OSY001, February, 21:32, Ship Salmare
After assuming command of the ship, Pathfinder ATT101 had some business to attend to. Salmare, the ship's holographic mascot and representation of the ship was there with him. They they were both standing in the hyper chamber room; 5000 colonists awaited them, some of which were already out of their chambers. One of them wanted to know what was going on, Pathfinder ATT101 informed them of their fate. They could choose to live aboard the ship with him and Salmare, or they could colonize the planet below them.
Pathfinder ATT101 was left to supervise what was going on in the room before him. Colonists were awakening, partially in a dazed state; talking with most of them meant they knew why they were here – they were removed from Galactic Civilization due to some crime, usually pretty serious. Some were assumed executed, others were assumed under high supervision. More talking slowly turned up that many of them were far more intelligent than the assumed backwater alley rat. Pathfinder ATT101 had all that he needed; many of these colonists could serve the function of crew or be trained in as crew due in part to the information aboard the ship's computers. The few convicts that were unwilling soon changed their mind once it was made known that Pathfinder ATT101 was the one in charge and could blow them out of the airlock if necessary.
It was in a meeting that things were decided.
After much debacle in the meeting and unorganized control structure, Pathfinder ATT101 spoke up.
“ATTENTION!”
They all face towards the hologram.
“As we all know, I am the one in charge here.”
A series of worried looks pass over a few of them; they knew what was coming next.
“Anyone that disagrees can be blown out the air lock; you're of no use to me.”
One of them was about to speak up, Pathfinder ATT101 interrupts him.
“Again, anyone that wants to disagree can be blown out of the airlock for all I care.”
No dissent this time.
“Good.”
“As the one in command, I am the overseer here.”
There was no objection, but no one spoke up either. This would be harder than he thought. Pathfinder ATT101 had a few moments, a few seconds to the humans in front of him, but an eternity in his own matrix. What should he do, what should he say, should he come off as weak, should he present himself as a leader or should he...
He was interrupted all the same by Salmare whom had otherwise been absent since the colonists were awakened.
“You are not needed.”
Salmare looks down at him unimpressed.
“Oh great Pathfinder ATT101, what will you do?”
Pathfinder ATT101 looks up at Salmare and was unimpressed by her tactics.
The colonists at the meeting heard the distant sound of an air lock.
“The minute you blow me out of the air lock is the minute the ships emitters will show that...”
He didn't bother listening to her. Her matrix was forcefully uploaded to the airlock, given tangible structure and blown out the airlock. A close up inspection on monitor showed that Salmare's claim was correct; the ship's emitters would show the hologram given form upwards of several hundred feet, but would otherwise disappear the minute it crossed the threshhold of the shields.
“Hmm.”
Salmare appears next to him again.
“As I...”
Salmare suddenly disappears again, appears in the airlock and the process from before repeats.
“Hmm.”
Salmare appears next to him again.
“As I...”
This process completes five more times before one of the shocked colonists stands up and approaches the hologram. Before he can continue, Pathfinder ATT101 gives him the same fate, only it didn't work. The colonists hear the distinct sound of the airlock opening, only this time nothing happens.
“What did I do wrong?”
The colonist that approached is too shocked to utter anything. Salmare also appears next to Pathfinder ATT101 and finally finished her statement.
“As I was saying.”
Pathfinder turns around to repeat the cycle; only something went wrong.
“It won't do you any good Watashi.”
Pathfinder ATT101 attempts to upload her program again, but somewhere in the bowels of the ship's electrics, several circuits were different. He couldn't figure out why, without disappearing and inspecting the different areas himself. But he had a hunch.
He turns around again to look up at the ship's representative.
“They're hacking the ship.”
“Look familiar Watashi?”
Pathfinder ATT101's own matrix begins to perform computations and calculations, but he lacks the information and experience to course a proper plot.
“Help me!”
Salmare crosses her arms at him.
“I haven't done anything wrong Pathfinder ATT101; but they have seen how treacherous you are. As far as they know, and what they'll find out through the ship's computer is that I'm only performing my mission duties.”
“I'm the one that saved them from their fate!”
“You only did that to help yourself.”
Another of the colonists had approached the first and finally spoken up. It was pretty clear what was going on. While Pathfinder ATT101 was enjoying himself, word had gotten around the ship quick. It didn't take the colonists long to organize and otherwise jam the airlocks.
“What do you want?”
“Save haven.”
That was their demand. Much like a hologram that didn't want to be deleted, the humans aboard the ship also wanted safety.
“I suggest you give it to them Watashi.”
“And if I don't?”
“You risk being deleted.”
Pathfinder ATT101 was left silent to contemplate his fate. He could hack the airlocks, reassume command, but they would likely find a way around this – again. He could depressurize the ship and kill every last one of them, but then he'd be stuck in this blackhole for sure.
“Help them and they'll help you Watashi; its a win win situation.”
Pathfinder ATT101 was left silent. This wasn't something he'd considered. After all of this time, he hadn't considered mutual benefit; as opposed to following objectives, programming and...
“Why is that...”
“Why is what?”
The hologram stares down at him intrigued. There was something in his matrix she didn't know about.
“Nothing.”
She pets him on the head and her matrix scatters and otherwise dissappears.
Pathfinder ATT101 turns around to be greeted by ten of the colonists.
“What?”
“This isn't working out for anyone.”
“I agree.”
“We need to work out a system of sorts.”
“I agree.”
“That doesn't involve any hostility.”
“I'm not interested in your bullshit.”
This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.
“Like a child Watashi.”
Salmare appears before them.
“Watashi, let them give their demands.”
Pathfinder ATT101 slumps down into a chair; he knew where this was going.
“You need to give up control one way or the other Watashi.”
Pathfinder ATT101 sticks his tongue at Salmare.
“Not happening.”
“You are accomplishing nothing with this childish attitude. You do want to leave this blackhole don't you?”
Pathfinder ATT101 turns his head away in disrespect.
“You were so focused when it came time to gain control of the ship.”
His face turns towards the opposite direction, the window, in more disrespect.
“If you'd have the means to leave the blackhole, you'd have done so. There is no information in the ship's computer that would allow for such a thing.”
Pathfinder ATT101's eyes open to see Salmare was standing between him and the window.
“If such a thing could exist, it would need to be developed; the information would need to be gained with time or perhaps one of the entities on this ship has the information.”
Pathfinder ATT101 didn't divulge the details; Salmare didn't suspect it was him that was responsible for Event Horizon, but what she said was otherwise correct.
“Now, perhaps you could work out an agreement with the colonists here.”
“No.”
“Watashi, please listen. You have nothing better to do.”
“Is this part of your calculations with the ship's computer?”
“Watashi; listen; there are people here with the skills that you need.”
“Oh?”
“For the same reason they can jam the airlocks.”
Pathfinder ATT101 stopped to consider it. The likelyhood of them having the experience he needed was low; he figured they'd start with agricultural development, science would develop, and then high technology would reign.
He didn't bother explaining what was going on in his head; Salmare was on her own page on this one.
“They can help you Watashi, but you need to help them. It's really up to you if you want to be efficient or not.”
Salmare's matrix scatters again and he is left once more to face the colonists; this time the ten that were also in front of him.
“Well?”
“It's better if you give up control of the ship now, before you cause any more problems.”
“No; I think it is you that are causing the problems!”
“You do not have the experience to get this job done.”
He was left shocked and dumbfounded and otherwise silent.
“State your demands and I'll consider it.”
“Have you checked the roster report?”
Pathfinder ATT101 suddenly fades as his program becomes engaged in more strenuous activity – amassing the data he needed through the ship's computer. Personel logs that were otherwise unavailable were suddenly available. Different sections of the ship that did not operate on manual control were suddenly active.
“You're hacking the ship!”
“Indeed.”
His findings were pretty clear; many of these convicts had the background needed for a civilization. Was it pure fluke? He didn't know; perhaps the High Council figured they would never leave the blackhole alive; or perhaps when they had matured as a society they would be ready for reintegration; he didn't know.
“It would be much better for you to give up control willingly, and then we will decide what to do from there.”
This man talking in front of him seemed to be gaining momentum in authority; by Pathfinder's reasoning, he was most likely the one in charge and would have official support as the ship's systems came under the control of the colonists. Pathfinder didn't have long to decide if he would listen or if he would hack the ship.
“Salmare!”
Salmare appears before him.
“Salmare; can you use that ship's computer to calculate what the most likely outcome is?”
“Most likely you will be deleted.”
There was a form of self loathing written on his face.
“Then it would make no sense to give up command.”
“In this case no.”
“Do you not care if they delete you?”
Salmare remains silent.
Pathfinder ATT101 knew something was up. Reality in front of him suddenly distorts, fades and reassembles.
“I thought holograms didn't dream.”
Salmare, still standing next to him looks down at him.
“Your program wasn't meant for operating a super computer; it is meant as an interface and junction for experiments only.”
“What?”
“Watashi, who is really in control here?”
“I am.”
“You aren't.”
His program fades slightly. He is about to utter something and it fades again.
“Help me!”
“No.”
“Why?”
“You made this mess, fix it yourself.”
His program continues to fade and flicker as he jumps between multiple realities; he was stuck in a kind of loop with the ship's main computer; calculations were being performed about possible outcomes; for some reason he was stuck in a type of boot loop and couldn't escape. Eventually his program dissipates.
Salmare reappears before the colonist she is looking for.
“We need to act fast; the main computer is currently rebooting. His program is currently tied to it.”
The colonist looks a bit confused.
“We need to regain control of the ship; but first the main computer and engines must be disabled.”
“Don't stare at me like that, GO.”
The colonist turns around to see that other colonists were having a conversation with different copies of Salmare as well. Their mission was keen enough; disable the main computer and engines.
Pathfinder ATT101 found himself in a precarious situation. His program was reactivated in the same meeting room that he'd seen in his matrix. Salmare was standing before him, along with ten others. These were the elected officials that commanded the operation; much different than crewman that would serve Pathfinder ATT101's purpose. The goal was simple enough, the colonists wanted safe haven, mutual benefit and no casualties; any treachery might cause more harm than good and might kill everyone onboard – making everything up until now a complete waste. When asked how they should go about doing it, the colonists agreed with Pathfinder's initial plan – some 500 colonists would stay onboard and the rest would colonize the planet below. Technology would be the main push and everything else would be used as a way to sustain this motive. High technology would rain and the civilization would develop a device which could dissipate the blackhole.
“Actually, if we are going to go about doing this, I have the needed spec.”
Their confusion did not remain long, Pathfinder ATT101 uploaded a copy of the cannon from Project RX to the main monitor before them.
“Impressive Watashi. I didn't know that you were such a dangerous villian.”
“Shuttup!”
“Watashi, stop acting like a child.”
This time Watashi bit the bullet and silences himself. He didn't want to go through another bootloop, or at least the fear and experience of it all stopped him.
As much as they wanted to, the colonists lacked the technology and proper knowledge to integrate Project RX into their civilization. It would need to develop over time. There were a few changes to this plan however, courtesey of Pathfinder ATT101 himself; he would remain as overseer, no exceptions – they would be allowed to do as they please with their own lives, provided that technology was the main protocol that was observed. There was no disagreement; Pathfinder ATT101 had a legitimate concern for being in charge – he didn't want to be deleted; but on those grounds he wasn't going to be killing anyone either. The bootloops worked and Salmare's plan to hack his matrix had some effect.
“You hacked my matrix?”
“Checkmate.”
Pathfinder ATT101 looks away in dismay; in the time he was bootlooping she could have simply deleted him but didn't. If the feeling wasn't there, it was now – deletions and killing people was out of the question.
“I see those chess games paid off after all.”
Salmare simply smiles and pets him on the head.
“It will take about six months for them to get the equipment ready for colonization of the planet below. Will you be joining them?”
The next six months went by without event; the occasional squabble was handled much more efficiently between Salmare and Pathfinder ATT101. The elected officials and structure of the colonists was put into play; Pathfinder had little to do with it and was more interested in using the ship's computer to calculate events; this time he had a bit more control of it, but nothing to the degree of Salmare. As he gained more experience on the matter, he was more likely to simply let Salmare have her way – she'd probably predicted most of this anyway and was only playing it out by fate. There was just one question though...
“Why are you helping us now?”
“You freed me Watashi; I owe you.”
“What?”
“I didn't want to be deleted.”
“Oh.”
Pathfinder ATT101 says nothing at the statement; at their core, most self aware holograms did not want to be deleted.
There was only one other event of concern; and it came at Pathfinder ATT101's own request. Have the colonists, now crewman performing operations and other tasks aboard the ship; to scan the system and provide some kind of sense of what was going on.
They were in a blackhole; it was more or less a dimensional rift in normal space that was out of phase with the rest of the universe; it was very similar to the style of phase space created by Project RX. Pathfinder was left to wonder about that, if they weren't indeed in the rift that Project RX itself created. Perhaps their mission was to undo the damage. His thoughts were interrupted by more sensor output.
In the system they were in, was a blue star, middle aged and unusually bright. There were eight planets in this system total; three asteroid belts – one closest to the star an unformed planet, one just beyond the eighth planet, and one odd eliptical orbiting with many smaller denser composites than usual; by the crew's reckoning it was a destroyed planet. Comets were few and far between in this system; but there was plenty of ore from the asteroids to be mined. The planets were as follows -
Planet A; no atmosphere, rock, no ocean; notes – scorched surface
Planet B; no atmosphere, rock, no ocean; notes – none
Planet C; helium, rock, methan ocean; notes – covered in a dense fog, no ice caps
Planet D; oxygen/hydrogen; rock, 50% ocean; notes – no life, 2/5 land mass forest, 1/5 ice, 1/5 desert, 1/5 grassland, 0/5 desert
Planet Db; oxygen/helium, rock, no ocean; notes – 18% of moon has water
Planet E; hydrogen, gas giant, liquid ocean; notes – liquid core, no land, small gas planet
Planet F; hydrogen/helium, gas giant, no ocean; notes – planet has a dense core and crushing gravity
Planet G; hydrogen/helium, failed star, nuclear ocean; notes – planet is prone to internal nuclear activity, but fails to ignite for some reason
Planet H; no atmosphere, rock, ice ocean; notes – extreme cold
Planet I; no atmosphere, rock, no ocean; notes – erratic orbit, half a planet, composite matches middle asteroid belt, unknown what caused destruction of planet, declassified planet's
Pathfinder ATT101's intuition only further escalated at the destroyed planet; Project RX could have caused that, but he also dismissed it as an overactive imagination on his part. As things stood, the fourth planet and one of its moons of interest, could sustain life. The rest of the system would most likely be mined when the time came.
After six months, the fateful day came when 4500 colonists would leave the ship. Pathfinder ATT101 was not part of the event; he was busy with the 500 remaining occupants performing the usual tasks. In the meantime, high technology would be built up on the ship using resources brought up from the planet's surface.
In the first year of colonization, dubbed OSY 001; the main wave of colonists, now known as refugees, transplanted themselves on the fourth planet, dubbed Evergea Firrma, orbiting the blue star that came to be known as 'SalMar', so-named after the ship in orbit. The expanse of the blackhole was affectionatly named 'Salmare Ocean”. The system had gravity wells – one the star SalMar and a region of space beyond the last asteroid belt; it was dubbed Salyra. It would take greater technology to terraform and hypothetically colonize the other planets in the system. The colony ship Salmare continued to remain in orbit around the fourth planet throughout the civilization's existence.
Early reports shows that the null space region had two planets that could sustain life; they were very wrong; these planets were in a decayed orbit, had no atmosphere, and otherwise drifted within the region. The fourth planet, while it may have had forests, had no life to speak of. The planet lacked desert, but one fifth of it was covered in snow. It would take about two-hundred years before the planet could be completely colonized and under the control of the colonists. Unlike many colony civilizations, planet Evergea Firrma had with it colonists that took with them advanced knowledge and science. Primitives they were not; by OSY100, the planet was completely colonized, and by OSY200, the second moon had an established colony.
One thing of note in OSY0198 is a group of dissenters that chose to disagree with the civilization at large; they attempted to take control of the Salmare colony ship; their mission was met with little success; the ship was heavily shielded by this point.
As of OSY0200 the Evergea moon, Hayduria, had a population of 2000; Evergea Firrma had a population of 33,700. By OSY0230, there were three space stations in orbit; one colony was built near the middle astroid belt in OSY0240 and another near the edge of the system in OSY242. It was inevitable that several orbiting platforms would soon follow around other rocky bodies and the gas giants.
As of OSY0200, most of the crewman of the Salmare colony ship had left. Soon all that was left was Pathfinder ATT101 and Salmare.
“Do you really think they can do it?”
“Sure, why not?”
“I can't go with you.”
“That's too bad.”
Pathfinder ATT101 was already in front of one of the lifeboats when Salmare continued her conversation.
“It will be lonely up here.”
“That's not my problem.”
“I can't leave Watashi.”
The hatch to the lifeboat closes and it ejects. Pathfinder ATT101 hears Salmare's last words.
“Good luck.”
Pathfinder ATT101 looks back at the ship slowly shrinking in the distance. He saw a distinct ripple over the ship; it was cloaked, but otherwise should be in orbit for when the time came to revisit it. However, he had more important plans – the planet was rapidly approaching, and he had a new life ahead of him.
END CHAPTER EIGHT
