2232: The First Push

The Artemis was the manifestation of a dream. When the announcement came that a vessel was being constructed for a push to the nearest potentially habitable planet, the public flipped. Alien worlds and first contact was no longer the province of sci-fi, it was becoming a tantalizing reality.

The ship would be fitted with stasis couches (known as ‘boots’), terraforming equipment and supplies, and an AI Core at the helm. Maximum capacity: Five thousand.

A call went out for volunteers.

No one downplayed the risks, of which there were many. On a slow-burn with the latest engines, the Artemis would take over two hundred years to reach its destination. A lot can happen in that time. Regardless, there were over a million volunteers. Committees filtered the list down, trying to balance the best combination of skills, trades, and disciplines.

The following are excerpts from Chariot to the Stars, the official companion piece to the launch, based on the compiled flight logs, personal journals, and witness accounts of the Artemis and its launch.

TIME STAMP: Launch = -0d14h38m13s

On the eve of the Artemis’ launch, Captain Lisa Danvers was checking circuit boards underneath the Comm station on the bridge… for the third time.

Arthur Kenlo, Engineering, sat on the arm of the Captain’s chair. He’d given up trying to figure out what she was looking for.

Lisa always had an issue with big ships. Sure, she’d flown transports before but this was different. There were a thousand things that could go wrong which could, in turn, affect a million functions. It was maddening and she probably screwed herself by even starting down this path.

“Are you sure I can’t assist you, Captain?” A disembodied voice said, murmuring from dozens of hidden speakers throughout the bridge. It was the AI, helpful as always.

“No, I’m okay.” She said, Kenlo mouthed along the words of what was clearly a familiar exchange. Lisa couldn’t see anything wrong, out of place, or suspect in the myriad of circuit boards. She hated pre-flight anxiety. No matter what she did, it always hit her bad. So she made an executive decision, she cut herself off and replaced the panel. Kenlo perked up.

“You good?”

“Yeah, I think so. Hey Janus?”

“Yes Captain?” The disembodied voice replied.

“Generate another set of contingency actions for the Stasis Boots.”

“Do you have any specific parameters?”

“No, use your imagination.”

“That is a concept of which I only have a external understanding.”

“Outside the box. Something that we haven’t thought of.”

“I will try, Captain.”

That night, Janus, the AI Core, tried to imagine.

TIME STAMP: Launch = -0d0h4m21s

The next morning, the world waited. The volunteer population was waiting on an Orbital Platform. The engineers felt it would be easier that way, save themselves the trouble of having to build launch seating for five thousand if they didn’t have to. So they had been ferried up there in groups over the past few weeks.

Today was the launch of the Artemis itself. Danvers and her core crew would take her up then dock with the Platform to pick up the Civilians and any last minute supplies. NewsOrgs from around the world were gathered, ready to capture the moment in every conceivable format and put it on anything with a screen.

Lisa was already strapped in, the nerves and jitters of the past few days melting away with each passing moment. She stared at the main projection screen, displaying the front view of the ship. Right now, it was just a sealed launch tube. She thought about what lay beyond it, the sky. The sky that she loved. It was waiting for her to come back.

Danvers glided through her pre-flight checks. She was thorough and professional but couldn’t get through them fast enough. Crew departments checked in, it was green across the board. A final check in with Flight Control. They were set.

It was time.

Klaxons outside the ship began beeping. The massive metal gates of the flight tube unlocked with heavy thuds.

“Captain Danvers, shall I assume launch control?” Janus said.

“No, I got it.”

“Are you sure, Captain?”

“I’m sure.”

The gates started to move.

“But Captain, I have a .002 error quotient to-”

“Just show me that sky. I’ll get us there.”

TIME STAMP: Launch = +9d5h12m57s

Janus assumed control and circle for a week once the crew and civilians had entered stasis to check for any errors or anomalies. Effectively a dry run of how the ship would run once it started its Push. If there were any problems, Flight Control could abort and even remotely pilot the Artemis back if need be.

Flight Control finished a final assessment of the checks. Everything looked good. Justin Cobb, the Mission Director, looked over the bays of technicians, scientists, and analysts.

“Everyone good.”

Everyone nodded.

“This is our last chance. If anybody’s got the slightest hesitation or concern, I don’t care how it’ll sound or how the people upstairs will flip, you better voice it.”

Silent. Cobb gave it a few moments then nodded to establish contact with the Artemis.

“Good afternoon.”

“How are you Janus?”

“I have been running simulations. Contingency scenarios. Examples include; random Power fluctuation, impact with foreign body, contact with new uncategorized gas or element, contact with hostile organism, etc.”

“Any conclusions?”

“I think we’ll be satisfactory.”

Cobb glanced at the nearest Tech, slightly confused by the AI’s language. “You think?”

“I imagine we will be fine, Mr. Cobb.”

Twenty-two minutes later, the Artemis blasted its thrusters, starting a full-burn for a scheduled seventy minutes. It passed the edge of our solar system, into that great sea of space beyond, into that silent black that surrounds us.

And so we wait, dreaming of the things that they will find, hoping that one day we will hear back from the brave men and women who boarded the Artemis, that chariot to the stars, and struck out as the first Ambassadors of this United Earth.

Die Artemis waren die Manifestation eines Traums. Als die Ankündigung kam, dass ein Schiff für einen Schub zum nächsten potenziell bewohnbaren Planeten gebaut wurde, drehte sich die Öffentlichkeit um. Fremde Welten und der erste Kontakt war nicht mehr die Provinz Sci-Fi, es wurde zu einer verlockenden Realität.

Das Schiff würde mit Stasisliegen (bekannt als "Stiefel"), Terraforming-Ausrüstung und Zubehör sowie einem KI-Kern am Steuer ausgestattet sein. Maximale Kapazität: Fünftausend.

Ein Ruf nach Freiwilligen ging los.

Niemand hat die Risiken, von denen es viele gab, heruntergespielt. Bei einer langsamen Verbrennung mit den neuesten Motoren würde die Artemis über zweihundert Jahre brauchen, um ihr Ziel zu erreichen. In dieser Zeit kann viel passieren. Trotzdem gab es über eine Million Freiwillige. Die Ausschüsse filterten die Liste nach unten und versuchten, die beste Kombination aus Fähigkeiten, Gewerken und Disziplinen auszugleichen.

Nachfolgend finden Sie Auszüge aus Chariot to the Stars, dem offiziellen Begleitstück zum Start, basierend auf den erstellten Flugprotokollen, persönlichen Aufzeichnungen und Zeugenberichten über die Artemis und ihren Start.

ZEITSTEMPEL: Start = -0d14h38m13s

Am Vorabend des Starts der Artemis überprüfte Captain Lisa Danvers zum dritten Mal Leiterplatten unter der Kommandostation auf der Brücke.......

Arthur Kenlo, Ingenieur, saß auf dem Arm des Kapitänsstuhls. Er hatte es aufgegeben, herauszufinden, was sie suchte.

Lisa hatte immer ein Problem mit großen Schiffen. Sicher, sie hatte schon einmal Transporte geflogen, aber das war anders. Es gab tausend Dinge, die schief gehen konnten, die wiederum eine Million Funktionen betreffen konnten. Es war unerträglich und sie hat sich wahrscheinlich selbst gefickt, indem sie sogar diesen Weg eingeschlagen hat.

"Sind Sie sicher, dass ich Ihnen nicht helfen kann, Captain?" sagte eine körperlose Stimme und murmelte aus Dutzenden von versteckten Lautsprechern auf der gesamten Brücke. Es war die KI, hilfreich wie immer.

"Nein, mir geht es gut." Sie sagte, Kenlo mundete mit den Worten eines offensichtlich vertrauten Austauschs. Lisa konnte nichts Falsches sehen, weder fehl am Platz noch verdächtig in der Vielzahl der Leiterplatten. Sie hasste die Angst vor dem Flug. Egal, was sie getan hat, es hat sie immer schwer getroffen. Also traf sie eine leitende Entscheidung, sie schnitt sich selbst ab und ersetzte das Panel. Kenlo lebte auf.

"Alles in Ordnung?"

"Ja, ich glaube schon. Hey Janus?"

" Ja, Captain?" Die körperlose Stimme antwortete.

"Generiere einen weiteren Satz von Notfall-Aktionen für die Stasis-Stiefel."

"Hast du irgendwelche spezifischen Parameter?"

"Nein, benutze deine Fantasie."

"Das ist ein Konzept, von dem ich nur ein äußeres Verständnis habe."

"Über den Tellerrand hinaus. Etwas, woran wir noch nicht gedacht haben."

"Ich werde es versuchen, Captain."

In dieser Nacht versuchte Janus, der KI-Kern, sich das vorzustellen.

ZEITSTEMPEL: Start = -0d0h4m21s

Am nächsten Morgen wartete die Welt. Die freiwillige Bevölkerung wartete auf eine Orbitalplattform. Die Ingenieure waren der Meinung, dass es so einfacher wäre, sich die Mühe zu ersparen, fünftausend Startsitze bauen zu müssen, wenn sie es nicht müssten. So waren sie in den letzten Wochen in Gruppen dorthin gebracht worden.

Heute war der Launch des Artemis selbst. Danvers und ihre Kernmannschaft würden sie mitnehmen und dann an die Plattform andocken, um die Zivilisten und alle Vorräte in letzter Minute abzuholen. NewsOrgs aus der ganzen Welt waren versammelt, bereit, den Moment in jedem erdenklichen Format festzuhalten und auf alles mit einem Bildschirm zu bringen.

Lisa war bereits angeschnallt, die Nerven und Bammel der letzten Tage schmelzen mit jedem Moment weg. Sie starrte auf die Hauptprojektionsfläche und zeigte die Frontansicht des Schiffes. Im Moment war es nur eine versiegelte Startrohr. Sie dachte darüber nach, was dahinter lag, der Himmel. Den Himmel, den sie liebte. Es wartete darauf, dass sie zurückkam.

Danvers gleitet durch ihre Vorflugkontrolle. Sie war gründlich und professionell, konnte aber nicht schnell genug durchkommen. Die Crew-Abteilungen checkten ein, es war grün auf der ganzen Linie. Ein letzter Check-in bei der Flugsicherung. Sie wurden festgelegt.

Es war Zeit.

Klaxons vor dem Schiff begann zu piepen. Die massiven Metallgatter des Flugrohres wurden mit schweren Stößen entriegelt.

"Captain Danvers, soll ich die Startkontrolle übernehmen?" sagte Janus.

"Nein, ich habe es verstanden."

"Sind Sie sicher, Captain?"

"Ich bin mir sicher."

Die Tore begannen sich zu bewegen.

"Aber Captain, ich habe eine Fehlerquote von .002 zu--"

"Zeig mir einfach den Himmel. Ich bringe uns hin."

ZEITSTEMPEL: Start = +9d5h12m57s

Janus übernahm die Kontrolle und kreiste eine Woche lang, nachdem die Besatzung und die Zivilisten in die Stasis eingetreten waren, um nach Fehlern oder Anomalien zu suchen. Eigentlich ein Trockenlauf, wie das Schiff laufen würde, sobald es seinen Schub gestartet hat. Bei Problemen konnte die Flugsicherung die Artemis bei Bedarf abbrechen und sogar aus der Ferne zurückführen.

Die Flugsicherung beendete eine abschließende Bewertung der Kontrollen. Alles sah gut aus. Justin Cobb, der Mission Director, blickte über die Buchten der Techniker, Wissenschaftler und Analysten.

" Alle gut."

Alle nickten.

"Das ist unsere letzte Chance. Wenn jemand auch nur das geringste Zögern oder Besorgnis hat, ist es mir egal, wie es klingen wird oder wie die Leute oben umkippen werden, du solltest es besser sagen."

Lautlos. Cobb gab ihm einige Augenblicke, dann nickte er, um Kontakt mit den Artemis aufzunehmen.

"Guten Tag."

"Wie geht es dir, Janus?"

"Ich habe Simulationen durchgeführt. Notfallszenarien. Beispiele sind: zufällige Stromschwankungen, Auswirkungen auf Fremdkörper, Kontakt mit neuen, nicht kategorisierten Gasen oder Elementen, Kontakt mit feindlichen Organismen, etc.

"Irgendwelche Schlussfolgerungen?"

"Ich denke, wir werden zufrieden sein."

Cobb blickte auf die nächste Tech, leicht verwirrt von der Sprache der KI. "Denkst du?"

"Ich denke, es wird uns gut gehen, Mr. Cobb."

Zweiundzwanzig Minuten später sprengten die Artemis ihre Triebwerke und starteten für 70 Minuten eine vollständige Verbrennung. Sie ging am Rande unseres Sonnensystems vorbei, in das große Meer des Weltraums dahinter, in das stille Schwarz, das uns umgibt.

Und so warten wir, träumend von den Dingen, die sie finden werden, in der Hoffnung, dass wir eines Tages von den tapferen Männern und Frauen hören werden, die an Bord der Artemis waren, diesem Wagen zu den Sternen, und als die ersten Botschafter dieser Vereinigten Erde ausstiegen.

The Artemis was the manifestation of a dream. When the announcement came that a vessel was being constructed for a push to the nearest potentially habitable planet, the public flipped. Alien worlds and first contact was no longer the province of sci-fi, it was becoming a tantalizing reality.

The ship would be fitted with stasis couches (known as ‘boots’), terraforming equipment and supplies, and an AI Core at the helm. Maximum capacity: Five thousand.

A call went out for volunteers.

No one downplayed the risks, of which there were many. On a slow-burn with the latest engines, the Artemis would take over two hundred years to reach its destination. A lot can happen in that time. Regardless, there were over a million volunteers. Committees filtered the list down, trying to balance the best combination of skills, trades, and disciplines.

The following are excerpts from Chariot to the Stars, the official companion piece to the launch, based on the compiled flight logs, personal journals, and witness accounts of the Artemis and its launch.

TIME STAMP: Launch = -0d14h38m13s

On the eve of the Artemis’ launch, Captain Lisa Danvers was checking circuit boards underneath the Comm station on the bridge… for the third time.

Arthur Kenlo, Engineering, sat on the arm of the Captain’s chair. He’d given up trying to figure out what she was looking for.

Lisa always had an issue with big ships. Sure, she’d flown transports before but this was different. There were a thousand things that could go wrong which could, in turn, affect a million functions. It was maddening and she probably screwed herself by even starting down this path.

“Are you sure I can’t assist you, Captain?” A disembodied voice said, murmuring from dozens of hidden speakers throughout the bridge. It was the AI, helpful as always.

“No, I’m okay.” She said, Kenlo mouthed along the words of what was clearly a familiar exchange. Lisa couldn’t see anything wrong, out of place, or suspect in the myriad of circuit boards. She hated pre-flight anxiety. No matter what she did, it always hit her bad. So she made an executive decision, she cut herself off and replaced the panel. Kenlo perked up.

“You good?”

“Yeah, I think so. Hey Janus?”

“Yes Captain?” The disembodied voice replied.

“Generate another set of contingency actions for the Stasis Boots.”

“Do you have any specific parameters?”

“No, use your imagination.”

“That is a concept of which I only have a external understanding.”

“Outside the box. Something that we haven’t thought of.”

“I will try, Captain.”

That night, Janus, the AI Core, tried to imagine.

TIME STAMP: Launch = -0d0h4m21s

The next morning, the world waited. The volunteer population was waiting on an Orbital Platform. The engineers felt it would be easier that way, save themselves the trouble of having to build launch seating for five thousand if they didn’t have to. So they had been ferried up there in groups over the past few weeks.

Today was the launch of the Artemis itself. Danvers and her core crew would take her up then dock with the Platform to pick up the Civilians and any last minute supplies. NewsOrgs from around the world were gathered, ready to capture the moment in every conceivable format and put it on anything with a screen.

Lisa was already strapped in, the nerves and jitters of the past few days melting away with each passing moment. She stared at the main projection screen, displaying the front view of the ship. Right now, it was just a sealed launch tube. She thought about what lay beyond it, the sky. The sky that she loved. It was waiting for her to come back.

Danvers glided through her pre-flight checks. She was thorough and professional but couldn’t get through them fast enough. Crew departments checked in, it was green across the board. A final check in with Flight Control. They were set.

It was time.

Klaxons outside the ship began beeping. The massive metal gates of the flight tube unlocked with heavy thuds.

“Captain Danvers, shall I assume launch control?” Janus said.

“No, I got it.”

“Are you sure, Captain?”

“I’m sure.”

The gates started to move.

“But Captain, I have a .002 error quotient to-”

“Just show me that sky. I’ll get us there.”

TIME STAMP: Launch = +9d5h12m57s

Janus assumed control and circle for a week once the crew and civilians had entered stasis to check for any errors or anomalies. Effectively a dry run of how the ship would run once it started its Push. If there were any problems, Flight Control could abort and even remotely pilot the Artemis back if need be.

Flight Control finished a final assessment of the checks. Everything looked good. Justin Cobb, the Mission Director, looked over the bays of technicians, scientists, and analysts.

“Everyone good.”

Everyone nodded.

“This is our last chance. If anybody’s got the slightest hesitation or concern, I don’t care how it’ll sound or how the people upstairs will flip, you better voice it.”

Silent. Cobb gave it a few moments then nodded to establish contact with the Artemis.

“Good afternoon.”

“How are you Janus?”

“I have been running simulations. Contingency scenarios. Examples include; random Power fluctuation, impact with foreign body, contact with new uncategorized gas or element, contact with hostile organism, etc.”

“Any conclusions?”

“I think we’ll be satisfactory.”

Cobb glanced at the nearest Tech, slightly confused by the AI’s language. “You think?”

“I imagine we will be fine, Mr. Cobb.”

Twenty-two minutes later, the Artemis blasted its thrusters, starting a full-burn for a scheduled seventy minutes. It passed the edge of our solar system, into that great sea of space beyond, into that silent black that surrounds us.

And so we wait, dreaming of the things that they will find, hoping that one day we will hear back from the brave men and women who boarded the Artemis, that chariot to the stars, and struck out as the first Ambassadors of this United Earth.