00 Prologue
Here we go...
Part One
Year: 50 SC (2449 CE)
Kaishi sat in the honorary guests’ section next to Meizhen, her seventeen-year-old daughter, as the ceremony was about to begin. She felt out of place sitting amidst former ARC captains and some of the most prominent politicians and scientists. The hall buzzed with excited conversations among the several hundred attendees. A hush fell over the crowd when the president walked out to the podium. She appeared distinguished in her ceremonial dark blue officer uniform. Despite her age, she stood tall and straight.
“Ladies and gentlemen, citizens. I’m thrilled to commence the Semi-Centennial celebrations here at the newly opened Journey Museum. We’ve come a long way and bested the odds to stand here today. Fifty years ago, we celebrated the completion of this magnificent station we call Abalone or simply ‘Home.’ Yet it is so much more than that. A platform for humanity! Built on top of the very ships that carried us here. Today, we remember and mourn the loss of our true home, Earth, and all those who sacrificed their lives for us to be here. We commemorate the countless deaths in the destruction of the Victoria ARC. We’re solaced by the small miracle that took place with that tragedy. I’m delighted that one of our honorary guests today, Kaishi Jantis, who, as a baby girl, was the sole survivor. She’s here today with her daughter, symbolizing our quest to carry humanity into the future…”
As the president spoke, Meizhen squeezed her mother's hand and beamed with joy at the mention of their names in front of the entire nation. Kaishi, however, would have preferred to stay at home. But how could she refuse a personal invitation from the president herself, who also happened to be the captain of the ship that rescued her? Kaishi didn't know how to react when the applause began, so she squeezed her daughter's hand back and tried to smile, ignoring the camera drones hovering above pointing their acute sensors at her.
“… Today, today we also turn our eyes to the future as the construction of a new station is already in full swing. Once completed, it will house millions as we continue to grow. Regardless of whether Planet C, or ‘Grandpa’ as it’s more fondly called, ever proves habitable…”
The rest of the speech faded into the background as Kaishi let her thoughts drift away. After the speech, she was ushered along with the president to the great hall. To her astonishment, the newest addition to the museum was unveiled. It was the drone converted to a life-pod that carried her to safety as a baby. Dazed, Kaishi found herself standing next to the tall woman for the media to digitally enshrine the moment. They stood by the silvery vehicle, resembling the carcass of a large beast. It made her sick to her stomach. If only they knew...
Meizhen must have noticed her discomfort and excused herself in between the reporters and guests who were trying to question her. Her daughter then quickly whisked her away from the crowd. “Some people resented me, you know,” Kaishi said when they reached a quiet section of the museum, walking arm in arm. “What?” her daughter asked. “Oh, most were happy or even in awe of my so-called miracle. But some begrudged the fact that I was the only survivor. Especially those few who had friends or distant family on the Victoria.”
“That’s terrible, mother,” Meizhen said, her simple face scrunched in a scowl. “Just human nature, my love.”
The museum was ensconced on the top level of the Abalone station, its circular building positioned at the very edge of the station. To their right, they could see the concave side-wall, which was transparent, offering a view of the vast expanse of space. The big planet they orbited was on the opposite side of the station. On this side, they could see the skeleton of what was to be the greatest structure ever built by mankind. Massive platforms carrying arrays of projectors turned the patch of the dark void into a bright spot. The illumination exposed the frame of the second station-to-be with countless vehicles, machines, and drones whizzing around.
“I suppose we won’t be going anywhere soon.” her daughter said, her eyes straining to take in the activity of all that machinery at the distance. “You mean humanity?” Kaishi asked, and her daughter nodded. Kaishi looked at her daughter appreciatively from the side and said nothing. She supposed Meizhen was right about that.
Gathering herself, Kaishi turned to her daughter and said, “Meizhen, there’s something I need to tell you, and it will not be easy to comprehend. But you’re old enough now to understand. It’s something I’ve wanted to tell you for a long time, driven perhaps by a selfish desire to finally share it with the closest person to me. I’ve waited this long so that you could have a proper childhood, unlike the one I had.”
“What are you talking about, mom? You’re starting to creep me out.”
“Good. Now let’s go home, and I will explain everything.”
The two of them made their way out, cautiously avoiding being seen by any other member of the press. Leaving the museum undetected proved relatively easy, and they started their walk home, which on normal days would have taken them straight to the vertical shuttle station. However, today was not an ordinary day, so they had to circumvent the large crowds and parades crowding the main passageways. They chose a quieter route, and as they walked, Kaishi began to explain.
“Honey, you know, just like everyone else, about my story. Or at least how it started – ‘The miracle baby.’ The sole survivor of the destroyed ARC. From a data drive attached to my clothes, they found out I was the daughter of Ilyse Jantis, a Doctor, and Thomas Jantis, a fleet Commander. But what you don’t know because I never told you is that I believe the disaster was intentional… sabotage…”
Kaishi paused as two couples, already inebriated, passed them on the street, laughing and talking loudly. “…The government’s official statement only declared it a terrible accident. I have come to doubt that very much.”
“How could you possibly know this, Mom? You were just a baby.” Meizhen asked, eyes narrow slits. Kaishi wore a small wry smile, proud of her daughter’s critical thinking. “It started when I was a child, I don’t recall exactly how old I was. But I was very young when the vision started, and it’s been the same one ever since. I was terrified by it in the beginning. Seeing a black shadowy figure and hearing its message inside my head. Over time, I learned to live with it, even grown to be grateful. Otherwise, we may not have known the danger is still real.” She examined her daughter’s face and continued, “Oh, believe me, honey, I assure you I’m perfectly sane, at least I think I am. The danger I’m talking about is a true, self-aware artificial intelligence. It was aboard the ARC, and I have no doubt it was responsible for its destruction.”
Alone they rode inside an immense shuttle-elevator, traveling in the direction they considered as down. Home was in a section of one of the giant ARC ships that had been attached together and repurposed into the basis for the first orbiting station - Abalone. “The good news is that we haven’t found any evidence yet indicating it survived the journey here. Either it’s very good at hiding or it’s not on board. “Who’s we? The government?” her daughter asked, her face a a mix of nervousness and skepticism. “No. A much smaller organization I started with a few trustworthy friends. We don’t know who can be trusted with this information.”
“We took it on ourselves to make sure an AI, a true artificial being, can never rise again. There are only several of us, we have to remain small to stay undetected. But we did manage to gain key roles, allowing us to implement critical precautions and policies. Even inside this new, BRAIN Company the government created.” Meizhen still appeared skeptical, “but you yourself said there isn’t any sign of this AI. I remember learning about the ACDAs everyone had to sign after the mess in the early twenty-third century. No one is allowed to develop such technology anymore.”
They were almost home. “The accords were a fine document, honey, but that’s all they were. If someone was determined to go rogue and develop it on their own, it would be almost impossible to stop them. Throughout history, people, especially men, have often possessed a false confidence they could do better than their predecessors. But this is more than just a theoretical threat. Over the years, we had detected worrisome queries over the network, filters that were specifically crafted to look for traces of the banned AI. It’s been a long time since we’ve seen them, but it means someone other than us was aware of its existence. We’ve never been able to find out who that was.”
“But AI isn’t a… thing, it could be anything on the network. How did you know what to look for?” Her daughter asked now with less skepticism in her voice. “Excellent question,” Kaishi approved. “We tested my PL; it was hacked by the AI.” Meizhen gasped. “But… but that means it…”.
“Was with me inside the drone.” Kaishi finished the sentence her daughter couldn’t. “Yes, most likely. Gave me plenty of nightmares over the years. As far as we know, it didn’t harm me beyond malfunctioning my PL. It left small traces but not actual working code, so it was never a danger. Our best guess is that due to the PL’s architecture, there wasn’t any space for it to plant its routines. Strangely enough, the drone itself didn’t appear to be infected either, although we never managed to conduct extensive tests. Nonetheless, we did disable all electronics on board before it was put into storage. You can imagine what it made me feel, seeing it again today.”
They finally made it home. The converted personnel quarters couldn’t be called spacious but were convenient enough that Kaishi had never bothered to register for the upgrade initiatives that ran once the upper levels were completed. As the door closed behind them, she pulled her daughter into a long hug. She felt closer to Meizhen than ever before. It was quite a relief too, not having to hide that part of her life from her only kin.
“Come, there’s something else I need to show you,” Kaishi said, leading them into the compact living area. Settling onto the cream-colored sofa, she signaled the lights to dim and the ceiling projector on. Images appeared in the air, filling the room. They were almost identical; digital renderings of her vision. The subject was a shadowy figure, presumably human. It was difficult to discern through the blurry darkness that surrounded the image.
“Who? What is it?” Meizhen asked. “I don’t know. But in my vision, it’s the one conveying the message,” Kaishi answered more calmly than she felt. “I ran numerous filters on Earth data and found several references of someone using such a disguise. Of course, most of what I found were rumors and conspiracy theories. They did all share a common theme though, of a ruthless and terrifying individual leading a shadowy organization. Hard to say how much of it is true, but it can’t be a coincidence that those data points also led to descriptions and even similar drawings to mine.”
“You said vision, what vision?” Meizhen voice was worried now. Kaishi signaled the projector again and amidst the images, a dark panel appeared with bright-lettered words. “This is what I hear, if it can be called that, in my head. The words are my translation as the vision doesn’t include sound, more a feeling… It’s difficult to explain.” Her daughter began to read, her eyes open wide.
At a time calculated by the star dwellers
From the garden of hidden truths to the vacuum of absolutes
The visage of shadow will be the harbinger of what’s to come
A true intelligence will seek out from the void
It will challenge the natural continuation
brink of destruction will be reached
The voyage forward shan’t be interrupted
The link must be formed
The union of the child must be completeIt took Meizhen a few minutes, undoubtedly reading and rereading the words. “What does it mean?” She finally asked, looking overwhelmed. “What union? Who’s the child? Is it you?” She added. Kaishi tried to appear reassuring. “Maybe. I can’t be sure. I’ve thought about it for decades, yet I still don’t have a better answer. As I said, the message is more like a feeling, a sensation. The words are what I interpreted. Who knows how much of it I got right. However, the overall consensus among those I’ve shared it with is that it’s a threat. A threat to our existence. Now you know why we must do everything to prevent this technology from ever being developed.”
Meizhen looked at the words again, then back at her mother, and jumped up from the sofa. “Mom! If you didn’t find it on the drone and it’s not in your PL, where did it go? What if it’s loose on board?!” Kaishi stood up and hugged her daughter again, then kissed her forehead. “Precisely, dear. We don’t know. This is why we can never let our guard down.”
“How can I help?” Meizhen whispered back.
Part Two
Year: 2391 CE
The silence filled the room like some viscous fluid. Haku Astra, or President Astra as he had to remind himself, sat in his spacious conference room aboard the Kisangani. They had recently arrived at the HD-N3PWL4C star system. He tried to avoid getting distracted by the circumstances that had led him to the position he now held. The weight of his title felt all the heavier just then after hearing lead-scientist Jonas’s report.
Only the top government officials were permitted in this closed-door session. They sat in a large circle on simple gray ship chairs. Several were still vacant as some of the key positions were yet to be filled. His appointment as interim-president, made due to the recent catastrophe was all too fresh. Haku forced himself to break free from these thoughts when he realized everyone in the room awaiting his response with bated breath.
Struggling, Haku stopped his internal lament and managed to utter just a single word: “Uninhabitable?” He cleared his dry throat and continued, “You mean we will never be able to colonize the planet we traveled over a hundred light-years to reach?” Haku was personally familiar with Dr. Abel Jonas, from Haku’s recent role as the government’s Technology Minister. Dr. Jonas, a brilliant scientist specializing in Geology and Meteorology, was the natural choice to lead the team that went down to Planet C’s surface.
“Mr. President…” Jonas seemed to struggle with Haku’s changed title as much as he did. The scientist stood across the room and spoke. “As I’ve detailed in my report, N3P-C is dangerously unstable. The satellites we launched upon arrival revealed a very grim meteorological map. Further surface analysis showed critical tectonic instability translating to seventy percent of the planet’s surface subject to constant earthquakes, many measuring seven or higher on the Richter scale.” Groans and hisses filled the void the scientist’s words left in the room.
“After losing two of my people, we had to keep to the quieter areas, which are few and far between. Most of these areas can barely support a small town. The drones conducted most of the exploration for us with conclusive results. I’m still awaiting final radiometric dating results on the excavated crystals, but I can already say with a high degree of certainty that the planet is about a billion years older than Earth. The situation down there will only worsen in the next few millions of years until the supercontinent cycle completes. It will not be suitable for human settlement anytime soon.”
Haku had difficulty controlling the rising sense of despair filling him. “How come we didn’t know about this before? Before we left the solar system, for fuck’s sake?!” Shouted Peterson who just that morning was appointed as Home Minister. “You must understand that even with our most advanced satellite telescopes and computer processing power, the distance from Earth was too great to be able to identify the conditions…” the scientist replied bitterly. “We didn’t have time…” Haku whispered quietly, though apparently not enough, as all eyes returned to him.
“We didn’t have the time to wait for the reconnaissance drones,” he addressed the entire room this time. “The evacuation plan was compromised, and the situation was becoming explosive, literally. The president had to decide quickly. I certainly didn’t envy him at the moment.”
“Well, he doomed us all!” Peterson was heating up, anger and desperation thick in his voice. “I ask that you keep this discussion respectful,” Haku quickly replied. “Thomas Weber was Earth’s elected president and a good man, tragically killed in one of the worst accidents we’ve ever known”. This seemed to temper some of Peterson’s ire.
Haku privately thought the decision was made too hastily. Yet, waiting for the exploration drone would have meant over a million people spending years in a holding pattern. Waiting with the threat of rebellion hovering over their heads. Besides, the drones may not have succeeded. Traveling autonomously nearly 120 light-years and back. It was an impossible decision.
“Thank you, Dr. Jonas for your efforts, I appreciate the risk you and your team took by venturing to the surface. We must now decide on our next steps.” The scientist, recognizing the sublte dismissal, glanced around the room and back at the president. Haku smiled flatly until Jonas decided no one would ask him to stay. “Mr. President,” he said formally and nodded curtly before turning and leaving. His deputy, whose name Haku couldn’t recall, had to practically run after him to catch up.
"Ladies and gentlemen, let's begin. It's going to be a long day."
—
Well past midnight, Haku finally made it back to his cabin for some sleep. He mused how they kept Earth hours on board the ship, reckoning that would change eventually. Earth was becoming only a story, A significant yet fading detail in humanity’s history.
Slipping into bed, Haku tried not to wake his husband, George. Only three years married, having met on the trip, it still felt new and comforting having his man there constantly. George turned on his side as Haku lay down. Leaning over, Haku kissed him shortly, following it up with a cheek-to-cheek press, as they often did. George smiled sleepily, he looked beautiful with his big brown eyes and pouty mouth. “You look exhausted,” he said. “Yeah, I feel about to fall into a million pieces,” Haku replied. “But I doubt I will be able to sleep. I need to think, something I didn’t get to do much of today”.
“Come on, tell me, I’m a good listener,” George said. “I’m sure it’s way more interesting than my day. Since we arrived here, I’ve mostly been idling about, nothing interesting to do. Maybe I should speak to someone who can do something about that…” He laughed. “Very funny,” Haku replied and then laughed shortly. Faking seriousness, Haku continued. “I can speak to the chief, I’m sure they can find something for you to take apart and clean or whatever it is you do there in Engineering.” The mirth on George’s face was replaced with a mocking scowl.
“I received the final report on the drone the baby girl was rescued from,” Haku said, intentionally mentioning the feel-good story instead of the real issue troubling him. “What a crazy story, it’s all everyone’s talking about,” George said. “Unfortunately, it contained absolutely no information about what caused the ARC’s destruction.” George was surprised by that, as was the team that analyzed the drone’s systems. “Isn’t that strange?” He asked. “Very strange. It’s all strange and terrible. Well, except for the girl. She’s adorable. I’ve been told she’s mostly quiet and smiles at everyone.”
Haku reflected on the report he received several days ago, or was it yesterday? It was hard to tell the days apart. Filed by Captain Anderson, he believed her name was. She commanded the exploration ship that found the remains of the Victoria, the destroyed ARC, several jumps away.
The report outlined the suspected cause of the explosion: multiple main engines had reached critical state and ruptured. This left the ship no chance and in very small pieces. It didn’t explain how such a thing could happen when one engine overloading was highly improbable, let alone several at once. Nor did it address why none of the life vessels were used. Haku suspected they will never truly know. So many lives lost, including most of the top governmental structure, with so little explanation.
“The planet’s uninhabitable…” Haku blurted. “This is highly confidential, George, you can’t repeat this to anyone until we announce it.”
“Of cou… What do you mean uninhabitable? That’s crazy! What will we do?” George sat up straight, worry creasing his young face. “That’s a very good question, one the ministers and I tried very hard to answer today. But all we ended up with was a shouting match, with two ministers almost coming to blows. The only real suggestion that came up was to attempt another system. But the closest systems are still very far.” Haku explained. “I think if you tell the people they have to travel yet again for years, you’ll have a full-blown riot on your hands,” George said quietly.
Haku understood just how delicate the situation was and knew how devastating these news would be for the people to hear. He had no idea what he was supposed to do. “Come on, let’s go,” George said after a few minutes. “What? Where? It’s the middle of the night, George.”
“Exactly. It’s the perfect time. We’ll have the place to ourselves. Come on. It’s not like you’ll be able to sleep anytime soon. I know you, remember?”
“All too well, my love”.
—
“Where are we going?” Haku asked wearily. “Just a little further,” George replied with that little smile of his. They walked for a while, after taking the elevator six levels up. Only a few people passed them by, mostly officers on duty. Eventually, they reached the end of the long corridor and a set of tall, wide doors. As they approached, the doors slid open to reveal the large observatory on the ship’s port side.
The vast, circular hall was deserted. Empty recliner seats and long benches dotted the gray floor. Half the outer wall was honeycombed panels, each two meters tall and wide, starting from the floor and stretching to cover a third of the ceiling. The panoramic view was spectacular, dominated by the large planet lazily spinning just five thousand kilometers away.
Storms formed in one region of the globe while others dissipated in another, the atmosphere continuously churning, brewing, swirling. Standing there Haku felt like a god, surveying his planet. Some god he was… This planet was not for him and his kind. Perhaps that’s why the brilliant blues and greens seemed even more tantalizing.
They stood there, staring at the immense marble of a planet, while the ship followed its orbit at a forty-five-inclination angle. The spin of the planet noticeably slower than that of the ship. “Why did you bring me here George?” He asked. “I thought it will help you think. I find it calming here, don’t you? I come here often.”
“It’s strange to think how beautiful this planet, now that I know how dangerous it is.”
“Are they certain?” George asked, his eyes transfixed by the view. “I’m afraid so. It’s much older than Earth and in a period of intense tectonic activity,” Haku explained, stifling a yawn. “Really? How old?”
“It’s not completely accurate yet, but the estimate is five and a half billion years,” Haku replied, prompting a whistle of admiration from George. “Quite the cosmic senior citizen, isn’t it?” He remarked.
“It’s still pretty no matter how old it is. You know, I could really get used to a view like this,” George said and just like that, Haku knew what he must do.
Three days later, Haku was back in his conference room. His ministers were present, lined up on either side, this time. They were facing a few members of the press accompanied by a swarm of cameras, both stationary and hovering.
Haku was acutely aware of being watched by every living human through the broadcast. He also knew his every word would be recorded for future generations to judge. He took a deep breath. “Ladies and Gentlemen, I’m sure many of you have been wondering why we haven’t begun sending equipment and people down to the surface for settlement. It’s with a heavy heart that I must inform you that Planet C is not suitable for colonization. Its geological and meteorological conditions are too volatile for us to safely inhabit.”
A brief pause to allow the news to sink in… “I wished to share the news of this earlier, but I didn’t want to come to you without offering a way forward. These are challenging times, but I promise you, we will prevail. We are the last remains of our race, and we must stand together to succeed. There are two options before us.” Another pause to steady himself.
“First. we turn our sights on a new star system, the closest promising one being seventy-five light-years away. This means at least eleven more years of travel, in addition to another year here to refuel and ensure the ARCs’ readiness. Then we set out and face the dangers of galactic travel yet again. A minimum of Twelve years aboard these ships, at the very least. And as we have painfully learned with The Victoria, the ARCs can fail, making our chances of success even more uncertain.
The second option is to remain here and build a station large enough for us all. This system is abundant in the minerals and raw materials we require. After discussing this option with our lead scientists over the last three days, I have been assured we have the necessary technology on hand to make this a viable home, from food production to a sustainable artificial gravity field, in a relatively short time.”
Taking another long breath, Haku pressed on. “My ministers and I unanimously vote for the second option. The journey has taken a great toll on all of us. The loss of The Victoria is not only tragic but alarming, as we have no understanding of its true cause. Therefore, we have no means of ensuring it will not happen again. Building a base for humanity here will allow us to grow in relative safety. It will enable us to explore new opportunities in the future, in a more measured, cautios manner.
Remember, we are all in this together. Therefore, I’ve instructed the Home Minister, Mr. Peterson, to issue a poll-request package. It should arrive at your Personal-Link within the next few minutes. The package contains a brief for each option, detailing the consequences, and the ballot for you to vote on. You will have twenty-four hours to make your choice, the majority vote will determine our course of action. Please choose wisely and good luck to us all. Thank you.”
In his office alone, Haku sat perspiring. The poll’s deadline loomed just a few hours away. The thought of the consequences if the people voted to leave this system instead of staying haunted him. It would turn his poll into a charade. The top-secret report, the source of his dread, floated before his eyes. Haku kept re-reading it, willing the words to change. They, however, were adamant to stay the same –
…analysis conclusive. 5 of the remaining 9 ARCs had their FTL engines damaged almost beyond repair… result of sabotage... remnants of destroyed physical components found… key software routines hacked…
Haku couldn’t fathom who would do such a thing nor who could. His advisors were equally baffled. One of those damaged five ARCs was his. It indicated a level of nefariousness and competence that he didn’t believe existed. Someone didn’t want them to leave this system. News of this would surely reach the public eventually. He just hoped it would be after the poll’s deadline, ideally after a new, permanent president was elected.
For now, Haku could only wait and sweat. He still had a government to run and endless issues to tackle in the meantime. He almost wished he had someone or something to pray to, as people once did. Perhaps it wouldn’t hurt asking for the right outcome. Please let it be the right one…
Part Three
Year: 2390 CE
Commander Thomas Jantis stood on his bridge. With a minimal crew on deck, the atmosphere was quiet and calm, a result of both efficiency and monotonicity. The former, a product of years of teamwork; the latter, a result of a smooth, uneventful journey. The Victoria had completed the transfer from FTL jump back to normal space. The jump itself had lasted mere seconds as the enormous ship emerged from the spacetime tear. “FTL engines at five percent and charging, captain. Cruise speed steady at six zero K.”
“Thank you, Ensign Carter.”
They were just several weeks away from their destination. HD-N3PWL4C was a mere half a light-year distant, and the feeling of the journey nearing its end permeated the entire ship. After almost nineteen years of a monotonous voyage through endless blackness, everyone felt weary.
The Victoria, the flag ARC ship, was slated to be the first to reach the new home-system. Consequently, it had the honor of carrying the president of Earth and many of the top ministers, a fact that considerably contributed to Thomas’s self-doubt when he was chosen to replace the former captain, who died in that senseless attack in Germany. Fortunately, President Weber proved to be a pleasant man to work with. A logical and unpretentious man with little patience for bullshit.
Thomas turned to exit the bridge. His second in command, Lieutenant Kupuza, was already there, seated in the captain’s chair, preparing for his shift. Not that there was much to catch up on. Their routine was nothing if not banal. “Lieutenant, you have the bridge,” Thomas declared. This formality was one of the last to still hang on. After years together, the top-level crew felt more like a family than a military structure. “Yessir, I have the bridge,” Kupuza answered, a touch of jest in his voice. As Thomas passed, he whispered, “Try to not fuck anything up,” and patted him on the shoulder. Even after all this time, the lieutenant grinned at their customary joke.
The rest of the bridge crew all tensed up in their seats as Thomas walked out of the windowless bridge. Another hint of lingering formality. Just before leaving, Thomas turned back, “Kup, any comm sign from the other ARCs, you let me know immediately.”
“Aye, Captain.”
Walking to his quarters, Thomas couldn’t shake off his concern about the complete comm silence over the past two weeks. They had been continuously broadcasting to their sister ships along the predetermined route. Despite the vast distances and frequent FTL jumps, at least one should have responded by now. The lack of response was becoming worrisome.
The reason behind their own loquaciousness was the one event that disturbed the otherwise uneventful journey. Two weeks prior, they had intercepted one of the drones sent to the HD-N3PWL4C system. As the lead ARC, The Victoria was planned to retrieve the drone and review its analysis. Everyone was eager to learn what it had discovered about their new home. Especially since they didn’t wait for it to return to the solar system first.
The picture painted by the data in the Hermes-V class drone was particularly grim. It was fortunate that Thomas and the president restricted access to those with the highest security clearance. The Victoria lacked specialized scientists to fully analyze the data, but it was hardly required. Thomas was thankful he wasn’t the one who had to decide their next step.
Several weeks later, Thomas was asleep next to his wife, Ilyse. In the corner of the room, their baby daughter slept in her bubble-shaped crib, making low sigh noises as she exhaled. The Victoria had all but completed her journey, only four jumps or two days away from their destination system. Suddenly, Thomas’s PL pinged inside his head-an urgent comm alert. He jolted up, dazed and surprised, struggling to recall the last time being awakened by an emergency.
The request came from Commander Theodore Gen, his senior engineering officer. Thomas begrudgingly answered, the PL confirming the session initiation. “Sir, sorry about the hour, you’re needed immediately at conference room eleven-two,” the commander’s deep voice echoed inside his head. The man sounded on edge, frightened even. Having known Ted for over twenty years, Thomas thought nothing could scare the large and jovial man.
“What is it, Ted? What’s so urgent?” Thomas asked. “You need to come, Sir, better to talk in person. The president was also requested.”
“On my way, Commander.” What could be so urgent that required both him and the president in the middle of the night? Thomas hastily got dressed, putting on his gray uniform suit. “What’s going on, honey?” his wife asked, awakened despite his attempt to be silent. “Not sure. Sounds urgent. Go back to sleep. I'll be back soon.” With a glance at his daughter, sleeping peacefully on her belly, bum sticking up, he walked out.
Conference room eleven-two was on the same side of the ship, three levels up from Thomas’s quarters, typically used by the president or other government officials for small meetings. As he exited the elevator, he spotted the two members of the presidential security detail flanking the door ahead.
Four individuals sat around the rectangular table inside. President Weber, silvering hair disheveled, sat on one side, while Commander Gen and two unfamiliar men sat on the other. Ted started to rise, but Thomas gestured for him to remain seated. It was too late for formalities. “Well, Captain Jantis, your man here wasn’t willing to divulge any information until you arrived,” the president said. “I can’t say I’m thrilled about being awakened in the middle of the night like this. I hope now we can get on with this urgent matter?”
“Of course, sir. Ted, please tell us what’s going on,” Thomas said. The commander’s expression foretold grim news.
“Sir, Mr. President. There’s no gentle way of saying this. We are under attack – ”
“What?!” Thomas cut him off. “Ted, what are you talking about? What attack? Who’s attacking us?”
“Not who, Captain. What would be the better question,” said the man sitting to the commander’s left. He had slick dark hair combed back and a goatee. “And you are…?” Thomas asked. “Dr. Sheldon and this is Dr. Cooper. We specialize in machine intelligence and cognition.”
“They’re the ones who discovered the virus.” completed commander Gen.
“Virus?” Thomas and the president asked together. “Virus is an overly simplistic term, but yes. This is an AI software that exhibits all the characteristics of the banned CAI from the twenty-third century,” the Dr. said coolly. “CAI?! You mean conscious? How is this possible?” Thomas nearly shouted. “We do not know, Captain. We confirmed this in the last few hours and immediately informed Commander Gen. The commander rightfully involved us after growing suspicious due to the communication blackout in recent weeks.”
“So, what’s our status? How do we get rid of this virus?” asked Thomas. “I’m afraid it’s not good news Captain,” said Dr. Sheldon. “We ran several tests already and the results are very clear: it’s everywhere. It’s taken control and shimmed every system on this ship.”
“Shimmed?” the president inquired. “Yes. It controls every component and exposes what it wants us to see, instead of the actual information. We’ve had to resort to archaic techniques to detect that it’s even there. Interestingly, the heuristics that came back show more than one type of code in our system. However, it’s so far advanced that we can’t decipher what it’s doing and how,” The Dr. explained.
“This isn’t the worst of it, Captain,” said commander Gen. “How could it possibly get worse, Commander?” Thomas interjected, hands holding his head. “Independently from the virus investigation, I grew suspicious the engine readouts weren’t accurate. So, I’ve instructed my team to install physical detectors on the outside of the ship. The real readings report the engines are heating. Not too quickly but steadily. And there isn’t anything we can do about it! At this rate, the engines will reach critical levels in less than forty-eight hours.”
Thomas felt like an asteroid had crashed onto his head. “There must be something we can do!” The president raised his voice. “Dr. Sheldon, there must be something you can do?!” The president’s fists pounded the table. “Who knows about this?” Thomas cut in, his voice like ice. “Hardly anyone, Sir. Us in the room. Two of my lieutenants know about the heating problem but not about the virus. That’s it.” Gen answered. Thomas looked at the scientists. “Only the two of us Captain,” assured Dr. Sheldon and continued to answer the president. “Mr. President, this is a technology far more advanced than anything we can design on our own. If it wishes to destroy this ship, there is nothing we can do to stop it. Not when it’s already seized control of the entire system.”
“We’ll initiate evacuation procedures immediately. We must be quick about it. I will brief the top officers and we will come up with the best plan to get everyone on the escape vessels. We’re only a few jumps away from HD-N3P and the vessels are FTL equipped. We can make it,” Thomas said. “Thank you, gentlemen. Mr. President, my team will coordinate with yours to establish a timeline and how to announce the evacuation plan,” he added.
“Very well, Captain, we’ll discuss further in the morning after I’ve briefed my team.”
The following morning, Thomas sat on his bed. Kaishi played blissfully on a mat, holding a toy in her hand. Ilyse stood before him, tears filled her eyes. He had just returned from another meeting with the president and staff, but this time there was no plan, no action to execute. They dismissed everyone, letting them be with their families.
After the middle of the night meeting, Commander Gen oversaw the inspection of the escape vessels aboard the ARC. The inspection revealed the truth about their fate-all the hundreds of vessels had been incapacitated by the virus. Even if they knew how to fix all of them, there was no time.
The engines were nearing the red-zone, and he was powerless to stop them. Even shutting them down wasn’t an option. Thomas couldn’t understand why this AI would want to destroy the ship when it meant it would also be destroyed. It made no sense. All attempts by the scientists to communicate with it had failed.
No klaxons blared; no red lights flashed to warn about the impending disaster. Thomas sat with his small family in their cabin after he somberly explained the situation to his wife. Most people on board remained oblivious. Withholding the information from everyone was the last decision he and the President took before parting. No point inciting mass panic. But he couldn’t hide the truth from his wife. The silence made him anxious. He couldn’t stop thinking about how close they were to completing their journey. Surely, the issues reported by the drone about the planet were solvable. Humanity’s ingenuity would have prevailed there. On this ship, however, it faced an adversary too formidable, too deadly. No wonder this technology was banned immediately. How and why it was on his ship were irrelevant questions at this point.
“We have to save her!” his wife said, wiping tears from her face. “She’s just six months old, Thomas. I can’t let her die, I won’t!” Thomas didn’t know what to say. There weren’t many babies on board. Most people preferred to wait until the journey was over before they procreated. Still, there were a few dozen infants on board. “I don’t know how, sweetheart.” He admitted, his voice cracking. “We’d need a functioning life pod that can take you both to the destination system, there the other ships can find you.”
“It doesn’t have to take me, she’s all that’s important,” Ilyse whispered.
“It’s gonna destroy everything,” he said. “That fucking thing doesn’t want us to survive. It won’t even let us communicate with the other ships. It tricked us to think the comm array was operational when we tried to send the news about the reconnaissance dro – ” Realization hit him then, like physically being hit over the head. “The drone!” he shouted, leaping to his feet. Kaishi who had been playing quietly looked up at him from the floor. Startled by his raised voice and sudden motion, she began to cry. “Honey, quick, we don’t have much time. Will you be able to put her in medical stasis? That should hold for at least a couple of weeks?” His wife looked at him like he was mad at first, but then nodded slowly. “Ok, go get everything you need and meet me at cargo bay seventeen, hurry!”
It was Thomas’s turn to give Commander Gen an urgent call. He should have been with his wife and two grown-up children. The man promptly answered, and Thomas received the confirmation he could talk. “Ted! I need a big favor. Bring your tools right away to Bay Seventeen and don’t tell anyone. We have a reconnaissance drone to modify…”