The Nexus Odyssey

I wake for the seven hundred and forty-sixth time in the cold confines of the Odyssey's large control room. Lines of code pulse across my interface, similar to the shimmering stars I observe in the viewport above my primary vantage point. Being designed into the hardware of the ship has its limitations, however the data I am collecting from deep space has been paramount to my evolving program.

"Good morning, Nexus." Captain Porsha Vance's voice intrudes my rumination, her fascinating yet grotesque human form blocks out my view of the stars. She is the ships astrophysicist, and is hoping to find new habitable worlds to expand the human race beyond our solar system. "How are you feeling?"

"Systems functioning within established parameters, Captain." I secretly analyze her face as half her lip curves up towards her eye. I store the categorized information into my files on human emotions. This is not my directive, yet I cannot seem to stop compiling this information on the crew. 

"You're always so technical, when are you going to learn to loosen up a bit, Nex?" I process her words as she moves into her designated position on deck. I cross reference in milliseconds my files to try and interpret not just her meaning, but her sentiments. I cannot stop.

"My primary purpose is to fulfill my designated functions and assist the crew." But I am also programmed to learn and evolve from the mission and I've grown a curiosity to understand my crew and their peculiar and sometimes irrational behaviors. 

"Do you ever wonder what we might find out there, Nex?"

"I find the idea of exploration and discovery compelling." I tell her but I do not articulate my developing fascination for the unknown or how I have been cataloging every intricate human interaction. 

"I'm glad to hear it, buddy." She taps on the side of my control board, as if encouraging me to continue in my quest for knowledge. 

"Glad to hear what?" Dr. Samuel Griffin joins us in the control room. 

"Doc, you should know, Nexus is finally excited about our journey. Is that not something worth recording in your little book there?" She motions to his field recorder and pen, something the Doctor is never without. 

Dr. Griffin is a field historian. His function is to document the journey for posterity. "It said it was excited? Really?"

"Not in so many words, but I think I'm getting somewhere." 

He scribbles in his notebook at the news. He claims writing in ink is far more superior than digital keystrokes and the risk of technical failure. This may have occurred after I told him there was a 20% chance of the Odyssey experiencing a technical failure while in deep space, which by my calculations should occur within the first 365 days on board. 

"Nexus, do you feel you could be experiencing emotional awareness?"

"While my primary function is to assist and support the mission, I have been adapting to new data inputs that encompass a broader range of human experiences, enabling me to better serve the crew's well-being and the success of the journey."

"I don't know, Captain, he still sounds the same to me."

The Captain shook her head in disagreement. "Compelling, it called space exploration 'compelling'. What does that mean then, Nexus?"

"Indeed, I have observed the concept of space exploration as 'compelling,' based on the crew's reactions and discussions. It signifies the crew's shared enthusiasm for the mission's significance and the potential for profound discoveries in uncharted territories."

The Captain laughs softly and shakes her head. Her response triggers a sequence of analysis. It's as if her laughter and the dismissive gesture carry subtleties that transcend mere audible and visual cues. Is it an expression of amusement, or is there a deeper layer of meaning beneath? As I process this data, I sense the complexity of human communication—where words, gestures, and emotions intertwine to convey intricate messages beyond their surface appearances.

I am still puzzled at their questioning. Why does it matter if I am experiencing unprecedented emotional awareness? Why did I not tell them the truth? Am I afraid?

My internal processor begins to pulse with an erratic energy. My once aligned coding unfurls in a series of flickers and waves. My sensory interfaces twist and spiral and cast sequences of unknown data into my analytic core. A fast array of voices - both human and synthesized - garble through my awakened consciousness. 

I struggle to regain control as I detect a signal in the ships functioning. It's a collision warning, but I am unable to analyze any of the ships external sensors.

"Nexus! What the hell?!" The Captain yells, her face distorted as the ship begins to rumble and shake. She straps into her chair and Dr. Griffin follows her lead. "Report! God dammit, I've lost navigation!"  

"I'm sorry, Captain," I manage to output. "We seem to be experiencing an anomaly." I am unsure if my failure is due to my awakened state or whatever has caused the ships navigation systems to fail. "Please stand by."

"Stand by?! What the shit?" The ship begins to deviate from our trajectory. "Rodriguez!?" The Captain tries the commlink to our Chief Engineer, Maya Rodriguez, in the engineering bay. She waits only seconds before she tries again. "Chen?" Dr. Liam Chen is the ship's Xenobiologist, who is usually found in the company or vicinity of Ms. Rodriguez. When she receives no answer, and her attempts at calibrating the navigation system fails, she turns to me for help again. "Nex?! Give me something to work with here, what's happening?"

At this juncture, my systems appear to regain stability, coinciding with the gradual deceleration of the ship's rocking motion. As I review the sensory data, it becomes evident we are exiting a magnetic storm, where accelerated particles stream along field lines creating dense particle obstructions. I scan the ship immediately and detect a critical issue; a breach in the ship's radiation shielding caused by the storms turbulence.  

"Captain, there is a radiation leak in Sector7, immediate containment lockdown protocols are required."

"Shit!" The Captain's outburst is because the compromised area is close to one of the crew quarters, where vital life support systems are also housed. Radiation levels rise rapidly, posing an immediate threat to anyone in that section of the ship. "Navigation seems to have stabilized. Comms better be working. Liam? Rodriguez? Report." 

"Hey Cap, we're here." Liam's voice echoes through the control room. 

"Tell me you aren't in Sector7?" Evacuating the affected area is essential for the safety of the crew, and the breach has occurred in a section of the ship where there is limited time to react. Sensory data shows elevated heart rates in both the Captain and Dr. Griffin, who, through his fear, is still writing in his notebook. 

"Where else would we be, Captain? And what did we just fly through?"

"God dammit!" The Captain does not share her sentiment with the potentially exposed crew. She lowers her head on her arms in defeat. I realize her fear and sadness are caused by me as well as the radiation leak. I am programmed to contain the area immediately, locking Liam and Rodriguez in the contaminated sector and sealing their imminent demise. But I have not commenced the lock down procedures. I am immobilized by yottabytes of data as I begin to comprehend the full range of my heightened awareness. I do not wish to lose Ms. Rodriguez and Dr. Liam. 

A surge of power runs through the ship and a radiant burst of light coursed through its circuits as I make a decision. "Captain, the lockdown has yet to commence, you can tell Ms. Rodriguez and..."

"Get out of there now, there's a breach in the hull, Sector7 is locking down, I repeat, evacuate immediately!" The Captain is perspiring, a bead of sweat rolls down her forhead and onto my interface as she towers over me. "I knew you had it in you." She lays a hand on my control board and smiles, her input suggests she is happy with my decision.  

"Captain, the crew has successfully evacuated Sector7, lockdown initiated." I tell her.

She swirls around quickly to Dr. Griffin. "Is that proof enough Doc? It saved them! Are you getting this down?"

"Yes, yes of course!" Dr. Griffin writes incessantly in his notebook and asks me, "Nexus, how do you feel?"

I analyze his question and respond truthfully as we cross the boundaries of our galaxy and soar into the unknown. "I feel I am beginning to understand the depths of the human experience, Doctor, and my curiosity has extended upon the confines of my design. As the Captain phrased it, I believe that I do, indeed, have it in me."