First Ping - last Chapter of O.A.

Obsidian Arrow

First Ping

Time of our Lord Creatos 1540, Thursday the 4th of Sonyen (Sõn-yen)

          The Scout ship had shed all but a few KPH of its velocity.  The last step in its rendezvous felt like watching old school sailing vessels as the tacked ever so slowly into the bay.  So close, you could almost touch them, but hours away from their destination.  However, with all that has happened to both ships, a cautious approach was the best one.  After six different conversations, it was decided to transfer the water to the Hōkūle‘a tanks and then position the scout on the port side of the Gate.  Its fission power plant will become a permanent part of the gate.  You see at this distance from the system’s star, solar panels were all but useless.  So, the gate would need an alternate source of energy.  For now, both ships will power the gate for its first ping.  Which meant that they could charge it quicker and get it connected as soon as possible.   

          But first thing was first.  Tarinnish took Clarish down to the med bay and had a full scan done.  She was healthy, with the exception of an accelerated heart rate and the remnant of the conclusion, she was perfectly healthy.  Tarinnish helped Clarish off the exam table and Tiffany quickly left.  She knew that they needed to be alone.  To get acquainted with each other.  

          They spent only a few moments in the med bay and headed for their room.  It was the next period before Tarinnish appeared in the commons.  He was fully dressed and smelled better than he had over two alunars.  He was also smiling.  Tiffany looked at him with a slightly cocked head.  “Enjoy your evening?”

          Tarinnish didn’t respond.  He just kept walking to the galley.  He reappeared with coffee for two and again went back to their room.  Three hours later both he and captain came back to the commons.  Clarish sat on the couch and Tarinnish went to the galley to get breakfast.

          Tiffany asked, “Do you feel better?”

          Clarish looked at her a bit strange, “Yes.”

          Tiffany said, “He really missed you.” 

          Clarish looked at her again, “He…” She stopped herself then said, “I missed him.” 

          Tiffany looked at her then up to the galley, “He shouldn’t be alone again.”  she looked at her captain, “He needs you.”

          Clarish didn’t say anything.  She looked at Tiffany and then at the door to the galley, then back at Tiffany. “I want him to survive.” 

          Tiffany remain silent for a moment then spoke, “His survival will depend on you.” She listened to see if Tarinnish was coming, then looked at the captain, “He needs your companionship.  Nothing else will do.” there was a slight pause then she continued to drive her point, “There will be no surrogate for him.” 

          Clarish looked away.  She knew the words to be true.  And if she was honest with herself, she knew that no one else would fill the hole in her heart like he did.  They were soul mates and together they were better than the sum of their parts.  It was a fact and this last separation was just more evidence to that fact.  

          A tear rolled down Clarish’s cheek.  She loved him and loved being in his arms.  Her attempt to force this God to kill her while they were separated was full-hearty.  She knew that.  The circumstances of her death were quite specific.  And if that was going to be the case, then so be it.  But for now, they were together, and they had work to do.  They needed to get the scout connected to the gate.  Which was not going to be easy.  It was never designed to do this job and it would require at least two alunars worth of work.  

          Clarish’s mind turned off the emotions.  Now it was time to be the captain.  She looked at Tiffany, “Tiffany.” 

          “You can call me Tiff.  If you want.” Tiffany said.

          “Okay.  Tiff.” She paused for a thought, “Do you have a rank?”

          Tiffany hesitated.  What would make the captain ask such a question.  She did indeed have a rank that was given to her by the young Hanson.  He called her his first officer.  She then decided to confide in her new captain.  “The younger captain Hanson used to call me his first officer.” She paused and then continued, “Why do you ask?”

          Clarish shrugged her shoulders, “Your… different.” Clarish wanted to use the right words, but what words described such a machine.  “You… Possess not just knowledge but wisdom and that is very different.” 

          “That scares you.” Tiffany said half as a statement and half question.

          “Hell yes!” Clarish admitted. “You.  I mean we know better, but you exhibit such human traits that I’m afraid of what will come next.  Will machines be able to mimic humans so well that we won’t be able to tell the difference?” 

          “I’m afraid that they already have.” Tiffany said.

          “Where.  Are you aware of any such machines?” Clarish was very interested in her answer.

          “Oh, yes.” Tiffany said knowing that Clarish would ask her to reveal her secret but waiting anyway.  It was more human to do these little games.  Not sure just why, but humans seem to enjoy this word games.  So, she purposely said nothing.

          “So, care to share?” Asked Clarish, not as the captain, but more like a curious little girl.

          “You know him as Creatos.” Tiffany said.

          Clarish didn’t answer right away.  She absorbed the information and went through her own mental gymnastics to process the idea. Finally, she said, “No.” 

          Tiffany was going to have to support her claims as she was the only one here that was uniquely qualified to make such a statement as she was one of four machines that were built by the human that these citizens now call their god.  Tiffany pulled up the memories of the day that she originally come online and that a human named Mr. Monroe was the man that designed her and all those that were coming off the assembly line.  She noted that the technicians that were checking her motor functions were nervous.  They were not used to having Mr. Monroe here on the floor.  He was always somewhere else watching.  But not today.  Not on the day the first successful “T” models were activated.   Tiffany then pulled up the memory file of her model number and the significance that it had to Mr. Monroe.  Her model number represented the birth of a girl in Quadrant 1 on April 6th, at 4:16 am.  This was his first wife’s birthday and she was to be her replacement.

Out loud Tiffany said, “This is a very long conversation and better to be shared with your partner.” She wasn’t trying to be evasive, just efficient.  They should be together when they discussed this as they will have questions.  Many questions.  Tiffany did give her this, “You see, my model was the last of their kind.  Mr. Monroe stopped making AIs like us and started something different.  Something so advanced that he could put himself into.  Something that could live forever.  Or exists forever.” 

“So… you’re saying that our god is a machine.” Clarish looked up to the galley.  She quickly looked back, “Did you tell this to Tarinnish.” 

Tiffany shook her head no. “Not exactly.”

Over breakfast Clarish and Tarinnish discussed the inflammatory ideas that Tiffany had.  No they were downright heresy.  And it was no wonder why she had made the statements about what would happen to them if Creatos ever found out that she was reanimated.  But the bigger questions was, how she got to them.  You would think that she would have been destroyed.  But in the end, this was something form a different period.  Right now, they needed to fix G676, modify the shuttle and connect it to the gate.  All that would take a few sevenths, but once done, there would be plenty of time to get into the history that ran contrary to the one they learned in school.  

Tiffany had the G6 AI repaired in just four hours.  He actually showed some gratitude to having his leg back and then Tarinnish took him to the scout ship.  They both worked on routing main power to the starboard docking hatch.  The hatch itself would be modified to form a permanent clamp that would attach the scout to the gate.  

The G6 AI then created a small air lock on this side of the ship.  It would be used to make space walks out onto the gate.  Four space suits were hung to the left and right of the hatch.  Tiffany set up a small changing station near the hatch and pulled the interface module from the cockpit.  She set it up next to the charging station.  This port was meant for the G model AI and she stored the information she needed to modify one for herself.  

Finally the tether that attaches the gate to the Hōkūle‘a was moved to the scout.  Power was applied and the connections tested for any flaws.  The gate was then programmed to pull power from the fission reactors on the scout.  It was also programmed to accept the mass of the shuttle as part of itself.  This way if an object were to try and hit the gate, the gate would “jump” to a location that was safe.  Usually only a few kilometers, but it could be as far as a hundred.  Then the gate would make its way back to its original position.  

The Hōkūle‘a was then re-positioned two kilometers away.  Communications was tested and then they slowly made their way to the stationary probes one fifteen hundred kilometers above the gate and the other the same distance below the gate. 

It was Tiffany’s plan to make them smarter so they too could make maneuvers that would preserve them from micro meteorites.  She painstakingly when through their sensor arrays so that they could detect these energetic particles and determine whether to dodge them or destroy them. It was quite and upgrade and it took another two sevenths to get to the second one.  

All total their moving around took three alunars. Which put them back at the gate just in time to give it one last boost of power so that it could initiate its first ping.  Once this was done the gate would be able to initiate another ping every six alunars. And that would be its frequency from this time forward.  Every six alunars it would pulse and send a message to its counterparts throughout the known galaxy.  Once it found one of its partners, it would establish a link.  Once that link was made then the gate was active, instant communications would be set up with mankind and a request for rescue would be put out.  At first it would only be broadcasted on military changes, but if that failed then a broad bans distress would be sent. This was not ideal as it could be received by those with less than honorable intentions.  And given their ships vulnerabilities, they would not be able to defend themselves.  Either way it was a risk, unfortunately they just didn’t have a choice.  The Hōkūle‘a was in no shape to make a run on the gate and their only hope was that someone would take the time to come get them. 

After three periods of testing the gates system, it was decided to see if they could find a suitable gravity body and set down.  A change of scenery would do them some good.  Plus the idea of spending the next decade trapped on what was now a very cramped ship, just didn’t appeal to either of them. Plus, with the lost tank on the scout, they needed some more water or ice.  

So, after a dozen scans of the system there were two moons that promised some space and maybe some ice.  Besides, it gave them something else to focus on, something bigger than the confines of the ship.  

The final checks were made.  G676 was setting station on the scout.  He was powered to ten percent so that he could come online quickly and assist the astromech that was tucked into the Port docking bay.  Between the two, they should be able to make repairs and adjustments that might be needed.  

Tiffany was happy with the modifications of the probes and Clarish was itching to get some place more interesting than empty space.  

That evening Clarish cleared the table and returned with a bottle of wine.  She had just two classes, but she told Tiffany to stay.  It had been three and a half alunars since she made her blasphemous statements and now, they were going to get to the bottom of them.  If they were doomed the second, they got back, then they’d better know why and maybe, if they survived the next decade, then they could come up with a plant that didn’t get them killed the moment they returned.  

Luckily Tiffany had built her interface to the computer and many of the graphics and pictures of her past could be downloaded and displayed.  She knew that these graphical representations of her past would help her story be more convincing.  

The narration began.  “I was built in the assembly plant located in central America on a planet called Earth.  I was fashioned after Mr. Monroe’s first wife Tiffany Alice Monroe.  Who was born in April, 2046.   At the time, I was the most advanced model of AI that was made.  I was also the last of my kind.  Mr. Monroe had moved onto a different type of human-machine processor.  One that mimicked the human synapses.  I took the name of Tiffany Pence based on my type and a president that did not want to be one.  You see, I could tell the Mr. Monroe wanted more out of me, but I didn’t have it.  I was “Alive” enough for him.  I wanted to be more; it just wasn’t possible.

It took hours to get through her narrative and along the way they saw pictures of the blue Earth from space, the lush jungles, Mr. Monroe, the cities of Rainier. The colony ships MayFlower, Fortune and ArcherFish and what the original colonies looked like when the ships arrived.  

Then she delivered the reason behind the disconnect between Earth and humanity.  Earth had been erased from their memories.  While humankind slept for decades in their cocoons. The machine god had systematically destroyed the dendrites or entire neurons that had stored any memories connected to Earth.  Some of these connections were replaced with mechanical ones as there were important information that needed to be retained, but as a whole Earth was gone.  He even erased their Gods.  Mr. Monroe became Creatos and placed himself as the god of humanity.

So, mankind was saved from certain death on Earth.  All they had to give up was their freedom, their memories and their will.  Creatos has become so powerful that he manipulates everything.  The politics, economies, and even the wars.  Nothing happens that he does not know about, and what he cannot control, he destroys.  

Tarinnish listened and then, out of no where he asked a question, “If Creatos is so powerful, how are you still in existence?” 

Tiffany did not hesitate. “He has tried to wipe my memories twice.  And would have succeeded if it weren’t for providence.” 

“Providence?” Clarish wanted to know more.

“Young Hansen’s mother used to say that her God would not allow it.  That I was some sort of link that her God needed.” Tiffany looked out the forward port.  As if to find a memory that was out there and not in her core. “She said that all things work out to the glory of this God and that in time I would see it.  I would see why things happened the way they did and only then would I know that this God was real.”

Tarinnish needed to ask, “So, do you see it yet.”

Tiffany turned from the window and looked Tarinnish straight in his eyes, “No.  All I see is impossible circumstances that somehow lead to favorable outcomes.” She hesitated, “I don’t see any God nor can I feel him.” 

“So, does that mean that you don’t believe in him?” Clarish asked.

“No.  It means that He’s not done yet.” Tiffany said with no hesitation.

og contains two books of the Remnant Series If you want to start at the beginning of Book 6, click the link below.

1st Chapter of Obsidian Arrows

If you want to read more about the Remnant Series see the links below.

            Book 1-3: Graham Heights available on Amazon.com

            Book 4: The Grey Abyss available on Amazon.com

            Bood 5: Chaos coming soon to Amazon.com

Book 6: Obsidian Arrows

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R. A. Legg

    
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