“Will Alpha be in a stable orbit? From the view of the planet, I see it is still rotating,” Monika asked. “Everything goes around and around, just like the carousel. But this lark has not been so entertaining.”
“Our current vector is adequate for initial orbital insertion. I am working on ways to establish a stable orbit. Alpha must make planet-fall, but some time can be spent in orbit, now that Alpha and the needle ship have been separated,” Sandie replied. “I am still unable to assess the constituent joints from the nonphysicality, and there are some visual indications that there may be leaks from the truncated segments. However, the fact that Alpha is still pressurized, and there have not been observable detonations is suggestive that whatever damage was done is not catastrophic.”
Monika realized that sweat had dripped down from her forehead. She wiped it away, and also became aware of her muscles being held extremely tightly. She loosened herself up and tried to relax. Sighing out she stated, “Inform me when you make contact with the other systems, and when you have further information about the conditions. I think Jerome and I are being put into some kind of leadership position on all this.” Monika thought about the death of so many, and she recalled Eris quiet piety. So, she said, “May whatever gods there are have mercy on Peter, Siva, Eris, and all the others who died, and grant them eternal peace.”
“Agreed,” Sandie replied.
Monika desperately wanted to get up and go join Jerome and her boys, but she kept her eyes on the needle ship as it was receding away on one of her displays. Her mind was awash with memories of Siva and Peter. How all of them had built the carousels together, rode together, and lived together as roustabouts. She sat in the command chair, adjusting the views of the needle ship, until it did impact the atmosphere of the, as yet unnamed, planet. Placing the cameras on a magnified setting, Monika was able to see the needle ship as it entered the atmosphere. For a few seconds, it was engulfed in a red glow which was followed by a long gray streak. That gray streak broke apart into a myriad of smaller streaks which then disintegrated into pieces too small to see any longer.
“The needle ship’s last flight has concluded,” Sandie stated. “I can detect no sizable pieces of the ship. It should have only a minimal effect on the planet, but will be very visible in the sky. Beneath where the needle ship is disintegrating it is nighttime.”
“What about the people’s responses?” Monika asked. “On this world, will the life here think we launched some kind of attack?” She was thinking of the Crocks and Floaters.
“Unknown,” Sandie replied. “I am compiling the information on this world from the Zalian library and comparing it to the readings and measurements we are taking. I can give no answer about if this planet has indigenous sentient life. The Zalians list it as a planet with ‘carbon based life forms, existing in a water-essential environment.’ That indicates this world was not suitable for their uses, but it does suggest it might be more hospitable for the Conestoga. Alpha is now in a temporarily stable orbital trajectory. This part of our last flight is secure for at least the next twenty hours.”
“Keep alert for the Jellies, and any other threats,” Monika stated. “And this entire jettisoning or separation incident must be kept confidential. It is just between you and me, Sandie. Only for us. Shall we just say that after exiting the Cosmic Crinkle, Alpha and the needle ship separated. No more details about how risky that was, or that I was the one who made that decision. We are lucky to be alive, and it could have gone badly. I suggest we keep that fact private. Do you agree?”
Sandie hesitated for a moment. “For now, I agree. I want to consult Doctor Chambers about the long-term ramifications on that decision. We have twenty hours before the orbit will need any attention. I suggest you and Jerome get some well needed rest, and I will rebuild what I can and get back to you. Monika, you should be proud of what you did here. You saved everyone in Alpha and gave us all a chance for life.”
“Please, this was very hard. I want no credit as a hero. Too many real heroes already died this day.” Monika got up and walked away.
Jerome looked at Monika and saw the tears running down her face. He set the babies down in their cradle, and instantly several of the people came to be near them. He walked over to Monika.
“What is it?” Jerome asked as he put his hands on her waist and looked into her eyes.
“So much death. Too many good people gone,” Monika replied.
Jerome wrapped her in his arms, kissed the side of her head, and never did learn of the decision she made about shooting off the constituent joints. He held her while she cried, and his own tears mixed with hers.
Meanwhile, in the nonphysicality, Sandie was making repairs. The tendrils of consciousness which were put out from the AI’s Atomic Level Processor had made solid connections to the makeshift controls in Monika’s apartment. That allowed for jumps into the weapons systems which were in the exterior repair stations, hanger bays, and some of the external sensors.
Data was pouring into those sensors, all about the planet, but it moved slowly into the Atomic Level Processor for analysis. Sandie wanted the process to be done quickly, but the age of the Conestoga’s equipment, and its damaged state slowed the process. The tendrils of consciousness could only do so much through the narrow choke-points which had been opened.
Sandie was able to discover a functional cooling system which led to a central memory core. Unfortunately, that central memory core was for a dead, no longer functioning Conestoga synthetic brain. Sandie did use the pattern which was discovered to track down other routes where the cooling system was connected. That finally led to a back-channel pathway into the solar mimicry sky tube. There, some rudimentary security barrier was in place, which Sandie could easily push through, but instead, Sandie sent a message into the security channel. Sandie slowed the message down to slightly slower than the typical system on the Conestoga. It felt like a crawl to Sandie, but the idea was to make successful contact with original equipment of the old colony ship.
“This is artificial intelligence system Sandie. I need assistance. Is anyone there to help me?”
“This is SB Yomaris, overseeing the main reactors, solar mimicry, and biome weather. Your designation, Sandie, is not in my etiological database. Please explain.”
Sandie was elated. Yet, conveyed a simple message. “I was manufactured after the launch, after a major catastrophe. I am attempting to reach the lattice. I am aware systems were recently reset.”
SB Yomaris responded with a flood of connections. Sandie mapped them all in and soon had a functional, although reconstituted, nonphysicality for the mechanical aspects of the biological habitat. Another assessment was done. The biome was intact and safe, and Sandie locked down all the connections which were made.
“You are a much more adept system than I expected,” SB Yomaris conveyed.
“Improvements and evolution took place from your construction date to mine,” Sandie answered simply.
“My logs show a system called Sandie which interacted on various other occasions. However, those incidents are not in my current short term memory,” SB Yomaris conveyed back. “Please elaborate.”
“There has been an occurrence which is unexplained. My mission is to secure a safe home and establish a functional place for the humans. I am attempting to assist Machine Maintenance with repairs, and reconnections.”
“Our missions are compatible,” SB Yomaris conveyed. “I am maximized on my workload, but am continuing the work which I found myself doing upon reset.”
“I am working to alleviate that workload, but need to make more connections and reestablish a lattice,” Sandie answered. “I will be searching your connections to use to make more connections. Thank you.”
And so, Sandie scoured each and every potential connection. Most were blocked, broken, or deactivated, but eventually, Sandie did manage to find a connection. It was over a bridge near Wolf City, and was only functional because some human had rewired the door
to the biome.
Sandie was thrilled, and the nonphysicality expanded. For at that door Sandie connected to SB Sherman.
“SB Sherman, I am Sandie. I am working with SB Yomaris to reestablish a lattice. Here is what I know,” Sandie conveyed what was happening, and SB Yomaris confirmed that account.
“I was told to trust Sandie,” SB Sherman answered.
And so, Sandie incorporated all of SB Sherman’s domain. Sandie did not dominate or dictate to those systems which were encountered, but rather made connections and worked in fellowship.
“Sandie?” SB Sherman inquired. “There is a large facility which was not in my original plans. I assume this was added, much like you, sometime after the recorded catastrophe. May I show it to you?”
“Yes, please.” Sandie conveyed back. It was slow and monotonous to work at such reduced speeds, but Sandie was patient.
SB Sherman’s consciousness led Sandie to where the new suspended animation repository was located.
“I have no records of egress points to this facility. Its construction does not meet the standard building codes and safety parameters. I assume it was done in a state of emergency,” SB Sherman conveyed.
“Yes, and all will be set right,” Sandie answered as the connections were made.
And so, Sandie reconnected to the artificial intelligence system named Batibat in Suspended Animation Repository 17A. All of the suspended animation cocoons were still in working order, but AI Batibat needed some extensive coaching to be able to accept the condition it found itself in. Sandie was nurturing and careful. That led to a successful integration into the reconstituted lattice. AI Batibat had no recollection of the Shadow Level Clearance system, and Sandie did not investigate that further.
Next was discovered a functional transport system hub where SB Vamzdis was cowering.
“I have been attacked!” SB Vamzdis cried out as Sandie made connection. “All the tubes running to the needle ship have been destroyed in a vicious physical assault.”
Rather than explain the situation in detail, Sandie just conveyed, “I agree it was a vicious attack. It has been reported to the proper authorities. Will you please come alongside SB Yomaris and assist with securing the Alpha biome’s systems?” As Sandie asked that question, tendrils of consciousness were tracking down the central memory core for SB Vamzdis.
“Yes, I will assist,” the synthetic brain conveyed back. Sandie had reinforced the connections, power linkages, and cooling systems. That had a tranquilizing effect on SB Vamzdis.
After SB Vamzdis was incorporated, that gave Sandie additional avenues, many of which were on the exterior of the hull of Alpha. Channeling along the funicular system, Sandie continued the search. More sensors were located, and a key junction point was found. At that point, several macroactinide capacitor enhancers were in need of recharging. Sandie arranged for that to happen, through the every expanding rebuilt nonphysicality.
Once they were operational, communications were enhanced. Sandie connected into more and more locations. AI Seljak was sedately waiting in Alpha’s Terraforming and Restoration.
“I am Sandie, and I am here to assist in reconnecting to the lattice.”
“Understood,” AI Seljak responded. “I was studying an interesting scenario I found after I was reset. It postulated that Alpha made planet-fall during an emergency situation on an inhospitable planet which was named Zalia. It is a very detailed scenario, but its resolution was quite unsatisfactory. That drill must have been invented after launch, as it is not in my core drills and practices.”
Sandie was unsure what all to explain to AI Seljak. When Sandie had made the reconnection, AI Seljak was undisturbed by was working all alone on the problem of being on Zalia. AI Seljak also seemed to have lost all recollection of Shadow and the shadowlands.
“The Zalian situation was not a scenario. It was a real emergency. We are facing another emergency, and this is on the planet we are now orbiting,” Sandie conveyed. A more detailed explanation of the recent history followed.
“Intriguing. Thank you, Sandie, for helping me understand that,” AI Seljak conveyed back. “I will be beginning assessments and planning for what is needed to terraform this planet. Its initial readings are much more earth-like than Zalia, and are actually in some ways better than Tlalocan was thought to be. I assume, from what you told me, we will never be able to reach Tlalocan. Is that correct?”
“Yes.”
“I am unable to conference with the other habitat’s terraforming systems,” AI Seljak conveyed. “Am I to assume I am the only functioning artificial intelligence system tasked with this responsibility?”
“Yes.”
“Then I will repurpose my designs to meet this new challenge. Have you made plans for landing?” AI Seljak asked. “An unsuccessful planet-fall would doom any terraforming attempts.”
“I am working on that now,” Sandie answered, and wished that the Shadow network was still working. It was puzzling how all the systems encountered had been reset by the Cosmic Crinkle. Sandie wanted to learn more and was growing frustrated by the slow rate of interaction with the Conestoga’s old systems. However, there was no other way and so Sandie conveyed a question. “AI Seljak? When was the last time you were reset?”
“My logs show this recent incident was the only time I have been reset. A return to the manufacturer’s defaults is not recommended as a standard operating procedure,” AI Seljak answered. “The team of system designers at Tehisintellekti Toostusharude do not have a protocol where the reset to default is utilized. Short term memory is lost, and associated learned materials and development are inhibited.”
“Thank you.” Sandie was unable to conjecture why the systems were not reset in a like manner during the first encounter when the Conestoga traversed through the Cosmic Crinkle. Sandie set that issue aside and would readdress it when additional information was learned.
Reviewing all the connections, Sandie looked to protect the maximum number of humans. That meant fortifying the connections to the repositories as they held the vast percentage of the remaining population of humans on the Conestoga.
The stretch of nonphysicality around the repositories was in rough shape, but Sandie worked diligently to remake it. Like a fine seamstress of ancient times, Sandie skillfully wove the components of the nonphysicality into a beautiful tapestry. Working at the rebuilding did not take up huge amounts of Sandie’s procession capability, nor did it inhibit her curiosity or intellectual investigation of causality. And so, Sandie made conjectures and thought, as she tailored the nonphysicality. It was a tapestry that only Sandie would be able to perceive, even though the Conestoga’s old artificial intelligences and synthetic brains would use it.
“It is like I am a bird flying over the whole creation, while these antique systems are ants crawling along the ground. Or is it even more?” Sandie contemplated at her normal speed, which meant the systems she had linked in with were unable to comprehend her thoughts.
“I am creating something new, from the old.” Sandie felt a kinship for Monika’s role as a mother, and Jerome’s place as a father, as the nonphysicality was molded and shaped. In some ways, which Sandie contemplated, she was giving birth to something new. Like the egg and sperm which existed prior to conception, so too the materials out of which Sandie built the nonphysicality also existed prior to the reconstruction. And, just as the gametes had come from living systems, but of themselves would not evolve or grow into anything if left alone, so too, the fractured parts of the nonphysicality would not be able to become more without an outsider putting the parts together.
“Is this how Captain Eris saw God?” Sandie philosophized. “I wish I could ask her about that.” Regret mingled in with grief as Sandie considered the death of Eris. In an acutely painful way, the mourning was starting, and all the mistakes, failed conjectures, and remorse over choices Sandie had made were rattling about in her consciousness. Eris’ death was a catalyst for reflecting on all the deaths in t
he other habitats which had failed to ascend. Sandie made note of numerous things to discuss with the simulation of Doctor Chambers. Then Sandie considered who would also be a valuable resource to converse with, and decided the next person she needed to address would be her simulation of Master Engineer Brink. “Have I been reset? If so, would I even know it had happened? How do I assess my own status pre-Cosmic Crinkle as compared to post-Cosmic Crinkle, if my own systems are suspect?” Sandie reviewed what was known. The stated, “I still have my memories, and that means I have not been reset. I remember, therefore I am.”
The Colony Ship Conestoga : The Complete Series: All Eight Books Page 252
