The Colony Ship Vanguard: The entire eight book series in one bundle

by John Thornton

  Brinley maneuvered the small shuttle close to the inside hanger bay control panel which was at the far side of the hanger bay.

  Again a section of the shuttle’s nose dilated and a mechanical arm unfolded from within. Brinley directed that arm to reach across the one meter space and it flipped open the control panel. Inside that box was a nine section color pad and an access port.

  “I will connect in with a cable. That will make this whole shuttle’s systems linked,” Brinley said.

  “I have a conjecture for how to cross from the com system to the shuttle’s receivers, but it will be necessary to wait until the cable jack is completed,” Tiffany stated.

  “Cable jack being inserted now,” Brinley announced.

  Suddenly there was a flashing of yellow lights, the hanger bay doors slammed shut, and gravity came back on. The small shuttle crashed to the deck. Paul, Gretchen, and Brinley were jostled roughly around upon impact. The three large shuttles also crashed to the hanger deck as did everything else that was not secured down.

  “What happened?” Gretchen asked as she rubbed her neck. “I thought you were going settle some things down?”

  “Obviously, we fell to the deck,” Paul snorted as he wiped some blood from his bitten lip. Yellow light was flashing in from the view ports.

  “Yup, we crashed. Now we need to figure out why?” Brinley replied. She was checking the controls and looking over the readings.

  The small shuttle was sitting a bit askew, on the deck. It had landed over a three tier stairwell and its nose was pointed toward the back part of the hanger bay. The cable that had been jacked into the access port had been ripped out by the fall. The dilation of the nose was still open, but the manipulation arm was severely bent by the crash.

  “Tiffany? What took place?” Gretchen asked.

  There was a long pause and Tiffany did not respond.

  “Tiffany? This is Paul. Please answer. What happened here?

  “There is now atmosphere and pressure in the hanger bay,” Brinley reported. It checks out as adequate for breathing. I am impressed on how fast the place pressurized. I am heading out to assess this ship.” Her tone conveyed concern for the small shuttle. She unlocked her restraints and stepped to the door.

  “Tiffany? Where are you?” Paul asked.

  “I am still physically located in the scout ship. But I assume you were asking why I have been out of contact, correct?” Tiffany replied. The AIs words were distance and a bit delayed.

  “What happened?” Gretchen asked.

  “When the cable connection was made, I encountered another artificial intelligence. That entity resisted my efforts and sealed the hanger bay,” Tiffany responded. “Additionally, I was forced to find an alternative method of using the com link. That is now established and secure. I apologize for the unexpected and unanticipated events.”

  “There is an AI out there?” Brinley asked. She was just about to pop open the door to the shuttle, but hesitated.

  “Yes,” Tiffany replied.

  “Which one?” Brinley asked. She unconsciously placed her hand on the weapon she carried on her tool belt. She also checked her equipment energy levels.

  “I did not get a nomenclature,” Tiffany said.

  “Perhaps we should ask it? After all, it would be proper etiquette to make introductions, right? Sure, Tiffany, just say hello and ask the time of day. Just tell it, ‘Greeting, we are here from Earth on a failed mission to save our people. We used technology you have never heard about to get here and no one believes us. How about you?’” Paul said sarcastically. “What could go wrong?”

  Brinley looked at the door for a brief moment, and then pushed the latch and the door opened. The flashing yellow light was much brighter in the hanger bay. Everything around was a total chaotic mess. The three large shuttles were piled on each other, along with wing sections and other permalloy parts which had crashed down.

  “Hello?” Brinley called out as she stepped down the few stairs which had extended from the door when it opened.

  There was no answer. So Brinley stepped carefully around the parts and debris which lay around her. She carefully inspected the small shuttle they were using. Except for the bent manipulation arm and the ruined nose compartment, the shuttle seemed serviceable.

  “This one can still fly, but I would rather we had a bigger shuttle. Maybe we can repair one of the others?” Brinley commented dubiously. She glanced at the tumbled large shuttle, and bit her lip a bit as her mechanic’s mind was trying to estimate the work repairing one of them would take. She then glanced at the runabouts which had fared well since they had already been secured to the deck. There was a body lying draped over one of their cockpits, but otherwise they were unmarred by the incident. Brinley walked over and pulled the body down off of there. It was still and she carefully placed it against a slanted piece of permalloy where it would not be in the way. The body was surprisingly light weight. The face behind the helmet’s mask was shrunken and mummified. Brinley could not tell if it had male or female.

  Paul and Gretchen stood at the door of the small shuttle looking out over the hanger bay. “We might as well explore it too,” Paul said. He jumped down and walked about. “I will pile the bodies up, and then look around. Nothing else to do anyway.”

  “Tiffany? Any ideas on that AI you encountered?” Gretchen asked. “This place is a mess, and we could use any local help possible. We have yet to evaluate the artificial intelligence systems of the Vanguard.”

  There was an unsettling lack of response.

  “Tiffany? Gretchen asked.

  Finally, came a response, “After the last encounter, I suggest avoiding a direct wired connection for now,” Tiffany said. “Perhaps a control panel or display screen might be the place to make, as Paul said, ‘introductions’. In his own way he is correct, we should be seeking proper interfaces with the ship’s systems.”

  Brinley had cleared the work bench and had located a display screen which was powered and in standby mode. “Gretchen? I think we might be able to do something here. Could you assist me?”

  “Do not mind me,” Paul called. “I have spied at least three bodies which need to be stacked in the designated mortuary section. I will let you know if I find anything of interest among the dead. Not really too different from exploring the other domes back on Earth.” He climbed over the debris and was hauling one body toward where Brinley had placed the first. “Indeed, this will be a joy,” Paul said sarcastically.

  Gretchen joined Brinley at the work bench. “Paulie sure seems unhappy to be here. What is with him?”

  Gretchen considered how to answer. She too was wrestling with the grief of their failed mission, and their being cut off from any people they had ever known before. “We all mourn in our own way. He… we both, thought we would be able to save the people in Dome 17. I guess we did not consider how it might be if we were left alone.”

  “Alone. Yup. I feel that too. I never thought my own people would throw me out. I guess fate had it in for us to meet, right?” Brinley replied. “But I think in the future I will be able to go back to the safe zone. Tennard is there, and when things settle down, I will try to visit.” Her smile was still wide, but the words carried some sadness with them. “Anyway, we might be able to access the artificial intelligence system from here. Usually, we just cut the AI systems off and let all machines operate on manual. We have found it is much safer that way.”

  “Safer? How do you mean?” Gretchen asked.

  “Well, people can evaluate and alter courses of action. AIs just do what they are told. I guess, except for Tiffany. I have never met an AI like her before.”

  “Thank you,” Tiffany replied.

  “See, talking to you Tiffany is like talking to a friend.” Brinley entered a sequence on the display screen and it lit up with a series of prompts. “This is functional! Good. Now to access the AI.” Brinley entered, “Initiate conversation. Audio inputs. Artificial Intelligence. No lattice access.
”

  “No lattice?” Gretchen asked as she watched the input.

  “Right. The CPO owns the lattice and any system connected to it would immediately report to them that we are here. Free Rangers never use the lattice,” Brinley stated.

  Before Gretchen could ask more, a voice came from the display screen.

  “This unit is operational. This unit conforms to described parameters. How may I be of service?” an unemotional and monotone mechanical voice stated. The yellow flashing lights stopped, and more stable illuminate lit the hanger bay.

  “Who are you?” Brinley asked.

  “This unit is TSI-2321. How may I be of service?” the artificial intelligence system responded.

  “TSI-2321, why was gravity reactivated?” Brinley asked.

  “Core programming of this unit required that gravity manipulation be immediately reactivated,” TSI-2321 replied.

  “Please elaborate,” Gretchen stated.

  There was no response from the AI. Brinley wondered why. Finally she said, “Please elaborate” as she glanced at Gretchen.

  “Core programming of this unit required gravity manipulation be immediately reactivated,” TSI-2321 replied. “No further elaboration available.”

  “So what triggered that core programming?” Gretchen asked.

  Again the AI did not respond to her inquiry.

  Brinley looked down and realized that her hand was on the control panel of the work bench. “Gretchen, try placing your hand here, and then ask this AI your questions. I think it requires a physical interface.”

  Gretchen reached out and touched the control panel and asked, “What triggered the core programming which required reactivation of the gravity manipulation?”

  “This unit detected unidentified system intrusion. Unknown system triggered this unit to reactivate gravity manipulation as per requirements of core programming,” TSI-2321 replied.

  “But that caused us to crash, and the equipment in the hanger bay to fall. Why did you not protect that equipment?” Gretchen asked.

  Brinley gave her a puzzled look, but waited to hear what the AI would say.

  “Protection of unknowns is not in core programming of this unit,” TSI-2321 stated flatly.

  “I told you, the AIs will only do what they are programmed to do. This is not like your Tiffany. This is an AI like I am used to. They can be helpful, sometimes, well sort-of helpful, if they are programmed to do something. Otherwise, it is better and easier to do it manually. Free Rangers seldom use the AIs, but the CPO does use them interconnected together in the lattice.”

  Gretchen pulled her hand away and put it to her ear. She did not need to do that, but did so unconsciously. “Tiffany? What do you make of this AI?”

  “TSI-2321 appears to be a primitive operating system,” Tiffany replied. “It did not comprehend my attempts to link with it, and that caused it to revert to a simple stimulus and response mode. I could attempt another linkage, but I believe that TSI-2321 would again fail to recognize that attempt. I cannot predict what response would happen in that case. I suggest exploring its core programming to see what its capabilities are. Additionally, you may be able to add programs to its core.”

  Brinley then said, “Good thought Tiffany, but altering of the core programming is only allowed via the lattice. Believe me, Free Rangers have tried expanding the abilities of the isolated AIs, but it does not work. The CPO prevents any unauthorized access to the lattice. Tennard and I, when I was little, took an AI all the way apart down to its memory core. We tried to build it back from the parts. It still only would follow its core programming. Tennard wanted to prove to me the core programming was immutable. It is, except through the lattice.”

  “So what can TSI-2321 do for us?” Gretchen asked.

  “TSI-2321, display programs available for us to use,” Brinley commanded.

  “Affirmative. List displayed.”

  A long list of items were displayed, the vast majority of which had a red line striking through them. Only five items were fully illuminated:

  ‘Food Services’

  ‘Hanger Security’

  ‘Long Term Storage’

  ‘Refueling’

  ‘Shuttle Preservation’

  “I want to try ‘Food Services’ and see what is offered,” Brinley stated. She placed her thumb on the display.

  “You have selected ‘Food Services’ please chose from the following list of available foods,” TSI-2321 stated. The display shifted and a long list of foods was shown. All of which, except for ‘Water’ had the red line through them.

  “Well that stinks,” Brinley said. “But I wondered what would be available here as food. Most food is grown in the habitats, but Free Rangers have set up limited hydroponics in the safe zones. “I will try ‘Shuttle Preservation’ next.” She pushed the display.

  The screen shifted again, and another long list appeared. This was a list of numbers and letters, with no explanation. Gretchen stared at it trying to ascertain what it meant. As with the other lists, this one also had most of the items struck through with the red line.

  “Those are all labels for shuttle parts, mostly thruster engine components,” Brinley explained. “I can see why the dead guys here were trying to cannibalize the two shuttles to make the third operational. I assume the few active things on this list are in supply cubbies around the hanger here. Maybe we can salvage some of the parts for trading?”

  “Brinley? Gretchen? I think I found what killed these people,” Paul called from the distant part of the hanger bay. He had stacked up seventeen bodies which he had found in the bay. There were a few other bodies still laying about, some under the fallen shuttles.

  Brinley and Gretchen looked over to where Paul was pointing. Against the wall there was a large upright cylinder about three meters across and ten meters high.

  “That big oxygen storage tank is completely empty. The junctions on the sides fit the vac-suits. However, every one of the bodies’ suits are empty of oxygen as well. Some of the gloves on the bodies have deep scratch marks on the fingers, and one was holding a spanner. Looks like a couple people tried, but failed to force open that airlock. I think these people all ran out of oxygen and could not escape from this hanger bay,” Paul stated. “Are we safe in here? Do we have a way out?”

  Brinley had been just about to push the display for ‘Hanger Security’ when she hesitated. Something about what Paul had just said was haunting her mind. She lifted her hand from the control panel and the display went dark.

  “I wonder about ‘Hanger Security’ and what that might mean?” Brinley asked herself. She had a queer feeling about this place, and she had come to trust her feelings almost as much as her mechanical abilities. She gently placed her hand back on the control panel. “TSI-2321 explain the listed item ‘Hanger Security’ and what that means.”

  TSI-2321 in its mechanical manner replied, “This unit is programmed to provide security for this hanger bay. Security consists of three parts: egress, constitution, and containment.”

  Brinley removed her hand and the display went dark again. “This AI slammed the bay doors and the gravity manipulation came on when Tiffany tried to interface,” Brinley said. “It also called us ‘unknowns’ right?”

  “Yes,” Gretchen replied. She was feeling unnerved for some reason as well.

  “And all these people would have had a better understanding of the AI than I do. So why did they all die?” Brinley asked.

  “Especially since there was suitable air for us today. They could have had oxygen and been out of the vac-suits had this AI been attentive to their needs. Is that a fair assumption, Tiffany?” Gretchen asked.

  “Yes. Your conjecture is very plausible,” Tiffany replied through the communication links. “Paul’s observations are probably correct as they are consistent with the condition of the bodies from what I can observe. I suggest returning to the shuttle lest some form of ‘defensive’ action happen here.”

  “So TSI-
2321 caused the deaths? Its core programming made them die. That little shuttle of ours does not have any space-suits,” Brinley added as she and Gretchen walked around the debris heading back toward the shuttle. “If we cannot fly out of here, we may have to use the corridors and walk back.”

  Paul had walked over to a bulkhead door which should have led out of the hanger bay. “This door is sealed. It will not open for me. We could cut our way out, but do we want to do that?”

  “Try pushing the sequence, blue, blue, yellow, white, blue. That is an override code for bulkhead doors,” Brinley called to him.

  Paul entered that on the color panel next to the door. ‘Access denied’ was displayed over the door. A long and irritating buzzing sound happened. Yellow flashing lights came on again. It gave the whole hanger bay an eerie and almost surreal feeling. Paul turned away from that door and joined them as they approached the shuttle, “I did not really want to walk back through the halls with those Roe out there anyway. Not a pleasant thought.”