Approaching Omega Read Online Free
Author: Eric Brown
Jenny Li. She had had looked up from her touch-pad and was staring, open-mouthed with shock, at Emecheta.
"So that's it," Latimer said. "You were overruled back then, and you're still sore about it."
"I foresaw a time when having couples along might make for instances of divided interest."
Jenny Li said to Emecheta: "So that's why you dumped me, you heartless bastard!"
The big Nigerian shrugged. "I got out of the relationship because it wasn't working, Jen. As simple as that."
"You cold bastard," Li whispered, shaking her head.
Looking from Latimer to Renfrew, Emecheta went on: "In any situation that might involve the safety of the team, as opposed to that of your wife, Ted, then you might be unable to make the right decision. The right decision for the mission, that is."
"You forget the rules laid down at committee stage, Em," Latimer said, reasonably. "My decision is not final. We work on democratic principles."
"But you have the right of veto, Ted. And what about influence? Do you think Jen and Serena would go against anything our elected leader might command?"
Li turned back to her console in disgust. Renfrew said: "Give us a little credit, Em. We're quite capable of thinking for ourselves."
Latimer stepped in before the situation could escalate. "Enough, okay? This is hardly the time for in-fighting. We have a problem here. As I see it, we need to assess the status of the sleepers in the damaged hangars. That'd be my decision even if Carrie wasn't out there—"
Jenny Li looked up from her com-station. "I'm getting something."
Latimer leaned over her shoulder and read the text scrolling down the screen. It was a list of maintenance diagnostics from hangars Two and Five. They were functioning at well within the safety limit of ninety-nine percent.
Emecheta said: "So... you still think it necessary to go out there, boss?"
Ignoring the Nigerian, Latimer turned to Li. "What do you think?"
She said: "The sleepers are doing fine, Ted." She indicated the diagnostics. "In Five, there's damage to the access tubes, but nothing more."
"What about Two?" Latimer asked, staring out to where the disconnected hangar floated against a backdrop of stars.
"Same again. It might look bad, but it's still connected to the power supply. The sleepers are AOK."
"Is there anything we could do to bring Two down to the deck, secure it there?" he asked, looking at Emecheta.
The Nigerian shook his head. "It'd be too big a job. I say we leave it as is. Remember, there's no friction out there. It isn't in any danger. The power supply's working — that's the main thing."
Latimer nodded and stared through the screen, at the wreckage of the starship. On the deck, between torn shards of metal, he made out the tiny, scuttling forms of a hundred or more robot drones, trilobite-analogues and bigger, legged roboids, mindlessly obeying the dictates of their programming. These robots — perhaps a thousand units of various sizes and designs — had worked for ten centuries at routine tasks, minor maintenance and repair. They were self-servicing, taking parts from the automated manufactory in the bowels of the ship to replace those bits of themselves worn out or damaged down the years. They were overseen by Central AI and its various subsidiary routines.
As Latimer watched them, he wondered at how their functioning had been affected by the damage to Central AI. That was Emecheta's specialism.
"If Central's down, how come the roboids and drones are still functioning?"
Emecheta nodded at his console. "I thought of that. While you were still sleeping I patched the few lone drones into the auxiliary system and got them working again."
Latimer nodded. "Well done. We'll be relying on the drones over the next few thousand years. We can't afford any dysfunction at this stage of the mission."
Li looked up from her com-station, her expression shocked.
"What is it?" Latimer asked.
She was shaking her head. "I've just checked the ship's log. With
"So that's it," Latimer said. "You were overruled back then, and you're still sore about it."
"I foresaw a time when having couples along might make for instances of divided interest."
Jenny Li said to Emecheta: "So that's why you dumped me, you heartless bastard!"
The big Nigerian shrugged. "I got out of the relationship because it wasn't working, Jen. As simple as that."
"You cold bastard," Li whispered, shaking her head.
Looking from Latimer to Renfrew, Emecheta went on: "In any situation that might involve the safety of the team, as opposed to that of your wife, Ted, then you might be unable to make the right decision. The right decision for the mission, that is."
"You forget the rules laid down at committee stage, Em," Latimer said, reasonably. "My decision is not final. We work on democratic principles."
"But you have the right of veto, Ted. And what about influence? Do you think Jen and Serena would go against anything our elected leader might command?"
Li turned back to her console in disgust. Renfrew said: "Give us a little credit, Em. We're quite capable of thinking for ourselves."
Latimer stepped in before the situation could escalate. "Enough, okay? This is hardly the time for in-fighting. We have a problem here. As I see it, we need to assess the status of the sleepers in the damaged hangars. That'd be my decision even if Carrie wasn't out there—"
Jenny Li looked up from her com-station. "I'm getting something."
Latimer leaned over her shoulder and read the text scrolling down the screen. It was a list of maintenance diagnostics from hangars Two and Five. They were functioning at well within the safety limit of ninety-nine percent.
Emecheta said: "So... you still think it necessary to go out there, boss?"
Ignoring the Nigerian, Latimer turned to Li. "What do you think?"
She said: "The sleepers are doing fine, Ted." She indicated the diagnostics. "In Five, there's damage to the access tubes, but nothing more."
"What about Two?" Latimer asked, staring out to where the disconnected hangar floated against a backdrop of stars.
"Same again. It might look bad, but it's still connected to the power supply. The sleepers are AOK."
"Is there anything we could do to bring Two down to the deck, secure it there?" he asked, looking at Emecheta.
The Nigerian shook his head. "It'd be too big a job. I say we leave it as is. Remember, there's no friction out there. It isn't in any danger. The power supply's working — that's the main thing."
Latimer nodded and stared through the screen, at the wreckage of the starship. On the deck, between torn shards of metal, he made out the tiny, scuttling forms of a hundred or more robot drones, trilobite-analogues and bigger, legged roboids, mindlessly obeying the dictates of their programming. These robots — perhaps a thousand units of various sizes and designs — had worked for ten centuries at routine tasks, minor maintenance and repair. They were self-servicing, taking parts from the automated manufactory in the bowels of the ship to replace those bits of themselves worn out or damaged down the years. They were overseen by Central AI and its various subsidiary routines.
As Latimer watched them, he wondered at how their functioning had been affected by the damage to Central AI. That was Emecheta's specialism.
"If Central's down, how come the roboids and drones are still functioning?"
Emecheta nodded at his console. "I thought of that. While you were still sleeping I patched the few lone drones into the auxiliary system and got them working again."
Latimer nodded. "Well done. We'll be relying on the drones over the next few thousand years. We can't afford any dysfunction at this stage of the mission."
Li looked up from her com-station, her expression shocked.
"What is it?" Latimer asked.
She was shaking her head. "I've just checked the ship's log. With
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