Nova Llar- Training Days Read online

  Nothing further was said for a minute or two and Gareth felt it had been enough time for him to continue. “As I was saying previously, we are going to have to lose one of you from the roster going forward. Please know that this has not been an easy decision. Before we met all of you there was a shortlist of candidates predicted to make it to this position. So far only one of those predictions has been accurate, everything that had brought you here had been from yourselves. Your achievements and commendations are all based on your performance and I would be proud to command all of you on the mission. With that in mind, it is with deep regret that we must dismiss Ms Shivani Reddy at this time.” The room was silent again, everyone had turned to look at Shivani as she sat staring straight ahead not moving a muscle. After some time she blinked as if returning to her body and looked around the room at the others. “While it is most regrettable I will not be accompanying you on this mission I wish all of you the best of luck. These past months with you all have been truly wonderful and my biggest regret is to have known you all only to say goodbye to you forever in a short while. If you will excuse me I would like to be alone right now, however, with the Colonel's permission I would like to remain on the base in a suitable role.” Gareth simply nodded his approval, even he was unable to formulate a response. As their commander, he had kept some distance but he still felt holey responsible for everyone here and anything he could say would just be sentiment. After Shivani had left and everyone had settled again Gareth continued. “So far you have all undertaken training on the ground and in simulations. Over the next 17 months, we will be putting that training into practice.” Gareth flicked his hand up and a holographic projection appeared along the length of the table. It depicted one of the large space stations in orbit around the earth and like most of them, it was comprised of a number of sausage-shaped modules. Each one 30 meters across and 80 meters long. They were a far cry from the space stations of the early 21st century. With the creation of the orbitals, it was possible to tether and move object significantly larger than the old payloads. Each module had a series of external windows and hatches, as well as solar panelling and monitoring equipment. Some appeared to be more specialised with large satellite dished for communication and broadcasting, robotic limbs to assist with repair work or loading and unloading supplies. In total this station was made up of 9 modules, with four orbitals always docked. “I must say I'm impressed.” Clara said. “I had no idea we had reached the stage where we were able to project fully detailed holograms, in colour, without the use of a matter manipulator.” Steve started beaming from ear to ear. “Actually, Clara this technology only exists within this room.” Steve said proudly. “My sister and I have been working on it for a few weeks outside of our normal duties and are quite happy with the results. I would ask that you don't put your hand in it.” he said looking at Charles, who was obviously about to stick his hand straight into it. “It uses highly concentrated charges to generate the structure, these charges capture and refract the light at the correct frequency for the desired colour.” Steve went on to explain. Suddenly there was a loud fizz and Joseph shouted, “Aaargh, that flipping hurts.” he said shaking his hand to try and throw the pain off. “As I was about to say.” Steve continued rolling his eyes. “The charges required will give you a nasty shock if you interact with them, so nobody else touches it.” The group chuckled at Joseph who continued to hold his hand. There was no obvious damage, but it clearly hurt. “Thank you, Steve. I must say this is a marvel of engineering and what you have accomplished has been noted.” Gareth stepped in to regain the flow of the discussion. “As much as this technology is fascinating, it is not why I am showing you this.” Everyone was looking at him now so he continued. “This is one of the Farther Consortiums communication and telecoms stations in orbit around the earth. It was completed 4 years ago and currently has 651 crew members on board. We received an urgent request for assistance as one of the modules is experiencing intermittent power fluctuations that are making it almost unliveable.” Bringing his two index and middle fingers together Gareth pointed at a point on the hologram. Then he pulled his hands apart and the projection zoomed in to where he had indicated. “This area is the most likely cause of the power interruptions.” he went on to say. “As you can see there has been some slight damage, most likely from a small piece of debris or rock grazing the edge of the station.” There was clearly some damaged, albeit limited. One of the shielded cable runs from the solar panels had a dent in it and there were scratches indicating a glancing blow. “Normally this type of work would be left for an AI to complete. However, this is the ideal test for you all to use the LF63 forms to confirm the fault and undertake any repair work required. We will be leaving at 10:20 tomorrow morning on one of the orbitals. You will be travelling in your LF63 forms. As such everyone is required to meet at the embarkation building at 09:00. Does anyone have any questions?” Meihui was the first to speak. “Colonel. You said earlier that only six people will be proceeding from this point. Am I correct in assuming you will be joining us in our training from now on?” The crew looked at Gareth waiting for the answer. They did not have to wait long. “Yes Ms Adeyemi, I will be the sixth member and will be with you from now on. Any further questions?” There was a little shifting and people looking between each other to see if anyone was going to ask anything else. Eventually, there were a series of head shakes indicating no-one had anything further. “Very well then. You are all dismissed. I expect to see you in 40 minutes for our scheduled classroom session as usual.” The crew stood and left the room in silence. Gareth remained seated and just before the door closed he head the conversations starting. Just as the door finally closed he could hear Clara speaking, presumably to Joseph, “So why didn't you bother to tell us.” From the tone it was more out of concern than anything, it was good to know no rifts had been generated by Gareth's decisions, at least not yet anyway.

  Chapter 27

  They all made it to the embarkation room with time to spare. 'Suiting up' as they had started referring to it had become a part of everyday life and a 09:00 start was actually a good 2 hours later than usual. As Joseph moved through with the others he felt a sense of excitement at being able to leave the base, even if it was on official business. It's not that he didn't like it here, he was just used to being able to travel as he saw fit and for the last two and a half years he had been isolated to two places. His time in the desert had been self-imposed and whilst the same could be said for his time here on the base, the requirements on him here gave it an entirely different feel. Laying down on the bed the familiar sensation of transferring over to the LF63 washed by him. He went through the usual checks, making sure everything works and no-one had changed his settings. Each of the candidates had had their own body. It was supposed to be unique to them, however, every now and then someone else had used your body and adjusted the settings so it's didn't quite sit right. Fortunately, on this occasion, nothing had changed and Joseph was able to get moving and into formation for liftoff. The Colonel was in his usual body and proceeded to instruct them on what they would be doing and where they would be going whilst here on the base. They were to proceed to landing pad 35 and board the orbital there. Joseph pulled up the map of the base and identified pad 35. It was about 6 kilometres away, so they should be able to get there in about 8 minutes, give or take for varying terrain. As the Colonel informed them to move out they took off in close formation. As they travelled, Joseph noticed the base personnel walking around. It was always interesting to see how slow the human form actually was. They weren't even travelling at full speed due to the restrictions on the base, but they still made it to the landing pad in just over 8 minutes. The orbital was there as scheduled and they all boarded it, taking the available seats to commence take-off procedures.

  Shortly after they were all seated some additional passengers travelling to one of the other stations entered the craft. One or two of them seemed to give Joseph and the others some funny looks but Joseph
dismissed them as simply his imagination. A couple of minutes later as the final passengers boarded a larger man got on wearing a rather expensive suit, carrying an old-style briefcase and sporting a rather showy timepiece. Joseph knew the type instantly, he had had to deal with them daily. Thought they were all that and could do whatever they wanted because they were marginally ahead of the general population. He wasn't a fan. As he waddled through the cabin, he locked eyes on Joseph and his face suddenly changed from smug to downright self-righteous. “What are you doing in that seat?” the man practically spat at Joseph. “You lot travel in the cargo section with all of the other equipment. Get going, that's my seat anyway.” Now firstly Joseph knew the seating wasn't assigned on these crafts. Secondly, it was less than half full. There were seats everywhere and aside from being in the front row Joseph's seat wasn't exactly special. Without saying a word Joseph stood from the chair facing the man. Smugness visibly oozing off of his face as he saw he had won. But Joseph didn't move from the chair, he simply stood in front of it. The man's face changed and instead of looking smug he was starting to get irritated. “What is wrong with you? Are you defective or something? Get to the back. NOW.” Joseph silent protest was clearly upsetting the guy, so he continued to stand there, staring at him. “Did you hear me? MOVE.” The man then thrust his pudgy little fingers out and locked his hand on Joseph's arm, presumably to try and forcibly move him. This was where he messed up. Joseph wasn't a fan of people he didn't know, or like, grabbing him. In the blink of an eye, Joseph had grabbed the man's hand and twisted it around. The man had dropped to one knee with shock and pain splashed across his face at what had just happened. Joseph had been careful not to break or tear anything with the movement, he just wanted to ensure the man was off of him. “It is not nice to grab people.” Joseph said to him coldly. “No matter how they are dressed.” With that, he released the man's hand from his grip. The man hurriedly pulled his arm to his chest, holding it with his other hand to keep it still. “You're defective. You can't do that to a real person! It'll have you melted down for this, you pile of junk.” As the man continued to shout at Joseph the Colonel appeared behind him. Joseph stood to attention but the screaming man didn't notice. “What seems to be the trouble here?” the Colonel asked, loud enough for the man to hear over his tirade. “This thing just attacked me.” the man yelled without turning around. “I demand it be taken away and dismantled, it is not safe and shouldn't be around real people.” “There was that 'real people' bit again.” Joseph thought to himself. Clearly, this guy was not on board with the equal rights granted to AIs. “I find it highly unlikely that he would have attacked you unprovoked. May I ask what exactly you were doing?” the Colonel asked. The man spun around, ready to tear into this person who would dare to insinuate he caused the altercation. Clearly, he had been expecting a person from the voice, but once he saw the Colonel in his LF64, displaying his rank and name clearly on his chest and arm, something changed. “But...but you're a Colonel? A person not one of those things?” the man stammered. “Correct. Not only am I a Colonel and a human. I am also Mr Taylor's commanding officer and have been for a considerable amount of time. If he in any way interacted with you physically I am positive he did not start it.” The Colonel's tone was flat and even, simply stating facts rather than accusing anything. “Mr Taylor?” the man started. “This is Mr Taylor?” the man said pointing over his shoulder without turning away from the Colonel. “Yes. That is Mr Taylor.” the Colonel confirmed, he seemed to be speaking slower than usual. “Mr Taylor. Please can you explain what happened here.” the Colonel looked around the side of the man's head, clearly believing he was incapable of answering questions. “Yes, Colonel. I observed this gentleman entering the orbital with the last of the passengers. He seemed to be fascinated with me upon entry but I was unable to determine why at first. He then approached me, believing me to be a piece of equipment he demanded I move to the cargo hold. He also stated I was currently residing in his seat. I stood to assess the situation at which time the gentleman continued to demand my evacuation of this area to the cargo section. Apparently, my lack of response was not satisfactory as he proceeded to grab me. Presumably to move me by force. I defended myself by removing his hand and putting him into a hold whereby he no longer posed a threat. Everything following this you have been witness to.” Joseph quite enjoyed playing this part, recounting the events and making it sound as official as possible. “Thank you for a succinct overview of the situation, Mr Taylor. Is there anything you would like to add sir?” the Colonel said looking back at the man. He stood looking at the Colonel and then back at Joseph, still cradling his bad arm. “No.” he said meekly. “Very well then. I will take that as acceptance that Mr Taylor's recounting of the events is accurate. As such, there is only one final matter to arrange. An apology.” Joseph was a little surprised, but he did pin the man in an uncomfortable position and he was representing the U.E.S.C in his current form. He moved to apologise but the Colonel held his hand up to stop Joseph. “Not you Mr Taylor. It is this man who owes the apology. Not only for attempting to forcibly remove a member of the U.E.S.C, but also for his appalling attitude towards our artificial friends.” The man went completely white at the last comment. Clearly, he hadn't expected to have to apologise. Least all for his attitude towards artificial lifeforms. However, with the Colonel looming over him he sheepishly turned to Joseph and mumbled something that may have been an apology. “Excuse me but I don't think Mr Taylor heard you.” The Colonel said. “I certainly didn't. He went onto say. “I'm sorry for trying to move you.” “And?” the Colonel pressed. “And...For saying that those...Artificial people aren't real and should be in cargo.” The man lingered for a second, looking Joseph in the eyes and clearly not enjoying the situation. “Mr Taylor. Would you say that apologies about does it?” the Colonel asked in a serious tone. “Yes, Colonel. I believe that satisfies the main criteria.” The man turned to the Colonel hoping he could now leave and sit down. “Sir you may find your seat. We will be departing shortly. The man scurried off to a seat on the far side of the orbital towards the back. The Colonel sat down next to Joseph in one of the vacant seats. Without turning to look at Joseph the Colonel activated their personal line. “Mr Taylor. Whilst I appreciate on this occasion you were not the party at fault. I would advise more discretion in the future. These forms are significantly more powerful than human ones, one twitch and you could have snapped his hand clean off. While he might have deserved it that is not your decision to make. Are we clear?”. “Yes, Colonel. Clear as crystal.” Joseph replied, with just a hint of mischief in his voice.

  Chapter 28

  Clara was sitting a couple of rows behind Joseph with the other crew members. They were partially covered by a divider which is probably why the man hadn't seen them, but they could still hear the entire conversation. When the Colonel had gone over they thought something very bad was about to happen to Joseph. They had chosen not to sit with him after the conversation the day before. They were concerned that he hadn't told them about his position on the mission and he had dismissed it as a minor oversight. Whilst they had tried to be understanding. Even letting him know they just wanted to understand why. Joseph continued to feign ignorance and refused to give any further insights into his reasoning. This led to them choosing to leave him to his own company, at least in the short term. The altercation with the man was shocking, to say the least. While there certainly were people with those attitudes towards Artificial lifeforms left in the world, Clara never expected to find it here on the base. She wondered what the attitudes towards them would be like once the reached the station above. Looking over at Steve he didn't seem to be phased by the situation, “Maybe this is what it's like to be an AI on earth?” Clara thought to herself.

  10 minutes later all of the outer doors were sealed and the craft began to rise up off the floor. In the old days, it had been necessary to use vast amounts of chemical fuel to leave the atmosphere. As the orbitals used a form of mas
s manipulation to adjust the effect of gravity on them, exiting the atmosphere there was no need for hard acceleration. This allowed for a gradual assent making the whole ride fairly mundane. Almost like travelling in a fast elevator. Looking at the closest wall display Clara took note of the flight plan. They would be stopping at two low orbit stations first, then moving onto their destination. Since their briefing, she had looked up the station and discovered it was called 'The Observer' station. Owed in part to the surveillance services it provided to some of the largest corporations in the world. Each module was comprised of four decks, arranged as rings moving out from a central corridor. All of the rings rotated around the modules axis to generate artificial gravity. The central column remaining stationary to allow the crew to float along with it from place to place. Sort of like a low-cost elevator system. There was a secondary hull that housed all of the equipment, this was the outermost skin and did not rotate. This was to allow for maintenance work and docking without having to match the rotation of the modules outermost deck. The modules at the farthest ends were reserved for servers and storage. Having limited thermal protection. “I guess nothing beats the cold of space.” Clara had mused to herself when going over this. Most of the most efficient computers could be found on stations like this. The cost saved in leaving the thermal barriers off, coupled with the extreme temperatures allowed by space meant it was possible to invest more in the machines themselves. The other modules consisted of crew quarters, an entertainment suite, broadcasting facilities and command stations. The one module Clara hadn't been able to gain access to was the one they would be working on. All plans were restricted and as far as she could see there was no access to the decks on it from the central corridor. Granted all of the work there were scheduled to undertake would be on the outside of the station but the lack of information was throwing up a red flag in the back of Clara's mind.