Gabatrix: Minerva

The cafeteria was simple in design. If anything, it had the same color as Ericson's lab. It was an artificial construct, after all. The place consisted of a food alcove. Dried foods were placed on enclosed containers for the crew to eat. Drink dispensers with enclosed canteens were available for the crew to drink. Metal trays were available next to it. There was a place to dispose of food in an enclosing bin. The room itself was a pale color, but there were paintings that lined the walls. Each table had a different color to it. One side even had an overhead display.

"Hmm.....I think I will have green beans and tofu," Ericson said as he walked up to the counter and pulled out the tray. He grabbed the utensils and plate and proceeded to get his food.

"I heard that they are planning on shipping Cevans to the ship in the next shipment to us," Jabr commented as he grabbed a tray and began to browse what he wanted for dinner.

"Those fish from Cebravis?" Ericson questioned as he gave him a questioning look. "I never had them before."

"I had them, and they are quite good. I am happy that the ship is finally going to get a chance to eat some more. They are better than most of the fish on Oshun."

"And that is coming from a person that was born from a watery world," Ericson said as he placed the tray into the quick heater. He pressed the button, and the lasers inside focused on the food that he wanted to heat up. It was fast as the machine heated his meal and gave a digital ping to let him know it was done. The device deactivated, and he was able to reach in and pull out his tray. Both the green beans and tofu were heated up.

"What can I say," Jabr said. "Oshun, we have many things. Our fish is good, the wildlife tastes great, but some things can't be beaten. Cebravis seems to have good fish."

"If you would call it that," Ericson said as he waited for Jabr to pick out his meal. He went and grabbed a canteen of soda and looked at the blue table. It was closest to the digital display mounted overhead on the wall. "Seems that everyone likes Cebravis. Everything I hear is Cebravis this and Cebravis that. No wonder Mars is becoming a ghost planet."

"It is a world very much like Earth was," Jabr said as he placed his tray to the heater. He pressed a button, and the lasers went to work immediately on his food. It pinged to let him know it was done. "We came from Earth, we did Earth-like things, and Cebravis is as close to that planet as it will ever be, if not more."

"Yeah, and hopefully, they won't treat it like they did either. Look what we did to that planet. It is nothing but a gray and orange landscape now. At this rate, we will make Cebravis look that in no time."

Jabr went and grabbed his tray and drink. He went and grabbed a canteen of water as they walked to the table. "Don't be so harsh, my friend. We will never turn Cebravis into Earth. Even Mars never shared that fate."

"That is because we are still terraforming it. It was nothing but a wasteland when we colonized it. I am surprised more people didn't die from the exodus than it did."

"You have been overworking yourself a lot, haven't you?" Jabr said as they had a seat. They looked across from each other on the table as they placed their trays and canteens down. They went and grabbed their utensils as they started to eat.

"Yeah, I have. This is the part where you are going to tell me that I am being pragmatic aren't you?"

"You took the words out of my mouth, but that is alright, my friend. You have been working on that AI project for so long that it has become your religion."

Ericson grabbed his fork as he began to take a bite full of tofu and started to eat it. His eyes went to the display screen. It depicted the news media being displayed from Mars. Connected to the UWA Galaxy Net (UWAN), the 24^th century had a new form of internet that allowed ships, planets, and stations to see news currently going around from solar system to solar system. The UHN Tyson, just like all the ships, had access to this system that allowed the convenience of keeping up with the news, send emails to everyone regardless of location, surf the net, phone talk, or communicate with others. The apparent exception to this was if there was equipment failure or something celestial that was occurring to create interference.

"That display is on mute," Jabr commented as he was eating. His eyes were fixated on the display screen. "The news is on."

Ericson had just gotten a bite to eat when he pressed his finger to his left arm. A display screen popped up over his arm. He could see the TV controls displayed in the air. Jabr could watch the scene like it was mundane. Ericson used his right hand to disengage the mute of the TV. He then tapped his wrist to shut down his arm display before resuming his eating again.

The TV display returned to normal volume levels. As Jabr had noted, the TV was currently displaying a news broadcast. A news lady that had red-dyed hair and wore a fancy red dress was presently sitting behind her desk reading off the news. Beside her was a screen that depicted the events that she was describing. This would include recordings or live events going on.

"You always know it's the Martian fad with red," Ericson replied as he looked at the news lady on TV.

"Shush....." Jabr said. "I haven't been keeping up with the news today. I need to know what is happening with our hostile aliens."

"Yeah....." Ericson replied. He resumed his eating as his mind was focused on the so-called alien race discovered. It hit the UWAN like a wildfire. The United Human Navy or UHN was in an uproar and panic at what had happened. It sent chills through some people once they heard the news. The fact was that this was something that couldn't be shut up. There was alien life out there, and humanity finally found it. He looked at the screen to see the name "Chenguang" written for the news lady. The Martian woman was obviously descended from China from her apparent looks. She had a pale complexion to her. Her accent was also faintly Chinese as well. The volume filled the mess hall as they listened and ate.

"Today on the news, Batrice has received a new order for additional warships to be produced from their shipyards. Batrice, as you may already know, is the second most important shipyard facilities available for the UHN. With the threat of the aliens and what they pose to the human race, the chairman for the UWA has placed an emergency resolution that all shipyard facilities to start construction of new Battleships to fill in the UHN fleets. Chairman Aniruddha had this to explain."

"Shit....." Jabr replied. "I guess it means that we are at war with them then."

The screen changed to show a recording of the Chairman of the UWA. He spoke before a teleprompter to address all of humanity. Virtually an elected leader, the Chairman was Martian himself. His darker skin and facial features identified him more from India from Earth's past. He had long dark hair, and he wore a solid black suit and tie. He wore a pin on his suit that depicted the Martian flag on it. The red square had the traditional look of the United Nations of Earth's past but had a diamond insignia in the center of it. Behind him was a blue and red curtain. His voice also had a faint Indian accent to it as well. He stood behind a podium as he addressed the camera.

"People of the United Worlds' Alliance. It is my awareness of the recent current events going on with the so-called Itreans, that we stand ready against all threats. I have issued an emergency decree that we build additional warships. The money will go to not only building more warships but also improve all defenses as well. Research will also be funded as well to ensure that humanity has any means available at their disposal. The sacrifice of the ship and crew of the UHN Cabot will not be forgotten. We knew what was at stake when we left our solar system and began to colonize other worlds out there in the galaxy. I will ensure that all 14 planetary nations of the UWA will be protected against whatever hostile threat is out there. I ask all us to consider what is at stake out there. We are dealing with a hostile enemy, and it is up to us to protect ourselves."

"Yeah....." Ericson replied as he said quietly. He knew what was at stake. His mind went to his AI. He was still trying to get it to work. He shook his head at the thought of what was going to happen. He didn't even want to think about it.

The news feed changed back to the news lady that was sitting behind her desk. She resumed her talking. Jabr's attention was focused hard on the TV screen as Ericson ate and listened.

"The Chairman has currently pressed for a five trillion mard spending bill to the UWA congress. Currently, there are very few against the spending bill, and it is expected for it to pass later on today. Aniruddha has assured that there will be continued attempts to establish possible peaceful negotiations with the Itrean race."

"Damn....." Jabr said. "They are going to start to really speed up the building process of new ships."

"If we have the facilities to help manufacture them," Ericson replied. "No wonder Batrice is getting the extra orders. Deimos is going to be working overtime now in ship manufacturing. I wouldn't be surprised that they extend to Oshun."

"That is very well possible," Jabr noted. "I hope they do. I know we were trying to get a shipyard established. The people need the jobs right now."

"Maybe that will wake up Cebravis as well. Almost all the people move there and call it paradise. They want it to become the capital of the UWA, yet they didn't bother building much of a military infrastructure. Even Oshun wasn't stupid."

The news lady continued to talk about the news interrupting their conversation. They continued to eat and listen.

"In other news today," Chenguang said. "A memorial is being built for the UHN Cabot that heroically sacrificed themselves for the UHN Drake. One month ago, both the Cabot and the Drake would meet the Itreans for the first time. The meeting seemed to go well, even if the Itreans refused to say anything. Both sides didn't fire on one another until another ship of similar design to the Itreans appeared and opened fire on the UHN warships. Outmatched, outgunned, and unable to repel the endless onslaught of weapons fire, both ships tried to escape. In order for one warship to survive, the captain and crew of the Cabot veered towards the attacking Itrean ship to give the Drake the necessary time to open a gate and escape the battle. The memorial will be held over Mars, and it is expected for the crew of the Drake to offer their final words to the fallen. Chairman Aniruddha has assured the families of the crew of the Cabot will receive full benefits for the families of the fallen, including the UHN Galaxy Medal of Valor. It is the highest award given to those that give their lives in the line of duty."

"I can't believe that was a month ago," Jabr told Ericson. "The first race of aliens we meet, and they prove violent."

"We don't really know that," he replied back to him. "The reports they had showed two ships that were similar to one another and one of them attacked us. The only difference between the ships was the colors of the ships itself. I guess in the end. They will just call it the JJ-78 disaster."

Jabr seemed to chuckle as he pointed his fork to him. "Maybe your AI will come to our rescue. You make it, and we send it to go and destroy the Itreans."

"Ugh......" Ericson said as he displayed annoyance. "That is insane. I still don't even have the thing fully operating yet. Plus, we all know about the Ibix Ban. I am already treading on a fine line with what I am doing. At least with you or Akari, you guys haven't been too vocal against what I am doing. Anybody else on this ship thinks I am going to destroy the human race with that AI. They hope that I fail at it."

"You have always held it in the highest regard, my friend. That is why I am behind you on this. You would be the perfect creator."

His friend's words always seemed to calm him down. His eyes went back to his tofu. He went and unscrewed the cap to his canteen as he took a big drink from it. He screwed the top and put it back on the table. There were weather reports of Mars, Cebravis, Cipra, and other planetary worlds colonized by humanity, followed by advertisements.

"Thank you....." Ericson finally replied to him. "At least you guys have been kind to me. Project Minerva may still work. I have faith."

"Never lose faith."

"Yeah....." Ericson said as he took another bite. "I think that I should get to know your wife a little more now that she transferred to this ship a month ago."

"What can I say?" Jabr asked as he shrugged his hands in the air. "I am a happy man. I get married two months ago; she transfers to here in a month. Now my shifts match with hers. I am a self-made man."

"Well, at least you two are close. With those Itreans out there, this lovely research ship may be a safe harbor."

"Why do you say that?"

"Simple. If I were the aliens, I would go after big targets like a planet. They wouldn't get much from conquering a gas giant like Jupiter. They would just get a lot of gas and some moon rocks. Not much here really when you think about it."

Jabr nodded his head, seemingly satisfied with his words. They continued to eat as they watched the news feed.

"In Oshun news, allegations surround the current upcoming elections continue to rise. Despite settlement on Oshun 70 years ago, the current government is having a hard time earning trust with its population. The people's approval polls towards its government are currently at 29%. Government officials continue to ensure that the rigged voting system is going to be fixed. Many Oshun citizens are trying to appeal to the UWA in running the election system itself."

"Hmmm......" Jabr noted. For once, his face displayed some sorrow to it. "My home still can't get its democracy right."

"I am sorry to hear about that," Ericson said. "I heard government corruption is at an all-time high there. Shame even for a beautiful place like that."

"Unfortunately our people rely too much on the tourism market. Everything is about asking everyone to come and spend their money there. Our society has become dependent on it. The only other job besides that is to hope that our population will get into manufacturing. Otherwise, the only other job is crime, and that does not help our tourism market."

"You would think that with Oshun as beautiful as it is that there would be more to it. You guys tried to cram too many people on those two continents that the landscapes are too crowded."

"I agree, my friend. Some of the Oshun citizens started to move out in the last twenty years, including myself. I went to have a vacation to New Olympia......well," he paused. "You already know that part of the story."

Ericson nodded. He was getting near finished up with his meal. The news lady continued to speak, but their talking drowned out the female voice. She finally finished up with her news report as it went to a commercial. He looked at his tray and saw that it was cleared up. He took his canteen and proceeded to drink up what was left of his drink. He sighed again as he looked at his friend.

"Ericson," Jabr spoke to him. He was still finishing up his meal. "I will be a little busy doing maintenance on the waste reclamation facility tomorrow. I see that face of yours, and I can tell you are going to get back to work as soon as you finish up."

"What about it?"

"Don't overstress yourself. Maybe you are pushing yourself so hard these last few years that it is what is causing you to slow down."

"There isn't much I can do from my end. I have only one job, Jabr. I am a computer programmer and one of the UWA's finest. I told them that I could finish up this Project Minerva in two years. It has been three....."

"It hasn't been easy for you. You don't only have the public that would be against it, but you have had to do this mostly secret. You have no one to support you through all this. I remember you even telling me that a shipment of the quantum hard drives was delayed for a full year when they had it."

"Yeah. Even how hard it was to make one of those things, they decided just to keep it away from me. I was forced to work on the program without it for four months. Finally, it arrived, and I was able to begin on this."

Ericson took a deep breath. He stood up and was about to walk away when his friend called out to him.

"Hey! Remember what I said, friend." Jabr said. "It will happen sooner or later."

"Yeah, it will.....," he said as he still held the tray in his hand. He nodded at him. "I will go. See you tomorrow?"

Jabr simply nodded his head to him. "Of course.....sleep well tonight."

*******

Ericson had reached his lab again. The large displays powered on as the door closed behind him. He took a careful observation of his lab. He felt a wave of paranoia hit him. Even with the key coded locks, he was afraid that someone would try to sabotage his project. He observed the room carefully. He would note everything in the room to see if there was any sign of tampering. Two large displays consumed the entire place. His work table on the right side of the room had his tools, computer, and the quantum storage box that stored Minerva. The center room bed and table looked clear, and he could see nothing on the walls. There was a painting that he had of Mars on the wall.

Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, but just to make sure he tapped his left arm to activate his arm display. The projection showed a menu screen in which he used his right hand to scan the logs to see if anyone had entered his lab. There was none.

"Ugh.....Jabr really is right," Ericson commented. "I really am going too far in this project. People are going to be against it, but they aren't going to go this far to sabotage me."

Ericson instead turned to seal the door behind him. He lowered the illumination of the room by 50% with a simple flick of his finger on his arm display. He then turned his eyes towards the black box.

"Time to wake up Minerva," he said as he tapped a projected button on his display. The box made the tiniest of click sounds as the box powered up instantly. Within less than a second, the large screen on the back of the room turned on. It began to list the millions of algorithms and subroutines as it defined the Artificial Intelligence that he was trying to create. He walked up to the large display and turned to look at the presentation of Jupiter. Europa was mostly in the way now since the ship's orbit was directly behind the moon when facing towards the gas giant.

"Hmmm....." Ericson said as he turned his focus on one of the subroutines. "I didn't spot that earlier."

He tapped his arm display and used his fingers to enlarge the codes and numbers. His eyebrow lifted as he spotted something. He had been used to looking at each of the billions of subroutines and sets of numbers that defined the program. It had been a nonstop choir, and it was simply impossible to keep track of all of it. Nonetheless, what he spotted made him express some shock.

"That's it!" he said. "I guess that break really did the trick. That's what is causing the problem."

He tapped a series of buttons to highlight the subroutine. A keypad showed up where he began to type in a new set of numbers and letters to the codes. He saved the changes and tapped his left wrist to deactivate the display on his arm. He smiled a little bit.

"Hopefully, that should do it," he said with some confidence. "Please work.....please."

Ericson walked up to his table. There was a display that he looked at. It had one button on it. He used his finger to press the button. The results were instant. The screen began to take all the subroutines and apply them together immediately. It turned almost into a waterfall as the display turned blue. The quantum computer, even with the powerful hard drive, had to process the incredible amount of data that it was working with. Even with the combined machines of Earth's past could not handle this amount of raw data. Ericson had genuinely believed that he found the missing, corrupt subroutine that prevented it from working. His years of experiences taught him that he was nearing his goal, and he was right.