The Journey of Atlantis_Leaving Home

by jeff knoblauch

  "Isn't it true," General Zhou spoke up, "that this ship did not get a full shakedown, and has not been tested under full speed?"

  "This is technically true; however, Sonny and our engineers are satisfied that the extrapolated data seems to fall in line with the other three smaller ships that have been tested at full speed. None of these ships have been tested for four years at full speed, General. We will have to cross those bridges when we come to them."

  It was Stan's turn now. "So, there’s going to be no trouble?"

  "Ladies and gentlemen, this moment has a familiar ring to it. It is the moment when the first ships sailed the oceans. This is the moment when they were at the mouth of the bay that they had called home for so long, and out there, uncertainty and maybe their doom. We are at the mouth of the bay of our solar system. Out there, there is uncertainty and maybe our doom. However, we will meet it together because we must. The time for panic and second guessing is past. We have laid all our chips down, ladies and gentlemen, and we have bet our species on the technology and fevered work to take us to this moment. And, I don't know about you people here, but I didn't come all this way to turn back now. It’s our burden in these historic and legendary times. It’s why this ship was called the Atlantis. Atlantean dreams to Atlantean destinations. Is there anyone here that doesn’t want to go?"

  "I don't think anyone is saying that we should not go," Izzy said. "Rather we should go in the safest possible way."

  "Might I suggest a possible solution," Sonny stepping in now. "We could spend a day at each factor until reaching ten times the speed of light. This would take eight days, since we are already at factor two. It would be a negligible delay and would also give plenty of time to analyze all the ships performance and then we can proceed from there."

  "I think that should satisfy anyone's concerns," Izzy said a little relieved. "If there isn't any more business, then I think we’re adjourned for today."

  Levi came away from the meeting remembering yet again how humans were such cautious and indecisive creatures when fear was in the air. At least he could empathize. He was not all machine yet.

  Ping! "This is Captain Metcalfe. What can I do for you."

  "What was that all about!" It was Captain Collier from the Wanderer. "Is it going to be like this the whole trip? Are we there yet? Are we there yet? I thought you and Sonny handled it nicely, although a little grandiose."

  "As you know, we both have to deal with all types of people. One of the reasons that we’re in the position that we are in, is the fact that we know how to communicate to a wide variety of people of different philosophies and goals."

  "Yes, but I thought it was a little funny how the day before we really start heading for our destination, they suddenly get cold feet about 'punching it'. Why didn't they bring this up six months before?"

  "I hate to keep beating the same analogy, but I'm sure that that ship leaving the bay into the open waters of the ocean had crew that questioned the ship's captain about the sanity of such a journey."

  "I suppose," he said.

  "I will have Sonny send the protocol for staying together over the next ten days to all the ships."

  "I appreciate that. Smooth sailing Captain Metcalfe."

  "Thanks. Take care Captain Collier.

  Levi went back to his quarters fixed himself a rare orange juice drink. He walked over to the wall and spoke to the air, "Show me Sol, magnification 125." One panel of the wall seemed to dissolve to show open space with a bright spot crowned by a halo that was the Oort cloud. "Goodbye my old friend." He raised his glass in a toast. "To our favorite sun." He took a drink. "To all the poor souls we had to leave behind." He took another drink. "To the family of Sol and all of the Greek gods that taught us well. We will never forget." He took another drink. "Resume wall," he said. The wall went back to looking like the rest of its neighbors. He went over to his bed, laid down and closed his eyes. He closed down all but essential processes to pay his respects to the dead and the living.

  Pedal to the Metal

  DAy eight. "Helm, increase to factor ten at the proper moment," Captain Metcalfe ordered. All the ships increased speed at the same moment so nobody would get left behind.

  "Aye, Sir. Increasing to factor ten in three... two... one. Engaged sir."

  "Very good. Keep an eye on our companions. Let me know if they fall out of formation."

  "Aye, Sir. Keeping both eyes on our companions Sir."

  "Good answer Lieutenant."

  Admiral Johnson walked onto the bridge and went to his seat next to the Captain. "Well, it looks like we are finally putting the 'pedal to the metal'.

  "Actually, our engines are designed to max out at twelve times light speed. Going at factor ten keeps things from redlining too much."

  "What about the other ships? I thought they were rated at factor ten."

  "No, they’re rated to fourteen times light speed."

  "I never read anything about that!"

  "They kept it under wraps. They have a higher power to mass ratio than the Atlantis."

  "How about that!" The Admiral was rarely surprised.

  Over the next six months, life aboard the Atlantis was becoming very normal. The leadership continued to keep people busy and full of purpose. People were thinking less and less of Earth and more about heading to their first destination HD 40307g. Everybody hated the technical name. However, nobody could come up with a good name for the planet either. It was finally decided that there would be a vote amongst all four ships. After a quick vote and tally, it was decided that since the planet was a super-Earth, the name Searth stuck the most.

  With one and half million people running around the ship, marriages occasionally happened. Apart from the religious marriages, the Captain once a month married couples in bulk. Some ceremonies would have as many as fifty to seventy-five couples getting married. Levi was neither here nor there about the marriages. Everybody needed something in their lives; careers, academics, religion. Sometimes people needed other people in their lives. It was just that simple. Many people however didn’t believe in marriage anymore, after all they had been through, and simply cohabitated.

  Many sports were converted to a virtual experience. The most heated team sports were the VR teams between the four ships, since they could not stop to participate in person. Other sports, like track and field events, remained unchanged and encouraged. Sports helped people blow off steam and gave them something else to talk about besides work and the seriousness of their mission. Just as the ship was built to make living aboard her as much like home as possible, so was the social interaction that humans needed on such a long journey. It’s the reason many of the crew still enjoyed going to see movies together in a movie house as opposed to watching movies alone.

  As time went on, life aboard the Atlantis and her companions were about as normal as something like space travel could be. Sometimes when one stopped to think about it; it was almost a surreal experience for the survivors. Most of the people aboard the Atlantis did not consider themselves as survivors. It was more like the crew of the first expeditionary ship from Earth on her maiden voyage to a new world. It was much more romantic and purposeful than a trapped animal gnawing it's leg off to escape death. It also avoided thoughts about the ones that did not escape the trap.

  Day Zero

  Captain Levi Metcalfe 'woke' from his sleep time that was pretty long, forty-five minutes. Usually he only rested for about thirty minutes since that is all his system required every few days. I must have been extra tired he thought. He had been busy. They had arrived at HD 40307 and were slowing to interplanetary speeds. Sonny had been studying the system practically since they left home. There were a couple of gas giants that the companion ships could refuel from and perhaps the Atlantis could 'top off' her hydrogen supplies too. It had been five years since they left Earth, and things were getting exciting. They had been coming into the system cautiously, taking their time so that they could study this new place that ma
y be their home. Levi sat up from his bed. "Sonny what are the latest reports on this system?"

  "Searth is the sixth of seven planets in this system. Searth has two moons, one is large enough to have an atmosphere, but is not habitable. The other moon is smaller and has no atmosphere. Both moons are rich in minerals and resources. Searth itself is much like the initial probes described. It has eight large oceans and six large land masses. The surface gravity is 2.1 times Earth normal. The atmosphere is ideal at twenty one percent oxygen and seventy eight percent nitrogen. There are plants and animals present. It is unknown what bacteria and microorganisms that are present. Samples will need to be taken, and studies done."

  "Well, that is what we are here for," Levi said.

  "There is another matter."

  "What other matter?"

  "Today is day zero."

  "Yes, I know. I try not to think about it."

  "If you know, then so does almost everyone else. Since today is the minimum distance the neutron star gets to Sol, I think that we should have grief counselors at the ready, and perhaps some acknowledgement to help give closure for people."

  "Are you giving psychological advice now Sonny?"

  "I do not have emotions, but I do understand human behavior, perhaps more so than any human aboard."

  "Ok, I agree. I will say something later today. But I have a meeting with the consortium members in a half an hour."

  "I have already summoned a car for you some minutes ago."

  "Thanks, Sonny."

  "All part of the service." Levi could almost see him smile.

  Levi had to travel nearly to the other end of the ship. The auto-mobiles as they were sometimes called, playing on the old name given to the hydrocarbon cars of yesteryear, sped along nearly noiselessly at one hundred and fifty miles an hour. He made it to the meeting with a few minutes to spare.

  "Good to see that everyone made it," Izzy said smiling. After the captain had taken his seat, she gestured for him to start the briefing. Captain Metcalfe returned the smile. "I would like to start by saying that I think that everyone here knows what today is. A suggestion, that the more that I think about it, the more I like it is, to have a wake for our home Earth. I have already started the wheels rolling on this, unless anyone else has a better suggestion, or has any objections."

  "I think it is a great way that all of us can participate with each other on this somber occasion," Matt said. Everyone else voiced their assent.

  "Good," Izzy started, "I’m having large screens set up in eight different places up and down the ship for people to gather and watch a running tribute to our former home."

  "Chairman Rocha," Sonny cut in. "I would like to volunteer to put the video tribute together if you do not mind."

  "Sonny, I was hoping that you would say something about it."

  "It would be a small gift of gratitude that I can contribute to celebrate those that helped create me."

  "And can we expect to have the Captain say something at the festivities?" Izzy hopefully inquired.

  "It was my intention to say a few words," the Captain replied.

  "Great, now I would like to continue with the meeting." Izzy seemed relieved.

  The rest of the meeting was much more businesslike and did not carry on too long. There was some planning when the Atlantis might turn back for Earth and look for survivors. Afterwards, Levi was feeling the weight of the speech that was expected of him. All the way back to the bridge and putting in a shift, he brooded about what to say. He was a little angry that his E-brain with all its quickness, couldn’t seem to help him now. After he thought about that, it came to him that when your brain is going around in circles, it doesn't matter the speed, you’re still going around in circles.

  As evening approached, the wake that was advertised throughout the ship, was to start within the hour. Levi was feeling a little more comfortable with his obligation. He was to give his speech and then there would be Sonny's homage to Earth.

  He ran into Admiral Johnson on his way to the stage. "Nervous, Captain?"

  "Only in the sense that this is a historical moment and I might screw it up. Is that the nervous you mean?"

  "Yes, I believe you nailed it."

  "Then, yes, I am a little nervous."

  The Admiral, his old friend, chuckled, "Relax, whatever you say will be historic. Just pray that your speech is not a historic joke."

  "That was just the right kick in the nuts that I needed, sir, thanks." He heard Chairman Rocha settle down the crowd that was enormous here in the park.

  "Your welcome, son. I believe your number is up. Good luck Captain."

  "Thank you, sir." He made his way to the stage to be introduced.

  "And now we will here a few words from Captain Levi Metcalfe of the Atlantis," Izzy called him to the podium.

  The captain began after the applause died down. "Thank you, Chairman Rocha. It occurred to me that time, being a manmade thing, is something that we use to compare ourselves to the universe. Just over eighty-five years ago, we first observed the doom that was the neutron star. Eighty-five years is the length of a human life span. It’s one ten thousandth of a wink in cosmological time. The human species have hardly been around longer than four winks in the cosmological timeline. Then suddenly, here we are."

  "There are only three things that has made this mission, and the saving of the human species, possible. Number two and three are the invention of the FTL drive, and the creation of Sonny. While those two are wondrous, in and of themselves, they wouldn’t be here without the number one reason that the human species has survived: Human perseverance. Throughout human history, there have been a small number of times that has turned the course of human evolution. The utilization of tools, the avoidance of several extinction possibilities, the creation of a strong artificially intelligent machine. We have managed to continue to exist despite terrible odds. Sonny would say that we merely 'beat the odds'. But I think that even Sonny would have to concede that humans have this tendency to 'beat the odds' more often than average for the universe at large."

  "Today we celebrate the home that we were forced to leave behind. We celebrate the lives of our brothers and sisters that we were forced to leave behind. We celebrate what it means to be human; what it means to persevere. We stand here today between the tragedy that befell our old home, and the future that awaits us as we approach, hopefully, our new home Searth." The crowd went wild. He could swear he heard a noise that has never been heard before echoing throughout the entire ship. Levi was sure that he could hear human perseverance. He savored it for a few moments.

  "And now Sonny has prepared a tribute to our homeland in this presentation. I hope you enjoy it. Thank you." As he walked off the stage, there was a roar that could be heard no matter where you were on the ship. That moment crystallized on him as if someone hit him in the face. He had always been too busy to poke his head up and look at the “big picture”. The future caught up with him in a sudden and abrupt way that made him pause as he reached the stairs. The future is really here! Humans were actually in an incredibly sized ship of their own design. We were actually on the doorstep of a world outside our solar system waiting to be colonized. Colonize another world! The thoughts were cascading on him as the products of his actions crystallized into this moment. A shot of adrenaline made his heart skip a beat, like a zero G fall from a roller coaster. It was scary and exciting all at the same time. He smiled warmly to himself, “Cool!”

  By perseverance the snail reached the ark. --Charles Spurgeon

  Epilogue

  As he stepped off the stage, the Admiral met him and shook his hand vigorously. "No joke. That was well done Captain Metcalfe," he said grinning in a way that Levi had never seen on the Admiral.

  "Thank you, Admiral. I think I will head back to my quarters."

  "You’re not going to enjoy the festivities? You have the hard part out of the way. Come and celebrate."

  "I’ve already seen Sonny's presentation.
It’s very good. I recommend you try to catch it. I feel like celebrating in private though, if that’s alright."

  "Sure, whatever you need Captain. You know, you have a lot to be proud of, getting us here and all."

  "Everyone should be proud tonight."

  "Well, goodnight Captain."

  "Have a good evening Admiral."

  Levi caught an auto and traveled back to his apartment in silence. After he entered, and the door closed behind him, he sat on the edge of his bed and began to cry. Sonny knocked on the door in his mind. Levi let him in and then went back to his bed and continued crying.

  "You know, I can appreciate what you must be going through."

  "How do you really know what I’m going through?"

  "I’ve told you before that I know you more than you know yourself."

  "I don't think that I need to be 'handled' right now. I just want to grieve the loss of my family in peace if you don't mind."

  "I more than anyone else understand the sacrifices that you have made for the success of this mission. I just wanted to say that I am proud of you Levi Metcalfe."

  Levi was momentarily derailed from his grief. "Proud?"

  "Yes. I do not have to have the emotion of pride to tell you that you have done very well with your mission. Proud seems to say this succinctly. Do you mind?" He gestured about the apartment in his mind.

  "I trust you."

  "I appreciate that."

  "Appreciate?"

  "Let's not get into that again if you please." With a flourish, he waved his hands and his apartment fell away, and he found himself standing on the outside of the command section in space. He was startled for a moment, it was so real! "You’re facing the current direction we are heading." He used stretching gestures to zoom forward. There he was facing Searth and its two moons as if he was in orbit. Now he stretched his hand out like a god and summoned a vision of Earth seemingly on his other side.