by Z Gottlieb
The movement of this vehicle was unlike his first experience. It was so smooth that, had he not watched over Connor’s shoulder, he would not have noticed they were moving and entering the ocean. The movement of the vehicle lulled him into daydreaming on what he would see once they escaped Earth’s gravity. He sighed. His fantasy about experiencing weightlessness had already been quashed when he had learned about the artificial gravity fields within larger vehicles such as this one. He focused on the view forward, outside the cockpit, as the vehicle ascended toward the surface. Looking down at the tablet in his hand he read an alert message that had just come through. “Shit, I can’t believe this.”
Griken turned to Brad. “Johnson do you have a problem?”
“Not really. I was hoping to follow the journey from Earth through the first gate, but I just received orders to begin training once the vehicle has left Earth’s gravity. Is it even safe?”
Commander Janeque piped up, “It’s safe. I approved the vehicle’s modular configuration. A special training module was added to the ship’s configuration for you. There had been a discussion that the squadrons on the battle cruiser would be more accepting of your short commitment if you arrived partially trained.”
He turned to look at the commander sitting behind him. “I can’t argue that point, but it would have been nice to have been included in the discussions.”
Kiraine shrugged. “Welcome to the Fleet. It happens a lot. It could have been worse.”
“I don’t think your interest in watching the journey is unreasonable, seeing how long the remainder of the trip will be before we reach the Zuonopy. Considering what you have done for Connor and the major, I could use my influence with your commanding officer in exchange for assistance,” volunteered Griken.
Brad looked at the admiral’s adolescent face staring at him with seriousness. What could a person who was well over two centuries older than him want from him that would be helpful? “I’m not sure I understand what you are asking me to do.”
“It’s rather simple. I’m impressed with the way you’ve handled the news about Connor and the major. Connor seems much more relaxed and you’ve found a way to connect with a Special Combat Officer who I consider a good friend. In the Fleet, a connection like that would be considered an achievement. I’m appreciative of their changes and willing to help you on your request in exchange for assistance,” Griken explained. “I’ve heard you are an expert at riding bicycles. I would like your assistance in learning how to ride.”
Brad could relate to Griken’s comment about Shinny, considering how long it took him to gain her interest, but he was taken aback with Griken’s request. It was the last thing he expected. He still wasn’t sure what he was asking. “If you mean ‘Tour de France’ expert, you’ve been misled. If you mean can I help you learn to ride similar to Connor and Shinny and you are open to a few possible bumps and scrapes, I can instruct you on riding a bicycle.” Brad paused. “Why would you want me to help you? Aren’t there other people on the ship who could provide instructions to you?”
“There are, but I trust you more to not take stories back to your squadron. Unfortunately, I don’t think that would necessarily be true about the bicycle staff or others I could ask. And it’s a fair exchange when it comes to you on the Zuonopy, since there will be many secrets we will need to keep for you, such as your home planet.”
Brad would have said yes to helping Griken learn how to ride a bicycle had he just asked, but if he was offering to help him communicate a small request to his commanding officer, he probably should take advantage of it. “Okay, I agree. I have to tell you I don’t understand why bicycle riding wasn’t discovered in your area of space,” he commented as he reached out to shake Griken’s hand.
Griken looked uncertain, but hesitantly put his hand out for a firm shake. “This handshake is a quaint custom. I can see CIG picking it up after Earth is recognized and admitted into CIG. What I can’t understand is why your population has wasted years of infighting and is still stuck on the planet, especially when the records show humans have existed longer on your planet than many of the other CIG planets.”
“Touché,” Brad responded as he smiled and looked down at his tablet to see an alert message come through. He read through the revised orders allowing him to commence training after entering Earth’s Transit Gate. “Wow, you work quickly—the revision just came through. By the way, who is my commanding officer?”
Griken smiled. “I am. Kiraine sent the message. It’s great having an aide who knows what to do without asking.”
“I think I’ve been had, again,” Brad groaned as he leaned back, hearing a quiet chuckle pass throughout the cabin. He closed his eyes momentarily to take a quick power nap, since he hadn’t slept since they arrived at the station.
Chapter 9
The vehicle trembled, similar to an airplane hitting an air pocket, and jerked Brad awake. Brad looked past Connor through the windshield at dark gray ridges splattered by white dots outlined by dark green furrows. Completely confused, he looked at his tablet to get a sense of what he was looking at. They were already flying through the transit gate. Crap, he couldn’t believe it—his first trip to the moon and he missed it.
He had looked up information on the gates, but facts were sparse since the gates had been relics from a spacefaring society older than CIG. While CIG had figured out how to travel between the gates, they still did not have an understanding of the science behind it nor had they fully explored traveling within the gates. Folded space in the transit gate was as dark and indistinctive as space outside the gate; however, CIG had developed a way of displaying the mappings of the ridges and furrows of the folds. The ridges were formed from the regions of folded space. The display on the windshield was an overlay of the map of space turbulences or ridges and furrows that had been measured. Currently, most of the gates had one route mapped. A small number had more than one route mapped, leading to additional destinations.
Watching Voodel and Connor gesture and navigate between the ridges was interesting, but he had a commitment to begin his training. This would be a good time, since the shaking had subsided. He unbuckled, stood up, and stretched. Looking at the chairs behind him he saw Shinny was no longer in her seat. He was curious what she was doing, but he was still avoiding her. At least he had not had the same annoying dream this time. Griken seemed engrossed in his work. Brad had learned his lesson and knew better than to bother the admiral. He wasn’t sure how busy Commander Janeque was, as he watched her swipe through her tablet, but there was no one else he could ask for help. “Commander, I apologize for disturbing you, but could you lead me toward the training module?”
Kiraine looked at Brad. “No problem. I need to stretch a little myself. Since it looks like they have a handle on stability, this would be a good time.” She unbuckled and stretched at her chair. Kiraine walked over to the aisle and looked back at Brad. “Follow me.” Walking toward the rear of the ship she pointed out the features on their way. “The kitchen area is through this passage. It’s self-serve and mostly microwave-heated meals. Drinks are in the cold chamber. Plain water is on tap.” She pointed to a counter hanging off the wall. “This is the dining area. Just a hint, if you want to get on the good side of the pilots, offer them something now and then.”
“Thanks, I’ll keep that in mind.”
Continuing toward the back, she pointed toward a closed door. “This is the gym area. It’s small and narrow, but has a few machines and an area for weights. Shinny is in the gym at this time. The doors flanking the gym are the showers and convenience rooms.”
Brad didn’t respond to the information on his wife. At least there were places on a vehicle as small as this one they could use to avoid seeing each other, he thought. It still hurt thinking about her deception, but not as much as it did yesterday.
Kiraine took a passage to the right side of the vehicle, with the pods now positioned on the left side to provide weight balance when the vehicle i
s being used on a planet. “These are the training modules. The first one is for the Connor and Admiral Griken.”
“What do the admirals train on?”
“Since I’m not an admiral, I can’t give you specifics, but it is my understanding they train on various strategies and tactics discussed at high levels and the conceptual integration of policies and procedures. It’s one thing to have a new procedure downloaded and another to practice it in a simulated environment. In addition, Admiral Griken will use this module as a hologram suite to meet with other staff members on the battle cruiser.” She walked to the next module and opened the door to reveal a cockpit with two seats. “This is your module. You will have an opportunity to simulate practice in both seats. The next door leads to a training module I am sharing with your mate. Further down there is another set of convenience rooms and the berthing areas. The Connor and Admiral Griken have small rooms. We have sleeping tubes.” Kiraine pointed to a door at the far end of the passageway. “Through that door are the engine room, cargo area, and the micro-factory.”
“What is a micro-factory?”
“A micro-factory is a series of scanners and 3-D replicating printers. If there is a breakdown, this vehicle is capable of scanning and printing almost anything, from computerized components for the vehicle to the tools needed to install the components. In an emergency, organic components such as our chips could be printed.” She pointed to the port behind her ear. “In addition, the scanners are large enough to scan big items, such as the chairs or a human.”
Brad looked toward the door and nodded. “Thanks, I’ll check it out later. I need to start my training before I destroy the admiral’s patience that he’s shown me because of my backward upbringing and youth. I’m sure it won’t be too long before he tires of my excuses.”
Kiraine chuckled at his self-deprecating humor. “Ah, good point. He does watch over his people; that can have its pros and cons.” She stepped into the module and pointed to a slight hand depression on the arm of the seat. “Training is begun by placing your hand on the receptor and activating the program. As you train, you will program the trainer to respond to you through your chip. The trainer is a program that resides on your chip that interacts with the training module. The more you train, the more responsive your trainer will be to you.” She stepped around him and out the door. “If you need any more assistance, let me know,” Kiraine added before she shut the door.
Brad sat down in the left pilot seat and placed his hand in the receptor, staring at the dizzying array of gauges, colored button indicators, toggles, and miniature swipe pads on the dashboard’s complex console. Looking around he was not sure where to start and he jokingly asked, “Where’s the panic button?”
“The Swarm Defender does not have a panic button,” responded a male voice from a hidden speaker.
Brad was initially startled and did not expect his rhetorical question to be answered, but he was curious how the voice fit into his training. “Who are you?”
“I am your trainer. Each time you log into a training module or session, I will be available to assist you in your training.”
“Alright, I finally have my own personal trainer. I think I’m going to like this,” Brad responded in a flippant manner. Although the trainer did not reply to his comment, Brad was determined to continue. “Do you have a name?” Immediately after asking the question, information on the trainer bubbled up to the forefront of his thoughts, informing him the trainer was a generic artificial intelligence keyed to his chip and would only respond to him.
“I do not have a name. Most trainers are called Trainer,” the AI answered.
“If this is going to work for me, you need to have a name. Do you have any preferences?”
“Trainer is acceptable.”
Brad rolled his eyes at the AI’s lack of imagination. He wondered if the AI would take on more of a personality as time went on. If so, it definitely needed a name. “I think I’m going to call you Travis.”
“Travis is an unusual name and not listed in the name dictionary.”
“Travis is from my home planet. It means crossing. It seems appropriate since we are crossing folded space at this time.”
“Then Travis will be my name. How may I help you?”
“Travis, what do I need to do to start training?” Brad looked up at the windshield and saw a list of training modules covering it. It looked like he had twenty to thirty columns of lessons to cover. At the same time, Brad realized much of the information was immediately available through his chip. This would be a matter of practicing until the movements were as familiar to him as driving a car.
“In front of you is the list of capabilities in which you need to be proficient to be a Swarm Defender pilot. As you become proficient in an area it is removed from the list. Once you have completed these lessons or tasks, your squadron commander will test you and award your Swarm Defender insignia.”
Brad looked at the list. A number of skills he had proficiency in from his pilot training on Earth. However, he wasn’t sure how much of his Earth-based training and experience would translate to the vacuum of space or how much more work he needed to do to be rated proficient. “Where do I begin?”
“It is recommended that you start at the beginning and follow the curriculum. As you proceed, if I observe that you are proficient in an additional skill then I will remove the applicable lesson. You will be advanced to the lesson following it at the appropriate time.”
“Okay, I think I understand. Travis, I’m ready to start,” Brad keyed in his harness as the list disappeared from the cockpit’s windshield to be replaced by a pattern of stars. Following the cues Travis gave him, he checked all of the gauges, and initiated the starting sequence. The simulated engine turned on and he charted a simple flight path for his Swarm Defender.
Chapter 10
Griken walked out of his training module and noticed Johnson was still training in his module. He looked at his tablet to review Johnson’s training record. While he was impressed with the rate of his progress, he was concerned Johnson was overdoing it. He walked over to the kitchen area to talk to Connor, who had just been relieved from first pilot duty. “Connor, I’m impressed with the training progress our new recruit is making, but he has just started and he is close to doing three continuous shifts. You may want to talk to him as a friend before Commander Janeque or I say something.”
Connor pulled out his tablet and examined Brad’s training record. “I’ll have a talk with him on moderation. I’m surprised his trainer hasn’t said anything.”
Griken shrugged. “Occasionally trainers have been known to deviate from the norm. I’ve identified a squadron that will be a good fit for him. I’ll arrange a conference for you on your next break.”
“Thank you. I’m not going to step on the squadron commander’s or your toes. I just want to be kept aware of his progress.”
“Understood. If he was my son, I would want the same courtesy,” Griken replied. “I’d also like to add that I’m happy to report he hasn’t vomited once since leaving Earth.” Griken laughed as he turned to walk to the front cabin.
Connor grimaced at Griken’s jab. He couldn’t blame Griken; if anything, his introduction to Brad would always be memorable, he thought, as he walked over to Brad’s training module. Although it had been awhile since Connor had used a module for flying, he sent a programing algorithm to ensure his trainer did not take over the simulator when he stepped into the room. Quietly opening the door, he saw the seats angled in a deep dive as Brad avoided an oncoming Aneplé Defender. Brad then swung steeply to the left and pulled his vehicle up and around. Brad repositioned his vehicle behind the Aneplé Defender while firing a missile.
“Well done. A direct hit,” the trainer reported as the seats returned to level position
“Thanks, Travis. Bring up the next lesson in the list,” Brad requested.
“Who is Travis?” Connor asked as he climbed into the copilot seat.
“Travis is my trainer. It felt right naming him.” Brad arched his back and stretched his arms and shoulders.
“I was wondering what happened to you. You’ve been cloistered in here for close to three shift periods.” Connor looked at the list of training modules Brad needed to finish to be level one qualified. Perplexed with the irregular arrangement, Connor said, “Trainer, run a self-diagnostic program.” When the AI didn’t respond, Connor reworded his request. “Travis, run a self-diagnostic program.” The list was quickly replaced with a series of metrics showing that the program was functioning within normal parameters.
“Is there a problem?” Brad asked looking at the display.
“I’m not sure but your trainer has exhibited a number of anomalies.”
“It seems fine. What are your concerns?” Brad asked, worried he might have to start over if there was a glitch in the AI assigned to him.
“The first is that your trainer ignored training period protocols and courses appear to be out of sequence.”
“After training for a few hours, Travis started shutting down for a mandatory rest period. We had a discussion about the meaning of self-study. It was my position that if the training is truly self-study I should regulate the actual training period because the programmed periods would hold me back. In addition, I mentioned that since I come from a planet outside of CIG my limitations would be different. Travis countered that the limitations originated from data that showed overextending an individual’s capabilities resulted in an increased number of mishaps. We made an agreement that if there was an increased trend of simulated accidents he could shut down the training. Apparently, I was able to maintain satisfactory performance throughout the extended training period. Although I do feel like I need to get something to eat. I didn’t realize I had been in here for three shifts.”