Reaching the far side, they went down several flights of stairs to reach the sling bay. The final hallway which led to an auxiliary egress point for the sling bay. Its walls were blue in color with elongated tubes which provided bright overhead lighting. The rounded hatch at the end of the hallway opened to the sling bay.
“Cammarry? Are you certain this is what you want to do?” Jerome asked. “I will support you in whatever decision you make.”
“It is hard. I openly confess that. We will never see most of the other adventurers again, even when we succeed. But what is a dozen people compared to the whole population of Dome 17? We must take this chance and go on this quest.”
“I agree. It is essential. The hard times do not make heroes,” Jerome answered. “We are in this together. Jerome and Cammarry, heroes into the unknown.”
“So poetic. The only heroes will be those who succeed in making the teleportation contact back to here,” Cammarry said. “Just one team will succeed.”
Jerome pulled her close and held her under the bluish light in front of the door to the sling bay. “You will always be my hero.”
Jerome activated the door which swung open. “After you my dear hero.”
They passed through a small doorway which opened into the large sling launch bay. The tan coloration even in the sling bay was ubiquitous. The place was abuzz with various activities. Technological equipment and engineering devices were everywhere. The team of technicians working for Chief Engineer Brink was resetting the launch. There were smiles on many faces and comments were passed around about the success of the first launch. A technician came up to them and took the medical kits to add to the other supplies, backpacks, pistols and everything else which was being methodically loaded into the faster-than-light scout ship.
Brink was in the sling bay preparing the ship for departure. “Good, you already have the flight suits on,” he called down. “That will save a bit of time. I must thank Willie for that.”
The FTL ship carried two people, only barely, and the quarters were tight. The ship was roughly cone shaped. Jerome immediately thought of a bullet, perhaps from all the reading he did of old books, but also perhaps because of Willie mentioning old-style weapons. The cabin’s two seats were visible under the nosecone of clear permalloy. That section covered about a third of the front end of the scout. The clear permalloy was as rugged as the rest of the craft. Permalloy was spun into whatever shape was desired, and, when solidified, it was extremely strong, tough and light weight. However, the scout ship did have a tan overshadowing of color. Like so much in and around the dome, the opaque permalloy took on a cast of beige.
“What is outside will always seep in, no matter how good the seal,” Jerome said as he looked at the FTL scout ship.
Brink looked over and gave a tiny nod. “Yes, eventually every seal fails. Today, our then first sling launch was a confirmed success. Optimal orbit was reached and faster-than-light travel initiated. The first team is on the way.”
“Jamie and Michael?” Cammarry asked.
“Yes, to the Eschaton,” Brink replied. He was a tall and muscular man with a quiet voice, and graying hair. He was universally respected for his brilliant mind, and was called Chief Engineer or Master Engineer out of respect, but he preferred to be called just simply Brink. He had personally developed and implemented the advanced technology systems they would be using. Both the teleportation and the faster-than-light technologies had been brainchildren of Brink. A few people in the dome understood the basic principles used, especially the very advanced mathematics, but only Brink comprehended the whole big picture. He did all his work without being haughty or arrogant. “Now let me orient you two to the new machines.”
Brink walked over and tapped the side of the FTL scout ship. The access door opened. “Jerome? Cammarry? Here is where you will enter the craft. We have about twenty minutes or so before the launch window. May I introduce the third person in your crew?”
“Third person?” Cammarry asked.
“Yes. Sandie? The team is here; will you welcome them?” Brink said.
A mechanical voice came from the interior of the scout ship. “Hi there! I am Sandie. I am your new artificial intelligence system. I am very happy to make your acquaintance and I am thrilled about our quest to the Conestoga! Our mission is to successfully place a teleportation receiving pad in a suitable location on board the Colony Ship Conestoga. Completion of this mission is the highest priority, and is essential for Dome 17 survival. I am thrilled to be of service in this great quest of ours.”
“She is perky,” Jerome said. “Not at all like Faraday.”
Brink frowned. “I heard what happened with Faraday and Winchell. I will personally resurrect them after the sling launches take place. Jubal was wrong.”
Cammarry and Jerome both looked very surprised at Brink’s comment and especially his negative facial expression. He was known for being very positive, quiet, and non-confrontational. He also was known for his love of artificial intelligences.
“Hello Sandie. We are ready for an adventure,” Cammarry said. “How will you help us?”
“I am so glad you asked,” Sandie replied. “I will be there every moment of our journey. The faster-than-light scout, which from now on I will simply call our FTL scout, can be manually piloted, but I will be directing its operations and engaging the FTL systems. Brink requested that I set your arrival for one-hundred meters outside of the target beacon on the robotic probe. That should allow us to have a good place for proper assessment of the Colony Ship Conestoga. I will be able to do scanning, take readings, make conjectures, analysis, evaluation, implementations, as we explore the Conestoga. Additionally, I will also be monitoring your biological status and I can take limited action on my own initiative should either or both of you become injured, ill, or otherwise incapacitated. We will succeed in this grand mission.”
“Greeting Sandie,” Jerome offered. “Forgive me for calling you perky, I meant no offense.”
“I am perky!” Sandie replied. “That is part of what Brink designed into me as he compared your psychological needs, as conveyed by Doctor Chambers, with what type of artificial intelligence personality would best match you as a couple. So here I am, made just right for you both. We will be a great three-member team!”
Brink smiled and patted the side of the ship with pride saying, “You can trust Sandie. She and the other new AIs are the best we have ever designed. Now, to the basic details. Your FTL flight time will be just over fifteen hours. The sling will launch you into Earth orbit. Sandie will fly you to a designated distance away and then the FTL system will initiate and you will transit from orbit around Earth to one hundred meters off of target beacon. You will have zero inertia when FTL systems terminate. You and Sandie can then decide where on the Conestoga to dock. I wish we had schematics or even some simple plans of those colony ships, but all we have are generalities, and some are conflicting. The records are incomplete.”
“Brink,” Sandie said soothingly. “That is in no way your fault. The records were lost long ago, and I will do my very best to find a proper way to latch onto the Conestoga. Count on me!”
“Now as to the teleportation system. Sandie has complete plans and details. Also it is stored in every data stick you are taking along. You can familiarize yourselves with the building of the system en route or after you reach the colony ship.”
“Brink? Can we land the scout on the planet?” Cammarry asked.
“Planet? Oh yes, the message from the Conestoga claims to have made planet fall. We doubt the accuracy of that report, as there are no known star systems at that location. I did calculate and consider contingencies nonetheless. No, this FTL scout cannot land on a planet. FTL and space travel are one thing, entering an unknown planet’s atmosphere, which could be a myriad of types, is far more challenging. The sling launch can get your out of Earth’s orbit, but you cannot reenter. The mass limits we have to work with for faster-than-light transit prohibit the p
roper levels of thermal shielding and configurations to meet those reentry demands. You will need to dock with the Conestoga.”
“I will help with that,” Sandie chimed in. “On the remote chance that there is a planet, I have conjectured a solution. After we establish the teleportation system, then we will have ready access to all of Dome 17’s manufacturing facilities. Once the personnel are secured, we could build the parts for a planetary landing vehicle here, and ship them through the teleportation conduit to be assembled at the target location. Then the lander can be deployed and we can go exploring on that potential planet.”
“Sandie, that is a good suggestion,” Brink stated.
“Thank you sir!”
Walking into the sling bay through a different doorway were Muriel, Lorna, and Jubal.
Muriel and Lorna looked normal compared to Jubal who was barely containing his rage. He marched over to Jerome and Cammarry. He pointed his finger at them. “I will have you know I was outvoted. I do not think you are qualified for this mission. Not qualified at all, neither by your personalities nor by your abilities.”
Brink walked over. “Control yourself or I will have you ejected from my sling bay.” Several of the technicians were standing with their arms folded. They looked more than ready to physically fulfill Brink’s wishes.
“I am on the Committee and I will….” Jubal began, but then he looked more closely at Brink’s countenance and at the technicians. “I apologize…. I am just concerned for this mission… I only wanted the best and….” His words trailed off to a mumble. He stepped back and away.
“The Committee did vote to allow you both on this mission, and you are to be commended for your bravery.” Muriel said. Lorna walked up and gave each of them a warm hug.
Jubal stood glaring at them both. “I have been outvoted, however, since you are going I do wish you success.” His teeth were gritted a bit, but his eyes looked softer than moments before. “We need this plan to succeed, and so I hope you can accomplish this.”
“Thank you Jubal,” Cammarry said with grace. “I know the tension between us, and for anything I may have done to contribute to that, I apologize. These times are extremely stressful, and every adventurer needs your support. The next teams that come through here will need all three of you to give them encouragement.”
“I will try,” Jubal replied.
Jerome held his tongue.
“Please enter the FTL scout,” Brink said. “For this part, all you need to do is be secured in the acceleration seats. You will not perceive much acceleration. The launch will commence as soon as you are secured in place.”
“Come on in my new friends,” Sandie spritely called. “Our cosmic quest is about to begin!”
Jerome nodded at Murial as she and Lorna turned and walked out. Then he followed Cammarry to the hatchway. Only one person at a time could crawl in, turn and get settled into the seats in the ship. They wiggled to position themselves into the seats. There were a couple of grab bars, but no buttons, levers or hand controls of any kind. Several panels looked like they might open, but neither of them tried to open the controls.
The outward view was intriguing. The magnetic track, held back just mere millimeters from the exterior of the scout ship itself by the gravitronic apparatus which encircled the craft, led onward to the ejection tube. It looked like an open maw ahead of them into which the cone of the scout would just barely fit.
Sandie, the new and spunky artificial intelligence called out, “I am ready to release the magnetic anchors and initiate gravity inhibition and inertia suppression on your signal Brink. The crew are now getting seated into place.”
“Belted in and ready to go!” Cammarry called out.
“I too am secured,” Jerome said. “I am reminded of the saying, ‘Begin at the beginning and go on till you come to the end: then stop.’”
“I am with you in this!” Sandie said in her mechanical voice.
“Final check, clear the sling bay,” Brink commanded. There was no one in the launch area. All the technicians had moved to behind the protective clear permalloy. “Sandie, you may launch when ready.”
“My fourth check of supplies and equipment is confirmed. FTL scout ship ready at 100%. Jerome? Cammarry? Are you ready? The residual of such high-speed passage will scorch the ejection tube sterile. It will be so hot the gasses inside the tube will be fired into oblivion, but you are safe in here with me,” Sandie said. “The gravity manipulation will negate nearly all excessive sensation of motion. Inertia will not be a concern, that issue is being addressed and compensated. Our passage out of the dome will appear nearly instantaneous. Then the ejection tube will be cooled for the next sling launch.”
Jerome answered. “Ready Sandie. ‘You don't have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great.’”
“Old-World contractions?” Cammarry laughed. “You are using antique verbiage while in the most advanced technology the world has ever created. This is an adventure. Ready Sandie!”
The AI Sandie replied, “I conjecture you will find the view spectacular! Sling bay launch now. The quest for the Conestoga begins.”
7 The conestoga is reached?
The sling bay disappeared from view as the FTL scout was launched.
Sandie narrated the entire event. “We are passing out of the remnant atmosphere of planet Earth and finishing stage one. You are now effectively in zero-gravity and will remain in that state for the duration of the flight. The view outside will be clearing momentarily. I will rotate the ship for your viewing pleasure and for posterity. We will spend approximately ninety seconds in orbit before stage two of the process is initiated. Please watch for the stars, moon, and the retreating view of the Earth. You will not have the opportunity to ever see this again. I am recording it all into the data sticks for future generations to know what we have done. Stage two will propel us away from Earth, and I estimate that process will take five minutes. When we reach the established safe distance, I will initiate stage three and engage the FTL system. At that point we will leave the solar system.”
The tan color outside the clear permalloy of the scout shifted after a moment and then parted. They passed out of the atmosphere and into orbit. The planet was to the side of them as the scout barrel rolled onto its side. Jerome and Cammarry felt no weight, and their belts held them into the comfort of the seats.
“That is the world?” Cammarry asked as the arc of the horizon became visible. “It is one giant tan ball of waste.”
“Yes, that is the Earth in its current condition,” Sandie replied.
Jerome let out a deep breath. “The heavens whirl above you, displaying to you simply amazing glories, and still our eyes are on the ground.”
He looked at the whole tan ball which was just one enormous blob with fuzzy edges. There was no sign of the passage of the scout ship out of the atmosphere. The tan murky gasses were unchanged by their passage. He then looked away from the dusty ball of death and was astounded.
The tan ball was set against a deep black background. Scattered across that blackness was a myriad of twinkling lights. The stars were shining down and never before had Jerome or Cammarry ever looked for so long a distance or seen such majesty.
“The inferior or bottom of the scout is now blocking the view of the sun. I have arranged it this way for the moment, so as to limit excessive sunshine reaching you, and to enhance your viewing pleasure. I will be rotating the scout and the solar filters will be in place. You should still receive a superb view of the sun, but it will not be painful. Be aware you are only seeing a partial view of its light.”
The scout rolled around and the Earth was replaced by a brilliant yellow glow. The glow filled the cockpit of the scout until the blackness of space was no longer visible, and only the warm yellow light from the sun was seen.
“That is so sweet!” Cammarry said.
“Natural sunlight is very important for human beings,” Sandie stated. “Sadly, it had to be replaced by imitation
lighting in Dome 17. Our scout will be rolling again, as we proceed to the proper position for the FTL engagement. We will be passing the natural satellite of Earth, the moon. I will roll the scout so that you will be able to see the ruins of Moonbase Alpha as we pass over. There is no atmosphere on the moon any longer, being that Moonbase Alpha’s terraforming attempts failed, so I can fly the scout close by without any undue risks.”
The scout ship rotated and accelerated. The dry, tan, and dead Earth receded. The silvery disk of the moon was ahead as they rapidly approached.
“It looks like another dead dome,” Jerome stated as he looked down on the ruins. The cluster of broken buildings was all located inside one of the large craters on the silvery white surface of the moon. There were no lights or other signs of power or activity. It was a graveyard.
“It is like a ruined dome, except we can at least see it in full. This is simply overwhelming to be able to see such vast distances. The domes I visited I could barely see from the outside due to the dust,” Cammarry added. “The Moonbase buildings are all breeched, that is clear enough. I forget how many people died in that fiasco.”
The Colony Ship Conestoga : The Complete Series: All Eight Books Page 11
