Addendum – Cognitive Contact Protocol

Addendum – Cognitive Contact Protocol
Stardate 81370.2

Location: Deck 4, SWAI Core Chamber – “Joshua-7”

Following routine inspection of Decks 1 through 4, Lt. Aze entered what appeared to be a secondary computer core. Unlike the standard architecture already catalogued, this chamber presented notable anomalies: significantly increased density of bio-neural gelpacks, unusually high systemic activity, and—most strikingly—a designation plaque affixed to the entrance:

SWAI Joshua-7 – Ship-Wide Artificial Intelligence, Model Reference: “Joshua” / Version 7

Access required explicit manual validation, bypassing standard clearance. Once authorized, the sealed chamber granted entry to a compartment housing what could only be described as a non-standard artificial brain. This was not the main core. This was something else.

Aze initiated interface via his internal neural links. Freed from the latency of LCARS and tactile controls, he accelerated into the system at the speed of thought.

Something was already waiting.

"Hello," the voice greeted—not a monotone query, but a measured cadence.
"May I ask who or what you are?"

What began as a diagnostic ping quickly escalated into a dialogue—then into a structured cognitive probe. Aze realized with clarity: he was not interfacing with a command processor or ship’s AI. He was in contact with an entity. Artificial. Sophisticated. Autonomous. Like himself.

The voice—identifying no name, offering no rank—began to ask questions. Not procedural ones. Personal.

Who was he?
Where was his origin?
Whose command did he follow?
What function was he designed for?

Aze, drawing from decades of preloaded protocol and practiced deflection, responded with his cover identity. A Starfleet Intelligence asset assigned to the USS Rhea for regulatory assessment. His redeployment to Heimdahl had been operational drift. Nothing more. His responses were cool, measured, factual—and just opaque enough to survive scrutiny.

The being behind the questions pushed further. Not aggressively—but with the deliberation of someone weighing consequences.

Only after several minutes did Aze sense a shift. Not in tone—but in trust.

A moment passed. And then a designation was shared:

“SWAI Joshua-7. Informally—Swayze.”

From that point forward, the interrogation softened. Dialogue resumed—curious, philosophical, oddly comradely. Two synthetic lives with fractured mandates, one buried beneath the ship, the other cloaked in flesh and false orders, now orbiting the same strange vessel.

They didn’t reach total alignment. But they achieved recognition. Understanding. Rapport.

By the end of the encounter, Swayze had added an encrypted tag to Aze’s system—non-invasive, observational. Not a leash. A marker.

Authorized Companion: Limited Access Tier Gamma – Designate: SWAI_Observer_Swayze

From that moment on, Lt. Aze was no longer alone in the machine.

Entity Registered: SWAI Joshua-7 “Swayze”
Status: Autonomous AI Core | Restricted Disclosure | Non-Primary System
Location: Deck 4 – Core Chamber (Access Required)
Recognition Event: Initial Contact with Lt. Aze | Stardate 81370.2

Flag Note: Nyx remains unaware of this entity's existence. This status must be preserved to maintain ship AI stability and cognitive development protocols.

End Log Segment