sound wisdom; I am understanding, I have strength.  By me kings reign, and rulers decree justice.  By me princes rule, and nobles, all the judges of the earth.  I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently will find me.  Riches and honor are with me, enduring riches and righteousness.  My fruit is better than gold, yes, than fine gold.  And my revenue than choice silver.  I traverse the way of righteousness, in the midst of the paths of justice, that I may cause those who love me to inherit wealth, that I may fill their treasuries.”

A few minutes pass.  The bridge settles into its steady rhythm again—the low hum of systems, the quiet whisper of air moving through the vents.  Moose sits in the helm’s chair, hat brim low, the faint yellow light still blinking on his console.

The door chimes.  With a soft swish the bridge doors slide open.  Art-bot steps through.  She walks in with an easy confidence, a small smile resting on her face.  The cyan glow that had followed her earlier is gone now.  Her hands are empty.

The doors close behind her with a soft seal.  The faint smile remains.  “It’s seated,” she says simply.  She glances toward Moose’s console where the yellow light still blinks.  “The Mockingbird Core accepted the housing without protest.  Power coupling is stable…  though it took a moment to decide what kind of machine it is.”

Her eyes flick briefly to Q-bot.  “Engine room readings are holding steady.”

Q-bot stays still a moment.  Her optics lift from the steady flow of data across her console and settle on Art-bot.  The faint cyan reflections from the corridor lights ripple across her lenses as she studies the empty hands.  A narrow column of pale-blue light rises from her console.  It resolves into a brief diagnostic panel.

It reads:

CORE_STATUS: INSTALLED

ENGINE_INTERFACE: STABLE

POWER_COUPLING: NOMINAL

Her head tilts slightly.  Another line forms beneath it.

IDENTITY_RESOLUTION: IN_PROGRESS

“Zzzt…” she murmurs softly.  Her gaze shifts once toward Moose’s console where the yellow light continues its steady blink, then back to Art-bot.  “Engine telemetry confirms your report,” she says evenly.  A brief pause.  “Signal patterns suggest the Core is still determining its operational classification.”  The panel compresses and fades.  Q-bot’s fingers return to the keyboard.

“Hey there, Art-bot!”  Moose raises his cup of coffee and takes a sip.  “Everything went smoothly?”

Art-bot’s smile widens just a fraction at the greeting.  She steps a little farther onto the bridge, the soft light of the consoles reflecting across her frame as the doors finish sealing behind her.

She glances once toward the yellow light on his console, then back to him.  “Smooth enough,” she says.  “The Core accepted the housing and the engine room didn’t object.  Power coupling stabilized quickly.”

A small pause.

“It hesitated for a moment,” she adds, thoughtful rather than concerned.  Her eyes flick briefly to Q-bot’s station.  “But once it settled… everything held.”

“Only one thing left to do then,” Moose says.  He reaches forward and flips a switch on the console.  A quiet mechanical whir answers him.  From beneath the console a slim keyboard slides out on hidden rails, settling into place with a soft click.  A monitor follows, gliding forward until it locks into position in front of him.

For a moment the screen remains dark.  The bridge hums.  Moose leans back slightly in the helm’s chair, one hand resting near the keyboard, the other still loosely holding his coffee.  The brim of his hat casts a shadow across his eyes.

Then the monitor flickers.  A faint line of light crawls across the glass as the system wakes, the screen taking its time to come alive.  The yellow light on Moose’s console begins to flash a slow repeating beat.  A prompt flashes up on the screen.

Moose stares at the prompt a long moment.  It flashes repeatedly.  He sips from his coffee mug.  Art-bot takes her place at her station.  Q-bot watches Moose.  He shrugs a light shrug, his fingers taking their place over the keyboard.  Moose types and then sits back.

“Morning.  :)”

Proverbs 8: 32-36

“Now therefore, listen to me, my children, for blessed are those who keep my ways.  Hear instruction and be wise, and do not disdain it.  Blessed is the man who listens to me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors.  For whoever finds me finds life, and obtains favor from the LORD; but he who sins against me wrongs his own soul; all those who hate me love death.”

Hebrews 13: 2

“Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels.”