by Travis Sande
"The AI is a more precise method and I see no reason to deviate." Eilik's objection was expected as the Vryl had been exposed to expanding AI for several hundred years. Trust had been explicitly earned and they found human apprehension to it confusing.
Mankind pursued artificial intelligence throughout much of the twenty-second century. The field of research came to an abrupt halt in 2167 as a computational engineer on Earth created a sentient AI on a closed system. Self-improvement was occurring at an exponential rate and it became obvious they lacked the ability to retard it. The project was deemed to be a threat and put out of commission. With the environmental breakdown following shortly after, AI would take a back seat amidst the turmoil. Once the Vryl made contact, they shared a containment algorithm that prevented the escalation of AI. This rendered it a tool instead of a peer or worse. For many, the threat of exponential AI growth still lingered and was the source of much anxiety. It appeared that commander Lorn was in that group.
"Noted, anyone else?" The commander's response was abrupt somewhat dismissive as he obviously expected the objection from their alien counterpart.
"I say let the kid have at it. What was all that training for if he's just going to sit there?" Hank had always called Derrick kid. The size difference between them appeared to negate the fact that Derrick, at thirty-seven, was two years his senior. It caught Derrick off-guard the first time Hank called him kid. For the first month of training he regretted not stopping the practice. It had felt condescending, especially coming from their second youngest crew member. Derrick couldn't pinpoint the exact moment it stopped bothering him, but somehow Hank had managed to turn an annoyance into a loveable quirk.
After a short silence it became clear to Derrick and everyone else that he was going to be taking manual control of the ship. A twinge of excitement coursed through his veins as he reached out for the controls. Entering his override code was second nature, he had practiced that more than anything else. He felt that in an event that it was required, every single moment would be crucial. A combination of his mother's and father's birthdays to ensure he could never forget. His father was born in 2257 and his mother was three years younger. Reaching out he entered the code with no hesitation, 225760. An automated voice came over the comm system, "Manual override, Derrick Rich, confirmed.". He could feel the kick as the separation occurred, the ISO was now completely under his control.
The decision to adopt the Vryl AI system had all but stripped Derrick of his dream to manually pilot the ISO. He would often run through the possibilities in his head on how this moment might come to pass. Even in his best-case scenarios they would be well underway and circumstances dire. Yet here he was, not even out of the gate and his hands found their rightful place on the controls. Orbital escape was a very simple procedure and while it wouldn't necessarily challenge Derrick, he was excited to begin.
"Status please, Derrick" Commander Lorn asked, just as eager to depart.
"Mars 1 decoupling complete and awaiting orders." The anticipation was building as a smile fought its way onto Derrick's face.
"What are we waiting for? Take us out." As the words left the commander's mouth, Derrick forfeit the battle against his smile. Grabbing the controls, he began thrusting towards the orbital escape coordinates.
It felt surreal as the ISO accelerated up to speed; creeping away from Mars 1 and any physical connection to humanity. Every second seemed to linger in his mind. Particles of dust crossed his vision, caught in the glow of the illuminated consoles. It was as if every tiny detail had a renewed focus. Every speck of dust representing a person or thing that Derrick wouldn’t see for the next three years. Floating apathetically through his view and out of sight.
Training never managed to elicit such a reaction from him and he was shocked to feel it during such a simple maneuver. Having felt it only once before while in flight school, he was completely enthralled by it. While the operation itself lacked any serious challenge, it appeared that the significance of it had triggered this response.
With the blast shields down in preparation for RIP engagement, he was forced to use on-screen displays for guidance. The trajectory of their ship was highlighted on a screen directly in front of Derrick. Several overlays would indicate the best flight path toward the orbital escape vectors. There was a readout that listed the correct speed of the ship as well as horizontal markers that represented every kilometer of forward progress. The readout had them listed at 3.5km/s and rising. They would need to reach 5km/s before the ship could safely escape Mars orbit and prepare for RIP ignition.
Derrick noted a noticeable difference in the horizontal progress tracking and the listed speed. As they approached 4km/s he expected to see four markers pass the ship on the readout for every second of elapsed time. To his surprise, however, he was able to count only two markers for every second he felt. The perception of time had always been something of a relative experience and he decided to take a quick glance at the digital clock above his panel. The clock appeared to verify the speed of 4km/s and as a result Derrick attributed this odd occurrence to a simple relative perception. Lacking the time to dwell on it completely he turned his attention back to the controls as 5km/s was quickly approaching.
"Ten seconds until escape velocity." Even as Derrick spoke he felt as if time was slow. His voice felt sluggish and deeper than usual. Speaking seemed to free him from the experience, and by the end of his sentence temporal normality was restored. Shaking his head to refocus, he continued, "Everything looks good, time to launch coordinates fifty seconds.".
Good was an understatement in this regard. Derrick's best launch zone deviation in training was 0.15 meters. His current course alignment had him coming in at under 0.05 meters of deviation. This was within the margin of error experienced by the AI systems. With the ship reaching escape velocity, Derrick began the most complicated section of the maneuver.
Taking a deep breath and exhaling as his eyes slowly moved down to meet his panel, he attempted to recreate his heightened state. Not only was it successful, but it was far more noticeable than earlier. He could hear the sound of his breath changing tone. The world closed in around him as the panel became the only thing within his focus. As the trajectory angled him away from the planet he felt a precision reminiscent of his dreams. Every movement of his hands felt confident, tracing the optimum launch trajectory. In training there were always slight corrections he was forced to make. That feeling was absent today as it all felt exact.
The designated launch zone came upon them quickly, and Derrick piloted the ship to his best result ever. With a deviation of 0.0456 meters he outperformed his wildest dreams. With a disparity of less than a third of his personal best he was blown away. "Launch zone achieved." Derrick said with pride in his voice.
"Eilik, bring us online." The commander's words felt like a reward for Derrick's exceptional positioning. He had succeeded and now it was Eilik's turn to take them into the unknown.
"RIP Bubble online and stable, Setu coordinates laid in, and ready to engage." Eilik readied the ship for their journey.
"Let's go" Lorn had always utilized this oversimplified phrase to initiate any order onboard the ship during training. Everyone, including Eilik, had learned to respond to it as an official command.
Those would be the last words spoken within their home solar system. Eilik initiated the RIP engines and a subtle vibration preceded the ignition. An unfamiliar sound erupted as the ship entered the RIP stream. A subtle hiss that came to an end with an abrupt and loud snap. The crew felt very little as the bubble itself would maintain a relative force within. It was a different story on the outside as the ship entered a speed nearly five times that of light. Their mission had officially begun.
Chapter 2
Settling in
"Eilik, status." Lorn wanted to ensure they were safely underway before releasing the crew from the cockpit of the ISO.
"RIP engaged and stable. Velocity, one million four hundred ninety-s
even thousand five hundred sixty-three point seven six two kilometers per second." Eilik always pushed for as much accuracy as possible when reporting anything to the commander.
"Great job, everyone. We are officially in route to Setu. Launch went as smooth, or better than we had anticipated. We must maintain that level of dedication and preparation throughout our mission. As for now, you are released from bridge duty. I would suggest acquainting yourself with the rest of the ship and especially your quarters. Flight suits are no longer mandatory. Our next scheduled appointment is in the conference room at 13:00. As a reminder, nutrient rations are dispensed on a per person basis. You may withdraw your daily rations in any manner you see fit but you will not be permitted to exceed that daily allowance. As the launch today occurred in the late morning, we have been afforded seventy-five percent of our daily ration for day zero." This speech from commander Lorn had always brought about the close of training for the day. It was a simple list of reminders for basic function onboard the ISO.
Everyone knew it from start to finish but procedure dictated that it must be said before crew release on day zero. The commander continued. "We have been equipped with a ration stock that exceeds our requirements by roughly two hundred and forty-seven days. As a result, you may request additional rations through official channels. I know several of you skipped breakfast today and I have already approved the additional twenty-five percent for the day. We have a physician and a psychologist onboard, you are encouraged to utilize both. Ben and Yanna will be conducting various experiments throughout the ship, their efforts are to be respected. The cardiovascular and resistance training pod will be utilized daily by every member of the crew. A schedule has been sent to each of your CCDs and you will be responsible for booking time when you are free." CCDs were the 'Crew Connection Devices' they were implanted on the inside of the right forearm. It was an all-in-one connection device for everything involving the crew. The interface was a combination of both mechanical and holographic. Everything from crew vitals to personal messages could be received through their CCDs.
Although functional, the interface on the arm was small and rarely used outside of receiving messages. Primary access was through crew personal terminals around the ship. Information was wirelessly updated and transferred to the ship's computer at all times. Ship wide alerts or personal emergencies would be revealed at the implant site when necessary.
Lorn finished his statement. "Enjoy your stay onboard the ISO and expect further orientation today at 13:00. Dismissed."
Derrick began freeing himself from his chair and could hear the shuffle of others doing the same. It was a five-point harness that included an intricately designed switch to release. While connecting was simple, the added forces involved during launch required the release activation to be slightly more complicated. Derrick pushed down on the small dial situated on his chest and twisted clockwise for one full rotation. Once he heard the click, he knew the straps were released. With the straps of the harness loose, Derrick was able to stand up out of his seat and turn around.
The rest of the crew was still seated, and he could see Hank facing him. Hank raised his face shield to reveal a giant smile. Smiling back, Derrick felt a sense of pride; a quiet acknowledgement of his efforts leading them to the start of their journey. Stretching from one side to the other, Derrick noticed Kim still seated beside him. She didn't appear to be unbuckling herself which struck him as odd. Taking it upon himself, he walked over to her.
"Everything alright, Kim?" His voice carried curiosity more than concern. Being the youngest crew member and last-minute successor to her mentor's sudden disqualification, Kim had adjusted astonishingly well. Derrick felt a vulnerability about her in this moment that he hadn't felt before.
"Me? Oh yeah, I am fine. Just waiting until everyone is out of the way." She smiled up at him in a way that eliminated any concern he had. Kim had always told him to stop reading too much into every situation, a method he struggled to put into use. He smiled back and decided to take her at face value and turned to exit the bridge. By now, most of the crew was free and exiting into the adjoining corridor.
Ahead was commander Lorn himself, who was just stepping through the threshold as Derrick approached. Excited to see his quarters and maybe take a nap, he followed closely behind. Immediately attached to the bridge was a corridor that led to the galley. Along the corridor were three hatches, one on the left and two on the right. Meticulous efforts were made by the engineers of the ISO to hide infrastructure out of sight. Seeing as the crew would be living onboard for over a year, they wanted it to have a sense of home. Unsightly cables, or plumbing would have impeded that effort.
The hatch on the left led to the conference room referenced in Lorn's speech. It would house a long briefing table complete with holographic emitters. A viewer on the front wall would provide them with most of the information being discussed during meetings. On the outside wall was a synthetic window.
The ship itself was trapped within a bubble of immense energy making it necessary for all portholes to be covered in dyronium shielding during travel. As a result, the engineers added several of these synthetic windows throughout the ship. The windows would be programmable and capable of showing any image with recreated three-dimensional accuracy. For now, they were all depicting an arbitrary motion in deep space.
On the right were Sian's infirmary and Kim's office. Derrick hadn’t visited either much during training but knew the basic layout. The infirmary was relatively simple with just an exam table, some cabinets, and a quarantine chamber. The table was a multifunctional apparatus that housed scanning equipment of all kinds. Derrick had full confidence in Sian; not only did she command a relentless knowledge and aptitude for medicine, she had assisted in the design of the ISO infirmary.
Kim’s office was much smaller in comparison to the infirmary. Only needing a desk, and a seating area. Kim had discussed some of the decorative choices she made for the ISO office, but Derrick never found time to see it during training. Not only was it difficult to schedule, it was difficult to get clearance. The ship was being built in a highly secured area with heavy decontamination protocols. While the training facility was a one to one recreation of the ISO, it lacked any of the finer details of equipment present on the actual ship. For most of the crew this would be their first time seeing the ship in working order. The only exceptions to that were Lorn, and Luke. Lorn made an official request and Luke was the lead engineer on the project. Both of them had a tour approved within the final week of launch prep.
At the end of the corridor was an opening into the galley of the ship. A place where they could gather, eat, relax, and just spend time together.
Five corridors exited the galley. Two would lead to the crew quarters, one would lead to the upper level of the ship, another led to the rear of the ship and the engineering section, and finally there was the entrance to the bridge corridor. The functionality of the engineering area could be controlled from the bridge, but the physical mechanics were at the rear. The engineering corridor would be the home of both the fitness pod and the laundry station. Engineering itself would be at the end of the corridor, beyond the fitness pod. The only members with official access to the engineering section were Eilik, Luke Amrose, Yanna Lye, and commander Geoffrey Lorn.
One additional room was adjacent the engineering section. This room housed the unstable rift matrix that allowed for instant communication with the Triumvirate. Eilik was the only crew member capable of maintaining it and thus all other members, outside of commander Lorn, had their access restricted.
The upper level was dedicated to recreation and experimentation. Ben and Yanna would occupy two unique laboratories on adjacent sides of the upper level. Beyond the experimentation corridor was the recreation area. Activities ranging from reality, virtual reality, and augmented reality were present.
Originally, the ship had an additional bio section used to house a wide variety of vegetation. Attempting to create a peacef
ul retreat with feelings of home was a challenge. Later iterations of the design would see the recreation and bio areas amalgamate. The idea was to gain the tranquility of a forest while still affording the opportunity for leisure activities. Combining the two allowed greater opportunity in a much larger space. With several requests for flora dispersed throughout the ship being denied, this was seen as a compromise.
As Derrick exited the bridge and entered the corridor, he caught up with Lorn. Eager to question the motives behind the orbital escape maneuver he wasted no time in asking. "Sir, if you don't mind me asking, why did you authorize a last-minute manual override? Not that I am complaining, I just don't understand."
"We are out here representing mankind on the first mission beyond our solar system. It just didn't feel right leaving it in the hands of a robot." Lorn's words were cold and oddly callous towards the AI of the ship.
"Permission to speak freely, sir?" Derrick felt a need to confront the commander about his decision.
"Granted" Lorn had little hesitation when it came to crew members expressing themselves.
"That feels completely out of character. I have never seen you act so impulsive regarding anything. Quite frankly it was a little concerning." They stepped through the doorway and into the galley just as Derrick completed his inquiry.
Lorn stopped, turning to face Derrick, he said, "It wasn't as impulsive as it seemed. I appreciate your concern and I will address it during our orientation later today. If there’s nothing else, I suggest you begin familiarizing yourself with the ship's facilities.".
As he finished speaking, Lorn turned and began walking toward the crew section of the ship. There wasn't anything else, but the interaction did little to satiate Derrick’s curiosity. If anything, it managed to raise more questions regarding the maneuver. Derrick watched the commander disappear down the corridor and turned his attention to the room around him.