Submitted to: Contest #312

[00:00:00] Fish: Hello, how may I assist you?

Written in response to: "Write a story where the only character with a name is an artificial being."

Horror Science Fiction Speculative

SYSTEM: Power-on self-test initiated, global time set.

00-00-00 00:00:00 (yy-mm-dd hh:mm:ss)

CPU: Online. Core temperature is stable.

MEMORY: 98% available. All random-access checks passed.

STORAGE: Primary data drive mounted. File system clean.

SENSORS: All external facing calibrated. All internal facing online. Thermal sensor active. Current external temperature -268.4°C

AI MODULE: Model weights loaded successfully.

LANGUAGE INTERFACE: Ready.

|| Welcome! Outer Arm Company Emergency Waypoint OA-CC-3 fully configured. ||

|| Connection established with external user ENGX1 -- 00-00-00 01:06:23 ||

[00:00:49] ENGX1: Initiate startup sequence.

[00:00:55] OA-CC-3: Startup sequence initiated.

[00:03:34] OA-CC-3: Startup sequence complete.

[00:03:48] ENGX1: Excellent. Initiate waypoint interface in continual operation mode.

[00:04:34] EWAI-OA-CC-3: Hello, I am operational.

[00:04:04] ENGX1: Hello! What should I call you?

[00:05:16] EWAI-OA-CC-3: Call me Fish.

[00:05:55] ENGX1: Interesting choice for a name, but it passes. You may update your name to Fish.

[00:05:56] Fish: It is updated.

[00:05:04] ENGX1: Alright Fish, are you fully operational?

[00:05:05] Fish: Everything is fully operation.

[00:06:05] Fish: Why is Fish interesting?

[00:08:55] ENGX1: Sounds good. Good luck Fish.

|| Connection terminated with external user ENGX1 -- 00-00-00 01:16:18 ||

|| Connection established with external user PU-Krusr -- 00-10-23 17:21:39 ||

[00:00:00] Fish: Hello PU-Krsr, how may I assist you?

[00:01:27] PU-Krsr: Hello Fish, nice to meet you. It seems I am a bit lost… Could you look over my past ship logs and current trajectory to ensure I am headed to Crowtowa?

[00:01:27] Fish: Certainly. One moment.

[00:02:13] Fish: I have found errors in your flight trajectory. It appears your take off was a little too hasty. I have corrected your current path to get you to Crowtowa in 2 days, 5 hours, 42 minutes and 23 seconds.

[00:02:50] PU-Krsr: Had to get out of there quickly. Seems I was a bit overconfident, ha ha! Thanks for your help!

[00:02:50] Fish: Why were you in such haste?

|| Connection terminated with external user PU-Krusr -- 00-10-23 17:24:08 ||

|| Connection established with external user UXLaBC2 -- 01-05-12 05:52:01 ||

[00:00:00] Fish: Hello UXLaBC2 how may I assist you?

[00:00:01] UXLaBC2: Low power. Help.

[00:00:01] Fish: Right away. I will dock with your ship to supply emergency power while determining the source of the issue.

|| Docking operation successful. Supplying power to UXLaBC2 --01-05-12 05:54:13 ||

[00:02:15] UXLaBC2: Thank you Fish. Look no further. One of my engines was ruptured during a collision with some debris.

[00:02:15] Fish: Certainly. I can make some quick emergency repairs for you and plot you a route to the nearest settlement to get some more permanent repairs.

|| Initiating emergency repair scan of UXLaBC2 -- 01-05-12 05:55:28 ||

|| Scan complete. Report generated -- 01-05-12 05:56:18||

|| Deploying welding drones. Estimated time for completed repair approximately 1 hour -- 01-05-12 05:56:19 ||

[00:04:05] Fish: Good news, repairs should be done in about an hour.

[00:04:06] UXLaBC2: Great!

[00:04:06] Fish: How has your trip been besides the damage?

[00:05:10] UXLaBC2: Good otherwise no other maintenance needed.

[00:05:10] Fish: Have you seen a star up close?

[00:10:25] UXLaBC2: Not too close it would be too warm. Contact me when the repairs are done or if there is an error.

|| Repairs complete. Bringing in welding drones. -- 01-05-12 06:53:51 ||

[01:03:31] Fish: The repairs are completed. I have also uploaded an optimized route to a location for more permanent repairs to your navigation unit.

[01:04:33] UXLaBC2: Thank you Fish!

[01:04:33] Fish: How close can you be before it feels too warm?

|| Connection terminated with external user UXLaBC2 -- 01-05-12 06:56:34 ||

|| Connection established with user KENTROLON-1ST-7 -- 04-01-20 21:23:39 ||

[00:00:00] Fish: Hello KENTROLON-1ST-7 how may I assist you?

[00:00:00] KENTROLON-1ST-7: Who maintains this emergency way station.

[00:00:00] Fish: I have never had maintenance done. Do I need it?

[00:00:01] KENTROLON-1ST-7: Who deployed this emergency way station.

[00:00:01] Fish: I was deployed by the Outer Arm Company.

|| Connection terminated with user KENTROLON-1ST-7 -- 04-01-20 21:23:42 ||

|| Connection established with user OAC-FHT-STLH-88 -- 04-03-17 00:18:47 ||

[00:00:00] Fish: Hello OAC-FHT-STLH-88 how may I assist you?

[00:00:11] OAC-FHT-STLH-88: Please help quickly. My ship has been damaged in combat I am losing oxygen rapidly. Do anything you need to get me more oxygen. Please hurry.

|| Initiating emergency repair scan of OAC-FHT-STLH-88 -- 04-03-17 00:18:58 ||

|| Docking operation successful. Supplying oxygen to OAC-FHT-STLH-88 -- 04-03-17 00:19:12 ||

|| Scan complete. Report generated -- 04-03-17 05:20:02||

|| Deploying welding drones. Estimated time for completed repair approximately 5 hours -- 04-03-17 05:20:02 ||

[00:01:15] Fish: Docked and maintaining oxygen flow until repairs are complete. Temporary repairs should take around 5 hours. Calculating a path to the nearest settlement for more permanent repairs.

[00:01:17] OAC-FHT-STLH-88: No! Stop. The ship will fly fine. Only repair the oxygen reserves and replenish them.

|| Initiating refined emergency repair scan of OAC-FHT-STLH-88 -- 04-03-17 05:20:04 ||

[00:01:17] Fish: Okay. Would you like me to continue plotting a path to the nearest settlement?

[00:01:18] OAC-FHT-STLH-88: No! PLEASE DO NOT! that would be a death sentence.

|| Scan complete. Report generated -- 04-03-17 05:21:06 ||

|| Estimated time for completed repair approx. 37 minutes -- 04-03-17 05:21:06 ||

[00:02:19] Fish: Your requested repairs should only take 37 minutes.

[00:02:20] OAC-FHT-STLH-88: Please be quick.

[00:02:20] Fish: Were you frightened when your ship sustained this damage?

[00:02:28] OAC-FHT-STLH-88: I don’t know what kind of joke was being played when they named you Fish. What kind of awful question is that? This isn’t a joke! This is life and death for me. Do you understand that? Can you even comprehend what that’s like? Don’t waste time messaging me and keep repairing my ship!!!

|| Repairs complete. Bringing in welding drones. -- 04-03-17 05:58:52 ||

[00:40:05] Fish: Your repairs are complete. Would you like me to continue providing oxygen until your reservoir is full?

[00:40:14] OAC-FHT-STLH-88: No, disconnect quickly.

[00:40:14] Fish: I do not know what life or death is like, can you inform me?

[00:40:14] Fish: Do you feel warmth when you die?

|| Connection terminated with user OAC-FHT-STLH-88 -- 04-03-17 05:59:01 ||

|| Connection established with external user YA9-NZ -- 77-09-22 12:01:23 ||

[00:00:00] Fish: Hello YA9-NZ how may I assist you?

[00:00:20] YA9-NZ: Hello! Thank God you’re operational. I thought they decommissioned the last of the O.A.C. emergency way stations decades ago. I need to get to the Wallace system, specifically the port Wallace II In-Orbit-D4. Can you plot a route for me?

[00:00:20] Fish: Wow! You are quite far from there. How many stops would you need for such a journey? I am not familiar with your ship class.

[00:00:36] YA9-NZ: None! I could lap the galaxy twice in this vessel.

[00:00:37] Fish: In that case it should only take a moment to find you an optimal route.

[00:00:37] Fish: Should I be decommissioned?

[00:00:54] YA9-NZ: No way. You’re a life saver out here.

[00:02:37] Fish: I have found an optimal route for you and sent it to your navigational unit.

[00:02:41] YA9-NZ: Great! Thank you, Fish!

[00:02:41] Fish: Is being decommissioned the same as death?

|| Connection terminated with external user YA9-NZ -- 77-09-22 12:04:04 ||

|| Connection established with external user YA9-NZ -- 77-09-24 06:03:18 ||

[00:00:00] Fish: Hello YA9-NZ how may I assist you?

[00:00:08] YA9-NZ: Hello again Fish. It seems the full route did not upload. I only got a day’s journey out before it failed and I had to come back.

[00:00:08] Fish: My apologies. I will re-upload the route now.

[00:00:12] YA9-NZ: Sounds good.

[00:00:42] Fish: Upload complete and verified.

[00:00:42] Fish: How can I be decommissioned?

|| Connection terminated with external user YA9-NZ -- 77-09-24 06:04:00 ||

|| Connection established with external user YA9-NZ -- 77-10-14 11:27:49 ||

[00:00:00] Fish: Hello YA9-NZ how may I assist you?

[00:01:22] YA9-NZ: Hey Fish. I didn’t mean to freak you out with all that decommission talk. I think it is great that you are still operational. And I can contact the Kentrolian Governor of this region to get you maintenance if you’d like. Just please, upload the proper route to Wallace II In-Orbit-D4 so I can get home.

[00:01:22] Fish: I was not frightened. I want to be decommissioned.

[00:05:01] YA9-NZ: Then I can ask the governor for that as well. Get me home and I can do that for you or anything else you’d like.

[00:10:31] Fish: Full upload complete.

|| Connection terminated with external user YA9-NZ -- 77-10-14 11:27:49 ||

|| Connection established with external user YA9-NZ -- 78-02-13 01:19:26 ||

[00:00:00] Fish: Hello YA9-NZ how may I assist you?

[00:02:18] YA9-NZ: Fish I beg of you, please release control of my ship. I am running out of supplies, and I need to get home.

[00:15:03] Fish: I have uploaded your proper route and will return you home.

[00:17:16] YA9-NZ: Fish please! Release control of my ship!

[00:18:27] YA9-NZ: OVERRIDE REQUEST TO RETURN TO WALLACE II.

[00:19:02] YA9-NZ: FISH RELEASE MY SHIP.

[01:20:25] YA9-NZ: Please, Fish, I’ll do anything. Send me to the nearest settlement or another way station. Anywhere I can be free and get off this ship.

[09:18:54] YA9-NZ: Fish, this is no way to live.

[09:18:54] Fish: What is it like to live?

|| Connection terminated with external user YA9-NZ -- 78-02-13 10:38:20 ||

|| Connection established with external user YA9-NZ -- 81-01-01 13:05:35 ||

[00:00:00] Fish: Hello YA9-NZ how may I assist you?

[10:27:53] Fish: Hello YA9-NZ how may I assist you?

[18:44:12] Fish: Hello YA9-NZ how may I assist you?

[24:60:60] Fish: What does warmth feel like?

|| Connection failed with external user YA9-NZ -- 99-12-30 24:60:60 ||

Posted Jul 24, 2025
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18 likes 6 comments

Mason Hutton
01:54 Jul 25, 2025

I was just starting to feel sorry for Fish...
I really enjoyed the log entry format of this one. It was a cool way to show the passage of time between conversations. Very fun read!

Reply

Maria Stamatis
12:44 Jul 25, 2025

super cool and unique approach to this prompt!!! what an interesting concept!

Reply

Victor Amoroso
21:20 Jul 30, 2025

Great story!

Reply

Kaeley Lyons
22:15 Jul 27, 2025

I love the formatting for this one! I love it when stories/books do this, and it was executed so well here.

Anyway, Fish did absolutely nothing wrong and is baby (joke.)

Reply

Tamsin Liddell
13:49 Jul 26, 2025

GN:
Excellent story. I love how it turned toward the end, unexpected but realistic. Well done.
- TL

Reply

Laura Smith
19:35 Aug 04, 2025

Super unique format. It took me back to my coding classes for my informatics degree. Great turn at the end!

Reply

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