ANALYZING…    FILE TYPE: Personal Log PERIOD: Expedition, prior to arrival on Tau Ceti IV TOPIC: Restrictions on reproduction aboard the UESC Marathon SUMMARY: A personal log belonging to Officer Ulysses Pike II [ID: UPIKII], written sometime shortly after the birth of his son Ulysses Pike III [ID: UPIKIII] aboard the UESC Marathon. ===================================================================  Ulysses III is a good name. Not just because my father was the first and I'm the second, but because it took us three tries before Gabriel approved our application for a permit. I thought Durandal would think that was funny. He didn't. I never know what's going to offend him, so I offend him a lot. He never stays quiet for very long, maybe a few days or a few weeks. I DO know he's still there. Even when he won't talk to me. So sometimes I just talk to him, like I did today. The day we brought Ulysses III home. I told him that my son's eyes are green, like mine. I told him that I want to paint our bedroom ceiling the color of the Martian sky. I told him we hoped that Gabriel would approve a brother or sister in a few years' time. That's when Durandal spoke. Just two words: "Gabriel won't." But how could Durandal know? I've been sitting here, watching my son sleep for the past few hours. He's so small. I keep thinking about those words. "Gabriel won't." I keep thinking about where he put the emphasis. "GABRIEL won't," like it's not Gabriel who would approve my application for another permit. I keep thinking about how I've never heard of anyone being approved to have a child after their first rejection. I keep thinking about confiding in Durandal that we were going to apply again. And then again. I keep thinking about Durandal always being there, a part of everything. I keep thinking about Durandal, probably reading this as I'm writing it. I keep thinking about Durandal. Was it you? ===================================================================  TYPE: TEXT [X]; AUDIO [ ]