by Pirx Danford
I set it up so it starts driving through the grove in a quarter-hour.
Then I edge along at the right side of the grove, which brings me back towards the exiting area a bit and also towards the back of the ship.
When I got as close to the camp as I dare to, I seek out a tall tree.
With the help of a hauling rope I pull myself up onto a branch high above the ground, where I spend the next few minutes and have a chance to examine the few distinguishable camp inhabitants.
They are coarse brutes, hardboiled soldiers looking like one could rather expect brutality instead of discipline.
The uniforms have lost a lot of their consistency and quality, at this rate the next awakened would be greeted by club wielding savages.
Any moment now my small car should trigger the first traps and indeed the jingling of small bells sounding through the trees.
The extremely fast and purposeful reaction of the camps guards sends a shudder up my spine, when the jingling does not stop my plan backfires on me.
Even as five soldiers rush into the forest, three more make high speed towards the close by camps and two remain to guard the camp, which leaves me with only very little time until they draw in reinforcements.
Maybe even less than a minute given the proximity of the other camps.
Quickly I draw my pistol and with two quick shots I stun the two remaining guards.
Rappelling nearly takes too much time and I already can hear the heavy footfalls of the rushing soldiers, but I have no choice and run along at the side of the grove towards the direction of the outside hull.
Its close to a miracle, but when I reach the tiny forests end no one has spotted me.
I quickly secure the area and search for the best way to proceed undetected towards the outside.
Behind me loud stomping between the trees is unmistakable and I wonder how the soldiers avoid triggering any of their traps, without doubt they had to have a very thorough training.
Sadly this training included finding their prey and noticing how the steps get ever closer I realize that I don’t have much time left.
“Hey Helen” Marple addresses me “I’ll display the shortest route to a maintenance tunnel, where you should be able to find shelter.” Effectively with no other options left and no cover to hide behind at I start running with an uneasy feeling.
Only a 200 meters straight run to reach the entrance, but it might even end with me being trapped up.
Its just a meager 50 meters in my run as loud yelling indicates I have been spotted . “Rebels” someone yells and I feel hope until I realize that I was meant.
Meter by meter the distance melts away, but when the first arrows strike the ground around me I taste the fright like bitter bile in my mouth.
But the arrows remain behind and I catch a first glimpse of the hatch.
“Marple open!” I gasp and pray to every deity that might have accompanied us from earth, for the entrance to be undamaged. The seconds drag out like molasses, still the wall before me remains without entrance.
My pursuers are loudly following me - I even hear troop leaders issuing commands. To my relief one of those is “Avoid killing if possible.”
But I have witnessed what happened to the awakened that relied on the protection of the soldiers. “Marple what is going on?” “Its strange honey, but throughout the wall no door reacts to my signals, oddly I received a signal 20 meters ahead on the right from the ground, as if the door is located underground.” “Irrelevant open and show me the spot!” I run towards the position and indeed a hole is opening up in the ground. As I glide into it I give the order to shut the door behind me.
With that the ships innards swallow me whole and for a few moments complete darkness engulfs me, then Marple scans the vicinity with a few bursts of light and displays the result on her screen.
My location is within one of the tunnels connecting the floors of the decks.
The tangible silence is filled by my heavy breathing.
Safe - I did it!
“Helen” like through layers of cotton wool Marples voice reaches me and I realize that I lie with my back at the tunnel wall trembling like a leaf and are sobbing uncontrollably. All my training did not prepare myself for that overwhelming feeling of helplessness. With the back of my hand I wipe the snot from my face and wish my shower back.
Maybe I could just get back into the waking area?
“Helen, there are two heat sources closing in, probably human.” This disturbing message forces me to pull myself together, this is no game after all. Marple displays the signatures and I can see they are far away and only getting closer very slowly. A bright heat signal indicates that a torch is being used for illumination.
I raise the visor, but the light is not visible at all, making it clear how huge the distance between us still is.
Fortunate circumstances have it that they are nearing from the ships midst, as the outside is my destination this is convenient.
“Marple, how close to the outer hull can I travel through these tunnels?” “Unfortunately only until the next residential segment Helen. There are two more segments with a height of 800 meters each you have to cross.”
I remember the blueprints, originally the ship had been designed to rotate around the inner axle and to provide a feeling of gravitation through centrifugal force.
Shortly after discovery of the Higgs-Boson understanding of the nature of gravity advanced in great leaps, but it took many decades until the new knowledge resulted in practical applications.
During the ships construction though the possibility to create artificial gravity became fit for service.
Sadly the effect rapidly vanished after 700 meters, which meant I would need to prepare for zero gravity conditions during transition between the segments.
This worried me less than the uncertainty about what I would have to expect from the next segment.
Nonetheless I set out with refreshed confidence, as I could only move forward stooped over making progress was onerous.
After about three or four junctions my haunters left Marples sensor range.
The originally estimated 500 meters in the tunnel, did not work out as some junctions had been grated up.
For someone with claustrophobia this surely would have been unbearable, but I enjoyed the silence.
My life back on earth had been hectic, the solitude back at the waking area and now the quiet in these tunnels made me realize that I had been longing for more tranquility since a long time.
But I would not find true calmness until I could fulfill my mission.
Here I was, probably the only qualified maintenance technician and had exactly no informations about the ships state available.
Marple confirmed that the door I would reach soon was in fact controllable.
I held my pistol at the ready and ordered Marple to open it.
Damn! Despite Marples bright screen my eyes had accustomed to the tunnels darkness and I was completely blinded.
“Marple. I cannot see anything until my eyes have adapted to the light, can you detect any threats?” To my relief she told me “There are no humans in the vicinity. There are some roofs of a settlement visible.” It felt like ages until the light was not blinding me anymore and finally I was able to see the roofs for myself.
Below me an idyllic scenery unfolded, the settlement laid directly beside a small lake. Window angel Helen looks down to earth, that thought crossed my head, what a silly thought it was.
The exit actually was located at the segments ceiling.
I bowed down through the hatch and took a look around of the ceiling, not far away I detected a column, probably meant for the descend.
Rungs lead there and without hesitation I was on my way.
Actually it wasn’t complete weightlessness I encountered. A weak pulling from below caused an uneasy feeling of sickness.
The most fitting comparison to that feeling was the moment right after reaching the pe
ak point of a roller coaster, or even better the moment right before the fall in a free falling tower.
So I was accompanied by the persistent feeling of an imminent great fall.
Which wasn’t even wrong, taking into account that the ground extended some 800 meters below me.
With great caution I held tight to every rung.
The column turned out to be some sort of tower and my mood lightened up when I saw a transportation carriage fastened to tracks at the towers side.
I discharged in the midst of the night, but here it already it was well into dawn.
“Marple, did we really need eight hours for this distance?” “No it only took us five hours and 12 minutes, but you had been nonfunctional for about three hours.” Goodness, so my bout lasted that long?
I concentrated on the way ahead and reached the tower unharmed.
An empty opening greeted me, if it ever had a hatch, then it was long gone.
The perspective was strange, below me the seemingly endless surface of the tower and the vast scenery, exactly ahead a tiny room which I was about to enter through its window. The contrast between distance and proximity could not have been any more drastic.
Arriving on the floor of the chamber I already feel a tiny bit more gravitation, but not far enough of it to feel likable.
“Oh Helen! I am detecting heat signatures again, could you orient me towards the ceiling entrance please?” Startled I comply to the request and indeed I can spot two shapes nearby the area I entered the ceiling from.
“Analyzing… analyzing… yes I can confirm that those are the same two people I scanned earlier in the tunnels.” I can’t believe that the soldiers knew a way into the tunnels. Especially because they had been separated from me by less than a meter of earth and even for some hours as I was having my nervous breakdown.
With huge curiosity I set Marple to maximal magnification and get a good look of my two pursuers.
A woman and a man in simple clothes and leather vests and leather shoes, but without any trace of the soldiers uniform.
Maybe they are scouts? Or maybe even rebels?
I climb back to the floor, seems like resting would need to wait for now.
“Good news. Only 100 meters below I received the contact signal from a maintenance room.” Again some luck, I have to be careful not to get used to that. Directly after this news from Marple I am on my way downward. There are no regular stories, only the chamber I entered the tower in was built with a complete floor. I observe this while climbing down a ladder I found below a hatch in the top room.
Slowly gravity normalizes on my way down, which is comfortable, but the decline becomes increasingly laborious.
As a welcome surprise there is a complete floor at the location I hope to find the maintenance room at.
Someone prepared this room with love for deck travelers and I even find some fresh foodstuffs.
On one side there is a seemingly solid wall, but at Marples signal an opening slowly reveals itself.
The access protocol of the room shows dates the last opening back to 225 years ago, the year with the first failed discharge.
Curious I enter the small room and take a look around.
There is a small bunk, whose cot doubles as seat for a small work space.
At most this room offers a size of 2 by 3 meters.
Enough space for me to relax.
However there are some preparations to be made.
At a charging station I refill my pistols magazine, even as the two shots only used up a small amount, when the going gets rough two missing charges might become decisive.
The raw material reserves for the fabbers were at about 60%, so if needed I could construct a huge deal of equipment.
I checked the computer console and to my pleasure it started up, but it had no connection to any of the main computers.
In addition to the main computer in the waking area there were four more main computers , which were connected as a cluster normally. By design they were able to act autonomously, but the power of decision was rather limited.
Point of fact was that all main computers were supposed to take action to connect with each other again. One more mystery I would need to solve.
To my amazement the last access to the console happened through a familiar name.
Bernhard Nwosu obviously used this room and left a small message here in a hurry.
Maintenance note at 26.12.4613:
Not much time, stored the complete report at the main computer of the engine section, only 6 days until the next awakening.
Was able to flee during the Christmas celebrations. Trying to reach the discharge zone and deposit a warning message. My thoughts circle around the fact that I won’t ever witness my children growing up.
Should I have bend myself to the wishes of the Benefactor?
Whoever reads this hopefully missed this crazy phase our civilization is going through.
Some answers, yet even more questions, so apparently Bernhard never made it back to the waking area.
With measured delight I notice that the console offers access to a surveillance camera monitoring the rest room outside, with some luck I would have the opportunity to learn more about the natives of the ship and maybe even find out if these two were actually chasing me.
I put together a quick meal from my provisions and longed for the fresh produce in the rest room, but I couldn’t afford to risk detection through any oversight.
While I was relaxing in the safety of my hideout and chewing on my snack of unidentifiable cellulose, as expected I spotted two shapes descending on the ladder.
They weren’t in a hurry and it became instantly clear that the intended to pause here.
They definitely were a man and a woman and they were deeply in discussion, which did not keep them from putting together two opulent plates.
I tried following their discussion, while I my eyes kept focusing on hard boiled eggs, different kind of cheese, ham, sausages and hardtack.
Perhaps it was true, that the proper use of technology had been lost, but at least making tasty comestibles had not been lost, so it could not be that bad.
The conversation involved different persons and names unfamiliar to me.
But what was that last one? The Predestined - did that mean me? What had the complete sentence been, ah yes “Do you assume Clavius is right and the predestined already came aboard days ago?” With smug satisfaction I established that my plan to confuse the observers had been successful. “Possible, but even if the toy in that forest, which kept the soldiers so busy, had been another distraction, I do believe that this had been him.” Damn that lad was clever. “Nonetheless we have to be thankful they didn’t find Ferdi in there.” Aha, they had to be rebels if they were also hiding from the soldiers.
During the course of the dialog I learned that the observation mission alone took a toll of 10 rebels which lost their life or were about to lose it, apparently being caught meant certain death.
There was talk of an arena and gladiators fighting.
Both rebels looked very tired, the woman had deep bags under her eyes and the mans face was scarred by a deep dark slash from one eye down to his neck on his left side.
Both cautiously avoided intimate gestures and kept a cool distance to the other, it became clear what kind of sacrifices the rebels had to make.
What made us awakened - me - so important?
Was it only our mastery of technology or were there other reasons?
I suppressed the compulsion to step out and offer those to brave people my help.
The reason for this century old conflict was still unknown to me.
Part of a sentence catches my attention again “… absolutely essential to prevent the predestined to not fall into the Benefactors hands, this justifies any sacrifice!” the man is saying “But Peter” the woman replies tiredly “is it really worth all these lives to hold up the myth of the huge ship? If we all should die, then nobody who d
oes believe it will be left.” After a moment of thinking Peter replies “Klara consider this, if we stop fighting the outer decks will fall once and for all. Then the Benefactor will have absolute control over the whole ship. This is not only about preserving knowledge, but also about allowing at least some people to lead a free life.”
Those two couldn’t possibly mean the same Benefactor that Bernhard did already mention. So its a title, but for what exactly? Something like a dictator I assume.
How could this ever happen?
The best social scientists had planned the social structures aboard the ship. My only some weeks old memory of the lecture I listened to two millenniums ago brings back the words “competing systems” and “de-escalation mechanisms”.
The societies on board had been designed for ritualized conflict management.
I had troubles with this area of knowledge, technology always was easier for me to grasp than human nature.
Obviously the social scientists also hadn’t known enough.
At least in the next segment there were humans free of the Benefactors influence, still I was determined to fulfill my mission undetected.
The rest of the talk did not contain any more useful informations.
I decided to sleep for a while and ordered Marple to record and analyze the incoming data as I put her in front of the active terminal screen.
I felt my death coming. Just now I was analyzing the latest data, while my gaze was taking in the unending blackness of space, then the first circuit failed.
Am I sad? Can I be sad? I will miss the stars.
One after the other my systems fail.
There is SHE again! Is she watching me? A ai I aa aam ssen sor TR R R B 19…
Drenched in sweat I wake up. Even as I had not missed these dreams at all, that last dream made me sad somehow.
Why did I keep dreaming of one of the outer hull sensors?
I decided to recover this sensor, should the opportunity offer itself.
Yawning I sat up and the surveillance camera showed an empty room so I assumed the two rebels had moved on. Daringly I left the maintenance room and trawled through the remaining provisions.
