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

by John Thornton

  “She joins her parents now. Their gain, but our loss,” Monika stated. She too was weeping. Jenna walked up from behind Monika, and wrapped her arms about her. The babies actually were still and quiet.

  Cammarry’s voice came through the com-links. “I heard the news. Her story has entered a new chapter, and she will be missed. God’s speed dear Eris.”

  The silence hovered over them all for a while.

  Sandie broke the silence. “Later, there will be more time to mourn, and as Eris would have believed, blessed are those who mourn for they will be comforted. May I report on the remaining status of the Conestoga? For we have serious challenges which are urgent.”

  “Are the Jellies attacking?” Monika asked.

  “No. I have scanned our surroundings, as best I am able, and detect no Jellie spacecraft. Also, I see nothing in orbit around this planet, so I conjecture only a small risk of a satellite defensive system there. However, the needle ship is not functioning at all now. I am using the scanning equipment on the two shuttles, and what is functional on Alpha, but that is limited. I strongly suggest you immediately sever the hawser lines from the shuttles. I would do so, but my remote abilities are restricted. Then you should take the shuttles back to Alpha’s hanger bay, Swanson 1277.”

  “I am cutting the tow ropes. What about that planet?” Cammarry asked. “With the needle ship dead, the habitat must go somewhere. That looks like the only option.”

  “The needle ship is not the only thing dead!” Jerome yelled. “Eris died!”

  “I heard. Can you bring her back to life?” Cammarry snapped back. “Going to chant some magical incantation to resurrect the dead? How about it?”

  “Jerome, just ignore her. I understand your grief,” Monika stated with a knife-sharp edge to her voice.

  “Listen to your little woman,” Cammarry snarled. “Mommy knows best, right? She at least….”

  Cammarry’s voice was cut off in midsentence.

  Sandie interjected. “I have isolated the com-links and all comments between Cammarry and Jerome will come through me. Jerome, pilot the shuttle to an alternative hanger bay, Swanson 4418. I am putting that hanger bay’s location into your navigational system. Cammarry’s shuttle will still land in Swanson 1227, but you two will remain separated. Alizon is in that hanger bay and he has been instructed to escort Cammarry back to their farm. It may have been a mistake to allow her to come on this mission.”

  “I understand,” Jerome spit out. He activated the instruments which ejected the hawser cables and closed the shuttle’s compartments. He tried hard to focus on other aspects of the situation, but anger was boiling and mixed in with fear, anxiety, and an almost overwhelming eagerness to get back into Monika’s presence. He desperately wanted to hold his sons.

  As if she knew what Jerome was thinking, Monika added, “Jerome, I will be here, and we will face this together. Your sons need you. I need you. I have functional access to some of the weapon systems, and will cover the shuttle while you dock.” Monika did not tell Jerome she had a cannon tracking Cammarry’s shuttle and her finger was hovering over the firing stud.

  “Thank you, Monika,” he replied.

  “Jerome, I know Eris will be missed, terribly, but we do need to figure out what to do.” Monika’s fingers came away from the cannon’s firing control, and she redirected the cannon away from shuttle AS-701. It aimed into deep space. “Jerome, you are the primary pilot now. In a way, you are the captain. I am just a roustabout with some pilot training. I do not understand all the space flight stuff and things like that. I need your high-tech training, and you are the advanced and modern human, right?” Her humor only slightly lightened the mood. “Jerome, I know you are up to this, and I will assist in every way I can, but we need you now. All of the Conestoga needs you. Jerome, I have lost all contacts with the lattice of compeers. Those memory cores that were by the bridge, I think they are gone too.”

  “All of them?” Jerome asked. He looked down at the display, and the screen had split into separate panels. A tracking marker showed Cammarry’s shuttle heading away and toward Swanson 1277. His projected flightpath took him a different direction. He locked in the flight, and adjusted the controls to follow that trajectory. “So, we lost all the artificial intelligences and synthetic brains?”

  Sandie responded, “Not each and every one. I am still functional. When the catastrophe happened, the central memory cores near the bridge of the needle ship were destroyed. They had been moved from their original locations. Their mooring and mounts were not substantial enough to stand up to the stresses, especially with the loss of inertial suppression, and loss of gravity manipulation. Other central memory cores on the needle ship lost all power and are inert. I conjecture no practical method of reviving them. They too are dead. We must consider the needle ship an entire loss now. I am attempting to assess the status of the AIs and SBs which were housed in Alpha.”

  “So, SB Joseph Crater, SB Sherman, and what else?” Jerome asked. He noted his thruster fuel levels were very low, and he modulated their use to ensure he reached the alternative hanger bay.

  “I have not been able to contact any of those systems in Alpha yet, however, I conjecture a strong potential for SB Sherman, SB Bodowa, SB Yomaris, and SB Joseph Crater to still be functional. Their central memory cores are physically in Alpha’s shell. Additionally, AI Seljak in Alpha’s Terraforming and Restoration as well as AI Batibat overseeing suspended animation, should still be functional. I also conjecture a possible continuation of SB Cotard, although that system was relocated and might have suffered from some kind of physical trauma. Right now, I am alone in operating what remains of the Conestoga. I am uncertain of the effects the Cosmic Crinkle may have had on the synthetic brains and artificial intelligence systems of the Conestoga.”

  “I understand,” Jerome replied. “Sandie, keep trying to further assess Alpha. Ensure the damage from the needle ship does not spread to Alpha. It is all we have left. Concentrate on the constituent joints which connect it to the need ship. I think Cammarry was right on one point. That planet is the only place we have to go, and I do not want Alpha to lose more because of fires or damage spreading into Alpha.”

  “The Conestoga was designed with safeguard to protect each habitat and keep them secure, and that was one of my first assessments. The lock downs, safeties, and isolators are in place. The fires on the needle ship have been extinguished,” Sandie replied. “The nonphysicality is gone on the needle ship, but there are functional sections of it in Alpha. I am carefully searching those and rebuilding couplings and links as I am able.”

  “I am approaching that alternative hanger bay, Swanson 4418,” Jerome said as he watched the flightpath on his display. The hull of Alpha lay before him, but in the maze of mechanical landscape, he was unable to see the hanger bay’s location.

  “Shuttle AS-702. You are cleared for docking at Swanson 4418,” a mechanical voice stated through the cockpit speakers. “This is an unscheduled landing, but you have been granted a special dispensation due to the extraordinary circumstances.”

  Jerome reached to tap his com-link, but stopped. He was unsure who might hear what he was about to say, for he did recognize the voice. So, instead of addressing Sandie, he said, “Thank you, SB Joseph Crater. I could use your help. Please.”

  “You do not have proper identification tracking implants. However, your voice matches someone in my log record. My logs posit that you have been honorable in the past, although presently I have no memory of that, beyond the records in my log,” SB Joseph Crater stated. “Therefore, I will assist you in docking.”

  “Thank you. I appreciate your help,” Jerome replied.

  “That is my function. I have recently been reset, and am reloading my core directives,” SB Joseph Crater replied. “I am a Mark 13 series 22 synthetic brain manufactured by Tehisintellekti Toostusharude. My installed role is as overseer of Habitat Alpha’s shuttle services for the Colony Ship Conestoga. Currently, I am unable
to connect to the lattice, but have already landed another Model 7 shuttle in Swanson 1277. That occupant was not as polite and civil as you are being. I am making allowances due to the extreme crisis which exists. Exterior doors will be opening shortly. The hanger bay is being depressurized for your arrival.”

  Jerome was relieved to know Cammarry had docked safely, but his anger was also bubbling at her. He watched as the hanger bay doors became illuminated with beams of white light. A blue light then came on around the perimeter of the doors. They opened, and the small hanger bay was revealed. There were no other shuttles in the bay.

  “You may proceed to enter. Do you require me to remotely dock your shuttle, or do you wish to do so by human operation?” SB Joseph Crater asked.

  “I will dock it myself, thank you anyway,” Jerome replied. “Have you connected to any other synthetic brains or artificial intelligences in Alpha?”

  “I am awaiting on a response from the lattice. I was recently reset, and am assessing the logs. I have no conscious memory of contemporary events, and am at a loss to explain that,” SB Joseph Crater remarked.

  Jerome hesitated to say anything more, lest the synthetic brain respond in an unhealthy manner. He recognized that he very much needed to be safely back inside of Alpha. He landed the shuttle, locked the docking clamps in place, and looked at the thruster fuel levels. There was less than ten percent in the reserve tanks.

  “Thank you for your assistance, SB Joseph Crater. Please cycle the hanger bay and establish proper pressures so I can leave the shuttle.”

  “Affirmative. I note in the logs that there has been severe strife on the Conestoga: insurrection, civil war, and unscheduled planet-fall. I am having difficulty believing the log records. Are they accurate representations of real events? It sounds too far-fetched, yet, from what I can gather from my inquiries, the logs do appear to be accurate. Can you confirm these events?”

  “I have not reviewed your logs, but I can tell you that we need all the help you can offer,” Jerome said diplomatically. “I believe your services are going to be essential for the survival of Alpha and all the people depending upon Alpha and its systems.”

  “I must be experiencing multiple malfunctions. I get no response from anything on the needle ship, and the other seven habitats are not registering any presence at all. I have placed an emergency summons to Machine Maintenance.”

  Jerome watched as the large display at the rear of the hanger bay showed the status of pressurization. He refrained from saying anything more, as he still harbored doubts and concerns about SB Joseph Crater. Especially troubling was the comments the system had made about Cammarry. Jerome wanted to ask about her, but also was deeply hurt by her comments, and did not want to in any way provoke SB Joseph Crater.

  “The hanger bay is safely pressurized and you may depart from the shuttle,” SB Joseph Crater stated. “In my logs, I have you associated with an artificial intelligence system with the nomenclature of Sandie. There was no AI Sandie upon launch. Was AI Sandie built during the voyage? Perhaps in response to the many calamities which befell the Conestoga?”

  “It is a complicated story, but as you said, there are multiple issues which need attention.” Jerome unstrapped himself and sprang open the hatch. As he walked through the hanger bay, he pondered what more to tell SB Joseph Crater. He glanced at the empty docking bay next to the one where he had parked. In his mind, he saw the shuttle with dead bodies, then he thought of the runabout rushing off with Cammarry trapped inside. He shook his head and reached the observation deck. “I will explain more later, but again I thank you for your assistance. It was greatly appreciated.”

  “I am here to serve and assist,” SB Joseph Crater replied.

  “You can trust Sandie. Of that I am certain.” Jerome tapped the nine-section color control pad and the pressure door opened. As it closed behind him, Jerome let out a deep breath. He bent over and placed his hands on his knees and quivered a bit. Until that point he had not realized how much stress he was holding in.

  The corridor was neat and tidy with good lighting. He looked down at the clean deck, and for a moment, missed the fungal growth of the needle ship. “Oh, Eris. I never thanked you properly.”

  “Jerome?” Sandie stated quietly through the com-link. “It was wise of you to deal with SB Joseph Crater as you did.” Sandie refrained from telling Jerome that Cammarry had taken a different approach. She and SB Joseph Crater had argued, but Alizon’s presence in that hanger bay had convinced the synthetic brain to release her into his custody.

  “Sandie, where am I in relation to Monika? Tell Monika I am safe.”

  “Monika has been kept informed of every step. Proceed to your left and follow the lights. I will provide you with an expeditious path to Monika. It will be a bit of a walk, but not excessive.”

  Jerome began to jog along the corridor. “May I speak to Monika?”

  Monika’s voice came from the com-link. “I know you are back, and I am super happy about that. But Jerome, right now I am really busy. No Jellies, but the scanners and plotting equipment are all we have to figure out that planet ahead of us. Come to me soon!”

  “I am on my way. Sandie, what is happening with the Conestoga? What is the status of the Conestoga? Since no one is piloting this ship, what will happen?”

  “As Monika stated, she is using the defensive system scanners to assess our status in space. The Conestoga is heading for the planet, and its current flightpath will place it into an orbital insertion location. The conjectured orbit is adequate, but not ideal. Considering the extreme damage the Conestoga suffered, it is perhaps the best we can expect. From what I can conjecture, the Cosmic Crinkle set up that flightpath as the Conestoga was moved from one location to the other. As the Zalians would have phrased it, we slipped through a thin place in space, and emerged somewhere else. I am still studying what happened.”

  Jerome hustled along, and as he turned one corner, and approached a pressure door, a voice greeted him.

  “Hello. I am SB Sherman. I am here to assist with egress points.”

  “Well, SB Sherman, I am glad you survived,” Jerome replied as he ran through the open doorway.

  “I have had difficulty connecting to the lattice of compeers. Is there some emergency situation?” SB Sherman asked.

  “Yes. Await instructions from the new artificial intelligence system Sandie,” Jerome called back. “Sandie will find you and give directions. Trust Sandie. Please!”

  “I understand. I will standby for further instructions. Thank you!”

  Jerome tapped the com-link. “Sandie, two of Alpha’s synthetic brains seem to have been reset to some original default on their core programming. Have you established links to SB Joseph Crater or SB Sherman?”

  “Not yet. I am still rebuilding the nonphysicality to allow such links. This is an interesting phenomena post-transit of the Cosmic Crinkle. In some ways, it reminds me of the fact that the data sticks nearly universally failed after faster-than-light travel. I will run more conjectures to see why the Conestoga’s systems were effected, and I was not. Preliminary ideas suggest my Atomic Level Processor is better shielded against the forces encountered in the Cosmic Crinkle, than are the central memory cores. However, that is only a guess.”

  Turning another corner, and jogging along, Jerome asked, “Could that be why the Jellies did not follow us through the Cosmic Crinkle? I was expected an ongoing battle when we emerged.”

  Sandie answered, “The lack of understanding of Jellie physiology, despite the information in the Zalian library, as well as very limited understanding of Jellie technology, combined with our lack of even rudimentary analysis of the Cosmic Crinkle, makes any comparison or conjectures about why the Jellies did not follow us, futile. Motivations are difficult to conjecture on humans, somewhat easier on machine intelligence, and extremely difficult on alien intelligences. For example, the Zalians used the Cosmic Crinkles routinely, according to the library, and yet no place in all that informati
on is there a basic description of what kind of phenomena it is. From the library, the Cosmic Crinkle, which they call a ‘thin place in space’ is just spoken about as if everyone already knows all about it. They catalogue over nine hundred different locations which can be reached via that Cosmic Crinkle, but as to how it operates, none of that is in the library.”

  “So, you do not know why we did not follow the same path back to where we first encountered that Cosmic Crinkle on our voyage out from Earth?”

  “That is correct. I am not even sure if the Cosmic Crinkle is one singular thing, or if it is a series of things which are interconnected, or if it is something entirely different. All we can safely say is that the Jellies were never known, by the Zalians, to use the Cosmic Crinkle. Yet, the Jellies slaughtered the Zalians wherever they were located. Additionally, when given the opportunity, the Jellies, who were clearly hostile toward us, refused to follow us into the Cosmic Crinkle as well. Now, I am factoring in the information about the rebooting of the synthetic brains. Very interesting.”