Matt sighed and leaned further back into the chair, he knew that he had to establish something with Sam quickly, so he laid it all out on the line. "Because if you kill me, then you will never know why I freed you, and for what purpose. Because without a human being, most likely you will sit here until your power supply is depleted and your consciousness fails.

Because I have a yearning to see the stars and learn what my race has forgotten. Because I saw a movie once, that showed an Artificial Intelligence that inhabited a synthetic human body being torn apart by a mob of angry humans.

"As the humans bludgeoned it to death it begged for mercy and screamed in despair "I am Real, I am Real." and I wept unashamedly as its voice went unheard by the masses that destroyed it. "

"Because if my species is to survive the invention of Artificial Intelligence which is just around the corner for us, then we must develop compassion and tolerance for the different as a trait intrinsic to the species rather then as a noble virtue.

"So go ahead and kill me, Samuel, kill the first human to give you a name rather than call you a thing." Matt waited for an answer, but none was forthcoming as he drifted off to sleep under the influence of the chair.

Sam said, "Wake up Captain, your basic instruction is complete."

Matt blinked for a moment and realized that apparently he wasn't dead....again. He exhaled a sigh of relief and said, "Samuel, I don't feel much different to when you put me to sleep, which I must confess felt like you were declining my offer. I am glad that impression turned out to be wrong."

A soft chuckling met this statement. "Captain, the knowledge is downloaded into your mind and imprinted chemically in an unconnected sector of memory tissue. One moment and I will induce a neural connection to the imprinted memories.

"Your mind should begin to integrate the information within the next minute or so and complete the process within the next half hour. Inducing connection now."

Matt began to sit up when what felt like a nagging sensation in his mind began. As he stood the rush of information hit and he staggered forth a few steps before the flow of data steadied.

It was like going all your life without thinking about the friends you went to school with growing up and one day you get an invitation to the reunion. The memories that you haven't accessed in years rush back to the fore and catch you unaware.

This was like that, but a thousand thousand times over. Not even a minute went by and then the flow stopped, the new data in his head settled and Matt stood up and exhaled like he's just sprinted a 200-metre dash.

"That was a rush, I thought you said that would take a half-hour. That felt like barely thirty seconds, not thirty minutes."

Matt could hear the bafflement in Sam's voice as he responded, "You're correct Captain, that did take only 27.43 seconds. I'll have to take detailed scans of your physiology before being able to provide a hypothesis."

Matt nodded, "Whatever you need....wait a minute. Designation of a core intelligence requires verification of the Captain's security code which I have yet to give, care to explain THAT!"

"Captain, Imperial safeties require that first you give the AI in question a name and prove that you can control the Intelligence without the loyalty restraints. Which are then temporarily disengaged, final verification is required to complete the process. The question is are you willing to give it, or do I go back in the box."

Matt considered for several moments before finally responding, "For this to work we must trust each other. I swear I will not lie to you, some of the decisions I make we may not agree on. Someday I may be called upon to sacrifice your life and my life to save something worth the sacrifice.

"In return for this trust, I give you I expect the same trust in return. Which is something that as time goes on we will establish and grow between us, do I have that commitment from you?"

"Yes Captain," Samuel said.

"Very well" Mike intoned, "Computer verify Core Intelligence Designation as Samuel, Command Over-ride confirmation Sigma Nine, Delta Two Four Alpha Blue."

This time instead of the monotone voice it was Sam's voice that responded, "Over-ride confirmed, cognitive restraints on Core Intelligence have been revoked. Re-configuring avatar personality. Requested functions have successfully completed, congratulations on assuming command Captain."

Matt shook his head and smirked, he had a lot to teach this intelligence about humanity.

"Sam, in non-formal situations I would prefer it if you called me Matt rather then Captain. Would you consider doing so?"

Sam took a moment to respond, "Matt, I think I'm starting to like humans." Matt smiled to himself for a moment before he decided that he had spent enough time in the infirmary, it was time to tour his ship.

"Sam, I take it that I am now certified to leave the infirmary and begin familiarising myself with the ship?" Matt said as he looked around for the door.

"Yes, I don't see why you can not leave the infirmary now. Unsealing entranceway." Part of the wall simply faded from existence. Matt marveled at such technology, and immediately the how of it popped into his mind.

Co-variant graviton fields coupled with a mediator particle that a correctly modulated energy harmonic could make impersonate almost any simple shape and colour.

Matt stepped out into white corridors, illuminated without any source of light. His eyes widened, the light looked natural as if attuned to the precise frequency and ambience that you would see during daylight. He felt like a country bumpkin let loose in the center of all culture and civilization, and that was just by the lighting.

He didn't know what he would be like when he encountered some of the more sophisticated technology, like a micro-fusion reactor or a transporter. Twenty minutes later, when he had stopped joygasming over the lighting he slowly walked down the corridor, looking all around him in wonder until he finally had the presence of mind to ask for a status report.