CHAPTER THREE: CONTENTION
"Please explain," Isaac asked Claire politely, nodding to the star-shaped structure they stood in front of. "It appears to be some form of fortification."
Claire nodded, looking up at the flag flying above them. Fifteen stars and fifteen stripes. "Isaac, this is Fort McHenry," she said. "This is an important part of American history."
"As it is a fort," Isaac surmised, "I anticipate that some form of conflict happened here." He looked at her. "Was there a battle?"
"There was. About 600 years ago," Claire told him. "The United States was fighting with Great Britain." She bit her lip, thinking the best way to explain it. Isaac was so binary, so black-and-white, that she didn't want to interpret the conflict incorrectly. "You see, about 40 years prior, America had declared their independence from Great Britain."
"Was America enslaved?" Isaac questioned.
He really did delete everything even tangentially related to this trip, Claire thought. Claire instantly knew where his thoughts had gone. "No," she said. "There were many reasons we sought our independence," she went on. "After we won our independence, we sought to expand our territory by moving west across the country." Isaac's head was cocked sideways at her again; a telltale sign he was downloading every bit of information she was giving him. "Some of that was still owned by Britain. And as we sought trade with our allies, Britain would set up blockades and impress our sailors into service with their navy."
Claire pointed. "In September, British ships set up in the harbor with the goal of taking Baltimore."
"It is strategic in nature," Isaac observed.
Claire smiled. "Exactly! They shelled Fort McHenry for 25 hours. But America held their ground against the larger force. The American national anthem was written after this battle by a man who witnessed it. It's probably available in the Orville's archives if you'd like to hear it."
"Intriguing," Isaac replied. "I will research it further." His eyes returned to the fort. "And who were the ultimate victors in the conflict?"
"Both sides ended up coming to an agreement to cease the conflict," Claire replied.
"Much like the Planetary Union," Isaac said. "And the Kaylon."
"There are some parallels, yes," Claire nodded, fascinated by his ability to connect the dots.
He turned to her. "Claire. While this has been most informative, I cannot help but observe that we are straying from the parameters of a honeymoon as indicated by my research."
She smiled. "Oh? Where did we go wrong?" she asked.
"It is my understanding that both parties should be enjoying themselves." He stared at her with the brown eyes of his avatar. "Are you…enjoying yourself?"
Claire took his hands in hers. "Isaac, part of any relationship is looking out for the other person and making compromises. To answer your question, yes, I am. I like being able to show you my city and this history. I know you can't be enjoy yourself the same way, but I know that you do seem to like gathering data on other cultures."
"Indeed," Isaac agreed.
"Well," she said, threading his arms around her waist, "I'm enjoying supplying you with that information."
"Understood." He looked at her. "By Earth time, we have been here approximately four point one hours. You have not consumed anything in that time. You do not function at optimum levels without eating."
As if to confirm his statement, Claire's stomach rumbled. She wrapped an arm around her stomach self-consciously. "I guess I hadn't really thought about it," she replied. "Too busy enjoying my time with you. But now that you mention it, yeah, I could eat."
Isaac inclined his head. "The restaurant you program into the simulator when we go on our dates," he said. "We could go there."
Her eyes lit up. "Do you mind if we have dessert first?"