Verbal communication with the bridge crew was not necessary. The captain received real-time status from all stations through his connection with Sonny. He could also communicate with multiple people simultaneously. Usually he only spoke to the crew out loud when something had to be imparted to everyone present, or to converse with an individual. Consequentially, the Atlantis bridge was an unusually quiet place. However, the bridge became chattier when the captain was not there. The other commanders taking the other shifts were not enhanced, and so needed to express their decisions verbally.
Levi sat down in his chair and brought up the initiation protocols. “Good morning, everyone.”
He said it out loud to break the perceived tension in the room. Then he signed two hundred and seven reports in the next several seconds and went over last-minute reports from Engineering, the power grid and life support.
He addressed the crew verbally. “I want to thank all of you for doing your very best in getting us here to Searth. Your training and your dedication have made all the difference in saving the human race. As we are about to leave a familiar place once more, I ask of you again to perform at your very best. We do not know what we will find when we return to our solar system, but I am sure it will require all our training and devotion to the mission. But first, we must get there! Five years is forever to wonder and worry before we arrive, but I have always found staying busy helps keep stray thoughts from bothering me. So, let's get this show on the road and say goodbye to Searth for a while. And keep busy! Navigation,” he called out.
“Aye, Captain?” the lieutenant asked over his shoulder.
“Is our course plotted and sights set for home?”
“Course plotted, and ready to go, sir.”
“Helm!”
“Aye, Captain.”
“Best speed out of the system.”
“Aye, sir. Best speed out of the system.”
“Captain,” the communications officer called out. “I have a transmission from Admiral Johnson.”
“Put it through. Helm don’t go to light speed just yet. Continue on our course.”
“Aye, sir, making the corrections.”
The panel in the front of the bridge that usually had Searth on it changed to the visage of the admiral. “I’m sorry I was a little late in calling you. No emergency. I wanted to wish Atlantis Godspeed on the journey. Come back to us safely.”
“Thank you, Admiral. I know I speak for all here in wishing you smooth sailing as well. Keep the faith. We will be back before you know it!”
“We will be okay here. Now get out of here and save someone, will you!” The admiral smiled.
“Aye, aye sir.” Levi saluted as he smiled in return
“Very good. Johnson out.” The transmission ended.
“Helm, best speed out of the system.”
“Best speed. Aye aye, Captain.”
“Sonny.” For the benefit of the bridge crew, Levi continued speaking out loud.
“Yes, Captain.”
“Everything nominal for leaving the system?”
“Surprisingly so.”
“What do you mean by surprisingly?” Levi usually regretted asking for a clarification from Sonny, but he did it anyhow.
“Above the mean for performance.”
“You mean for humans, that is.” Levi wasn’t sure he was joking.
“For Atlantis and by extension, the human crew.”
“I think we will take that as a compliment. Excellent work, everyone. Steady as she goes, Helm.”
“Steady as she goes. Aye, Captain,” the lieutenant quickly responded.
Levi put in a double shift to make sure they didn’t have any problems getting past the clusters of asteroids from the Patch which orbited this star. The asteroids were not homogenous like in their home system, but clustered in a patch which comprised about a third of their orbital circumference. Back in his quarters, he decided he needed to take a nap. He lay down and decided to visit with Sonny and Alice, so he invited them to his inner apartment.
“Well, it is just us now,” he said with a sigh.
“If you refer to the inventory of enhanced humans we machines communicate with, yes, it is. However, we machines communicate with everyone on this ship.” Levi thought about mincing words with Sonny but decided against it.
Instead, he inquired, “So, what are your assessments of the other three captains’ progress as E-Humans?”
Alice answered him. “As you know, we downloaded each of their brain patterns before enhancement. We are as intimately familiar with them as we are with you.”
“And?”
“Their psychological profiles suggest they will do well as you witnessed before we left," Sonny finished for Alice. "After they had adjusted, the captains welcomed the change.”
Curious, Levi asked, “Alice, does this give you more data to the question you asked me concerning E-humans and immortality?”
“Yes. It does support other data we have collected. We will continue to monitor and advise.”
“Well, I’m going to take a nap. I will see you guys later.”
“It has been busy the last couple of days. Rest well, Levi,” Sonny said as both of the machines left him.
As Levi drifted off, he could not help but wonder if all humans were eventually enhanced, what would the role of the machines be then?
NINE
Treason
It had been over four years since Atlantis and Wanderer left. Admiral Johnson had a headache again. He thought about this one and all the others preceding this one. He knew there wasn’t anything organically wrong with him since the 'bots did an excellent job of keeping him healthy. No, it was a tension headache, the kind that usually had somebody’s name on it. This time, Captain Schmidt won the prize. Captain Metcalfe had warned him about Schmidt's tendencies. Schmidt may not have been planning it from the start, but he sure had been pushing himself around lately. Slowly, complaints about the Te’Hat being underfoot started to grow. There had also been talk about ignoring the Te’Hat culture and developing this planet to suit its new inhabitants. Leo knew Schmidt was behind the murmuring. Concerned, he got ready to head to the council meeting.
Captain Schmidt caught Leo as he left his office. “Admiral, may I have a moment of your time?”
Schmidt! Just the thing for my headache, Leo thought sarcastically.
“I‘m heading to the meeting. You can walk with me.” They started off down the walkways to their destination.
“I appreciate it, thank you. I just wanted to make sure we are on the same side on some issues I know will be brought up again at the meeting.”
The admiral’s head was throbbing. “There is no side. The mission of humanity has been placed before us. There is not a lot of latitude there.”
“I know. You have stated this position in various ways for the last few years. Surely you have to know the Valiant did not sign up with the Council and their plans.”
“You have stated that position in various ways for the last few years. You also agreed that by coming with us you accept Captain Metcalfe’s judgment and the judgment of the Council in deciding when and where we make our permanent home.”
“But we may never find another planet which is livable. We can make a go of it here.”
Leo was tired of the circular arguments. “What about the Te’Hat?”
“The Te’Hat live underground. So, they can live anywhere. We have to stick to the more temperate zones.”
“And if the Te’Hat don't want to move?”
“Oh, I am sure we could convince them to move. We would make it worth their while.”
“Trinkets to the natives? Where have I heard this one before?”
“Well, maybe not trinkets, but we can build them anything.”
“What if the natives don’t want what you’re offering?” Leo pointed out.
“Look, we can play the ‘what if’ game all day long. There is a growing concern over this. We have to do something!”<
br />
“Now, who would spread such ideas? The captains are supposed to be the enforcers of Council decisions, not the decision makers. Are you having trouble with your people? Perhaps I can help.” He knew Schmidt had been the one spreading the ideas, and he found it hard to keep the sarcasm out of his voice. Fortunately, they had arrived at their destination.
“We will talk about this again, Admiral,” Captain Schmidt told him, with a little too much respect rubbed off.
They walked in and took their seats. Captain Schmidt noticed Melon in attendance. “I didn’t know this Te’Hat was now on the Council.”
Chairman Rocha spoke from across the table. “Representative Melon is not on the Council. He is here as an observer to our meetings. Now, if we are done taking roll call, we will begin.”
Leo smiled to himself for dropping the suggestion to Melon and the Chairman before the meeting. He knew Schmidt had been building up to something. He wanted it to be harder on Schmidt with Melon present to hear what he said.
Izzy stood and addressed the table. “I think we will start with Admiral Johnson today. Admiral, you have the floor.”
“Excuse me, Madame Chairman.” Captain Schmidt stood at the same time as Leo. “I believe there are more pressing things which need attention.”
Isabell Rocha did not mind the occasional interruption--when it was important. She knew what she was likely to hear and did not appreciate the captain trying to derail the meeting. “Captain Schmidt, if there is a reason to believe lives hang in the balance in the next couple of hours, I encourage you to excuse yourself to tend to it. However, if lives do not immediately hang in the balance, then please wait for your turn to address the floor.”
“My apologies,” Gunter acquiesced. “I meant no disrespect.” He sat down, slightly less agitated than a moment before.
“Of course,” Isabell said politely. “Admiral, continue, please.”
“Thank you, Madame Chairman,” Leo graciously acknowledged. “I will summarize the happenings of this system and let the department heads expand on the details. Mining on the moons is going strong and continues to get us what we require. There have been a couple of recent discoveries I will let Construction and Resources sections expand on. Planetside, the colonists and science crews are also doing well. They have adapted to the increased gravity, and some can work without the exoskeleton entirely. In space, workers and shuttle pilots, well acquainted with the quirks of this system, continue to do their jobs with little incident.
“Although things are going well with our adaptation to this planet, there are troubling matters which concern me about the Te’Hat and our relationship with them. Currently, our relationship with Melon and the Sce’Rood is good. We assume this extends to all of the Te’Hat on this planet, but this could be a false assumption. I hear more and more dissent concerning our role here, and by extension about the Te’Hat. This kind of talk has been limited to mostly the Valiant crew, but it has been increasing. We cannot risk poisoning our relationship with the Te’Hat with any more of these distractions from our mission.”
Madame Chairman, Melon telepathically spoke to Isabell. Everyone else heard only clicks and whistles, since Melon could only communicate this way with one human at a time. The Te’Hat could project out to more than one mind at a time, but it took a lot of energy. It was one of the reasons the Te’Hat had not given up speech entirely.
Isabell held her hand up to stop the admiral's speech. “I, too, have overheard a few humans communicating about plans for this world that do not include the Te’Hat.”
“I knew it!” Captain Schmidt pointed accusingly at Melon. “He has been eavesdropping on our thoughts! This cannot be tolerated!”
Human thoughts are rather loud. It is hard to ignore sometimes, Melon communicated to Izzy.
“Alice,” Isabell called out loud.
“Yes, Chairman Rocha,” Alice replied. Alice had left behind a module of herself which connected to the Intrepid's A.I. system.
“Could you please continue with the translations beginning with Melon’s last statement to me, so there are no implications of deception?”
“Certainly, Chairman Rocha. The representative of the Sce’Rood clan said: ‘Human thoughts are rather loud. It is hard to ignore sometimes’.”
“It is not necessary to translate for me. I have a direct connection to Alice and can get the translation quicker than you,” Gunter touted.
Alice corrected him. “While your statement is technically correct, the difference is only 0.002 seconds, an irrelevant time difference for humans. It was not necessary for Chairman Rocha to translate since I can translate the language in real-time and pipe it to the implants in all the board members.”
“I had not thought about that,” Isabell said. “Thank you, Alice, please do so from this point forward.”
“You are welcome and acknowledged.”
“Can we get back to the problem?” Gunter was getting agitated.
“You mean the problem of you repeatedly interrupting the meeting?” Isabell said pointedly.
“I mean the problem of our differing consensus of the mission,” Gunter replied.
“Well, it is up to the Admiral. You see, he still has the floor. If he is finished, we can move on to other topics.” Isabell turned back to the admiral. “Is there anything you wish to bring up?”
“No, Madame Chairman. I think we are well on our way to another topic. I relinquish the floor.”
“Thank you, Admiral Johnson.” Isabell thought of needling Captain Schmidt further by choosing another department. Maybe make his turn last. That would show him who runs the meetings. However, pettiness was never a good ingredient in a governing body, or a civilization. “Captain Schmidt, you have the floor now. What is on your mind?”
“Well, I will just get to the point,” Gunter began. “The Valiant is breaking from the group. We wish to settle here permanently. We have all talked it over, and this is our consensus. As the spokesperson for the Valiant, I must put a voice to their wishes.”
At that moment, Captain Williams from the Intrepid asked permission to enter his private virtual apartment. Gunter let him in.
“Are you crazy, Gunter! Look, we have had many discussions in and around this subject. I think I know where you stand on things by now. But to split from the group?”
Gunter shook his head. “David, you are a good friend, but you are stupid if you think there is another world out there which is remotely capable of supporting life for humans. I have scoured the data more than any normal human can, and I have very little confidence in hitting the lottery twice.”
“We researched the three or four targets before leaving Earth. They all looked promising, Gunter,” David reminded him.
“We can talk until our brains quit working about how promising a planet is, but the truth of the matter is we really don’t know for sure until we get there. We weren’t sure of Searth until we did thorough research down on the planet's surface. We can get beautiful pictures of a place, but there is no guarantee that new world won’t kill us the moment we set up shop. We have already done the research on Searth. Aside from the stronger gravity, it is more than sufficient for our requirements. A bird in the hand, David. Don’t you understand?”
“And you are going to brush aside the Te’Hat if they get in the way. Is that about it?”
“I can’t predict the future that well. The survival of humans comes first. I know at least that much.”
“I don’t have to remind you that Captain Metcalfe predicted this very thing would happen if we didn’t start changing our ways. Back on Earth, we were on a destructive path before we ever knew of the neutron star. We can’t take that baggage with us!”
“I’m sorry, David, we are never going to agree on this. You can leave now.”
“I’m sorry too, Gunter.” He turned and left Gunter's mental apartment.
The discussion had taken about a second of real time. David said out loud for the Council to hear, “This is
the very thing Captain Metcalfe warned us about. We must stay the course. We must respect the indigenous life here!”
Everyone else around the table murmured to each other.
“Let us quiet down so we may have a discussion,” Isabell reminded the group, and the table chatter died down. “Gunter, I know this may be hard for you to believe, but there is more at stake here than human survival.”
“Remind me,” he said, with enough acid to put holes in the floor.
“We have the unique opportunity in the history of our species to make changes in our collective behavior. It is always hard to break bad habits. It’s never going to be easy for us. However, we cannot subject another species to harmful actions from our vulgar past simply for the sake of survival. If this place were devoid of intelligent life we would not be having this discussion, but the Te’Hat were here first. Remember the North American Indians of Earth? Let us not make those mistakes again.”
“We have every intention of respecting the Te’Hat culture, but I cannot predict what will happen.”
“Oh, I think you can,” Isabell countered. “Alice.”
“Yes, Chairman Rocha.”
“Given what you have heard, what is your prediction of the outcome of the Valiant splitting from the group?”
“If the conflict between the two factions result in the Valiant controlling the planet, there is a seventy-seven percent chance there will be ill will toward the Te’Hat. However, this would only carry on until Atlantis returns. There is a ninety-six percent chance Atlantis will return. There is a one hundred percent chance Captain Metcalfe will disagree with Captain Schmidt, and another conflict will ensue. There is a ninety-eight percent chance Captain Metcalfe will resolve the dispute. However, there is a high likelihood that many Te’Hat will be harmed in the process.”
Isabell looked at Gunter. “Didn’t figure Atlantis in your equation, did you?”
“Oh, I am counting on it, actually.” Gunter was grinning now.
“I will talk to him,” Alice stated to the council.
The Journey of Atlantis: The Children of Earth Page 10
