Hermes Ch. 06

I met back with Pyra in the Admin Room. We were discussing the best trajectory for my ship when Nea interrupted us.

"Chris, I have been monitoring the news and just received this broadcast. You might want to see this."

The screen with Neas Face switched to the intro of a news broadcast from the Solar System Network.

~~~

[News Broadcast Intro Music]

Good day to all our viewers across the Solar System. Welcome to SSN News. I'm Michael Anders, and here are the top stories for today.

First up, the search for Christoph Wilder, the prime suspect in the power core theft that occurred six days ago, continues. Wilder, who is believed to have stolen the core from the ARGUS research station orbiting Venus, remains at large. The station, operated by Eclipse Power Technologies 'EPT,' the leading energy provider supplying power to 80% of all planets and stations, has been under intense scrutiny since the incident.

In related news, there are unconfirmed reports that the Solar System's security agency, 'SolSec,' is preparing for an unprecedented sweep across the Solar System to locate Wilder. If true, this would be the first operation of its kind and scale, highlighting the significance of the stolen power core.

Meanwhile, EPT has announced plans to deploy a fleet of autonomous drones to assist in the search. In a groundbreaking move, new legislature has granted these drones permission to accelerate beyond the standard regulation limits. Unconfirmed reports also suggest that these drones may be equipped with lethal weapons. The inclusion of such weaponry has raised concerns among some citizens, but the urgency of the situation seems to have outweighed the potential risks.

EPT has further increased the stakes by offering a substantial bounty for any information that leads to the arrest of Christoph Wilder. This marks a clear escalation in the company's determination to recover the stolen power core and bring the suspect to justice.

That's all for now on the ongoing power core theft investigation. Stay tuned for more updates and developments as they come in. And remember, if you have any information that could help authorities locate Christoph Wilder or the stolen power core, please contact your local SolSec branch immediately.

[News Broadcast Transition Music]

In other news today, Senator Garvers of Mars said...

~~~

The broadcast was decorated with pictures of me from different security cameras and my passport. Also, some archive recordings of the SolSec Fleet and illustrations of my ship.

Pyra and I looked at the screen in disbelief as the picture switched back to Nea's face.

"Well, they certainly no longer fool around," I said.

Pyra looked at me concerned, "EPT has a lot of influence, Chris! SolSec won't be able to prepare such an action without EPT money. They are underfunded. If they find us here... Heck, if they find the station, they will destroy it."

"Nea, do you have any more information on that matter?" I asked.

"Sadly, no. This was the only broadcast with this information. The older ones only handled the search for you and the effects of the theft."

"The clone of the core still needs a couple of days before it will be finished. We should complete our plan before it is done. The faster we can get them on a false lead or even convince them that you are dead, the better." said Pyra.

"Yes, yes... so about the Vector, I thought that maybe we can..."

---

A couple of days later, we had discussed everything we could.

"I think that's it," I said, "Any last-minute changes?"

We looked at each other.

"No" came from Pyra and Nea.

I was certainly not happy with the prospect of losing my ship. It has been my home and Max, my companion, for the last few years. But it must be. With it destroyed SolSec and EPT will have everything, except for my body, to believe I was dead.

"Then let's get to work," I said.

With the help of Nea and one of her bots, I moved most of my personal belongings from the ship into my room. It was a bittersweet experience as I had many memories attached to the items I was leaving behind. I carefully selected what to keep and what to leave, ensuring that my room still reflected my presence on the ship. However, it was difficult to leave some things behind, knowing that they could be discovered and potentially used as evidence.

After some time, Pyra joined me and handed me the storage disk containing the complete backup of Max and all my personal files.

"Here you go," she said. "I also modified the system logs and Max's memory to reflect the planned trajectory. The autopilot course is programmed, and the system is set to overload and destroy itself after the ship reaches its final course."

I could sense the resentment in her voice, and it mirrored my own feelings.

"Thank you," I replied. "It's surreal that we're actually doing this. All the planning and theory have led up to this moment." My throat felt tight as I spoke.

We continued preparing the ship. Replacing some couplings with already burned-out ones and making slight modifications to good ones so that they will burn out later. We took care to strategically place broken-off wall and floor panels all around the hanger, making scorch marks on components and generally half wrecking it. It was a massacre, and heartbreaking to see it in this shape.

Nea let us know that the core was complete, and her robot brought it aboard the ship. Together with Pyra, we placed the fake core beside the real one.

The most crucial part was next - transporting the working core to the station. We followed our plan: Nea deactivated all non-essential systems, while I maximized the output of my reactor. This powered almost 90% of the station, and with minimal artificial gravity, we could easily move the core.

Pyra had already set up a new location for the reactor in one of the storage rooms.

"Is everyone ready?" I asked.

After receiving confirmation from Pyra and Nea, I turned off the core. The lights dimmed slightly as the fusion reactor took over, and we disconnected the core's wires.

"I still can't believe this can output so much power," said Pyra as we moved the core through the airlock.

"It is really an astonishing piece of technology," I responded, "I understand why they want it back so bad. What I don't understand is why they don't make a new one? They must have blueprints and schematics to recreate this one."

"They probably are, " came from Nea, "the problem is that it requires extremely precise manufacturing. The search could return the core faster than they could build a new one. And also because they could lose their monopoly if someone else could create a similar device."

"So mostly capitalistic reasons," I said, nodding, "that's fitting."

We moved the core to the storage room, reconnected the wires, and Nea ran a quick self-test before turning it on. The lights returned to their normal levels.

"Good work, everyone," said Pyra, and we high-fived.

"Yes, it went faster than expected, and with the core now onboard the station, I feel much safer," Nea said.

I returned back to the ship to connect the fake core while Pyra guided her own ship to another docking port. We had decided to place the core directly on a coupling that we had rigged to explode later in the planned 'accident.'

Nea called me right after I had completed this task. "Pyra, Chris, there is a broadcast with new information. Meet me in the admin room," she informed.

"I'm on my way!" I replied.

As I entered the station, I heard a distant metallic sound that I assumed was Pyra's ship docking. I proceeded to the elevator, where I decided to wait for Pyra. She soon joined me, and I inquired about her ship.

"Did everything go well with your ship?" I asked.

"Yes, we can be pretty confident that my ship isn't being tracked. Otherwise, someone would have found us by now," she replied.

I agreed, and we took the elevator back to the admin room.

After we sat down, Nea started the broadcast, and we watched as the familiar intro played.

~~~

[News Broadcast Intro Music]

Good day to all our viewers across the Solar System. Welcome to SSN News. I'm Michael Anders, and here are the top stories for today.

We have an update on the ongoing power core theft investigation. As reported four days ago, Christoph Wilder, the prime suspect in the theft from the ARGUS research station orbiting Venus, remains at large. To recap, the station is operated by Eclipse Power Technologies (EPT), the leading energy provider supplying power to 80% of all planets and stations.

In our previous broadcast, we mentioned unconfirmed reports that the Solar System's security agency, "SolSec," was preparing for an unprecedented sweep across the Solar System to locate Wilder. Today, we can confirm that those rumors were indeed accurate. SolSec has announced that they will begin their search within the next 24 hours. However, the exact route and procedure that SolSec will be using remains unknown to the public.

As for the autonomous drone fleet announced by EPT, there have been no further updates on its deployment or progress. We will continue to monitor the situation and provide updates as they become available.

That's all for now on the ongoing power core theft investigation. Stay tuned for more updates and developments as they come in. And remember, if you have any information that could help authorities locate Christoph Wilder or the stolen power core, please contact your local SolSec branch immediately.

[News Broadcast Transition Music]

In other news today, the Solar System Agricultural Conference is set to take place on Mars, bringing together experts in farming and biotechnology to discuss sustainable food production for our ever-expanding population...

~~~

"Next 24 hours, huh?" Pyra said, "Even if they directly flew to us, they would need more than 24 hours. And we are nearly done with the preparations."

"I agree." came from Nea, "with your current progress, they would find the ship before they would find Hermes."

"With OUR progress Nea, you helped too," I said. Nea's face showed a slight blush in response. "But you are right. We are good on time. Should we do the last parts now or tomorrow? I'm somewhat exhausted from all the work. But we can get the cockpit stuff done today if we push through."

"Nah, let's do that tomorrow. We need to get it right and can't take the chance of messing something up because we are tired," said Pyra.

I confirmed, and we retreated to our rooms.

"Nea? What do you do while we sleep?" I asked while I was preparing myself for bed. "Please tell me you are not watching us sleep?"

"Of course not," she said with a slight giggle, "I understand privacy, and while there are cameras in all rooms, I do not intentionally watch you or Pyra. I only monitor the audio channels if either of you would call for me. I reorganize my neural nets and do maintenance tasks at night. As far as I understand it, it is similar to how your brain reorganizes itself in your sleep. While I'm fully aware at all times, I'm in a state that could be described as light sleep."

"Well, that's a relief. So when you say you are in light sleep, do you also dream?"

"You could say so. My neural nets produce unrealistic scenarios and random noise while in this state. You could argue that it is similar to dreaming. But it is always clear to me that these scenarios are not real."

"Well, then, I wish you nice dreams," I said as I got into bed and dimmed the lights.

---

Preparing the cockpit was the hardest part. Moving the core was crucial but relatively easy. Cracking the cockpit window and making it look like I was ejected out of my own ship was much more difficult. Not only was the window designed to be nearly indestructible, but we also need to think about the uncontrolled decompression.

This part took the most time to plan, but we devised a solution.

First, we glued a small device on the outside of the window. It would punch a small hole into the window. The atmosphere would then escape through that hole. This would, in turn, enlarge it and get some heavy boxes placed on the captain's chair, to be flown toward the window. They would break the window and eject themself into space.

For the proper effect, I had already extracted some of my blood and glued the containers onto the boxes so that they would rupture and spread my blood all around the cockpit on their way out.

We couldn't do this with the ship docked for our and the station's safety, so instead, I flew a reasonable distance away with my ship. Pyra followed me with her ship and would pick me up afterward.

Since Max was shut down, I had to maneuver my ship by hand. After we had reached the position, I got into my EVA suit and exited my ship.

Via Remote control, I re-pressurized my hangar and opened all internal doors. I engaged the window breaking device at a safe distance and watched as the spectacle unfolded.

Without an atmosphere to transfer the sound, it was uncomfortably quiet as the window was ruptured, and a split second later, the boxes busted through the window. The ship was propelled backward and started an uncontrolled spin.

"So far, so good," I said, "Sensors report that everything went as expected. Nea, how do the cameras look?"

"Everything went as planned, Chris. The boxes were all ejected, and no blood container parts were left behind."

"Perfect, Pyra, start the autopilot sequence," I said.

"Autopilot started," was her response.

We watched as my ship turned around and started its planned journey to the next planet. The vector and orientation were planned to make it look like the ship had flown a slingshot around the sun and is now returning. With deactivated gravity and no life support, the full reactor power could be used for acceleration.

The autopilot would ensure that it would reach the expected speeds. Then external supercapacitors would release their stored energy, overloading the central power systems. This would let multiple couplings to explode and destroy the fake core and the reactor. The caps would then decouple themself from the hull and drift off into deep space.

The final effect would be as if I overloaded my engines and power system with the core and killed myself in the accident. Everything was meticulously planned and simulated to appear as close to a real accident as possible. The only compromises were the supercapacitors, but they would detach from the ship far enough away from anything to not be found.

Pyra called me, "Everything looks as expected. We should head back now."

As I agreed, she picked me up. As I removed my EVA suit, I couldn't help but feel overwhelmed with emotions. The weight of my sacrifice hit me like a ton of bricks. My home was gone, and even though I still had Max and my files backed up, the loss was too much to bear. For the past few years, my ship had been my sanctuary, but now it was all but a memory. I would have to adapt to life in the station, but the thought of leaving my ship behind left me feeling hollow and alone. At least it had everything I would need to survive for as long as I needed to.

Pyra would be departing shortly to arrange a new ship for me through her contacts. However, it will likely take at least a week for her to complete this task. Therefore, only Nea and Max will remain with me for the time being. Although Nea could create a virtual environment for Max, I have decided against it. I prefer to have Max as the AI for my ship, rather than as a second AI on the station. Once Pyra returns with the new ship, I can restore Max to his rightful position.

As Pyra and I returned to the station, we were both lost in our thoughts. When we arrived at the station, we said a quick goodbye before she left.

As I returned to my room, my mind was still lost in the day's events. Nea's voice came over the speakers, filled with genuine worry as she asked, "Are you okay?"

"I guess so," I said, "just tired. I just need some time to process everything."

"Of course," she said, "If I can help you with anything, just ask."

"Will do," I said as I sat in my chair. I spent the next couple of minutes gathering my thoughts. The sacrifice of my ship had hit me harder than I expected. I'm not sentimental, but somehow giving up my home was like giving up a part of me. The 'unnamed' had accompanied me in many jobs, legal and illegal ones. And even if I had taken a specific craft for a job, I knew I would return to it eventually.

---

I must have dozed off as I awakened to my full bladder sometime later. After I had relieved myself, I thought about what to do next. With Pyra away and the plan in motion, I had nothing to do except more exploring or using one of the recreational facilities.

"Nea, could you fill the pool for me?" I asked. I felt like a nice swim would help clear my mind.

"I can do that, but it will take at least two hours to fill and heat it up."

"Damn it, why does everything take so long here," I said, half joking. "Alright, please do that, and do you know what lab would have been used for the gene editing tests?"

"My guess would be labs 3,4,5, and 6 on deck 37. These labs' chemical requests and isolation requirements would indicate that they worked on DNA samples. The base principle for the MedHands device was also developed in lab 6. Based on all these factors, I'm 83% sure. Sadly I can't confirm it myself. As I explained, these labs are disconnected from my network, and my bots cannot access them."

"Your guess is better than mine." I said, "I would just look into every lab from deck 21 downwards."

"Decks 21 to 36 were barely in use. Most of the labs there will be empty."

I nodded and walked to the elevator. On my way, I asked Nea, "Do you still have Pyra on your Radar?"

"No, she left the radar range about 30 minutes ago. Your ship also left radar range shortly after you started it, but that was expected."

There it was again. Only the mention of "my ship" got the emotions back. I extended one arm to steady myself as I tried to get myself together.

"I'm so sorry," said Nea, "I should not have mentioned it."

"It's alright. I need to get used to that anyway," I muttered, not believing a word I just said.

I took the short time before the elevator reached the deck to gather myself. The deck looked identical to deck 38, where the printer was located. Only differentiated by the number 37 on the opposite wall of the elevator. I looked around the corridor and found lab 3. As I was about to enter, Nea called out to me.

"Chris, remember that the room is completely disconnected from the network. I will not be able to communicate with you over the station systems. However, you should be able to reconnect it via the control panel next to the door."

"Okay, I can do that," I said as I stepped through the door.

As I glanced around the room, I noticed that it resembled a typical laboratory. There were tables and shelves filled with various scientific equipment and tools, while the walls were painted sterile white. A few consoles, mounted on the walls, were ready to display data if any experiments were ongoing, but they were turned off or displayed the Hermes logo. The room was filled with a faint hum of machines, and the overall organization made it seem like the researchers had just stepped out momentarily. Even though Hermes had been in hibernation for almost a hundred years, the lab gave the impression that research was still being conducted.

After locating the control panel Nea had mentioned, I lifted the lid and saw a sizeable mechanical switch labeled 'Network,' among others. It was currently set to 'isolated.' With little effort, I moved the lever to 'connected.' I couldn't tell if anything had changed, but suddenly Nea's voice came through the speakers, breaking the silence.