Midshipman Henry Gallant in Space Read online

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  The Eagle was making slow but steady progress through the asteroid field. Jupiter was receding in the distance. Gallant found Kelsey to be a supportive companion, willing to share hazards and deprivations without complaint. Occasionally, she spoke of pleasant events of years gone by, and that normalcy distracted them from their lost comrades. As they worked together, their isolation fashioned an intimate bond.

  The physical burden of their reduced environmental conditions, however, was becoming increasingly uncomfortable. Several days’ buildup of perspiration caused Gallant’s pressure suit to cling to his skin. He washed and shaved as best as he could with the tiny hand basin that was available. His bandaged arm hampered him as he tried to splash water and cleanser over his face and neck. He yearned for a brisk shower, but that was only available on the distant Repulse. His head throbbed from the reduced oxygen and excessive carbon dioxide. He imagined that he made quite an unpleasant sight.

  The embarrassment and restlessness weren’t very helpful either. He said, “I’ve got to do something to stop this itching; it’s driving me crazy.” He moved to scratch at his bandages.

  Kelsey said, "Don’t you dare touch that bandage. I did a very nice job stitching that wound, if I do say so myself, and I don’t want you introducing an infection."

  Gallant opened the lockers containing the fighter’s food supply and removed a package of synthetic food and a water bottle. He split the provisions into two portions and poured some water into cups. Their rations restricted them to two small meals each day, and each was anticipated more than the last. Kelsey joined him in the forward portion of the ship, and they shared the simple meal. They fell into casual conversation, forgetting their difficult circumstance.

  Turning to Kelsey with a sour look on his face, Gallant said, "I’m afraid we’ll be eating these unappealing synthetic concentrates for the rest of the trip. They taste like chalk." Though he started to eat without relish, his appetite drove him to finish the sparse meal.

  Kelsey nodded, "My mouth is watering for a sugary dessert right now." They remained quiet for a while, enjoying simple recollections of better meals. It seemed the most natural thing in the world to share more and more of their personal stories with each other.

  For the most part, navigating through the asteroid fields had kept them busy enough. They constantly checked radar sightings as they caught glances of ships from time to time. However, they enjoyed the silent expanse of space itself when they could disregard the constant collision warnings that intruded upon them. Once in a while, the ultimate beauty of space surprised them and intruded upon their thoughts.

  Kelsey chattered about her home life and her friends on the Repulse. Gallant learned to listen without a twinge of envy for her comfortable family background, and he, in turn, spoke of his own experience growing up as a colonist on Mars. The hours and days seemed almost cheerful.

  As Gallant became less self-conscious, he told her of his ambitions and daydreams. She listened to all of his stories without a trace of skepticism. Her calm voice soothed the tensions of the day as they traveled. When she slept, he missed her, despite her nearness.

  He hardly knew what he wanted to say to her sometimes. Yet, sometimes she halted their conversation abruptly, as if she wanted to add something important but couldn’t find the right words. During those moments, they just looked at each other, waiting patiently for inspiration.

  They talked about the books they had read and the poems they enjoyed. Their conversations always ended the same way, talking about their shipmates and their feelings of loss.

  One day, after a rather long silence, Gallant was compelled to look around the compartment for a diversion. Finally, he plunged into a conversation to distract them both.

  “How about examining the Titan’s AI CPU unit?” he offered.

  Kelsey nodded enthusiastically. Gallant opened the lower storage locker and pulled out the alien device. He began turning it over and over again to examine every aspect of it. He looked at the connection fittings, the structural material, and the circuit chips that were exposed. He pointed out some interesting features to Kelsey who likewise made a few brief observations.

  “I took this unit from the Titan ship because of its integration into the main Titan computer and my guess that it includes some parts of the AI CPU, but it’s quite different from anything I’ve had experience with. What do you think?” asked Gallant.

  “I’ve seen some schematics for our own AI equipment, but why don’t we just look at the Eagle’s AI interface unit for comparison?”

  "The aliens must work together collectively to drive the Titan destroyer. I think the Titan AI unit is able to send commands to the aliens and vice versa. It would be necessary for many aliens to be connected through the neural interface at the same time to manipulate the various ship controls in a coordinated fashion."

  "Do you mean some kind of limited telepathy?"

  “Well, suppose the Titans were partially telepathic. They could communicate among themselves to some degree and use the AI as a kibitzer. An individual Titan would order the AI to obey an order, but then a group of Titans could communicate telepathically and decide something else. Or they could collaborate with the AI to reach a conclusion and then carry out the operations.”

  “That’s too complex for us to evaluate on our own,” concluded Kelsey.