Chapter 12: Decisions

A plan is hatched.

How’s it going?” Justin asked me as I returned to his side.  “I think this is the longest time we’ve been apart since you found me.” 

 

I shimmered warmly, “you missed me?” 

 

“I did…I’ve become used to having you right beside me for your take on things…”  “Really?”  “Yeah...”  Justin trailed off…when he’s thinking hard about something, he tends to be a little distracted…sometimes he looks at me like I’m a work of art for him to figure out the meaning of, but right now, it’s more like he’s just looking right through me…it’s a little uncomfortable but, something must be up….and I was right.

 

Justin noticed Mira pop through the hatch and dart across the command module towards her chair.  It was the mission commander’s chair, but, now it’s hers…. 

 

“Hi Mira!  Looking good in your new outfit!  I hope you like it,” I said. 

 

Justin suddenly came to life.  Mira looked down at her flight suit and tugged at it, flattening out some wrinkles….and then put her hands on her hips, “Yeah!  I love this stuff…and it all fits perfectly…I can’t say thank you enough.” 

 

“Well, Tata is the expert at that sort of thing and I think she enjoys dressing you as if you are a doll or something…I’m sure she’ll keep you well supplied…”

 

 “Yeah….space Barbie!” she said.   Everyone kind of smiled as I made sure everyone had a download of all the Barbie fashions….

 

As has come to be the norm for an open discussion, we all gathered around, Mira in her seat….and Justin moved to the center of our group…with me of course, on his right wing.  Justin spoke, “OK guys, we have some important decisions to make and as you know, we don’t have to make the decisions quickly, one thing we have on our side now is time.” 

 

Brando made a move with some Rolling Stones…but Justin turned to him, “Brando, not now.” 

 

Mira spoke up…I know that song, “my dad used to play it….I think it’s from before my dad was born….1968?”  Brando, at first, looked a little miffed about being told to stop the music…but perked up for Mira…  “1964.” 

 

“Nice, I’d like to listen to that later ok?”  “Sure.” 

 

“OK,” Justin said, “as you know, we have been looking at as many options as we think could be viable.   The first option, was to just allow the ship to do whatever it was programmed to do which was to enter orbit around Mars and start generating humans.  As far as we can tell, the humans would be incubated for a year….but would emerge from the growth pod at about a maturity of a 5 year old.  Why they chose that way to do it…not sure.  But there does not seem to be a plan to take care of the first class of 21 humans…so basically, they’d have the benefit of a very basic library of training videos from which, they would eventually grow for another 10 to 15 years in orbit and be able to complete the mission, which we have already determined to be a mistake…creating a colony on the surface of Mars.” 

 

We didn’t like the idea of Mars since it was a dead planet with little chance of anyone subsisting without support from outside.  Could it be done?  Sure, but why not think of some better options that might have long term feasibility? 

 

Everyone seemed to be paying close attention…even Mira, but she perked up…  “So…you are basically telling me I have to take care of 21 five year olds…all at once?” 

 

“No,” Justin said, “It means we would all be taking care of 21 new five year olds each year for ….well, a long time…that is, if we allowed the ship to do what it was programmed.”

 

“Well…I think that’s too much, and the ship is big…but is it that big?…so, what other options are there?”

 

Suddenly Mira was intently engaged…”Being a single mother…no thanks…being a single mother to who knows how many…I wouldn’t wish that on anyone, especially a 14 year old!” Justin was amused…”Ok Mira…we get it, but you’ll be 15 soon!….and we are with you.  No matter what, we’ll put in a huge effort as well.” 

 

“That’s what the guys always say according to my dad….”  “OK…”

 

“So, options….first, as we mentioned earlier, the closest possible M class planet is orbiting the star known as Tau Ceti…about 12 light years from Earth.  And there is another, at about 20 light years, called Gliese 581….there are others, but these two seem to jump out as potentially life supporting planets.” 

 

Mira questioned…I like having Mira around I thought, because she always asks the questions that I would normally ask after thinking things over for an hour…

 

”So Justin, what happens if we try to take the time, I mean,…I assume you guys can’t get this ship going faster than the speed of light….” 

 

Justin looked over at Octo, and Octo shook his head from side to side.  “No, can’t go faster than the speed of light…no ‘warp’ drive technology in our files…”

 

“OK,” Mira continued, “so, the closest planet is what, even at a fraction of the speed of light, a hundred or more years away….and once we make it there, we don’t know for sure if the place isn’t just a chunk of solid ice?” 

 

“Ummm, yeah…” Justin said.  “And that’s why we were so worried about you…because we knew you would live your life out here on this ship…alone…although with us…but you would not, well, anyway, we foresaw this….actually Kate considered your situation before any of us.” 

 

“Yeah, and her first answer was to put me out of my misery….” 

 

“Yes, but….well, we didn’t ok….but we all worried that perhaps your existence would be an existence worse than death.” 

 

“Life is meant to be lived…wherever you are,” Mira said, “and even if it is on this ship with you guys, I intend to make the best of it….staying positive is always the most important thing in a survival situation…it’s what my dad always told me.” 

 

I could see a bit of a crinkle come across Mira’s brow…she’s thinking… 

 

“OK guys, tell me, where is the closest class M planet?”  Justin shrugged…”I just told you, about 12 light years away…maybe.” 

 

“No…look out the window….it’s about 3 days away now.”  She pointed at the Earth…. ”Guys, the Earth really is our best hope…how long would we have to wait for that mess to stabilize?”  Justin turned to Octo, “Octo?” 

 

“Looking at all the data, the wobble of the planet…the catastrophic seismic activity….we’re talking well in excess of 100 years before I believe human activity might be possible….we just don’t know the extent of damage to the crust and watching the undulations on the opposite side of the planet, everything is in motion right now.” 

 

“Well…”Mira said, “I think we ought to think about just entering orbit around the Earth and wait it out.  It’s going to be good again someday right?   ….and we can conserve the ship’s fuel supply by not running the main engines to get to Mars…” 

 

“You realize what you are saying right?  Just stay here to live out your life in orbit and not even travel anywhere?  I thought you were a space explorer…” 

 

“Well, the way I see it, we are not talking about exploring space anymore, we are talking about re-establishing the human race…it’s a much bigger mission now…and I am smart enough to realize, it’s much bigger than me.  Like I said, perhaps this is my purpose…to do what I can towards that end, even if it means dying of old age up here.” 

 

Octo then looked at Taran…Taran had become lucid and wanted to talk with Justin offline, which was unusual.  Octo nodded to Justin….and Justin spoke, “Ok, let’s take some time to process all this.  Let’s get back together in an hour or so ok?” 

 

“Mira!”  Octo called out, “can I speak with you and Kate alone please?” 

 

Mira perked up, “Octo…I have not really met you yet.”  “Hi…”  Octo was a little shy of Mira…and she had proven herself to be a little intimidating and unusually quick to process….ironically, she grasped the meaning of things quicker than many of us.

 

“How did you get the name Octo?”  “I don’t know exactly, but it is short for Octavio…and it’s Hispanic because from the start, I have spoken with a Spanish accent they say…something to do with my communications processor.” 

 

Mira smiled…”Well, it’s nice to meet you!” 

 

“You too…so how did you get the name Mira?” 

 

“Well…I actually do know this…my dad was a big Formula 1 fan and his favorite race was the Monaco Grand Prix…it was his dream to always see that race in person sitting at his favorite corner, and the corner had a name, Mirabeau.” 

 

“Ah…Formula 1….I’ll have to download that.”  Octo looked at Kate….  Kate was getting a little impatient…”

 

OK Octo, what did you want to talk to us about…” 

 

“Education for Mira…and potentially all these humans….”  “Education?” Mira asked…”I guess I still need to continue that don’t I?” 

 

“You do,” Octo said, “but…I have an idea that might make things easier for you.” 

 

“Easier, how?” 

 

“Well…I don’t actually know if it would be easier per se….but…it’s about data transfer and storage.” 

 

“I think I can implant data into certain areas of your brain, specifically, the left side of your brain looks like it would be possible to implant or upload data with a form of data streaming that I’ve been working on….” 

 

Mira cut him off…”so…you want to use my brain as a research object?  Including doing neurosurgery on me?” 

 

“You make it sound so…negative…” 

 

“No, I’m not against being someone’s science project, I’m just trying to get a clear picture of what you are talking about…so how long would this process take?” 

 

“Depends on the amount and type of data…and I’m not sure how the brain would react to the data but I have a good feeling about it.” 

 

“A good feeling?  Really, you feel like it might work?  You are not making a good case here…” 

 

Octo scratched his head…”I’d really like to see if it works…it would make taking care of these human embryos much easier if it does…” 

 

“OK, now I’m a little more interested…”  I spoke up…”Octo, hold on here…how about this?…”  And I saw Mira with a crinkled brow again…but I kept going….

 

“Mira, what classes were you taking this semester?” 

 

“Hmmm…Social studies, pre-calculus, English, US History, Physics and PE….”  “OK…so, Physics…we will be talking about some Physics coming up here soon I think….I have the textbook that your teacher at Cocoa Beach High School uses in my database…

 

I spoke up, ”Octo, how long would it take to upload that whole textbook of data into Mira?” 

 

“Not sure….but I would like to try…I think it could be done in less than a half an hour.” 

 

Mira crinkled her brow, “A whole year’s worth of physics, plus the chapters that are not covered… in less than half an hour?  OK, so…next question…will this hurt?  What are the risks?” 

 

Octo spoke up, “Well…we don’t know exactly how the brain works but…we have some ideas and I am now fully familiar with the data flow I’ve found in the nervous system.  It could possibly lead to damage….however, we’ve plugged into a few brains now, including yours, without the person even knowing…although I have not uploaded data…I don’t think it will hurt but it might give you a headache…hopefully, that would be the worst effect.” 

 

“Again, your arguments are not very comforting….” 

 

Octo continued, “Look, we are at the point where we need to be trying to give us every opportunity to be successful…imagine if I could upload enough data for you in one night…to cover an entire school year…how does that sound?  And if it works on you, it will mean a revolution in education…literally.” 

 

“You say it will take half an hour?”  “Yes….”  “OK…I’ll let you try the physics data.” 

 

“Excellent!”  Octo was excited….

 

“OK, so what do I have to do?” Mira put her hands on her head and pulled out her pony tail holder  and put it back in again. 

 

“Well, I’ll need to put you into an REM state…or Rapid Eye Movement sleep….and I can do that like I did with the pilot known as Maker….after that, I’ll take the data downloaded from Kate here, and upload it into your brain via your optic nerve and cortex.” 

 

“Oh….ok…so you can just put me out huh….ok, I’ll strap into my chair here.”  “Mira, I just want to make sure now…are you ok with me entering your body and doing what I said?” 

 

“Yeah…I’ll let you try…but if I dream something crazy…I want you to keep that between us ok?  Sometimes I can have some crazy dreams that I like to keep to myself….” 

 

“Sure, doctor patient confidentiality right?” 

 

“Sure…and you may have some pretty vivid dreams when I do this because it will be a deep sleep.” 

 

“OK…all strapped in…school is in session!” 

 

I uploaded the data to Octo and went with him up Mira’s arm and into her brain again.  I figured she wanted me to be there too…but I let her know.  Octo was quick and he found my original connections to her optic nerve…”good work here Kate, I couldn’t have done this better”. 

 

Within a few seconds, Octo was ready to start…”OK Mira, you ready?”  “Ready..”  “OK, have a nice siesta then.” 

 

Before she could respond, Octo had her out cold…drooling included…which for me is a little bit of a hygienic problem, but I overlooked it.   I made sure Octo had all the data and he started the process….I could tell Mira’s brain was already working hard as her temperature rose a little and electrical activity picked up, she was in REM sleep and just to make sure, Octo looked for data feedback in her optical nerve…it was cool, we saw her dreams vividly….like a fuzzy rendition of reality…looked like she was playing water polo….and she also had someone she was looking at in the stands, perhaps her dad…she also dreamed about being underwater at the beach…looking at the backside of a wave from underwater as she pushed her surfboard under, a “duck dive”….it was quite a vivid patchwork of images.  I transmitted a couple of the images to Liz for her to enjoy and add to her collection.  Of course, Liz added her own touches.  

 

Octo then shut down that data stream and started up-linking the physics data.  Nothing seemed unusual…and Octo was carefully monitoring all her systems. 

 

“She’s in great shape…but already, her muscles and bone structure are starting to deteriorate due to both the weightless environment and a lack of exercise.”  Octo pointed….”see Kate, look at her heart rate and blood pressure….she’s on par with the best athletes in the world…but on the other hand, if we don’t do something, she’ll deteriorate quickly…I’ll have to think about it.” 

 

“She said she is interested in working out, specifically swimming….she likes that…” 

 

“I’ll have to work on it…we want her to live as healthy as possible…the other thing, she’s not eating enough…we have to get her to eat more too.  She needs to have enough fat storage to help her with a whole bunch of her system functions including temperature stabilization.  Since she has been swimming a lot, she has a nice fat build up as her body has acclimated to the water…but she’s losing it quickly…”  I asked…”you mean she needs to be bigger?” 

 

“No…all I’m saying is, she’s in great shape, and we have to figure out how to preserve that….we want her to keep her curves, shall we say….but that’s an issue for another day…perhaps tomorrow.  But we do need to address this with her soon or the road back will be even tougher…calcium…hmmm.”

 

 

Octo finished up the data upload and turned to me….”OK….that should be it.  We can bring her back online….” 

 

I would have liked to check out more of these dreams she’s so intent on keeping private….but that’s just me craving for more data….and I did promise to minimize my invasiveness and respect her privacy…. 

 

“She should be back online in three…..two….one…..”  Mira’s eyes opened…”good morning chica!” Octo said. 

 

And immediately, Mira started going into a seizure, with her arms and legs shaking and her head rolling around….Octo monitored everything…she should be ok…. 

 

I looked at him…”Octo…what is going on?”  “By all indication…she should be fine…I’ll put her back under if it looks like she’s going to cause damage to herself.”  “Ha!”  Mira straightened up, “Got you!” 

 

Oh…she’s playing games with us is she?  “Mira…this is not a game which you will win…do you realize who you are playing with?”  “Yeah…you didn’t think that was funny?” 

 

“Not particularly…because I was worried and Octo almost shut you down again…you can’t do that ok?” 

 

“Kate….you have to lighten up a little…ok”  “I’ll try…but you should not scare us like that either ok.” 

 

“OK.”  I wished I could have thought of something to immediately get her back…but I was going to work on something…

 

“So…I’m back…I don’t feel any different…I certainly don’t feel any smarter…”  Octo and I were now on our way down her arm and back onto the main panel.  Octo then looked at me with a look of I don’t know on his face… 

 

“Let’s just give it time and see how it goes…do you have a headache or any other symptoms that you didn’t before?” 

 

“No…I feel great,  you were right, that was a deep sleep…I feel refreshed actually, best sleep I’ve had in a long time that I can remember…back to before my mom died.” 

 

“OK…well we have some time…why don’t you go get some liquids and relax a little before we get back together again.” 

 

“OK…see you in a while then.”  With that, Mira darted off to her quarters.  I watched her move on the monitors through the cabin, using her arms, moving in a fluid like motion.  Justin came up behind me….

 

“You know, she moves a lot like you do…if you were human, you two would be like two peas in a pod…sleek, graceful, beautiful…” 

 

I looked at Justin…”you like her don’t you?…” 

 

“Everyone does…and you are her pet Kate!” 

 

“Yeah…but you…well, she’s growing on you isn’t she?”  “She is…I hope we can find a way to set her free from this prison…and I think Taran just might.”

 

Justin and I spent some time together, mostly looking at the video feeds of the Earth.  “That….really doesn’t look good,” he said.  “I am worried about Taran too…not sure how long he will remain viable.  Then there is Mira…” 

 

“Well Justin…we can’t make things perfect for everyone, we just have to do the best we can…but I have faith in you to figure out the best plan.” 

 

“Yeah…faith…the belief in things that can’t be proved…”

 

Justin then turned around.  “You know, I’ve even looked at the moons around Jupiter as possibilities….Europa and Titan….they actually seem to be more alive than Mars, but still, not class M.” 

 

“What is class M?” 

 

“It’s just a designation humans use to describe a planet which can support life with a breathable atmosphere….it’s never really been a scientific term…it’s more of a science fiction term, specifically from the TV show, Star Trek.” 

 

“Huh, another thing to look up.” 

 

“Yeah, it’s actually interesting and I have been going through a lot of the science fiction movies and books looking for ideas to help us.  The frustrating part is….we can’t go faster than the speed of light…we have no ‘warp drive’…and we have no indication of any ‘worm holes’ that would get us quickly to other points in space and time.” 

 

“Yeah…that would be a nice thing to be able to just go from galaxy to galaxy in minutes instead of millenniums….that would make the search for a habitable planet less inconvenient.” 

 

Justin then looked at me, “that is still an option though…everything on this ship can last for literally, millions of years with proper care and maintenance…except Mira.” 

 

“You guys aren’t thinking about killing me again are you?”  Mira had sneaked up on us, and with her communication device, she had dialed into our conversation. 

 

“Sorry…I was just eavesdropping a little…” 

 

“That’s pretty good,”  Justin said, “I didn’t even see you sneak up on us like that.” 

 

“Sometimes I like to sneak around and pretend I’m a cat…hey…I’m still a kid at heart…probably always will be.” 

 

“She’s one big cat,” I said to Justin…

 

”I heard that!”  Mira shot back…”So, yeah, I heard you talking…It’s true that we can’t go faster than the speed of light, except as you said, for things like wormholes, which are only theoretical…or if we could jump from one point in our three dimensions, to another point via another higher dimension…but that too is only theoretical.” 

 

Mira put her hands up in front of her face, “Mathematically, the argument for more dimensions…up to eleven, is very probable…  There are some cases where information is somehow transferred instantaneously, and this has been demonstrated…where two particles such as electrons are ‘entangled’ and then separated by a distance and somehow, they are able to pass information at greater than the speed of light.  They call it, ‘spooky action at a distance’ but, to me it’s another argument for at least one other dimension.  I think that’s the only way to explain it, knowing the limitations of the speed of light in our three dimensions…plus time of course.” 

 

“Sounds very scientific”  I said….

 

Mira went on, “Yeah…it actually is, but I don’t think it helps us…more specifically, me.  Fact is, as we approach the speed of light, our mass increases to infinite…which is not possible…as far as we know.” 

 

I cut in, “Mira, how do you know all this?” 

 

“I don’t know…but there is another thing that happens as our speed relative to say the Earth’s reference frame increases….compared to us in the ship, time passes slower for us than it does for those in the slower reference frame.” 

 

Octo chimed in now…”yes, that’s called time dilation, and we have a nice equation for that, and it’s been experimentally proven.” 

 

Mira smiled…”Yes, time dilation…”   

 

I had to ask…”so what does that mean for us?…” 

 

Mira was quick, “what it means is, if we are moving faster than the Earth, time will pass there much quicker than it does for us so…let’s say we go fast and 15 minutes goes by for us, well, if we go fast enough, and we calculate it out using Special Relativity equations, we could make 15 years go by on Earth….but we don’t have the ability to move nearly close to that type of speed.” 

 

I asked Mira again, “You are touching on quantum mechanics and referring to special relativity…where did you learn that?” 

 

“I don’t know,  I’ve never had classes on it but it looks like stuff you can find in the back of my old text book…do you think it’s from your procedure Octo?” 

 

Octo looked intrigued, “Yeah…let me ask you a question that you should not know from the text…ok, what is the ‘Lorentz Transformation’?”  Mira looked out the window…”yeah, I know that, it’s named after a Dutch physics guy…Hendrik Lorentz and it has to do with exactly what we are talking about…and shows that the speed of light is independent of reference frames…and you can also apply it to symmetries found in the laws of electromagnetism….and your creator was an expert in this area, applying these principles to matter/anti-matter interaction, containment and control.  Do you want to know more?” 

 

Octo was pleased…”So, this knowledge, you don’t know where you obtained it but how is it coming to you?  Can you tell me how you are accessing the data?” 

 

Mira looked up, thinking….putting her hand on her chin…”the best way I can describe it is…it’s like I took a physics course, studied really hard, got an A in the class…and now, sometime later, the knowledge is just there to draw upon.  I can’t picture a text or anything, I just know it…I’d do much better if you put some equations in front of me or put a book in my hand…but it would be more like review or refreshing something I already know…this is cool.” 

 

Octo looked like a very proud parent whose kid had just won a spelling bee or something…all smug. 

 

“Octo…that’s amazing work you’ve done here,”  I told him.

 

 Justin looked intently at Mira…”This is truly a breakthrough…is this what you did just now?” 

 

Octo looked at Justin, “Yes.  I uploaded the data to her brain…” 

 

Justin looked concerned…”ok, this is truly a breakthrough, but it was dangerous too…in the future, I think we all need to be in on these decisions because if we are to succeed, we need Mira, and something as invasive as this….well, all I ask is that we all discuss it next time ok…we all need to be in on things that will affect us all.  That said…this is a spectacular development…Octo, we need to consider this as it applies to the rest of our passengers.  If Norway was not a burning hole of lava right now, I’d put you in for a Nobel Prize!” 

 

It was too soon…funny…but too soon and everyone just kind of looked at the images of the earth on the screens and out the windows.

 

Justin then changed the subject….”OK, sorry, bad joke, so, ideas on how to proceed…that’s what we need to be talking about right now…”  I nodded…and Mira agreed too…”let’s talk.” 

 

“So, we have decided Mars is out, along with Europa, Titan and the other possible M class planets outside our solar system….and Earth is it?”  Justin looked around….”OK, so now, we need to think about a few things here…first, we will likely have to wait a long time, much longer than Mira’s life span before we can head back to Earth, but I think it is important that she has a connection and contact with future generations of humans so, I guess the discussion then becomes how long until we start producing humans and how old should Mira be before we put her in a position to take care of a bunch of children?” 

 

Mira spoke up, “I’m still here…you don’t need to talk about me in the third person…” 

 

Justin smiled a bit, “I’m sorry, I just, well…I’m wrong, I need to be talking to you directly don’t I?” “Yes…” 

 

“OK, so, do you disagree with anything I have just stated?” 

 

“No, makes sense to me…little kids need a mom and a dad, they need a human touch.  So, I do think it is important to not wait too long so I can be a part of their lives, or at least the first few batches of them.  And now that I think about it, I don’t see why we can’t start generating a few right away…I have not much else to do around here…” 

 

Justin looked at me, and then back at Mira, “Yeah…but, now the question is timing…how long exactly do we have before Earth can be colonized again?” 

 

Octo spoke up….”Why don’t we wait 10,000 years?” 

 

“10,000 years?” Justin shook his head…. 

 

“Not joking,” Octo said, “if we could accelerate fast enough, we could use the equations to figure out just how fast and for how long….” 

 

“Time dilation?” Mira asked.  “Si,” Octo nodded, “just looking at preliminary numbers and the g-force involved, I’d shoot for two years of Mira’s standard time and adjust the velocity so that 10,000 Earth years pass.  That way, Earth will have had time to stabilize. 

 

Taran and I have done the calculations with Mira in mind.  We propose that we complete a large acceleration for 6 months and then the same deceleration for 6 months at the end with 1 year at speed.  We also suggest that we do not leave our solar system but instead, orbit around the sun using thrusters to maintain an orbit.  In normal circumstances, if a satellite is in orbit, it basically feels like it is in a constant free fall, or zero times the pull of gravity…like what we feel now.  We can use the thrusters to keep us at a slightly closer orbit…but at the same time, create 1.5 g’s within this ship.” 

 

“Why 1.5 g’s?” Justin asked… 

 

“It’s about Mira…”

 

“Me?”  Mira asked.  “Is it ok that I discuss your physiology?” 

 

“Sure…, you guys pretty much know everything anyhow.”  Mira shook her head.  

 

“Well, when I was inside you, I noticed that even though you are an excellent athlete in outstanding shape, even in these few days of a weightless environment, your muscles are already deteriorating and your bone structure is weakening….”  Mira looked at her hand and made a fist.  “…and I believe this is due to two things, one, you are no longer working out, you are not eating a good enough diet to maintain your original weight…and most importantly, you are in a weightless environment.”

“That’s three things…” Mira corrected.   

 

Octo continued, “All these factors are not good for you if we don’t do something.” 

 

“So…the first and last 6 months where we will be under a constant acceleration, not sure the number yet, but we are talking a constant, 9 to 12 times the force of gravity, we don’t think you can sustain that without a custom life support system.  During the year at speed, we think that once you are out of your life support system, that an artificial gravity of 1.5 times Earth will actually strengthen you, so your transition back to Earth will be much easier, in fact, our hope is that you will be much stronger and in better shape than when you left…” 

 

“Wow…you guys really did work on this plan.  So, couple of questions for you:  Is the structure of the ship strong enough to sustain this kind of stress?  Do we have enough fuel for this?  …and what exactly do you mean by ‘custom life support system’?”

 

Good starting questions I thought…. 

 

Octo went on, “OK, life support system….we have a huge supply of water and a huge tank for the aquaponics system…we’ll have to modify it for use in space and for this instead of growing plants but we can change it back if we need it later.  For the first and last 6 months, we will use the tank with a saline treated water, to basically make you a huge womb.  We can keep you awake, or we can put you to sleep…your choice…but while you are out, we can complete your high school education, along with college and graduate type of education….so, I suppose you need to consider the knowledge you are not only interested in, but will also be useful in the years ahead.  You are 14 now right?  Well, you’ll be 16 when we complete this journey, and pretty much complete with a first class data base of information.   During the year at speed, you’ll have to work out, but at 1.5 g’s, we can unseal the aquaponics tank and you can use it as a lap pool for swimming.  If you have ever swam in a salt water pool, it will be similar to that.” 

 

Mira started scratching her head….”hmmm, so when I’m in the pool for 6 months…how will I eat?  Or go to the bathroom…” 

 

“We will feed you intravenously, and have you connected to a respirator…it will be uncomfortable I think to be conscious for all this…but I think we could do some things to make the time go by quickly for you including keeping you entertained and with company…you won’t be alone.” 

 

“I have to say, I’m a little scared about this…ok, so I’ll think about this, still, can the ship take this?” 

 

“In a word, no, but we can modify it.  We do have enough fuel to run the thrusters for the whole time plus some including what is needed for re-entry…but for the main engines, we’ll have to make some modifications.   We have the plans ready to go for CC and Tata and it will take them a couple of days of diligent work…basically, we are going to modify one of our matter/anti-matter fuel canisters to put out a year’s worth of sustained thrust.” 

 

“You have extras?” Mira asked. 

 

“Yeah, remember, I have 4 here that I was able to extract from the other bots…” I said…but  Justin spoke up, “Kate, no, your four power supplies were destroyed when you were attacked…I think I see where Octo and Taran are headed with this…” 

 

I looked down at my canisters…sure enough, I had never looked closely after the attack…they were spent.  I threw the empty cases away…

 

“Yes,” Octo said, “Taran wants us to use his fuel cell…says he is fading fast anyway, better that we use it and keep Mira alive and get her back to Earth, rather than him just waste away slowly.  He wants to do something with his life to bring something good and meaningful for someone else.” 

 

Mira took a deep breath…and put her hands on her head again…”Really, you would do that Taran?” 

 

Taran perked up…and quietly said, ”Yes…want to.” 

 

“I feel like that is too much…I can’t return such a favor to you…” 

 

“Just say thank you,”  Taran replied. 

 

Tears came to Mira’s eyes, “thank you….giving me a chance to go back to Earth…that’s huge to me…thank you.” 

 

Justin spoke up, “So…what if we come across another power supply?  Can we use it?” 

 

Octo turned to Justin, “Possibly, but the problem is not his power supply, it’s something in his cortex, some kind of virus…which does not seem to be spreading to us.  Perhaps, we can keep him and at some point in the future, we’ll be able to fix him.  It’s not a simple thing because of the matter/anti-mater and the quantum entanglement that is in use within his quantum computer processor.  Time will tell…but it would be unwise to make predictions like that.  As far as we know, once we remove his power supply, he will not be coming back.” 

 

With that, everyone went silent..except for Liz, who stopped moving around Brando and attached herself to Taran….we all just stood motionless for what seemed a long time. 

 

Mira leaned back in her chair…with her hand propping up her chin…thinking…staring out into space.

 

Mira broke the silence and sat up in her chair, “so…basically, we do this for two years, and during that time, 10,000 years go by on Earth….because of our speed and time dilation…” 

 

“Yes,” Octo replied, “and in those two years, you get an education like no other….and the prospect of returning to Earth to live out your life.”

 

“Ok,” Mira said, “and what can you tell me about these pods and the other humans?  I never heard my dad discuss anything like it and I thought he was in on almost everything that had to do with space travel.” 

 

Octo replied, “Yeah, the pods, we did some research on those too and they have been modified from their initial purpose.” 

 

“Modified?” 

 

“Yes, modified…the pods are basically incubators that are designed to produce humans that are all male and six feet tall with the same bone structure and look…they were designed to produce clones.”  

 

“Clones….”Mira said, “for what, an army?” 

 

Octo replied in a matter of fact way, “yes, to build an army…but the United States decided to cancel the program.  The technology was developed, but when the Congressional oversight committee reviewed the program, they deemed it immoral and defunded it but kept it and all related patents classified top secret.”

 

Mira blinked, “So…what are these?”  Pointing at the cargo bay. 

 

Octo continued, “when the order came down to discontinue this program, the folks involved all dispersed to new jobs, including different projects within the defense acquisition and research department and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. 

 

At the top of the government is a program built specifically to maintain many contingency plans that have to do with what they call continuity of government operations.” 

 

Mira nodded, “So, they basically plan for emergency situations…and they predicted this?” 

 

Justin spoke up, “No, they didn’t know and between all the agencies at the top there was confusion about the plan and was the reason the final crew did not show up for the launch in time.  They did not realize the asteroid would arrive as early as it did.  They did know about this asteroid for about six months and had time to piece together a plan to save mankind.  It was only a handful of people, but one of them knew of this cancelled military program.  The incubators are six feet tall because the basic design has not been modified.” 

 

“So we have an army of clones here?”  Mira asked. 

 

“No,”  Justin replied, “That’s where the program differs from the military version.  These humans are not clones…but they have been genetically altered.”  Justin then flashed some pictures of the clones and then of people of all different ethnicities. 

 

“The clones are programmed to emerge from their incubators after a rapid growth period of 18 months…and they emerge as roughly 20 year olds but their predicted life expectancy, due to the rapid growth, was only 5 years.  I say predicted, because they really didn’t know for sure, it was never tested.” 

 

Mira, had a look of disbelief on her face as Justin continued.  “They purposely programmed these humans to emerge at the age of five so that they could experience growth normally in the hope that their life expectancy would be much longer.  The other big difference is that they are not clones, they are instead a genetic hybrid.  Someone in this process decided in their own way to start humanity off fresh as only one race.” 

 

Mira smiled…”so much for diversity…” 

 

“No, actually it is in its own way…the DNA of these humans, the very small fraction of it that determines skin color and features, has been manipulated to put together a new race of humans that are basically a blend.  The report states, and this is again, only speculation because they never had the chance to test, that they will all have basically a olive skin tone which is more resistant to the sun, blended features including things like hardened teeth that are not susceptible to cavities or in need of orthodontics, high metabolism, stronger joints…let’s just say they have upgrades.” 

 

“So,” Mira was intrigued, “what will they look like then?”  “The report says they will look like the mixed babies of a couple of generations of mixed racial couples.  They will literally be a new race…basically, a melting pot race.” 

 

“Fascinating.”  Mira was thinking about all this….”Well, will this be the end of discrimination? And racial tension?” 

 

“Well,” Justin said after a pause, “from what we have downloaded so far about humans and their behavior, I’d say all these sorts of negative behaviors will not go away.  Jealousy, hate, anger, selfishness; humans seem to always divide themselves into groups somehow….these are all things that seem to be within all humans, and something we will somehow have to deal with when a new colony is started.  In short, sure, they will all look similar, but they will eventually have to come to grips with their nature and figure out how to deal with it.  So far in human history…this has been a challenge unaccomplished.  On the other hand, human beings are spectacular innovators with the capacity for just the opposite of all the negative things I just spoke of.  Love…which is something I am not sure if we can truly understand as humans do.  How do we start a colony that brings out the best in people and not the worst?” 

 

Justin looked around…hoping Mira would provide insight…nothing….he continued,  “ Setting up a basic colony will require some form of government and basic philosophy of life that must be ingrained in these humans from the start…but that is something we can work on and discuss later.  For now, we need to know what you think of this plan and how you fit in.  Are you ok with this?  Do we need to go back and think of something else?” 

 

Mira had one last question, “so, what do you guys think the Earth will look like when we return?”  Octo spoke up, “quick answer, we don’t know.  What we do know is that the Earth is a robust class M planet and it still sits in a place within the galaxy and the solar system that makes it perfect for supporting life.  We know that it is inherently stable and although it does go through warming and cooling patterns, it is extremely self-regulating.” 

 

Mira interjected, “So…I was taught that global warming was a huge concern… caused by humans and it would lead to catastrophe.”  

 

Octo went on, “Well, I’m just looking at the data in terms of a self-regulating system….perhaps humans can control small areas by paving or plowing fields or even seeding clouds for example, but what they don’t control is the stabilizing force and nature of water itself, which covers 70 percent of the planet, they don’t control the sun and its radiation, they don’t control the galaxy as the sun travels through it…I find it a little arrogant actually that they think they can change a planet’s climate on their own…but that’s how humans think and it is good, that arrogance seems to drive a lot of what they do.  You can’t argue against conservation or keeping things like air and water clean so that’s good…but let me tell you an analogy, knowing you are a pilot Mira.  Do you know the difference between flying a helicopter and an airplane?” 

 

Mira smiled, “I do, I think you already mentioned this to me…flying an airplane is like holding a ball in a bowl.  If you tip the bowl and then right it, the ball will naturally come back to the center.  The helicopter on the other hand is different; the helicopter is like flipping the bowl upside down and putting the ball on top.  Only now, if you tip the bowl and then right it, the ball will not roll back to the center, it will fall off the bowl…it is unstable.” 

 

Octo was happy with his pupil, “Good!  And so the humans think the Earth is like the unstable helicopter and they have to worry a lot about small tips of the bowl when actually, it is more like the airplane…where you can push the stick, rock the bowl, and let go to find the ball will eventually make its way back to the center.  I looked at data points where the environment was hugely impacted by things that should have tipped over an unstable model.  I looked at examples of how the climate reacted to huge volcanic eruptions, past meteor impacts, earthquakes, tsunamis…you know, things that are associated with huge tectonic shifts, single impacts that dwarf anything humans have done, including detonating nuclear weapons.  Even doing that…the scale makes human impact relatively insignificant.” 

 

“Long story short,” Mira summarized, “you think the Earth will not only survive this, but eventually right itself.” 

 

“I do,” Octo said, “but it will take some time, and things might be different in many ways, but I do believe that the Earth will continue to support life….the bowl will continue to hold the ball of life.” 

 

Mira turned and put her hand on the monitor that showed the earth.  “OK Justin, I’m in, I’ll try this….two years will equal 10,000 years on Earth….that is cool.”  

 

 Justin looked around the group, then stared at Taran….  “Mira is the main reason we are looking at this plan…does anyone else have other options to consider?   Taran….are you sure about this?” 

 

Justin looked around the group….and Taran spoke up, “do this for me, give Mira a life.  Make my life valuable by allowing me to give it for this noble cause.” 

 

Taran then moved forward,  “Please, don’t make my life meaningless.” 

 

The group nodded, Liz stopped orbiting and nuzzled close and the group moved in closer as well.  “OK, Taran…”  Justin quietly whispered. 

 

Mira stared at the monitor of the Earth…and in a whisper, “that is love.”  Mira’s eyes welled up… 

Mira spun around in her chair..."Taran, you are awesome but, I don't think we will let you go that easily.  I want you to know that we will keep you off-line but preserved so that if the opportunity comes that we figure out how to fix you, we will make every effort ok?"  All the other bots nodded and agreed...

"Yes," Octo said, "we will figure this out...this is not a done deal."

Mira pulled her pony tail holder out and ran her fingers through her hair...."and one other thing, I have a special request as we plan on how to move forward..."

Justin spoke up, "ok, what?"  

"Well," Mira said as she pulled her hair back smooth and put her pony tail holder back in, "how long will preparations take before we can start the acceleration?"  

Justin said, "We want to begin this trip as soon as possible, but we will need two weeks of dedicated effort from everyone to design and build everything we have talked about from your life support systems to modifying the ship's main engines in order to use Taran's fuel pod. There are complications to consider with re-entry since our ship was designed to head to Mars and not actually land there. "

Tara spoke up, "Yes, re-entry into Earth's atmosphere is something I have put some thought into.  Our ship was not built with heat shields so a standard penetration into the atmosphere would generate too much stress and the ship would most likely break up.  I took this into account with our engine design modifications and will also inspect the structure for weakness specifically during final descent.  One big advantage is that we will have the use of our main engines all the way down so, and this has never been done because there has never been enough fuel for it, I think we can slow the ship using main engine power to match the speed of the Earth's rotation so relative to the earth surface we would descend almost vertically.  We would probably use as much energy as we did when we first lifted off but, we will have the fuel for it."

Mira smiled, "oh man, just like when the aliens come in the movies, they never seem to have to worry about burning up!  So cool!"

"Well, not quite," Taran replied, "we will descend in a controlled way however our ship is not aerodynamic so the actual landing will be tough since our thrusters are not powerful enough.  We will have to use the main engines as long as possible and then use the thrusters to land and keep the control module right side up.  It will not be easy to do, but the sequence can be programmed.  That said, I suggest Mira manually control the landing since it will still be a similar sight picture to what she has experienced as a pilot already.  

I actually wanted to do some research work to further what Creator was working on with the matter-anti matter combination.  I actually think we could eventually come up with a design that can not only create a gravitational field on the ship but also allow the ship to repel the force of gravity from something big like the Earth.  It would take time, and I would like to experiment far away from the ship since this has potential for disaster that we cannot risk right now.  I will continue to work on the theoretical side of it and upload it to Kate's database."  

This made me smile.  He respects me I felt!  

"I hope someone will take on this project eventually as I believe it could lead to huge advances in the generation of energy as well as future propulsion systems for any type of craft, air or surface vehicles.  If you don't have to worry as much about heat shields or gravity, lots of possibilities open up."

Mira spoke up, "Wow, I will make sure your ideas are not left to die on the vine ok.  I was not only thinking about the modifications for the trip but also, starting to think of our new colony and things we will need for that.  As a contingency, and a special request, just because I think it will be not only very useful, but also fun for me, I want Taran to design and build me a helicopter and also download helicopter knowledge into my education line up."

Justin seemed intrigued and...a little jealous?  "Helicopter eh? Sounds like a nice toy to play with!"

Mira crinkled her brow, "Yes, it is something fun I would like to try but don't forget, as we establish a new colony, the only people capable of moving things around will be me and this new group of human clone people.  We will need the use of something for good transport and heavy lift.  I am thinking, that like the insects, we need a craft that can carry it's own weight, yet be light and nimble, able to land without a runway, quick, minimal maintenance required...that is, until we can come up with a better form of craft of course!"

Taran cut in, "So, you want me to design and build a helicopter for you?"  "Yes, please."  "OK, well, I think I have just the design already in mind because what you are describing already exists.  I will build two prototypes and once the colony is established, put a manufacturing procedure in place so that the colony can have a nice fleet to use.  I don't think it will take me long to do that with the help of some of those guys too."  

Taran pointed to a group of bots who came along with us but don't really contribute to the discussion.  They were a smattering of different types who had decided to stick with our group.  They are part of our group too, but tend to be the tag-a-longs who don't get much say....but when called on, they are always excited to help and be part of the process...and in this case, they looked happy to help and have a purpose.

Taran spoke to Mira, "OK, we will do this and I am happy to do it for you but you must promise to take it very slowly as you take your raw knowledge and put it into physical practice.  Flying an airplane is a very different thing than hovering a helicopter and can be very deadly for you. I need your word, if I am to build you a flying hot-rod, you must promise me now that you will not be impatient as you learn the actual skills ok?"

"I promise,"  Mira said with a big smile on her face, "this will be very cool."

Justin broke back in, "OK, so that's one thing but I have a list I made up of things that must be done.  CC and Tata, you two will have the primary job of modifying and building the new engine design that Octo and Brando have completed. Supporting you two will be our top priority in these next two weeks but also, we have a lot of other preparations to make."

The whole crowd of bots then converged on Justin and downloaded all his information, assigned responsibilities and added details to his formal plan of action and milestones.  Keeping everything being done in the proper order and not forgetting details is key when you have so many projects to accomplish at once.  Sometimes, the projects would impact one another on the timeline so it took a little while to go through all the details.  Once done, like a team breaking from a huddle, everyone scattered to start work until it was again, just Justin, Mira an me alone in the command module.

"Helicopter eh?"  Justin was so envious, I had never seen him like that before...

   

Author's Note

I am considering maybe one or two more chapters to wrap up this book. I think the next book will be the story of the establishment of a colony. The only thing I wonder is, where should the break in this story between books be positioned?