“Well, I guess that makes sense. It is a big ship,” Owl remarked.
But Jeff still found it strange. Precisely because it was such a big ship there must be tons of systems that needed to be constantly monitored, checked, and controlled by the computer. Even if it did have to carry out these self-tests or whatever they were, there should still be enough capacity for communication between the computer and the crew. On the other hand, perhaps the computer technology of the extraterrestrial builders had been very different. It was an old ship. Maybe some of the original computer capacity was no longer available and the system had to be economical.
Irons shrugged. “OK. But I still have one question. Can we leave our quarters?”
Jeff pricked up his ears. That was a good question. If they couldn’t leave their quarters, they would basically be prisoners on this ship.
“Of course. You can move around freely. However, I would recommend that you do not go too far from your quarters as you might get lost.”
Jeff nodded in relief. OK—that made sense.
“I am now going to turn off my communication module,” the computer said. “You can contact me again in a few hours.”
As if to underscore these words, a faint crackling sound emanated from the invisible speakers.
“Computer?” Irons asked. No answer.
Nobody spoke for a few seconds. Then Joanne broke the silence. “Now what?”
Irons sighed. “I need some time to digest all this. At least we’re safe here. Considering the alternatives, we were pretty lucky. I suggest we all have a rest. It’s been a long, exhausting day. It looks like everyone gets their own space. You can check out your rooms, freshen up, take a nap.” He glanced at the clock on the arm of his combat suit. “As there are no day and night rhythms here, I suggest we keep using universal time. It’s now shortly after three in the afternoon. We’ll meet here for dinner at seven and then we’ll discuss our next move.”
“Can we help ourselves to drinks from the fridge?” Shorty asked.
Irons nodded. “Sure, but don’t overdo the beer. And another thing: I don’t want anyone to leave the quarters without my express permission.”
“Why not?” Green asked. “The computer said we could move around freely.” Jeff could tell he was dying to explore the vast ship.
“We will explore our surroundings, but nobody will do so on their own, and I’d like to work out a plan first,” Irons said. “The last thing we need is for someone to get lost in the labyrinth of this ship.”
“But then surely the computer would direct us back to our quarters.”
“You will stay here,” Irons barked. “Have you understood, Lieutenant?”
Green shrugged. “Yes. Whatever.”
Irons opened his mouth to make a retort, but then turned on his heel and disappeared through the door into the short corridor with the bedrooms. Jeff saw the major take the first room.
“I reckon the old dog is overreacting. It can’t harm to take a look around,” Green grumbled.
Joanne rolled her eyes.
Jeff tried to look stern. It was now his job to reprimand Green. “You will follow the Major’s orders! And don’t call the commander ‘old dog’ in front of other crew members. Major Irons, got that?” Jeff wished he could make his own voice sound as authoritarian as Irons’, but he knew he would never succeed.
Green looked at him dismissively. His lips curled as if her were about to burst out laughing. But then he waved his hand dismissively and went back to the fridge.
Jeff took a step forward and almost stumbled over the emergency equipment, which had been dragged into the middle of the room. “Corporal Fields, would you please clear away the sled?”
“Where should I put it, Sir?” As always, Jeff ignored the sarcastic undertone in Fields’ voice when he addressed him as “Sir.”
Jeff looked around the room. “There’s a niche behind the kitchen. Looks like a good spot.”
Fields shrugged. “As you wish, Sir.”
The mechanic showed no sign that he was about to carry out his task. On the contrary; he turned around and walked over to the fridge as if nothing had happened.
“Corporal Fields,” Green spoke in a crisp, clear voice that made even Jeff flinch.
Fields turned around on his heal. “Sir?” This time his “Sir” sounded more alert.
“Take the equipment straight to the niche!”
“Yes, Sir!”
Fields pursed his lips and returned to the sled.
“When you’ve finished with that, I want you to make an inventory of all the equipment and supplies we have left. Every single item. And I want to be able to hand over the list to Major Irons at dinner. Is that clear?”
“Yes, Sir,” Fields replied and activated the sled’s inertia-negation system. He waved Shorty over and together they steered the bulky object over to the niche behind the kitchen unit.
Green grinned with blatant disdain at Jeff’s lack of authority. Jeff got up hastily and retreated to his room. He could have cried. When Irons wasn’t around, he had absolutely no power over the crew. He never would. He was an academic, pure and simple. A bookworm. He had zero interest in ordering other people around. Who had even had the bright idea of making him the XO of a bomber? And now they had to wait seven long months until they reached Sigma-7.
Jeff locked the door to his room, sat down on the edge of the bed, and closed his eyes.
Please let this nightmare end.
3.
“Where did that come from?” Jeff asked, pointing at the steaming pot in the middle of the table.
“It was on a trolley outside the door,” Joanne said, gesturing to the main entrance of their quarters. A metal trolley—that could have come from a canteen kitchen—was standing next to the door. “I’d just come back in here and sat down on the sofa when there was a knock at the door. I got the shock of my life. When I opened it, I thought there’d be an intelligent lizard or some other alien standing there. Instead there was this stew.”
Jeff came up to the table and leaned over the pot. He could see beans, peas, bits of carrot and potato, and something that looked like sausage. It smelled delicious and his mouth started to water. He suddenly realized he hadn’t had anything to eat since leaving Sigma-7. And then an inner voice told him to be careful. “Where could these ingredients have come from?” he wondered aloud.
“I’m sure they’re synthesized,” Joanne said, taking a stack of plates out of the cupboard above the kitchen counter and placing them on the table.
“But the computer must have gotten the recipe from somewhere.”
Joanne laughed. “The ether is full of all kinds of cooking programs. The computer has probably been analyzing our transmissions for a long time. I guess that’s how it learned our language, too.”
Jeff scratched his head. He’d been thinking about it over the past few hours. The ship’s computer had admitted that it scoured the universe for information. It was probably creating a comprehensive encyclopedia about humanity, which it would then send to its builders. It was a shame the computer wouldn’t reveal the coordinates of its home planet. It would be incredibly exciting to discover more about the fate of its builders. Millions of years! What might have become of them? Had they died out long ago? Or had they reached a new rung on the evolutionary ladder? Had they collectively merged into a kind of technological super-intelligence, as the brilliant futurologist Bennett had once predicted for humankind? They could have learned so much from them. On the other hand, the home planet of this ship was in a faraway galaxy—unreachable. It would probably take many more generations before their hyperdrive technology was advanced enough to reach other galaxies. He’d have to make do with what they could find out on board this ship.