Read Another World :: Chapter 5: The Growing Team - Part 2

I’m actually the only one with any time to get Andy sorted out and ready for mission work. With the advent of some help for Nicki and myself, I’m the one with a couple of hours available – at least while we are still in orbit.

“Do I really need the paper bag, boss?” Andy asks as we are standing at the gateway. He seems a little nervous and still hasn’t manages to get used to the slight sponginess of the padded floor. He waves the little bag about for emphasis.

“For your first time, yes, you do. I told you yesterday, nobody has any expectation of your performance here. It’s just a bit of a rite of passage for us. Normally, you’d go up to Archimedes Station and work up to free-fall, but we just don’t have the luxury of time.”

“I know. I just feel a bit silly!”

“Well, suspend your embarrassment and come on. Remember to use the hand-holds on the other side.” I point out the nearest handrails through the mist of the gateway and Andy nods in understanding. “I’ll go to the left. Try and remember to go slightly to the right.”

I don’t give him a chance to think about it any further and step away from him and through the gateway. I’ve been back and forth enough times over the last few days that I almost don’t feel anything as the gravity vanishes and I have to rely on my firm grip on the bars.

Andy is sensible and aware enough to be right behind me and he does even manage to grab a hand-hold. He’s actually doing better than I thought he might, considering how nervous he seems. Having said that, while he doesn’t actually throw up, he does have to cover his mouth and swallow convulsively a few times before he manages to gain some composure.

“You okay there, Andy?”

“Mostly. That certainly is a thing!”

“Don’t worry, it gets easier,” I tell him with a smile. “I don’t think anyone actually ever gets to like it, but it does lessen with time. Anyway, you don’t really have to do it as often as some of us have done and, hopefully in the next few days, we’ll be landing and have gravity.”

“Yeah. It’s just a little disorientating for a moment. I’ll be fine, boss.”

“Good man. You’re actually doing very well. Let’s take a seat. Come over and use Mary’s spot and I’ll show you what we’re up to today.” I have to help Andy only once, when he makes the classic rookie mistake of not keeping one hand on a grab-rail at all times. Once I get him to the back of the chair, he can manage for himself just fine.

“Put the straps on. Loose will be fine, but it all becomes much easier once you’re held in place.” Andy manages to get the belts on and adjusted then lets out a long deep breath and manages a weak smile.

“Yeah, that’s much better,” he manages as he can finally free his hands. He tucks his paper bag into a chest pocket and forgets about it.

“Andy, this is Toby,” I indicate Toby who is in his usual spot beside me. “He’s my deputy and also in charge of minerals and rocks.”

“Hey, Andy. Glad you didn’t chuck!”

“Not as glad as I am about that. Good to meet you Toby,” Andy seems to be getting adjusted pretty quickly. He already seems to be calming down and he does already look less green than he did just a minute ago.

I introduce him quickly to a couple of the other crew who are on the bridge at the moment and then pause to assess where we are at the moment.

“Argus, what’s happening this morning? Anything I need to be aware of?”

“Yes, that’s both good and bad. Maybe Andy can talk them out of eating us?”

“Erm… Hello Argus. You’re not like any other AI I’ve spoken to, are you?”

<Nope. I’m better.>

“Yeah, yeah,” I can’t let him tease Andy too much on his first day. “He’s been out here on his own for too long and gone a bit crazy. Nexi warned us this would happen, but we thought Argus was tougher than he apparently is.”

<Hey, that’s not fair. You know it was Aidan turning me rogue.>

“You can’t just randomly keep blaming my grandpa for everything, you know.”

<Well, I can until he finds out that I’m doing it.>

Andy looks pretty confused by the exchange and he has glanced at Toby at least twice for reassurance. Argus and I have a pretty strange relationship, but he’s been openly around humans for a long time and he possibly is atypical.

“I’m sorry, Andy. I could have warned you. Argus is, well, unique. He has been around humans for a very long time, even when he’s been out here piloting. I’ve known him for my whole life. He’s family.”

“I see. Most AIs are just mild-mannered and easy-going, but they don’t often seem to have much personality. I know it is rare for many of them to start a conversation just to talk, but not so around here.”

“No, that is mostly true. Many of us still don’t really have much to do with the AIs. You’ll find that our group is a little different in that regard. I’m sure you’ve already found that Axios is happy to talk, but again he has been working with the group for a long time. If it is any consolation, I find it difficult to hold a conversation with Romulus, you know, the Earth planetary administrator. He seems a little aloof most of the time, but Grandpa tells me he can be very funny when he relaxes.”

“I think I get where you’re coming from,” Andy tells me with a grin. “Most of us still just don’t take the time to have a conversation with our AIs.”

“Yes. Even after all this time, most people aren’t that comfortable yet. I’ll tell you all about Grandpa and Nexi one day. Most of this actually is their fault. Argus isn’t totally wrong to blame him for their part in the development of these ships and the whole plan.”

“Nexi? Oh, the former Sevrin Administrator?”

“Indeed. She’s family too.”

“Argus mentioned predators,” Andy continues. “Sorry, I’m still not up to speed with this stuff. I take it we have prey if we’re talking about predators.”

<Yes, we have lots of wildlife, but we’re mostly seeing herbivores – or that’s what we can assume from their behaviour and temperament. Plenty of fliers in the air as well, though.> As Argus explains, he brings up some of the recordings from the landers.

“At least eighty different species so far,” Nicki calls from somewhere off to our right. I’m glad she’s on the ball while I do this admin stuff. She’s very good at picking up the slack I drop. “That’s about fifty different fliers and the rest are land animals.”

“Sorry, Nicki, I will catch up,” I tell her. “What are they like?”

“Well, they seem to spread to fill out each ecological niche, just as you’d expect from any balanced ecology. We are cataloguing everything as much as we can from up here. It’ll be nice to get down among them and take blood samples and such as soon as we can.”

“So, warm-blooded, quadrupeds, big and small?”

“That’s about it. Some of the fliers look to be built for fishing, but we haven’t seen one with a catch to see what we’re dealing with in the seas yet. That’s my vote for landing near a coastline.”

<I’m working on that,> Argus interjects. <We have narrowed our landing sites down to three possibilities and two of them are by the sea. That is supposed to be the main subject of your departmental planning meeting this afternoon, Peter.>

“And, just to be clear, you expect me to be down there helping with this?” Andy asks, looking somewhat awed by the footage playing on the big screen in front of us.

“Yes,” I tell him simply. “You’re part of the team now. Even if all you have to do for the duration is drive Nicki or myself around, that will justify your presence.”

“I have a feeling that I’ve been conned, or at the very least gamed, by the AI recruitment system.”

“Probably. Grandpa tells me it happens all the time!”

“Well, that’s just great. He probably knows better than anybody, so it must be true!” I’m getting to know Andy well enough already to tell that he’s not totally serious, but there does seem to have been a lack of detail given to him when the post was offered. I’ll voice this to Axios when I get a chance.

“Well, I’m going to go back through and get ready for the meeting. Andy, if you’re ready, you can come back with me. As soon as I get out of the meeting, I’ll take you over for a quick driving test if that’s still okay and you’re not quitting on us!”

“No, boss, that’s fine. I’m not quitting. Just not what I thought I’d be doing for the next few months at all.”

I’m pleased that the meeting doesn’t last very long. The team have done a fantastic job so far, Argus in particular. His combination of all the mapping and sensor data makes our choices pretty straightforward. I’m of the same mind as Nicki and the other botanists and biologists. We need to be somewhere that’s not too far away from the sea. Now, combining that with the needs of mineralogy and geology, we can make a pretty quick and simple selection.

In the end, we decide that we are going to land on the coast, about two hundred kilometres north of the second lander. Checking our orbits, we can do that in about three days’ time. It has always been the plan to land at such a time that we are in sync with Earth, at least to start with.

Jack seems perfectly happy with this option and I’m out of the meeting less than thirty minutes after it started. Now that the decision to land has been taken, I feel as if a bit of weight has been lifted and I decide I’ve enough time to get lunch, walking down towards Miguel’s with a spring in my step.

I don’t often call here for lunch, and I’m surprised to see just how popular it is at this time of the day. I’m going to have to sit next to somebody, but that somebody turns out to be Andy. “Have I made you into a chilli addict, or something,” I ask him as I swing onto the stool beside him.

“Nope. I was always a chilli addict. You’ve just shown me where to get a fix. You seem… Lighter? I take it the meeting went well.”

“Yes, it did. We’ve all agreed on a landing site. It wasn’t much of a debate, really. Clear your diary for Thursday afternoon.”

“Is that when the landing is scheduled, then?”

“No, the landing will be at about 11am Earth time, but we’ll be starting on the surface shortly after that. I’m not really expecting people to go down to the surface on the ship.”

“Oh, I see. Argus can do it all anyway. Are you going to ride down?”

“Actually, yes, I am. Mary and I both swore that we wanted the experience. We may not ever get another chance. I’m pretty sure that one or two of the others have decided to join us, though.”

“Would you mind if I tagged along?”

“Wow. You are getting quite invested in the mission, aren’t you. I like that in a new team member.”

“Well, I can see that it’s something I probably won’t get to ever do again, just like you. How bad can it possibly be?”

“Well, it’s 3g to 5g for about twenty minutes and quite a bit of atmospheric manoeuvring.”

“Oh.” Andy now looks a little less certain, but he seems to rally quickly. “I’m sure I can manage that.”

“That’s the spirit. I’ll assume you’re on the landing crew.”

“We don’t see you often at lunch, Peter,” Miguel tells me as he finally gets to us. I can see that he also has his niece, Anna, working the lunch shift. It looks like they need it.

“No, I know. It’s become a case of getting whatever I can whenever I can at the moment. Just something light, I think. I’m taking this guy for a driving test shortly.”

“Andy’s having Nachos. I could super-size that if you want to share.”

“Oh, yes, please join me, boss,” Andy agrees.

“Sure, why not.”