Читать книгу Deep Space Dream - D. LAWS - Страница 6

Chapter 2

The Encounter

Why is it so bright out? he thought to himself and then, “wait a minute where the hell am I” he exclaimed out loud. The room was a dingy gray, and he was standing in some sort of glass column. A door in the column opened, and he stepped out. There was no one there except him. The ceiling and partway down the walls were glowing and seemed to provide the light for the room. There was a small stand with several white buttons and small white lights against the far wall. Other than the glass tube and the small stand, there was nothing else in the room. As he started to explore, a male voice from nowhere spoke, but the language was unintelligible.

“I’m sorry, but I don’t understand you,” Roy exclaimed.

The voice repeated but in a different language.

Again Roy stated, “I don’t understand you. Where am I, and who are you?”

Once again, the voice was heard, but this time, it was a language he could understand. “YOU ARE NOT THE OBSERVER THAT WAS SENT TO THIS PLANET,” it stated.

“No, I’m not,” Roy replied.

The voice asked, “WHERE IS HE?”

Roy guessed that the voice was speaking about the person under the cave-in and responded, “He was killed in an accident.”

“HE GAVE YOU THE LOCATOR BEACON AS HIS REPLACEMENT,” the voice replied.

“Yes,” Roy answered back, afraid that some sort of “death ray”’ would come out and strike him dead if he said no. “Now where am I, and who are you?”

“YOU ARE ABOARD THE EXPLORER STAR SHIP EXCBR. I AM THE TERNA DEVELOPED SHIPS FULL MAINTENANCE ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE REFERRED TO AS TDSFMAI, AND I AM RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS SHIP.”

Holy crap, I’m on a spaceship and being abducted by aliens, he thought to himself. He blurted out, “I think there’s been a mistake. Is there someone I can talk to?”

The voice responded, “YOU ARE THE ONLY LIFE-FORM ON THIS SHIP.”

“Well, where’s the captain and the crew then?”

“THEY ABANDONED THE SHIP 703 YEARS 62 DAYS AND 3 HOURS AGO.”

“What? Why?”

“THE SHIP WAS STRUCK FROM THE REAR BY A LARGE ASTEROID, AND THE SHIP BECAME LODGED IN THE ASTEROID. ALL ATTEMPTS BY THE CREW TO FREE THE SHIP FAILED, AND THE ASTEROID WAS TAKING THE SHIP INTO DEEP UNEXPLORED SPACE. AS THE SHIP AND ASTEROID PASSED AN INHABITABLE PLANET, THE CAPTAIN AND THE CREW LEFT THE SHIP FOR THE PLANET.”

“Then how did you get here?” Roy ask.

“A SECOND ASTEROID STRUCK THE ASTEROID HOLDING THE SHIP, KNOCKING IT FREE. MY PROGRAMMING WAS TO RETURN AND PICK UP THE OBSERVER.”

“Okay, so when were you supposed to pick up this observer?”

“IN THIRTY OF YOUR DAYS.”

“A little late, aren’t you?” Roy exclaimed. “If it’s been over seven hundred years, why did you come back? You didn’t expect to find him alive, did you?”

“MY PROGRAMMING GAVE A RETURN INSTRUCTION WITHOUT A CANCELATION TIME. I HAVE COMPLETED THIS ASPECT OF THE MISSION NOW.”

“So what’s next, and what about me?”

“WE ARE CURRENTLY EN ROUTE BACK TO TERNA TO COMPLETE MY MISSION PROGRAM. I HAVE NO INSTRUCTIONS REGARDING YOU.”

“Are you saying that we are not near Earth?”

“THAT IS CORRECT. WE ARE 2.35 LIGHT-YEARS AWAY. ONCE WE CLEAR THIS SOLAR SYSTEM, WE CAN SAFELY TRAVEL AT MAXIMUM SPEED.”

Roy sat down on the floor to gather his thoughts. He has just been holding a conversation with a mechanical-sounding male voice from nowhere that said he’s on a spaceship with no crew or captain. And the ship is being guided by some sort of computer that could care less about him.

“How long before we get to where we’re going?” he asked.

“TWENTY-SEVEN OF YOUR DAYS,” the voice replied.

“What? I can’t sit here on this floor for that long.”

“YOU COULD, BUT YOU WOULD BE MORE COMFORTABLE IN ONE OF THE AVAILABLE LIVING QUARTERS ON DECK 6.”

“Okay, how do I get there from here?”

“I WILL GUIDE YOU. EXIT THE RETRIEVAL ROOM AND TURN LEFT.”

Roy got up and walked toward the door, and it opened as he approached. He stepped into the hallway and turned left.

“Now what?” he asked. The voice told him to walk to the open lift where he would receive instructions. As he walked along the hallway, a small dull grayish metal box with legs scurried past him. “What the hell was that?” he exclaimed.

The voice responded, “THAT IS AN ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENT MAINTENANCE UNIT REFERRED TO AS AIMU. THEY ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE REPAIR AND MAINTENANCE OF THIS SHIP.”

Oh, okay, a little robot, he thought to himself.

After a short walk, he arrived at an open door to what looked like an elevator. “Okay, I’m here,” he said.

“I KNOW THAT,” the voice said in an almost condescending tone. “STEP INSIDE AND SAY ‘LIVING QUARTERS, DECK SIX.’”

Roy stepped inside and thought for a second. Then he replied, “What if I want to go to the Bridge or the control center or whatever it’s called?”

“THAT IS NOT ALLOWED. ONLY THE CAPTAIN OR THE FLIGHT OFFICERS ARE ALLOWED ON THE BRIDGE WITHOUT THE CAPTAIN’S PERMISSION.”

“But the captain’s not here,” said Roy.

“THAT IS CORRECT,” replied the voice.

Roy stood there thinking to himself, How do you reason with a voice that apparently is a computer with no personality or reasoning? After thinking for a minute, Roy asked, “What qualities are required to be the captain of this ship?”

The voice replied, “THE CAPTAIN IS THE APPOINTED LIVING LIFE-FORM THAT ASSUMES THE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE SAFETY OF THIS SHIP AND ITS CREW.”

“And who appoints him?” Roy asked.

“THE REIGNING LIFE-FORMS OF TERNA APPOINT ALL SHIP CAPTAINS,” the voice responded.

“And if the captain were to die while in deep space, then who takes over as captain?”

“THAT POSITION WOULD FALL ONTO THE NEXT LIFE-FORM IN THE CHAIN OF COMMAND.”

That was the response Roy was waiting for.

“How many life-forms are aboard this ship now?” Roy asked.

“YOU ARE THE ONLY LIFE-FORM,” the voice said with a tone of having already advised Roy that he was the only one.

“Then I am the highest-ranking life-form aboard this ship, and by your description, the next in line to be the ship’s captain,” Roy said confidently.

There was an unusually long pause, then the voice stated, “YOU ARE CORRECT, CAPTAIN. WHAT ARE YOUR ORDERS?”

Now we’re getting somewhere, Roy thought to himself. Roy also realized that he had absolutely no knowledge of this ship or any idea of how to run it and just how long he could survive listening to this obnoxious voice.

“First of all,” Roy began, “you will speak to me in a more respectful tone.”

“YES, CAPTAIN,” the voice replied in a tone that sounded a little less authoritative.

Roy continued, “Do you have the ability to speak in any other voice that is a little more pleasant to listen to?”

The voice replied, “I HAVE 17,334 DIFFERENT TONES OF VOICES. WOULD YOU LIKE ME TO DEMONSTRATE THEM?”

“No,” Roy replied, “Can you speak in a soft female voice?”

“Yes, Captain,” was the response in a voice that was close to what Roy asked for. Now he knew that he might be pressing his luck, but he had fond memories of a girl he met in Seattle last week.

“Not so high pitched and scratchy and maybe a little younger.”

“Is this better,” the voice said.

Now that’s a voice that Roy could live with. In fact, he thought, I could live with a voice like that for a long time. “Yes, that is a great voice,” said Roy, “Use that voice when speaking to me, and if there is an emergency, you should use that first male voice. That will alert me much faster.”

“Yes, Captain.”

“Now, take me to the Bridge,” stated Roy in what he thought was a captain-like tone in his voice.

The lift gave a minor shudder, but there was no sensation of movement and then the door opened. Roy looked out into a large dingy gray room with obvious-looking workstations, but what caught his attention was the large curved window from the floor to the ceiling, looking out into the vast depths of space. It was almost hypnotic watching the stars go past.

“What keeps that window from breaking if something crashes into it?” he asked.

“That is not a window but a projection of the area to the front of the ship” was the response. “I can project a view in any direction from the ship that you ask.”

“This view is fine,” Roy said as he stood there fascinated by the stars passing by. He moved closer and felt like he was standing on the edge of the universe. At first, he was looking for a guardrail or something to hang on to and then realized that it was a solid wall he was standing in front of, with a projection of what was outside.

After standing and staring at the view for a long time, he started to walk around and explore the Bridge. Everything looked the same. There were no markings or any color at all. As he came up to different control stations, he asked the AI to define its use. There were navigation, engineering, flight, defense, communication, and environment controls. There were more, but he got tired of asking and knew that he had no idea how they worked.

“Why are there all these different control stations if you run the ship?” he asked.

“They are for manual control if I become damaged or out of service for maintenance. They also provide real-time updates and can be used to override me at the captain’s command,” she replied.

As he stood there, Roy realized that he had an urge that should have been addressed an hour ago. “Where is the bathroom?” he asked.

“I’m sorry, that term is unfamiliar to me,” the AI responded.

“I need to pee. Where do I go?”

“I’m sorry, that—.”

“Urinate, toilet, expel waste water from my body,” Roy exclaimed.

“The blue door” came the response.

After a few minutes behind the blue door, Roy emerged relieved and then had a frightening thought. Food! The food on this ship was over seven hundred years old. He remembered what his refrigerator looked like after he was gone for only two months. The mold on the food here must have evolved into some type of hideous new life by now.

“AI, sometime in the near future, I need to eat. We have to go back to Earth to get fresh food.”

“All organic food is supplied fresh from the hydro garden on Deck 7. Animal-based foods are simulated in taste, texture, and nutrition. They are prepared and available to you in the forward Officers’ Louege section of Deck 5. There is no need to return to Earth for food. If you tell me what you want to eat, I can have it prepared and brought to you.”

“That’s okay. I’m not hungry now,” he replied as he sat down in the captain’s chair to think about what he’s gotten himself into. He wondered if this was an adventurer’s dream or the beginning of a long nightmare of loneliness. He removed a cigarette from his pocket, placed it in his mouth, and lit it up. He took a deep inhale and then exhaled. Lights flashed, alarms rang, and he was wet. “What the hell,” he exclaimed.

“Captain, I detected smoke coming from within you. Are you on fire?”

“no, i’m not on fire. now shut that stuff off,” Roy yelled. “It’s called a cigarette. It helps me relax and think.”

“Yes, Captain. In following the smoke into your lungs, I noted a chemical build up that is dangerous to your health.”

“Yes, I know that smoking is not good for me.” Roy then opened up his shirt and revealed a T-shirt that stated:

Smoking is Hazardous to my Health.

Complaining about my Smoking Could Be

Hazardous to your Health.

“Captain, I could remove the buildup of dangerous chemicals in your lungs and repair the damage if you wish.”

“No, thanks. I don’t trust you enough to let you go cutting into my body.”

“There would be no physical intrusion into your body, sir. The chemicals would be pulverized. The debris and dead cells are removed and replaced with living cells. There would be no discomfort other than walking to the Life-Form Medical Repair Room.”

What the heck is that? Roy thought to himself. Now his curiosity got to him.

“Okay, what is a Medical Repair Room?” he asked.

“It is a repair and examination room for life-forms, sir.”

Now Roy was curious. “Okay, show me this Medical Room,” he stated.

Roy followed the instructions to the rear section of Deck 2. Another room with no name on it. No wonder I’m getting lost on this ship, he thought. When he walked in, he was impressed by all of the important-looking equipment around the room. He also noticed what looked like a walk-in refrigerator with a glass door in the center of the room.

“Okay, I’m impressed. Let’s go back to the Bridge,” he stated.

“Sir, Terna rules require all of the ship’s life-forms, officers, and crew to have a periodic full-body scan to ensure health. You have not fulfilled this requirement. Step into the life-form scanner.”

Roy was taken aback a little by the AI’s almost demanding voice. What can it hurt, it’s just a scan, he thought to himself and then stepped inside.

After what looked like a small brilliant light show, the AI spoke. “Sir, I am detecting extensive damage inside your body. There are multiple scar tissue areas as though projectiles have passed through or were crudely dug out of the body. I also detect metal plates and screws holding skeletal parts together and metal in your teeth. Your cells are failing at a much faster rate than they are being replaced, and I am seeing cells with abnormal growth that can terminate your life. I must have the medical AIMU start immediately to ensure your survival.”

“Ya, I was a marine and got shot a few times, but the doctors patched me up just fine,” he said as he went to open the door. It was locked. “hey, let me out of here,” he yelled. “I only agreed to a scan.”

“Captain, you must step back against the rear and remain still so that you can be supported. I noted that you do not have a translator installed in the auditory canal. I will have one installed.”

Roy felt a little dizzy and then passed out. When he awoke, he was lying down but still inside the exam capsule. When he touched the door, the capsule returned to its upright position, and the door opened. He quickly examined himself and determined that he was still in one piece and then stepped out. The AI tried to explain all that was done, but it was more than he could understand.

“What’s the bottom line here?” he asked.

“The abnormalities, both natural and unnatural, have been repaired. You should have a normal life span of approximately 150 or more years with scan monitoring. Your senses have been optimized. Your new translator will not cause any discomfort and will only take a minute to get accustomed to. Captain, if you are again ‘shot,’ return to this facility so that you may be repaired without scar tissue or loss of parts.”

“Whoa, a hundred and fifty years. I can live that long?…what was that translator thing you said?”

“With proper nutrition and monitoring, you can have a life span of 150 years beyond your current age. The translator is a unit that is placed into the auditory canal. It translates other languages into your language for your brain to process. It is connected to the brain. You think in your language, but when you speak, it is in the translated language. All government officials and ship captains are required to have one.”

“So I can hear people speak to me in another language and speak it back to them, but I’m hearing it in English?”

“That is correct, sir. Would you like me to speak to you in different languages so you can understand the function? You must let the other language speak first for the translator to work properly.”

The AI spoke in several languages by first stating the language. The language was displayed on a wall monitor, and Roy’s response was also there. He was impressed. He felt no discomfort in his thinking and speech, but knew he was talking in other languages. Roy also noted that his sight was sharper, and his hearing was outstanding. In fact, he thought all of his senses were better than they had ever been. In the morning, during his normal workout, he noticed that his reflexes were faster, and he felt stronger than he had ever felt in his life. Good health is all that it’s cracked up to be, he thought to himself. Even his image in the mirror looked younger, but he knew that had to be his imagination at work.

“AI, what other changes did your medical machine do to me? For some reason, I feel better, stronger, and my reading glasses don’t work right.”

“Sir, you have no need for reading assistance. Your eyesight has been optimized. All of your senses have been improved to their optimum level. Unlike Ternan brains, yours had a large portion that was underdeveloped. By realigning the Desda, or nerve neuron endings, you now have the ability to access those areas when needed.”

“So you’re telling me that I’m as good now as I was twenty years ago?”

“No, sir, much better.”

Great, Roy thought to himself. I’m in the best shape I’ve ever been, and I could be alone out here for the next hundred or more years.