Personal Log, Stardate 70445.50
Posted on Mon 16th Apr, 2018 @ 2:58pm by Elizabeth Anderson M.D.
367 words; about a 2 minute read
I have to ask myself ... what am I doing here? Followed by ... who am I? What am I? Am I sentient species? All of these are questions which are difficult to answer, but the one that tops them all is ... can I make it on my own, if I no longer belong to Starfleet?
With all the computing capacity I have, I simply don't know the answers to any of these questions. I know things I'm not. Clearly, I am not human, and yet ... don't humans struggle to answer some, if not all, of these questions? Does that make me human-equivalent? More questions.
For better or worse, I have agreed to Starfleet's experiment. I've left Hermes, as have several friends, and I've secured quarters for myself in the transient deck, for now. Starfleet gave me funds for this experiment, the equivalent of what I would have made as a paid lieutenant during the thirteen years I've served them.
Normally, there's no need for money, but a starbase is a little different, because many species intersect here. Some things here run without funds, and some require them. A Starfleet officer, which I hasten to point out I have never been, only needs money if there are things he wants that are off the Starfleet grid, for instance, buying a book in Pale Moon Books in Tivoli Gardens, or a bouquet from Scent of Love in the Promenade.
I, of course, will be completely off the grid, fending for myself, should my funds run out. For now, I've taken an inexpensive option of an apartment on the transient deck. I'd love to live in Tivoli Gardens, but my financial programing tells me that until I can find work, I can't afford such an expenditure of my limited funds.
Starfleet has given me complete control in making decisions about what my life will be. If the experiment succeeds, I will be set free to live a life of my choosing. If it fails, I'll be a servant to Starfleet until my processors grow dim, I presume. Recycling isn't something I can support in my own case. Maybe it also makes me more human that I'd really prefer not to die.
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