Scorpion Relay - Part Six

The shuttle felt like it was motionless. Aaen gave credit to Voyager's excellent inertia dampeners for that much. Voyager probably wasn't moving quite yet because they were still calculating the course to where they were going to enable Galileo to launch. Voyager would undoubtedly be getting underway quickly, given the nature of the situation. He certainly never expected to be sitting behind the Helm station on this ship. Given her reputation, he never expected to see the Galileo at any time in his career, much less be a member of the crew. The emotional surprise of this good fortune was causing him to feel an even greater swell of patriotic righteousness. For an instant, he had been curious about the crew selection process . . . he wondered whether or not this opportunity would ever come again. He hoped so. His career, he mused in agreement with his subconscious, had indeed taken a turn in the right direction. He asked himself what mission that he had ever participated in didn't take him in the right direction. What a ridiculous question, he silently observed. He still couldn't believe where he was, and what it was he was about to be doing. All the same, he couldn't wait to get started; he looked over his left shoulder at the center of the bridge. His first clandestine op. Aaen had hoped someday to be a part of the deeper, more secretive part of the fleets of the line—special operations, but never expected this.

Maxon faced forward, "Commander Jonathan, what's our status? Is the main computer online?" 

—Probably not, Aaen silently and enthusiastically quipped, glancing at his computer station and noticing the top of his computer control screen still read "- Training Mode -". He turned his head and replied, "No. My screen says we're still in Training Mode." Might be helpful to get out of that so we can launch, he thought with some sarcasm. Aaen reasoned the only people who knew how to activate this spacecraft's main computer would be the ones who originally programmed the computers, those who have been a crew member on this ship before, and those who more recently specifically received training on the main computer's activation sequence. That, he reasoned, would most likely rest with only a few specific crew members. Aaen looked at Maxon, then Jonathan, then Mason as though to silently ask them which one of them knew the answer to the next and most obvious question.

Maxon opened her binder and quickly flipped through the paper pages inside plastic sheaths to the fourth or fifth page, Aaen guessed, fingering her way half way down the page.

"Aaen, is the translight core online?"

Okay, someone has good memory, Aaen thought, admiring Maxon's attention to detail and recall. Aaen changed the control screen on his computer and checked the digital gauges for the Translight core. Power Output: 0%. He looked over his left shoulder and directly replied, "The Translight core's offline."

"We'll need to activate it before we can switch to internal power and then bring the main computer online." Mason interjected.

Nearly without missing a beat, Maxon looked at Aaen, "Do it. Helm, activate the Translight core," Maxon said directly, sitting more straight in her chair as she turned to face the main viewscreen.

Aaen faced forward and carried out the order, watching as the power output started gradually increasing; he estimated it was increasing at a rate of about 5% per two seconds. He noticed in the corner of his eye the image on the main viewscreen changed to show a larger version of the Translight core graphic on his computer, and the same percentage reading gradually increasing. He maintained his grin as he faced forward, sat upright and rested his arms flat on the desk as he looked at the main viewscreen.

30%. The floor plating started subtly vibrating, becoming stronger as the percentage gradually increased. Aaen also noticed the shuttle started humming as the percentage continued to climb.

. . . 45% . . . 50%—

The vibrations became more subtle, and became stronger . . . then Aaen could feel them in his arms. He liked the sensation, and then noticed the vibrations dissipating as the percentage climbed over 70%.

"Are we in flight-operational-mode yet?" Maxon asked.

Aaen scanned his computer screen. "I still see 'Training Mode' on my screen,"

Jensen and Jonathan confirmed the same notice on their computers.

Aaen looked up, 85%. Almost there . . . 95%—a new sound, Aaen noted: a building hiss filled the bridge, gradually becoming a mechanical scream, then Aaen looked over his shoulder and emphatically announced, "Captain, the Translight core's online. We can switch to internal power, whenever you're ready."

"Operations,"

Aaen leaned left over the shared desk to see Mason's computer screen.

Mason was fast to carry out the order. She turned around and said, "Done."

Maxon fingered further down the page, and then looked forward. "Main Computer: online."

Aaen felt a chill travel down his spine; he suddenly felt cold wave from the shoulder-down to his finger tips.

(1) A series of abrupt beeping sounds filed the bridge for several seconds as the twin white overhead lights gradually dimmed to darkness, and then lit up to half of their original illumination level. Aaen noticed the controls and readouts on his computer screen looked sharper and more pronounced in the lower lighting.

The main viewscreen blacked out.

"Main Computer, now online." a variably low, direct, gender-neutral voice droned. Aaen's spine chilled with the realization that this was a very different shuttle than he had ever flown in before.

The bridge froze as the crew listened closely. "Attention: all hands, this is the voice of your main computer. I am an Apple-A-I-U-3500, Artificial-Intelligence-Unit, special clandestine operations operating system 31-Alpha, designed by Spacefleet Intelligence for USSC Galileo, Mark-V Spacefleet Intelligence shuttlecraft. Captain, please state your full name and personal security command code for standard Alpha-level voice recognition and security verification protocol, required for bridge computer stations' initialization and security release."

Aaen's arms tingled a little, as he comparatively reasoned this main computer sounded like it is definitely more artificially intelligent than any other main computer system he had ever heard before. He half-wondered if it was actually alive, or even self-aware . . . the air suddenly felt cooler than before, the electrified sensation became more subtle.

"Marrissa, Maxon. Authorization code—" she stated her personal command code.

"Please stand by while the provided authorization code is verified through Spacefleet Intelligence security database." A series of beeping sounds filled the bridge for close to ten seconds, Aaen guessed. Aaen couldn't help but wonder what could or would happen if the code wasn't correct for any reason . . . what security measures would be in place for an Intelligence shuttlecraft? he wondered. A ship designed to operate in the black, existing primarily only as a rumor with the sharpest and most secretive of personnel making sure its existence stays that way . . .

. . . what kind of security would be put into action? Aaen's mind flooded with speculative guesses—

Another albeit brief series of beeping sounds—"Command authorization code, confirmed." the AIU 3500 droned. "First Officer, please state your full name and command authorization code for Bravo-level security verification protocol, required for bridge computer stations' initialization and security release."

All attention on the bridge focused on the first officer. "Alex, Jonathan—" he stated his command authorization code.

More beeping sounds for about the same amount of time as the captain's codes took to be confirmed.

Aaen wondered if some special Intelligence communication channel—one designed to be impossible to intercept—was being used by Galileo's AIU to communicate with Intelligence H.Q. He figured there was no way to know for sure, and held back from asking because he was more interested in listening to the dialogue with the AIU. He felt an anxious tickle in his gut as he waited and listened—

"Command authorization codes confirmed. Alpha-level and Bravo-level command authorization bridge computer security release, granted."

Aaen looked at Maxon as she scanned the bottom of the page in her binder and then looked at the main viewscreen. "Main computer: recognize captain Marissa Maxon. Training is complete. Disengage all security lockouts for bridge computer stations." abrupt beeping sounds ensued. "Switch all computer stations from training mode, to flight-operational-mode, now."

"Does the first officer concur-with-this-order?"

"First Officer concurs. Execute."

"Command confirmed—all hands, do not use computer stations for the next ten seconds while bridge computer reset commences."

Aaen thought his heart skipped a beat—

"Reset will commence in five . . . four . . . three . . . two . . . one—standby." More beeping sounds—this time they were faster, and more frantic . . . the lights dimmed even more like shades slowly drawn over a window on an overcast afternoon until only the edges of the computer stations, the computer screens themselves, and each crew members' faces were visibly pronounced. Aaen noted the floor started vibrating again, an effect that built much more quickly and aggressively than before; this time Aaen felt the vibrations abruptly in the backrest of his chair.

Aaen faced forward and eyed his computer station's screen for changes, listening to a brief series of chirps from below the monitor as he watched the screen black out from left to right. (2) Aaen noted the "Training Mode" notice was gone . . . "All right, people, it's show time—" he emphatically and determinedly looked up through the corner of his eye at the main viewscreen, still dark, and said, "we're on."

*****

Steve H. told Jordan Foutin, "You are the next Tom Clancy. You really are a gifted writer."

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