THE CREW MEETSย in the largest space on the ship, at the intersection of the major arms. The space is roughly spherical. It has a technical name, the such-and-such, but weโve all taken to calling it the bubble. There are windows in several directions and a round white table in the center that everyone can strap themselves to.
Emma, Harry, and I have called the meeting to present a plan we think could drastically up our chances of success. Itโs a risk, however. Iโm a little nervous about itโthe meeting, that isโbecause this is the first major decision point weโve faced as a crew. It really could go either way.
When everyoneโs assembled and floating around the table, Harry opens the meeting.
โWe want to send a fleet of drones ahead. Weโre calling it the Janus fleet.โ
โObjective?โ Grigory asks.
โData gathering,โ Harry answers quickly.
Charlotte knits her eyebrows together. โWhat are we talking about here?
Just observation or actual contact with the artifact?โ โBoth,โ I reply.
Charlotte shakes her head. โIโm against. We need close control when we make first contact. We need to be able to react and adapt our approach. This is too important to trust to a software algorithm or AI.โ
I anticipated this reaction from her. I make my voice calm. โTechnically, weโve already made first contact. The initial probe sent data back in proximity to the artifact, and it was destroyed.โ
โThat supports my argument,โ Charlotte says. โMindless probes are at a severe disadvantage in these kinds of uncertain situations. The stakes are too large and the risk is too great.โ
โWe,โ I motion to Harry and myself, โview that danger as the primary reason to send an advance probe fleet. Youโre right, they wonโt have a wide range of adaptations, but each probe will have a purpose, and they can learn a lotโwithout exposing theย Paxย or risking this crew.โ
Charlotte leans in. โWeโre here to risk our livesโโ
โWisely,โ I counter. โThis isnโt about guts, itโs about mission success. If we die before we learn anything, thatโs mission failure.โ
Min seems to sense things spiraling. He holds up a hand. โItโs obvious there are issues here. It would be a challenge for me to plan flight courses for the drones. Technically, we arenโt even certain where the artifact is. Weโve extrapolated a location based on the last known position and trajectory, but it could be anywhere. If we send the drones in the wrong direction, they could never course-correct. And Grigory would have to solve the propulsion and fuel needs and balance it against our own. With that said, I would like to hear more before we close the issue.โ
A mission commander was never formally designated before we launchedโbut ever since theย Paxย assembled, Min has been acting like one. Maybe itโs because heโs flying the ship, determining where we go. Maybe heโs just a natural leader. Whatever the case, heโs doing a good job, and itโs helpful at the moment.
I nod to Harry, who continues.
โThe Janus fleet would include two scout drones and three specialized drones: observation, communications, and intervention. Five drones total.โ
โSize?โ Grigory asks.
โVery small,โ Harry answers. โMost will be nothing more than a booster and a specialized tool. All will have comm patches.โ
โFuel, energy requirements?โ
โMinimal. This is a one-way trip for all the drones except the scout drones. Theyโll be larger and will have more acceleration capability. The plan is for one scout to accelerate past the drone fleet and make good time to the artifact. Itโll have a long-range telescope to verify that the artifact is at the location we expect. The goal is for the drone to see the artifact, but not be seen. If the artifact isnโt where we think it will be, the drone will execute a search grid and try to find it, spending a week on the task. Then it
will return to the drone fleet and comm-patch the results to the other scout drone as soon as itโs in line of sight of that droneโs telescope. That scout drone will reverse course and make best speed back to us to relay the results.โ
โI like this,โ Grigory says. โEven if rest of plan is garbage, this part is wiseโverifying location.โ
I almost laugh out loud. โThanks for the faith, Grigory.โ โWelcome.โ
โI agree, this is a good move,โ Min says. All eyes shift to Lina. โIโm on board.โ
Charlotte simply nods. So does Izumi, whoโs been silent so far. โThen what?โ Min asks.
Harry steeples his fingers. โThen, from theย Pax, we launch a small drone on an intercept course to theย Fornaxย and comm-patch what weโve learned: artifact location, any messages we want to send from all departments. Thatโll apprise them of any course adjustments that should be made and share our notes.โ
After a long silence, Grigory says what weโre all thinking: โAssuming
Fornaxย is out there.โ
Harry answers quietly. โYes, this will also answer the question of what happened to theย Fornax.โ
โAnd,โ I add, โwhether we should adjust our drone design objectives.โ
โWhether you should build more bombs,โ Min says. โIf theย Fornaxย isnโt out there or if it lost its offensive payload.โ
โYes,โ I reply.
Charlotteโs eyes go wide. โWait, youโre building drones with offensive capabilities?โ
I nod. โWe have to. Without Harry, itโs unlikely theย Fornaxย is producing drones at all. Additionally, as Min noted, we donโt know if the nuke made it. Determining the artifactโs vulnerability could fall entirely to us. We donโt have a choice.โ
Charlotte inhales. โHave you made the bombs yet?โ โNo. Weโre still in the design phase.โ
โWhat sort of yield will they carry?โ Grigory asks.
โNothing on a nuclear scale. And some wonโt be incendiary at all. Weโll probe a variety of offensive modes. Kinetic assault, electrical, laser, and of course more conventional ordnance, adapted for space.โ
Grigory is uncharacteristically cautious when he responds. โIf needed, I believe I could repurpose reactor. If given time, I could rig a casing and program an overload.โ
The reactor is composed of two chambers that each attach to one of the escape pods when activated. The implication of Grigoryโs plan is that the escape pods would effectively be disabled, leaving us no way to return to Earth.
โThatโs a question for another day,โ Min says. โAt the moment, letโs focus on the advance drone fleet. Whatโs the plan after it locates the artifact?โ
โWell,โ Harry says, โthatโs when it gets interesting. The two scout drones will monitor the other three drones as they make a staggered approach to the artifact. The observation drone will be first. Itโs designed to look like an asteroid. Itโll do a fly-by of the artifact but make no contact. Along the way, itโll collect readingsโvisual, radiation, microwave, radio wave, whatever else anyone wants to scan. Weโll get our first look at its outer material up close, maybe even form a theory about what itโs made of. Weโll see the far side of it as well.โ
โSee if it has soft underbelly,โ Grigory mumbles.
โExactly.โ Harry brings up another image, this one with flight vectors. โAfter the scans, the scout drone will comm-patch the readings to usโ assuming itโs in telescope range of theย Pax. The larger data files, like high-res images, will have to travel back to us. After its fly-by, the observation drone will get coordinates for theย Paxย from the scout drone, then travel back to us with the data.โ
I look over at Charlotte. โThe comm drone would approach next and initiate contact.โ
โAnd how exactly will it do that?โ She asks. Charlotteโs tone is harsh. I think she feels that first contact is her purview and that Harry and I are yanking it away from her because we control the drones and can get there first.
I do my best to keep my voice even, a sharp contrast to Charlotteโs. โThatโs not our call.โ
Harry shrugs. โHey, weโre just the drone guys.โ
โHave you finished your first contact protocol?โ I ask.
Charlotteโs aggression instantly turns to defensiveness. โWell, no, not exactly. This kind of work takes time. Itโs not like assembling a robot. We
need to be very thoughtful about how we go about this. We get one shot.โ โWhatโs your current thinking about how weโll proceed?โ Min asks.
โMyโฆย current thinkingย is that we need to establish communications and then develop a lexicon.โ
Itโs clear that not everyone is familiar with the word โlexicon.โ I sometimes forget that English is a second language for some of our crew. Grigory squints. Minโs eyes drift, also trying to place the word. Izumi stares at Charlotte. Lina makes no reaction.
โAh,โ says Charlotte, โwe need to devise a vocabulary with which to communicate with the artifact.โ
Grigory rolls his eyes. โWhich assumes it wants to communicate.โ โYes. Iโm assuming that. I assume you want to shoot first?โ
I hold up a hand. โNo oneโs saying that.โ
Charlotte turns to me. โWhat areย youย saying, James?โ
โThat our mission is broader than communicating with the artifact. Weโre here to figure what weโre dealing with and to notify Earth.โ I wait, but no one says anything. โIf the artifact wants to communicate, thatโs a best-case scenario. But if it doesnโt, Earth needs to know that. And how to fight it. As youโve noted, we get one chance to make first contact. After we initiate communication, it will be aware of our drones. We lose the element of surprise.โ
โWhich is why you want to study it firstโwith the observation drone?โ Min asks.
โYes. We observe first. Then try to communicate. And if that fails, the intervention drone will probe its defenses. To us, that seems the only logical approach.โ
CHARLOTTE CHEWS HER LIP. โYeah. All right. I like this. Itโs a good idea. Once we initiate communication, the artifact will likely identify the drones. We may not get another chance to get close to itโthe observation drone needs to go first.โ
โThatโs our thinking as well,โ I say. โAgain, weโre deferring to you on first contact protocol. Any details would be helpful at this point.โ
Charlotte interlocks her fingers and sets them on the table. โOkay. My protocol, what Iโm thinking, is that we try a series of broadcast modalities.
Microwave, radio wave, light, radiationโwe keep going down the list until we get a response.โ
โWhatโs the initial message?โ I ask.
โSomething simple. A non-random number sequence. Fibonacci numbers. Figurative numbers: triangular, square, pentagonal. Central polygonal numbers. Magic square. The idea is that we give it a logical sequence of numbers and wait to see if it responds with the next number in the sequence. If so, that tells us itโs willing to talk. The next part is tougher.โ
โHowย to talk,โ I say.
โExactly. Iโm still working on that.โ
โFair enough. My feelingโโ I gesture to Harry and Emma. โOurย feeling is that establishing a rudimentary initial contact is sufficient for this first pass. It could even inform how you go about creating a more complex lexicon with the artifact.โ
After a moment, Charlotte nods. โYes. I agree. It would give me a big head start. By the time we got there, we could be ready to have a productive dialogue.โ
โOr be ready to destroy it,โ Grigory says. โThatโs whatโs in third set of drones, yes? Weapons?โ
All eyes turn to me. โThatโs right. The first drone will observe. The second will communicate. And if thatโs unsuccessful, we probe its defenses. By the time we reach the artifact, we need to be ready to talk or fight. Additionally, this will let us know what weโre dealing withย nowโwhether itโs friendly or aggressiveโand we can let Earth know far sooner than expected. Weโre still a lot closer to Earth than we will be when we reach the artifact.โ
The group falls silent. I think theyโve realized the genius of the plan Harry, Emma, and I have put together. The addition of the Janus fleet is a vast improvement on NASAโs original mission, shaving months off the timeline of determining what the artifact is. It occurs to me now why NASA didnโt designate a mission commander. This is the reasonโthis meeting. NASA wanted friction. They wanted all these brilliant people to sit in a room and argueโwithout a clear leader who could end debate and just decide things summarily. This mission is primarily about the research weโre doing, not fast command decisions. They wanted every person to have a specialty and to have a chance to voice their ideas and opinions. Thatโs how good plans are improved.
โHow would it work?โ Min asks. โThe weapons?โ โWeโre designing a rail gun,โ Harry replies.
Charlotte grimaces. โI thought a gun wouldnโt work in space.โ Grigory sounds annoyed. โGun will work in space.โ
โWithout oxygen?โ Charlotte asks.
โYes,โ Grigory snaps. โAnd a rail gun is nothing like regular gun anyway.โ
Harryโs voice is calm and matter-of-fact. โA gunโa conventional gun with a hard projectile and gunpowder as propulsionโwill indeed fire in space. The rounds contain their own oxidizerโa chemical that triggers the explosion of the gunpowder and forces the projectile outward, along a path created by a barrel. The reaction doesnโt need any outside oxygen. The main difference in firing a gun in space will be the smoke, which will emerge from the projectileโs exit point at the tip of the barrel.
โBut in our case, there wonโt be any gunpowder or oxidizer or expanding gas of any kind needed. A rail gun is different in mechanism, though we still use a projectile in a barrel pointed at our target. The barrel in a rail gun has two rails that are magnetized using massive amounts of electricity. The electromagnetic current running down the rails pushes the object out the barrel at extremely high velocityโmuch, much faster than any explosive round can achieve.โ
โWhatโs the target?โ Grigory asks.
โWeโd shoot six rail gun rounds concurrently, close grouping,โ I reply. โCenter mass?โ Grigory asks.
โNo. The outer edge.โ
The Russian engineer smiles. โYou want a piece of it.โ
โTo study, yes. We feel the priority is learning what itโs made of. That will tell us more about how toโฆ neutralize it and any other artifacts.โ
After a long silence, Min asks, โIs there more?โ โThatโs all weโve got at the moment,โ I reply.
โI like it,โ Min says.
โAs do I,โ Grigory adds. Charlotte nods. โMe too.โ โSame,โ Lina says.
All eyes drift over to Izumi. โThis is all outside my expertise. Iโm here to keep you all alive and performing well. It would seem that this plan does that very well. I am for it.โ
I motion to Harry and Emma. โWe still have a lot of work to do on our end with the design, and then weโve got some construction challenges. I think maybe we could be done in two weeks? Three?โ
I shift my gaze to Emma. Sheโs been silent throughout the meeting, for good reason: she knew what Harry and I were presenting. She helped formulate the plan. And sheโs essential to executing it. Harry and I are good with design, but when it comes to building the drones, she runs circles around us.
โDefinitely,โ she says. โTwo weeksโ build time is doable based on the prelim designs.โ
I address Lina. โWeโll need a lot of help with the software.โ
โNo problem. Iโve already got a good head start on some autonomous drone systems. But I need the specifics.โ She turns to Charlotte. โProtocols for the comms, to start with.โ
โI have the basics mapped out. I can clean it up and have it to you in a few days.โ
โGreat. And Min, Iโm going to need those navigation parameters pretty soon too.โ
โNav is the easy part,โ Min says. โWe need to know how much propulsion power weโve got, and rangeโthose are the tricky variables.โ
โWe agree,โ I say. โI feel like we need a working group between our team,โ I point to Emma and Harry, โand Grigory and Min. We need to figure out what we have to work with and what weโre willing to use up on this first drone launch.โ
Nods all around.
I inhale. โLook, the next two weeks are going to be rough. Weโll be working around the clock. Thereโll be a lot of back-and-forth among all of us. But it will be worth it. Weโll find out where the artifact is. The status of theย Fornax. And most importantly, we could achieve our mission objective months ahead of schedule. All thatโs left is to get it done.โ