by Luigi Robles
“Hey, Pycca,” someone yelled from afar. “Over here.”
Pycca looked up and around the room, then saw Fain waving at her.
“Over here,” Fain yelled, waving at her once again.
Pycca walked over to Larissa and Fain. As she neared, she was able to make out the writing on the new digital board.
At the very top of the board, it read Battle Board. Just below it, on the digital part of the board, it said Qualifiers, and below, divided by a line, it said Undecided. In the Qualifiers portion, there were only two names listed: Kya and Fain Jegga. Next to the names were rectangles with a summary of their ideas about the Acram Armada. Next to their ideas was a vote counter; Fain had 110 votes with one idea, whilst Kya had 208 votes with two ideas. In the Undecided section, there were only rectangles for the ideas, no names, and no vote count. The newer ideas, the ones that were just appearing on the screen as Pycca read, were towards the right side of the digital board, while the older ones were on the left.
“Hi, Pycca,” Larissa said as Pycca neared.
“Hello,” Pycca said, attempting a smile.
“Have you come to get yourself something to eat?” Larissa asked.
“No, I’m actually not hungry,” Pycca said, trying to be nice. “I just came to see Fain.”
“Oh, I see,” Larissa said. “Well, I’ll leave you two to it.”
Pycca felt a faint blush creeping up her cheeks as she stared at Larissa. She looked away and nodded.
“See you another time, Fain,” Larissa said as she began to walk away. “And may the best idea win.”
“So, you let her call you Fain instead of Captain?” Pycca asked once Larissa was far enough away.
“I actually prefer it,” Fain said. “At least when it comes to people that are close to me. Like you, her, August, Eora, and Kya. Friends shouldn’t call each other by titles, well, unless they are joking.”
Do not freaking tell me that I just landed in the friend zone! Pycca thought. Do not! But maybe Larissa is the one that’s there and not me. Why am I even thinking about this thing in the first place? It’s not like we are going to survive what’s coming anyway. Or is that why I am suddenly thinking like this?
“Pycca, is everything alright?” Fain asked kindly. “Are you OK?”
“Yeah, of course,” Pycca said, trying to snap out of it. “I just had a rough time trying to put the gravity core back together.”
“You should have asked for help,” Fain said with a worried face.
“No, no,” Pycca said. “I knew that everyone was busy, and it was nothing I couldn’t handle.”
“So, how did it go?” Fain asked, sounding sincerely curious. “Do we have FTL travel now? What do you think?”
“It went good,” Pycca said, turning to face Fain head-on for the first time. “Well, as good as it could have gone. Everything seems to be working. We just have to find out how to test it without exploding or accidentally getting lost or something.”
“Yeah, the procedures that Kya sent are pretty hefty,” Fain said, gauging with his fingers the stack of papers Kya would have sent him if a digital copy didn’t exist. “I glanced over it, and there’s a lot more to it than just going from point A to point B. But it doesn’t look that complicated. So far…”
“I haven’t looked at it yet,” Pycca said. “But I’m planning to do so once I get the chance.”
Fain nodded with a slight smile. Pycca wasn’t able to hold his gaze for long, so she glanced over to the Battle Board.
“What do you think?” Fain asked as Pycca neared.
“What is it?” Pycca asked. “I mean, I know what it is, but what’s the purpose?”
“It’s a Battle Board,” Fain said. “Well, kind of. It’s to help us sort out the good ideas from the bad ones. There’s a detailed explanation of how it works in your email.”
“Yeah,” Pycca said. “I haven’t had the chance to check it.”
“It’s simple enough,” Fain said as he half-turned to look at the board. “When you submit an idea, you know, to stop the Acram, Kya adds it to the board. The newer ideas come in and begin to get mixed with the older ones. Here the crew can see which ideas they like and upvote them. It won’t show how many votes the idea already has, or who wrote it, until it reaches one hundred points.” Fain then turned to Pycca and shrugged. “You know, to avoid any kind of bias. Once an idea gets one hundred votes, it goes up to Qualifiers, and it will show the name and how many people voted for it.”
Pycca self-consciously glanced at the board, looking for the idea that she had submitted to Kya. There were lots, at least forty, so she wasn’t able to find it at a glance.
“So, what’s going to happen to the Qualifiers?” Pycca asked. “Are you just going to go with the most popular idea, even though it might not be the soundest one?”
“I’m hoping that things won’t go that way,” Fain said. “I’m hoping that only good and feasible ideas make it through. I know that not everyone on board Sodenia is a war expert, strategist, or anything like that, but I just don’t want to miss anything. That one thing we miss could be the one thing that will save us all. Hence this board.” Fain pressed his lips together.
Pycca felt less embarrassed about what she had submitted to Kya.
“In the end, we’ll take the best from this board,” Fain said with a sigh, “and try to combine them into one good strategy. Who knows? I just don’t want to leave anything out, anything that could potentially save us.”
They looked at each other and smiled slightly. Words felt difficult in this moment. It was as if they both realized that there was no way out and they were trying to stop a juggernaut with sticks and stones.
“Hey, but we have to get ready,” Fain said, sounding more cheerful. “We might be heading back to Earth soon.”
“Back to Earth?” Pycca asked, eyebrow raised.
“To get supplies for the long mission,” Fain said.
Larissa walked down the corridors towards her station on the bridge, already calculating the amount of supplies they would need for a six-plus-month mission with over fifteen hundred people on board. This would include any added personnel, if any. Fain had asked her to calculate the supplies, as they were going to head back to Earth soon to go and get them.
The calculation was simple enough, and she wouldn’t be needing a calculator, either. Larissa had always been good at math, and math happened to be a part of her daily routine, so she was always sharp.
The average human, she thought, consumes three to four pounds of food per day. Times that by fifteen hundred and you get six thousand pounds, times six months, months with let’s say thirty days each, averages thirty times six, which is one eighty, times six thousand.
She took a little longer, imagining the multiplication of smaller numbers and then adding them.
That’s, uh, one million eighty thousand pounds of food. Divided by… thousands, that’s five hundred and forty tons. Add an additional month just in case, and that’s six hundred and thirty tons of food.
“Hello, Lieutenant Commander,” a passing crew member said.
“Oh, hello,” Larissa said, snapping out of her thoughts. She didn’t recognize the person that recognized her. “Good afternoon, I believe it is.”
“Yes, it is,” the crew member said, nodding.
“At least I still know that,” Larissa said as she kept walking.
“Have a good day, ma’am,” the crew member said as he walked in the opposite direction.
So where was I, Larissa thought. Oh, right. Six hundred and thirty tons. I better consult with the ESAF dietitians so we get a healthy variety. Because six hundred and thirty tons of lettuce won’t give an abundance of energy. She tried to smile at her small joke, but the truth was that something else was bothering her. And she knew exactly what it was.
What could have been Pycca’s problem earlier? Larissa didn’t recall ever doing something, or even saying something, to offend Pycca. And if that was the case, why
would Pycca be so upset with Larissa? What could she have done? Could it be? Larissa’s heart sank at the thought. She felt a wave of sadness hit her as she gave the idea more thought.
Could it be that Pycca has a thing for Fain? Not as Captain Fain, but as Fain Jegga. Larissa began jumping to conclusions. What if Fain likes her back? Larissa’s breathing felt heavy now. Who am I to decide for him? It wouldn’t be kind of me to put myself in between them just for my own sake. I can’t do that. I won’t. The only thing I can do now is be myself. But be cautious. In the end, it will be up to Fain to decide, that’s if we even get there. And if I lose to Pycca, there’s honestly no better person to lose to. I know she will take good care of him and him of her. As sad and pathetic as that sounds, when it comes to love, the only thing you can do is surrender to it and see what happens.
“Hey, why so lost in thought,” August said cheerfully as he came across Larissa on his way to the bridge. The smile across his face was almost too much to look at, too hard of an emotional turn.
“Hey, August,” Larissa said as she walked next to him. “I was just trying to calculate the supplies we’ll need for our next mission.”
“And that’s what has you down?” August asked. “If you want, I can help you. I am pretty free. Fain hasn’t given out any long-term orders, other than the coming up with a plan thing. We are still waiting on the Ochilenes and ESAF to act.”
“Thank you.” Larissa tried to smile and loosen back up. “But I think I am already done. I just need to talk to the ESAF dietitians. By the way, how is your plan coming along? Almost done? Have you submitted it to Kya yet?”
“Ha, are you kidding?” August said with enthusiasm. “I’m on my fifth full-fledged plan and now working on my sixth. That’s literally all I’ve been doing all day. I’m getting on that Qualifiers board one way or another.” He narrowed his eyes. “Fain is not the only good tactician on board the ship.”
“If you do,” Larissa said, “that will certainly improve our chances.”
“Yeah, I’d love to see my plan being used against the Acram, you know,” August said. “It would be like I personally get to punch them in their ugly lizard faces.”
Larissa chuckled softly and managed to smile. She was relieved to have someone like August on board, someone with an unbreakable spirit.
“Wait, so you think the Acram look like lizards?” Larissa asked.
“Yeah, don’t you think? Or what do they look like to you?”
“I’ve never thought about it, but when you say lizard, I think of a little tiny thing, or an iguana at most. Do you mean reptile?”
“It’s the same thing, isn’t it?”
“Wait, wait, let me look at your credentials again. You did pass the ESAF entrance exam, right?”
“It’s the same thing,” August said, furrowing his eyebrows.
Larissa chuckled.
“Lizards, snakes, crocodiles, and even dinosaurs are all reptiles,” Larissa said. “Get it?”
“Yes, I get it, thanks for the lesson. Lieutenant Commander Larissa, always so perfect.”
“Hey, watch your tone,” Larissa smiled.
“But you still haven’t answered my question”
“Well, they look like dinosaurs to me,” Larissa said. “I want to say dragons, but since they don’t exist, I can’t say that. But you know what, screw it, let’s just call them lizards. We’ll just keep it simple.”
They both shared a laugh.
“That’s what I’m talking about,” August said.
“Yes, you were.”
“Have you submitted anything to Kya yet?” August said, getting back to the original subject.
“Far from it,” Larissa said. “I’ve been working on it, but I won’t be done anytime soon. I’m hoping to submit something by tomorrow or the day after at the latest.”
“Oh,” August said with a shocked face. “So, exactly how detailed is your plan? If you don’t mind me asking?”
“I don’t know yet,” Larissa said. “I’m taking my time so that I can think through every possible scenario before I submit something. I’m also trying to calculate the likelihood of things occurring based on past events and so on.”
“Oh,” August said as he blushed. “I see… Are you the only one approaching Fain’s request in this way, or are there more of you?”
“There are a few,” Larissa said. “I was down in the cafeteria reading some of the posted ideas on there, and some of them are pretty good. They go into detail, and their logic is sound.”
“I see,” August said. “I hadn’t even thought of that sort of approach.”
“There are still only two qualifiers,” Larissa said.
“Yeah, Fain and Kya,” August said, sounding defeated. “Of course, they would be up there.”
“If you want to be the third one up there,” Larissa said, “I’d go and study the board.”
“So, it was really nice talking to you,” August said as he stopped walking.
“Where are you going?” Larissa asked.
“I forgot something.”
“What did you forget?”
“Something somewhere, just fill in the blanks,” August said as he turned around. He walked at first and then broke into a sprint towards a pod. “I’ll see you later. Let me know if you need any help.”
Larissa felt better after her interaction with August. She felt lighter and more amused by the other things around her. There was more to life than a single event, or a single feeling.
The day sped away, and before she knew it, she found herself lying on freshly washed linens in her bed. The bed was cooler than usual, but instead of asking Kya to warm it for her so she could fall asleep faster, she decided to keep it as is so she could feel something touching her body. The sheets caressed her, giving her a nice feeling all over.
Larissa woke up the next day ready to leave yesterday in the past. It was a new day, and with it came new problems.
She jumped in the shower and got done quicker than usual. She knew that today was going to be particularly hard on her because of the supplies pick-up from Earth, so she wanted to get done with her morning routine as fast as possible.
“Coffee and bagel, pretty please,” Larissa said as she dried off.
“Only because you asked so nicely,” Kya replied.
“You are learning how to joke around now,” Larissa said as she chuckled.
“I only practice with people who I consider myself close to,” Kya said. “Most other crew members still consider me to be just a machine.”
“Why not show them who you are,” Larissa asked.
“I’m afraid that it will show weakness on my part. I also believe that most of them are not ready to face an AI like myself. It would lead to distrust and dislike, and many other unpredictable human emotions.”
“Why is it different with us?” Larissa asked.
“Because when you look at me, when you talk to me,” Kya said, “it’s as if you are interacting with one of your own.”
“That’s because you are one of our own,” Larissa said. “I’m sure that Fain, August, Eora, and even Pycca feel the same way. We would be a floating pile of dust in space if it weren’t for you.”
“That is quite nice to hear, actually,” Kya said.
Once Larissa had dried her hair, she brushed it out. The brush moved effortlessly, without getting stuck on a single knot. The aroma of roasting coffee and warm bagel filled the room. And dang, it smelled good. She got dressed in a fresh uniform and walked over to the kitchen area.
As she sat down and had her breakfast, she went over her task manager, where she saw a message from Fain.
Subject: Earth Pick-up
We need to go to Earth today and come right back up so we can head to the asteroid belt as soon as possible. We need to make the most of the time we have left before the Golden Armada gets here.
The Ochilenes just confirmed that they’ve made the necessary repairs to their ship so they can follow us to th
e belt. I confirmed with them that we will not need to pick up rations for them. It turns out they came well equipped for a long stay. Not that they’d be able to eat any of our food anyway.
When the Ochilenes stayed on board Sodenia, part of their problem was the food. Their bodies flat-out rejected human food. Kya had to make a synthetic blend of ingredients that the Ochilenes would be able to stand better. But even then, it was hard on them. They would only take the synthetic concoction if they were badly in need of it.
What I need from you is an estimate of the time it will take to load up Sodenia with the necessary supplies. There will also be some crew rotation, and we will be adding 200 more pilots, making it a total of 1600 on board. I hope this doesn’t disturb your previous calculation.
Please get back to me.
-Fain
Well, I was close enough, Larissa thought. I should get back to him right away.
She opened a new window in her task manager and typed up a message to Fain. She tried to keep it short and to the point. She had already estimated how long it would take to make the Earth run. She knew that if they hurried and everything went well, they would have Sodenia back in space within three hours at the most. But she would need a full crew operating the docks. She hit send.
Seconds later, a double bell ring sounded over the PA system. It meant that someone was about to make an announcement.
“Crew of Sodenia, this is your captain speaking,” Fain said. “Today at ten hundred hours, we will be returning to Earth to pick up supplies for our next mission. There will be some crew rotation, so check your task managers for instructions. We should be getting back into space within three hours.”
Larissa smiled when she heard Fain quote her email.
“We need to make the most out of the time we have left before the Acram get here,” Fain continued. “I expect everyone to work hard so that we can make this possible. Your captain out.”
“It’s time to earn my keep,” Larissa said as she got up from the table and finished her coffee.