CANAISIS ∞ Chronicle One: The Last Living Ship ∞ 1: A New Mission

7 ∞ Replay

«I cannot use galactic radiation due to our close proximity to the sun. However, if I move them until the sun is behind them, I could see quite clearly.»

«Will our orbit allow us such an opportunity without moving them?»

«We'll have one opportunity for such conditions, Captain, in five hours. I'll be able to get a good look at four of them at that time.»

«That will have to do. Look for discrepancies. I don't want any surprises.» The internal explosion that had almost taken his life many years ago remained a crisp memory, as if it had happened only yesterday.

«I remember, Captain. I'll have no such surprises on me again.» Her voice was cold.

Gareth looked at the wall monitor over his desk, at the view of all the containers in the hangar. He didn't ask the obvious question on his mind because Canaisis would have examined everything about them already, including a spectrum analysis of the paint on the outside surfaces. She was no doubt analyzing every molecule captured in the air filtration system, and probably going over some things he hadn't even thought of.

He could sense Canaisis observing him. She was waiting for him to speak, but she probably had a good idea of his thoughts already. He wasn't going to insult her by asking.

Returning to his desk monitor, he thought, «Alright, let's look at the blueprints, Canaisis.»

The monitor lit up, and he examined the diagrams, scrolling through page after page. After a while, he thought, «Have they handed over control of the ones in position yet?»

«Yes, Captain,» Canaisis said in cheerful voice. «I've been going over the systems and getting familiar with the programming. As far as I can see, nothing is amiss.»

«Start with the first one, then. Take control, dump the fuel as propellant to bring it in and get it between us and the sun slowly. Take as long as you need to get a good look at its insides. Then dock it with the hull sockets.»

«Aye, Captain.»

Gareth spent another hour scrolling through the blueprints before he leaned back into his chair, stretched his arms, and sighed. "We aren't getting anywhere, Canaisis," he said aloud and got up, stretching his back. He'd been sitting much too long.

Canaisis remained silent as he headed to the break room, but he knew she was observing. He ran what he'd learned about the seed pods through his mind while making more tea. This time, he reached for a zero-G container bulb, inserted it into the filling machine, and poured the tea into it. The zero-G bulb expanded into a large teardrop shape as it filled. He removed the bulb, took a sip from the tip, and nodded in satisfaction. Then he exited the room.

He strode to the transport shaft, entered, and floated in the zero-G. His clothes snugged up around him as he was centered in the shaft. Taking another sip of his tea, he thought, «Hangar 2 observation balcony, please.»

«Aye, Captain. I've completed the analysis of the biologicals and materials on the seed pod. I see nothing that could possibly pose a problem. Of course, if their listing is accurate.»

«Thank you, Canaisis, I didn't think we would, but I had to be sure.»

Doorways flowed past, as he moved through the shaft and took another sip of his tea, the bulb warm in his hand. He was tired, but suspicion had his thoughts running through one possibility after another.

Something Yonshue said had set off alarms in his head—he couldn't say what. Something about "The People". He couldn't see the angle the sense of danger was coming from. It wasn't directed at Canaisis per se. Was it just his misunderstanding of this Earth's cultural differences? Was he misreading the subconscious cues? There was something he didn't understand at work here.

His thoughts turned to Ahmid and the Nilex Corporation as the approach of the next opening slowed down. Two thousand-odd employees just decided to immigrate to a new star system? No, they didn't just decide. They'd planned this and waited for Canaisis to arrive, and they'd gone around their own government.

He stepped out of the shaft and walked down the hallway to the balcony. Drinking again from his shrinking Zero bulb, he stood before the hand rail and looked across the floor at all the crates and equipment, noting how much had been accomplished. He found Ahmid standing with that same woman before another group, talking as they secured a stack of prefab space-habitat panels. It looked like they might be done with time to spare. The hangar was huge, but a good portion of its floor was consumed by neat piles of equipment and supplies. Hangar 3 next door would hold almost a hundred-and-fifty shuttles by now.

The people were working swiftly and efficiently, Gareth noted. No one seemed to be slacking off—which was odd because, in his experience, there was always one in every group. This group was different, but then... he was from a different time. Maybe Earth of this time had changed for the better. He couldn't let his preconceptions cloud his judgement.

For a good while, he observed from his vantage point high over the hangar. Eventually, the woman pointed him out to Ahmid. Ahmid turned to face him and bowed low before turning back to the workers. Gareth sipped the last of his tea, his thoughts running in unproductive circles, then he put the shriveled Zero-G bulb in a pocket of his long coat. Straightening himself, he rested his hand on his sidearm.

«Time to go talk to Ahmid again,» he thought. «Canaisis, any word from Yonshue?»

«No communication so far.»

«Hmm... I didn't take him for the quiet type. What do you think, Canaisis?»

«You're better suited to make an assessment, Captain. I've run a voice stress analysis of your conversation. There is an indication of stress in several sentences.»

«Oh? Replay the conversation at that moment, please.»

The conversation played in his head, his own voice first. "The request for seed pod delivery was sent when we arrived. This is something Canaisis finds within her Mission parameters, and we will see it done. Is there something new you wish to bring to my attention?"

"No, nothing new. But your itinerary states that the seed pods will be delivered after the stop at New Jordan. We the People would like to request that you deliver the seed pods first."

"That would be extremely inefficient and an incredible addition to time. Ship-board and real time."

"I know, Captain. I understand. But in this case, it serves the People's interests. By seeding these planets early, you can make them habitable hundreds of years sooner. This serves Humanity and your Mission, am I not correct? It will also appease the People's ire at the Nilex Corporation. Since they will be in cold storage, you cannot say it will matter when they arrive at New Jordan. The People are willing to give Nilex Corporation an extension of time thirty-three percent greater than the amount of time delayed."

"Have you communicated this offer to the Nilex Corporation?"

The recording stopped playing.

He mulled the conversation over in his head. «At what point was the stress highest, Canaisis?»

«When he justified that we deliver the seed pods before our layover at New Jordan, Captain.»

«What about when we discussed delivery of the seed pods to orbit?»

«No stress indicated, Captain.»

Perhaps he'd been looking at this from the wrong angle. The seed pods might be exactly what they appeared to be. But if not the seed pods, then what? How could delivering the Nilex Corporation first be a problem? After some thought, he came to no conclusion. Sighing, he turned to leave the observation deck. 

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