CHAPTER 16
ADVANCED PILOT TRAINING
Captain Caine began preparing his fleet to meet the enemy. He ordered all ships to conduct system checks, repair essential equipment, update maintenance, and complete any last-minute training of personnel. This led to a flurry of activity and the next day Gallant followed the XO and Neumann into the captain’s cabin. It had been three months since Gallant reported aboard Repulse. The XO had just signed off on all his certification endorsements for his advanced fighter qualification.
“GridScape marks him passed on all advanced fighter exams and simulation training courses, Captain,” said the XO.
“Excellent,” said Captain Caine, looking pleased. “Are you ready for your final flight test, Mr. Gallant?”
“Yes, sir.”
“I assume the XO has explained the process. You will proceed independently from Jupiter Station, circumnavigate Jupiter, and return to Repulse. You will have a flight monitor in the Eagle’s second seat instead of your astrogator. He will not assist you in any way. You are to do all the navigation and engineering duties yourself. The flight monitor will initiate computer failures and simulations into your ship’s AI. While the accidents will not actually cripple the equipment, the AI will lock them out as nonfunctioning until the flight monitor reinstates them. For example, if one of your twin engines is marked damaged, you will have to fly on one engine. If your environmental system is tagged as inoperable, you will have to ration the air supply until you return, and so on. A complete menu of system failures and accidents is available to the flight monitor, and he will decide when and which problems you will encounter—all at his discretion. Any questions?”
“No, sir,”
“I see Mr. Neumann has volunteered to be your flight monitor,” said Caine.
Gallant winced. He knew he was in for a bad time, but he had no recourse.
Caine addressed Neumann, “At all times, you are ultimately responsible for the safety of the spacecraft. If for any reason Mr. Gallant fails to correctly respond to the accident scenarios you designate, you will terminate the exam, take over the spacecraft, and return to Repulse. Are you ready, Mr. Neumann?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Very well, gentlemen. Proceed to the hangar. You have permission for your flight exam.”
With Neumann sitting in the second seat, Gallant pulled on his neural interface gear and took off. He jockeyed his Eagle fighter away from Jupiter Station.
The flight was scheduled to last for most of the day, even though the fighter could complete the 6.3-million-mile circumnavigation of Jupiter (at a distance of one million miles) in one hour at 0.01c. The accidents and system failures that Neumann was expected to introduce would undoubtedly lead to considerable delays and difficulties.
For almost exactly thirty minutes, the Eagle flew flawlessly. Then when they had reached the opposite side of Jupiter, alarms and warning lights seemed to emerge from every corner of the cockpit. Gallant interpreted the AI representation of the ship and its emergency through his neuron interface.
Gallant used his mental image to evaluate the virtual information data feeds.
The AI reported, “Simulated fires in port and starboard engines - control panel and main electrical panel fused - atmospheric supplies contaminated - rupture of the antimatter plasma containment field - other casualties involving additional equipment are also starting to register."
Without hesitation he cut the engines, stopped the environmental equipment and pulled the plug on internal cockpit power. He initiated fire suppression systems, manually, and he began to seal himself in his protective armored suit.
He noted that Neumann had already sealed himself in his suit.
Gallant began remedial action to assess the damage and evaluate his corrective actions.
As he expected, Neumann threw the ‘kitchen sink’ into this accident scenario. Gallant recognized that Neumann had ‘red tagged’ so much equipment that it made his initial task difficult, but once he got a grip on the problems and repaired them, Neumann wouldn’t have much more he could do.
“Give up?” asked Neumann, wearing his broadest smirk.
“No,” Gallant responded defiantly.
“Why not? You will fail eventually.”
“Why don't you just let me compete?”
“Because you can’t,” said Neumann.
“Why don’t you just let me try?”
“Because,” Neumann said, color rising in his cheeks. “I know that when it counts, you’ll let us down. Face it, the human race has moved on.”
“Can’t you even consider that you may be wrong? Maybe one of the downsides of genetic engineering is that it eliminates the random mutations that offer new avenues for human development. Humanity could miss the next true branch in evolution.”
“And that’s supposed to be someone like you? You're pretty full of yourself. Besides, it’s ridiculous. By eliminating weaknesses and reinforcing strengths, we guarantee superior development. You need to accept that you will eventually fall short.”
“I’m going to prove you wrong!”
Gallant stopped talking and gave his full attention to analyzing the signals.
After four hours, Neumann said, “We’ve been stranded here for hours; it’s time for you to concede failure. Only those with the best genetic bloodlines should be officers. You just don’t have the capability. These complex AI interfacing problems are beyond you.”
Gallant ignored the taunt and continued to work on unraveling the casualty.
Eight hours passed; Gallant’s Eagle was drifting in orbit around Jupiter. He worked diligently on his computer system evaluating the various system failures and devising possible workouts. As he figured out the failure modes for each piece of equipment, he submitted his solution to the ship’s AI for evaluation.
At first, it rejected nearly everything he proposed. But slowly, Gallant was able to first restore ship’s life support and then he established minimal power for essential items.
It was nearly ten hours after the start of the accident when he tried to restart an engine.
Just then, Neumann initiated an additional failure, knocking out his restored power supply.
That proved to be nearly a fatal complication, and he lost life support again.
Gallant knew that if he didn’t satisfactorily resolve this, Neumann would be justified in failing him. Concentrating with all his might, he focused his mind and visualized the ship, its controls, and the system failures, as one image. He then tuned his senses to see the path to recovery. Developing a sense of harmony between controls and performance, he created a solution in his mind’s eye. Despite his exhaustion and lack of food and sleep, he finally submitted his repair concept to the AI. It approved the plan and ruled that both life support and the minimal power supply were successfully restored.
Eighteen hours after the accident started, Gallant was able to get one engine operating at twenty-five percent power. It was enough to continue his flight around Jupiter at 0.0025c.
Without stopping to rest, he worked to restore various other systems including radar and communications. Slowly they approached Repulse.
In fact, it took a full twenty-four hours before Gallant’s Eagle returned to Jupiter Station. By then nearly every member of the Repulse’s crew had entered the ship’s pool, betting on whether Gallant or Neumann would be flying the fighter.
The pool paid off big time for Chief Howard when a faint voice was heard over the minimally powered radio, crackling in broken static, “Gallant to Repulse ... request ... permission to dock?” An impromptu cheer went up from the communication division.
As the captain had requested hours earlier, Howard notified him when the fighter made contact. “Who’s flying?” he asked shortly, before smiling at the response. A few minutes later, Caine pinned the advanced fighter designation—a silver star—on Gallant’s collar next to the thin silver bar, his rank insignia, and shook Gallant’s hand.
“Congratulations, Mr. G
allant,” said Caine. “You're officially a ‘star’ fighter.”
"Thank you, sir,” said a jubilant Gallant. As he stood there, justly bursting with pride, he understood that life had its special moments, and this accomplishment would be one of his.
Caine's expression turned grave, “Mr. Gallant, I’m going to need every ‘star’ fighter I have, over the next week. I’ve got a plan, but it's risky. I’m going to send your squadron as convoy escort partway to Mars.”
Surprised, Gallant asked, “But what about the Titan fleet, sir?”
“That's the risk. You’ll have to hotfoot it back to Repulse before the excitement begins!”