Read Online Going Interstellar by Jack McDevitt, Les Johnson - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Jack McDevitt, Les Johnson
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face.
Once his scan was finished, though, Gregorian sat up and swung his legs over the edge of the couch. He stood and spread out his arms. “Nothing to it!” he exclaimed, grinning at Nikki.
“Now there’s a copy of all your thoughts in the computer,” Nikki said to him.
“And yours,” he replied.
Ignatiev muttered, “Backup storage.” Just what we need he thought; Two copies of Gregorian’s brain.
Gesturing to the couch, Nikki said, “It’s your turn now, Dr. Ignatiev.”
He shook his head. “Not yet. There are still several of the crew waiting. I’ll go last, when everyone else is finished.”
Smiling, she said, “Like a father to us all. So protective.”
Ignatiev didn’t feel fatherly. As Gregorian slid his arm around her waist and the two of them walked out of the computer lab, Ignatiev felt like a weary gladiator who was facing an invincible opponent. We who are about to die, he thought.
— 9 —
“Alexander Alexandrovich.”
Ignatiev looked up from the bowl of borscht he had heated in the microwave oven of his kitchen. It was good borscht: beets rich and red, broth steaming. Enjoy it while you can, he told himself. It had taken twice the usual time to heat the borscht adequately.
“Alexander Alexandrovich,” the AI avatar repeated.
Its image stared out at him from the small display screen alongside the microwave. Ignatiev picked up the warm bowl in both his hands and stepped past the counter that served as a room divider and into his sitting room.
The avatar’s image was on the big screen above the fireplace.
“Alexander Alexandrovich,” it said again, “you have not yet downloaded your brain scan.”
“I know that.”
“You are required to do so before you enter cryosleep.”
“ If I enter cryosleep,” he said.
The avatar was silent for a full heartbeat then said, “All the other crew members have entered cryosleep. You are the only crew member still awake. It is necessary for you to download your—”
“I might not go into cryosleep,” he said to the screen.
“But you must,” said the avatar. There was no emotion in its voice, no panic or even tribulation.
“ Must I?”
“Incoming fuel levels are dropping precipitously, just as you predicted.”
She’s trying to flatter me, he thought. He had mapped the hydrogen clouds that the ship was sailing through as accurately as he could. The bubble of low fuel density was big, so large that it would take the ship more than two months to get through it, much more than two months.
By the time we get clear of the bubble, all the cryosleepers will be dead.
He was convinced of that.
“Power usage must be curtailed,” said the avatar. “Immediately.”
He nodded and replied, “I know.” He held up the half-finished bowl of borscht. “This will be my last hot meal for a while.”
“For weeks,” said the avatar.
“For months,” he countered. “We’ll be in hibernation mode for more than two months. What do your mission protocols call for when there’s not enough power to maintain the cryosleep units?”
The avatar replied, “Personnel lists have rankings. Available power will be shunted to the highest-ranking members of the cryosleepers. They will be maintained as long as possible.”
“And the others will die.”
“Only if power levels remain too low to maintain them all.”
“And your first priority, protecting the lives of the people aboard?”
“The first priority will be maintained as long as possible. That is why you must enter cryosleep, Alexander Alexandrovich.”
“And if I don’t?”
“All ship’s systems are scheduled to enter hibernation mode. Life support systems will shut down.”
Sitting carefully on the plush couch that faced the fireplace, Ignatiev said, “As I understand mission protocol, life support cannot be shut down as long as a crew member remains active. True?”
“True.” The avatar actually sounded reluctant to admit it, Ignatiev thought. Almost
Once his scan was finished, though, Gregorian sat up and swung his legs over the edge of the couch. He stood and spread out his arms. “Nothing to it!” he exclaimed, grinning at Nikki.
“Now there’s a copy of all your thoughts in the computer,” Nikki said to him.
“And yours,” he replied.
Ignatiev muttered, “Backup storage.” Just what we need he thought; Two copies of Gregorian’s brain.
Gesturing to the couch, Nikki said, “It’s your turn now, Dr. Ignatiev.”
He shook his head. “Not yet. There are still several of the crew waiting. I’ll go last, when everyone else is finished.”
Smiling, she said, “Like a father to us all. So protective.”
Ignatiev didn’t feel fatherly. As Gregorian slid his arm around her waist and the two of them walked out of the computer lab, Ignatiev felt like a weary gladiator who was facing an invincible opponent. We who are about to die, he thought.
— 9 —
“Alexander Alexandrovich.”
Ignatiev looked up from the bowl of borscht he had heated in the microwave oven of his kitchen. It was good borscht: beets rich and red, broth steaming. Enjoy it while you can, he told himself. It had taken twice the usual time to heat the borscht adequately.
“Alexander Alexandrovich,” the AI avatar repeated.
Its image stared out at him from the small display screen alongside the microwave. Ignatiev picked up the warm bowl in both his hands and stepped past the counter that served as a room divider and into his sitting room.
The avatar’s image was on the big screen above the fireplace.
“Alexander Alexandrovich,” it said again, “you have not yet downloaded your brain scan.”
“I know that.”
“You are required to do so before you enter cryosleep.”
“ If I enter cryosleep,” he said.
The avatar was silent for a full heartbeat then said, “All the other crew members have entered cryosleep. You are the only crew member still awake. It is necessary for you to download your—”
“I might not go into cryosleep,” he said to the screen.
“But you must,” said the avatar. There was no emotion in its voice, no panic or even tribulation.
“ Must I?”
“Incoming fuel levels are dropping precipitously, just as you predicted.”
She’s trying to flatter me, he thought. He had mapped the hydrogen clouds that the ship was sailing through as accurately as he could. The bubble of low fuel density was big, so large that it would take the ship more than two months to get through it, much more than two months.
By the time we get clear of the bubble, all the cryosleepers will be dead.
He was convinced of that.
“Power usage must be curtailed,” said the avatar. “Immediately.”
He nodded and replied, “I know.” He held up the half-finished bowl of borscht. “This will be my last hot meal for a while.”
“For weeks,” said the avatar.
“For months,” he countered. “We’ll be in hibernation mode for more than two months. What do your mission protocols call for when there’s not enough power to maintain the cryosleep units?”
The avatar replied, “Personnel lists have rankings. Available power will be shunted to the highest-ranking members of the cryosleepers. They will be maintained as long as possible.”
“And the others will die.”
“Only if power levels remain too low to maintain them all.”
“And your first priority, protecting the lives of the people aboard?”
“The first priority will be maintained as long as possible. That is why you must enter cryosleep, Alexander Alexandrovich.”
“And if I don’t?”
“All ship’s systems are scheduled to enter hibernation mode. Life support systems will shut down.”
Sitting carefully on the plush couch that faced the fireplace, Ignatiev said, “As I understand mission protocol, life support cannot be shut down as long as a crew member remains active. True?”
“True.” The avatar actually sounded reluctant to admit it, Ignatiev thought. Almost
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