The decision to utilize a chain of space station modules as the initial living and working quarters had markedly improved the construction schedule. Mike's plan was to weld the individual units to the structure of the ship. A module from the international space station program was to be utilized as a central working station and the multiple docking ports were to be connected to space station habitat modules with standard air locks. The use of 8 separate modules for quarters, maintenance and the "sick bay" made the structure appear as a stubby spider walking on a very large bowl. Much to the chagrin of the U.N. Commander, the structure was nicknamed the "arachnid" and the name stuck. Even the engineering department referred to it as the "arach structure." The entire perimeter of each structure was welded to the metallic surface of the ship's interior and individual air locks were secured between the units. Utilizing the existing modules markedly simplified the construction and each module contained its' own life support system. Only minor modifications were required to the basic modules.
Space transport required a global commitment. The Soviet heavy lift rockets were the primary lift mechanism for the modules and supplies. The space shuttle was brought out of retirement and used for transportation of workers and smaller pieces of equipment. The Boeing space plane was completing its testing and was expected to contribute to the final transport of personnel. Essentially all the launch capability of the Earth was being utilized for the ship construction. Storage space was limited in the initial structure, but an immense automatic storage facility was being completed as part of the drive section of the ship. This unit was divided into storage for the nuclear fuel, essential metals, rocket fuel components and basic supplies for a nearly indefinite voyage. The ship would require the development of a miniature ecosystem which would simulate the carbon and oxygen cycles of Earth. The initial phase of the journey was dependent on stores brought on board, but after acceleration was complete and the permanent habitat was constructed, a biological conversion was needed. A large portion of the Earth's industrial and scientific efforts were being expended to meet the mandated construction schedule.
The ship's library was going to contain a sample of DNA from a representative sample of most living organisms and multiple samples of biologically significant species. Brother Simon had the task of orchestrating the collection and preservation of this material. The genetics community worldwide became involved in the process. This Aark" differed from the biblical Aark" in form but the intent was the same. The religious significance of this became the newest focus for controversy. Brother Simon worked with an intense zeal to complete this task. When interviewed he was always asked about the "ark" and he patiently explained that the world has needed this collection. The Visitor's request had stimulated the scientific community to rapidly accelerate their previous efforts. A duplicate repository was being constructed on Earth. The rapid loss of species to extinction made this effort essential. Every interview seemed to contain a religious section which he always answered using the standard U.N. verbiage, "This is a mission of science." When pressed about his religious affiliation, he would state, "I am who I am, and The Visitor and the captain have accepted me based on my ability. My religion represents my personal beliefs and everyone is entitled to their own beliefs."
He was frequently asked if his selection implied that the Catholic viewpoint was The Visitor's choice and he always pointed out that the crew was composed of people from many religious traditions including atheist. The next most popular question concerned his age, to which he replied, "This commitment is for a life-long voyage which will be longer for some than others." All of the crew members and especially Captain Brezinski were continuously approached, almost hounded, by the media. The U.N. command finally agreed to limit the availability of all crew members to specific media appearances. This significantly improved the efficiency and the morale of the crew. Mike had refused all media interaction and depended upon his admin officer to satisfy the media request.
Construction of the ship was on schedule. The departure date was only five months in the future when the message came from The Visitor. It was more of an order than a message. It simply said, "Launch of the Earth mission 'Genesis' has been advanced three months. Departure from the solar system must be expedited. Use of a gravitational sling around Jupiter will be required. All future communications with the ship will be routed through secure channels. Following the sling a communication blackout will be in effect."
No other information was forthcoming despite U.N. demands for a more complete explanation. Captain Brezinski accepted the change in a military fashion. It was her duty to carry out her orders. The U.N. debated long and hard about the change despite their limited knowledge and lack of choices. Mike grumbled about the change in schedule, but his team adapted quickly. They concentrated on completing the drive and control systems. The standard testing protocols became meaningless. The initial firing of their nuclear rockets would be used to launch them out of Earth orbit on their way to Jupiter. If their systems did not function as designed their entire mission would be scrubbed. Doc Jules was faced with a new set of challenges with the requirement of a gravitational sling around Jupiter. The Visitor provided the physiologic requirements and his team of consultants worked to develop the protocols for protecting the crew from the severe physiologic stresses they were to undergo. The capabilities of the auto supplier would be essential for constructing the safety tanks that would be required.
Captain Brezinski was eager to assume direct command of the ship despite the sinister sounding changes in the plans. The change in the departure date meant that final construction would have to occur during the flight. Plans were made for her transfer to the ship along with Mike. When advised of the early transfer, Mike became almost agitated. He petitioned Captain Brezinski to change the plans in order for him to continue his engineering at the center. Captain Brezinski did not understand why Mike preferred to stay on the Earth rather than transfer to the ship. Mike gave several reasons, none of which seemed truly significant. The Captain agreed to the delay but admonished Mike to, "Complete your Earth-based task and transfer to the ship ASAP." Mike assured her that he should expedite his transfer. The other crew members were assigned a transfer order based on their duties and responsibilities.
Captain Brezinski and Doc Jules presented to the launch facility at Cape Canaveral for their transfer. At the final check in, the launch personnel admonished Doc Jules for exceeding the weight limit for his personal belongings. He admitted his bag was full of books which added extra weight, but he thought they should be allowed. Captain Brezinski actually was smiling and asked Doc Jules, "Why do you need books with the computer The Visitor is supplying?"
Doc Jules replied, "The knowledge these books provide is based on my interaction with the writer and my previous study of them. I can not get that from a computer data base." Captain Brezinski accepted this rationale and agreed to allow Doc Jules to use her unused weight allowance. The remainder of the transfer protocol proceeded without incident. When they had an opportunity to examine the space shuttle closely, they were amazed at how small the ship appeared attached to the external fuel tank. The heat shield tiles had been replaced so frequently that the color mix now represented a complex mosaic. The shuttle Captain welcomed them aboard and apologized for the appearance of his ship. Industry had stepped forward and had produced enough spare parts to keep the shuttles flying, but the niceties like color matching were forgotten. The transfer schedule was so tight that only mission critical maintenance was being performed. Each shuttle was now flying more missions for this project than they were initially designed for.
The launch went smoothly and the acceleration was exhilarating, but the transition to free fall and weightlessness was very disconcerting. The time schedule was so tight that the amount of training was limited and the transition was more traumatic than ideal. The first vi
ew of the Earth from space was awesome and several moments of silence passed before Captain Brezinski said, "I have viewed the Earth from under the surface of the ocean which made it seem immense, but the view from space shows how small our world is." They were able to enjoy the view from the small windows for most of a day while the orbit of the shuttle and the ship were aligned. Docking was with the modified fuel tank which had been partially buried into the side of their new ship. The Captain and Doc Jules were dressed in the transfer space suits. These suits were much lighter than the traditional EVA suits and provided minimal heating and radiation blocking capability. The airlock was cycled and the transfer made to their new ship. The trip along the axis to the emergency habitat module was an obstacle course of not so graceful maneuvering around the equipment which was stored in the station. The lighting was harsh and cast deep shadows which intensified the surreal atmosphere. The section chief seemed to gracefully float around the machinery without difficulty. Doc Jules discovered that the principle of inertia still applied and that he had a lot of adapting to do.
Entering the cramped emergency habitat module provided some relief from the sense of complete loss of control. Introductions were begun by the section chief who opened her shield and said, "Hello I am Tina Rogers the section chief." After the remaining introductions Tina got right back to work. She told the Captain, "Crew shift change will begin in two hours and we will need the shuttle craft for the change." She apologized for her inability to spend more time introducing them to their new ship but her crew had to take precedence.
Captain Brezinski nodded in agreement. Tina led them to another airlock and checked to make sure their helmets were secure before cycling the airlock. This larger airlock contained a small submarine. At Captain Brezinski's suggestion, they had adapted a small compressed-air-powered jet submarine. These commercially available submarines held four persons and used a compressed air tank to create small controlled jets for propulsion. In the vacuum of space, the controlled jets now acted as miniature rockets providing propulsion and control to the vehicle. The water of the asteroid was being utilized as an oxygen source and the hydrogen byproduct was being compressed and used as the propulsion gas for the submarine. The friction-free and gravity-free characteristics of the ship made these miniature boats ideal for transportation within the enormous ship.
Captain Brezinski climbed into the copilot's seat after Tina had climbed into the pilot's seat. Doc Jules maneuvered himself into the rear seat with the two bags. It was tighter than the back seat of a Volkswagen Beetle. The bulky space suite made it even smaller. The hatch would not close properly until Doc Jules moved one of the bags onto his lap. This further confined him. With the hatch now safely closed, Tina ran through her checklist and began powering up the ship. The suits were connected to the ship's life support system. The ship began to silently glide forward and the outer airlock opened. They entered a dark tube which had only small emergency lights. The tube seemed smaller than the ship and Doc Jules spoke up, "Are you sure this thing fits?"
Tina laughed and said, "It has always fit before." She then explained that small strip magnets were placed longitudinally along the shaft and that the opposing magnets on the transport kept them pretty well centered. Unless the pilot really tried, the transport would make the journey to the central corridor without touching the side wall despite the close clearance. The shaft was almost 2000 meters long and angled into the center of the ship. The close metallic walls, which were only dimly lit by the shuttle's lights, suddenly disappeared. They had entered the large central corridor which led to the "Arach Structure" within the dome. The blackness persisted until Tina gradually turned the shuttle and began traveling down this huge shaft. A definite light was visible ahead. The shuttle picked up a little speed and they soon entered the habitat module which was diffusely lighted by several bands of lights. The relative immensity of the dome was in stark contrast to the cramped shuttle. The shuttle continued to a docking airlock and came to a silent halt, and as Tina powered down the shuttle the airlock closed.
As soon as the green indicator light flashed Tina opened the hatch on the shuttle and climbed out. Captain Brezinski sat for a minute before exiting the craft. When she was finally able to compose herself in the micro-gravity of her new ship, she stood at attention and saluted. Doc Jules climbed out of the rear seat and one of the bags he had on his lap started to float away. Tina grasped the bag and returned it to him with an obvious smile. She said he would adapt quickly enough as she cycled the airlock. They entered the larger central module and the airlock closed behind them. The central module seemed very small to Doc Jules when compared to the actual size of their ship. He mentioned the diminutive size and Captain Brezinski laughed saying, "This module is larger than the entire operating portion of my submarine." The Bridge was being installed with large video monitors filling one wall of the structure. An empty metal cabinet was below the monitors, which measured 1 by 2 by 3 meters. Extensive wiring and optical cables were running to the cabinet. Captain Brezinski asked the construction crew when the computer would be installed.
"We were told that the computer would be delivered tomorrow and that we could begin installation then," Tina replied.
"How long before the computer would be operational?" asked Captain Brezinski.
"The computer is supposed to be self-contained and operational except for the multiple inputs," was the reply.
Captain Brezinski was obviously excited to begin interacting with the computer. Doc Jules did not share the Captain's enthusiasm for the computer. His lack of excitement was evident. The Captain asked him "Why are you not excited about directly interacting with the intelligence of another world?"
Doc Jules replied, "Does the computer actually represent the intelligence of another world? Or is it a simple data storage device? Or even worse, is it a mechanical master that we will have to serve? Why has the departure date been moved up?"
The Captain smiled and said, "I believe The Visitor is benevolent and we have the great opportunity of representing our race to the larger community."
Doc Jules shook his head and asked the Captain how she could be so sure. The Captain just smiled and changed the subject by asking Doc Jules, "Do you have any idea why Mike has delayed transferring to the ship?" Doc Jules thought for a few minutes and responded that the only thing in Mike's profile was a minor blip in the psychological profile which suggested some repressed fears about flying. The Captain nodded and recalled that Mike had admitted a concern about the initial space flight.