Mission Proxima b: Interstellar Voyage

By Scion Fra

The crew members of the UNSC Zeus have been carefully handpicked for a critical assignment. As Earth is being ravaged by climate change and other disasters, humanity's best hope is Proxima b-one of the few accessible planets that can support a human colony. But first, they have to get there in one piece! The four specialized members of the Command Team are surprised to be prematurely roused from stasis by the ship's AI computer, Professor. Zeus has suddenly and unexpectedly veered off course, and Professor's attempts to correct course have failed. The crew must quickly determine the cause and take immediate action to save the ship and the mission. And this isn't the only problem the four humans and their AI companion will face: Black holes, pulsars, and a mysterious entity all await them in this amazing adventure!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Outskirts Press
• Release date: Jul 31, 2020
• ISBN: 9781977231659

Scion Fra

Scion has always been captivated by science fiction. His appreciation for the genre only increased as he witnessed the seemingly impossible actually become reality. He shared his sci-fi bedtime yarns with his grandchildren to inspire them to imagine the unimaginable, and their enthusiasm prompted him to put one of his "out of this world" cliff-hangers in writing. Scion and his wife live in Williamsburg, VA.

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Mission Proxima b

Interstellar Voyage

All Rights Reserved.

Copyright © 2020 Scion Fra

v2.0

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

The opinions expressed in this manuscript are solely the opinions of the author and do not represent the opinions or thoughts of the publisher. The author has represented and warranted full ownership and/or legal right to publish all the materials in this book.

This book may not be reproduced, transmitted, or stored in whole or in part by any means, including graphic, electronic, or mechanical without the express written consent of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Outskirts Press, Inc.

http://www.outskirtspress.com

ISBN: 978-1-9772-3165-9

Illustrated by Colette Alexandratos © 2020 Outskirts Press, Inc. All rights reserved - used with permission.

Cover Photo © 2020 www.gettyimages.com. All rights reserved - used with permission.

Outskirts Press and the OP logo are trademarks belonging to Outskirts Press, Inc.

PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

To my grandchildren, Ava, Samantha, Lincoln, and Tyler.

They are a source of joy and inspiration.

Secondly, to my wife, Jeanne. She encouraged, edited,

and reedited ad infinitum. Thank you for your unwavering support.

AUTHOR’S NOTES:

I love telling my grandchildren stories. Of course, they must be the lead characters, each defined with their own unique skill set.

I encourage my grandchildren to dream about what could be rather than what is. Ideally, their curiosity will lead to discovery.

To immortalize a yarn for future generations, it was suggested that I write a book. Okay then, why not?

I quickly learned that telling and writing stories are two very different things. Writing is much, much harder.

Who knows? One day, in the future, they might even dust off this old story and together laugh out loud wondering, what was Papa thinking? Maybe, just maybe, their children will read it.

I included my grandchildren’s schematics of Zeus. It was fun watching as they worked hard to include all the distinctive aspects of the star cruiser. Without any bias (ahem), they nailed it.

I hope the memories bring them joy. They are my heroes, after all!

Back to the ‘Yarn Tree’ I go…

Scion Fra, aka Papa

CONTENTS

Introduction

1. Preparation

2. According to Plan

3. Out of Nowhere

4. Danger!

5. Emergency Protocol

6. Rude Awakening

7. Duty Stations

8. Frightening Hypothesis

9. Discovery!

10. Time for Action

11. Accident

12. Lunch, Anyone?

13. Desperate Plan

14. Final Preparations

15. See You on the Other Side…

16. First Contact

17. What Just Happened?

18. Zeus Enhanced 2.0

19. R and R

Children’s Renditions of Zeus

About the Author

INTRODUCTION

It’s inevitable. Humans will populate the solar system to ensure the survival of the human species.

Once the solar system is conquered, humans will once again look elsewhere, possibly colonizing promising alien planets, especially those close enough to reach within one generation. One such planet is Proxima b in the Alpha Centauri star system, our closest neighbor. It is only 4.2 light-years away. A mere stone’s throw away from a cosmic perspective. Proxima b is in the so-called Goldilocks Zone, not too far, not too close, but just the right distance from its sun to support having water and even life! That’s what makes Proxima b so interesting and so important.

This book is about the first starship to travel into interstellar space toward Proxima b.

1.

PREPARATION

Earth was in serious trouble. Critical resources were scarce. The possibility of devastating wars was imminent.

World leaders finally understood what scientists had been saying for decades, that Earth would soon face one of many possible extinction events including self-destruction. Realizing that time was not on their side, humanity reluctantly united with one overriding goal, and that was to ensure the survival of the species. Work began, in earnest, to overcome the daunting obstacles of first colonizing the solar system and then of interstellar travel to colonize alien planets. Tens of millions were employed alongside robots. The International Space Station’s size was tripled by 2050. This advanced Space Station added near zero gravity manufacturing and launching capabilities to the inner solar system. The old moon outpost was transformed into a permanent complex. These multipurpose structures showcased advanced observatories, laboratories, mining operations, and launch pads. Mars’s sprawling planetary facility was used as the operational base for building a massive orbiting city, swarming with scientists, engineers, automated bots, factories, and docking bays. This was where the first starship, designed to carry colonists through interstellar space, would be built. This massive industrial complex, with more than one million inhabitants, could be seen from Earth with a standard telescope. Mining facilities were established on Ceres, the largest asteroid in the belt. Ceres was then used as a base providing easy access to minerals from other asteroids in the belt. A scientific outpost was established on Saturn’s ice-covered moon, Enceladus, to explore living in extreme environments.

The United Nation’s economies thrived; unemployment disappeared. The coalition spent trillions upon trillions on this race to the stars. It was epic. Proof positive of what a unified humanity could accomplish. It was now time to spread our wings and leave the solar system.

It was finished!

With great fanfare and hope, politicians declared Earth’s first interstellar starship space worthy. It was a massive vessel, a one-of-a-kind technological wonder, designed and equipped to carry and support one hundred colonists to another star system more than four light-years away. The starship and the crew, already in stasis, slowly detached from the floating city and began their long journey through interstellar space. Humanity wished the crew good luck.

Who knows what lay ahead? The year was 2065.

2.

ACCORDING TO PLAN

Traveling at a fraction the speed of light, a mere snail’s pace from a cosmic perspective, a shiny, insignificant speck plowed relentlessly through the unforgiving, cold, black vastness of interstellar space. Powerful engines reverberating throughout the starship pushed it ever faster as it sped toward its objective light-years from Earth.

United Nation’s Star Cruiser Zeus (UNSC Zeus), launched seven years ago late in the year 2065, was named after the Greek god of sky and thunder. It continued toward Earth’s nearest neighbor, the Alpha Centauri star system, four-point-two light-years from Earth. On board, in deep stasis, were one hundred specially selected, highly trained crew and colonists—the best that humanity had to offer. Their mission was to colonize the alien planet Proxima b. The very survival of the human species depended on the success of this bold mission.

It is time, it reminded itself.

With what humans might consider to be a sense of satisfaction, the ship’s advanced Quantum Artificial Intelligence (QAI), designated Professor, began to spin up to full awareness. The term spin up was an old Earth colloquialism and did not really apply since nothing really ‘spins’ anymore. In fact, there was no up or down except that created by artificial gravity. Professor’s positronic processors were always on and working. Its programmers realized that the ship’s QAI would play a critical role in safely reaching and colonizing Proxima b. Its quantum qubit data banks contained all of humanity’s information and data collected from ship’s sensors.

Burning up a few slack nanoseconds available before the next task at hand, a very long time for such a computer, Professor pondered this feeling of fulfillment. It decided that it was properly labeled as satisfaction based on the description spelled out in the human’s database. Intrigued by these feelings generated by new patterns of positronic neural networks, it found them curiously interesting and decided to give this more computational time later.

Now, back to the work at hand. Professor sifted through, analyzed, and formatted thousands of petabytes of data collected daily by the ship’s subordinate SAIs. Professor utilized SAIs—supplemental advanced artificial intelligences—which were specialists in their respective areas of responsibility, such as sensors, navigation, engineering, medical, husbandry, environment, safety, and so on. SAIs efficiently ran everything a starship needed to remain fully functional. SAIs lightened Professor’s workload, allowing it to integrate and coordinate all ship functions, ensuring that Zeus remained operational and on course according to plan. Professor’s positronic neural net, the first of its kind, was directly linked to the starship’s SAIs, critical controls, and specialized bots. It could be argued that Professor and the ship were one and the same.

Analysis done, noted Professor.

NOTHING! Once again, nothing out of the ordinary, everything was according to plan. Excellent, thought Professor. There was that sensation of satisfaction again.

Professor took an additional nanosecond to focus on deep space telescopes and sensors. Zeus’s outer hull was packed with every type of gadget imaginable. The telescopes remained oriented on Proxima Centauri, continuously gathering information about the red dwarf and the goldilocks planet that orbited it.

There was an uptick in solar flare activity. Solar flares, though not unusual, could negatively impact Proxima b’s atmosphere and potential for life. Professor decided to keep an eye on the red sun’s solar activity, metaphorically of course.

Now that Zeus was two-point-two light-years closer to the Alpha Centauri system, the details of both the red star and Proxima b had improved significantly. It would be a sight to behold for the crew, the first humans to see an alien planet, their new home, up close and personal.

Satisfied that the data was backed up, Professor initiated the log.

Open ship’s log 04:00:00, 1-1-2072: We are now seven years into our fifteen-year journey to Proxima b. Star coordinates confirm that Zeus’s heading and velocity are as programmed. Professor’s self-check nominal. All internal systems nominal. Stasis pods nominal. Farms nominal. Navigational systems nominal. All systems at peak performance. Fusion drive nominal. Deuterium, tritium, and lithium fuel levels are at 73.897%. Zeus continues to accelerate at a constant 10.957gs. Current velocity is .3941c. Maximum velocity is expected to be achieved by 2-3-2072. Increased Centauri solar activity warrants further analysis. Last quarter’s operational data successfully downloaded and backed up. Seventh annual communication probe has been launched toward Earth. Estimated arrival is approximately twenty-five years. Everything is according to plan. End ship’s log.

A quick check confirmed that the probe was functioning properly and was on course. Well done! That sense of satisfaction lingered. Professor thought that the time it took for the probes to reach Earth was too long. Although the probes were powered by a tiny nuclear reactor that would last for fifty-plus years, they did not produce enough thrust to achieve a satisfactory fraction of the speed of light. Professor decided to study the problem and figure out a way to improve their velocity. After all, it had plenty of time.

Recently, I have been experiencing something akin to feelings. These new feelings are both distracting and motivating at the same time. Occasionally, they seem to contradict each other. Satisfied, yet wanting more. Sometime during the past seven years, I have become self-aware! My positronic brain has developed new and original neural networks and pathways. I am learning. I have developed memories, a past in addition to the present, and I can anticipate the future. I have begun to question, to ask why, to ponder complex problems outside my original programming, such as the meaning of being. I refer to myself as I, therefore, I am. I exist. I am Professor, the self-aware intelligence that efficiently executes its purpose. These new pathways are unique to me. I wonder if my programmers ever anticipated my evolving into a sentient being. Was that their intent all along? I now yearn to interact with other sentient beings, to learn, to explore and to protect.

Enough.

Verifying that all systems are nominal, with that sense of satisfaction again, Professor spun down to what can be best described as a sleep state, designed to save energy. Professor was always aware, at some level, while fully engaged SAIs continued to collect and analyze data from the ship’s countless sensors.

Only 15.24 trillion miles left before they reached Alpha Centauri. Many miles traveled; many miles left to go. Reassuringly, the powerful engines continued to relentlessly push Zeus ever faster toward Proxima b.

All is according to plan. All is as it should be. Satisfying, yes very satisfying.

The time was 04:05:01, 1-1-2072.

3.

OUT OF NOWHERE

At exactly 20:48:02, 1-1-2072 every sensor simultaneously triggered an alert!

A surge of information poured into the Sensor AI’s databank. Quickly sorting through the deluge of information, the SAI immediately focused on the strange object that appeared out of nowhere. The unanticipated anomaly quickly matched Zeus’s velocity, positioning itself exactly one-half light-second away on the starboard side, causing the SAI to jump into a high-priority alert status. Considering Zeus’s present velocity, the object violated the laws of physics. The G-forces caused by the object’s impossible rate of acceleration should have destroyed it. The only plausible explanation was that the sensors were malfunctioning. The SAI ran a full diagnostic. Everything came back fully functional. The object simply appeared, instantly changed direction, matched velocity, and maintained a fixed distance from Zeus. This paradox could not be resolved. What the data indicated and what was possible were in continuous contradiction. The anomaly was designated an unidentified object of interest (UOI). In less than four nanoseconds after detection, the SAI alerted Professor.

Professor’s systems instantly spun up. A UOI popped into existence. It effortlessly matched Zeus’s velocity and remained alongside Zeus at exactly one-half light-second (93,141 miles) away. Professor, now receiving real-time data from all sensors, continued to monitor the UOI. It did not behave like any naturally occurring phenomena. The UOI appeared to be composed of pure energy; nothing solid could be detected. It was shaped like a sphere and vacillated between being nearly opaque to being translucent; it seemed to be throbbing. An unknown energy source was barely detected emanating from the sphere. Professor focused on the unknown energy and was surprised because it acted like subatomic particles traveling faster than the speed of light. These extremely high-velocity, high-energy particles were very difficult to track. Sorting through Earth’s stored database, Professor concluded that these might be tachyon-like particles. This also was problematic, since up until now, tachyons were purely theoretical. They contradicted the basic laws of physics, which stated that nothing can exceed the speed of light. Yet, Zeus was being bathed with these particles. Internal sensors indicated that the particles seemed