Deathship (The Outsider Series Book 1)

Deathship (The Outsider Series Book 1) Page 12

by Steven Oaks

  “Are we going to have enough material to build with? I mean sure we can probably build a few, but if we really want to colonize, these pioneers will want to keep their ship and not send it back to Earth to be sent elsewhere,” I said.

  “It is possible the nearby planets and asteroids will be used as mining facilities by humans since they do not have the technology to turn energy into the things they desire. The engines the Outsiders are providing will have that ability and will power not only themselves but any energy the ship needs, but will they be used to mine? I am not sure. The Outsiders say they are giving technology to humans to have them gain the stars. This may only mean traveling and not the ability to strip mine everything. Or perhaps they are hopeful, given time, humans will be able to advance their technology to their own level. Or could it be they want humans dependent on them? There are too many permutations and little info to calculate exactly what might happen, but those are the two most likely given the current data set,” she said.

  “Well whatever we do to save you, it seems we will have to wait. Unless you think I can back up your personality traits into a normal hard-drive I can pick up at a computer store. Though I’m not sure what storage capacity you might need for such a thing,” I said. I was uncertain if that would be possible.

  “While it might be possible to store something similar to myself on your current hardware, I do not think it likely to be able to reconstitute data into my personality,” she said dubiously.

  “Okay. Then we definitely will have to wait until we can get out of sight of the Outsiders. For now I need to do some physical exertion, and perhaps get a nap in before I have to meet with Adam. I keep strange hours due to my inability to sleep through the night. I do tend to go out for morning runs, though usually not this early. Since I went to bed so promptly last night I’m wide awake now. But like you said it’s cold outside. I would be noticed by anyone who happened to look. I’d rather not let them know my habits. Might a treadmill, or a stationary bike be available for use? If they brought all my gear, I have a bike of course, but also a mount that takes my rear wheel off the ground and allows me to pedal while stationary,” I said. Even with full winter gear it was always difficult to stay warm during the winter season while ridding a bike. I hated getting out of shape, and sometimes I did not feel like going out for a run when all the roads and sidewalks were covered with snow in Indiana winters. I had gotten myself equipped to handle those long winter days. No one had seemed to want to purchase my gear when I was selling most of my possessions, so I had put them in storage.

  “Yes, I have those aboard. Shall I set it up somewhere for you?” she asked.

  “If you would be so kind. I can ride it in the front room where the entrance is,” I said.

  “I shall gladly set them out for you. It shall be available in a few minutes,” she said.

  “Well let me get dressed. Now where is my light wicking shirt? I don’t want to wind up being soaked with sweat.” I said while going through my clothes. “Ah, there it is. You’ve hung up everything in order of color. That’s very handy,” I said while sliding my hands along all my shirts. “I usually just hang them up as I get to them from the dryer. That is when I’m not being lazy and just keep them piled up in a basket.”

  “I just thought it would be easier. I could organize them in any number of ways if you have a different preference,” she said.

  “This is perfectly fine for me. Thank you so much,” I said as I stripped off yesterdays clothes to replace them with my self professed exercise gear.

  I made my way to what I was thinking of as the living room. I did not ask for directions this time as I was fairly confident I could at least find this room. As the hallway opened into the foyer, I could see my bicycle. Not the most expensive bike, but certainly not one you would find at a normal retail store. I had picked it up for a few hundred dollars at a specialty shop, and it was worth every dollar I had spent on it. I had tried many cheaper ones, but they tended to break down and were not constructed to be as easy to pedal as this one. Mine was made by a Chinese manufacturer and it was the best bike I had ever ridden. I had even splurged on a comfortable leather cushioned seat. It had racked up more miles than I could count over the years. The only thing I had ever had to replace on it were the inner tubes, which I could pick up cheaply. To reduce the number of times I had to do that I had started to get the self healing type with slime innards. While they tended to be slightly more expensive, when I got a flat I could easily fill them back up with my portable pump, then they would seal up after a few minutes. I could then continue riding. The reason I switched was the one time I had gotten about ten miles away from home, I had sprung a leak on a cheap inner tube, and had to walk the rest of the way back. I swore I would not have that happen again and I had not had to worry about it since.

  Athene had placed my bike near the entrance facing inwards and asked, “Would you like anything to listen to or watch while you work out?”

  “I assume I could ask for most anything and you could get it since you can access the Internet. Since you and I work for the Outsiders the government would stop any copyright lawsuits for downloading illegally. However the artists should get paid for creating something new in this world,” I mused. This issue had always troubled me as there should be a better way. Perhaps when someone makes something new we all contribute a one time large sum based upon the value to the public. Music makes the world go round. While it may seem at first its value is less than a new form of engine, or any technology for that matter, what do you think those who create are listening to? It helps us be motivated to do things like exercise, and can inspire new thoughts and ideas. Since it is an art, and not a science, it is a subjective opinion that drives its value. Maybe a download count to show popularity would give it a value rating. Perhaps torrents would be the greatest idea. They are easy to find, and if legal, a counter could be implemented by the originator of the torrent.

  While thinking all this, I was also trying to dredge up songs I wanted to hear. It had to be pulse-pounding and interesting. Then I had it. Before I could say anything Athene said, “You do realize there are legal streaming sites. I do not have to download anything. Multiple places have giant lists of artists who have uploaded much of their music, and they do get paid small amounts for each play.”

  “Oh yeah. I don’t know why I never think of streaming as it is hard to get just one musician when you listen to them. I was thinking though, there is an artist that makes some really good music called Patient Zero. I’m not sure how popular he is, but you should be able to find him,” I said.

  “You must also remember, while you do not have unlimited funds at your disposal, I could purchase any album you do not have in your already extensive collection of music,” she advised.

  “Well if that’s the case I haven’t gotten his latest albums. I think you can find them on Bandcamp. Give him some money, and I’ll have some music for us to entertain ourselves with,” I said.

  “Already completed. I thought you might feel that way. Shall we begin?” she asked.

  “Lets go,” I said as I mounted my stationary bike, and the pounding beats of cyberpunk electronica began to play for me.

  “It sounds great Athene, let me know when an hour has passed,” I said, already beginning to get into the rhythm, and started pedaling.

  “I shall. I will try to mix the tracks so they will have similar tempo’s between songs, so you will have a nice beat to exercise to,” she said.

  With Athene’s playlist, she seemed to make on the fly, I was able to get through my routine exercise with little notice of my own exertion. In this hour of activity I found I had worked out all the nervous energy I had built up, and wanted to lay down again. Athene showered me off once more and I lay in bed and was able to rest until just an hour before my meeting.

  As I was staying
in the ship now I did not have to worry about being late for work. I woke up ready to start the day. I was feeling a wee bit peckish, so I walked myself to the dinning room and sat down at the head of the table.

  “So Athene, what’s for breakfast?” I asked.

  “Ask and you shall receive. I have the ability to grant your wishes, at least when it comes to food,” she said.

  “Really? I didn’t know you had such a vast collection of food stuffs,” I remarked.

  “Perhaps I was being a little cagey about what I can serve you. You see how mobile I am. That is basically energy to matter transformation along with nano-machines. I take in energy from the sun, or heat, and can reconstruct it into most anything you desire. I have the structures of most of Earth’s edible plants and animals. The burger and fries you asked for last night were made up of that. I take it you did not notice a difference?” she said.

  “I had not. It was delicious. I assume it’s safe for human consumption and has the nutrients needed?” I asked.

  “Certainly. It is healthier by all accounts as well. I am calculating what nutrients you need on a daily basis and can shape it into the food you will eat. You should become even more healthy under my cooking, and it should not effect the taste.”

  “So I could order a giant steak and several eggs for breakfast, and ask for seconds? I won’t become fat if I do so every day?” I asked.

  “I am not so good as to take away calories if you were to order so much. But you would not become as fat as fast,”she giggled as she said this.

  “Well I’m not in the mood for the steak and egg treatment today, as last nights meal was so good and filling. How about some simple oatmeal and a cup of strong Earl Grey tea?” I said.

  “Coming right up captain. Would the Captain care for sugar for said tea or oatmeal?” she inquired.

  “For the oatmeal yes, for the tea no. I find the strong flavors of the bergamot enough to satisfy my sweet craving. Oatmeal is sweet on it’s own, just not quite sweet enough. Some cinnamon would be a nice addition if you have it on hand,” I said laughing. I knew anything I could ask for I could eat now. I am not a foodie, but if you offer the world of food to a person they are likely to gorge. But I was determined to not eat as extravagantly as that. I had no desire to get fat, I had worked very hard to stay trim over the years.

  “Athene make sure I don’t over do the eating. I’ve worked out for several years to keep off the pounds. I’d hate it to go to ‘waist’,” I said, patting my belly and laughed at my own pun. Verbal though it was, I thought it should be evident.

  “Very good Captain. I shall not have you ‘weight’. Here is your breakfast,” she giggled at her own pun. A white ceramic bowl and a cup seemed to magically rise through the table’s surface, once more showing her abilities. Both were steaming and I could see the cinnamon in the oatmeal.

  The cup of tea was perfectly hot. The bergamont in it was especially strong and somehow creamy. The oatmeal was ideally sweet and cinnamony, and just warm enough to cause me to eat carefully but not enough to burn my mouth.

  “I would gladly keep you employed just for the pleasure of eating your cooking. It’s hard to screw up oatmeal too badly, but this tea is excellent,” I proclaimed.

  “While you said you did not want any sweetness added, I did add some lavender along with the bergamont oil, and a hint of honey. All this to some very rich dark black tea, sometimes referred to as an English breakfast blend. Then just a dash of vanilla for a creamy taste,” she said.

  “This is the best cup of tea I’ve ever had. Keep it up and I’m likely to never want to leave. Food is a very strong motivator in keeping someone happy. And I’m happy as a clam right now,” I said. The day was starting off very well, and I was enthused to begin working.

  “Alright, time to get dressed,” I said, pushing the empty bowl and cup away. They sank back into the table as I stood, leaving not a single spot of dirt on its surface.

  I walked back to the bedroom and dressed in black jeans and a white button up shirt. I then meandered into the bathroom once more wash my mouth out with Athene’s rinse. Using it left me feeling I did not need to brush my teeth anymore. Hopefully my gums no longer needed the manual stimulation to keep them healthy.

  I returned to the living room to sit down and wait for Adam to arrive. As I waited I thought about all the things that had happened, and wondered if I could keep up a pleasant facade long enough to try and save Athene from being so closely linked to someone else. I was not sure how dangerous it would be, as right now she seemed friendly enough, but what would a rogue AI do on its own?

  As I was pondering this Athene announced, “Michael, Adam is approaching.”

  “Thanks Athene,” I said as I rose from the chair while trying to straighten my already wrinkle free clothing. Athene must have washed all my clothes and pressed them as everything in my closet was neatly creased and free of any of the usual rumpled mess they showed when I put them away myself.

  The door irised open and again the steps flowed down to meet the ground. As Adam stepped from the rungs he once more extended his hand to greet me and said, “Good morning Michael. I hope you slept well.”

  I took his hand in mine and shook it. This time I noticed his hand was very warm. Once more it was a slightly extended shake with his grip tightening more firmly than was comfortable. I tried to match the firmness, but I was unable to get a proper grip to do so, leaving me feeling weak in my own eyes.

  “Well enough I suppose. I’ve always had a bit of an issue with sleep, especially in a new place, but Athene was a very gracious hostess and was able to make me feel comfortable,” I said.

  “Good, good. Today shall be your first day picking up the departed. You will find Athene has today’s schedule. You will be flying to predesignated locations and mostly observing. I don’t think there will be any call for you to do much more than watch. You will only be expected to show your face and guide the coffin like storage units to the appropriate hold. Athene will store them for you. After you’ve reached all your stops you will be flown to the Outsiders ship, and then be unloaded automatically. Now to let you know a little about how many people you’ll be responsible for on a daily basis, there are two people who die every second on average. You won’t be responsible for all of them of course, as we have others heading out today as well, but it will be a long day. Currently you’ll bring in around sixty-thousand of the deceased. That will shrink eventually as more ships are constructed and more pilots are recruited. Your work load will decrease until the time comes for you to start accompanying the colony ships being assembled,” he said.

  “I didn’t think I had to accompany them. I thought when the colony was set up I would be responsible for running back and forth only then,” I said. I could see this assumption irritated Adam as his face changed from smiling and congenial to a stare of annoyance.

  “The colonies won’t have the facilities to store their departed until later. You will show up soon after they arrive. You will then replace the colony ship as the storage medium for the departed as it will leave. Then it will be your duty to act as the storage vessel for them until you are filled to capacity or have reached the end of your assignment. At that point you will rendezvous with the Outsider ship and then return to the colony. If it happens you and another vessel return at similar times, you could ask to switch with them if you want a change of scenery, but the death rates will be different on different planets, and that is unlikely to happen. Until there are a few colonies able to be self sufficient enough to store the departed themselves, you will have to stay on. As more planets are discovered and terraformed, that is likely what your duties will entail.”

  This sounded much more humdrum to me than what I was led to believe, but I felt I had to keep up the front of being a happy little worker. I nodded and said, “Alright, I can work with
that. I just wanted to know what I’m expected to do.”

  “You are expected to accompany the departed to the Outsiders ship. Whatever actions are necessary for that, that is your job,” he said more heatedly than I thought was needed.

  “Now I have others I have to lecture on the finer points of their job. I can’t babysit you as there are other pilots that need my attention. Athene, show Michael what needs to be done,” he said once more with violent passion in his voice.

  He turned on his heels and strode out with his long legs almost at a run. The door spiraled closed and I saw no more of him.

  “Michael, please proceed to the control room,” Athene said plainly.

  “Fine. What’s his problem? I just wanted to know what I was getting in to,” I said, irritated myself.

  “He seems to anger quickly at the slightest query. As someone hired by the Outsiders one would expect him to be better at negotiation. Or perhaps it is the tactic that landed him in such a position.”

  “I don’t know. He seems to have more influence on the ongoings here than one would expect of someone asked to hire pilots. Perhaps they’ve given him the position as their liaison between humanity and Outsiders. He might just be stressed, but still it seems unusual for him to anger so quickly at simple questions,” I was saying as I reached the control room.

  The black, soft chair was there waiting for me in the center of the dark room. I plopped hard into it and sunk deeply into its cushioned luxuriousness. As I did the screens displaying the outside turned on around me and lit up the room. Once more I felt I was suspended in mid air. This time, within the hangar, it gave me a sense of being one with the ship more so than the free-falling sensation I felt the previous day. I looked around and I could see Adam in the distance entering another ship.

  “Lets get out of here. Fly us to the first spot and let me know anything I’m suppose to do when I get there,” I said, wanting to put as much distance as I could between myself and Adam.

 

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