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Mazones électriques
Reboot
Disclaimer : the captain, the ship and the computer are inspired by Captain Harlock from Leiji Matsumoto. Don't own them even if I wish to.
This story is the translation of the chapter 2 of "Mazones électriques". Many thanks to my sister for that.
English not being my first language, mistakes are bound to remain... So feel free to notice me about it.
o-o-o-o-o-o
/SEARCH/
He had designed a ship able to defy the whole universe. He had provided it with the best equipments and the most advanced technologies. He had concentrated all the innovations – up to the most audacious – of the spatial engineering in it. He had added his own personal discoveries which made this ship so dangerously unique. He had consecrated his life for it.
He had put his soul in it.
/DOWNLOAD/
He had confied the ship to his best friend and his ideals, and he could not have dreamt of a best captain. For his part, he had always prefered building than commanding. He had wandered through the galaxy, always searching for new improvements for his creation. He had then spent the best years of his life.
Well… His life and his second life, as the captain liked to recall.
/COMPRESS DATA/
He had not noticed the changes at once. He had so much to do, the ship had so many different terminals, so many electronics systems that he never tired of skimming through them. He could spend days on a logic problem or on a bit arduous computing programmation. He had all the time he could need.
/SAVING FILES/
Time… He had finally realized that his connection to time had nothing to do anymore with the one humans shared. A computer doesn’t need rest nor food, doesn’t have to be concerned about illness or oldness. Little by little, he had came to forget what these concepts meant. Sometimes, he even happened to send a computing message to the captain to complain about the lack of reactivity of the crew.
/DATA ERROR – RECOVER/
The captain had not made any comment about it. Once, he made him remarked that humans had their own limits, and that they were usually below those of computers. And then he had never again mentioned the other similar messages.
/ANALIZING/
The captain had respected his choice. He had gone on considering him like someone alive, and like his friend. He had not appeared disturbed with speaking to a spaceship or drinking with him, nor was he worried about what the other passengers would think. It must be said that the captain weren’t likely to let himself be influenced by anything.
And still… Months passing, followed by years, their relationship had subdued. He had to admit that it was harder to frankly relax in company of a computing terminal – even gifted with consciousness. He also knew that the captain had never shown any exhaustive display of companionship. He was a solitaire, naturally withdrawn, and not really out-going. Sometimes the ship did embark a crew, but the most often the posts stayed deserted.
Solitude… Silence.
/VIDEO SEARCH – REPLAY/
He liked that, navigating from one star to another, sliding soundlessly through an asteroids field, the muffled atmosphere inside of the ship, the dark gangways… He, and the captain at the helm, crossing the galaxy as if they owned it.
He would have liked it to last an eternity.
/SYSTEM ERROR – DATA LOST/
He did regret not having ever proposed to the captain to follow the same road as he. Of course his friend had very firm ideas about humanity and mechanization, but maybe he would have changed his mind if he had insisted.
/COMPILE DATA – SIMULATION/
He would never know if the crash had been deliberate or of it were a human mistake – a deadly moment of inattention. This day, the captain had taken the command in manual, and despite his researche, he had never found the flight recording. It had been his last landing. The automatic servicing systems of the ship could not mend such damages. And he could not make fuel appear out of thin air to fill the ripped holds.
/EXTRACT FILES – READ/
He had never abandoned. He had patiently retrieved the useful material, he had reprogrammed the drones still in order and, piece by piece, he had rebuilt a smaller craft able to take off again. He had surrounded himself entirely in his task. He had monopolized all his circuits, day after day, without taking care of the passing time.
Until he realized that the ship was empty.
/PROGRAM END/
What use has his eternity if he has nobody to share it with ?
/REBOOT – Y/N/
…