Singularity

Archive Log: 32

To say when it came to fixing the sails was dramatic, was putting it lightly. Basically most of the crew couldn't exactly say otherwise. Not those within the bridge, their view of the outside was nonexistent. The protective shutters were still down on all the windows, they couldn't see outside.
However, Ankor and Tennessee who had gone outside to repair the ship, had a brilliant view. Floating around in the vacuum of space, surrounded by stars, it was peaceful, truly peaceful. The light banter between the ship, and the two crew outside made light of the situation. But it was clear if this task ended up taking longer than first thought, then there was going to be problems.
The drama happened shortly after Tennessee returned back to the ship. Full power was back on, and the blinds could be retracted. The space beyond looked inside at those in the bridge, and the light which flooded the ship could illuminate the confused looks which were on most of the crew's faces.
While being out, Tennessee had received a rogue transmission. It had made him temporarily go off the charts, disappeared off the coms and no one could get in touch. Likewise, he couldn't get in touch with the ship. It was a worrying few moments. One of those hearts in the mouth moments where they weren't too sure, just what exactly was going on. Luckily, Tennessee returned, unharmed and as Faris promised: a beer was waiting for the weary traveller. Although, it stayed stationary on the table as Walter commenced looking over the helmet he had been wearing.
The explanation of what he had seen, what had happened had caused sceptical looks. No one was disbelieving Tennessee. It was hard to not believe when his intercoms and transmissions had been highjacked by, well, whatever this thing was. Walter had managed to access what Tennessee had seen. The appearance of what seemed to be a figure appeared within the hologram. It wasn't a full figure, mainly just an outline. A really juddering, scratchy and jerky moving outline. It was erratic in its movements, what could be considered arms, or arm like structures moved about, reaching out to something that wasn't there.
Honestly, everyone was completely lost over what to make of this thing. Was it human? Who knew. The sounds coming from it were just clicks, beeps and the such. There wasn't any words. Not that anyone could figure. And even from the perplexed expression on Walter's face, it was clear even he wasn't hearing words. He knew most languages possible, and he wasn't managing to understand this. He was as in the dark as those around him.
Every forty seconds this seemed to restart though. It was a fragmented thing, something which was short and concise, or missing in parts. But forty seconds it looped again. The hologram continued on its strange moving and clicking, not ebbing away or disappearing from the table it was being projected on.
"It's sort of creepy," Onora whispered, Walter being by her side just glanced at her. She was nibbling her thumb nail with an awkward expression on her face. There was something about this faceless, confusing being which didn't settle well with her. She didn't like it. She didn't get a good feeling from hearing and watching it. Frowning, she leaned and looked at Tennessee, everyone else was chattering away amongst themselves, but he seemed to have leaned against the table, head tilted and a thoughtful look on his face. He was listening. Onora looked at Walter, he kept his hands crossed across his stomach looking plainly around. Was she honestly the only one noticing the pilot had clearly noticed something? "What is it?" She questioned quietly, Tennessee flicked his eyes up to her. "Do you hear something?"
"I know this," he pointed a finger up at the hologram. He got ridiculously sceptical looks sent his way. Some were questioning whether he had damaged his head at all while out there, because how he managed to recognise this and no one else, no one knew or understood.
"What are you talking about?" Faris crossed her arms, looking at her husband with a frown. She was calling him out on his bullshit here.
Tennessee just returned the unhappy look her way. Yet he nodded his head, waited for the loop to restart, and he started singing along. "That's fucking John Denver. That's Take Me Home, Country Roads." He said, pointing a serious finger at the hologram. He sounded so certain, so adamant, everyone just looked confused. The green lighting of the hologram just added to the confused looks, and Tennessee just stood there, still adamant. He was right, he knew it. He knew he knew this.
"You're kidding?" Lope sounded sceptical, the security officer looked sceptical, he didn't believe any of this. He did not believe for one second that some transmission from space was singing this song, of all songs. He was more inclining to believe Tennessee hurt his head out there, more and more by the minute. Lope didn't think spontaneous concussion was a thing however.
"No, no. I never kid about John Denver." Tennessee said, shaking his head and laughing quietly. There were many things which Tennessee would joke about, John Denver was certainly not on the list. Beside him, Faris let out a quiet laugh and shook her head. She placed a hand over her mouth to cover the grin which was appearing. Unbelievable, in one word, unbelievable.
"There's geometric data too." Walter spoke up, getting everyone's eyes sent in his direction. He had been studying the helmet, and this hologram while this brief conversation happened. He hadn't paid much mind to it, but he had paid mind to the fact more information was available. Reaching down, he commenced pushing controls and typing things into the command pad before his eyes scanned upwards. "Mother, please track the signal to its source."
The ceiling, and the omnipresence of Mother simply replied: "Working." The voice was curt and polite, and took over the system before everyone. The figure disappeared and a map replaced it. Everyone looked to the system before them, the grid had everyone looking curious. "Source of transmission located. Signal originates in sector eighty-seven." Mother said, explaining away in the simplest of tones. It wasn't so much how she said it, but what she said. If that was accurate and correct, and Mother was rarely wrong, then this meant this transmission came from somewhere close by. Not immediately close, but close enough.
Mother had commenced changing the output from the holotable to the screens dotted around the room. The information was able to be seen by everyone. Oram had sat down, whether in mute shock, or surprise it was hard to tell. But he looked up and at one of these screens. He couldn't quite believe what he was looking at.
Everything about what was being shown, what was found out, showed that the system was old. A lot older than Earth. Stars, planets, it was small as far as a system went. But it was a system nonetheless. Despite of the size, it still didn't deter from the fact that there could be a sufficient way of living, of life there. Amongst this system, there was a planet; it caused most to be sceptical, hesitant yet curious as they looked at it. There was landmass on this planet, water, promising signs of life, and of keeping things alive. Everything about this planet, just ticked all and more boxes than what Origae-6 ever could.
How this planet appeared to appeal more than Origae-6, no one knew. But it did. After initial scans in this sector, there had been no planets flagging up with something like this. A few weeks at best, that's how long it would likely take to get there. There was no need to go back to sleep, evidently no one would wish that anyway. Four years to Origae-6, two weeks to this planet. Which one won out really?
Oram agreed to go for it. He had put the argument across and had met conflict with Daniels. She didn't agree. Chasing a space ghost could end in disaster. They knew where they were going. They had a destination. Why deviate? They didn't know what was on this planet. It could hold hostiles for all they knew. Not only would they be in danger, but the colonists too. How Oram could blindly just go for it, Daniels didn't know. But she didn't like it.
Onora had passed her in the corridor, seemingly stern faced and brooding, internally. "Are you okay?" She had asked, she had just gone to look over the plants. She had missed being surrounded by growing things. She had dwelt quietly in that space alone since they had all been dismissed from finding this new planet. The repairs were more or less done, and with nothing else to do, everyone was sort of free to do their own thing. Onora just so happened to want peace with some plants. As ridiculous as that was. She didn't expect to pass the short haired terraformist looking so annoyed on the way back to her room.
"Do you think this is a good idea?" Daniels raked a hand through her hair and looked both ways in the corridor. She looked at Onora with a small frown, her dark eyes staring patiently at her as she placed her hands on her hips.
Onora looked at her boots, she mumbled quietly to herself before shaking her head. "No. I don't have a good feeling. I haven't...for a while, if I'm to be honest with you..." Onora admitted, it felt somewhat good to admit to her hesitance to someone else, other than Walter. Only, Daniels would understand, no offence to Walter, this was a case where a fellow human would get what she meant.
"To rush into something like this, could prove to be catastrophic. Yet, he doesn't seem to agree." Onora just raised an awkward eyebrow as Daniels seemed to vent, even pointing a finger back to where she'd clearly just had a meeting with Oram.
"He believes he has found us a new, and better world. I can't judge the man for being optimistic. But I can judge his judgement on this, and how to handle it."
Daniels tucked her hands in her back pockets and nodded, seemingly agreeing. "He won't listen to reason."
Onora's eyes widened, "So...even if the rest of us disagree with him, he's still going to pull rank and order us to do our jobs anyway?" She didn't like the sound of that. That sounded too much like a tyrant. Power corrupts absolutely, and all that. Give someone who's never had a taste of power, some power then they're likely to run amok.
Daniels sighed and shook her head. "Yes. Unfortunately." She looked back up, catching sight of Tennessee walking past, she smiled at Onora and walked off. She wanted opinions here.
Leaving Onora in the corridor alone, she awkwardly coughed and just pointed in a random direction, she'll just go this way then, she guessed. She didn't want to overhear their conversation, that was rude. But also be pulled into it. No. She'd given her opinion, and in her eyes that was enough. Daniels was technically next in charge, so she gave her opinion to the right person.
She didn't know where anyone else was, probably in their own rooms. Onora guessed she might as well return to hers. Not that she was tired, or wanted to sleep or anything. Risking a chance, she swung past the bridge and looked in. She sighed, "Walter, you're the only one still working." She said from the doorway. The synthetic was still pushing commands into different systems, and honestly, Onora didn't know what he was doing, she just knew he was still working.
Walter turned, he had his arms by his sides as he looked at her. "I believe I always am." He commented with a small frown, Onora rolled her eyes and moved towards him, the door shutting quietly behind her.
"Can't you like...have an off day?"
"If I were to have an off day, something may happen. I do not want that. You are all my responsibility." Walter paused, "That, and I do not believe I can have off days." Walter was unable to rest. Power down, yes. It wasn't the same as sleeping, or rest. But it was his form of it. Putting all his systems to the lowest setting, yet even then, his mind was usually still always alert.
Onora wasn't surprised by that rather stoic reply. With a sigh, she reached up and placed her hands against his sides, her hands gripped onto his hooded top as she looked up at him. "Walter, as soon as we're out of this sector we should be okay, right?"
"Within reason."
"So...you can relax a bit." Onora said, earning confused blue eyes to blink down at her. He looked over her head and around the room before looking back down at her. This sector was dangerous, they figured that. But their new destination was ahead of them, they could and would get signalled and told when and if anything bad appeared. Walter wouldn't need to be on such high alert.
"I am uncertain whether I can do that." Walter stated, Onora just looked at him plainly. Whenever they were together, just in her room laying silently, it was clear he could relax. Onora knew it, Walter sighed. "Nora, I cannot just stop doing my duties because we have a clearer way ahead." He said quietly, placing his hands to her shoulders and nudging her back gently. She looked sadly at him, Walter felt her hands let him go. There was a coldness that appeared from not having her close anymore.
"Oh...okay, well, I'll leave you to it then." She shrugged and commenced walking away simply. She missed the lost, yet thoughtful look on Walter's face as he watched her leave. His lips pressed into a line as his blue eyes grew a bit distant as he replayed the conversation, and the answers. He did get it, she wanted them to have time together, seems everyone else was off with their partners, doing whatever. But Walter was here to make sure everything still ran smoothly. He couldn't just stop that. "Oh, by the way, I think I may have accidentally aided Daniels in starting a mutiny. See you around, Walter." Onora said, turning to look at him, wave his way, and then leave the room. She left the synthetic standing there, his eyes growing wide slightly as her words sunk in. Onora wasn't surprised to soon hear his heavy boots behind her, following quickly. His speed out did hers and she was gently grasped onto suddenly, "Walter?" Onora just turned and looked questionably at him.
"What has happened?"
"Daniels and I don't agree with going to this new planet."
"We don't have an option. If the Captain says we're to go-"
"If he told you to jump off a cliff, would you? Or, if he asked you to jump, would you ask how high? Walter, get some independence! You have it. You do. Can you stand there and say you feel content with this? We know where we stand with Origae-6. We don't with this. This is madness, it is dangerous, and if it goes South, we may get into trouble." Onora said, frowning and looking at him seriously. Walter's expression was blank, not the expression she wanted to see. With a groan, she threw her hands in the air and walked away. "Well, it's okay then, because we've got you to look after us all."
Walter turned and watched her walk away, he blinked awkwardly. Did they just have an argument? He didn't like that. It didn't sit well with him. The discord within him churned and he found himself moving after her again. Onora must've heard because she glanced over her shoulder at him with a small frown. "I would protect you with my life. That is not something to joke about." Walter said, reaching her side, Onora looked at him. All signs of her defiant mood earlier had gone. She now just looked apologetic. Walter could see she didn't mean anything. There was no seriousness there. No conviction.
Turning and pushing the button, Onora stepped into her room. Turning she sat on her bed and kicked off her boots. Looking at him, she smiled, "I dearly hope you won't need to do that, Walter. I do not like to think of you being hurt, let alone dying. Now, are you coming in, or are you going back to work?" She asked with a smile, tilting her head she almost laughed at the confused look on his face before he sighed.
"It would be rude to go, after such a kind invitation." Walter walked into the room, Onora laughing away at his sarcastic reply. He sat next to her, placing his hand over one of hers and looking at her calmly. "Go in with an open mind. Until proven otherwise, don't judge." He said, Onora looked down thoughtfully before looking back up and into his eyes, she nodded slowly. Walter nodded too, content that she agreed. Although that didn't stop her feeling uneasy, not by a long shot.

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(A/N: Totally avoided the whole 'in space fixing sails' thing, because honestly...it is so boring to write...so boring. I couldn't go through that again, once was enough! xD)