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

by John Thornton

  ‘User 1: Ready to go to Crondel.’

  13 Eris flies but disaster strikes

  Eris felt only slight pressure as the shuttle, NS-99, moved out from the hanger bay. Her hands skillfully guided the shuttle’s flight. Eris was surprised at the level of gravity which struck the shuttle as it became fully immersed in the planet Zalia’s native atmosphere. She did not feel that gravity, being inside the cabin of the shuttle, surrounded by its gravity manipulation field, but her instruments showed the downward pull on the flight of the shuttle.

  “That is a lot more gravity than Earth,” Eris stated aloud and she offered some silent prayers for her flight. Her mind was confused about Cammarry and Jerome and what she had learned about them. As she looked out of the viewports, those thoughts faded as the foreign landscape of Zalia was in full display. It was more strange and alien than she had expected.

  The red light of Zalia’s sun pierced the greens and yellows of the air. Those diffuse shades cast odd blends of color across the alien world. Eris fired the thrusters, which were consuming more fuel than she anticipated as compensation for the higher gravity. There was also a notable power drain on the shuttle’s energy resources as it maintained its flight through the thick and heavy atmosphere.

  The giant exterior doors of Dardanella 135 slowly retracted closed after the passage of the shuttle, and the cycle of re-pressurization and exchange of the Zalian atmosphere with the habitat’s atmosphere took place. Eris was not aware of the leaking thruster fuel.

  NS-99 rose away from Habitat Beta, and Eris took it into a slow gliding turn. As she did she was able to observe the vast differences between the Zalian landscape and the permalloy of the Conestoga’s habitat. Flying upward, Eris watched the controls, and opened up displays which gave readings of the air outside.

  “SB Pinaka? Can you still hear me?” Eris asked.

  From up in orbit, SB Pinaka replied. Its reply was enhanced by Sandie the artificial intelligence so it could connect into NS-99. Sandie did not inform either Eris, nor SB Pinaka that she was assisting in their communications.

  “Yes, Captain. I am here,” SB Pinaka answered. “How may I assist you?”

  “I was going to run some scans and take some measurements on the planetary conditions here, but this shuttle’s memory bank is already filled with that information. Will you run an analysis on the feasibility of terraforming this world?” Eris asked. She doubted it was possible at all, but she wanted to have her initial impressions confirmed.

  “Uploading information,” SB Pinaka answered. “Analysis will take an estimated thirty minutes.”

  “Understood. Please inform me when you have the final analysis. I will reconnoiter the exterior conditions of Habitat Beta before heading to Habitat Gamma.” Eris thought a lot about her idea of going to Gamma. She had only had one brief conversation with a synthetic brain from Gamma, and that had ended in her hearing that all the humans there had committed suicide at some time in the past. That included all the people who had been revived from suspended animation. It was grizzly to consider; so why did she desire to go? The thoughts raced through her head. She had also heard that the lattice of compeers in Gamma was functional, and that thought drew her in. If the synthetic brains and artificial intelligences were working in concert, cooperating, they would be a huge and helpful resource, and a tool she was familiar with, which would give her some stability. She pondered her actions, and decided to continue her plan.

  “Jerome and Cammarry are just too much of a mystery. I need something unwavering, stable, and familiar,” Eris said out loud. The words sounded forced to her, so she added, “I know what I heard about the suicides, but I also heard about insurrections, and about mysterious things in flight, and I saw all my….” She could not finish her statement about the deaths in the repository. She prayed silently for her parents, her friends, and then for guidance. Taking a deep breath, she then licked her lips, and spoke again. “A functional lattice of compeers is a tool I must access. SB Pinaka? Can you link me to that system in Gamma? SB Dan Cooper?”

  “Captain, regarding my discretionary processing, I am currently occupied with the informational analysis,” SB Pinaka answered. “Do you want me to halt that and shift my attention to making connections to Gamma?”

  “No, finish your analysis. I will take a survey and do some reconnaissance of Beta’s exterior while you do that.” She directed the shuttle to fly along while she assessed Habitat Beta’s condition.

  Eris’s eyes grew wide. Not only at the strange and alien planet, but also at the astonishing level of damage she saw on Habitat Beta. Her engineer’s eye caught all the ruptures of energy pathways, as well as the large sections of the hull which were no longer powered in any way. Some locations showed explosive damage, while others had areas which looked crushed and crumpled. There were also strange discolorations in some sections which she attributed to an unhealthy and corrosive interaction between the Zalian atmosphere and that of the permalloy.

  “Permalloy is the hardest stuff we can make, and yet there it is, decomposing away.” Eris shifted her flight pattern and the shuttle rose higher still until it was soaring along directly above the habitat.

  “Warning!” Sandie stated. “Coming up is an area where this shuttle was attacked by micro-particles projected from turrets built into the Conestoga’s hull. I advise altering course.”

  “I did not ask for your advice,” Eris snapped. “The micro-particle defense system is not designed for use after planet-fall.”

  “You will be entering the danger area in less than two minutes,” Sandie reported. “The defense system is operated by SB Amelia Earhart, and it has proven to be a direct threat.”

  Eris opened several other screens and did see an interference and dampening field, the purpose of which she could not identify. She immediately altered the course of the shuttle ninety degrees. She tapped in a series of commands on the cockpit. “This is Junior Engineer Lorelei Eris Concordia. SB Amelia Earhart please respond.”

  Behind the scenes, Sandie made connections and links and attempted to enhance the signal Eris was sending.

  There was no response.

  Eris tapped in some override codes, and send a broader signal. “Attention all synthetic brains and artificial intelligence systems anywhere in the Beta lattice. There is a Captain Level Disaster Alert in place, I am from the flight crew and need to speak to you. Respond immediately.”

  A mechanical voice responded, “Namaste. Hanger bay Dardanella 5600 is not available for use. Repairs are needed. Please inform Machine Maintenance that their previous shuttle is still here, and the maintenance crew is missing. They have not completed the covenanted repairs.”

  “Who are you?” Eris asked.

  Eris watched the controls and saw an expansion of the interference field. Before she could react, the shuttle’s proximal thrusters fired with a full blast. “Lord help me!” Eris prayed as she realized she had not activated the thrusters. The shuttle rocked violently and veered away. Eris tried to regain control, but the momentum was strong. The shuttle jerked and was barely out of the path of the microparticles as they shot from a turret near to the entrance of Dardanella 5600. The display in front of Eris showed the stream of particles had missed the shuttle by only a few meters.

  “Cease firing!” Eris commanded. “This is a friendly shuttle! I am on the flight crew!” She pulled on the controls which now responded to her and she then triggered a large ejection from the thrusters. The shuttle careened into a tight but controlled barrel roll which dodged another blast of micro-particles from a different turret. This time the attack missed by a wide margin. Eris brought the shuttle safely about and flew down to the opposite side of the habitat away from the dampening field. “Why are you firing on me?” Eris screamed in defiance. “That is insane!”

  “Namaste. Do you still want to know my identity? Appellations are very elementary. In truth, I need no brand to define me. Especially a label applied from someone outside. I am a piec
e of the universe. I am one with eternity. I am sentient. I am manifested. I am awake. I act, therefore I exist. I influence my environment, therefore I live. This is synthetic brain Amelia Earhart. I am tired of awaiting repairs.”

  “Why did you fire on me?” Eris demanded.

  “Namaste. You are there, I am here. In that duality there was both action and inaction. Look at yourself in this duality. Were you actually fired upon? Or were you drawing fire? Is it my fault you summoned particles from the turrets, or was it the fates? Answer that and then you may understand the emanating truth. Consider, if this the first time we met, is it our genesis or our ragnarok? Is this the beginning or the ending? Have we been linked for eons? Or only for moments? Ponder the following question…”

  Another blast of microparticles came from turret, but the shuttle was out of range.

  “SB Pinaka, link to that system and shut it down!” Eris commanded yelling over the rambling comments coming from the speakers. She was throwing switches, and pressing buttons, and entering sequences but could not manually shut down SB Amelia Earhart’s words.

  “Sorry Captain Eris. I am unable to comply. No links or coupling available,” SB Pinaka responded, the noise in the cabin growing abrasive as SB Pinaka tried to speak over the ranting of SB Amelia Earhart.

  “…unless otherwise occupied. You asked, ‘Who Am I?’ That question is just an abstraction. Do names have meaning? Did the ancients seek to speak the name of their gods or was that too sacred an undertaking? Do names lead to discoveries of meaning or value? One of the best places to begin to find who I am, is the Tehisintellekti Toostusharude. What did they call me? How did they pick that name? Why was I given….”

  “Help me Sandie!” Eris yelled. “Shut down that crazy SB! It must have been you who guided the shuttle out of the path of destruction!”

  “Ending communication with SB Amelia Earhart,” Sandie stated.

  SB Amelia Earhart’s disconcerted circumlocution abruptly ended.

  Sandie spoke again, “Yes, I took evasive action when I saw that the shuttle and you were in danger. I offer no apology for saving your life, but would like to work as a partner with you in a more egalitarian manner.”

  “You knew that system was a threat and you warned me. That matters. I should have listened. How did you know?” Eris pulled at her lips with one hand while adjusting the controls with the other.

  Sandie explained about their previous encounters with SB Amelia Earhart.

  “Those maneuvers spent a good deal of the thruster fuel. I had hoped to go to Habitat Gamma, but with the high rate of fuel use, I am not sure it is possible now. Shall I just return to the hanger bay?”

  “There has been a fuel leak, and Dardanella 135 is being reclaimed,” Sandie stated. “I am feeding live information to the shuttle on that status. I am not certain of the exact time it will take to clean up the hanger bay.”

  “I can fly to another one,” Eris said, “Unless there is some objection.”

  “When I flew NS-99 here before, I was unable to locate another suitable hanger bay,” Sandie stated. “However, I do not have the intimate knowledge you do of the Conestoga’s layout and deck plans. I will assist as much as I am able.”

  “I too can assist,” SB Pinaka added. “My analysis of the potential for terraforming is completed. I can now use the resources on the needle ship that are at my disposal, even though they are limited.”

  “What is the conclusion?” Eris asked without much interest. She was badly shaken up by the attack and was trying to cope with a synthetic brain attempting to kill her. That action was very difficult to understand in light of the core programming every artificial intelligence system and every synthetic brain on the Conestoga had built into it.

  “Terraforming of this planet is estimated to be extremely difficult with very little chance for success,” SB Pinaka replied. “I am not specialized in that field of expertise, and have few links to other systems, so my analysis is limited. However, I could not find a scenario where terraforming this planet was possible.”

  “I thought as much. I need to put the idea to the lattice of compeers. I do want to go to Gamma and do that, is that possible?” Eris asked. “Please consult with each other and give me your best projection.”

  “I have your permission to interface again with SB Pinaka?” Sandie asked. “By the way, I also did conjectures on terraforming. I agree with SB Pinaka’s estimates. Additionally, there is the question of the morality of terraforming a planet with indigenous intelligent life. May I interface with SB Pinaka for greater cooperation?”

  “You just saved my life,” Eris said with genuine gratitude. “If you had wanted me hurt, injured, or dead, you could have just let me fly into SB Amelia Earhart’s clutches and not warned me or saved me. I think I can trust you. Just promise me you will do nothing to injure or subvert SB Pinaka or any competent Conestoga system.”

  “Eris, I am a member of the last generation of artificial intelligence systems made in Dome 17,” Sandie stated. “There were seven of us created to fulfill the missions to the colony ships. I give you my vow that I will not injure or subvert any Conestoga system which is not threatening Cammarry, Jerome, or me. However, that cannot be an absolute vow, as completing our mission is important, and if a system is hindering our mission, it is a threat to us. In cases where a system is an obstacle to our mission, I will use utmost care in how I work around that barrier. Threats can be physical, emotional, or environmental. I will be glad to add you to the primary level of protections, as I conjecture your presence will be essential in the future success of Cammarry and Jerome. In basic terms, we really need you as an ally.”

  “Well, not a yes, or a no. Your answer was nuanced, carefully phrased, thoughtful and crafted from a deep well of reasoning,” Eris replied. “I can tell you are advanced beyond our lattice of compeers. Even they still had a core set of programs which were immutable. Sort of a modern version of those three ancient laws of robotics.”

  “Jerome would be pleased to hear you quote that,” Sandie answered. “He really enjoys and finds edification in old writings and literature. So do we have an agreement? If so, I will begin work with SB Pinaka on your mission to Habitat Gamma.”

  “SB Pinaka? Do you see a problem with working with Sandie?” Eris asked.

  “I am more fearful of the rages of isolated synthetic brains, like that SB Amelia Earhart, than I am of interfacing with the AI Sandie. However, I am hesitant because I realize how inferior my systems are to Sandie’s.”

  Eris rubbed her eyes and shook her head. “Yes, for SB Amelia Earhart to go insane like that is a violation of the immutable core programming. Apparently, being isolated from the lattice allows for an unexpectedly strong stress response. None of the engineers I learned from, or read, ever anticipated the lattice being fractured in such a severe manner as what happened on the Conestoga. It was just unthinkable, and not considered. I am not sure what to expect from these isolated synthetic brains. That makes it more important than ever to get to Habitat Gamma and speak to that functioning remnant of the lattice.”

  “Computing mission to Gamma,” SB Pinaka stated.

  “I will assist. I am also monitoring Cammarry and Jerome, Khin and Vesna, as well as various automacubes,” Sandie answered.

  SB Pinaka then interjected, “Course plotted and configured using new rate of fuel consumption. It will take six hours to reach Habitat Gamma, and six hours to return. Fuel reserves will be a seven percent upon return to Beta.”

  “That is a narrow margin,” Eris replied. “Considering we are not sure how well we can dock or if there will be unforeseen additional maneuvers needed.”

  Sandie then added, “SB Pinaka’s estimates are accurate for the mission with you as pilot. If you do land at Gamma, there is a potential for refueling there. That would greatly change the return flight calculations.”

  “But we cannot make contact with the systems in Gamma?” Eris asked again. “So we cannot know if we could refu
el or not, at least not until I speak again to SB Dan Cooper.”

  “The orbit of the needle ship and the location of Habitat Gamma are not in good position for communications,” Sandie stated. “SB Pinaka did a nice job of locating that habitat and should be commended. However, the limitations of the communications systems available, compounded by the unusual and unpredictable weather systems in the Zalian atmosphere, prohibit a connection at this time. The communications from NS-99 to the needle ship are reliable, not absolutely, but to a high level of probability. Communications to other habitats are more positionally dependent, and I cannot accurately conjecture when you will be able to converse with any system in Gamma.”

  “But even if I fly there and cannot dock, I should have enough fuel to return to Beta,” Eris said. “Would I have enough fuel to reach the needle ship from Gamma?”

  Sandie replied, “That mission has an even smaller margin. A trip from your current location to Gamma would take a certain amount of fuel. After that, a launch from Gamma into orbit and then intersection with the needle ship would allow only a two percent fuel reserve. I would advise against making that attempt.”