Inman’s thoughts are interrupted by bellowing laughter next to them where the tradesmen sit. It seems one of the metal workers got caught in an embarrassing situation with a young lady he was dating, and his buddies were not going to let him get out of it without a good ribbing.
Tre housed many of the trades required to carry on life as well as the all the scientific disciplines necessary to grow and maintain a healthy colony of explorers outside of earth's influence including farming and handling small animal livestock.
Long ago, scientists developed the orbiter as the first logical step in preparing to seek out new worlds using warp technology. The segment rings have many functions, they act as living and work space, and the rotation provides artificial gravity to make extended stays on Tre a reality. All but forgotten by everyone but Inman’s team was the primary warp drive technology embedded in the outer hull of the rings, still there and hopefully still functional.
Like most government initiatives, when the prospects of FTL space travel fizzled with the news of the unattainable power requirements, the project took on a life of its own as a research center, and efforts became redirected toward the future colonization of Mars. Over the lifespan of the orbiter, it has become self-sustaining, and most of the funding that makes its way to the actual project (most of it is eaten up by the earthbound bureaucracy) is used to shuttle its inhabitants to earth for mandatory health stabilization R&R or to deal with severe illnesses.
“How much more time do you need before we can get started?” queried Inman.
“We just need to finish up a couple of tests and make sure all the power couplings are drawing from only one segment. I want to assure no one can cut the power on us once things get rolling” exclaimed Bennett.
“No need if everything goes as planned, but better safe than sorry” quips Inman as he heads off to his daily duties.
It has been a busy and particularly stressful day as Inman heads down the catwalk toward his colleagues. He looks at his comlink visor and notes it is 18:00 Hours, time to turn on the power, however, Bennett, Reeder and the other members of their team have still not arrived.
“Bennett, Reeder” he queries through his comlink, “where are you guys?”
“Sorry sir, we lost track of time, we are finishing up right now, we will be ready to engage the system within another few minutes, and we will meet you in control shortly.”
“See you there” replied Inman.
A lifetime of dreams, hard work, and the anticipation begin to stir the doubt so often occupying Inman’s thoughts. Even with the intense confidence in Bennett and Reeder, it is hard not to wonder.
“One more time, just so I am clear, what is this thing going to do to all of us once we are within the shell” Queried Inman.
The question was simple, but the answer so difficult to communicate, “Reeder, you have a knack for making things simple” Bennett said half smiling, “tell Inman how this thing works.”
Reeder did not hesitate; the opportunity to talk for a few minutes would help dissipate the anxiety growing within her. “It is quite simple” her expression gave away the truth that these Shell Generators are elegant scientific wizardry that is almost impossible to explain. “Once we activate one of these devices it loosens the strong nuclear force holding the lead’s atomic structure together.”
“English” Inman quipped.
“Ok, sorry sir” replies Reeder “The Shell Generator inserts itself and everything around it into the middle of the trillions of atoms in the lead. We control how big the area within the shell is.”
“How wide can we spread it?”
“We know we can expand it out to within a mile or so, but we are not exactly sure how large the shell can get without breaking down or popping like a massive bubble. It depends on how much power and, of course, how much lead is available.”
“What happens if it fails, does it collapse, go away, what?”
“If it collapses on its own it will disintegrate everything within the shell, including itself. The same thing happens if it expands too rapidly. The shell has to be under control at all times, or it becomes unstable.”
“Great” Inman replied sarcastically, “why do you use lead?”
“Lead is the naturally occurring element with the largest number of electrons.”
“Ok, ok I don’t follow that level of detail. As I understand it, the shell and everything in it disappears, is that true?”
“The physical world outside the shell sees it and everything inside of it as a single atom. In every way, we are the size of an atom and have the physical properties of an atom except we still appear as the same size. That is what makes it possible to power the warp drive within the shell. The power requirements to warp space for something as large as a space vehicle are almost unlimited, but for an atom size ship the power requirements are minuscule, we can do it with solar panels or a simple battery.
“Amazing, so how do we move around at slower speeds?”
“Well we have two ways, one is still theoretical and one very practical.”
“Ok, give me the practical first, please.”
“The small burst of a thruster will be enough to crush us against the hull as it propels us forward at great speeds. The beauty of Bennett’s Shell generator is that it gives us control of some of the most interesting aspects of our new location. We can control the point and effect of gravity, so we can control where and how much gravity to apply to dampen the inertia.”
“How about the theoretical” queried Inman?
“That is a little trickier; we believe we will have an antigravity drive available to us before we depart. Antigravity will be generated by the”
Inman interrupted Reeder, “I don’t need the details. Is that all working now, how much do we have to develop and implement once we are within the shell before we can depart?”
“There is some work to do, unfortunately. Our preliminary estimates are that it will take a couple of months to get all the kinks worked out and we do not expect flawless operation. We believe at best you will have small turning and accelerating sensations and at worst sharp jarring with each maneuver. While I am working on getting the warp coils in the rings reactivated and ready for warp, Bennett, and his team will be working on the shell generator control systems and interfacing them to Pilot controls. You will have propulsion and guidance control that will resemble that of an aircraft or ship.”
“A fighter jet or an oil barge?” exclaimed Inman.
“Sorry sir, we expect it to handle like a fighter jet as it moves accelerates and like a freighter to steer. Not exactly sure what to expect, but based on our current understanding I would think of your control of the ship in those terms” explained Bennett.
“What can I tell our residents and crew to expect about life from now on? They get space weary within less than a year up here and have to return to earth regularly to recuperate” asked Inman.
“Inside the shells, we have complete control of gravity” replied Bennett.
“Shells, you mean there is more than one?” asked Inman.
“Yes, there are two of them, one for the entire ship, and one to control life support systems within living and working quarters. We will start building more soon after we "shell" the station. Life within the shell will simulate life on earth, same gravity. The outer shell will control the forces of gravity and inertia to keep everyone inside upright and stable. It will take some time to perfect, but we believe we can get all the bugs worked out in our low-speed flight to the asteroid belt” Bennett explained. “We will also be protected by the shell from outside forces.”
“What do you mean by outside forces?” queried Inman.
“Small objects that strike us will be repelled, stopped from harming us” replied Bennett.
“Ok, are we ready, are we sure this is safe for everyone in segment one, and on the entire orbiter?” queried Inman.
“The Shell Generator has been tested and tweaked hundreds of times both
on earth and even a few times here on Tre. It employs fail-safes built in at every point. If the power goes out there are backups, if we lose all power in its expanded mode nothing happens, it has a self-generating mode at that point and will remain in position regardless of the status of power on the ship” explained Bennett “we are as ready as we will ever be.”
“Ready for what?” Cerro queried as he walked into the end of the conversation.
“We are about to do some experimentation with this new equipment. What’s up Cerro, what can I do for you?” asked Bennett. Cerro was obviously snooping, and that made everyone nervous.
“Just wanted to check on how everyone is doing” (like he cared.)
“Let’s go topside, and I will bring you up to speed on what we are up to” as Inman turned him with a hand on his shoulder. As Inman headed toward the bulkhead door following Cerro out the door, he turned back to Bennett and Reeder.
“Give me a couple of minutes then activate the full segment shell, but wait for my order to activate the artificial gravity shell that covers everything up to the biosphere. Oh, and make sure it is nice and slow, so workers don’t get slammed to the floor, then I will get everyone gathered into the biosphere to prepare everyone for phase one.”
Only those who will risk going too far can possibly
find out how far one can go. ~ T.S. Eliot
Chapter Two - Departure
I nman and Cerro headed to the Segment One control center where he could address the troupes and engage in a “team” conversation. Everyone in the biosphere would have to be gathered to a safe place before Bennett could make his announcement and turn on the gravity shell.
The next two phases would be much more controversial, but this one was necessary and would prime everyone for the much tougher “sales” pitch coming up.
“Artificial gravity,” Cerro thought, “so this is the secret Inman has been hiding from me.”
“Cerro, please go to the Segment One ring and get everyone into workspace areas so they can watch the announcement on the large monitors, please.”
“Aye sir” Cerro responded as he headed off.
Announcements were no big deal, they were a weekly event for everyone, getting news of changes, repair updates, etc. This one was unscheduled, and so it brought with it some anticipation.
“This is Major Inman” barked the public address system. “I hope this announcement did not catch you at a bad time; I would appreciate it if you would walk to the nearest monitoring station so I can address you from a live feed.”
“Doctors Bennett and Reeder have developed an artificial gravity system that is going to be engaged in several parts of segment one in a few minutes. Of course, we have to stop the rotation of the rings starting in segment one; then we can reorient everyone’s living and working quarters into an upright position. We will engage the other segments as the system comes online; therefore we have stopped traffic between segments until further notice. Dr. Bennett, you can engage the gravity shell now, please.”
Slowly but surely everyone and everything started to settle to the flooring and catwalks. Soon people were able to get their land legs under themselves and cheers started to come from the crew. People from the ring started moving toward the biosphere to experience the change.
“Gravity here is now the same as it is on earth, so I’m canceling all mandatory shuttle rides.”
More cheers rose from the small gatherings all over segment one of the station.
“Please stay tuned; we have another announcement to make shortly, enjoy!”
“Sir, we have lost all contact with the other segments of the orbiter and with earth, and all the monitors outside segment one are frozen as if they are a still photograph” quipped the communications officer.
“No worries, I will explain everything shortly.”
Of course, Inman had not explained the effects of the shell on time to the young Ensign. Nothing seemed to change from their vantage point, but everything outside the shell was at a virtual standstill, the time had all but stopped for them.
“Dr. Bennett, Dr. Reeder” both of their images came up on Inman’s wearable monitor, “any issues I should know about before I make the next announcement. Has everyone emptied out of the rings now and into the biosphere so I can address everyone in one place and give them some options.”
“All systems are now in place, and shell one is in a self-sustaining mode. The gravity shell is ready to be expanded over the ring whenever you are ready” replied Bennett.
“Give me a few minutes to assure everyone is out of the ring section. Then we can stop the rotation when all the living and working quarters are at what we can now call the bottom of the cycle. Then we can move the gravity shell out to cover that section.”
“Sounds good” Bennett exclaimed.
“I am going to bring the military crew up to speed right now, anyone that does not want to get on board will be allowed to depart and move into segment two. After I know what the size of the crew is that we are working with, I can make a general announcement to the rest of the general population.”
“Perfect” Reeder replied.
Inman had rehearsed this day for years, “it seems so surreal” he thought as he pondered the possibility that he could have a mutiny on his hands, “come to think of it, what we are doing is not just theft of government property, this is mutiny.”
Different scenarios race through his mind as he heads toward the front of the control room where he had summoned his crew.
“Today begins a new chapter in your lives and for the human race” Inman began “we have struck out on a journey that is unprecedented in human history. Gravity is not the only announcement we will make today. I am asking you today to join me and other members of the crew and the senior science staff as we set out to explore the universe.”
At this point, Inman could see looks of doubt or maybe confusion come over the faces of his crew.
“You heard right, not the solar system, but the universe. We now have on board the technology that will not only give us gravity, but it will enable us to engage the warp drives in the ring sections that will propel us into the outer rim of the solar system. Once we arrive we will mine the asteroid belt for materials we will use to construct a more suitable vessel for extended space exploration.”
“Won’t that take years to complete?” queried Inman’s logistics officer Aaron Logan.
“Yes, our estimates are that it will take us about three years to complete. This adventure is optional; you can all opt out without any consequences. The mission is strictly a voluntary assignment. I cannot stress this enough; this is not a short-term assignment. I cannot give you details about exactly how long until you commit to joining us, but this is not something to take lightly. You all have twenty-four hours to decide if you decline you will be allowed to leave, and there will be no hard feelings. ”
“Will we be able to take our families with us?” Queried Logan.
“I will be making this same offer to all the civilians on board; everyone will have an opportunity to choose.”
“I’m in” shouted Logan
“So am I” as all at once the entire crew joined in.
“Excellent, your families and the rest of the civilian population are gathered in the biosphere right now, Bennett, Reeder and I are on our way to make the same announcement. When we have completed our announcement, we will move on to the other segments to enlist as many as will join us.”
No need to risk any more information until all this has a chance to settle in and Reeder and Bennett can brief members of the science team with the details they are chomping at the bit to learn.
The news met with different levels of enthusiasm to the civilians gathered in the biosphere. Many of them had family and friends on earth with whom they were not willing to depart.
The team expanded the shell and repeated the process for the other two segments until they had assembled their final team of military and civilian members
. Of the original 2021 people on board over seven hundred had committed to join the exploratory team including the minimum required representatives from trades, science, government and education, not a perfect mix, but as good as one could expect.
The entire orbiter was now under both shells, to mission control, nothing appeared to happen, they were on a different timeline.
It took a couple of months for the teams to complete work on getting everything ready for segment three separation. The remaining orbiter would be a little more cramped, but it has the largest number of living quarters, so it’s not much of a stretch for everyone left on- board.
“Before we separate I want to make sure we seal and lock the hatch to segment three, then we need to address everyone staying behind,” Inman said to his team.
Battle Group Titan: Beyond Warp ((Battle Group Titan Series Vol 1)) Page 2