Bache sat on his own in the facility’s canteen, staring at his tablet. He’d left Clammer to aid Vee with the commander’s recovery. As far as he knew, no one had ever spent three thousand years in a suspension chamber before, so the commander’s recuperation would probably take a while.
Having obtained the equations used to programme the ship’s interstice drive from Vee, he compared them to some old GDA wormhole mathematics used before the advent of spacial folding. A lot of it was of course very similar, and Bache could see the working theory of their system. There was, however, a slight deviation when it came to the continuation of the tunnel once inside, and it puzzled him.
He looked up as sounds from the corridor disrupted his concentration. Nexen staggered in through the door, flanked by Vee supporting one arm and Clammer the other. He’d dressed in his uniform that hung off him like it was five sizes too big.
The pained expression on the commander’s face prompted Bache to grab another chair and set it upright at the table he’d also righted from the pile around the walls.
‘Thank you,’ said Nexen, grimacing as he sat. ‘I think it may take some considerable time to recover from a sleep that long.’
‘How d’you feel?’ Bache asked.
‘Absolutely exhausted,’ he said, resting his arms on the table and slumping forward. ‘I’ve only walked fifty metres, I feel like I’ve sprinted a hundred kilometres, and I had help, too.’
‘I’m sure it’ll get better,’ said Bache. ‘You’re in uncharted territory as far as suspension chambers are concerned.’
‘Have you found anything?’ the commander asked, nodding at the tablet.
‘I’m not sure,’ Bache replied. ‘I’m certainly not familiar with old wormhole technology equations.’
‘I’m not familiar with any equations,’ said Clammer, grabbing a chair and joining them at the table.
Nexen looked at the expression on Bache’s face. ‘Do I sense a “but” in there, somewhere?’ he asked.
Bache raised his eyebrows and grinned at the question. ‘Who programmed the ship’s navigation before it departed?’ he asked.
‘The human crew navigator before the navigation vassal does the final checks,’ Nexen answered. ‘Their computing power is vastly superior to ours; in fact if I remember correctly, that vassal was one of the latest models and we were part of testing its operational abilities. It had some new experimental personality traits inbuilt too.’
‘Hmm,’ mumbled Bache, looking back at the tablet’s screen. ‘I think it might have made an error. Did anyone of the crew check the calculations before departure?’
‘Well, no,’ he said. ‘As I said before, it works the other way around. The human navigator programmed the route and the vassal checked it and made any alterations needed.’
Bache adopted a pained expression as their eyes met.
‘You think the vassal changed the programming and got it wrong?’ Nexen asked.
Bache shrugged and glanced at Vee standing to one side. ‘Experimental personality traits you say?’ he asked and looked back at the commander, whose face went even whiter.
‘Oh, crap! Can you work out where it sent them?’ Nexen asked.
‘Well, that’s just it,’ said Bache. ‘There doesn’t seem to be a destination programmed at all.’
Nexen turned to look at Vee. ‘Vassal, do you have the navigational module downloaded?’
‘Affirmative, Commander,’ said Vee.
‘Check these interstice settings and tell me the destination?’ Nexen asked, as Bache turned the tablet around to face Vee.
It took him just three seconds to answer. ‘No destination programmed,’ said Vee, standing back away from the table.
‘Then, where the hell is my ship?’ Nexen shouted, staring at Vee and startling Bache and Clammer.
Vee stood staring straight ahead with his default phlegmatic expression, which only proved to antagonise the commander further.
‘Vassal, I asked you a question,’ he thundered.
‘More data required to ascertain a location,’ Vee replied, in his flat, emotionless manner.
The commander just huffed, sat back and folded his arms across his chest. ‘I told them giving these dumb machines personalities would be a mistake,’ he growled.
‘Well, wherever your ship is, it’s got a GDA destroyer for company now,’ said Clammer.
Bache sat staring at the tablet’s screen again. ‘Commander, did your crew all have suspension chambers too?’ he asked.
‘They did,’ he said. ‘Mine was the only one removed. All but the bridge crew were already in their chambers for the eleven-month voyage. The bridge officers would follow them once the ship was safely inside the interstice.’
Bache nodded. ‘Hmm, I wonder,’ he said.
‘Wonder what?’ said Clammer.
Bache paused for a moment and tapped a couple of icons on the tablet. ‘It’s just a theory,’ he said, ‘but, what if we transposed the polarity of the tunnel or interstice and designated this gate as the destination?’ Bache looked up at the other two sitting opposite him and found two blank faces staring back.
‘It’s never been done,’ said Nexen. ‘How do we know it won’t destroy both ships?’
‘We don’t,’ said Bache. ‘But unless you have a better suggestion, we’re all dead in a few weeks.’
Nexen and Clammer looked at each other.
Clammer shrugged. ‘When it’s put like that, we really have nothing to lose,’ he said.
Nexen turned back to Bache. ‘Are we able to do that?’ he asked. ‘I’m from a piloting background and certainly no engineer.’
‘Vee should be able to instigate the changes,’ said Bache, looking over at the android standing impassively to one side.
Nexen followed his gaze and grimaced. ‘Can we trust it?’ he said.
Bache nodded. ‘This time it will be the other way around, I will check the data before you activate the transmitters,’ said Bache.
‘You want me to do it?’ Nexen asked, raising his eyebrows. ‘I don’t know if my suit will still hold pressure after all this time.’
‘We’re both qualified walkers,’ said Clammer. ‘We’ll check it over for you.’
It was the Nexen’s turn to nod.
‘Do you have a camera view that covers the gate?’ asked Bache. ‘I would like to see what happens from a position of relative safety.’
‘There were several three thousand years ago,’ Nexen answered. ‘I certainly can’t promise they’re still in operation now.’
Bache turned and grinned at Vee. ‘There’s a job for you, Vee,’ he said. ‘Pop out and check the exterior cameras are functioning correctly.’
‘I’m sorry,’ said Vee. ‘Now the commander is awake, the order must come from him.’
Nexen rolled his eyes. ‘Can you imagine how irritating they are with added personality?’ he said, before turning to face Vee. ‘Do as you’re told, vassal, and replace any cameras that aren’t working too.’
‘Affirmative,’ said Vee, as he limped off and disappeared out the door and off towards the airlock.
‘How’d he get that damaged leg?’ Nexen asked.
‘He was blind when we found him,’ said Bache. ‘He’d spent years bumping into things and falling over.’
‘Stupid dumb-arse androids,’ Nexen said, smiling for the first time.