Zenith
By
Robot Commander Esquire
Copyright © 2014 Robot Commander Esquire
All Rights Reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to any actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
This work is provided free of charge to you, dear reader. In return, reviews, ratings or comments are appreciated!
***
I open my eyes. Rolling clouds that vary from shades of tan to brown-red move lazily in the atmosphere of the brown dwarf below. They form intricate patterns as huge bands run in opposing directions, appearing peaceful and serene. This belies the violence of the storms, their wind speeds are high enough to sheer flesh from bone. It takes several moments for my eyes to adjust, and I begin to wonder if I had been sleeping.
“Daydreaming again?” asks a voice behind me.
“To be honest I'm not sure. I've been getting lost in my thoughts lately, it's the strangest thing.”
“I've never been able to understand what you see in that view. How is it different from any time you've looked before? Such a shame to waste your time just sitting there when there's so much work left to be done. What do you gain from it?” it continues.
“Anymore I'm really not so sure. I think it might be time for me to move on.”
***
High above the brown dwarf's surface a large object sits peacefully in orbit. The space around it is littered with small bundles of material, dull gray and metallic in appearance. This is my home for now, a data and materials acquisition and storage station.
Contained in its data banks is the collective information on all known aspects of over a dozen intelligent species from various systems within a relatively small pocket of our spiral galaxy. I know this because I collected the data. My primary function is data acquisition. To date I have only met two other individuals who have the same objective, and sometimes I wonder why that number is so low.
The facility director is still mostly organic like myself. An oddity in my experience, however largely a matter of personal preference. Many others relinquish their bodies, substituting their limbs and organs with far superior mechanical versions. These mechanical versions incorporate biological molecules of course, however they're not quite the same either.
While maintenance of an organic based body does create certain nuisances, having a back up to external life support feels like a reasonable insurance policy. More time has passed than I can remember since eating my last meal, but at least the option is still there.
Outside long tethers extend towards the brown dwarf below and out into space, harvesting energy captured by the intense magnetic fields. Bundles of material are sorted, purified, and either put to use in construction of ships or into storage in the ever-expanding orbital structure.
***
“We've crossed the threshold now. Collection has passed the halfway point, and at the current rate we'll have enough mass soon to initiate sustainable fusion of hydrogen.”
“And what then, on to the next system?” I ask.
“Of course. As long as there's another system there's more work to be done” it replies. “Binary systems, like this will soon become, are a hugely important resource.”
“I'm not disagreeing with you there. I suppose my question is that the entire point of your efforts is simply to create more work for yourself. You're only working for the sake of working, each day is inherently no different than the ones which came before” I continue on, asking myself this question just as much as the director.
“You scholars always make everything so complicated. I enjoy my work, I find purpose and fulfillment in what I do. Why isn't that enough for you?”
“I do find purpose in my work. That has never been the issue. The real question though is this, what would you do when there's no work left to be done? How would you reconcile that with yourself?”
***
As they're completed each new ship breaks away from the structural shipyard's web and plunges towards the system's star. Magnetic scoops collect specific particles from the solar wind that will be used to power the ship on it's journey to the next destination.
As the ships pass the far point of their orbit they deploy solar sails that give them the initial boost on their way. In this fashion the data and material acquisition station functions much like small flowers I have observed on different planets many times over. Small gusts of wind break the seeds from the flower heads, scattering them further than would have been possible otherwise.
The central station constantly scans nearby stars to determine which will yield the maximum benefit in materials and data acquisition. Some of those stars already have large structures similar to this one, which are also following similar initiatives.
Other stars have planets in orbit with life forms to study, although these are something of a rarity. I've studied such a range of different types of life that it seems there are few surprises left for me anymore. Regardless of the differences, each time it feels as though I could have predicted the strategies and structures I observe in these new species.
I prefer to study organisms that are not self-aware. Of the twelve intelligent species I have observed, nine either initiated or failed to act cooperatively to prevent the events that led to their demise. The beauty, the music and art. All gone, all of it lost forever, and all of it entirely preventable. Each time I find the remnants of a species like that, or even worse observe their final days, it weighs on my mind more and more.
The records I have created are all that remain of them now. Three of these species have become integrated into the collective. Organics, to a greater or lesser extent like myself, live on the countless habitable planets we have either documented or created directly ourselves.
Even with a very modest degree of integration into the collective, lifespans can be extended indefinitely. In spite of this fact many choose to forgo this, in some ways welcoming oblivion after experiencing the pain of living.
I myself am old. Unfathomably old in fact. After so long memories begin to melt together. Everything becomes abstract, somehow I still can recall these things but on a more intuitive level. They seem more like images or impressions.
In the end, ancients like myself seem to fall victim to one thing, one illness for which there is no cure. Boredom. Past a certain point the only thing that keeps us going is our own peculiar obsessions.
For example, I am obsessed with knowledge and discovery. I have a passion for the novel, although I am no longer able to find the novelty I so desire and need. Boredom has begun to sink in, creating in me the deepest of melancholies.
The station director is obsessed with the acquisition of matter. He takes endless pleasure in coordinating the construction of habitable worlds or building acquisition structures such as the one we currently reside within.
Each station like this requires a large number of dancers, as we refer to them. Their bodies are almost entirely sacrificed to the interface, all that remains are their organic based brains and small sections of spinal column. The different types of dancers rely upon a wide range of mechanical avatars. Some are bipedal, resembling myself or the station director. Others have four to six legs and arms. The diversity of avatars allows the collective to better accomplish their work, with each different morphology having it's own unique specialization.
The dancers have nearly become one with the collective in this sense, integral cogs in the
magnificent machine. There are hundreds on this station. All of them, aside from the few that arrived with the first acquisition pod, were spawned on the station. Grown from a stock of thousands of different genetic lineages to drive the progress required by the larger collective, they work tirelessly in their task.
Each dancer on this station will ultimately go on to another system once their work here is done. They're one of the major driving forces behind the continuous expansion of the collective. Sometimes I envy them, the simplicity of their task and lives, the intense pleasure they derive from their work. Performing complex tasks in choreographed maneuvers creates neural patterns that are indicative of intense physical pleasure.
If I were to so choose, I could become integrated and take the role of a dancer. My genetic information would be preserved for fidelity, granting me an entirely different form of eternal life. The idea has never appealed to me though, in many ways I cherish my individuality much in the same way that I appreciate novelty.
***
“Now there's something you don't see very often” the director said as he interfaced with his scanner readouts.
“What's that?”
“It looks like a particularly large short-period comet is going to give us quite the show here soon.”
“How large?” I ask.
“I've never seen one this size before. It must be ninety-ninth percentile or greater. You might be able to find one out there that's larger, but it would take a great deal of searching. Water, ammonia and carbon signals are also unusually high.”
“Interesting. I need to spend some time interfaced with the main system, this might be the perfect opportunity for something I've been planning for quite some time.”
“Suit yourself, I've got enough other things to keep me occupied for the time being. There's a large cluster of carbonaceous material inbound that should give us enough mass to initiate sustained hydrogen fusion in the brown dwarf. It puts us significantly ahead of schedule now, I can't imagine things having gone more smoothly here.”
“Maybe it's a sign.”
“For being so focused on data and logic you scholars have a tendency to be pretty sentimental, don't you?”
***
I make my final approach towards the comet. My trajectory carefully mapped to avoid the dust tail left in the comet's wake. Instead, I'm approaching more closely to the ionized gaseous wake pushed behind its path by the solar wind. Sensors confirm the comet nucleus is ahead, although through the coma I can't make visual confirmation of this.
Relying on sensors alone has always left me feeling uneasy, and this approach is no different. As I move closer to my target the telltale gravitational perturbations become more pronounced. Fortunately, everything goes as smoothly as the ideal simulations, and soon I feel my craft strike the loose comet surface.
As the shock from the initial collision dissipates, the majority of the mass that composes my craft begins spreading over the comet surface along thick venous paths. As the comet rounds the system's star, the material has formed an extensive network over the surface. Each thick vein in the network holds the comet together, and they slowly begin spreading out to create a uniform coating. Once clear of the star, an immense magnetic sail deploys and I begin accelerating out of the system on the solar wind.
By now the remainder of my craft that did not spread over the surface has burrowed three quarters of the way towards the comet's center. My living pod is buried far enough under the surface to protect me from the radiation and cosmic rays of space. A large reactor is under construction at the comet's core which will power the comet vessel through the vast expanses of interstellar space.
I am charting new ground in this endeavor, to my knowledge no one has ever attempted something so bold before. The novelty of what I intend to do has erased any symptoms of my previous boredom. I feel every bit as excited as the first time I discovered an intelligent species. It's been far too long.
***
“You realize this adventure of yours cost me three systems worth of rare elements” the director reminds me.
“I am well aware of this fact, you've been explicit on the point several dozen times already. I can't begin to thank you enough, it is no small favor that you have done for me.”
“To be honest, it was entirely worth it to see you smile again. I know I complain about scholars often, but you intrigue me nonetheless. Who knows though, in the end I may benefit from some of the data you collect on your voyage.”
“How is deployment proceeding? My sensor array is still incomplete, we hit a tougher layer on our way to the comet core than anticipated.”
“It looks like the quantum shielding array should be complete before you leave the system. For now the magnetic sail and ion scoop are both performing well, you've got one-hundred and thirteen percent the required isotope yield to make it to the next star system on your course.”
“I was hoping to have a larger margin than that, cutting it so close makes me uneasy.”
“Let's be honest, this entire mission is a long shot to begin with. No use worrying over a small detail like that” the director replies with a smirk.
“How comforting. What's the time frame on turning this new star on?”
“We've only just now begun reconfiguring the station for transit. Sometimes it can be a bit bumpy at first when these things light up. You'll still be well within transmission range before we get the show started. I'll make sure to give you a heads up for when you want to be watching.”
“Thanks, I couldn't ask for more pomp and circumstance than igniting a new star as a send off.”
“You're welcome!” the director replies, brimming over with enthusiasm. “Your timing has been pretty impeccable to be honest.”
“Now who sounds sentimental?”
***
A single star shines in my display. I can still make out the brown dwarf on my visual display, even from the far reaches of the system. More sensitive scanners have been tracking the thermal expansion as the fusion reactions at it's core progress. It's swelling in size at an increasing rate, and it shouldn't be long before it begins emitting light now.
Slowly, but surely, an increasingly bright spot begins glowing in space. Deep red, and much smaller than it's companion star, the new star begins to shine. As the fusion reactions begin converting matter into plasma, the magnetic field of the new star balloons outwards. This is what the facility director was waiting for.
The station, positioned optimally between the two stars, will now be able to harvest orders of magnitude more energy than before. Production of seed ships will also increase, catalyzing expansion to nearby star systems of interest.
As I near the limits of the heliosphere and approach interstellar space, several of the comet vessel systems I will rely upon become functional. The comet has been reshaped into a nearly perfect sphere. Enveloping the bulk of material is a dull gray shell which will provide quantum shielding, effectively reducing the inertial mass of the comet interior to a tiny fraction of its actual mass.
Embedded in various locations on the comets surface are magnetoplasmadynamic thrusters, oriented in several different axis, allowing for full control of the vessel. While they provide relatively small amounts of boost, the hugely diminished inertial mass of the comet vessel is easily accelerated to tremendous speeds under their power. Propellant is drawn from the comet interior. Initially large stores of ammonia are utilized, later to be replaced by hydrogen collected from solar wind in the numerous star systems I will pass through on my journey.
When the quantum shielding comes into effect the comet vessel will accelerate in order to conserve momentum. This is convenient, because all that is required to decelerate to the initial velocity is lowering the quantum shielding.
Some distance in front of the vessel the shielding also generates a null field that is capable of converting matter directly into energy. This energy is redirected back into the
quantum shielding, strengthening the effect, with the only drawback being the large amount of potentially harmful radiation generated. Fortunately the quantum shielding is able to absorb some of this radiation. Furthermore, the massive comet interior reduces this hazard to a nominal level by the time it reaches my living quarters.
The main drawback to the utilization of the quantum shielding effect is that it creates a different space-time reference frame within the comet interior. Time moves more quickly in proportion to the degree of shielding. Where an external observer might live one lifetime, several lifetimes will have passed by my perspective. This is the principle reason organics avoid traveling within the quantum shielded region of ships, however due to design constraints this is not possible for the mission I am undertaking.
By nearly all practical measures I will be forced to endure a near-eternity in my pod. While sleeping for great expanses of time will help reduce the monotony, over time my psyche will most likely become incorporated into the vessel from the need for constant integration. I can only speculate what this will do to me, what I will become, however it is a sacrifice I have been preparing myself for. I am ready.
***
As closely as possible my early course skims the upper region of the spiral arm of my galaxy. I scan each passing star system for signs of life, focusing scanners on the atmospheres of the multitudes of planets as I pass by. When the results merit further investigation I launch notification probes towards the system. While these probes do not have enough mass to initiate the formation of full-scale acquisition stations, under favorable conditions they can collect enough energy and matter to form the early stages. This gives any facility directors a head start upon arrival.