Star Trek: The Fall: The Poisoned Chalice by James Swallow Read Free Book Online

by a now-deceased race of organic beings, the Sentry Coalition had made first contact with the Titan out past Canis Major; inthe aftermath of that event, the being White-Blue had been granted permission to remain on board the starship as a guest. The AI had later assisted the Titan crew during their encounter with the alien terraforming construct known as Brahma-Shiva, at great personal risk; but it had been at the planet Ta’ith near the Vela Pulsar that Tuvok had truly come to know the mind of the mechanoid. Together, one organic brain and one synthetic, they had briefly shared consciousness with a machine known as One One Six in a risky attempt to prevent the destruction of the planet. White-Blue had sacrificed its core intellect, transferring itself into One One Six in order to save Ta’ith from destruction. All that remained of the machine-form now was its physical “droneframe,” the databanks and positronic mind within it apparently empty.
    Tuvok drew back his hand from the cold metal. “Ensign, what do you hope to achieve here?”
    Torvig blinked, taken aback by the question. “I considered White-Blue to be a friend, sir. I feel it is only right to attempt to reconstruct his consciousness.” He nodded to a portable computer core. “A backup version of his core processes exists in this device. In time I hope to restore him to an active state.”
    â€œCurious,” Tuvok continued. “Mister Torvig, if an organic being you considered a friend was also lost in such a manner, would you also try to reconstruct him?”
    â€œI know what you’re saying,” Torvig replied. “That White-Blue has . . . died and that I should accept it. But I see no reason to. He is a synthetic intellect, sir. He doesn’t adhere to the same laws of existence as we organics. He’s software, not hardware . And I think I can reboot him.”
    â€œHave you considered what you will have if you succeed?” Tuvok glanced back at the silent machine. “The being that we knew has gone. Any new version will be only a facsimile, without the experiences that shaped the original White-Blue.”
    Torvig was silent for a long moment. “You may be right, Commander. But I owe it to him to make the attempt.”
    Tuvok wondered how much of the Choblik’s desire to follow this path stemmed from his own needs rather than any altruistic desire to reanimate the Sentry; Torvig’s people were a species of demi-intelligent arboreal life that had been cybernetically enhanced to the level of true sentience, and it was fair to say that his origins made it difficult for him to connect with other beings. In White-Blue, a fully engineered life-form, Torvig had found something of a kindred spirit, and he had difficulty letting that go.
    â€œI wish you success, Mister Torvig,” Tuvok said. “But I caution you; we must all eventually live with the losses of those close to us. It is the nature of all existence, organic or synthetic.”
    *  *  *
    In the corridor beyond, Tuvok turned toward the turbolift to find the hulking, muscular form of Chief Petty Officer Dennisar approaching him. The big Orion nodded as he saw him. “Sir? A moment?” He offered the Vulcan a padd.
    â€œIs there a problem, Chief?”
    Dennisar shook his head. “I’m just the messenger, Commander. A signal came in for you from Starfleet, priority one, personal and urgent.”
    Tuvok raised an eyebrow. “You could have relayed it to me from the bridge.”
    â€œNo, sir,” said the Orion. “It’s encrypted, a text file. For your eyes only. Commander Vale asked me to bring it to you personally.”
    He took the padd and saw the warning flash displayed on the screen. As Dennisar had stated, the message required Tuvok’s thumbprint on a reader plate and his personal security authorization.
    His task complete, the Orion gave a nod and returned to a