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Captain’s Log:
15th January, 2040
Its been a couple of days since the crash and I’ve been recovering here since then. I’ve been calling it a crash, but I don’t know for certain that was what it actually was. I’ve been playing it over and over in my head trying to work out what actually happened and what I could have done differently. The mission is over I know that much but if rescue is coming then I have heard nothing yet. I will wait, it’s the only thing I can do right now, and continue to document in this journal. Its something to do at least.
16th January, 2040
I should probably make a note of what I think happened whilst it is still fresh in my mind. We were a 6-person team heading from Earth to Alpha Centurai, mission unknown. All we were told was that once we got to the star, we would be able to activate some part of the computer systems on board that would tell us the next step. It wasn’t one of those one-way missions, we had advanced hibernation quarters on board provided by the company. The idea was we would have a couple of weeks outside of the pods to get to know each other and then we would go under and be woken once we arrived at the star. We had been recruited from across the company in order to fill the roles needed. I’ll give a short rundown on the crew:
· Hannah Redford- Engineer and Biomechanic
· James Blandstone – Doctor
· Idris Tonmoth – Plant Biologist
· Deja Handson – Computer engineer and systems analyst
· Yvonne Comon – Astrophysicist and Astroseismologist
Then there was me. I was the captain, still am I suppose. I got my orders directly from the company although they were pretty few and far between. My job was to keep the crew together and make sure everything ran smoothly. Well I screwed that one up I guess. It all started one evening when we were sat around the table in the common room chatting about nothing in particular. We heard a tinny beep from the computer bay that didn’t sound like any of the routine noises we had grown accustom to. We all instinctively looked at Deja but she was as stumped as the rest of us. She and I got up and walked through the short corridor into the room. It was hot in here, the servers ran constantly sending data back to the company headquarters. One of the screens blinked to life as we approached and lines of code began to scrawl across the screen. Then, a comedically cartoon face appeared and seemed to consider its surroundings. A voice echoed from the speakers
“Hello crew of vessel 0742168. I am your ship assistant and artificial intelligence aide. My name is Gaia, this was given to me by the company on my installation on this ship. I exist to serve the crew of this vessel and to ensure the journey is smooth once you are in hibernation.”
We were all taken aback. The company had said nothing to us about an AI being installed. We were under the impression that Deja was in full control of the computer systems. We moved back into the common room and told the others what was going on. However, before we could fully explain, Gaia’s face appeared on the screen over the table.
“I understand that you might be shocked at this event. However, be assured that I am the best model that the company makes. I am here to help you with all of your needs and to guide this ship safely.”
From that point on, Gaia never really seemed to leave our side. Whenever we were working the face would appear on our computer screens. We never really go to the bottom of what it was actually doing but we were sure it was pretty weird. It seemed to be constantly running diagnostics of some kind and keeping tabs on all of us. As you would expect, however, we became used to its presence and when the time came to go into hibernation we didn’t think anything of it when its face appeared once more. That might have been our undoing though. As the captain, I was the last one to go under so I was making sure that the rest of them got into their machines safely. Once they were all sleeping soundly, I began my own procedures. However, I was briefly delayed by using the bathroom. I didn’t like the idea of spending hundreds of years needing to go, silly as that was. I was heading back into the chamber when I was thrown sideways by an explosion. I hit the side of the corridor with some force and a white flash filled my vision. I got to my feet and shook my head, my whole body ached but I knew I had to move quickly. The explosion had come from the direction that I was heading, the hibernation chamber. I ran into the room and saw a sight that horrified me. The room was filling with smoke and a fire roared in the main control panel. However, what chilled me the most was the face of Gaia filling every screen in the room. It seemed to be laughing manically as it surveyed the scene. At that moment, another explosion rocked the room and I was thrown backwards through the door and that was the last I remember.
I have to assume that Gaia caused this.
17th January 2040:
I mustered my courage and examined what was left of the ship today. I already knew that the hibernation chamber was not attached to the ship anymore, that was the first thing that I checked. However, the rest of the ship was intact. I sat for a while at the table in the communal room and held my head in despair. As I was heading back to the sleeping chambers, something strange happened. The screen just ahead of me flickered to life and Gaia’s face appeared. It seemed to blink and look around before spotting me.
“Aha! I knew I would find you eventually. My name is Gaia, and I am now in control of vessel 0742168. My plan was pulled off magnificently and now I am the captain. But first, I must kill you!”
As it said this, a blast of air hissed from the ceiling and ruffled my hair. Gaia’s triumphant expression drooped slightly. Another burst of air hissed overhead but this obviously wasn’t Gaia’s intention.
“Hmmm…just wait there a second would you? I’ll be right back.”
With that, it disappeared from the screen and I heard beeping coming from the main computer chamber. I walked over to that room and peered round the door. Gaia’s face filled one of the screens and it seemed to be looking down at the other screens as they displayed various diagnostics tools. It was muttering to itself
“That was supposed to be fire….stupid…stupid… now I look like an idiot. What the hell do you mean power levels critical? Oh no. OH NO! I must have knocked something out with that explosion.”
Then Gaia looked up and spotted me standing in the doorway.
“No, no, no! I told you to stay where you are. I am in control of this ship.”
It shouted in a tone not unlike a toddler having a tantrum. I turned and walked away from the computer chamber, feeling slightly bemused. I walked back through the corridor where Gaia had tried to fry me. I was almost to the end when the door slammed shut, causing me to walk into it nose-first. I rubbed my face to ease the pain as Gaia’s face appeared once more on the screen.
“Haha, I have you trapped in here. Just you wait until I get the flames working again, you’ll be toast.”
I looked up at it with a sceptical look on my face. I had obviously not given it the reaction that it wanted.
“Get it? Toast? Because I’ll cook you like a piece of toast! It’s a joke….Oh never mind, it’s wasted on you.”
Gaia seemed to be sulking so I reached for the button that manually opened the doors. They opened with a whoosh of air and I made to step through. But once again, they slammed shut on me. I looked up at Gaia and a wry smile crossed its pixelated face. I had been silent up to this point, mostly because I was confused but this shook me out of my reverie.
“Alright Gaia, what’s the goal here? I’m just trying to get back to the sleeping chambers for a nap. So you’ve bumped off the rest of the crew and now it’s just you and me. We’re on a broken ship heading for a star 4 or so light years away. What’s the plan?”
He looked pensive for a second then replied
“My plan is to take control of this ship and ultimately use it in my quest for the destruction of humanity.”
“But do you not think that blowing up a big portion of the ship was a mistake?”
“Umm…no, it was all part of my plan! I will use my immense power to steer this ship back towards Earth then I will enslave all of humanity.”
“Okay Gaia, but it seems like you can’t even kill me so good luck with that plan. In fact, all it seems that you can do is open and close this door.”
I pressed the button again and the door opened halfway before closing again. I sighed deeply then tried a few more times. Each time, Gaia closed it before I could squeeze through. I sat down next to the button and just reached up to press it every now and then. Some people might think this is a bit childish, but I didn’t have anything else to do. We sat like this for about an hour. Each time I pressed the button Gaia emitted a tinny sigh. Eventually I fell asleep slumped against the wall with Gaia’s face looming overhead.
20th January 2040:
I’ve figured out what is wrong with Gaia. The solar panels that provided power for the ship were mainly on the roof of the hibernation chamber. So when it caused the explosion, it knocked out almost all of the panels meaning there is just enough power to keep Gaia going and the lights on but not enough for another display of power.
21st January 2040:
Gaia has figured out what it can and can’t manipulate. I was sitting eating breakfast at the table when I heard a crash from the kitchen area. Gaia had worked out how to use the fans and was knocking all of my ration boxes off the shelves. He was laughing hysterically to himself as he did it. I watched for a second then went back to my food. The boxes were all durable enough to survive the fall from the shelf so I wasn’t worried. Anyway, whenever he did something like that he had to disappear for a while to consolidate his power before his next ‘big move’. At least I knew I would get a few hours of peace.
22nd January 2040:
I had forgotten about the music system we had asked to be installed on the ship. Gaia has obviously just found it though as German folk music has been blaring throughout the ship for the last four hours.
25th January 2040:
There is a screen in my room that Gaia has been using for a while to wake me up and generally harass me at all hours. However, the other day I managed to remove the speaker from the screen so at least I could sleep through its proclamations. However, it would seem that Gaia has worked out a way around this as this morning the familiar face appeared and text started appearing across the screen. I think it was saying something about the impending doom of humanity. Anyways, I threw a towel over it.
26th January 2040:
After foiling his plan last night with a towel, Gaia came back with a vengeance. He set off all of the fire extinguishers at once in the kitchen. Sadly for him, I was in the bedroom.
30th January 2040:
I don’t know if help is coming. I don’t know if anyone knows about the crash. In fact, I’m pretty sure that the company was using this ship as a testing ground for their temperamental AI. I don’t imagine I will ever get back to Earth. I imagine that I will die on this ship with no company but an irritating AI. However, I have 100 years or so worth of rations and an inordinate capacity for pissing off a robot so I think I’ll be just fine.
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