Nova Llar- Training Days Read online

  Colonel: “Charles is going to make it Clara.”

  Clara: “How could you possibly know that?”

  Colonel: “Despite the fact he was never officially chosen for this mission, he is going to Nova Llar. Not because he is your assistant. Not because we could use some young blood. But because he is one of the most dedicated and talented young men, I have ever had the pleasure to know. He is strong-willed and of all of us is the most capable of pulling through this.”

  Clara raised her head to look at the Colonel. There were no more words that needed to be said. All they could do now was wait.

  Chapter 34

  The light streamed through the windows into Clara’s eyes as she woke up. It had been 4 days since they returned from the space station and this was the first sleep she had had. Everything after the mission had been a blur and she had remained his her LF unit right up until the last minute just, so she could stay with Charles. The engineers had worked tirelessly to try and stabilize him, at least enough to transfer his consciousness out. After 53 hours of work, they managed to get his systems up to just 13%. It was enough to get some minor systems online, but not enough to get him out of the unit. They had activated his visual and auditory processors, along with his speech synthesiser so at least they could talk now. He couldn’t say much because if he spoke too long the power started to dip, as such Clara was holding off on the questions, she really wanted to ask in favour of things to keep him occupied. It was at his request she transferred back to her human form and got some rest. “He’s always looking out for me.” Clara said to herself as she shuffled around the room grabbing clothes to wear. “Even when I treated him badly, he still looked after me.” As she sat down contemplating the relationship she had developed with her young friend, the door indicated someone was there. Wiping away the tear she hadn’t even realised had started to roll down her cheek she motioned for the door to unlock. “Come in.” she called out, her voice breaking slightly. Steve entered the room with the same heavy looks he had had since their return from the station. “Good morning Clara.” He said. “I just thought you would like to know they have managed to get his power levels up to 13.3% now. They are still working on it and hope to have him out in short order.” Clara thought Steve sounded optimistic, but it was difficult to tell right now. “Thank you, Steve. Who is with him?” The crew had opted to take it in turns to stay with Charles until he could leave the LF unit and return to his own body. No-one had even mentioned the fact he was now much further past the potential point of failure for his human body, there were always other options. “Currently Mitaire is with him.” Steve replied. After Clara nearly knocked her head off, Mitaire had apologised for her statement and dedicated herself to getting Charles into his own body. Her background in engineer help a little, however, these units were not her area of expertise so at best she was there to support Charles. “Do you think they will be able to stabilise the power core enough to get him out of there?” Clara asked longingly. The unit was so badly damaged it dipped to 2.6% of it’s usual operating capacity within the first 7 hours of the engineer’s work. If it hadn’t been for Steve suggesting externally charging some of the smaller capacitors, they would have lost Charles then and there. Since then Clara had become almost fully dependent on Steve’s updates and opinions on the matter. “We have come a long way in a few days Clara.” Steve said with a smile. “Provided all of the patches and hotfixes maintain I am confident he will be out of that body before we know it.” Clara returned the smile but in truth, she didn’t feel like smiling. The man trapped in that body was a young, healthy and vibrant individual. He had family and friend that loved him, and he should have years ahead of him to experience life. Was it fair of her to have insisted he join her on the mission? Clara turned back to look out of the Window as the sun continued to rise. “Is there anything else you need?” Steve asked her with a perfect level of calm in his voice. “No thank you, Steve. I just need some time to think for a while.” The only indication Steve had left the room was the door sealing after sliding shut, leaving Clara alone with her thoughts once again.

  “It’s your move.” Joseph said as he sat in the chair next to Charles’ bed. ‘Bed’ may have been too generous a term for it, it was just a workbench that had been positioned in the middle to see out of a window. “Sorry.” Charles responded without any real feeling in his voice. “Knight to D4.”. He had been getting more and more distracted with each passing day. Joseph couldn’t say he didn’t understand. Charles was fully aware of what was happening, and he knew his old body was pretty much beyond the point of no return. At best he would be moved into a clone body if one was ready, most likely thought he would just get another LF unit. That was if they could ever get the power levels up to 16%. Joseph looked down at the spot Charles’ lower half should be. In its place were a series of power cables, tubing and various wires, all of which was maintaining his current power output. The engineers were having a lot of trouble keeping everything running, the LF units were not designed to run on external power sources. Sure, they could be charged externally but the interface for that on Charles’ body had been damaged beyond repair, plus the relays responsible for converting that power was completely shot. The only way to replace them safely was to power down the unit but powering it down in its current condition could very well wipe the storage modules and Charles out. Joseph moved the piece as requested and made his move. This game had been going for 3 days now. Charles had been stuck here for 6 in total and the best the engineers had managed to get up to was 14.7%. Joseph knew the challenges in getting the power levels up in a unit that was effectively bleeding energy everywhere, all he could do was be here for his friend. “Do you ever think about death?” Charles said out of nowhere. Joseph wasn’t surprised by the question so much as why Charles would be talking to him about it. “Sometimes I do, yes.” He replied warily. This conversation could get very uncomfortable very quickly. “Do you think there is anything more than this? Are we just here one minute and gone the next?” Charles pressed. These were the kinds of conversations Joseph had had with his mother towards the end, except he had been the one asking them, not her. “I’m honestly not sure.” He replied quietly. “When my mother was dying a few years ago we had a similar conversation. Except I was the one asking questions and she just seemed to have all of the answers.” Joseph could feel his eyes starting to mist up, this was still a sore topic for him and he didn’t usually like talking about it. “What did she say?” there was something different in Charles’ voice now, hope maybe? “She said she knew where she was going. She was a Christian. Not one of those ones you hear about who puts up a good front and then does all sorts behind closed doors. She was a real person who had a real relationship with Jesus. At least that’s what she said.” Joseph was finding it easier to talk the more he went one, maybe it was because he didn’t know how long Charles would be around but talking to him helped. “She said Jesus loved her and had forgiven her. She had a guaranteed place in heaven no matter what. Personally, I can’t say I was on the same page then, or even now. She had her faith, she shared it with me, but I don’t know what I got from it.” Joseph finished, staring straight forward at the wall covered in tools. There was a long pause where no-one said anything. The room had gone eerily quiet and all you could hear were far off sounds from the workshops outside the door. “Would you tell me more about her?” Charles asked. Joseph hesitated for a second but then went on to tell Charles everything he could remember about his mother. How she had grown up an orphan and fought her way up to become something more in the world. How she had described finding her faith and how she felt it led her in whatever she was doing. He went over the founding of his family business and its growth and success under her leadership. All the times they had shared together just being mother and son, enjoying each other’s company and being a family. Finally, he covered the end and how even up until the end she had continued to do whatever she could to help other people. By the end of it, all Joseph felt
he had lived his entire life over in just a few short minutes and Charles remained silently staring up at the ceiling. There was a calm in the room and even though there were no words being said there was nothing uncomfortable about it, they were both just at peace.

  Chapter 35

  It was 2:30 in the morning when Gareth got the call. He had immediately rushed over to the repair facility to be there for the transfer process. Three weeks had gone by since they had returned from the space station. The testimony from the AI’s had resulted in an investigatory committee being sent to review the station practices. In the immediate aftermath, the Commander and his close crew had been stripped of their positions and removed from the station. A new temporary crew had been brought in to replace them. The mistreatment of the AI’s had already sparked several debates in the solar system. Predominantly regarding their place in society and how abuses like this could occur so close to Earth itself. After all, there were supposed to be safeguards and rules in place to prevent abuses like this from happening. Following on from the initial swift action of the committee more difficult decisions needed to be made. For one the owning interest of the station may need to be transferred to another organisation or institution. Secondly, there would certainly be heavy fines imposed on the Farther Consortium and stricter monitoring put in place for all their facilities. Right now, Gareth as more concerned with the imminent procedure facing Charles.

  The engineers had managed to get the power levels up to 15.7%. It was technically just within the minimum recommended safety limit however a transfer at these power levels had never been attempted. There was a much higher probability of failure. Whilst it was almost certain at least some data would make it through the transfer there was no guarantee everything would make it. Since Charles’ power levels had plateaued 6 days ago, they were running the risk he could deteriorate, losing the opportunity to at least try. They were running the remaining power facilities within the unit at 130% of their intended capacity. They could easily burn out at any moment. Ultimately the decision had been left to Charles. He had spoken at length with the Engineers as well as other members of the crew before reaching his decision. In the end, he reasoned that either way this could be his end, he may as well try the one option that could give him more time. Gareth wasn’t happy about the situation but understood the desire to act, even if it meant Charles’ end.

  Walking into the room, Gareth was one of the third ones there. Only beaten by Clara and Mitaire. Both had set up stations for themselves in the building and were never more than a minute away if Charles needed anything. Following the earlier tension caused by Mitaires’ comment, they had built a closer relationship than before. They were now practically inseparable, however, whether this would last after this situation was anyone’s guess. It was one of the larger workshops in the facility. Most of the equipment had been cleared out to accommodate everyone but it was obvious the room had been active until very recently, with clean patches on the floor and walls gave clues to the room’s previous setup. There were grease streaks and burn marks indicating the most frequented sections of the room and the faint smell of soldered electronics and melted plastic. Charles had been propped up in the centre of the room on a small raised platform for the procedure. He would be being transferred into a fresh LF unit during this procedure and then into a clone body once it was ready in another two weeks. His original body had failed 3 days ago. It lasted much longer than they anyone expected but ultimately a body without a soul can only last so long. He had requested to be in this position and for all his friends to be present so if this was the end, he could look them in the eye to reassure them it was no-one’s fault.

  Over the next few minutes, everyone else filed into the room for the procedure. The transfer would be initiated from a terminal setup in the next room where the new body had been arranged. Usually, transfers occurred over significant distances, as such the units lacked a short-range transfer capability. The Engineers had grafted some short-range packs to both Charles and the new unit to complete the work. None of the work carried out had been pretty, a dust sheet had been used to cover everything to afford Charles some dignity.

  “Thank you all for coming.” Charles began. “This is all pretty weird I have to admit. A few weeks ago, we were all ready to go to the start. Now I’m in a broken and battered body waiting to see if I make it through or not.” He paused as if composing his thoughts to continue. “I have had a good life and while I would like to continue it, I would not change anything that happened on that station.” Charles was smiling at Clara when he said then. They had been having long conversations since the incident and her mood as of late did seem to be improved. “There are many things I would like to say to each of you. Like the bond that has formed between us and the fun, we have had together. I would like to reminisce with each of you, but time is an important factor here, so I will keep it brief. Thank you for making me a part of this family. Each of you has provided me with your own view on what may or may not come next. I have come to my own conclusions after weighing up the options and thanks to Joseph have confidence in what will happen to me after this.” A few people glanced at Joseph who remained fully focused on Charles in front of them. Gareth wasn’t sure exactly what had been said between them, but he was aware of Joseph’s background and upbringing, so he had an idea. “Should this be the last time we every talk I have just one request to ask of all of you. Keep this family together and make it to Nova Llar. Maintain the hope that the Solar System is just our beginning and with the right push there is nothing we can’t do, together.” Charles smiled and indicated to the technician to commence the procedure. The technician set to work bringing the short-range relays online and initiating the transfer. Usually, it is instantaneous as the unit has enough power reserves to draw upon, however in this case Charles current unit was slowly being drained to facilitate the exchange. Charles should be completely unaware during the procedure, however watching the light slowly fading from him, and a faint hum emanating from the equipment to indicate the transfer was surprisingly chilling to Gareth. The seconds felt like hours as the crew simply stood watching, not knowing if this was going to work but each secretly praying or hoping for the best outcome. Every now and then Charles would twitch. The engineers explained this was a normal process as some energy was stored in micro capacitors around the joins for short bursts of movement when these drained. The discharge caused the joints to fire. After 124 seconds the technician started to mumble to himself, he hands moving over the display making additional corrections, looking up at Charles every now and then. Gareth noticed and stepped back to stand next to him and see what was happening. The readouts on the screen were starting to indicate red patches between the usual solid green lines. Gareth knew instantly what they meant, data fragmentation. As the technician worked on correcting the degradation, more and more red patches started to appear. Despite his best efforts, the rate of data loss was increasing, and Gareth could only stand there watching it happen. Fortunately, no-one else in the room had noticed, there were no indications coming from Charles himself, for them, it was a very peaceful process. The first anyone else knew about the issue was the technician banging his fist on the side of the console and swearing. The power levels had dropped too fast during the initial transfer and now there wasn’t enough left to keep all the memory banks running. As other members of the crew hurried around to see the console, the red patches grew longer and longer, until they were the dominant feature interspersed with spots of green. The room grew quieter and quieter until the only sound was the faint hum of the transfer modules.

  Chapter 36

  The whole crew had been devastated by Charles’ death. They were all trying to deal with their grief. But for Clara it was too much to bear. She had requested special dispensation to leave the base and was currently on route to her family home in Scotland. Sitting staring out of the rain covered window she was so lost in her own mind she didn’t even feel them touch down. Acknowledging the pilot,
she stepped down from the transport and walked the last few dozen meters to her destination.

  As Clara walked into her family home on the outskirts of Kircaldy she was met with the familiar smell of home cooking, and rich oak veneer from the panelling in the hallway. From above her, there was a large bang, followed by a clatter of feet moving along the ceiling to the top of the stairs. Clara suspected the owner of the noise, but it wasn’t until they reached the bottom of the top flight of stairs and spun around the bannister onto the second set, she could confirm this. “Clarabell.” Her sister squealed as she practically launched herself down the stairs. “Hello, sweet pea.” Clara force a smile as she opened her arms to receive her sister. The force of the impact took Clara by surprise and the two of them ended up in a heap on the floor. “You certainly have gotten bigger.” Clara chuckled. “It’s been 5 years Sis. People tend to grow in that time.” Her sister responded jovially. “Has it really been 5 years?” Clara asked absentmindedly. “You must be nearly 17 then.” Her sisters face shifted into a playful pout. “I’m 19 and you know it.” With that, she pushed up off Clara and held out her hand to help her up. The two stood in an embrace in the hallway. All the while Clara could feel her composure slipping. She wanted to desperately not to bring her sister into her sorrow. As if sensing something was wrong her sister pulled back, examining Clara’s face. “Clara. Are you ok?” she asked softly. “I’m fine.” Clara said, tears filling her eyes. “Who else is here?” With that her sister took Clara’s hand, leading her down the hallway to the kitchen.

  As they approached the door at the end of the hallway, they could hear music and singing coming from the room. Her Mother didn’t have the best voice, but she certainly gave her all. Clara couldn’t help but be taken back to the days when she used to help her mother preparing meals in the family restaurant. There had always been a strong bond between them. Even when Clara had announced she would be pursuing science instead. Her mother had understood. Clara never had an aptitude for cooking as an art. As Clara pushed the door open her mother turned with the mixing bowl in her hand and smiled. Despite the control Clara was trying to execute she wasn’t prepared for the sharp pain she felt in her stomach at that moment. With the tears continuing to form in her eyes Clara brought her hands up to her face and began sobbing. Before she had time to say anything her mother was in front of her, holding Clara’s in her arms tightly. Unable to contain herself Clara started bawling uncontrollably. Doing what only a mother can do, her mother pulled her in tighter and held her as she cried. Clara was in complete turmoil with her emotions. Her usually balance mind was crumbling around her and she didn’t know what to do about it. Relinquishing herself fully to the embrace Clara just cried with her mother. Enjoying this familiar embrace.