by Rick Lakin
Her first view was from the right flank where she could see the three engine exhausts. Jennifer noted the position of each sensor, each shield emitter, and each plasma weapons port. She walked along the starboard side close enough that she could see the details, but still see the entirety of Brilliant. Walking around the eighty-foot length and sixty-foot breadth, Jennifer examined the detail of the skin, contemplating what equipment was on the interior. The torpedo doors on the waist facing forward were where the STALT weapons emerged. When Jennifer reached the bow of the Brilliant, she looked up to see the small window on the top forward end of the bridge that serves as the only viewport. Along the port side, she passed the docking collar and the port weapons release points. She finished the circular tour just behind the ramp leading to the inside of the ship.
She heard a recognizable voice. “Jenna Seldon?” the Artificial Navigation Intelligence said, as she stood her permanent watch over the safety and security of Brilliant.
“Hello, Ani.”
“Only authorized crew members may come aboard. What is your authorization password?”
“Ani, I am just an intern here at Tovar. I am not an authorized crew member. I just wanted to walk around and see Brilliant.”
“What is your authorization password?”
It can’t hurt to give it a try. “Authorization: jendroid,” She always accessed the Brilliant Tech Manual and the Brilliant Simulators using her secret identity.
“Welcome to StarCruiser Brilliant, Jenna. This is your first time aboard. Would you like a guided tour?”
Her mouth dropped open. “I’m listed on the crew of the Brilliant?”
“When your assistant, Sami, informed me that you arrived on the lot for your summer internship, I spoke with Navvy. You are fully qualified on all of the bridge stations, your studies of the Brilliant Tech Manual indicate that you have the third highest knowledge level of the ship’s systems behind only Navvy and the captain, and your simulator scores are the highest ever recorded,” Ani said. “I recommended that he add your name to the crew list just in case. Navvy concurred but asked that I inform him if you accessed the ship.”
“Wow, thank Navvy for me. I will find my way around on my own.”
She climbed the ramp to the lowest deck.
“Ani, don’t wake me up. This is the best dream I have ever had,” Jennifer said.
“I am not very good at metaphors, but I am guessing that was one,” Ani replied.
“Correct.”
The aft-most compartment of the sub-deck was a small hangar deck. The outer doors opened to the vacuum of space but were protected by an air-tight force field. She stood on a pad with a pentagon of five circles. “Ani, is this what I think it is?”
“Jennifer, that information is classified above your authorization. Sorry.”
Jennifer walked around the Main Reactor which was sealed and maintenance free. It was very similar to the Scott Reactors which supplied unlimited energy to the world, but it was developed in a different timeline. The reactor occupied the center of the ship from the keel through the three decks below the bridge. Forward of the ramp and center ladder was the automated torpedo room. Currently, it contained a vicious-looking Smart Tactical Autonomous Long-range Torpedo lined up with Tube Two on the port side. The starboard tube displayed a message, “War Shot Loaded,” indicating that Tube One contained another STALT. Two small auxiliary tubes were set fore and aft to release countermeasures.
She walked up the steps of the ladder to the main deck, so-called because it extended from the stem of the ship to the stern. Jennifer went aft and looked into Navvy’s office. The title on the door indicated, 'Ship’s Designer.’
“Hello, Jenna. Are you enjoying your tour?” Engi, the Engineering Intelligence said.
“Hi, Engi. Brilliant is more beautiful than I dreamed.”
“Our ship does that to people.”
Outboard of that was the controller for the ship’s fabricator which created the parts necessary and delivered them throughout the ship. Forward of the main reactor was the athwartship passage which passed between the instrumentation and auxiliary controls for the StarDrive and the gravity drive. Beyond was life support and ship’s stores.
Every detail is just like I remember it from the Manual.
Up the ladder again and Jennifer arrived on the 01 deck. The decks above the main are numbered with a preceding zero. Aft of the reactor, Jennifer looked into Sick Bay. “Good afternoon, Dr. Ami.” Ami, the Artificial Medical Intelligence, was the ship’s doctor. Ami was a holographic Tactile Virtual Reality entity just like the actors on Tovar’s sound stages.
“Welcome aboard, Brilliant, Miss Seldon. I hope that you enjoy your tour.”
Jennifer walked forward past the three staterooms, the galley, and the crew’s mess. She looked inside one of the staterooms. It had stacked bunks and two working desks equipped with steve technology. In the galley, she saw a Starbucks machine.
“Miss Seldon, would you like a double-shot caramel Frappuccino?”
“Yes, please.”
While she waited, “Ani, are all the HoloBuddies, assistants, and smart tech networked with Brilliant?”
“Yes, Jenna. Navvy worked closely with HumanAI to develop the HTVR technology. Brilliant fabricated some of the first equipment including the hardware that I run on. Navvy is one of the founders of the company.”
“Navvy must be one of the richest people on the planet.”
“Navvy himself does not know the exact number because it is constantly changing. He is not a trillionaire quite yet but very close. Tovar Studios and HumanAI crowned four of the top ten on that list, with Navvy at the top.”
Jennifer received her coffee in a unique spill-proof mug with her name on it. “Mine?”
“Yes, but it stays aboard Brilliant. We are having a patent disagreement with NASA about our mugs,” Ani said.
Jennifer walked up the spiral ladder around the fireman’s pole to the bridge. She went aft to port and opened the door to the Captain’s Ready Room and Stateroom. Aft-most was the captain’s desk surrounded by displays and three chairs. Port and starboard were fold-down bunks below displays that showed the starfield outside the ship. The center of the room featured a holographic tactical virtual display. It was steveLearn on steroids.
“Ani, is this like steveLearn?”
“It is the first installation of steve. This particular version is always a generation ahead. There are only a few others with the same capability. Interestingly, HumanAI has maintained the one in your bedroom at nearly the same capability.”
“I wonder why?”
“steve is an interactive system designed to teach concepts and information to the user, but it also learns and adapts from the user. You, Jenna, taught steve as much has it has taught you,” Ani said. “The modes by which you interact with steveLearn are unique. You taught steve innovative and rapid ways to create new information from old. HumanAI has implemented those processes for other users.”
Jennifer thought about that and how she observed others interacting with steve. “I guess I knew that, but I didn’t think it was just me.”
She walked forward, inspected the pilot and operations console, and then sat in the captain’s chair after placing her coffee in the holder. Engineering was over her right shoulder, the science station to her left, communications to her right. She looked forward to the pilot’s console on the left and her operations console on the right. Ahead on the center line was the ship’s bell and the only hull penetration that allowed a viewport.
Jennifer sat for several minutes contemplating what was to come. Ani interrupted, “You know, you followed the same steps that the captain walks every time he comes on board for a mission.”
“I didn't realize that.”
“Sami informs me that you are expected on Sound Stage One in five minutes.”
She took one last look around and then exited the ship and went back to her real job. “Thanks, Ani. I will be back.”
Yes, Jenna, you certainly will, Ani thought.
She was immersed in her memories of Brilliant when Sami popped up, “The HoloPads are at the sound stage.”
“Sami, ask the Starbucks to make my favorite for when I get there.”
She walked onto the stage with two minutes to spare. Her third double-shot caramel Frappuccino of the day was ready when she got to Craft Services. She grabbed it and resumed her place on the set near Brooke. Harper Jennings’ avatar popped up over her shoulder, “There's a delay. Come over and let's chat.”
Jennifer arrived near her supervisor, “What's up?”
Harper explained, “Navvy has put a thirty-minute hold on the shoot. There are script changes that involve reshoots from this morning. We have also been warned to standby for more rewrites.”
Harper looked at Jennifer, whose eyes were open very wide. “You know something?”
“Well…”
“Spill,” Harper said.
“Over the weekend, I did a rewrite of the Attack script,” Jennifer said.
“And?”
“I mentioned this to Navvy during our conference. When we broke for lunch, Navvy asked me to send the rewrite. He should have received it right after we broke for lunch.”
“Who are you, anyway?”
“Just a lowly studio intern trying to do my job, Boss.” She winked her blue-green eye at Harper.
“Go back to your spot and keep a low profile this afternoon. That may be nigh onto impossible for you, but do your best.” Harper's look of intensity relaxed into a smile. “The best part of this business is working with extremely talented people. One of the most depressing things is seeing them burn out like a shooting star. A professor once told me, 'Knowledge becomes wisdom when experience becomes the teacher.' Make sure that you stick around long enough for the experience to take hold.”
“I’ve heard that before. The last thing I want to do is screw up a great opportunity. I understand what you're saying, and I'll do my best to follow your advice.”
“Take your spot,” Harper said.
“Thanks, Harper.”
Next to Brooklyn, she caught a look from the director that seemed to be a mix between anger and astonishment. Navvy wasn't in his usual seat. An alert popped up from her HoloPad for a script revision. The props and set decoration crews scrambled to update the sets. Cameras and lighting were moved. She looked at the script revision. Her words appeared just as she had written them over the weekend. She glanced around the stage at the controlled chaos. She caught Harper’s eye stage left. Harper was posing the question to Jennifer. She wants to know if all this is my fault. Jennifer nodded in response. She knew that it was going to be challenging to keep a low profile from here out.
David Masing passed Jennifer on his way to his mark, “I wonder who caused this five-alarm fire?”
“Some pesky intern must have learned how to type,” Jennifer said.
David stopped and turned to Jennifer. “You?”
Jennifer shrugged and tried to look innocent.
David stepped up and wrapped Jennifer in a hug. “That’s for luck. You’re gonna need it.” Jennifer returned the hug warmly. “Hey, Wednesday's a short day. Riley and I would like for you and Tayla to join us and sample a new dance club after work? My publicist got me four passes to The Virtual Copa. Riley would be happy if Tayla joined.”
Jennifer smiled. “I think that Tayla and I can fit that into our busy social calendar. I'll call her, confirm, and let you know.”
The rest of the afternoon was surprisingly quiet. The crew performed reshoots on three interiors. Each of the setups was one of those recommended in the shooting script that she sent Navvy.
At the afternoon break, Jennifer called Tayla. “Tay, are you up for some clubbing Wednesday evening?”
“Yes, what's the plan?”
“David has four passes for us at some club called The Virtual Copa. Have you heard of it?”
“Omigod. That's the toughest ticket in the valley right now. Wait, Wednesday is the official grand opening. We got tickets?! The club is modeled after the Copacabana in New York from the nineteen-fifties. It's a virtual black and white club.”
“Black and White?” Jennifer asked.
“You enter the club’s interior and into a film noir picture. The acts are reproductions from the period: Frank Sinatra, Louis Armstrong, Martin and Lewis, and MGM floor shows. And get this, when you are dancing, a virtual actor may cut in. My New York friend told me she was dancing, and Cary Grant cut in and danced with her. I hear that there's a table near the front with the whole Rat Pack: Frank, Dean, Bogart and Bacall, and Sammy Davis, Jr. They even sign napkins and take selfies. They won’t let you in unless you are wearing period fashion. So, we need to schedule some retail therapy.”
“Wow, that sounds fun.”
“Are you and David ready to go public? The paparazzi will be out in force.”
“You're right. His publicists gave him the passes. I guess we're going to be social media stars,” Jennifer said.
“Wait, we?” Tayla asked.
“In all the tabs, Riley is David’s wingman. You're going to be on Riley's arm, Wednesday.”
“Wow, this is real. Watch out klieg lights, here I come.”
“I'll let David and Riley know that you can make it.”
When shooting ended for the day, Jennifer got a call on her HoloPad. Kathy, Navvy’s assistant, popped up. “Hello, Jennifer, Navvy would like for you to join him for a business lunch on Wednesday after the shoot wraps for the day.”
“I'd be glad to. What time?”
“One o’clock in the Tovar Executive Dining Room.”
“I'll be there. Anything I should prepare for?”
“You might think about whether your goals include being a part of Tovar Studios after your internship is complete,” Kathy said
“Tell Mr. Kelrithian that I look forward to meeting him on Wednesday.”
Jennifer was deep in thought by the time she got home. Jennifer set out some food for Dandy and then took Pugs for a walk around the neighborhood. She started just last week as a studio intern. Now, Jennifer Gallagher was preparing to negotiate a screenwriting credit for Attack of the Hoclarth Alliance, and she was romantically involved with its most eligible young star. Jennifer needed some mom time to help her put things in perspective.
Sheila pulled in to the driveway just as Jennifer and Pugs were completing their walk. When her mom exited the car, Jennifer grabbed her in a bear hug. “We need to talk.”
Jennifer and Sheila settled in to the breakfast nook.
“You look overwhelmed,” Sheila said.
“Things are happening very fast. I created an app called Props Curator, but it needs some new technology to make it work. I rewrote the screenplay for Attack on Sunday, sent it to Navvy today, and we shot from it this afternoon. David invited me to go dancing at the most exclusive club in LA. Whatever there is between us will become very public after the paps get all over us coming in to the club.”
“Jennifer, since you were eight years old, you accepted and mastered challenges way beyond your years. I have often wanted to step in and try to make you slow down and be a kid just a little longer. I resisted that urge because, on top of all the other things you accomplished, you managed to grow into a well-adjusted teenager. A highly-educated, best-selling author, entrepreneur, inventor, and star athlete with a large bank account, but first and foremost, a nice kid who I'm extremely proud of.” Sheila sipped her coffee. “If you need to step back and slow down, if you need to take a break, I'll help you do that. That's your personal choice.”
“I don’t want to stop. I guess I want to put all of my tasks and commitments on the road to completion. I need your advice as my attorney and my mom.”
“I can do that. Where do you want to start?”
“The screenplay. I sent it to Navvy. He started shooting on it two hours later. He wants a lunch meeting on Wednesday. Kathy says I should be ready to di
scuss my future with Tovar Studios.”
“Jen, I'd have advised against submitting the script without contractual protection, but I trust Navvy to treat you fairly. So, let’s start there. Where do you want to be in five years?”
“I want to be a filmmaker. I want to be in the entertainment industry. But I know that I can be creative as a novelist and in the tech industry.”
“So, don’t commit to long-term employment. Make it project-based. You have time to commit hours during your senior year because your education is complete, so promise Navvy twenty hours a week during the year. Leave it open after that. Ask him if he's open to giving you a writer’s credit on the current script and how he might compensate you.”
“Will you negotiate my contracts?” Jennifer asked.
“Of course. We need to start documenting your writing accomplishments for membership in the Writer’s Guild. Have you decided what name you want to use for screen credits.”
“I want to go with Jenna Seldon for the writing credits. Do I want that for everything?”
“Not necessarily, but we can decide later,” Sheila said. “I sent your mini-drone design to the intellectual property expert. He likes it but agrees that you need an engineer.”
“We have two pending projects. What do you suggest?”
“I suggest that we have dinner with the Mendozas tomorrow night. Steven’s project at Skunk Works is shutting down, and he's afraid he might be laid off.”
“That’s too bad.…Wait, you think that Tayla’s dad could be the project manager for my projects?”
“Exactly. We can suggest some team members from HumanAI and GGG, and he can select the aerospace talent. I made a couple of phone calls. The two companies would be more than willing to contribute personnel as their share of the investment.”
“Should I make the invitation?”
“You are the CEO of JennaTech.”
“Here or at a restaurant?”
“Set a time, and I'll arrange catering here.”
“Okay, let’s talk about David Masing.”