The Colony Ship Eschaton: The entire ten book series, page 37
John went to the small counter next to the tank. In a smooth motion, he drew out a knife from under the counter and decapitated the fish. He then sliced, scrubbed and prepared the fish, just as Abigail had taught him. John still marveled at the food. In Dome 17, they had food: ration bars that were nutritious, filling and fed everyone. But here, the food had flavor, texture and variety. He really was astounded.
“So do you have a preference for which vegetables we have with the fish? I already have some bread prepared.” Abigail had joined him in her underground home. She had lived there with her family for generations.
“Anything will be fine,” John replied.
“We should take a load of fish into Antioch tomorrow, and you need to see your friends,” Abigail told John. She was well aware of his need to keep in contact with the other people who had come with him to the world. Especially after what had recently happened.
“Did you hear me? We should go to Antioch and see your friends, and I can deliver a load of fish.”
“Yes, that would be fine. I was just thinking...”
“You were thinking about Jamie and Michael, and you still feel guilty about what happened. I keep telling you; it was not your fault,” Abigail said in a firm voice.
“But people were murdered, and I was sitting here fishing. Those bandits killed my people, and we still are not sure who they all were, or who died at their hands,” John said.
“They killed our people. We are one people now. The legionnaires are looking into it, and they will handle it. John, you cannot do anything more." Abigail knew he blamed himself, and she recalled it had not been so very long ago when the Domers had appeared in the town square through a machine, the name escaped her, and that was a shock to everyone. Some of the people in Antioch still wondered and questioned how people could just appear out of a ball of light. There were rumors of black magic and sorcery, but she knew it was just machines. After all, Abigail had also met Jamie and Michael, who were the first two Domers to ever come to the world. They had stopped at her home before they went to Antioch. They had come to the world in some kind of ship, but the way John explained it did not make sense. No one could get outside the world.
“Yes, let’s go in the morning.”
John and Abigail enjoyed their meal, and everything seemed calm and contented in their part of Habitat One, Coastal Plains aboard the colony ship Eschaton.
2 Incoming
“So, you agree that the mathematics are correct for the basis of teleportation; the quantum mechanics are fundamental, and the physics are applied properly?” Brink was tired and becoming frustrated.
“Yes, those seem to be in order,” replied the artificial voice of Theta Four. The display screen from which the voice emanated was gray colored showing numerous mathematical formulas.
“And yet you keep saying ‘unknown system request’ or some such nonsense." Yes, Brink was frustrated. He had been that way for almost the entire time he had been on the Eschaton. These were very unusual emotions for the master engineer. Brink was a tall and muscular man with a quiet voice. But his nerves were frazzled and strained after the stress of the last few weeks. Back in Dome 17 he had pioneered the systems which made faster-than-light travel possible and had helped design the teleportation system which had brought the survivors from Dome 17 to the colony ship. In the dome, Brink had been gentle and reserved. But the new life here in this habitat was overwhelming him. He was used to the modern and efficient artificial intelligence systems of the dome. Those were all gone now. And Brink’s everyday tools, the data sticks, simply did not work. He had not realized how much he had taken the data sticks for granted. The small hexagonal sticks carried all the collected knowledge from the dome; in fact, they had been loaded with everything possible and brought through the teleportation orifice so that the survivors could tap into that knowledge. Even to the point of evolving them into modern artificial intelligences. But after coming here, none of the data sticks worked, and no one knew why.
“Okay, let us leave those subjects and get to a more basic problem. The data sticks look like they are functional. The data stick readers seem to have power supplied by the fusion packs. But yet, I put the data stick in and nothing happens.” Brink said partly to himself and partly to the AI Theta Four.
“That is a correct assessment of the current conditions.” The screen shifted to an image of a data stick as Theta Four replied.
Brink sunk into the chair, which sat behind the makeshift work desk he had assembled in the transportation portal room. The room was lined with doors which were more like hatches. The hatches opened up to the transport system which had vehicles that travel from place to place. Brink had moved a table and chairs into the portal transport room, so he could interface with the AIs more often. He was in the middle of an ongoing discussion with one of the two known working artificial intelligences of the Eschaton.
“So, I will phrase it another way, Theta Four, conjecture how to build the tools necessary to craft a machine which can access and analyze why our data sticks fail to function,” Brink said. He had phrased this same question various ways and, occasionally, gathered new information.
“Data sticks failure to function due to one of three reasons. Number one: they are broken. Number two: the data stick readers are broken. Number three: a combination of numbers one and two,” Theta Four’s mechanical voice replied. “Therefore, without knowing the details of why the data sticks do not function, a conjecture on how to assess that function is impossible. Can you provide greater detail on exact functioning with schematics and materials for construction of data sticks?” Theta Four replied.
“Oh, how many times will we go round and round on this?” Brink said. “I have told you all the technical materials I know and the mathematics behind that. I have also told you all the plans and engineering details are on the data sticks, so until we can access the information on the data sticks we cannot provide schematics.”
“Data sticks and data stick readers are not a recognized technology,” Theta Four replied. The screen stayed flat gray colored.
“I feel like I am trying to recharge a fusion pack with a hammer and ax,” Brink lamented.
“Is there something wrong with the fusion packs?” Theta Four asked.
“No, it is just so frustrating to not have the information we need.”
“As of present, you have asked three thousand four hundred and ninety one requests which include the term ‘data stick,’ and I have answered each of your queries. I am currently functioning at 79% of optimal efficiency. But even were I at 100% of prior functioning, I am programmed to operate the transport system not repair or rebuild machinery,” Theta Four said.
“Then find a linkage to some system that can help me.” Brink pounded the arm of the chair, in a totally uncharacteristic manner.
“The only other known operational AI is Kurat in Medical Rehabilitation and Physiotherapy 12. I continue to look for couplings and linkages to other systems,” Theta Four stated.
A woman entered the room. “Brink, it is time to rest. You have again worked through an entire night. I have prepared a nice meal for you, and I insist that now you come with me,” a quiet, firm voice stated. Rectora Lydia had entered the room and with her was Regina.
“I am getting nowhere with these antique and obsolete intelligence systems anyway. If I was back in my shop in Dome 17, this problem would have been over long ago. Brink stood and departed with Lydia. Her arm was around his waist as they walked away. That was a sign of how different things were now in Antioch. When Rector Robert had been alive, he maintained a much stricter - a few still said better, but many more said meaner - rule of order. As such, public displays of affection were seldom seen. But after Rector Robert’s attempted murder of Jamie, and his killing of Rectora Hazel, his ways were rejected by most in Antioch. Robert had so disgraced the position of Rector, that the people of Antioch had not yet filled that position. Being revealed as a secret truster was the undoing of Robert’s legacy. His family, while they had been told they were not responsible for his actions, still felt shame and guilt.
Regina watched them leave. Her shoulder length brown hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and her bright brown eyes were sad as she contemplated the problem Brink had faced. She, too, knew the serious nature of the failure of the data sticks. She had been the one to load many of the data sticks back in Dome 17 before they teleported. They had worked then, but none had ever worked here.
“Kurat, may we discuss an issue?” Regina said to the artificial intelligence systems, and the screen turned a different shade.
“Hello Regina. How may I be of service? Medical assistance is available,” Kurat’s voice was mechanical, like Theta Four, but had different pitches and tones, and the two did have separate personalities. At least they were rudimentary personalities, not like a human’s or even the modern AIs had had in the dome.
“You can tell me how to repair the data sticks,” Regina said. She knew the reply she was about to receive.
“I am a medical Artificial Intelligence. Machine Maintenance should be contacted for your request,” Kurat replied.
“Kurat, you are designed to diagnose and treat things, correct?” Regina asked.
“Not entirely correct. I am designed to diagnose and treat humans, within the directives installed. The patient needs to be human and be on a medical treatment table in Medical Rehabilitation and Physiotherapy 12. I have limited scanning ability outside of Medical Rehabilitation and Physiotherapy 12. I can direct medical automacubes for specific tasks.”
“So if I bring a data stick to that medical facility and place it on the table, you could diagnose it?” Regina asked. She had asked before but thought it might be worth a try again.
“I can medically scan biological entities only. I am only programmed to do medical procedures. Medical procedures cannot be performed on entirely mechanical objects. Machine Maintenance and Repair should be contacted for your need. Shall I make contact with them?” Kurat never grew tired of making referrals to other AIs and departments.
“Kurat, you utilize mechanical parts for medical procedures, do you not? I mean, there have been pacemakers for human hearts for, what, a couple hundred years?”
“Yes, I can and do utilize mechanical parts for some medical procedures. Do you want me to send a request to Archival Records for a history of the cardiac pacemaker and assorted technologies?” Kurat replied.
“How do you know if a mechanical medical implant is functioning?” Regina asked.
“The parts are dispensed by Bio-Medical Engineering and are tested there. My function is installation and maintenance, through assessment of the human patient and his or her interface with medical implant,” Kurat replied.
“Please consider the data stick a medical implant or adaptive device or prosthesis and assess its functioning.” Regina’s hopes were raised that, perhaps, she had found a way to get the AI to help her.
There was a slight pause.
“The data stick is not a registered or recognized medical implant or adaptive device or prosthesis, nor is it authorized for any other medical uses. You may contact Bio-Medical Engineering for information about process to add data stick technology and get approval of considered usage,” Kurat replied.
“But, hypothetically speaking, if the data stick was inside my body, would you be able to assess it and its function?” Regina said.
“In that scenario, the data stick would be removed as a foreign body. A report on the object would be made, and it would be sent to Machine Maintenance.”
“How much time has it been since the last response from Machine Maintenance?” Regina asked.
“Records last response from Machine Maintenance was ninety two years, fourteen days, eight hours and thirteen minutes ago,” Kurat replied. “That is over the established maximum time limit. Request sent to Central Processing for reassessment of links to Machine Maintenance,” Kurat replied.
“Kurat, you are linked to Theta Four, is that correct?” Regina wanted to try a new approach.
“That is correct.”
“So conjecture, using all available means, how you and Theta Four can diagnose and treat the problem of data stick failure,” Regina phrased her request as carefully as possible.
The display screen now split into two sections, one gray the other more blue.
There was a pause.
“Theta Four is designed for transportation intelligence, and Kurat is a medical intelligence. Neither is compatible with, nor capable of, stated request. Data stick technology is not in data base for either intelligence. Conjectures are made with that understanding. We recommended the following: Utilize an AI that is capable of reverse engineering of data stick and data stick reader. As previously suggested, seek out interaction with intelligence system in Reproduction and Fabrication Zone called Zeus. Alternatively, seek interaction with intelligence system in the Terraforming and Restoration Zone called Mister Green Jeans. This has been suggested before and is still best conjecture available,” Kurat’s voice was blended with that of Theta Four and the blending of these AI voices always seemed odd to Regina. She was not used to working with such old equipment.
“Okay, Theta Four, do you have any way to connect to either of those AIs? And what is the latest assessment on status of those AIs.”
“There are no functioning couplings or links to other systems. Neither through transportation nor through the medical facility with Kurat,” Theta Four’s voice replied. “I am still running attempts to establish means of contact with other systems.”
Changing the subject away from the circular reasoning which the data stick problem seemed to present, Regina asked a different question. She had been hesitant to ask about this, but since she was alone she felt like now was the time. “Please display the location of Biological Research Section 47R.”
“There is no Biological Research Section 47R in any data systems,” Theta Four replied.
“Please check with Kurat and identify location of Biological Research Section 47R,” She commanded.
“No such location,” the combined Theta Four/Kurat voice said.
“I know it exists,; I was there!” Regina said angrily. It had taken her a long time to even ask the AIs about that location. She knew that Brink had made inquiries about it, but he did not bring it up with her. Perhaps he was afraid of stirring up the grueling memories of being trapped in that rat invested garden place. What Brink did not understand, and probably could not understand, was the turmoil Regina felt inside as she longed to know more about the Voice which had ‘played games’ with her. Compounding that was her own stupendous fear of what had happened there. Not to mention that she had been separated from a fusion pack and numerous data sticks, which she hoped were still in that place.
“Kurat, can you back track the medical automacube’s route which brought me to the medical facility?” She asked.
“Unable to comply. That automacube was destroyed by violent action just prior to your last major injury.”
Regina had been afraid of that. She knew many of the small mechanical six-wheeled automacubes had been destroyed in that incident, but she had hoped information was stored somewhere with Kurat.
“What about the blue one or the yellow one?” Regina asked.
“I keep no information from engineering automacubes nor transport automacubes,” Kurat replied.
A red light started spinning and shining above one of the hatches. Regina looked up.
“There is an incoming transport vehicle. Please stand clear of the portals and allow passengers to disembark. Only after people are clear shall passengers enter the transports,” Theta Four announced.
Had someone gone to one of the accessible places? Some of the technicians from the dome had been exploring engineering a few days ago, but Regina thought that they were all back. She was certain she would have heard it if someone was taking a mission to Habitat Five: Tropical or to Habitat Eight: Secondary Aquatic. The people of Antioch were very hesitant to go through the portals, since - to them - they had once been used only for banishment of criminals.
“Well, it's gotta be someone from engineering. I hope they found something useful.” Regina turned and watched the portals. There was a clanging noise, and then one of the hatches slowly opened. No one exited the transport. “Hello!” Regina called out. There was no response.
Regina walked up to the hatch to look inside. The transports usually had interior illumination, but this one was dark. As she walked the few paces toward the car, Regina felt a prickly sensation on her neck and back. She breathed a bit faster and tried to calm the anxiety which was rising in her. She reassured herself that there was nothing to fear from a transport vehicle, but her tense muscles and tingly skin kept on the high alert.
