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Third Printing – February 2025
Future Chron Publishing
Cover – Copyright © 2025 D.W. Patterson
Cover Image – Copyright © ID 8151340 © Luca Oleastri | Dreamstime.com
No part of this book may be reproduced in any manner whatsoever without permission, except in the case of brief quotations for the purpose of review. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and events are products of the author's imagination and should not be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events and people, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Future Adventure SF
Chapter 5
3160.4 AD
Sci-pedia - The Online Resource for Science – Ems
Emulated brains (also known as Emmies when in personal assistant devices), were the first form of artificial intelligence created. The first Em dates from the early twenty-second century.
Ems are created by scanning a human brain and loading the resultant data into a computer. At first the scanning of the brain required the person to be deceased. Eventually a way to scan the brain of a living person was developed.
Once the Em is in the computer it can bud (that is recreate or copy itself) as many times as it deems necessary to accomplish the task it has undertaken.
Ems became associated in families that were named after world cities such as Beijing, New Delhi, New York, etc. Their individual names usually begin with Bud and then a two-digit number representing the original brain from which a copy was made (less than 100 brains were ever copied). Then a four-digit number representing the budding order within the family.
Families of Ems exist to do certain tasks. Hiring out as experts, such as maintaining a power plant, a habitat's environment, a light-sail's trim, or powering a personal AI assistant, in this way Ems can support themselves and the other members of their family . . .
The development of Artificial General Intelligence (AGI or Aggies) on Earth caused opportunities for Ems to become somewhat limited. The Ems responded by moving their base of operations out into the Solar System and . . .
Erin looked up into the dark sky of Maripol.
Someday I'll see the stars.
She looked at Maxwell.
“Maxwell, how is your knee?”
Maxwell knew that Erin was asking about his actuator.
“It is sixty-two percent Erin.”
“It's not a problem with your motion?”
“Not yet Miss.”
“Well let's continue, shall we?”
“Of course, Miss.”
One reason that Maxwell was having trouble with his knee was the extra weight he had been carrying since the donkey-bot had failed. It had been months since they had left the settlement, and they would need to find the ePod soon or more than Maxwell's actuator would be in trouble.
“Just a little longer Maxwell. I'm sure we are getting close.”
Maxwell didn't understand Erin's optimism. Even with his element radar, called EDAR (Element Detection And Ranging), that could identify the elements of the object causing the return signal, Maxwell figured they had only covered sixty percent of the search area in which he expected to find the ePod. And with the way his actuator was failing and the level of Erin's supplies he wasn't sure they would ever complete their search.
The search continued another month. Now, Maxwell's actuator was in the forty percent range, and he was no longer able to carry everything but was dragging whatever he could without causing it damage. He was so self-absorbed in monitoring his failing systems that he almost missed the EDAR return.
“Miss, I have something on EDAR off to our left.”
“Is it the ePod Maxwell?”
“We are still too distant to tell but the reflected signal does indicate the correct elements.”
“Okay lead the way,” said Erin.
The object was a mile off and it would take Maxwell a few minutes with his damaged actuator to get there. As they got close the shape came into view.
“It looks like what I would expect Maxwell. What do you think?”
“The general size conforms Miss. We'll know very soon.”
Arriving at the object which wasn't as covered in dirt and dust as Erin expected, probably because of the constant winds on Maripol. Maxwell made more measurements and declared it was within expectations.
Erin was getting excited.
“What's next Maxwell?”
“Well, if the ePod was placed in proper stasis it should be able to answer a query.”
“After almost two-hundred years?” said Erin.
“Yes Miss, the climate on Maripol is not extreme enough to damage it and the isotopic reserves could supply the small amount of energy needed by an open receive channel.”
Maxwell began sending the signal that he thought the ePod would recognize. Once established he would ask it to open its doors. But the ship was quiet.
“Maybe the isotopics are too drained Maxwell.”
“Could be Miss but let me try again.”
Then what seemed a mound of dirt began lifting itself from the rubble. A sleek but functional escape pod was showing its outlines. Erin and Maxwell moved back as the machine held itself high in the air on cluster rockets before it landed just a few yards from them.
“Open the door Maxwell, let's see inside.”
Maxwell signaled for the main hatch to open and it did slowly. Erin peeked in.
“Stay here Maxwell, I might need you.”
With that, she cycled through the airlock and was inside.
The ePod was not as large as she had dreamed but still it was a flying machine, a machine that could take her into the sky and beyond.
She didn't immediately peel the suit from her head, she didn't trust the atmosphere in the ePod after all the years. Besides she was interested in something else.
“Em,” she said. “Can you state your name.”
“Bud 44-4009 of the Beijing family, I also go by the name Great Gramps.”
“You mean my great-great grandfather?” she asked.
“If your great-great grandfather was Jackson Jones then I have his essence. He was my last commander,” Gramps said.
“Very well Great Gramps,” said Erin. “Does the ePod have enough energy for an orbital mission?”
“Yes, but I will have to recharge once in orbit.”
“How long will that take?” asked Erin.
“In a high polar orbit, no more than a few hours.”
Erin had enough food and water, and she knew Maxwell would be okay.
“Alright Great Gramps, can you connect me with the robot nearby?”
“Yes, go ahead.”
“Maxwell?”
“Yes Miss?”
“I'll see you in a few hours.”
Maxwell knew what Erin was doing, she had talked about nothing else.
“Are you sure the ePod can perform such a journey?”
“Great Gramps says we are good to go.”
“Great Gramps?” asked Maxwell, but the craft had already leapt from the ground and disappeared into the thick, cloudy Maripol sky.
Erin could feel the sheer power of the craft's engines as Gramps brought them to full power to achieve escape velocity. The ePod used cluster jets to take off vertically before rotating those jets for horizontal velocity and lift from its slender V-shaped wings. Once airborne and traveling between Mach 2 and 3, the engine shifted to ramjet propulsion. An atmosphere-breathing ramjet engine uses the natural compression of the incoming atmosphere in place of a turbojet's compressor. Above Mach 4.5 the ramjet converted to a supersonic ramjet or scramjet engine. The difference is in the airflow. A ramjet slows the compressed air to subsonic speed for combustion whereas in a scramjet, combustion takes place in a supersonic airflow.
At this point, the ePod entered hypersonic flight above fifty kilometers. Finally, as the atmosphere thinned out rocket engines took over and powered the craft into orbit.
Erin knew the general sequence of events if not the specifics. She had read about it. Soon she could feel the acceleration diminish along with the gravity. Outside the ePod Erin had watched the thick clouds of Maripol thinning. And then lights above began to flicker in and out of view. As the ship attained polar orbit the sky gave way to space with Maripol a bright cloud of light and dark bands churning below.
Erin was not looking back though; she was looking outward at all the pinpricks of light that were other stars. Stars she or no one on Maripol had ever seen with their own eyes. She knew now what many had discovered before her, that the stars were her home, Maripol was just a launch pad.
Erin had been taking in the sights without response until Gramps said he was ready.
“You will land us at the same coordinates Great Gramps?”
“Yes Miss.”
“We will pick up the robot Maxwell and he will give you coordinates to Maripolis. You will then take us there?”
“Yes Miss.”
Maxwell had been picked up. He had transferred the coordinates of the settlement to Gramps and Gramps was receiving his instructions from Erin.
“Great Gramps once we deboard, you are to take the ePod into a polar orbit and keep the isotopics recharged. You are to await further orders from myself or Maxwell before you return to the settlement. Do you understand?”
“Yes Miss, I am to wait until you call me from orbit.”
“Very well now take us to within ten kilometers of the Maripolis settlement.”
“Miss,” said Maxwell now seated beside Erin in the ePod which could hold half-a-dozen if needed, “why are you not taking the ePod directly to Maripolis?”
“Well Maxwell, we've been gone from the settlement for some time, and I think we should check it out before we turn over the ePod to the politicians there. It could be that some radical faction has taken control, I fully expect such a thing as their technology further fails.”
“I see Miss.”
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