Mars Awakening - Chapter 10

Please find below Chapter 10 of the book: Mars Awakening. If you are just starting Mars Awakening, then here is the link to Chapter 1

CHAPTER 10

Chase had the attention of everyone in the room; he had just made a leap in his understanding.

“I think we have two options. The first, we are meant to stay here with the AI controlling all the outside systems. The second, that given this is a TronTV show, there are problems for us to work out. Directly outside that hatch could be more info, maybe there is some equipment we can control. Our mission, as we learned, is to colonise Mars, and that is hard to do from inside here. But possibly, there is more equipment outside and, currently, we have no access.

“TronTV has set up a big puzzle or a computer game. For us to proceed, we need to master the current skills to pass the level. We need to gain valuable knowledge and the necessary equipment that will further assist us in our quest. A twisted joke if you ask me. I don’t know who would think of something so childish but also so grand,” he growled.

“The one major positive is we’re locked in here, and that makes it much harder for us to die. In the comfort of our train, we get to make mistakes. LJ and I have started reviewing the code for the train’s internal systems, and my first impressions are that they are extremely well-written. If we adopt a higher perspective than our current situation, I think we can make some assumptions. The AI is a high-end artificial intelligence. If its sole purpose is only to look after us, then it would be a giant waste of its capability.

“Now we cannot currently see, but outside this train, there must be some assets, assets the AI is currently operating. Or they’re just sitting there, awaiting our intervention. The tunnel drilling equipment is a good example. Where is the equipment used to drill the original tunnel? It must be out there somewhere. It would be a large waste of its capability if it’s just sitting idle. So, the first question we need to work out is, how do we get outside?”

“Maybe it isn’t us who should go outside,” Fara chipped in. “Maybe a better question is what we can put outside. Something that can move, something that has a camera, something that can withstand the conditions outside. That vehicle we built would be perfect. It can survive in the Martian atmosphere. It also doesn’t appear as if it’s for a human passenger, although it seems to be lacking a controller. Maybe we need to build a controller to control the vehicle outside for us.”

“But how do we get it outside?” Joanna asked. “It’s far too big, and we can’t even get it to move.”

Everyone just looked around. But Chase felt excited, feeling as if they had made small progress in understanding how the train was to operate.

“All right, everyone. Spend some time looking through the onboard equipment. Work out what we can put through that portal. Come back tomorrow with as many options as possible. I am going to spend my day moving from module to module, discovering everything possible. So, everyone is going to need to walk me through each module.”

Chase wanted to move on and finish the meeting so they could get on with theirs tasks, yet he knew he should be thorough. “Adrian, before we move too far forward, you mentioned something about water.”

Adrian looked a bit shocked that the meeting had returned its focus on him. “Yes, I did mention water. I was looking through the seed bank, and I noticed some biological content, for example frozen fish eggs. I couldn’t imagine why they were here, but then I had an idea. I looked through module 25, and it has a raised lip, about thirty centimetres. I thought maybe if we could fill that with twenty-five centimetres of water, we could then somehow thaw those fish eggs and, if everything goes well, we could have a small fish source.

“As I looked through module 25, I realised the structure sitting against the far wall was actually blocking the walkway. I called a few people to help me move it, and with quite a lot of effort, we were able to place it into slots on either side of the walkway. This created an empty pool the length of the module, one-and-a-half meters wide and half a meter deep. I couldn’t do the math, but apparently, it will hold four and half thousand litres of water. If we choose to fill the pool, it will require a substantial amount of water. I haven’t filled it yet, but my guess, given everything we have seen so far, is that this water will be most incredibly available. There is a tap in the garden module, and water seems as if it is town’s water.

Chase was surprised. “You’re suggesting that somewhere there’s a four-point-five-meter cube of water, and you think it pipes into module 25? That if we fill this pool with water, we could create a fish source. Honestly, it would be amazing. It would give us a constant source of protein. But don’t just go and fill up that pool. You may use all our water at once. Could you try and start it on a much smaller scale? Like one of those thirty-centimetre tubs? I suspect you’re going to need some help. Is anyone here skilled at biology? No? Well, I guess I could take a crash course, if September has some information. Also, I think we may need your help, Amanda. To get the chemistry right.”

Chase asked September, “Do you have information on how to take the frozen fish eggs and thaw them to viable eggs?”

“I added information to the directory.”

Kaya asked her, “September may I also ask a question? Chase is the commander and as such he needs to discover information. If we choose, could we change who is the commander and therefore who needs to discover the information?”

September answered, “That is not possible. Mission Control designated Commander Chase the commander. Unless I have a direct notification from Mission Control, then Chase will remain the commander. The only alternative is if Commander Chase dies and second in charge Lieutenant Janette Hawkins would then be commander.”

Kaya said, “Well I guess that makes any future vote for commander out of the question.”

Chase spent the day going from module 1 to module 25, asking September perhaps a thousand questions, hoping to discover some critical information. To say his brief induction was lacking was an understatement. They collectively learned quite a lot as he progressed through the different modules. The first discovery was when they asked for user manuals. Once Chase knew that something existed, he could ask for its manual. These suddenly appeared in the database, although as usual with September, these were always level one manuals, and you had to keep digging for information.

They probably learned more through this process then they had since awakening. Chase tried to flick through the manuals as they progressed through the modules, although even with his memory he was struggling; there was just so much to take in. Chase also found the process frustrating, knowing the information was available but not accessible.

Among the ideas presented for putting something through the portal, the best was to build a miniature version of the Rover ZX01. A smaller version, one that would fit through the portal, one that would allow them to see what existed outside the train. To this end, the crew went looking for parts, but they unfortunately came back empty-handed. A small breakthrough occurred, thanks to a seemingly simple question asked in module 6. In module 6 was the 3D printing equipment and the different raw materials.

The raw materials were all in thinly wound bundles or as boxed up metallic powders. Plus, there wasn’t just a plastics printer but also an arc metal 3D printer, as well. The plastics printer had a footprint of two meters by one-and-a-half meters, and it sat atop a bench. The arc metal printer was much larger; it covered the floor up to the ceiling, three meters long and one and a half wide. It had multiple printing chambers, one meter long each. The chambers could interlink, and the largest item you could print was three meters by one-and-a-half meters. Each chamber also could hold different metals. There also appeared to be a plastic extruder type unit, a material shredder, a metal casting unit, and a metal laser cutter. Chase could spend a week with those printers. They presented numerous possibilities.

Chase asked September question after question. None of the equipment had a brand, but it all appeared to be of the highest quality.

Chase asked September, “What are these printers for?”

“Printing 3D objects.”

“Can you give us designs we can print?”

September answered a question with a question, “What would you like to print?”

Chase was quick to respond, “How about the Rover unit?”

“The designs for the ZX01 Rover unit are now in the directory although I note that these printers are too small to print a vehicle of that size.”

“How about a smaller version, small enough to go through the portal?”

“Those designs for the ZX01a are now available to you in the directory.”

Chase wasn’t the only one who was surprised. They put the plan up on the screen. It was a complete plan, detailing every component and sequence. It had details about the required materials. It listed every single component and showed how to assemble them. When it came to providing information, September was sparse, but with this unit, she offered full information. September, it appeared, had been waiting to give them these designs, the first one that seemed to have the full details.

Their hunch had been correct: The AI wanted them to get outside the portal. Chase asked for any more available information and was even more surprised to receive a full working 3D model of the ZX01a vehicle. It was a computer simulation of the rover; the type you would create if you were designing the equipment. They could look at each component through the model and see how to assemble it. It even contained maintenance information for different parts.

To print the ZX01a Rover would require both types of printers as well as the extruder. The arc metal printer was top-of-the-line, and none of the crew had ever seen anything as advanced. It could print solid metal components and was even capable of printing alloys.

Chase asked the AI, “September, is there a start-up sequence for the printers? For shutting down, maintenance, cleaning? Also, do you have 3D models for the printers?”

September’s mellifluous voice said, “These manuals and the models are now in the directory.

Jacky, a serious man with an industrial background, who so far hadn’t said much, grew excited as he looked over the equipment. He asked, “Do you think this tech is advanced enough to print a copy of itself? If we could print a copy, then we can make pretty much anything we need. The printers were large units, but maybe we can print an even bigger unit.”

He turned to September, “Can this unit print a copy?”

“No, the printers cannot print a full copy of themselves.”

Jacky queried further, “How about including the laser cutter?”

September answered, “The units combined within this module can create all the individual pieces. They only need the adequate raw materials and assembly.”

“Can we have those plans?”

True to her habit, she said, “They are now in the directory.”

“How do we get more raw materials?”

Here Jacky bumped into a wall. September said, “That is restricted information.”

Chase took over the questioning. “Are there enough raw materials to create a copy of all the printers and laser cutters?”

September hedged a little. “Please be more specific.”

“Okay, do we have enough raw materials to create a copy of all the printers and laser cutters?”

September wasn’t letting go easily. “Please be more specific.”

Chase was up to the challenge. “Okay, do we have enough raw materials to create a copy of all printers and laser cutters within the train?”

He finally cornered the AI. “No. Please see a list of raw materials and quantities required versus quantities at hand.”

“September, how long does it take to print all the components?”

“If the printers run for twenty-four hours per day, then the minimum time to print every individual component would be one week. The minimum construction time for a skilled team is a further eleven days. For an unskilled group, the time for construction is six weeks to six months. Therefore, it is possible to replicate this equipment within eighteen days.

“Now we’re getting somewhere. Could you please estimate how long it would take this crew to assemble?”

“If all the crew members are involved, then the time to assemble your first printer is estimated to be twenty-one days.”

As they finished their day, sitting in the command module, Jacky and Pascal were discussing what they could print.

Chase cut in. “I know it isn’t the morning meeting yet, but I wanted to give you an idea to mull over. There’s a famous legend about the origin of chess that goes like this: When the inventor of the game showed it to the emperor of India, the emperor was so impressed by the new game, that he said to the man, “Name your reward!”

And the man responded, “Oh Emperor, my wishes are simple. I only wish for this. Give me one grain of rice for the first square of the chessboard, two grains for the next square, four for the next, eight for the next and so on for all 64 squares, with each square having double the number of grains as the square before.”

The emperor agreed, amazed the man had asked for such a small reward—or so he thought. After a week, his treasurer came back and informed him that the reward would add up to an astronomical sum, far greater than all the rice they could conceivably produce in many centuries.

“After sixty-four squares, there are nine by ten to the power of eighteen grains of rice. We have awakened here, and now, we have our first grain of rice. If we can double our printer and make others within a year, within sixty-four years, we will have many times more manufacturing capability as Earth. What seems impossible now may not be in the future. We need to work out how to replicate those printers, and we will need to get to work on that as quickly as possible. We will also need to find adequate resources to keep up.”

Jacky said, “But we can’t possibly run those printers twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, especially as we build more and more.” Chase sat back with a thoughtful expression. “Yes, you’re correct. But if I were a betting man, and I am a betting man, I reckon by the time we build five or six, we could automate it using the AI. That’s what they do, they learn. I imagine it would be far easier for September to learn to build a printer, again and again, than it is for it to learn to talk to us. Just keep it in mind and start understanding how they operate.”

Chase sat back and was starting to see the vision forming in his mind clearly; these modules provided endless possibilities. The hardest part was getting the modules to Mars, getting the equipment here, with a working artificial intelligence. He was sure that printing something without exact plans would take a significant amount of time, so they would need to follow the plans September exactly laid out. The 3D models and simulations were exactly what they needed to build the equipment. He loved those models, that was exactly how his mind processed when he thought about how the equipment operated. He thought about the resources and had a paradigm-shift moment, an idea so profound he could never return to his old ways of thinking.

He had a whole planet full of resources, and there were no restrictions on land purchases. Mars might be a barren wasteland, but it also contained everything required for an active planet, if a person was patient enough and able to shift their mind-set. It was a challenge beyond measure, a grand challenge, a challenge of the ages that, if accomplished, would always be memorable. He could change the fate of humanity.

But as his thoughts drifted this way, they also turned darker. No one gives without taking. What price would he need to pay? Why was he here? It didn’t make sense. As much as this was a good show on TronTV, its value as a military base would be tenfold, possibly even one hundred-fold. Knowing what he learned about the printer replication, if one country acted quickly enough, they could own Mars. There was no way the military was not involved. Could it be that they were hiding in plain sight? Maybe they were setting up a military base, disguised as TronTV’s show?

Thank you for taking the time to read Chapter 9, my aim is to keep posting one chapter per week. The full book can be purchased as an Ebook or paper back through Amazon: Link