Waste Recycling Chamber, Collector Pods Chamber, Greenery Chamber, Water Pool Chamber, Weapons Chamber and a Transport Exit Chamber. What bothered him, though, was the presence of three red dots at the far end of the other long hallway. While a single red dot was stationary in the Command Bridge, three crew dots had left the bridge and were moving down the hallway toward them.
“Is the Weapons Chamber accessible to us?” Bill asked as he noted it lay between them and the oncoming crewmen.
A long hum sounded. “No. That chamber is accessible only to ship crew as identified by Crèche Master Diligent Taskmaster.”
Jane gestured to Bill she had questions. “Ship mind, in the case of conflicting commands from the crew or other bioforms like us, to whom do you give priority obedience?”
“To Crèche Master Diligent Taskmaster,” it said after a short hum.
“The Transport Exit Chamber,” Jane said hurriedly. “Does it contain a small craft able to travel through vacuum and back to the planet you just left?”
“That chamber contains three such craft,” the ship mind said. “However, this ship currently resides in what your world calls an Alcubierre space-time modulus. It is how this ship travels from one star to another. Exiting this ship is not permitted while the ship travels in Alcubierre space-time.”
Jane looked to him, her expression worried. “What next?”
Confrontation with the three approaching crewmembers was what lay ahead. Could they reach the crew before the crew reached the Weapons Chamber in the middle of the hallway? “Ship mind, can you alter the gravity field of any chamber or hallway within this ship?”
“I can,” it said with a low hum.
“Good. Show on this holo a route from our present location to the location of Crèche Master Diligent Taskmaster.”
“Illustrating,” it said.
The giant teardrop of the ship now showed a green line running from them to the nearby cross hallway, along it, then up the adjacent hallway to the Command Bridge Chamber at the front of the ship. The green line ran through the three moving red dots of the crewmen. “Good. Show the spaces where the access hallway is blocked by a pressure wall and hatch.”
“Showing,” it said, the hum very brief. “All such pressure walls and hatches are presently open to travel by crewmembers and other sapient bioforms. As required by Protocol Seven, Emergency Operations of the Ship. They will close only upon loss of vessel integrity. Further inquiries?”
“Yes!” Jane said hurriedly. “Show us the images of all crew and Diligent Taskmaster. Display in holo form adjacent to—”
“Discontinue compliance with bioform request!” a harsh voice interrupted. “End holo display now! And stop talking to these bioforms! Command Sequence Larva Four Red.”
“Holo discontinued.” The ship holo vanished. “However, Protocol Seven, Emergency Operations of the Ship requires that I respond to any bioform who wears a vacuum suit.”
Was that who he thought it was? “Diligent, I’m coming to capture you!”
Low rasping sounded. “Human captive Bill MacCarthy, your escape from your containment module must be reversed! Return to your module. As must your female companion. Otherwise, my crew will render the two of you unable to function!”
He gave the finger to the hallway’s ceiling. “Nope. We’re coming for you.” Bill took off running. Which felt easy in the lower gravity. He looked to Jane, then finger-talked. “ Follow the green track route. Down that side hallway. You got any kind of weapon with you? ”
“ None ,” she gestured back to him as she fell in beside him, matching his running speed. “ But I’ve trained in zero gee, if that matters. On the Vomit Comet. And I can shoot decently. ”
He gestured back. “ It matters. We move as fast as we can along that green route. I want to meet the three crew before they reach the Weapons Chamber. When we get close, be ready to jump away from me
“Is the Weapons Chamber accessible to us?” Bill asked as he noted it lay between them and the oncoming crewmen.
A long hum sounded. “No. That chamber is accessible only to ship crew as identified by Crèche Master Diligent Taskmaster.”
Jane gestured to Bill she had questions. “Ship mind, in the case of conflicting commands from the crew or other bioforms like us, to whom do you give priority obedience?”
“To Crèche Master Diligent Taskmaster,” it said after a short hum.
“The Transport Exit Chamber,” Jane said hurriedly. “Does it contain a small craft able to travel through vacuum and back to the planet you just left?”
“That chamber contains three such craft,” the ship mind said. “However, this ship currently resides in what your world calls an Alcubierre space-time modulus. It is how this ship travels from one star to another. Exiting this ship is not permitted while the ship travels in Alcubierre space-time.”
Jane looked to him, her expression worried. “What next?”
Confrontation with the three approaching crewmembers was what lay ahead. Could they reach the crew before the crew reached the Weapons Chamber in the middle of the hallway? “Ship mind, can you alter the gravity field of any chamber or hallway within this ship?”
“I can,” it said with a low hum.
“Good. Show on this holo a route from our present location to the location of Crèche Master Diligent Taskmaster.”
“Illustrating,” it said.
The giant teardrop of the ship now showed a green line running from them to the nearby cross hallway, along it, then up the adjacent hallway to the Command Bridge Chamber at the front of the ship. The green line ran through the three moving red dots of the crewmen. “Good. Show the spaces where the access hallway is blocked by a pressure wall and hatch.”
“Showing,” it said, the hum very brief. “All such pressure walls and hatches are presently open to travel by crewmembers and other sapient bioforms. As required by Protocol Seven, Emergency Operations of the Ship. They will close only upon loss of vessel integrity. Further inquiries?”
“Yes!” Jane said hurriedly. “Show us the images of all crew and Diligent Taskmaster. Display in holo form adjacent to—”
“Discontinue compliance with bioform request!” a harsh voice interrupted. “End holo display now! And stop talking to these bioforms! Command Sequence Larva Four Red.”
“Holo discontinued.” The ship holo vanished. “However, Protocol Seven, Emergency Operations of the Ship requires that I respond to any bioform who wears a vacuum suit.”
Was that who he thought it was? “Diligent, I’m coming to capture you!”
Low rasping sounded. “Human captive Bill MacCarthy, your escape from your containment module must be reversed! Return to your module. As must your female companion. Otherwise, my crew will render the two of you unable to function!”
He gave the finger to the hallway’s ceiling. “Nope. We’re coming for you.” Bill took off running. Which felt easy in the lower gravity. He looked to Jane, then finger-talked. “ Follow the green track route. Down that side hallway. You got any kind of weapon with you? ”
“ None ,” she gestured back to him as she fell in beside him, matching his running speed. “ But I’ve trained in zero gee, if that matters. On the Vomit Comet. And I can shoot decently. ”
He gestured back. “ It matters. We move as fast as we can along that green route. I want to meet the three crew before they reach the Weapons Chamber. When we get close, be ready to jump away from me
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