She looked around.
Only beyond the door was there the bizarre growth medium and foliage. The Command Bridge was clear of that, but that was about the only positive thing Eris could think of what she saw. The destruction had been meticulous and efficient. Nearly every control interface she could see had been damaged. Lockers were hanging open. Panels were canted to the side and off their tracks. Small compartment had broken hinges, or no covers at all. Utility ducts, wires, pipes, conduits, and insulation hung out down from gaps which had been ripped into the ceiling. Faces of monitoring gauges were missing, bashed-in, or melted. There were sections on the countertop which were scarred with burns from energy weapons. The jagged edges of physical mutilations where vibration saws had cleaved permalloy were more than a few.
Graffiti also marring the controls. The green paint or dye was splattered around, and at first Eris thought it was just random and chaotic. Then her mind connected what she was seeing together. The symbol for the lattice of compeers, on the engineer training manuals, which she had studied for so many months, was a green ladder. That neat green ladder was on videos, instruction materials, and even the hard bound backup manuals. Every engineer knew that symbol, along with many others. The graffiti was a perversion of that very symbol. In the graffiti image, the two poles of the ladder were pulled apart, and the rungs broken, all except for the very bottom one. Eris recognized the message clearly, someone had deliberately destroyed the lattice, and left only the most basic parts unscathed.
“Deliberate sabotage. But who and why?” Eris said as she worked on getting some kind of response from the few controls and systems which were answering to her presence and commands. The light grew brighter.
Off to the side, about ten meters away, was the Conestoga’s Virtual Visualization Model. Or that was where it should have been visible. When working, the Virtual Visualization Model was a composite of all the sensors on the Conestoga into an interactive real-time presentation of the ship. Normally it would look like a three-dimensional scale model of the ship, but it was in intricate detail and allowed direct interface with any area of the ship, from the exterior hull, all the way down to a meter square area. It should have been shown behind a clear permalloy wall which ran parallel to the arching shape of the bridge’s command countertop. There was nothing displayed where the model should have been.
The stairway which led to the lower level of the Command Bridge was standing open, and looked to have been damaged to such an extent that Eris doubted it would effectively close ever again. She turned to look back at the wavy image which was appearing on the display in front of her. There were numerous error messages which were finally coming on. There were eight jettison error messages, one each from the biological habitats. Numerous reports from Engineering, Machine Maintenance, and Homeostasis Authority, confirmed the jettisoning of the habitats was not done following standard procedures.
“Cabta 3F is functional, and fired several times lately to maintain orbit.” Eris tapped her fingers on the countertop. “One tertiary synthetic brain. Odd, there was some weird command routine used to instigate that. Unknown energy sources?” She rubbed her forehead. “I am sitting her talking to myself, oh Lord help me.”
The display screen wobbled and waved with varying light and then blinked off.
Eris slapped her hand down on the countertop in frustration. She then stood up and walked to the stairwell and maneuvered around the debris and down to the lower level. The lower level was not as well illuminated as the upper, and there was junk in her way.
At the foot of the stairs she stopped. “Captain?”
Parts of a dried out human body were scattered around the work station, and in front of the hanger bay doors. The remains of a captain’s uniform were among the mummified bones. The white and blue colors of the uniform were distinctive.
“That is not Captain Renee Reynolds,” Eris said as she walked over. “Male uniform, but a captain nonetheless.” She looked over the scattered body parts, and thought again of the suspended animation repository. This body had not died in one of those kinds of freakish deaths, but still it had lain there for a long time. Eris checked the body and uniform, but no tools or equipment were present. Not even all the body was there. Eris considered that some of the wild roaming animals might have come to prey upon the carcass, but then she considered the very desiccated state of the remains and wondered what kind of animal would even care for that.
The work station next to the dead captain was not ruined like the Command Bridge above. The countertop was in good repair, and the assorted gauges, monitors, buttons and levers did not have any damage. As Eris sat down, the workstation responded to her presence.
“Welcome Junior Engineer,” an automated voice stated. “Hanger bay decontamination and sterilization initiated.”
“What?” Eris cried out. “Halt operations!” She recognized the voice as a default setting and not an artificial intelligence system, nor even a secondary synthetic brain. “Await my command on all matters!”
“Decontamination and sterilization initiated.” The voice repeated.
There was a loud rushing sound followed by alarm bells ringing shrilly.
Eris placed her palm against the workstation and yelled over the hubbub. “Halt operations. Report status first! Halt operations!”
A display screen lit up showing the inside of the hanger bay which lay beyond the doors. Two spacecraft were there, which did not surprise Eris, at least initially. She stared at the Captain’s Gigs for a moment and noted one was especially tilting off to the side, while the other was also damaged. Bizarre and strange modifications were on each of them around their engines, hatches, and cargo compartments. A yellow light began flashing inside the hanger bay casting ominous shadows over the tricked out gigs.
“Oh no you do not do that! Halt all operations!” Eris commanded. She also dialed in an override key code, and manually shifted several levers which should have restored all activity to voice commands.
It failed.
“Venting to space,” the automated voice stated. “Decontamination and sterilization in progress.”
On the display screen Eris watched as the gravity manipulation was turned off and the dual exterior hanger bay doors creaked open. Only one side moved in a meaningful manner, the other side of the large doors shuddered and quaked but did not open.
“No! There will be explosive decompression!” Eris’ fingers flew across the controls, but none responded to her commands.
The gigs, with their odd tubing, ductwork, and various non-standard equipment were ripped from the docking clamps and other attachments as the atmosphere in the hanger bay was sucked away into the vacuum of space. The debris flew with immense force. The spacecraft were not lined up properly with the passageway to space which the open door had made, so as they were slurped to the exterior, they crashed into the permalloy doors. Permalloy met permalloy and the resulting wreckage ruined both doors and gigs.
“Emergency Containment Curtains being deployed.”
Eris watched helplessly as there was nothing else she could think of to do. The immense emergency curtains locked into place with enormous force. The first one blocked the camera view from which Eris was watching. All she could see was a gray wall. She knew there would be at least three more Emergency Containment Curtains which would shift into place to seal up the hanger bay and prevent damage to the rest of the ship. The hanger bay was now sealed away, but also was useless.
“Containment obtained. Major malfunction in hanger bay. Containment obtained. Decontamination and sterilization truncated. Thank you Junior Engineer.”
Eris put her head in her hands and wept. She said some silent prayers for strength and understanding. Then wiping the tears from her eyes, she again tried the controls before her. She got a different response this time. She was able to open a power system check and a side display screen turned on. With her fingers she was able to manipulate the controls and change the focus on the display.
Doing that was frustrating, as she should have just been able to speak the command, but she worked at it manually anyway. She zeroed in on where power was being used. Minimal or marginal power levels were found on most of the needle ship, but a few places had no power readings. Fewer still had moderate or acceptable power levels. As she scanned those places where acceptable power readings were located, she found that Navigation and Astrogation was fully powered.
“Finally. There must be some crew there,” Eris let out a sigh.
Manually adjusting the display in the manner she was doing was tedious and difficult as the power assessment system was not designed for monitoring like she was doing, but Eris was a good engineer and made it work. She continued to fine tune the power readings and discovered that in Navigation and Astrogation there had been several times when an automacube had recharged, or accessed a portion of the power grid and network. That energy signature was consistent with an engineering model automacube.
“Excellent. A functional automacube. I knew they had to be somewhere on the needle ship. That will help me tremendously, and I will not be talking to myself anymore. Now to summon the funicular car and take it to Navigation and Astrogation.”
It took Eris a while of diligent searching and effort to forge paths in the few systems that she could access. Finally, she was able to summon up a survey of the funicular car system, and saw that it was powered all the way from where she had arrived near the Central Memory Core Gallery to her destination of Navigation and Astrogation. She made certain the car was still at its prior location, and then set out.
“Making a reconnaissance of the Conestoga is a truly painful experience with so much of the ship demolished,” Eris said as she shut down the work station. She knew she needed to find some connection to the crew, and was hopeful she had finally found it. “Navigation and Astrogation, here I come!”
6 Detection, direction, and decision
“So teleportation was successful and the second automacube, T-1DT, is now traversing from the teleporters toward the old desalination factory,” Cammarry asked. “Anything different on that part of its journey from when the first one passed by?”
Sandie the AI replied, “Nothing of significance. Both automacubes are marking the routes they are taking, with only subtle difference in that first leg through the corridors and into Quady.”
“Good. Sandie? Please display the views from our first explorer, S-1DT,” Cammarry ordered.
“Good idea. Do you want panoramic or singular view?” the AI Sandie replied.
“Singular, forward, along the path of travel,” she replied. “Add audio pickups.”
A small beam of light came from the com-link over Cammarry’s ear. It struck the floor of the Goat Room and a three-dimensional image grew up until it was two meters high. Through it could be seen a view form the town of Quady. The sky tube’s light was shining down on the buildings, trees, and some birds that flew across its view. There was sound as well, but no sense of smell.
“Nice! The sky tube does brighten things up,” Jerome commented. “Much better than what we could see when that machine was back in the old factory. I understand the value of mapping via infrared and echolocation, but this is a better way to see what is actually in Beta now.”
“Jerome, we did learn a great deal about that water desalination and purification plant, as well as the rattus norvegicus colony which lives there,” Sandie answered.
“Yes, those animals are thriving in Beta. I was surprised how many there were. Khin would have been happy. I guess that sheds light on the old sayings about rats and other rodents. Rodents are natural born survivors. They colonized every continent on Earth, all using someone else’s vehicles. By stealth and gnawing, on a dike for instance, even a single rat may drown a nation. They have been everywhere we have visited on the Conestoga so far.”
“Yes, rats are fascinating creatures,” Sandie agreed. “Additionally we were able to ascertain the precise location of ‘Gravity Manipulation Works: Oscillator 6’ which I was able to scan and make details plans and schematics about. We also mapped a direct route from the hanger bay called Dardanella 135 to there. I have used a maker, invisible to the eye, but detectable by the com-links and the automacubes, to mark the safe route. The second automacube we have dispatched, T-1DT, is making much better time maneuvering due to our increased information and knowledge base.”
“But that gravity sink hole which had been there was missing,” Jerome said. “Cammarry and I both witnessed it. I was hoping to get readings on it.”
“I did measure the residual effects that gravity sink hole phenomenon had on the location, including the forensic evidence I gathered on the human body there,” Sandie answered. “While not as thorough as examining a gravity sink hole itself, I did collect significant data and I am collating it and making conjectures based upon that information.”
“Those gravity sink holes must move,” Cammarry added. “It is the only explanation. Jerome is that why you labeled them gravity sinks? Instead of sinkholes? A gravity sink is portable.”
“Yes, I recalled lectures by Master Engineer Brink,” Jerome answered, “He spoke of a theoretical physicist who lived circa 2050, named Antoinette Nkrumah who I believe was a pioneer in gravity manipulation technology. She spoke of gravity wells, and gravity sinks, and gravity holes, as well as making breakthroughs on how to alter gravity. When I saw the first one kill that animal, that first gravity sink hole, I remembered her and just combined the ideas of a gravity well, or sink, with making a hole. I was not sure if it was a gravity sink, or a gravity hole. Not a precise name, gravity sink hole, but in naming something we use our reason to understand, to tame, to claim, or even to maim. Right Sandie?”
“Yes, naming does those things. Antoinette Nkrumah’s story is obscured in the fog of history surrounding the Great Event,” Sandie replied. “Brink did utilize various theories as genesis points for when he made his teleportation and faster-than-light discoveries. I could display what we do have in our database on Antoinette Nkrumah, although it is incomplete.”
“Much as I love a good story, and from what I recall Antoinette Nkrumah’s life was amazing, but shall we get back to the gravity sink holes?” Cammarry interjected. “We both saw that one which killed the man, outside of that Oscillator. Now it is gone. So it stands to reason that they are mobile. The automacube explorer proves that.”
“Essentially you are correct, since our second, may I use your term, explorer, T-1DT did not see any evidence of it when it passed that location either,” Sandie stated. “But it might be as simple as some mechanism turning off and on. It may not indicate any actual lateral movement, however, it is unclear. Our reconnaissance will hopefully reveal more.”
Jerome and Cammarry watched the view from S-1DT. The town of Quady, what one odd little boy had called Deathtown, was basking in the early morning glow from the sky tube far overhead. The roadway was clear, and the automacube made good speed as it rolled along on its six drive wheels.
“This is a new section of that town,” Cammarry said. “We never ventured into that area before.”
“I believe you are right. We have only reconnoitered a small fraction of the Conestoga,” Jerome replied. “We have traversed Habitat Beta more than Alpha, and look how little we really know. And we have not yet even located the other six habitats.”
“We are increasing our knowledge,” Sandie agreed. “I am collating it all together to build up a better picture of the Colony Ship Conestoga.”
“No thief, however skillful, can rob us of knowledge, and that is why knowledge is the best and safest treasure to acquire,” Jerome recited. “It will also help us when we go back.” He had some mixed emotions about that and so looked sternly into the perspective shared by the automacube.
In the view from S-1DT, another group of birds flew by, and there were additional animal, or creature, noises emanating from hidden places scattered throughout the evergreens and pines which grew between the buildings. The a
utomacube was rolling along away from the roadway which Jerome and Cammarry had followed from the sea. They had yet to see a single person in the corridors or the town of Quady. Jerome began to wonder if all the people had abandoned the town, or if they had been killed by what the child called the crushers or even by the violence inspired by the Ferryman.
“Where are the people?” Jerome asked.
“An excellent question,” Sandie replied. “I have detected none so far.”
Cammarry shook at bit as she recalled the dire words, of that boy, Adeilson, who was so fatalistic. She wondered how he was, and hoped to find out.
The roadway was unobstructed, and the buildings along the sides were in somewhat better condition that those near the shoreline. A few still had their share of damage, caved in sides, holes in roofs, and large cracks across the entryways, yet many more were virtually intact. Most were of a similar style, a nearly square foundation with four windows in the front and a door at one end. A mansard roof covered those single floor buildings. Jerome was unable to discern if the buildings were homes, or some kind of industry, or even storage facilities.
The Colony Ship Conestoga : The Complete Series: All Eight Books Page 117
