The Colony Ship Eschaton: The entire ten book series, page 51
“It all seems to work; however, I cannot hear anyone with it on. But I guess outside the ship that would not matter,” Jamie explained. The suit had stayed thick and intimately touching her skin, even after she had removed the bubble helmet.
“There was a communication system available on the screen when I was in the chair, but that is gone. As to the airlock, I know there are the switches here, ‘Depressurize’ in blue color and ‘Pressurize’ in rust color. The same is inside the airlock. I do not know what controls are outside the hull, if any. I estimate that the airlock door will open when it is depressurized, and only close when pressure is restored.”
Jamie strapped Michael’s belt around her and attached the molecular saw. Using it was a bit clumsy with the suit covering her hands, but not as bad as she expected. “Let’s do this,” Jamie said and replaced the bubble helmet on her head.
Brink touched the rust colored control on the frame next to the door. The door to the air lock opened. Everything was utterly silent for Jamie. She stepped into the airlock which was about two paces wide and three paces deep. She saw the two controls on the inside. She pushed the blue 'Depressurize’ control. The door to the chair room slid shut. The blue light flashed. When the light stopped flashing, the opposite side of the room opened outward. Jamie suddenly was weightless. Apparently, the gravity manipulation, which the ship used to give the feeling of gravity, was disengaged when the air lock was depressurized. She grabbed hold of the hand rails which ran along each side of the airlock. Looking out the airlock, Jamie could see the brilliant stars shining. She pulled herself outward until she was at the edge of the door. I should have brought a safety line to connect myself to something. Don’t want to just float away. She then found that there were handrails outside on the hull of the ship as well.
Inside, everyone watched as Jamie entered the airlock. Then the door shut. The blue control near the door started to flash. Suddenly, the display screen lit up. They turned to look at the display. No one was sitting in the chair, yet it was working. It was split into four different views, three from outside along the hull and one from inside the airlock. They all could see as the outer door opened. Jamie floated up and pulled herself along the handrails.
“Want to watch the game?” said the Voice from the display screen.
26 The big game
“Want to play a game?" Jamie heard the Voice echo through the bubble helmet.
“What? You have some baboons out here too?” Jamie snapped back. The surprise she felt was hidden under her tones. She would not let the Voice hear her emotions.
“You succeeded with that test, so now this one needs to be harder. Progressive elevation of complexity in testing yields a better rate of development,” said the Voice.
“So what do you have in mind?” Jamie's mind was taking in everything she saw.
“This testing area is unusual. But I have several tools at my disposal. Shall we begin?”
Jamie looked out at the vast exterior hull of the Eschaton. It went for as far as she could see in all directions. She knew that the overall shape of the ship was something like eight habitat cylinders around the central tubular drive ship, but, being here on the hull, hanging onto a hand rail, all she could see was a landscape of permalloy-made mechanical boxes, tubes, ridges and valleys. Overall, it was dim, but not as dark as the black sky which was filled with a vast multitude of stars. The star light shined onto the hull and cast a slivery glow over the dark hull. In the distance, not too far from where she floated, she could see where they had first physically contacted the Eschaton. The new permalloy they had used was a different color than the hull of the old ship.
The people of Dome 17 had initially sent robotic faster-than-light probes which had tried to reach all seven of the lost colony ships. The one, which had reached the Eschaton, had placed a beacon on the hull. Jamie and Michael followed in a scout ship, which, due to mass and weight restrictions of faster-than-light travel, would only accommodate two people. When they had found the beacon, the robotic probe had already been destroyed. So they had connected the scout ship to the Eschaton's hull by making an umbilicus. Using nozzles from the scout ship they had sprayed a bead of foam permalloy all along the edge of where the two ships were nearly touching. It quickly expanded and sealed onto the old permalloy material of the Eschaton and fused into the new permalloy of the FTL ship. In just moments, the permalloy foam was hardened and ready. Jamie and Michael had crossed through that umbilicus and entered the Eschaton.
But that hardest substance ever created was blown apart by some kind of defensive system. The remains of the ripped apart umbilicus were clearly visible to Jamie. The modern permalloy reflected light differently than the one hundred year old permalloy of the Eschaton. A bit further away was the tether line that connected the damaged scout ship to the Eschaton. Apparently, the artificial intelligence, Roxanne, had survived the attack which had ripped the umbilicus apart. Roxanne had been able to snag the hull with a line.
The wreck of the scout ship was rotating round and round the line. Jamie had been estimating how she would get to the scout ship to remove Roxanne, when the Voice returned in her bubble helmet.
“The test is about your ability to follow instructions,” said the Voice.
“Why should I listen to you? Last time you had me trapped and gave me no choice, do you always play games where you are in control?” Jamie replied. She was pulling herself along the handrails but saw that they only extended so far.
“You are the test subject. Test subjects do not design the games or the tests,” the Voice replied.
“Who says?” Jamie retorted. She had reached the end of the handrails and was looking for the next place to grab. She knew if she let go, she could easily float away and be lost. The fight in the zero gravity gymnasium had shown her how easy it was to set things in motion when there was no gravity.
“There is foreign material on the hull twenty-three meters from your location. Proceed there and await further instructions," said the Voice.
That was where the umbilicus had been located. It also was almost in line with where the tether was attached. Jamie decided to play along. “Okay, I am heading there,” Jamie said. “But it will take time; there are no handrails, and I will need to find places to grip.”
“If you become separated from the hull, you will lose the game and the test will be completed. I will pneumatically open several hatches, which should allow you to proceed.”
Three places opened, and long rectangular hatches were now standing perpendicular to the hull. Jamie could grip them and pull along each of them. She reached the remains of the permalloy umbilicus.
“You have passed part one of the test."
“Do I win a prize?” Jamie sneered in response.
“You are a still alive to develop and evolve,” said the Voice. “The next step involves you proceeding to the next foreign body attached to the hull. It is forty-nine meters away.”
“Want to open some hatches for me to get there?” Jamie said hopefully.
“No. You must find your own way there during this part of the test."
“Thanks, anyway. But hey, if I die out here, how will I develop?” Jamie asked.
“The other test subjects are watching, and the group will learn from your experience, be it a negative one or a positive one,” said the Voice.
“But if I can tell them about this, won’t the development come at a more rapid rate?” Jamie asked.
Several hatches opened on the path toward the tether. Jamie carefully worked her way toward the tether. It took care and coordination, as the hatches were not as easy to grip as were the hand rails. But after a while, Jamie reached the tether.
It was a long cable filament which was attached to the hull by a glue type substance. Looking up the cable, she could see the wreck of the scout ship continuing its rotation. It was now spinning the opposite direction. It seemed that it could twist the cable only so far in one direction before it would tighten no more. The wreck then stopped and slowly started rotating in the opposite direction.
“You have passed this part of the test. Now cut free the foreign material and return to the airlock,” the Voice commanded.
Jamie grabbed onto the cable. She was suddenly thrust sideways. The spinning was not confined to the wrecked scout ship, but the cable tethering it to the hull was also rotating. So, when Jamie grabbed hold, her entire body began rotating along. She had not anticipated that, so she was pulled free from the grip she had on the hull. Recovering from the shock of being yanked away from the hull, Jamie grabbed the tether with both hands. She then began to pull herself toward the wreck.
She concentrated on looking out along the cable toward the scout ship’s remains. That way she did not get vertigo from seeing the mechanical landscape spinning around her. It was bad enough to see the star fields appear to be moving
“Where have you gone?” the Voice asked. “Show yourself or there will be punishment.” Jamie continued to pull hand over hand along the cable. The twisting made it difficult, but she made steady progress. “You have become lost. The game is over." The hatches began to slowly descend back to their closed positions.
Jamie reached the wrecked scout ship. The back third of the ship was missing. There was just a ragged mess of twisted permalloy. The cable was from one of the forward projection points. Jamie was able to see where the hatch had been. Half of it was still there; the other half was gone. Jamie slid inside what was left of the scout ship. She sat down in the seat and strapped herself in. That way she could use both hands for cutting the console out.
“Jamie?” Roxanne said in a static filled way.
“Roxanne? Can you hear me?” Jamie replied with obvious relief. The AI was still functioning.
“Yes, I can transmit this way over a very short distance. You are the first one to hear me. I have been sending direct beam transmission messages whenever the scout ship’s sole functioning transmitter is aimed at an array. I was unsure if any of those were being received,” Roxanne said.
“I am here to get you,” Jamie said and took out the molecular saw.
“You are planning to remove the console containing the Atomic Level Processor? I will be unable to communicate with you after that is removed, until the ALP is replaced in a suitable receptacle. Before you cut the ALP out, tell me, did you set up the teleportation pad?”
“Yes, Roxanne. Many from Dome 17 made it,” Jamie began cutting with the molecular saw.
“Only many? So not all were...” Roxanne was cut off as Jamie removed the console containing the ALP. It was about the size of her head, including the helmet. Using the molecular saw, she cut the seat restraints from Michael’s recliner and made a carry strap out of them. She then tied the console to her back and replaced the molecular saw. Unstrapping herself, she carefully climbed out of the wreck and, hand by hand, made her way back to the cable. Then she pulled herself along the cable until she was right near the hull. She was spinning at a moderate speed and wondered how she would grab the hull as it swung by. "Am I swing by it, or it it swinging by me?" For some time, she waited there, pondering the questions regarding spinning.
Holding tightly to the cable, she reached for the hull. When she grabbed it, it yanked her away from the cable with a sudden force. Her momentum pulled against her as she let go of the cable. Her fingers were aching as she held onto the hull. It took several attempted grabs of her right hand to reconnect with the hull.
“You are reconnected to the hull." She heard the Voice say. “But you have failed the test. You must return inside to repeat more basic games. This test is beyond your abilities.”
“You are correct; I failed,” Jamie lied to the Voice. Apparently, the Voice could only sense when she was in direct contact with the hull. “I should report to the other test subject about my failure, so they can learn and develop.”
“Fifty-three percent potential growth and development from allowing test subject to leave area. Forty-seven percent potential for growth from immediate termination of test subject. Test subject will leave testing area. We will play again later.”
Hatches popped open, leading directly back to the air lock. Hand over hand, Jamie followed them until she got to the air lock. She climbed in and pulled the hand rails until she stood before the inner door. She pushed the rust colored control marked ‘Pressurize’ and the exterior door closed. Jamie fell hard to the floor as the gravity manipulation forces turned back on.
27 Inside, outside, upside, down?
Getting Jamie out of the airlock was not difficult. The lights flashed, and as soon as the door opened Michael rushed in and pulled her out. She was greatly stunned by the sudden fall. She had numerous bruises where she had slammed up against the lower deck. The spacesuit was tough and had not been damaged, but Jamie’s body was not as tough as the suit. They had all watched her actions on the display screen, which had gone completely dark as soon as the airlock cycling began. Nothing Brink could do would restore any functioning to that display. Michael pulled her up and helped her remove the suit. A large bruise was swelling over her left eye and cheek where she had hit the inside of the clear bubble helmet. “Are you okay?" Michael asked with deep concern in his brown eyes.
“I’m not sure... that smacked me around pretty good... I guess I should have realized that the console’s weight would affect me, but..." Jamie almost passed out. Michael caught her and carefully set her down to rest. “I’m okay, just check on Roxanne," Jamie insisted after a few minutes.
Brink and Regina carefully disassembled the console and removed the Atomic Level Processor. Brink inserted the ALP into a data stick reader, and a three dimensional image appeared over the reader. “Hello, Brink and Regina,” said the mechanical voice of Roxanne. “You are here also.”
“How are you?” Brink asked.
“I estimate that I have retained 98.27% of all information which I had at launch. I am restricted severely by the confines of the data stick reader and have no access to anything outside of this reader. However, I can communicate in this manner and relay audio, video and graphics information in this style. I am operational.”
“Well, we can remedy the confines by connecting you to the ship’s systems and in that...” Brink said.
Regina turned to him in anger. “That Voice is in the ship’s systems, and we will not put Roxanne in there! We have too many problems to deal with to risk losing our only modern AI.”
“Yes, I suppose you are right,” Brink said. “Roxanne, can you process and analyze why our data sticks do not function in the readers, and yet you were able to integrate with this one?”
“Certainly, I will work on the problem,” Roxanne replied.
“Besides, Brink, we need to get these boys back to Antioch,” Michael said as he hugged the boys. “Their parents are going to be worried. They forgave me last time, but I am not sure they will forgive this one. But at least Jacob’s arm is not broken.”
They spent the next few hours sleeping in and around the chair room. They were all exhausted and needed the rest. With four adults, the guard watch went easier than usual. Brink even seemed to sleep more deeply than he had for a while.
Jamie took the last watch. She was less nauseated and queasy than she had been. After massaging her bruised body and stretching out her tired muscles, she spoke to Roxanne. “I am pregnant, and I want to do this the normal way. Can you help?”
“You being pregnant at all is not the normal way in Dome 17. This was a foreseen probability. When Dr. Carilyn administered the vaccinations against potential diseases, she reversed the sterilization you had received at age fifteen. Dr. Carilyn did this on all the adventurers sent out in the piloted FTL ships. The medical records indicate that the Committee decided, and approved it unanimously, that fertility would be a desired trait should teams survive and find a habitable colony ship but not be able to establish teleportation. Records indicate that Dr. Carilyn objected strenuously to the secretive nature of this, but she was overruled by the Committee.”
“So the other people from Dome 17 are still normal?” Jamie asked.
“Possibly not, although at this point I cannot know with certainty. I have no scanning ability in this condition. We departed Dome 17 first, and I have no records of what transpired after departure. It is a distinct possibility that the Committee ordered some kind of medical intervention for all personnel. But my records of Dome 17 ended with our launch.”
