by Adams Massey
“You really need to communicate with us more, no more secrets. Please?” Robert states and zips his own suitcase closed.
The ride to the airport and the flight itself was quiet as Alex thinks through several things and continues to refine the designs.
They arrive back at the university to drop Alex off before the team head home to unpack and unwind. Leaving Alex to head to her apartment alone. She opens the door to her apartment and slips inside, pulling her suitcase behind her and setting it back into her bedroom/office and starts to unpack. She first unpacks her charger and setting it back up before moving on to putting her dirty clothes into the hamper and stashing the suitcase away. She lays out on her bed and relaxes, her eyes flicking a pale blue in joy as she plugs herself into power and rests from the lengthy trip.
The next day she heads back to the lab only to find that the UN has not lifted the research freeze yet so she stops by the engineering lab while the rest of the team was scattered around campus to help where they could.
-Whats up guys.- she chimes as she enters the rather sterile lab. The engineers look up from their workstations and wave lightly.
“Hello Alex, what brings you by?” one asks and turns to face her.
-I had some free time so I thought I would drop in and see if I can help with anything.- she states and fully enters the lab, though staying by the door. The engineers look around and at each other for a few moments.
“Well, there’s not much for you to help with aside from letting us know how your nanites are performing.” the engineer at the nanite research station states and offers her a place to sit nearby. She graciously takes the offered seat.
-They work well, I am still limiting myself to one meal a week but they seem to be processing it within a day or so and helping to keep me going with the reactor. It’s nice to be able to taste again. If I were to be able to eat every day it might put out enough power to keep me going almost indefinitely at my usual drain levels. High activity would eat into my power reserves and I would have to recharge every once in awhile. In theory it should be far less than the once every three or four days I manage now.- she explains as the engineer listens intently.
“Now that the system is established there is no reason you can’t eat more often. It’s just that it’s still new tech so you have to take it easy. It’s nice to know it can handle the current load though. Have you been eating a varied diet?” the engineer asks and she nods.
-I have, meat and cheese and grains and fruit, it’s all on the menu.- she states with a smile -The nanites seem to be able to handle it all.- she continues as the engineer smiles.
“Well all that is useful to know. You haven’t tried self-modifying yet have you?” the engineer asks and she shakes her head.
-No, I only recently have gotten permission to pursue that and have been working on the refined designs. As it stands my current distribution system will need an overhaul before I start doing any of that.
I have that planned for the next build. Though this body is treating me well so far so there is no reason to leave it just yet. There is wear and tear on the joints so it probably won’t be long until I have to be rebuilt anyway. I am planning for the mark four chassis to have the capillary system to prevent that kind of wear through everyday movements. The worst wear is in my legs, I do a lot of walking and pace when I think.- she affirms and spins in the chair slowly.
-I know that the idea of me self-modifying seems like a bad idea on the surface. Since I have seen grey-goo apocalypse films, I would tend to agree. It would be for small things and repairs only, no massive changes are possible.- she explains and the engineering team relax a bit.
“That’s all good to know. There’s nothing else you can help with I’m afraid. We are still working with the material sciences team on shielding designs for the new Space Station module. The magnetic field idea is the best hope, but powering it, even with a sizable bioreactor is just not feasible. Its best for steady low to medium drain usage like keeping you powered. Unfortunately, electromagnets take a LOT of power to make a strong enough and large enough field that it would require a massive, and most importantly massively heavy reactor to power it.” he laments and turns back to his work. She stands from her chair and waves to the engineering team.
-I guess I will get going then. It was nice of you to allow me to poke around a bit.- she states with a smile her eyes flicking green before she turns around and strides out of the lab and messages the AI team that she is coming back to do some research of her own.
She enters the lab and sits at her desk, booting up her computer and delving into files regarding space travel. The talks with the material sciences and engineering teams had piqued her interest in space travel. It was something she had been meaning to look into for a while now but had kept putting off.
She finds out that the ISS was deorbited a few decades prior and a new space station was being built a little further out to act as a staging area for trips to the Moon and Mars settlements.
Man, it seems had been to Mars and had set up a small colony that was thriving. Several dozen people are stationed there at a time and there were plans to expand. There were also habitats on the moon. Though again, mostly inhabited by scientists on rotation every six to eight months.
The non-terrestrial stations, both in orbit and on a surface, were much like the McMurdo Antarctic base in design, supplies, rationing and remoteness. The explosion of 3D printing had paved the way for building shielded habitats on Mars and the moon using the regolith as a building material. The trips between them were still unshielded so there was a tech race to develop lightweight shielding for the spacecraft that travel between Earth and the moon and between the moon and Mars.
There was also a new space station, the United Nations Earth Space Habitat, colloquially named ‘Earth Station’. It had been a global undertaking to build and was a few times more massive than the ISS. Though it only had a handful of crew members at the moment. It was built to be a long-term space habitat and stopover for those headed to the the one stationed around the moon, ‘Lunar station’, and from there to the moon or Mars colony.
The stations were being used for testing biological life support systems and had been running smoothly for decades. In theory there should be no reason she wouldn’t be eligible. She doesn’t NEED life support and only really requires power to thrive. She had always wanted to go into space, it was one of her biggest dreams since she was a child. It was even on her current wish list of things she wants to do, sitting right there near the top.
33: There will be Spiderbots
-What would it take to get me onto Earth Station?- she asks. -I mean what are the logistics and training needed. I know it’s a private space station and that it has a limit to how many it can support. Since I only need power, and that isn’t that big a hurdle for such small drain items like my core and perhaps a small chassis.- She comments while the team look at her puzzled.
“You want to go into space? Don’t get me wrong I see the appeal but you would be there for a while.” Robert chimes in as both Amy and Nicole refocus on their work for the material sciences lab.
-I’ve thought about that. But with the memorandum from the UN, there isn’t much for me to do here. Its been a dream of mine since I was a kid and now I want to check if I have the opportunity.-
“I mean, it can absolutely be done. With the supremely re-usable rockets that were developed and have been in use for a while. The cost per Kilo into space is far more affordable, but its not something that can really be done on a whim.
Space tourism exists, but that is usually only into orbit for a day or so. High rollers get a week long trip to swing around the moon. What you are talking about isn’t remotely like that. This would be a long term stay on a science station. You would be there for several months, without us, and without access to support should something go wrong.” Robert explains and turns to face her.
-I’m wildly aware of the risks involved. It terrifies m
e to be that far away from help. But its right at the top of my wish list. Besides, AI and Androids like me are, on paper, perfect for space exploration. We can’t get sick, don’t produce waste, and only need a bit of power to survive and thrive. Can you imagine the boon of having a crew member that doesn’t increase the load to life support? That would increase the crew limits to the limits of the space and power, rather than limits on the CO2 scrubbers, water and food storage and reclamation. On paper, AI are a near perfect candidate for space travel, especially for longer distances. The only sticking point is expertise. I don’t know what I need to know or what I need to be able to do to get there.- She explains as he nods.
“You make a fair point, let me get in touch with someone that has access to pull the proper strings. Do NOT get your hopes up, you might not be able to go, and even if you do it might be as just a core or with a small chassis. It may be more affordable, but it is by no means cheap. Since the rocket has a maximum load, every Kilo of you, is a Kilo of something else that isn’t going. Are you ok with that possibility?” He asks seriously.
Alex nods -I figured as much. Thank you for at least humoring my dreams and offering to talk with someone who may be able to make it happen. In the meantime, I can work on a small frame chassis only slightly larger than my core.- She states and dives into her systems to design a spider like chassis.
She starts with a flattish spheroid and adds six legs around the sides that can operate in a manner that allows either side to be ‘up’. She tips all the legs in manipulators clad in material from the meta-materials lab that should allow her to grip things and climb on walls and even glass. She adds a small compressed air tank, a compressor and adds clusters of five small nozzles in six areas around the spheroid. These would to allow her to maneuver should she be separated from, and allow her to get back to, a wall. She then adds a pair of cameras on a pan tilt module secured to the front with her addition of LED rings around the ‘eyes’ to help indicate mood. After a few hours she emerges and nods to herself.
-Ok that should do it, the prototype micro chassis is done and it should work for my needs if I am allowed to go into space.- She states proudly and hooks up to her terminal to transfer the designs over to it to show the team.
“It’s simple, that’s good, that reduces the chance of something breaking or going wrong” Amy comments.
“It’s…a spider bot” remarks Nicole with indifference.
“It’s not exactly what I was expecting” remarks Robert as he slowly turns the diagram to look at it from a different angle.
-It’s what came to mind when I laid out the requirements: It had to be small. It had to be mobile and able to maneuver in microgravity. It had to be able to walk on any surface, and it had to be able to manipulate objects and interact with the crew. And…- she reaches out and activates the animation -it folds up into a neat little spheroid for transport and charging. It should require very little power and be able to run for a good few days on a single charge even when highly active. It should be able to move efficiently through the station. The hardest part would be adapting to having more than four limbs.- she finishes and runs the unfolding animation. -I would however like permission to print it and try it out around the campus first.-
After getting permission to print the experimental Hexapod design, she stops by the engineering lab to drop off the plans and makes arrangements to have the current body dealt with. It needed to be broken down and be reprinted as the version 4 design. The updated version with the capillary system once she finishes the plans.
“It should only take about a day to print such a small body, you can come by and pick it up tomorrow.” the head engineer states and shoos her out the door so he can get back to work.
The next day Alex stops by the AI sciences lab to drop off her body and be pulled out so she can be installed into the hexapod design. She is carried carefully to the Engineering lab and installed into the small spheroid chassis. She expands into it and unfolds slowly, stretching each limb through its ranges of motion before standing and slowly taking a few steps. As she figures out movement sequences as walking with four to six legs was quite challenging when you are used to two. She spends the better part of an hour scuttling along the table and looking around, the eyes flicking a bright blue as she settles in.
-Ok yeah, this is a bit weirder than I thought. It feels wrong to be hexapedal but it will have to do. I don’t know of any other way to meet the goals with fewer limbs. Everything seems to be working as designed, but there is one thing I need to test.- she states and scurries over to the corner of the table, looking over the edge. It is a significant drop for her size, ‘crouching’ and placing a few legs over the edge to cling to the leg, testing the adhesion before lunging over and scuttling down the leg unharmed and onto the floor.
-I know I designed it to do that but it’s still really cool that it works.- she states and crawls over to a wall and carefully climbs it to eye level. -That does it for that test, the adhesion is better than I thought and I should be able to even climb on the ceiling with only four limbs leaving two open to manipulate.- she comments and demonstrates by bringing a manipulator limb off the wall and waving it at Robert.
“That’s…kinda creepy actually” he comments and reaches over to pluck Alex from her perch on the wall. She curls up loosely and looks around from his arms.
-Aw, but I was having fun. It only now occurs to me that this kind of chassis, with minor modifications, could be used in search and rescue to crawl through rubble or, and I hesitate to bring this up due to the way the world is at the moment, as infiltration and scouting through hostile zones like hostage situations to get clear visuals on the area…… Any word on whether I'm able to go to space?- She asks her eyes turning from blue to golden yellow.
He looks down and nods “I have talked with the orbital sciences team stationed in Arizona that helps run the international effort of ‘Earth Station’. They have decided that there is room for you. You can go, but it would be as much as an experiment as crew. They were concerned over space and weight requirements, but when I sent them the specs of your…..what are we calling this body?” Robert asks trailing off to look over and down at Alex on the desk.
-I hadn’t thought about it, I suppose it could be called a Mobile Observation Chassis for the time being. I don’t plan on needing to use or iterate on it that often so I hadn’t thought about a name.- Alex replies.
“Regardless, this body of yours is quite light and drastically helped sell the idea.” he states hefting the barely three and a half pound chassis in his arms to emphasize his point.
-Whooooaaaa! Please be careful not to drop me!- she exclaims in surprise at suddenly being hoisted into the air. -That’s the point of this chassis, I cut out a LOT of things to save weight. This one is bare bones with only one less than necessary add on, color changing eyes. I chose to keep them because I lack a face now and with it most of the ability to emote. I have cut out bulky senses like taste and smell, and only have sight, hearing and minor touch. I’m just a half step above a core right now as I'm at least mobile.- she explains as her eyes flick to orange for a moment before fading to silver. -I’m not exactly happy about that but it’s in the pursuit of one of my oldest dreams, so I can live with it for a while.-
“The next supply launch is in a month or so. One of the scientists will be coming by later this week to pick you up, then you will spend the next few weeks with them training before the launch.” he explains as she clambers up onto his shoulder, her manipulators secured to his lab coat as she rests on his shoulder happily, her eyes flicking to a faint pink as she gets used to her new form. He pulls her from his shoulder and carries her back to the AI lab for testing.
She spends the rest of the day testing her manipulators by picking up blocks and arranging them and even manages to build a small set with them. Each limb tip has three fingers that can also act like thumbs able to rotate and curl around things which, along with their adhesive properties, allows
her to pick up and manipulate things at will after she has enough practice.
34: Space Camp
Over the next several days she remains in the lab for the most part doing various testing and getting used to her new form. As she finishes up more adhesion and capability tests, there is a knock at the labs door.
“Come in Commander!” Amy calls out as she and Robert stand to greet their guest.
“Good morning Robert, morning Amy, I’m here to pick up Alex. Is she here?” he asks looking around the lab curiously.
-I’m over here on the table- She calls out and stands from her wireless charging dock, and skitters over to the edge of the table to wave with an appendage.
“Alex, this is Commander Armon Bellini. Commander, this is Alex.” Robert states handling the introductions.
“You’re….a spider bot?” the commander states inquisitively. Robert nods and speaks up.
“We sent you the revised plans, and printed a smaller body for her to save as much space and weight as we could. The Launch Alliance said said it looked perfect so she has been doing some testing with it to get a chance to settle into her new form before you got here.”
“Right right, I remember now, I just didn’t realize the new form was so… compact. When I didn’t see her I assumed she had changed her mind.” Armon comments and strides over to the table holding Alex.
-I’m still here, I can hear you talking about me like I’m not here.- Alex states with a faint sigh.
“So you’re the little robot that wanted to go into space huh. Well you have your chance, are you ready?” he asks in a slightly belittling tone. Alex’s eyes flick to red for but a moment before changing to blue.
