The Plan
"Fuck," Tec said trying to open his eyes while rubbing his temples.
"It's okay," Ruby said studying him in the captain's bunk. "I'm here, Tec."
She knew it would take time for Tec to recover fully. Pressing a hypospray gently against his neck, "How's that?" she asked.
"Yeah. Better. Thanks," Tec replied. "I guess it worked," he added cautiously, sitting up while dangling his legs over the side of the bunk.
Obviously relieved she nodded as he flexed his ankles and wiggled his toes before fully stretching.
"This body feels good," he said. "My stomach aches a little but I fell hungery. Let's debrief in the galley," he added.
"Are you sure?" Ruby asked cautiously.
"I'm fine," he scoffed standing up then performing several deep knee bends. "It's captain's orders to debrief as soon as I'm awake, if I remember the plan," he added with a wink.
Tec looked to Ruby after thumping the replicator on its side with his fist only to receive a cup of water along with an unremarkable, green biscuit.
"Most of the elemental bins are depleted," Ruby said looking down at the galleys deck.
He remembered that most of the bins feeding the replicator's molecular fabricator had been at least half-full. "How long have I been, ah, away?" he asked.
"There were residual issues causing failures with the memory transfer procedure that were not apparent in my initial calculations," she replied studying him intently. "Thankfully, those issues seem behind us."
"Any failures?" Tec asked warily.
"Six," Ruby replied causing Tec to choke on the tasteless biscuit. "However, I have been able to stabilize your original, saved base pattern indefinitely," she added, still scrutinizing him.
"How long?"
"It has been 108 years, 2 months, 17 days since the dark matter engine burn," Ruby said.
Tec shook his head. "That's a long time. Are you okay?" he asked.
Ruby smiled. "I'm fine," she said while obviously straining to be positive. "My power module is good for at least another six thousand years with regular replenishment."
Tec studied his shipmate as he took his favorite seat at the forward table in the mess. He knew she knew he was not asking about her power supply.
Ruby sat down across from him, smiling.
"So what went wrong?" he asked then saw her appendages subtlety readjust their rest positions.
"The second captain classified details surrounding previous constructs' deaths."
"I forgot," Tec said sarcastically, wondering why he had no memories of any of his past lives. All that came to mind quickly morphed into deep space, horror stories from his childhood. He subtly shook his head to clear the images.
"That order can be revoked going forward," Ruby added cautiously.
"Let it stand," Tec said. "Just glad to be here," he added popping the last of the biscuit into his mouth.
Ruby smiled then joined her minor, side appendages together on the table. "Ready?" she asked.
"Debrief away."
"First up is flight status," she began. "Astrophysical observations confirm Vera is at .48 C. Acceleration is lessening because of the galactic wind but we can still expect to reach a maximum .52 C within the next hundred years. Heading remains unchanged. ETA to Sol is roughly 4700 years."
"So soon?" Tec quipped.
"I have determined The Milky Way is moving toward us, although obliquely."
"Not surprising," he said kindly.
"Also," Ruby added, "all rock positions are stable with the last adjustment over five years ago."
She quickly interfaced with the galley's computer station to display a three-dimensional view of the Vera now trailing behind the asteroids.
"Excellent," Tec said knowing the rocks would help shield the Vera from cosmic radiation and the rare matter found in intergalactic space. It would have been an enormous effort and taken several years to position, accelerate, and then stabilize them with Vera's tractor beam.
"Rocks remaining?" he asked.
"Four various types of chondrites, two stony irons, and three irons totaling 2.8 billion gross tonnes as well as three mudballs," Ruby replied.
Tec pondered the count. The hundred-year expenditure was significantly over their resource budget. The mudballs were most critical to their everyday survival as abundant sources of oxygen, hydrogen and carbon. The other rocks would take considerable processing to extract more uncommon elements.
In addition, he wondered if the mass of those rarer elements still had significant uncertainty. "And the detailed assays?" he asked as he recognized the iron JTK-57 just off Vera's portside.
Tec sighed as Ruby shook her head, remaining silent.
"Whatever happened to the samples of the phenocryst I took from 57," he asked.
"Quality 9, dominantly red, space-opal."
Tec whistled. Space opals were rare and red varieties were one of the highest price-per-weight gemstones in the galactic economy.
"Next," he asked.
"That would be ship's status," Ruby replied with a hint of concern.
He wondered again how she had coped with his previous six deaths.
"SAV7 and the crawler are still fully operational. All ship's systems are functioning except the rec room's hologram generator that's still in need of a wassonite-based flux coil."
Tec groaned. He had never used Vera's holodeck but it would provide relief from the boredom of the expanse that lay before them. He looked at Ruby and reckoned she was too good of a cardplayer to be much fun. He would have to find wassonite in one of the remaining asteroids but the odds were against it being easy.
"Any sampling on the enstatite achondrite?" Tec asked hoping for data on a prime candidate for the rare element. He turned to look over his shoulder, down the hall and past the crew cabins, at the rec rooms hatch.
Ruby shook her head. "No and they are still sealed," she added referring to three crew cabins.
Tec shivered, remembering that a few personal effects brought aboard before the planned arrival of the Vera's crewmembers remained within their cabins and off-inventory.
"I've worked on extending sensor range but the array needs a ruthenium component," Ruby continued.
"What is the overall bin status?" Tec asked knowing the Vera depended on many elements from the Lyell's stores that just did not occur in asteroids.
"Ninety six elemental bins are depleted. All platinum group elements are below or at critical levels," she said. "Significantly, less than one percent of carbon remains," she added looking up at the med bay's deck.
Tec now understood Ruby's apparent anxiety.
"Yikes," he muttered knowing another construct was impossible.
Ruby nodded.
"Time to mine," Tec repeated the old belter slogan, changing the mess's computer interface to view the vast starry spiral, slightly closer than he remembered. With the Vera now trailing behind the rocks, cameras mounted on the forward asteroids provided an unabridged view of the spectacle.
"I better start next shift," he added quickly.
"Well, there is also my status," Ruby announced flatly.
"I'm sorry," Tec said, surprised that her status had changed.
"My program has been evolving," she said. "I have had significant resources transferred to an underlying subroutine. Access to this routine is problematic and details remain largely hidden from my perception but I suspect it is playing an increasingly important role in basic decision making."
"Sounds like a subconscious," Tec said while pondering several consequences of such a development.
"Diagnostics do not reveal a virus or hostile program," she said, "but I'm not sure I can believe those results."
"What do you make of it?" he asked.
"I'm worried," she replied. "I feel illogical."
Tec studied his friend. "I'm sure we can cope. You can always let me know of any doubts you may have. I'm an expert in screwing up logical decisions with gut feelings."
"Thanks, Tec," she said reaching out to lightly touch his hand with her major appendage.
Tec dragged the dredges mouth across the chondrite's face thinking about Ruby's now obvious transition into sentience. Her staunch commitment to being a member of humanity both amazed and perplexed him.
"Platinum group at ninety-eight percent," SAV7's computer announced over his helmet's com.
"Roger that," Tec replied to himself rather than the SAV. He stretched the best he could in his suit before cutting the dredge's power then retracting it.
He then checked the display on his suits right sleeve; SAV7 had one remaining sample container with nearly fifty percent capacity, just enough to top off the oxygen and carbon bins.
"Which mud ball?" Tec asked.
Not programmed for esoteric questions, SAV7 remained silent.
"A dirty dilemma," Tec muttered as he entered the coordinates for the closest icy rock.
"Any Wassonite?" Tec asked hoping for enough of the element to repair the holo deck.
"Negative," SAV7 replied.
Maybe it is time, Tec thought, deciding to scavenge the crew cabins for the necessary mineral. A quantum pad or one of several other modern devices would contain the necessary element. Tec sighed as he updated SAV7's log with his decision.
He then changed heading manually toward the nearest mud ball but the vessel quickly began to pitch down and to port.
"What the fuck," he muttered as SAV7 failed to respond to his command to correct course.
"Thruster fuel level is below critical threshold," SAV7 reported flatly.
It was obvious to Tec a fuel feed had ruptured as he fought to control the small craft.
"Thruster fuel is depleted," SAV7 reported as the spinning craft's stern glided into the nearest rock with a considerable jolt.
"Great," Tec muttered opening a com channel to Vera while trying in vain to restart SAV7's thrusters.
"What is your emergency?" Vera's computer asked.
"Where's Ruby?"
"What is your emergency?" the computer repeated stoically.
"Thrusters are offline, rear hatch blocked," Tec reported. "Oh yeah, SAV7's life support is offline," he added inspecting a large hole in its crumpled stern.
"Maintenance drones are en route to your location."
Tec groaned looking at his suit's air supply. It would take far too long for the small robots to reach the chondrite with more fuel.
"Where's Ruby?" he repeated knowing it might be possible for her to rescue him in time.
"The First Officer is undergoing replenishment."
"What?" Tec asked in disbelief as he had reviewed her schedule before today's shift.
"The First Officer is undergoing replenishment."
Shit, he cursed to himself. He then took a deep breath and released his tightening grip on SAV7's control stick.
"How long?" he asked calmly, sinking deeper into his padded command chair.
"The current procedure has one three hours, thirty-eight minutes remaining."
Great, more erratic behavior from Ruby, Tec thought. "Wake her up," he demanded of Vera's computer. His suit had less than fifteen minutes of air remaining.
"The First Officer is undergoing replenishment.”