The Altimer

by Samuel Isaacson

  “You have three minutes,” says his personal assistant, an aggressive young man wearing the tightest clothes you have ever seen.

  “Welcome!” bellows the prime minister, an overweight man with a ponytail, sitting on his desk and opening his arms wide in greeting, although he lowers them before offering you an embrace. “And what can I do for you today?”

  You briefly explain your situation and ask how he might be of help.

  “Let me say just one thing to you: enjoy this wonderful city. New Gaia is the best in the entire solar system! Our public transport beats anything earth has to offer, and you should take the chance to sample some of the plays and concerts that are on currently. We may not have as many as some other places, but we make up for that by only having the absolute best, so you’re in for a treat!”

  At that, his assistant walks in again and you are removed from his office. You feel frustrated that after all of that waiting you have nothing to show for it; lose 1 HEART point. You return to the city centre. If you have the codeword Cetus, turn to 99. If not, turn to 140.

  105

  You settle yourself into the commander’s chair, and look at the various micro-screens available, none of which are on. You punch a couple of buttons with no apparent effect, so realise you have wasted your time here.

  You get up to try another chair, when you spot a small pamphlet on the floor entitled “POTREMA: The end of the search for intelligent life out there.” You may take this with you if you like.

  Time is running out; will you now head to the military officer’s chair (turn to 198) or the navigator’s chair (turn to 255)?

  106

  You make sure you have the attention of the team, waiting for a time for the conversation to reach a lull, then take a step of faith.

  “It’s clear that one of us is to blame,” you say. “The long timeframe means that it doesn’t make sense for it to have been anyone back on earth, and both Mel and Bartu ended up dying so I can’t believe they’d put their own lives in jeopardy. I know it wasn’t me, and so I look at the three of you, and when I do that there’s only one person – you James,” you add, looking directly at him, “who has mysteriously sat in the background, allowing things to happen without contributing anything of substance yourself. I can only conclude that you must have been the one to have double-crossed us.”

  James looks crestfallen, and you wonder for a split second whether you have completely misread the situation. The others immediately make it clear that they think you most certainly have.

  “Are you kidding?” explodes Pauline. “Out of the four of us, the one you choose to accuse is freaking James? He’s the only one of us with any sense, and clearly no ability to double-cross anyone! Well,” she says, turning to the other two, “it’s clear to me who’s to blame here.” She turns back to you. “You,” she says, pointing a finger directly at you. Neither James nor Catalina make any effort to correct her. Lose 1 HEART point.

  That moment is the one Travis chooses to re-enter the room. Feeling a little concerned, he takes you aside for final preparation before the trial. Turn to 177.

  107

  You are leaving the bar, and it is beginning to get darker outside. Make a MIND check at difficulty 14. If you are successful, turn to 194. If you fail, turn to 235.

  108

  You open the door with little effort to reveal a small, dark room with blinking lights lining the wall opposite the door. In the middle of the room is a machine slightly larger than a human, with several robotic arms connected to various points on the wall. A coiled cable reaches from the centre of its top to the ceiling.

  As soon as the door opens, a bright light on one of the robot’s arms points directly into your face, and a voice demands, “State your purpose!” Do you reply to the robot that you are trying to find the source of the alarm (turn to 290) or attack it (turn to 248)?

  109

  “It’s difficult to argue against that logic,” says the General, “although I wouldn’t necessarily have used that tone myself. Pauline is the captain of this team, and I think her position on it is clear. Dismissed.”

  You all walk away, Pauline sending you daggers with her eyes that make it seem like you should watch your back while on this mission.

  James catches up with you. “Sorry about what happened in there, that sucks,” he says. “Fancy punching the crap out of a bag to let out some of that frustration?”

  You laugh, agreeing that it would probably be a delightful way to spend the time. And it turns out that your impromptu boxing session is one of the most helpful you’ve had since arriving here; James has some tips you weren’t expecting, and you gain some comfort in moving your limbs in ways you haven’t done before. Increase your BODY by 1 and turn to 276.

  110

  You remain silent for a while as you’re trying to figure out the puzzle, and think you’re doing a good job of covering up your confusion when James, sitting next to you, surreptitiously passes you a note with three numbers written on it.

  You speak the three numbers out loud, and cross your fingers under your seat in the hope that James hasn’t set you up as an ill-informed prank. Thankfully, Professor Lucas simply says, “Correct!” and moves onto the next, randomly selected trainee.

  You turn to James and whisper your thanks, which he brushes away as if it’s nothing. “Having each other’s back is half the skillset, isn’t it?” he whispers back. Record the codeword Virgo on your adventure sheet. Turn to 215.

  111

  The room is essentially empty, although it wasn’t cleaned very well whenever the most recent occupant left it, so there are empty boxes and broken pieces of wire in the various drawers and cupboards.

  After searching for several minutes, you decide to stop. All that you have found is a page ripped from a book, and an access card with the code 7294 scratched onto it. You can take either or both of these. If you would like to read the book at any time, turn to 190 (it won’t redirect you back here, so make a note of where you are when you read it).

  Now, would you like to leave through the door (turn to 259), or spend more time searching (turn to 46)?

  112

  There are three books that stand out to you from the nearest shelf. Which would you like to look at? Do you read The Inside Story on the Super-Galleons (turn to 32), The Land Before Intelligent Machines (turn to 212) or The Day We Met our Doom: A Treatise on So-Called Intelligent Life (turn to 95)?

  113

  “Well,” says Catalina, “we need to find the others, obviously. And we need to get that blasted alarm sorted as well. Does anyone know what it means?”

  You don’t recognise it as one you encountered in training, and instinctively look at Pauline – whether in anticipation of her judgmental stare or in submission to her superior knowledge you’re not entirely sure. She has floated over to a panel on the wall and is inspecting it. She hits it with the palm of her hand.

  “This should be telling us, but it’s not working for some reason,” she says. “We should head to the bridge.”

  That seems to be a sensible enough idea, and so you push yourself towards the only door out of the room. And it’s only then that you notice that the edges of the door seem to be caked in something you can only guess is blood. It seems to be seeping through into the chamber from the other side of the door, crystallising into bubbles that float through the air towards you.

  You look at the others, who seem to have spotted the disturbing sight as well, and are reminded of your dream from the previous night. Two team members disappearing, a trail of blood, an alarm sounding…you wonder if you should be particularly cautious opening the door.

  Do you open the door boldly and fly straight out (turn to 68) or open it slowly and carefully (turn to 173)?

  114

  The guard returns and holds the door open. Stooping to enter, a broad man in a military uniform with a bushy beard and a scowl walks across the room and takes his seat in the manner of someone who has done this befor
e.

  “Thank you for joining us, major,” says the judge. “Would you like to introduce yourself and share your statement please?”

  “Indeed,” replies the large man, staring intently at you and your team. “My name is Major David Abofanwe, and my role for today is to share my analysis of the sabotage, which began about one week prior to the launch of the Altimer. A dormant piece of code was inserted into the ship’s computer, meaning that after a certain period all comms would cease, followed by one of the cryogenesis pods opening. It would appear that the inhabitant of that pod left it and then changed the course of the Altimer to travel very close to a planet known as Entram. I think you’re going to hear more about that from the next expert witness, who is much more qualified than I am to talk about such things. In any case, at the time that the Altimer left earth, despite previous suspicions that Entram might harbour life, the only probe that had travelled close to it had concluded that there was no life on the planet; a small sample of rock brought back did not provide what was expected. At around the time that the Altimer passed by Entram, the airlock was accessed and the autopilot was switched off, meaning that the ship, now on a collision course with Mars, would not even slow down.

  “Whoever did this was most likely infected by an alien substance – if not a symbiotic lifeform itself – when on earth, leading them to insert the code into the computer. And so I ask each one of you,” he says, pointing a huge finger down the row including you, Catalina, James and Pauline, “what events led you to joining the GIG space programme, and how do we know you’re not the enemy?”

  The judge holds up a hand, saying, “we’d typically wait to hear our third statement before making accusations like that, but I do find the story compelling. What do you have to say?”

  She looks firstly at Catalina, who scratches his arm self-consciously and shares the same story he did when you first met all that time ago. He tries to analyse if he could have come into contact with any material from Entram and doesn’t think he’d have had the chance. She remains stoic as he does so, nodding politely as he finishes talking and turning to you.

  You share your story as concisely and accurately as you can. The thought that what you remember from relatively recently actually took place 200 years ago hits you partway through sharing your story, and you have to fight to hold back the tears when recounting your family’s attitude to you joining GIG.

  Pauline is the next to speak, sharing passionately about how her parents pressured her into joining a club obsessed with space travel as a child, and how she was groomed to become an astronaut. She says that she still believes that those trainees that didn’t have her background weren’t positioned well enough for success, and you get a glimpse into the reasons why she has acted around you the way she always has. The judge raises an eyebrow but doesn’t challenge that viewpoint, and then turns to James.

  James’ story also reminds you of your introduction to him. He explains how his study of maths led him to being approached by a staff member at his university, who enrolled him on the GIG course. He pats his head absent-mindedly as he’s thinking, and he suggests that the staff member was a bit odd but perfectly innocent, so there’s no need to assume he had been invaded by an alien force.

  If you have the codeword Leo, turn immediately to 181. If not, read on.

  The judge thanks the major for his time, who stands and leaves the room, leaving the way clear for the third witness. Turn to 207.

  115

  You type in a few test passwords, and the message comes back telling you that you have entered incorrectly three times and must wait 30 seconds before trying again. In frustration, you smash your hand on the keyboard, which instantly collapses.

  “Well, that’s not good,” says James in his typically understated way. You have no option other than to leave the room and continue down the corridor now, carrying with you the knowledge that now no-one can access the ship’s computer.

  Lose 1 MIND point and turn to 176.

  116

  You are in the canteen having breakfast with the others, feeling a mix of excitement and nervousness, when you are all approached by an impeccably-dressed man with a neat moustache.

  “Good morning,” he announces. “I’m General Turner. Would you come with me please?” He turns and begins to lead the way down the hall and deeper into the North Wing. After several minutes of following him, he leads you into a side room. In it, a young man is sitting behind a desk and about ten comfortable chairs are placed around the room. General Turner asks you to take a seat for a moment, then walks across the room and through a door in one wall.

  A couple of minutes later, the man behind the desk stands up and tells you to join General Turner in his office. You stand and enter.

  General Turner shakes you firmly by the hand as you walk in, and explains to you that your team’s performance was very strong, and that you in particular have stood out for your skill and leadership abilities. He is about to assign team roles, and the first will be to give you the role of captain. He explains that if you no longer wish to be part of the programme, this is your final chance to opt out before it becomes a question of mutiny, so you gratefully accept.

  Following a short conversation about the role, he opens the door and you walk out to join the team, followed by General Turner. You step to one side, and he announces, “Ladies and gentlemen, meet your new team captain.” He goes on to explain the other roles in the team based on your collective backgrounds and performance over the first two weeks. Catalina is given the role of second-in-command, Pauline will be security officer, Bartu will be navigator, James will be team medic, and Mel will be engineer, a role she punches the air on having heard she receives. He also hands you all a glove he instructs you all to wear from now on; this glove can be powered up with a tiny switch on the inside, enabling you to punch much harder than you would be able to otherwise.

  “Congratulations on becoming a full part of the team,” Turner says, “and best of luck for the rest of your time in training. I look forward to taking things forward when a deployment is assigned.”

  Over the following days, you and the team begin to settle into your new roles as you engage in more exercises in the simulator. Pauline initially experiences some conflict with you and the others in the team, but within a few days, you have all managed to find enough of a rhythm to work together, and you all feel that you are performing well.

  After a full six weeks has passed since you arrived at GIG, you find yourselves in General Turner’s office again.

  “I’m afraid your formal graduation is going to have to wait,” he is saying. “You are about to be given your GIG equipment and it’s important you take that seriously, because you’re not going to have the lead time I’d expect for newly qualifieds. A meteorite somehow changed its course while passing between Jupiter and Saturn and has a 35% chance of colliding with earth. We need a team to intercept, investigate and respond appropriately. It’s a low risk mission, one that doesn’t justify sending a more senior team, but we have no other junior teams available, and this is an important task we need to carry out. You will have one week of briefings and final preparations before launch. Thoughts?”

  You stand in stunned silence for a moment before opening your mouth. If you express your thanks and say you’re excited to have your first opportunity to serve your planet and can’t wait to get out there, turn to 232. If you say you think you will need more time to get ready as a team for your first mission, turn to 284. If you say that you don’t think this mission is one that justifies the resources needed to send you there, turn to 272.

  117

  You enter the throng of new trainees leaving the lecture theatre, and finally have the chance to get to know some of the people you’re sharing this journey with. You immediately end up in conversation with three who happen to leave the lecture hall at the same time as you.

  Mel is from Australia, with short, blonde hair and statement glasses. She comes across as young and ha
s a wicked sense of humour, and you are all laughing at her sharp and insightful comments on Professor Harvey before you’ve even reached the door.

  In contrast, there’s James, whom you instantly have down as the strong, silent type. With short, dark hair, his bright blue eyes indicate he’s constantly paying attention to his surroundings and his quiet manner seems to you to be hiding a wild intelligence. You also get the sense that he will be a loyal friend, with no desire to get to know more people than is absolutely necessary to get through this process.

  Then there’s Sand, whose gymnast parents it turns out couldn’t hide their disappointment when their polite and nerdy son revealed that he wanted to become a scientist. Of course they changed their tune when he was accepted onto the GIG programme, and have adapted their stage show to include an ode to him.

  You talk all the way down the hall to the canteen, getting to know one another’s stories and sharing your experiences of joining the programme. Sand stands out as having seemed to stroll through the exercises that led to this point, and you struggle to not feel envious of the way it feels like he’s been groomed for this position, by his school lecturers if not his family, whereas your route in was a little more…circuitous.

  Mel is partway through an amusing story about her experience this morning in the reception area, when a young lady just behind her seems to trip and drop her folder. Pages of notes fly in every direction, some taken this morning and more that had clearly been put there during her preparation for this time. She leaps onto her hands and knees, frantically flashing her hands over the floor while you and the others pick up the papers.

  The young lady doesn’t seem bothered at all by the disrupted papers, which are ending up in a scruffy and disorganised pile at her side. “Where’s it gone?” she mutters to herself in a Hispanic accent. She glances up at you, and says, “Well? Are you going to help me?”