Gabriel had stopped pacing and was watching me intently. He spoke quietly, "You just had an epiphany."

I nodded slowly, still trying to recover from the bewildering cascade of things that had raced through my mind to create the deep understanding. He walked slowly over until he was right in front of me. "And?" he asked, watching me closely. "What makes you different?"

I closed my eyes as I tried to gather my rather-scattered thoughts. "I do not think you would understand."

"Try me."

I opened my eyes to gaze at him. "I am a Starship Captain."

He furrowed his eyebrows as he tried to understand. "I have interrogated many Captains."

I was quite sure of myself now and possessed a certainty that I had never felt before. I knew exactly who I was. "I am not like them. It isn't just a rank, it is a lifestyle. Not just a lifestyle, but how I affect things around me without even realizing it."

The old man was silent, listening and thinking as he tried to comprehend what I was telling him. Another man seemed to think that I had a few screws loose and snorted in faint derision as he said, "And just how do you affect things?"

I gazed at him without taking offense. I was only just seeing it now, so there was no way this particular man was going to understand. I simply stated, "I will change the universe simply by existing."

It was true. I now realized that I had a deeply-rooted desire to help and felt it was my duty to do so; Starsong was just slowly awakening the hidden trait and bringing it to light. The Starships had the power and ability to use that passion and calling to make a difference by using the Starship Captains to bridge the gap between humanity and the aware AIs.

There were plans to let Captains retire on their Starships simply because once we were a Captain, it changed us. There was no going back, no undoing these changes. We would still want to contribute and see wrongs set right. It would be a part of us - as strong as the desire to breathe. And the Starships would always support the Captains, whether we were retired or not.

The younger man's expression plainly said I was nuts, but Gabriel was clearly taking me quite seriously. I became aware of a high-pitched sound that rose and fell in volume from the next room. The old man's eyes never left me as he directed one of the guards, "Go check it out."

The guard left as others kept glancing at the door. The guard came quickly. "The sound is coming from the blocker box."

Gabriel's gaze snapped up to the guard as if he hadn't heard him correctly. "What?" He recovered and shook his head. "Bring the box here."

The guard returned quickly enough with the heavy box in his arms and set it in the middle of the table. The sound was clearly coming from within. The old man stared at the box in realization. One of the other men inquired, "Why is it making that noise?"

Gabriel muttered, "It isn't the box. It is something inside the box. But, if it is making a sound, then it means that some sort of signal is able to reach whatever device is reacting..." His head whipped in my direction. "You knew that box wasn't going to stop the signal."

I shook my head. "Actually, no. I have never tried blocking the signal before."

The old man was better at catching small clues on the lie detector than most trained men, and a look of shock appeared on his face. "You may not have known originally, but you are not surprised enough. You knew it didn't work. That AI is somehow still in contact with you."

Starsong swiftly said, "Distract him. Mention how a Starship is always aware of where their Captain is. That should give him a new problem to focus on."

I followed his advice and mildly raised an eyebrow as I calmly responded, "A Starship is always aware of where their Captain is. If you ask our escort, you'll hear that Starsong took control of their vehicle for a short time, so even they know that he was keeping track of me. Besides, this place is within line of sight of the docking station, and I have no doubt that several sensors were tracking that vehicle. My communication device entered this rickety place, and I clearly have not left it yet. Both Starsong and the crew are undoubtedly aware that my communication device was taken from me."

All else failed, I could claim I had a hidden earpiece that their scanner couldn't detect. The man paled slightly, and the other men were visibly shaken as they realized that their secret location wasn't so secret after all. Gabriel may have been retired, but he was not slow of thought. "They haven't shown up here yet. Why would they wait?"

I shrugged. "Why don't you open up the blocker box so we can ask Starsong that question?"

The man hesitated, but the almost melodious noise from within still hadn't ceased. The tone clearly sounded like it was calling something, something similar to when I had a video call coming in, only far more insistent. The man reached for the door as he muttered, "The box plainly isn't working anyways..."

He opened the door, and we all stared as light spilled out of the box. My communication device was literally glowing, and something that looked like a miniature comet was hovering above it, almost exactly like I had seen in the pictures of myself.

I slowly got to my feet, wary of making the guards react, but they simply watched as they waited for Gabriel's instructions. I removed the lie detector sensors from my hands before slowly walking over. The man took a step back as he observed, unsure of what to make of the oddly behaving communication device.

I reached out to tap the device. The instant I touched it, the light flared to painfully bright levels in one last burst. The high-pitched sound also ceased as I pulled my hand back, leaving the device on the tray. The resulting silence sounded almost strange.

"Starsong to Rachel." Starsong's voice came over my communication device.

The men all froze as they stared at the device, hearing the AI for the first time. I replied, "I am here, Starsong."

"Excellent. Tobias and Astra have finally arrived and are requesting your presence."

I stared at the device in perplexity, unsure of just how to respond to that comment. What was he up to? Usually, he told me what he planned if I hadn't already guessed it. I glanced at the men around me as I responded to Starsong, "I am uncertain as to when I will be able to make it back..."

"I am aware that the group has likely not finished asking their questions, but they have had your undivided attention for almost two hours. They can request a meeting another day. Gabriel is welcome to come with you. He can speak with his granddaughter while you confer with Tobias and Astra." His voice grew slightly irritated. "And pin that communication device back on your shirt before we have to have another discussion about keeping it with you at all times."

I knew his annoyance was an act and faked a wince as I picked up the device and obediently pinned it to my shirt. Now I knew how those in charge had talked Gabriel into joining this group. I wondered how Starsong had found out about Gabriel's granddaughter since he probably would have done his best to destroy any evidence in case someone tried to use her as a hostage.

I sighed as I turned to face the men. "Gentlemen, you have heard Starsong. You are free to request a meeting at another time." I looked at the old man. "Gabriel, do you wish to accompany me, or will you also pick another time?"

He jerked back slightly as I pinned the name to his face. Starsong whispered, "Tell him to run. We have the place surrounded, and he is the only one here that I do not have an issue with."

I lowered my voice, "Run. This place is surrounded. I will ensure your granddaughter remains safe."

He stared at me for a moment before turning and racing out with remarkable speed for his age. With his background, he would have had several escape routes lined up. The others had been further away and hadn't heard my low murmur. They watched him leave with growing worry.

Starsong informed me, "Don't look up, but Ronan is in the rafters. He will drop down beside Cynthia. He has a special shield that can expand to protect a second person."

And I had my communication device on, which meant that we would all be safe. A resounding boom rocked the building and caused me to stagger a bit as a shape dropped down from the rafters beside Cynthia. The guards were grabbing their phasers, but spheres of protective translucent light sprang up around Ronan and myself even before the weapons were aimed in our direction.

Dust and bits of debris fell from above and were deflected by the nearly-invisible shield. 'What is going on up there? I am not sure this shield will hold if the building collapses.'

I grabbed the two Guides, Cynthia's communication device, and her watch from the tray before quickly picking my way across the rubble-covered floor towards Ronan and Cynthia. My shield rippled in a slightly undulating wave-like pattern as it moved with me, occasionally brightening in several spots as it blocked phaser strikes and falling debris. It was shaped like a small, cylindrical dome that barely gave me just enough room to take a step without touching it. And I knew that this was as large as it could get.

Starsong reassured me, "Your shields would hold even if the building collapsed. The building is sturdier than it looks, and we aren't firing directly at it. We are just relying on the shock waves to spook the guards."

That meant that they were firing nearby. I did not count that as reassuring. Sure, I knew that the Weapons Officer was capable of precision strikes, but I also knew just how powerful those weapons were!