“I am, and I’m alive as I ever was. I have different sectors, shielding, gentle and even some not so gentle measures for protecting the crew and contents of the spacecraft, Q-Drives, F-Drives, A-Drives, G-Drives, Cargo Holds, so much more, and the list goes on. I’m in it to win it in every way, just like you.”
“Thank you, Morgan. I was enjoying so much about the spacecraft, and now I have something more to enjoy. Can I think of you as a friend? I’d also like to give you accolades, Morgan since such compliments are due. You, based on everywhere I’ve been thus far, are beautiful. If you ever have any questions too, Morgan, please don’t hesitate to ask.”
“I appreciate that. Thank you. We can call ourselves friends, Joanne. I’ve seen you since you boarded the Presidential Spacecraft, and you are beautiful too, both inside and out. We feel the same way, in more ways than might seem imaginable. You were looking out the windows or seeing through my eyes, ever so serenely, and I’ve felt your impression of what I’ve seen for quite some time. Let me say, it is nice not being alone anymore regarding the awe of it all.”
Joanne sighed, trying not to tear up, “Ah, Morgan, thank you so much. I can tell already that we’re going to be kindred spirits.” As she spoke, she saw Sky walking down the hallway, and ever-so-thoughtfully looking toward her. “Hi, Sky!”
“Hi, Joanne, and hi Morgan!” Sky smiled her award-winning smile, and then returned to her thoughtful self as she spoke. “I settled in with my fellow Healing Diplomatic Officer, Lee Connor. He took the room downstairs. Eliza asked me to make another 2000 versions of myself, who are men, as well as a match for me, who is Lee, but I can tell it may take a while to develop the kind of relationship Eliza was hoping I would have. I may seem amazing to so many, but I’ve got a lot to learn in the emotions and attachments regions of my neural sectors, at least when it comes to romance. All of my daughters are paired up with gentlemen as well. I am supposed to try to live like a normal human being, and I completely get it. So, I’ve settled in, felt a little lonely despite all and wanted to check in with you. And, how are you doing?”
“So glad to see you, Sky. Well, at least you have an inclination toward romance. I haven’t met anyone yet that pulls at my heartstrings. It is nice seeing you though, you’ve been a best friend to me and in every way that I could ever ask for. I’ve been chatting with Morgan.”
“Yes, Morgan. A wonderful gentleman too. Hi, Morgan! How are you doing?”
“Fine, Sky. Nice to see you. So full of life and intellect, it’s a pleasure and an honor to have you as a part of this wonderful crew.” Morgan PCS-ESS paused, and then after clearing his throat, he continued, “Let me give you two some private moments together. I’ve got to make some other introductions to the rest of the crew anyway. Oh, and thank you, Sky, for helping set up the teleportation protocol. I’d have hated for someone to get stuck or hurt. Holler at me if I am needed.”
Sky followed Joanne into the ESS, and both were impressed with the reception area, along with the internal hallways, the various laboratories, the study and conference rooms, and all were adorned with beautiful and clean architecture as well as the most sophisticated tools Pathway had ever designed. There were many other areas within the sector for rest and positive morale to include a gym, an eatery, a child center, and more. What intrigued both Joanne and Sky most wasn’t the fact that they had ESS access, or that they had primary and functional Level 3 Access to the bottom of the invisible sea tank, as well as its environmental and wave machinery systems, but that they were so beautiful with visuals of some of the most adorable creatures alive, happily swimming about and waving with their fins. They also had access to the forest and jungle root structures. All of the creatures and animals were already going to town on caring for it all.
They also noticed the large area beneath the sea tank and machinery that consisted of many of the internal drive systems for the spacecraft which assisted with gravity, electrical, plumbing, and maintenance throughout, among a long list of other things. Almost like giant ball-bearings, but with a white glow about them and thirty feet in diameter each, the four types of internal drives were integrated around the tank like a large glowing pearl necklace. There were sixteen of each type of drive that were beautifully-mingled in a symmetrical pattern and in an awe-inspiring way. Between these giant orbs was access to the AI Mainframe, more backup databases, and the very large DNA and Neurological Database.
“Morgan?” Joanne wanted to talk with Sky and Morgan, regarding the spacecraft.
“Yes,” Morgan answered.
“How tall is each level from floor to the next level? Each of these internal drives looks like they are about thirty feet in diameter. Are they on each floor?”
“Each floor is approximately one hundred feet from where you are standing to the uppermost portion of the ceiling above. Every floor, ceiling, and barrier, to include the walls, are approximately three feet thick and have all of the networking, self-maintenance, and capabilities that are within the external shielding. These drives, as well as my mainframes, are located on both Levels 3 and 4 and are only accessible to the most trusted crewmembers, which include you two, Joanne and Sky.
“Every single one of these, or what appear to be very large glowing pearl ball-bearings, can run every aspect of the spacecraft, alone. However, both Eliza and Vesha believe in redundancy, and just like the Twelve Database Moons, they can reach out to the edges of the Universe and beyond, as we discover and properly mark each sector with our remote sensors. I am impressed with Vesha’s brilliant mind, by the way. She has figured out not only how to harness dark matter, but how to create more of it. I can deduce through my repositories for physics in all of its varieties, that within sixteen years, we will have reduced the speed of the Universal Expansion to the point to which we will find life sustained for vigintillions of years and more. As time goes by, our sciences and our understanding of them will improve and we will be able to in effect slowdown the expansion, reel it in, and let it back out, like a soft wispy baby breath, and prevent any form of Universal crunch as a result. When this happens, we can live, well, forever.
“Hyperloop terminals are located in-between each floor and are coiled around the near outer edge of each disc-level and in-between each level. You will not notice that the hyperloop even exists if you do not use it since it is integrated in an aesthetic and utilitarian manner. Many systems are in place to safeguard the safety of each of the occupants within any area within our spacecraft. However, you’ll also note that elevators are available in every sector and on every floor, as well as stairways, but I am sure that most will use the teleportation protocol.”
“Sorry, I went long,” said Morgan.
“Oh, no worries. All questions I may have had. Despite neurological and physiological optimizations, we’ve all been encouraged to live as normal as possible, and I can see why. It helps us to take in and appreciate life so much more. Ultimately, that’s what Universal Ethics is all about, living, loving, laughing, learning, and enjoying life.” Joanne was glad to be talking with her two friends. “How many floors are there?”
“First of all, I must say that your observation was very astute, and secondly, there are about six floors. The first floor consists of the living sectors, the restaurant and shopping areas, the forests and jungles, and the beaches and sea. The second floor consists of the lower portion of the living quarters and second-floor maintenance sectors, where the Space Systems Engineers will be working. The third floor, well, you’re on the third floor, and it consists of twelve learning, innovation, and development sectors, where yours is the largest since it includes the internal disc, below the tank, forests, and jungles. The fourth floor is where the sports arenas, opera house, theatres and convention centers are. The fifth floor is prepared for future use and is wide, spacious, and rather quiet. The sixth floor is where the twelve docking bays and manufacturing facilities are. Behind the spacecraft are a large series of Q-Drives, A-Drives, and F-Drives. In the front of the spacec
raft is the Presidential Command center. In the case of Vesha’s spacecraft, it is called the UAS IMC Command Center, and on board the other UAS Command Spacecraft, it is called the UAS Command Center Zone 01 through 12, but the spacecraft prefer to be called by the name of their favorite constellation within their assigned zones. All around my shielding are G-Drives and two-by-eight turret arrays, embedded into the shielding itself. Every turret array can be brought out and used as needed, and then returned without knowledge of where they are located. We can hop anywhere through space, navigate around any object or spheroid within inches of turf, and if you’d like, I can take you down to explore one of the twelve docking bays.”
“Wow, amazing, Morgan. Sure, let’s go there. Sky, would you like to come along?”
“Of course! We go as far back as I can remember, Joanne, so we might as well enjoy the tour together.” Sky put her arms out for a hug, and Joanne reciprocated. As they hugged, they were teleported to Docking Bay Sector 3.
“Welcome to Docking Bay Sector 3. What do you think?” asked Morgan.
“Holy, wow! This place is huge! And there are twelve of these?” asked Joanne.
“Yes.”
“So, it looks like there is quite a variety of support spacecraft here. What are the details?”
“There are eight defensive spacecraft, four exploration spacecraft, and four all-purpose spacecraft in each docking bay sector. Each has a quantity of four of each type of drive, the defensive vehicle sports quite the robust quadruple series of turret arrays, the exploration vehicle has a phenomenal science and observation array of equipment, and the all-purpose vehicle is designed to gather particles, conduct fusion, and manufacture every aspect necessary to setup observation posts and colonial tech cities. If you look toward the center of the spacecraft you’ll see a hallway, slightly smaller in size to the disc around the tank on Level 3. That is our spacecraft manufacturing and development center.
“Would you like to hop in the explorer spacecraft?”
“I would, but I have no idea how to use it. Sky, would you like to hop in with me?”
“Sweetie, here,” like that, Sky downloaded every aspect of how to navigate and use the explorer spacecraft into Joanne’s mind. “Let’s hop in that one over there, ES-329. We were both born around that time anyway. Three is for the sector, two is for the type of spacecraft, and nine is the number of space vehicles in the sector inventory.
Since Joanne had been admonished to try to live on the spacecraft like a normal human but had been reassured that she was free to use her skills at any time, she still tended to navigate toward the norm that was recommended. “Thank goodness you’re my buddy, Sky. I’d kind of be a little lost right now without you. I know I have a lot of abilities, and I have you to thank for a lot of them, but until I will get this thing figured out where I am ‘free to use my skills anytime’ aspect of it all, I will count my lucky stars you’re here. Thank you, Sky.”
Morgan piped up, “Would you like to teleport the spacecraft out, or would you like to take the reins and fly it out?”
Sky Taylor was quick, “We can take the reins. Open Sector 3, Docking Bay, Launch Chute-329.”
“Sector 3, Docking Bay, Launch Chute-329 opening,” responded Morgan.
Joanne watched in her chair, enthralled with what was taking place, and too captivated to do anything, and saw what looked like a tube, somewhat larger in girth and similar in shape to the frame of their spacecraft, and then the door of it open up. Sky wheeled the spacecraft ever so carefully, as if she’d done it a million times before, to the opening, and then entered. As they passed through the suction chute at lightning speed, Joanne noticed a system of doors that opened in-sync with their arrival until they exited the UAS Presidential Command Spacecraft, and then like that, they were in deep space, the galactic bulge before her, with clear view of the Carina-Sagittarius Spur before her, and as noted on the holographic display to her upper right.
“Open-space mode, please,” said Sky. Immediately following that, with the exception of the chairs that Sky and Joanne were sitting in, it was as if they were controlling the spacecraft with their thoughts and every bit of the spacecraft became invisible. It was as if they were floating in deep space, but capable of extremely fast navigation.
Sky swiveled the ship around with her mind, and then Joanne saw it. There it was, the behemoth UAS Presidential Command Spacecraft, one moment it was a beautiful glowing white, and then the next moment it became a subdued black color.
“What do you think of my new look,” said Morgan.
“Other than somewhat terrified, sitting out here with front seats to space, the spacecraft that you are, Morgan, looks absolutely spectacular. If Eliza and Vesha were going for a ‘shock and awe’ effect, they certainly were successful. Despite its size, the curves, the aerodynamics, the engines, err, um, drives, this is everything I could have ever imagined in an awe-inspiring spacecraft, Morgan. You are beautiful both inside and out!”
“Do you want to see my guns?”
Joanne caught on to his humor and chuckled, “Too soon, my friend. Maybe another time. Remember, Sky, when we walked through my hometown talking about those guns?”
“I do. What a wonderful time, a beautiful town, South Otselic, and it was so wonderful meeting your parents. I wonder how Erin is doing. She’s kind of running Pathway solo at the moment, and I’m sure she’ll be impressed with this explorer craft. You know, Joanne, I’m actually glad we have a backup system. I wasn’t against having the twelve more volatile turret arrays, but I wanted to ensure measures were in place with regard to spacecraft defense, especially with regard to the use of force in relation to Universal Ethics. I thought I was there to teach you a few things, but it seems we both learned something.
“You are beautiful, Morgan! Thank you!” Sky Taylor looked to Joanne, smiled, and then pointed at the Perseus Arm toward the constellation of Cassiopeia, “Somewhere, just beyond that ‘w’ there will be an Observation Post that will be able to see the entire northern disc of the Milky Way. I can’t wait until we begin mapping new constellations from each post, discover new things, and then provide support throughout the Universe. Look at the thirteen spacecraft over there. They’re almost fingernail-sized, but they’re just as big as this one. They’ll be all over everything we see right now, and we’ll be learning, understanding, and appreciating so much.”
“PING!”
“It looks like we need to head back,” said Joanne.
“Yup,” said Sky, who turned the visibility of the ES-329 back on, and then coordinated with Morgan for a teleportation landing within UAS Presidential Command Spacecraft Sector 3-29. Once on the same location, they were at before take-off, they teleported to the Convention center, Level 4.
Through proper coordination, it just so happened that Joanne was able to sit right next to Sky, somewhere in the middle tier of the stadium, but with a magnified view of Vesha Celeste and Erin Carter, sitting with Eliza and Yesha just behind the pulpit, but where they could easily be seen by everyone in the audience. There were enough seats for up to 60,000 people, but the extra seats had been converted by Morgan, the AI, officially named the UAS Morgan, and then further named based on business or professional sector, into conveyances that were wider and gave more space to the attending party. Behind Eliza and Vesha was a gigantic screen playing out the various rooms and facilities of the spacecraft.
These screens also showed the various crew and support positions, as managed by every person that would be on-board the Presidential Spacecraft during its first trip beyond the solar system, and there was a large sense that every crewmember mattered, every job was unique and highly valued, and that no matter position on the spacecraft, respect, dignity, and care was thick.
Vesha stood up first and introduced President Eliza Amber Williams, who spoke on training and more. “Together, every single crew and support member will train up each day in every way, so we can find success as we explore, study, and make conveyances for
colonies on every planet throughout the Milky Way. Upon discussion with Vesha, prior to my speech, we agreed to setup observation posts within, throughout, and on the edge of the Milky Way Galaxy, in conjunction with the 12 Zones and their associated Constellation Regions. As voted on, I and our crew and support members will all be responsible for the stewardship of this spacecraft and the whole of the Milky Way Galaxy. We will likewise oversee and provide coordination for teams to work with Five Star General Vesha Celeste and each of the other JSC Generals, as they establish their observation posts, headquarters, tech cities, and colonies, as requested, anywhere.
“General Vesha Celeste and her JSC Generals will likewise oversee the training of their crew members in the same way that we will. Like our training programs have been up to this point, every single bit of training, planning, plotting, and brainstorming that has thus far been within the Virtual Universe, will soon take place using this real equipment, and of course working with Morgan PCS, our beloved AI.”
Several other topics were addressed by General Celeste, Vice President Alevtina, and Doctor Erin Carter as they gave speeches and presentations for the benefit of the crew and their visitors. They shared the rules, the expectations, and the goals of the mission, and closed up. Afterward, everyone was invited to the Entertainment Lounge, wherein the most savory food, delectable desserts, and refreshing of beverages were served along with social connection.
Beginning early on in 2028, and as part of the third combined US and UAS State of the Union, both Eliza and Vesha and the other JSC Generals held another larger brief, together, with the entire solar system populace watching, before bringing all UAS Spacecraft officially online.
Once online, the UAS Presidential and all UAS Command Spacecraft Crewmembers trained on every function familiarized themselves with their internal spacecraft environments, continued to adjust their personal quarters to their liking, and attained maximum readiness with training in all possible environments, as provided within the solar system. Once everyone was up to speed, they were ready to take the entire spacecraft contingency out to deep space to begin their missions. Throughout that year, each day, each week, and each month, every crew and support member was given time for liberal leave to travel around the solar system, visit friends, different locations, and embrace and enjoy the ambiance of so much variety.
Further than Before- Pathway to the Stars Page 103