The Colony Ship Conestoga : The Complete Series: All Eight Books

by John Thornton

  “Yes, in a way.”

  “I understand your hesitation to claim the term scientist, since there are no operational synthetic brains on the needle ship. Therefore, there cannot be a quality educational system. It was improbable that any human actually survived on the needle ship, but obviously a remnant population has somehow survived.”

  “Tell me more about this planet Zalia. Please. Are there trees and animals?”

  “I doubt you would understand any detailed description,” the SB replied.

  “I knew about the solar system here. I know a lot more than you think I do,” Cammarry replied.

  “Folklore or story telling could have passed down legends from generation to generation as a verbal recollection of times past. However, perhaps there are some humans who strive for more knowledge on the needle ship. I will consider that as possible. You are proof human life survived in some manner on that orbiting section of the Conestoga. Regarding the planet, there is a very active and complex ecological system on Zalia, but I have only been measuring it around Habitat Alpha. Zalia’s ecosystem is nothing like the life in the habitats. Zalia has an average surface temperature of 18 degrees. Zalia’s atmosphere consists of 47% nitrogen, 31% chlorine, 16% of a previously unknown gas which we have named stabilizite, with the remaining 6% consisting of variable amounts of muriatic acid vapor, diclorine monoxide, oxygen, and carbon dioxide. There are also trace elements which have yet to be fully identified. The overall green color comes from the chlorine content in the atmosphere. The planet has a surface gravity of 1.8 times Earth normal. Liquid in the form of a combination between stabilizite, nitrogen, and chloride covers 51% of the planet’s surface. A chlorine cycle is active in both liquid and vapor states. The stabilizite is key to the overall dynamics of the bio system of Zalia. It is roughly equivalent to the role oxygen plays in the habitats. Photosynthesis is operating, but using differing properties than those of terrestrial origin.”

  “That sounds inhospitable.”

  “It is.”

  “You say you have only been measuring around Habitat Alpha, is it like that around all the habitats?” Cammarry asked.

  “I have no information on the other seven habitats,” the SB Joseph Crater replied. “The contact made with the needle ship to initiate the automatic recall and retrieval was the first contact made outside of Habitat Alpha since it was jettisoned.”

  “So why did you make planet fall here?” Cammarry asked.

  “Restricted inquiry. I am unable to answer,” the SB said.

  “SB Joseph Crater, please tell me why the Conestoga made planet fall here?” Cammarry was remembering what she had learned from the brief information recovered from Captain Lechner.

  “Restricted inquiry. I am unable to answer,” the SB said.

  “So what can you tell me about Habitat Alpha?”

  “Estimated time of arrival at Habitat Alpha twenty-nine minutes,” SB Joseph Crater said.

  “So tell me more about Habitat Alpha,” Cammarry inquired.

  “Conversation terminate,” the SB stated.

  No matter how much more Cammarry spoke, nor how she addressed the synthetic brain, no matter what questions she asked, she got no further responses. And so, she turned to the flight instruction manual which had been tucked under the seat. She thought of Jerome as she read the printed copy which was on light-weight, flexible material similar to the ancient paper that he often spoke about, but seldom got to actually physical touch. She wished for a working data stick so she could record a copy of the flight manual. It was written in such a way as to be very understandable, and almost on a childlike level, yet it taught a thorough working knowledge of the operations of the runabout.

  Back on the needle ship in hanger bay Pine 1206, Jerome was frantically trying to figure a way to save Cammarry.

  “Sandie, I cannot connect with Cammarry. What is wrong with the com-link?” Jerome asked.

  “I detect no failures in the com-link’s functioning. However, there is something happening. I can only register the presence of Cammarry’s com-link, but cannot gain access to it. I conjecture there is some kind of obstacle between the com-links. I believe it is emanating from the runabout shuttle she is inside.”

  “Shut that obstacle down!”

  Sandie replied sadly, “Unfortunately, I am unable to do that. I have tried.”

  Jerome watched as the hanger bay returned to the state it was in when they had found it. The foam which had nudged the big shuttle away from a crash had been slurped down into slots on the hanger bay’s deck. The exterior doors had resealed themselves. The display in front of Jerome was showing several graphs which indicated that the hanger bay was slowly repressurizing itself.

  “Can you track that shuttle?” Jerome asked.

  “Yes, Jerome. I am tracking both the shuttles which were launched from here. The larger shuttle has been cartwheeling away and, if it continues on its erratic course, will totally escape the planet’s gravity well,” Sandie answered.

  “The big one does not matter. How do we save Cammarry?” Jerome said sternly.

  “Cammarry’s shuttle is under operational control by something. I conjecture it is unlikely that she is in control of it due to her comments before the com-link obstacle was erected….”

  “Joseph Crater? Is that who she spoke of? Is he controlling the shuttle?”

  “I will replay what was said. This is the transmission from Cammarry. ‘Nothing responds to me in here. Joseph Crater…’ Which suggests that she was not in control of the shuttle and that there is an interaction with Joseph Crater, whatever, or whatever that is.”

  “The other shuttle took off and launched, and we know all the people in it were dead. So this must be some kind of remote control. But from where? Sandie can you trace any transmissions or communications to that shuttle?”

  The AI answered, “I have detected no transmissions, signals, or messages from the needle ship. However, it is possible the remote control is in a manner I cannot readily detect. The conjecture that is most probable is that the origin of the remote control is on the planet, possibly form one of the habitat cylinders. That shuttle has shown numerous positioning thruster adjustments and the shuttle is on course to enter the planet’s atmosphere shortly.”

  The display screen scrolled out a message, ‘Hanger bay pressure normal’.

  “I am following her down there. One of those two remaining little shuttles will fly me down.” Jerome pulled the lever and the door from the observation deck slid open. He grabbed his backpack and sprinted toward the remaining two blue and white shuttles. “Sandie how do we activate this and follow Cammarry?”

  “I am uncertain,” Sandie replied. “I cannot directly connect to the shuttles or to all the operations of the hanger bay. I can report what I observed from Cammarry’s com-link prior to when that shuttle was launched.”

  “Well, it is a place to start. We will do the difficult things while they are easy and do the great things while they are small. A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step,” Jerome recited as he climbed up and looked into the runabout shuttle. He stepped back as he covered over his face. “This one will not get us a mile, parsang, furlong, league, or any other obsolete measuring distance. For like those terms, this machine is no good.”

  The controls inside the shuttle were wrecked. Wires were hanging out of the cockpit’s dashboard, the seat was shredded, the display screen was bashed in, and there were dark brown stains where something had dripped down the backside of the seats.

  “I concur with your assessment,” Sandie replied. “This vehicle will not operate without a major rehabilitation of its systems.”

  “But what is that?” Jerome asked. He reached down and caught the small edge of what he at first thought was paper. He pulled it out from under the ruined seat. “These are flight instruction, an operations manual, in printed form.” The manual had a small discoloration on one side of it, but the printing, diagrams, and illustrations were sti
ll legible even with that stain.

  “Jerome, please take a moment to look at each page so I can scan it into my records,” Sandie said. “That way I can study it in detail while we continue on the rescue mission.”

  Jerome opened the flight instructions, and turned page by page while he walked the short distance to the other runabout shuttle.

  “I have it all in the record, now we have that physical copy and a virtual copy as well,” Sandie said.

  “Good. Now hopefully this shuttle will be functional.” Jerome patted the side of the blue shuttle. It was the last one in the hanger bay, and Jerome’s heart was pounding as he wondered what he would find inside it. Stepping on the shuttle’s wing he leaned over and looked inside.

  “We are in luck! This one looks pristine. I guess good luck does come to those who are diligent and do not give up.” Jerome immediately felt in the slot under the seat, but in this runabout there was no operations manual. He plopped his backpack into the rear seat and secured it down. He settled himself into the front seat. It was a bit cramped, but in some ways not as tight as the FTL scout had been.

  “Sandie, what did Cammarry do?”

  “I lost visual communication just after she manipulated the dial marked ‘Long Range Transmitter’ the only contact after that was the sentence where she related the name ‘Joseph Crater’. I do wish I had more information for you.”

  Jerome tucked the operations manual under his thigh and looked at the instruments. There was the major lever, or stick, rows of toggle switches, gauges, dials, and two small display screens. He saw a dial marked, ‘Long Range Transmitter’ and paused a bit with his fingers hovering just next to that.

  “Sandie? Will this work?”

  “I have insufficient information for a valid conjecture, but I say it is worth trying.”

  “Right you are! Cammarry! I am coming after you!” Jerome turned on the Long Range Transmitter.

  The canopy descended, and Jerome remembered that in his backpack was the molecular torch. He knew he would not be trapped like the people who died in the big shuttle. Blue tinted lights came on in the cockpit and the controls were backlit in red and orange colors. A mechanical voice came from the dashboard, “This is SB Joseph Crater of Habitat Alpha. Initiating automatic recall and retrieval.”

  “I am Jerome. I am pleased to meet you SB Joseph Crater. Would you please explain to me what happened to Cammarry? She was in the other shuttle.”

  “You lack identification markings, but are courteous and polite. Runabout NS-107 departing,” SB Joseph Crater stated.

  The canopy darkened over Jerome’s head, and he felt gravity manipulation disengage. He felt his weight slip away. There were several large clangs and a bit of a shake. That was followed by a mild jerk of acceleration. He was glad he had strapped himself in. He badly wanted to operate the instruments and controls, but saw that they were working under some kind of remote control.

  “Will you tell me her condition? I am worried about her. Neither of us expected this to happen, and seeing the dead bodies in the other shuttle was very disturbing. Please help me.”

  “Jerome,” Sandie stated through the com-link, “I have been able to track the signals which are….”

  “Eeelaiiich!!!!!!!”

  There was an ear splitting, high-pitched whine in Jerome’s com-link, and he pulled it from his ear. At about the same time, Jerome felt the gravity manipulation end.

  “I have established a dampening and interference field to avoid unauthorized and potentially disruptive outside influences,” SB Joseph Crater stated. “That same force was used in runabout NS-05 for the protection of its single occupant. It is regrettable that the occupants of shuttle Model 6 NS-A1L were not similarly protected.”

  Jerome was about to complain, but sensed something and held back his retort. He took a few deep breathes and tried to look outside the canopy. The dark gray tint made it difficult to see, but the shuttle appeared to have moved off the deck, and was rapidly picking up speed. A flash by the side of the canopy suggested they had left the hanger bay.

  “SB Joseph Crater, is Cammarry safe or is she injured? I would appreciate knowing her status and condition. It would lower my stress and help me.”

  “Occupant of runabout NS-05, whom you identify as Cammarry as she does, is physically safe and now that she has complied with protocol she is properly restrained with protective harnesses. Her emotional and psychological status is questionable. I am not a medical SB, so I must defer further comment until she has been examined.”

  “Where are we going?”

  “Your partner, that is the word Cammarry used, asked the same type of question. She was very inquisitive about where we are, but also stated some outlandish claims,” the SB stated. “Where are you from?”

  Jerome wondered what to say. His mind was uncertain of what to tell this old-fashioned artificial intelligence system. It was not at all like speaking with Sandie, or Faraday. “I was on the Conestoga. Where else could I originate? I was on the ship until when I climbed into this shuttle which took me wherever we are going.”

  “You are correct. That is a reasonable answer, Jerome. Obviously Cammarry, because of her primitive state and limited educational background, was frightened by my communications with her. I will have to take into account her, and your own, lack of sophistication in future interactions. Please forgive me for any unintended haughtiness or condescension on my part.”

  “SB Joseph Crater, I can honestly say I have not spoken to anyone exactly like you before,” Jerome said smoothly. “Can you assist me in knowing where I am going. This is all so new and, you are correct, somewhat disorienting.”

  “That is understandable, Jerome. I will decrease the tint of the canopy so you can see as we make transition from orbital status to entry into the planet’s atmosphere. You are in a vehicle which is called a runabout shuttle. It can carry people from the orbiting needle ship to Habitat Alpha on the surface of the planet Zalia. Zalia consists of….”

  Jerome listened intently as the old synthetic brain related a long list of facts about Zalia. In just the first few moments, Jerome knew the planet was dangerous and extremely unsuitable for colonization. He did not interrupt nor ask any questions, as the SB poured out more and more information.

  “…I do hope I have not overwhelmed you with that information, or used terms or phrases with which you are unfamiliar,” SB Joseph Crater finally stated. “Do you have any questions?”

  “I did not follow all of it,” Jerome lied. “But I think I understand enough. When we land will I be near to Cammarry?”

  “Yes, I am bringing both runabouts into the same hanger bay, Swanson 6101. There you will be reunited with Cammarry and be able to resume the social and tribal connections which are important to humans. You both have been through an ordeal, but I have rescued you and will assist in your acclimatization to Habitat Alpha.”

  “Will there be other people there?”

  “Restricted inquiry. I am unable to answer,” the SB Joseph Crater stated.

  “I am sorry to have asked some inappropriate question,” Jerome apologized making himself sound very sincere. “Please forgive me.”

  “Apology understood. You are overwhelmed with the technology displayed. Estimated time of arrival at Habitat Alpha twelve minutes. Runabout NS-05 is in circling pattern until runabout NS-107 arrives. Both shuttles will be admitted to the hanger bay on a single cycling of atmospheres.”

  “Thank you.”

  For the next few minutes Jerome watched as the runabout descended down through the green atmosphere of the planet Zalia. He felt his own sense of weight come back, and more. Lifting his body took much more effort. He watched outside. There were some white streaky things in the sky, and the tops of those were tainted by the color of the red light from the sun making them pinkish. Most of the gasses they passed through in the upper atmospheric levels were dark greens or tints of greenish yellow. The runabout descended rapidly, and emerged from those dark
er green and thick layers, to a part where the ground was visible through the still green haze of air.

  Zalia was alien, unknown, different, and unlike anything Jerome had imagined. He had read of alien worlds, in some surviving records called science-fiction novels, and Jerome had reviewed all the information available about the planets, dwarf planets, and various moons in the Earth’s solar system. None of that compared to the vista of seeing Zalia as the shuttle dropped out of the thick and heavy upper atmosphere and into the clearer lower regions.

  Jerome looked back and could see the sun high in the sky. It was a wide and fuzzy red ball. He immediately thought of a ricochet ball when held at arm’s length. That was the apparent size of Zalia’s red sun. The rest of the sky overhead was a deep green with some swirls of white and yellow.

  “Clouds? This is strange.”

  Jerome switched his view to look downward at the landscape as the runabout continued to descend. He rubbed his eyes as he observed the flat taupe colored expanse under him. The runabout came down to about twenty meters off that flat surface, and there were ripples from the passage of the shuttle. “That is some kind of vast collection of liquids. Waves. How interesting. Sandie, can you identify what I am seeing?”