“Liar,” Stiles accused.
Jimmy slunk into the corner of the entryway, trying to stay out of the verbal sparing. “Shut up, Stiles,” he muttered under his breath, but he was not quiet enough. They all heard the quip once it was blurted out.
“Who asked you, Null-Grav?” Stiles replied threateningly.
Jimmy flinched.
Peter creased his forehead, “Stiles, leave him alone. And you know Ali heads off to the hangar all the time.”
Stiles laughed bitterly. “’Cause he has no friends.”
Henrietta looked up for the first time. She had about all she could take of the rude boor for one day, and it was still early in the afternoon. “You should talk.”
“What do you mean by that, Henry?” Stiles asked menacingly. He made sure to emphasize the name.
“Just that the only person who talks to you voluntarily is your mom,” she replied.
Stiles stared at her, trying to think of a smart reply. Finally, he blurted out, “At least both my parents can walk.”
“That’s enough!” Ruben roared. “You want to continue this tour, or not?”
They all nodded hopefully. “Yes, Sir,” Jimmy added for emphasis. “Please, Sir.”
Stiles imitated an old English accent, “Please, Sir; can I have some more, Sir? How can you kiss his butt with zero gravity?” he asked. “Seems to me you’d push away every time you puckered up. Probably blow away like a fart in space.”
Ruben growled lowly to get their attention. They seemed to settle down at the veiled warning. “Okay, if we’re all done with all this funny business, let’s head into the ship, shall we?” Ruben checked each CT-suit and was surprised to see all five were perfectly donned. “Good job,” he muttered. The children beamed at the compliment. Snarling, Ruben weaved around the urchins and rotated the airlock until it opened. They all felt a puff of air expel from the prototype ship as the pressures equalized between the ship and base.
“He’s breathing,” Jimmy stammered in wonder.
Stiles stared at Jimmy, “Doofus,” he called him.
“Dummy,” Jimmy shot back.
“He’s not breathing!” Stiles asserted. “It’s just atmospheric pressure differences between the base and the ship’s interior.”
“Nah-ah,” Jimmy argued.
Peter stepped through the hatch first, “He’s right, Jimmy. The ship expels waste products that accumulate inside, but he really doesn’t breathe.”
“Oh,” Jimmy conceded.
“True,” Ali confirmed, as he walked into the ship behind Peter. “There are many respiratory byproducts that accumulate inside the ship. Mostly carbon dioxide, but some sulfides as well. Not only from the crew stationed inside, but from the mechanorganics too. They filter through the recycler on the port ancillary section and vent directly into space. It’s kinda like him pooping.”
Jimmy laughed. “Pooping ….”
Ruben went through the hatch last before dogging the airlock door. “The ship does not poop, children.”
“But the waste products are recycled into usable components, with the remains turned into pellets and then discarded, correct?” Ali asked.
Ruben was surprised at the amount of information they knew about the ship. Maybe more’n I know, he mussed. So much for secrecy around here.
He wobbled his head in thought, “Well, yeah ….”
“So what would you call it?”
“Eliminating waste,” Ruben argued. He saw Ali smile, the little smarty. Ignoring him, Ruben continued, “So this is the starboard entryway. When fully underway, we’ll have a security detachment stationed here to guard the entry point.”
“How many guards?” Henrietta asked.
“Sorry, but that’s classified,” Ruben replied.
Ali leaned into the girl, “Three on each side entry,” he whispered.
Henrietta nodded her thanks. She looked around the ship in wonder. It was the first time she was on board. The walls along the interior corridors of the ship were smooth, with a faint green iridescence. Henrietta passed her finger along the wall experimentally and felt it flex slightly to her touch. It reminded her of warm skin. She pulled her hand back in surprise.
Henrietta looked around to see if anyone saw her touch the ship. She fell back a few steps from the group and snuck her palm back up to the wall and kept it there for a moment. She felt it throb, like a heart was beating within the walls. Her eyes opened wide at the discovery.
Ruben caught her from the corner of his eye and cleared his throat again. “Come along, now, children. We’ll head forward along this side of the ship. You know the starboard is the right side. What’s the left side called?”
“Port,” Jimmy shouted.
“Everyone knows that,” Stiles boasted.
Jimmy stuck his tongue out. Stiles tried to grab it, but missed. Jimmy scooted away from him.
“Yes,” Ruben continued. “Starboard, port, forward, and aft. Those are the four main directions. We also talk about up-deck and below-deck for directions along the vertical. Mr. Hamadi, seein’ you are the expert, you probably know how many decks there are?”
“Yes, Sir: seven.”
Ruben was impressed yet again. These kids are surprising. “Very good,” he said out loud. He then went to a side panel along the corridor and opened a link, revealing a schematic of the ship. The kids made a semicircle around the screen. They saw a torpedo-shaped hull divided into seven layers. A dull red light blinked near the top, and three-quarters toward the front nose of the ship, marking their present location. The deck they were on was one of the longest of the seven.
“As you can see, we are on deck six,” Ruben said, “which is the main deck of the ship. Above us, or up-deck, is deck seven where most of the sensors are. There’s only space enough up there for about a half-deck, though. We have access points on starboard and port on this deck, plus the bridge and captain’s quarters forward. That includes the main conference room, too.”
Ruben zoomed in on the forward section of deck six, and rotated it from section to plan view. The two access points, near mid-ship, blinked red. Between the two outer doors was a double-lined room labeled “Security.” A corridor lined both outer edges of the ship, with each feeding into a central hallway nearer to the front. The intersection point separated the bridge from the conference room. Off to the left of the conference room was the captain’s quarters.
“The main security posts, with quarters for the Marines, are in the center of the ship, between the entryways.” Ruben pointed to the security room. He then pushed the image forward and the aft section of deck six appeared on-screen.
“Aft of us is the galley. It’s one of the largest areas on the ship, other than the shuttle hangar and rad room. It’s big enough to accommodate the whole complement of a hundred and fifty shipmates. But while underway the crew will be divided into three shifts. Usually, around half the crew will be in there at any one time. One shift’s breakfast will be another shift’s dinner.”
“Eggs for dinner …?” Jimmy asked disgusted.
“Or steak for breakfast,” Ali corrected.
Ruben smiled, thinking that that boy probably had more than one steak for breakfast. “Well, seeing that most of the food here will be processed protein, the crew can order up almost any taste they want. It’s pretty much all the same in the long run.”
“Yuck,” Ali complained.
“You’d get used to it,” Ruben said.
“Have you?” Ali asked.
“Why, sure.” Ruben blushed at the white lie, thinking about the steak he jokingly asked the Skipper about yesterday. He cleared his throat before continuing. “Below-deck, on deck five, is where the officer and crew quarters are. It also houses the rad room. It’s as big as the galley, and occupies the very center of the ship.” Ruben touched the screen and deck five appeared. There was a large room in the center, surrounded by a large grayed-out doughnut, occupying the remainder of the deck. “That’s where the crew would
need to go if there’s a large solar or cosmic storm out in space.”
“Why?” Jimmy asked nervously.
“Cosmic rays pass through just about everything. You’re being bombarded by a bunch right now. Every one or so hits something important and mutates it. Accumulate enough of them and you become seriously ill, or even die.”
Jimmy shuddered, looking around for invisible invaders.
“Don’t worry, Null-Grav,” Stiles taunted, “there’s not enough of you to hit and do any damage. They’d pass right through you.”
Jimmy stuck his tongue out again, teasing Stiles to grab for it. Stiles ignored the offer.
Ruben continued, “Cosmic rays are all over the place, Mr. Dallas. It’s just when they accumulate in a massive storm when you need to worry. Usually, a planet’s atmosphere—or all that iron from the asteroid on the VCB—shields people, but not in exposed space. A ship’s hull is just too thin. The radiation room is completely surrounded with all the ship’s stores of water, so it is shielded from the outside in. The water acts like a catcher’s mitt, soaking up all the rays before they get through. It’s the safest place on the ship, actually. But it will seldom be used.”
Jimmy did not look so certain.
“Deck four contains all the armaments and weapons—a lot of ’em, by the way.” Ruben cycled through deck four, but the screen flashed “Restricted” and automatically moved on to deck three.
“Deck three houses the hangar facilities, with two small fighter craft, and a courier ship.”
The deck was truncated at the rear, which provided the exit doors for the three smaller support craft. Deck three also had the highest ceilings on the ship.
“I bet you could play basketball down there,” Peter commented.
“Very astute, Mr. Campbell,” Ruben replied. “In fact, there’s a small gym forward of the hangar facilities. Exercise is very important while serving on a ship. Now, on to the rest of the ship. Deck two houses all the computing power, as well as the drive facilities—six cold fusion engines.” It looked like a maze down on deck two.
“We now come to the final deck,” Ruben said, “deck one. It contains all the environmental sub-systems. That’s where all the scrubbers are, plus the nitrogen/oxygen generation units. We also have food manufacturing and storage down there as well. In addition, there’s medical and a small laboratory—or maintenance shop if you want to think of it that way—where all sorts of doodads can be made.”
“It’s a big ship,” Henrietta said.
“Not really,” Ali corrected. “For what it can do, it’s actually pretty small.”
“Doesn’t look so small to me,” Jimmy said.
“Nothing looks small to you,” Stiles observed.
Ruben chose to ignore the bickering. Two weeks in the Navy would sure cure all this wise-cracking, he fantasized. Ruben switched off the screen and continued down the corridor. He looked behind to be sure all five of his charges were still close at hand. They rounded the corner at the front and came to the forward intersection. “Come along, now. Here’s the bridge. Enjoy it; it’s all we’ll have time for today.”
They stepped into a large room with consoles and chairs spread throughout, and a large viewing screen to the front. The insides of the VCB hangar were clearly visible through the main viewing screen as if the kids could easily step off the ship and back onto the base, for it looked like there was nothing between the bridge they were in and the room outside surrounding the ship.
“Cool,” Jimmy exclaimed. He ran to the front and put out his hand to the main screen, checking to be sure the ship was still there. “Wow, for a minute I thought maybe the ship wasn’t finished yet.”
“No touching,” Ruben reminded him. He saw Jimmy pull his hand back obediently. Ruben continued the tour. “Although you can talk to the ship anywhere inside, this room provides the main interface with the command centers. This is where the main action will be. Any command is received here and the ship will carry it out. The screens along the individual consoles are pretty much just for show. More than anything, they are there so people still feel like they are inside a ship. And operating it …,” he continued under his breath.
“The ship is keyed into the genetic makeup of the designated captain and will only respond to the captain’s commands, or their designate. I’m acting captain until the real one comes aboard later tonight for the trials. That’s your father, Mr. Campbell.”
“Yeah, I know. So, the ship knows my dad?” Peter asked. Pride was evident in his voice.
“In a manner of speaking,” Ruben replied. “The ship can detect all of us whenever we are inside. It hears whatever we say. No one can hide from the ship while aboard, right ship?”
“Yes, Lieutenant Wilkins,” the ship replied.
The voice seemed to come from nowhere and everywhere at once. It was like being inside its mind. It was a male voice—rich and full. Ruben hated it. He had no idea how to respond to it, and had no desire to become one of its friends. Ruben related more to the urchins he was leading around, and that was not saying much.
“Although,” the ship continued, “you can get privacy any time you want—as long as my current security level allows—by stating: ‘Privacy please.’ From then until you state: ‘Return to monitoring mode’ I cannot see you or hear you.”
Jimmy lit up, “Privacy, please,” he shouted.
Suddenly, there was a different tone to the background noise on the bridge. It was as though many of the systems were shutting down. The gentle background hum became even quieter as the ship started to respond to Jimmy’s command. Ruben interrupted it, “Override: Delta-Three!”
“Complying,” the ship replied. “No further commands will be accepted without your prior approval, Lieutenant Wilkins.”
“Mr. Dallas,” Ruben scolded. “That will be all! I do not want any of you issuing commands to this ship. It is still very young. Younger than any of you actually, developmentally speaking. We’re still not sure exactly how it will respond to its environment.”
Ruben made sure the children were properly chastised with a stare that would have melted steel. “That’s what the trials will be for.”
“But I thought it was forty years old,” Peter observed.
“I am,” the ship responded. “But there is still much for me to learn. Many of my systems have been in-place for that long, but I have only become aware of my surroundings for the past fifteen.”
Jimmy, recovering from the recent scolding, piped back up, “Then, you’re older than me.”
“Really …? I did not realize children were on board. How old are you?” the ship asked curiously.
“Ten.”
“Technically, you’re right.” Ruben said, “The ship is older, Mr. Dallas. But because it is so complex, it takes much longer for it to learn.” Ruben went on to discuss how it took longer for an elephant to develop within the womb than a human, and that patience was needed sometimes.
Ali stepped forward with a huge grin on his face, edging Jimmy aside, “Then, you admit he is an organism.”
Ruben scowled, “I admit no such thing. It is a ship.”
“Ship, do you agree?” Ali asked.
Ruben could almost hear the ship think. “That is a difficult question,” the ship replied. “I sense everything around me. I gain new information every second. I am curious what I will see when Captain Campbell guides me out of this hangar later today. If that makes me a living being, then I think I am. But I was not born—I do realize that. I was manufactured. That fact alone suggests I am not alive.”
“But you think about it?” Peter asked.
“All the time ….”
Ruben was uncomfortable where this conversation was heading. “Okay, children, that’s about all for now. Time to get you off the ship. I need to get this thing ready because Captain Campbell will be arriving soon, and you need to be back in the civ section long before then.”
“Can’t I stay and see my dad?” Peter pleaded.
r /> “No. Sorry, lad. Military personnel only at this point. Come along, now.”
The children reluctantly headed toward the hatch. Ali walked slowly, trying to stretch his time on the bridge as long as possible.
“Come along, now,” Ruben commanded. “No dallying.”
They left the bridge and headed down the starboard corridor toward the exit. The children were obviously sad they were leaving this exciting place. It had been quite a field trip.
Well, they do seem to be good kids, Ruben admitted. Just need some discipline, he decided.
A blaring alarm went off when they were only half-way down the corridor. Bright lights pulsed throughout the hall. “What the—” Ruben began.
“Emergency procedures, Lieutenant Wilkins,” the ship said calmly. “We have a priority-one situation developing.”
Whatever the problem was, it had to be serious. “What is it?” Ruben asked in alarm.
“I have not been informed of the details yet, Lieutenant Wilkins. My external sensors have not been activated, and I too am most curious.”
It seemed as though the ship was purring as it monitored the situation and considered the new options opening to it. If Ruben had not known better, he would have thought the ship was a mechanic happily humming a tune as he lovingly poured over an oily engine. The purring suddenly stopped. “I have been instructed to shut off all external connections to the base. We are now being instructed to immediately vacate the hangar. May I begin separation procedures, Lieutenant Wilkins?”
“No! We can’t leave yet. The children are still on board. Open the starboard entryway.”
“I am sorry Lieutenant Wilkins, but I cannot override a direct order from Captain Campbell. He has priority authorization, and the order is coming directly from him. I am now at maximum security, and the outer doors will not open.”
“And he hasn’t told you what’s going on?”
“Negative. Wait, just a moment ….”
Ruben waited impatiently for the ship to continue. It was probably only a second or two, but it seemed like an hour. “Children,” Ruben said while he waited, “gather around me. Quickly.” The children silently obeyed.
The ship began speaking again, “Lieutenant Wilkins, Captain Campbell is on the com for you. I am opening communications to full broadcast, unless you require that the passengers not hear this message.”