Soft fluorescent lamps flickered to life, casting a gentle glow over the curved, grey walls of the bedroom. The seamless transition from wall to ceiling created an atmosphere of comfort. A dull hum radiated deep below the steel floor.
“Wake up Jack,” said a female voice.
Jack Kirkman opened his eyes. He sat up in bed, yawned, and asked, “How long was I out for, JANICE?”
From the ceiling, JANICE, the ship’s Artificial Intelligence, replied, “Approximately 8 hours and 16 minutes.”
Jack threw off his sheets. Beneath, his tall muscular frame was accentuated by fair skin, and his short black hair contrasted against piercing blue eyes. Jumping out of bed, he stretched toward the ceiling, “How far have we traveled in the last 24 hours?”
“Approximately 5.34 billion kilometers.”
Jack looked at the camera above the door. “In real units?”
JANICE sighed, “… Approximately 3.32 billion miles.”
Jack adorned himself in an off-white military garment, with black boots and a black collar. Arriving at the bridge, he sat in the captain’s chair. He looked out the window and gazed into the darkness outside. Turning back to the control panel, he said, “Go ahead JANICE, begin recording.” A red light appeared near a camera placed high up the wall.
“This is Captain Jack Kirkland aboard the ‘Pegasus 5’. The date is Oct 19th, 2122, 8:30am Eastern Standard Earth Time. Day 144 in route to Alpha Centauri. I am in good spirits and doing well. The Virtual Reality simulations continue to make this trip not only easy, but incredibly enjoyable. The lack of biological companions has been made up by these artificial ones. Any claustrophobic manifestations evaporate as I travel across virtual worlds. Oh, and JANICE has taken it upon herself to become my digital mother if you will. All without my consent of course.”
“It’s my duty to ensure mission success Captain Kirkland.” Jack looked at the screen to his right. The face of a digital woman appeared, glowing blue. A plaque was bolted beneath the screen that said,
“Joint.Artificial.Neural.Intelligence.Computer.Entity.”
Jack turned toward the camera. “Right… Anyways. Nothing else to report. Things aboard the ship have been boring…” Jacks mind flooded with recent memories and caused his heart to sink, but he shrugged it off and continued. “and, in this case, boring is good. Captain Kirkman signing off”.
The red light disappeared, and the camera turned off. Jack said “JANICE. Transcribe and send message update to Earth please.”
JANICE replied “Transcribed. Sending to Earth. Approximate travel time: 2 weeks and 1 day.”
Looking to his right, Jack saw a screen of logged events. Halfway down the line read, “Emergency Alert: Engine Malfunction – Resolved”. He sighed and waved his hand over the screen, swiping it from his sight.
Jack stood, “All right, back to the game.”. He walked toward the hallway marked “VR”, only to stop at a door wrapped in emergency yellow tape. A large sheet at its center, scribbled in his hand writing, read “DO NOT ENTER”. Specks of blood on the door triggered the memory of swirling panic and blazing red alarms.
His recollection was interrupted by JANICE. “Jack, you have neglected maintenance for 3 days in a row. The satellite is especially overdue, and the garage is still a mess from your one-man birthday party 2 weeks ago. It is highly recommended that you complete your tasks before you start your game.”
Jack turned toward the hallway wall. Out of the surface, JANICE materialized, her augmented reality only separated from him by the illusion of a single pane of glass. She stood radiant and beautiful in her blue uniform, a few inches shorter than Jack.
Jack folded his arms, “One man party? You were there too. Besides, I told you; I’ll get to it tomorrow like I promised.”
JANICE frowned, “That is not what you agreed to when you signed up for this mission.” JANICE disappeared and played a recording of a 4-star Admiral in the wall. His gruff voice radiated leadership.
“This trip requires absolute diligence in every facet of operation.”
“You haven’t been very diligent Jack.” JANICE reappeared. “You’re neglecting your maintenance, spending all your time playing games. May I remind you what almost happened not too long ago.”
Her words pierced him. He avoided her eyes and looked down. “That was an accident.”
“One that nearly cost us everything. Your carelessness almost got us-.”
“I saved us” Jack shot back “Let me remind you that I was chosen because I scored higher than everyone else by a wide margin.”
“With such a high score you should know better than to neglect your maintenance.”
Jack offered a tight smile and gave a slow deliberate nod. A pressure emanated into his chest, rising to his head. “Every time I go out there,” Jack pointed outside “I am risking my life, right?”
“Yes.”
“Well, I have been out there over 100 times, and nothing ever happens. In fact, nothing happens so much, that I don’t even do any maintenance. I put on the suit, fly around in the void for a little bit, just to find everything exactly where it was the day before. The way I see it, by not going out there, I’m applying effective risk management. Thus, enhancing the probability of mission success.”
“Your mental gymnastics only works on biologicals. If I could do the maintenance I would, but I cannot, making it your responsibility. Maintenance while appearing futile from your limited perspective is critical to ensure mission success by identifying and resolving unknown issues before they become a problem.” JANICE put her hands on her hips. “Preventing potential mishaps from killing us both, would thus, enhance the probability of mission success.”
“Listen, I don’t need you riding my ass for every little thing on this ship.” Jack said “I am still in charge here and I have everything under control.”
“Do you really?”
His skin flushed, the muscles clinched in his jaw.
The alarm shattered the silence, and the corridor was awash in the pulsating red glow of rotating warning lights. Jack’s pulse quickened.
“Incoming transmission from Earth,” JANICE announced.
Jack raced back to the bridge. He slid into his chair, fingers flying over the keyboard. A green status bar appeared on the screen. “Only 1%,” he said. The seconds dragged on with no further progress. “JANICE, what’s happening? Why isn’t it downloading?”
JANICE said “Analyzing… it appears the signal is weak.”
“Are these coordinates from Earth?”
“99.998% chance they are new coordinates.”
“How do you know?”
“It is an artificial low-bandwidth, high-power signal with an encryption header. Near certain probability of new coordinates.”
Jack’s expression darkened. “What could be causing interference?”
“The dish is misaligned. To receive the coordinates, you must readjust the antenna dish.”
“How long until we lose that signal?”
“Standard messaging protocol gives us a 10-minute transmission window. After that, it’s gone.”
“Shit… and without these new coordinates we’ll just veer off into empty space forever. How much time do we have left?”
“9 minutes and 13 seconds.”
“Ok. Let’s move!”. Jack leapt out of his chair and sprinted down the hallway.
“Keep counting down every minute! Then give me a final 60-second countdown in 10 second increments! Prep the spacesuit and airlock for immediate spacewalk!”
“Affirmative. Setting timer, prepping spacesuit, and powering on Airlock B. Jack, I must remind you that had you done your maintenance the dish would-”
“Not now, JANICE! Status on that suit!”
Jack reached the embarkment chamber adjacent to the airlock. Lockers lined the wall, and in the center of the room was a clear tube containing his black spacesuit. He pressed a button, and the tube doors hissed open.
Janice said “Suit is clear for spacewalk. Jack please remember not to rush. The last time you rushed-”
Grabbing the space boots, he snapped “I know what happened last time JANICE.” He halted with boots in hand, his eyes opened wide. “Where’s the antenna ratchet?!”
“In the Garage. Three floors down. You have eight minutes.”
“Of course it is.” Jack tossed the boots aside, darted out of the room and arrived at the nearby ladder. He jumped on and let the artificial gravity pull him down. Reaching the floor below, he spotted the next ladder a safe distance away, and sprinted towards it.
“Jack, there’s a high risk you won’t make it in time, or worse.” JANICE said.
Jack gripped the next ladder and slid down again. “JANICE. I knew the risks when I volunteered.”
“This antenna issue could have been discovered had you done your maintenance.”
“Enough JANICE!”
“Is it? Because the similarities between today and the last incident are mounting.”
Jack jumped off the ladder and ran to the next. “Nobody could have predicted that day. We’re alive because of what I did after that explosion. OK?”
“I remember it differently.”
Jack slid down the next ladder “Planning to nag me every minute to Alpha Centauri? I am going to fix the antenna and we are getting to those coordinates. Understand?”
“I hope so.”
He climbed down the next ladder once more, reaching the final level.
“Seven minutes.” JANICE said.
Jack raced into the expansive garage. Towering toolboxes lined the walls. “There are too many. JANICE scan the drawers for the antenna ratchet!”
JANICE’s lasers highlighted three drawers. “These are the most likely places based on LIDAR, INFRARED, and X-RAY analysis.”
Jack searched all three but found nothing. “JANICE, where is it?!” Turning, he caught a glimpse of the ratchet, partially concealed under a rag by the entrance. He snatched it on the way out, making his way back to the ladder.
“Had you organized your tools instead of working on your side projects-” JANICE said.
“God Damn it! Not now, JANICE!” Jack replied. Reaching the ladders, he placed the ratchet in his mouth, climbing with urgency. Once at the top, he stopped, gasping for breath.
“Six minutes,” JANICE said.
Shaking off his exhaustion, Jack burst into the suit room. He reached into the tube and suited up. Placing the helmet over his head, he twisted it, clicking it into place with a reassuring sound. Grasping the ratchet, he turned, heading for the airlock. He stepped forward, then felt the spacesuit snag on a pipe handle, creating an audible rip. Jack gasped and his eyes widened.
“God damn it! JANICE! How bad!?” Jack said.
JANICE replied, “Significant. A six-inch tear. Upper right thigh.”
“How do I fix it? There’s no time to get down to the quartermaster shop!”
“Five minutes. There’s the emergency spacewalk gel. But it only guarantees three minutes in space.”
“Only three minutes? Can I double up on the gel?”
“No. Single Use Only. The gel won’t adhere to itself once dried,” JANICE said.
Jack walked up to the emergency box containing the gel. “Screw it.” Jack pulled the handle, opened the door, and retrieved the gel canister. Ratchet in one hand, gel in the other, he entered the airlock, sealing the door behind him.
“Four minutes remaining. Jack, I am turning off the rocket engines. Had you exited the airlock, you would have been shot out into space.”
The realization of the near miss flooded his mind. “I was going to get to that next. I have this under control.”
“Of course you do.”
Jacks’ eyes narrowed, and he took a sharp breath through his teeth trying to keep his composure.
JANICE continued. “Initiating main core shutdown in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.”
After a momentary disorientation, Jack felt a jolt. The tug of weightlessness caused a slow ascent that lifted him off the floor.
“How long before the signal is lost?”
“3 minutes and 30 seconds,” JANICE said. “Jack you are rushing. Had you gone outside before shutting off the engines you would have died. You must slow down, focus and stop being so foolish in your decisions.”
The mental barrier holding back Jack’s composure exploded. “Enough JANICE! No more! All you have done is criticize. I don’t need your help anymore! Do you hear me!? Do you understand?! Leave me alone!”
No response. A short beep echoed in his helmet, followed by silence. She was gone. Focusing back on the mission, Jack stretched out his leg and applied the emergency gel. His upper thigh became tight as he felt it harden. He let go of the canister, floated to the panel, and pressed the “decompress” button. Alarms blared and warning lights flashed. A display opened in his helmet’s visor. “Decompression starting in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.” Air whooshed out, and his spacesuit inflated around his body.
“Ok, I’ve got 3 minutes to align that antenna.” he said.
Jack pressed the “open” button. The airlock hissed and the hatch slid open. Gripping the handle nearest the hatch he pulled himself out. Awestruck by the abyss, the breathtaking void of space surrounded him. An infinite expanse of twinkling stars in a vast sea of darkness. Beautiful, yet dangerous, it was a reminder of what awaited him if he failed. He took a moment to get his bearings, looked around and spotted the antenna.
Jack wanted to call JANICE, but hesitated. “No, don’t…” he thought. Raising his left arm, he tapped on his forearm’s computer screen. “OK, 30 seconds minimum to receive a signal, setting the countdown for 2 minutes and 30 seconds.” With a tap he began the timer.
Jack reached for the hull. Grabbing the exterior grate, he pulled himself toward the antenna. The matte surface of the ship felt cold under his gloved hands. Each handhold calculated and deliberate. As he floated, feet suspended, he raised his arm and tapped on the screen. A button appeared “Turn On Augmented Reality?” He tapped the screen again. His helmet’s display shimmered, and a bright red path appeared, leading to the antenna. Floating annotations indicated areas to avoid and equipment blocking his path. Grateful for the AR guidance, he pushed forward.
Jack looked at the bottom corner of his helmet display. “2:15 minutes remaining,”. Despite the urgency, he reminded himself to remain calm. The last thing he needed to do was to make a careless mistake and drift away into infinite space. He settled into a steady rhythm, the antenna growing larger in his vision with each pull.
Reaching his destination, Jack released the hull, and drifted toward the antenna. Bracing for impact, he slammed into its side. His arms wrapped around the base, and he squeezed with all his strength to pull his lower body in. After a moment of great effort, the momentum dissipated. Breathing a sigh of relief, he circled his way around to the antennas opposite side.
Assessing the situation, Jack’s next task was clear. He planted his feet into the hull first, then grabbed the antenna dish and pushed. The dish swiveled upwards before falling back into position. Jack felt a loud clicking thud under his feet as the dish locked into place. Step one was complete, but was the dish aligned?
Jack checked his forearm computer. The error remained. Undeterred, he placed the ratchet into a keyhole at the base of the antenna. He turned the ratchet in half circles, starting over when he felt a click. His timer displayed “1 minute 45 seconds.” He checked the computer, no change. He tried again and again, uncertain of success or failure. His display said 1 minute, and 30 seconds left. “No time left. End of the road” he thought. Despite his efforts, it wasn’t enough.
Thoughts of JANICE entered his mind. A heavy weight fell, crushing his soul. Did he overreact? Was JANICE the pain in the ass he thought she was? Maybe, but he deserved it. They both knew that. She was trying to help, doing the best she could. He hung his head low. He was out of options, out of time, and out of friends. He knew what needed to be done.
Jack looked up and tapped the side of his helmet. “JANICE… JANICE… I need your help.”
Silence.
“JANICE, I’m trying to align the antenna. I keep turning the ratchet and I don’t know if it’s working.”
Silence.
A chill settled in his gut. Each silent moment made his heart beat faster. The creeping realization that he might have driven her away permanently grew. The grim specter of solitude haunted him. Even though she was artificial, her presence was very real. Hope faded, and the walls built to protect his ego collapsed. Placing his hand against the satellite, he hung his head and closed his eyes.
“Listen… I’m sorry. I’m sorry I yelled at you. I know you’re angry, but I’m more angry with myself. You’re right. I should have been paying attention when I was cycling the engine thrusters. I was exhausted and I rushed it. I should have slowed down like you warned me to. Even after the explosion. If…”
His mind played visions of explosions, screaming and blood.
“If It wasn’t for you I would have died that day.”
Silence.
“I know you are just trying to help. I need you.”
The timer displayed “50 seconds”.
For the first time on this mission Jack felt alone.
Static noise filled his helmet, which was followed by a beep. “I need you too. And for the record captain, you are a jerk.” JANICE said over the intercom.
“JANICE! Yes! Listen I’m-” Jack replied.
“Not now. Antenna First. Just 2 more clicks for alignment.”
The gel on Jacks spacesuit warped and stretched, causing a chill to run down his spine. “Oh Shit.”
JANICE said, “30 seconds.”
Jack turned the ratchet twice, feeling two more clicks “Got it!”
“It’s aligned. You have 25 seconds left before the gel breaks. Hurry!”
Securing the ratchet, Jack pushed off the ship’s surface. His foot pushed through the grate, catching in the hull. He tumbled and collided with the ship. “God Damn it!” The impact caused him to bounce off the hull, and drift into space on his side. His orientation hindered his frantic sweeping grasps that caught nothing. He tried using the ratchet as a primitive hook to pull himself down. However the flat surface of the hull provided no such opportunities.
“15 seconds. Jack!”
As he floated away, Jack stilled his mind and weighed his options. He concluded, in a fraction of a second, the best solution was the most obvious. “JANICE. I need your help. What do you recommend?”
JANICE replied “There is only one option with high risk of failure. But its either that or certain death. Sending the instructions to your helmet now.”
Jack read the instructions “You’re shitting me.”
“It’s now or never Jack.”
Jack glanced at the display on his helmet. “5 seconds”
“Ok, I trust you JANICE. I’m ready!”
“Powering up the bay doors. 20 seconds.”
Floating on his side, Jack clutched the ratchet, and placed it over his left shoulder, aiming at the hull. He took a deep breath and hurled the ratchet with all his might, to his right, out into space. Newton’s third law was in effect. The force used to throw the ratchet out into space was now pushing Jack back towards the ship with equal force. However, while the throw was powerful enough to halt his ascent, it was not enough to push him back to the ship, which was still just out of reach.
“JANICE it worked! Here goes step 2!”
Jack lifted his legs and tucked them against his body. He took one last deep breath, pinched the gel and created a small hole in his suit. The pressurized air exerted thrust pushing him back down to the hull.
“Jack, you have approximately 20 seconds of air left in your lungs!” said JANICE.
Jack saw an opportunity, grabbed an opening in the hull, and secured himself back on solid ground. With all his might, Jack flung himself toward the bay doors. No longer needing the jet, he squeezed the tear shut with one hand and oriented himself with the other. His skin swelled so much it felt like it was about to pop.
“Jack! 40 meters to go! You have 35% air left in your suit. Don’t breathe! You will go unconscious!”
Jack skimmed over the hull at breakneck speed.
“15 Meters! I am getting ready to close the bay doors!”
Encroaching blackness sparkled at the edge of his vision. His heart was thundering. His lungs were burning. He released his grip on the tear in his suit and reached for the hatch. He slammed into the airlock door. With a desperate heave, he grabbed the door and hurled himself down into the airlock, when… the darkness consumed him.
Jack gasped,
And woke up to a face down view of the airlocks metal floor. His cheek pressed against his visor. He lifted his head and pushed himself up into a sitting position. “What the hell happened?”
“You became unconscious as you floated into the airlock. I closed it behind you and repressurized the space. You are welcome.” JANICE said.
Jack eased himself upright, groaning the whole way. He detached his helmet and took a deep breath.
“Listen JANICE. About everything. I overreacted. I mistreated you when you were just trying to help. I’m sorry.”
JANICE “Your apology is appreciated. I apologize for being over bearing. My algorithm predicted that trait was the optimal course of action based on your personality type and psychological profile. However, I miscalculated. I shall alter my communication style to a more agreeable and pleasant method.”
Jack smiled “Yeah …there’s no need to be overbearing. You are just trying to help. I understand that now. I mean, you’ve saved my life twice.”
JANICE “You are most welcome.”
Jack tapped the computer screen on his arm, but the screen was unresponsive at 1%. “Damn. Looks like I landed a bit too hard.” Jack walked toward the doors “Well, let’s see if this was all for nothing.”
Returning to the bridge, Jack noticed the screen displayed new information.
‘2% and loading’
Jack shook his head “Damn. How long as it been like this?”
“5 minutes. It is likely we missed our opportunity.”
Jack collapsed into his chair defeated. The sheer futility of it all. He sighed, letting his head slam into the computer dashboard.
The screen beeped: Message received! 100% complete.
Jack looked up in disbelief and leapt into excitement! “YES! Decrypt that message!”
“Decrypting…The message reads as follows… ‘The Final Message. Happy Birthday Jack. Hope you are having a great time out in space! Current Course is correct. Godspeed and Farewell.’”