Is Anybody alive down There?

By Hernan Tejeda Barriga

One day, a group of rebels hijacked a huge spaceship to escape tyranny on Earth and sought refuge on a distant exoplanet nine light years away. They left behind a world ravaged by pandemics, reduced to just a third of its original population, and consumed by chaos and anarchy. Pursued by an Earth warship, the rebels changed course toward a nearby colony that they believed would provide them with a safe haven. However, this colony harbored nightmares that were almost impossible to escape.

Despite these challenges, an alien from the Andromeda Galaxy came to their aid and helped save many rebels. After a mega earthquake, not everyone could be saved, leaving many trapped forever under the rubble of the colony building.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Hernan Tejeda Barriga
• Release date: Apr 10, 2024
• ISBN: 9798224326167

Book preview

Is Anybody alive down There?

Hernan Tejeda Barriga

Published by Hernan Tejeda Barriga, 2024.

This is a work of fiction. Similarities to real people, places, or events are entirely coincidental.

IS ANYBODY ALIVE DOWN THERE?

First edition. April 10, 2024.

Copyright © 2024 Hernan Tejeda Barriga.

ISBN: 979-8224326167

Written by Hernan Tejeda Barriga.

They had fled from chaos on Earth and reached a colony with impending disasters of massive earthquakes and stalking predators.

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A novel

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HERNAN TEJEDA B

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, countries, and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or are used completely fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, places, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Contents

Contents

1 In the beginning there was nothing.

2 The death of an infiltrator.

3 An assembly of the Global Administration.

4 Charlie´s wife death and Susan killing her brother.

5 Carol and the torture chambers. A gateway to hell.

6 Prometheus´s Ghost; a deadly computer´s virus.

7 Einstein’s lethal virus. Everything going to hell.

8 Robert’s claustrophobia; the damaged nuclear reactor.

9 Another assembly of the Global Administration

10 A secret meeting to crush Lucifer.

11 Prometheus´s destruction.

12 Killing a prisoner. Paul impending death.

13 Attacking the invading soldiers. Retaliation.

14 The destruction of the Global Administration.

15 Andromeda Galaxy Alien.

16 An alien´s history. The infinite future.

17 The incoming threat.

18 A trip to Earth of an Alien. President´s wife murdered.

19 Calling the world to fight for peace; attack on president.

20 What healthy coexistence are you talking about?

21 The President met the Silent Voyager´s crew.

22 Exploring the colony. A dangerous world

25 First contact with the colony.

26 Nightmares path: giant predators and earthquakes.

27 Getting rid of the soldiers.

28 A way out of mutiny against sergeant Houston.

29 The Sergeant recovers his control.

30 Rescuing Helen from hell. The dungeons.

31 Helen’s trial. Getting her back from madness.

32 The coming threat. The soldier’s departure.

33 Charlie’ death. No grave for him.

34 John runs away. Earthquakes gets worse.

35 Dire predictions; A major earthquake; predators here.

36 The big earthquake arrives; a nightmare evacuation.

37 A fatal error of Max. The wrong future for them all.

38 Epilogue. The universe swallowed them.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

To Soledad Cristi, Fernanda Bastias, Felipe Vitalic and to the many writers that guided me in the hard path to create my first book.

Among them James Bell, Ged Cusack, Paul Gutierrez, Ben Nova and many others.

But what started me on the road to write Science Fiction were Isaac Asimov and Arthur C. Clarke.

And to you also, if you read this book.

1  In the beginning there was nothing.

This place in the cosmos has been empty and isolated for billions of years. The only visible objects were the far-off stars, which could have already ceased to exist. Because their light has taken so long to reach this spot, they may have turned into debris and darkness by now.

Ultimately, that was also the final destiny of the universe. Darkness, where all movement will cease. A vast, cold, and barren place with no life anywhere.

The second law of thermodynamics implies that the universe will inevitably lapse into a heat death, in which everything, everywhere, will be exactly at the same temperature, near absolute zero, and nothing will ever happen again. When the universe reaches such a state of maximum entropy, all parts will enter a thermal equilibrium at a uniform temperature. Then, no thermodynamic free energy will sustain motion or life for all eternity.

One day, from the far reaches of the cosmos, a huge ship began to approach. It didn’t belong to this place, where nothing had happened for thousands of millions of years.

The ship was silent and pitch dark, with no indication of any living beings on board. It felt like an empty shell with no direction or future.

If someone could read into the future here, he would find that this ship was doomed because the guy in charge of entering in the computer the coordinates of its final destination made a fatal mistake by placing it 15 light years from their current position instead of 8, where the planet they were going to was located, so at their speed of 0.5 the speed of light, it would take them 30 years to get there, which would probably kill many of the travelers since that time in the cryogenic chambers was beyond the limits of human endurance.

Those who survived after thirty years and woke up in that distant future would find themselves in the middle of nowhere, in the vast interstellar void with the nearest planets far away.

Given this reality, would they be able to find a habitable planet within a reachable distance amid the desolation in which they will find themselves? Half joking, half serious, the reply of the captain of this spaceship, a fairly self-confident guy, surely would be: of course, I have no doubt about that.

What chances of survival would these people have? Almost none.

But almost none is different from none. That slight difference would open a future for those who survive, among which will surely be those with an indomitable spirit. There were many of them on this spaceship.

Inside this shell, the corridors and rooms of this ship were almost in darkness. All was quiet here except for the soft drone of the distant engines.

Seventy-five people traveled on this ship, of which only five were not in the cryogenic chambers. All of them were now asleep.

Since all these five travelers seemed to be sleeping peacefully, it could be thought they were individuals without a history of troubles and nightmares. Nothing was further from the truth. All of them had a past that haunted them. Some could only forget while in their sleep. But the memories did not let them be at peace during the day. They had the illusion that the further they were from Earth, the easier they could forget. But that was not happening.

Only one person wasn't sleeping now: Carol, the psychiatrist. Lately, she had had a hard time sleeping when she remembered her painful past. She couldn't help but recall her bitter past experiences. She tried to give herself some strength by reflecting on what should be the most positive attitude for her to cope with her past. She wrote in her notebook the following:

The problem is that we give memories a power they don't have: the power to direct our lives. It is essential to be clear that bad memories and adverse experiences are part of existence, just like positive things. Wanting to erase those chapters of yesterday forever means trying to get rid of those pieces that are part of each person. The key is learning how to live with them without excessive pain and without affecting the ability to be happy again. The past does not have to determine the present; ultimately, everyone has the responsibility to decide what type of present they want to build. It is crucial to be aware that the past cannot be changed, but the present and the future can. So, the best thing is to live in the present, accepting the past and preparing a future free of distress and guilt so that it is easier to enjoy each present moment. You won't be able to erase your bad memories, but it is possible to control their effect on you so that you don't suffer each time they come back to your mind.

These reflections helped her sleep. Calmer, she turned off the light, and after a while, she fell asleep.

The ship’s computer kept the spaces to a minimum for a person’s survival: dark, cold, and with low oxygen levels. The crew had to inform the central computer fifteen minutes before going to a specific area so that it could prepare the entire route for the person. But in any case, the computer only improved the conditions of the path only a little above the subsistence level. The rule was to minimize the use of available resources.

The computer kept only the bedrooms, dining room, living room, and central command center in pleasant condition. Even in these spaces, the oxygen supply was reduced at night, and the lights were turned off. As the crew knew about this, if they wanted to eat something in the dining room during the night, there was a device on the bedside table to tell the computer that they were going there.

Suddenly, someone’s footsteps were heard approaching the crew’s quarters. Whoever it was walked stealthily as if fearing running into someone here.

Around a corner, a dark shadow appeared, wandering the ship in the silence of the night. It was a woman who seemed sick because she limped, and to avoid losing her balance, she had to hold on to the walls. She was clearly suffering because of the pain that showed on her face.

On more than one occasion, she stumbled and fell abruptly to the ground, making it difficult to get back on her feet. She had her clothes messy and dirty, but she didn’t notice.

She looked like she was looking for someone because she put her ear to listen at the door of each room.

The loneliness in this huge ship seemed not to bother her. She slept during the day and only wandered at night for fear of meeting a staff member. Max, the man who cared for her briefly, slept behind one of these doors.

During one of her stumbles, she accidentally dropped the gun she was carrying. She froze for fear that someone had heard the noise. She picked up the gun after a few minutes.

She stayed there long, looking at the crew doors without deciding what to do. She longed to meet her friend Max, who was behind one of those doors, but feared his anger if they were found out. A surveillance camera was in front of her, and surely her presence had been detected by now. It was too high up to cover with a cloth.

She was here to kill that bloody John, the ship's captain, who had threatened his beloved Max with his gun several times. If she didn’t do something soon, he could kill Max any day, and without him, she would be lost on this ship where she was a stranger. Max had told her which was John's bedroom, and when she got there, she opened the door quietly. The bastard was sleeping and snoring. She approached his bed, wondering what to do. Many doubts filled her mind at this moment. What would happen if those who slept nearby heard the shot? Finally, she decided to use a knife to stab the son of a bitch. Unfortunately, she hit a chair near the bed. Immediately, John woke up, pulled his gun under his pillow, and pointed it at her. He could barely make out who was there in the darkness of his room, but it seemed to be a woman with a knife in her hand. Still pointing at her, he searched for the switch to turn on the lights in his room. At that moment, the lights in the corridor came on, and she could see John pointing his gun at her. Scared to death, she immediately fled from there on the run, screaming in panic. John ran out into the hallway and chased after her for a while, pointing his gun at her. If he shot her, his companions would surely accuse him of murder, and, to make matters worse, he would have shot her in the back, and he would have no way of proving to them that she had entered his room to stab him. Finally, he decided to do nothing, and a while later, he returned to his room and locked it.

Before going back to sleep, he kept thinking about whom this woman might be and why she had tried to kill him. She couldn't be any of the two women outside the cryogenic chambers. He fully trusted them. To avoid turning the matter around all night, he decided to go and ask Einstein, the ship's computer, some questions.

Einstein, there are 70 cryogenic chambers occupied. Have any of them been vacated recently?

No John, they're all still there.

There is a woman wandering this ship. Where did she come from?

I don't know, John. I also saw her on a surveillance camera and am puzzled. Also, if I'm not mistaken, in the images from the surveillance cameras, it seems to me that I have seen two different women, but I'm not sure.

Two women, you say? If so, we're screwed because now we have two problems.

John, don't worry, it's probably just one, and I made a mistake.

How did you know there were two of them, Einstein?

"Although their faces didn't look at the surveillance cameras, I could tell their clothes differed. One wore regular all-red earthling clothes, and the other wore completely white garments.

Einstein, did you get images of all eight hatches at all times?

Not John

What the fuck are you talking about?

Yesterday, around three in the morning, all the images from the surveillance cameras, including the eight hatches, were turned off for thirty minutes.

And how could that happen?

I don't know John?

That is to say, in that period of thirty minutes, anything could have happened without you noticing? Is that so?

That's right, John.

Einstein, of the 75 travelers on this ship, five are awake and 70 are in hibernation. According to you, all 70 are still there. So, I can't think of any explanation for what is happening.

Einstein, can you think of something to explain this?

Only two: 76 people entered this ship before takeoff instead of the 75 recorded, and this additional person never entered a cryogenic chamber.

And what is the second?

If the first is incorrect, the only other alternative is that someone entered from outside during the blackout of the surveillance cameras.

Did you go crazy, Einstein? That is impossible because for that, a terrestrial ship should have approached this one.

Did you spot any ships nearby, Einstein?

No, John. I didn't detect anything. But there is another possibility.

Which one is that? John asked, knowing the answer in advance.

That the person who entered is an alien from a highly advanced civilization that can handle the surveillance cameras without any problem.

What the fuck are you talking about, Einstein?

John, it's just a guess for you to consider. I think that nothing should be ruled out in the face of such strange events that are occurring on this ship.

At that moment, a chill ran through John's body.

Since John was the captain of this ship, it was important for him to make a decision very soon. What Einstein had just told him left him very worried. He, Max, and Charlie, all three well-armed, would have to thoroughly check this immense ship's spaces, which could take several days.

Then Einstein, without being asked, advanced some ideas that had been speculated on Earth about possible alien visits to the solar system by advanced alien races.

Harvard Physicist Abraham Loeb speculated 40 years ago about the possibility of big alien motherships coming to the solar system and sending small probes to collect information about Earth. It seemed ridiculous then, but it couldn't be ignored. When you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, maybe the truth. Therefore, we cannot rule out the idea of ​​the existence of extraterrestrial life, which, to make matters worse, already knows about Earth. We must thoroughly consider all plausible scenarios that may impact our existence, particularly the notion that we are subject to extraterrestrial scrutiny. What will happen if, as they say, advanced intelligent life in general has a tendency to destroy itself? Could they be looking for a planet to live on because they destroyed their home planet? If that is so, will they destroy us to have a place for them to live?

A shiver ran through John's spine upon hearing this.

"From what you said, Einstein, is it possible that someone could be boarding this ship and connecting with you to access the vast amounts of information stored in your memory banks about Earth, or us? Can it be that the large alien mothership you mentioned earlier has already arrived here, and we are the target for them to extract information stored within you? This strange woman who surreptitiously boarded our vessel may have possibly come via one of the probes you alluded to previously. But why do they need information from Earth? Do they want to know if Earth is vulnerable, so they can occupy it?

I don't know, John. What you mention is certainly possible, but we have no way of verifying it because I have not been able to detect anything.

Einstein, did you notice if anyone connected to you during the blackout period of the surveillance cameras?

I don't know John.

Why you don't know.

Because I don't have any records about it at the time of the blackout of the surveillance cameras.

John decided to go back to sleep because this long chatter with Einstein had not given him reliable information. After this conversation with Einstein, he was even more worried than before. He had no idea how to deal with this possible threat, and Max or Charlie probably couldn’t support him. He was alone for a change with this tremendous mess and didn't know how to do something about it.

The central computer of this ship controlled everything that happened on board. It detected this woman as an alien, a strange presence, and classified her as a threat. But strangely, for such a powerful computer, it took a long time to do something. If someone who knew about computers were here, surely, he would guess something was not working correctly in it and needed fixing.

The computer seemed puzzled to see someone wandering on the ship who didn’t belong there. The computer had in its memory the records of those who were awake and those in the hibernation chambers. Surely, the explanation was that someone from the cryogenic chambers had been awakened. But when it checked there, seemingly nothing had changed.

Finally, it decided to do something: first, send an alarm to the console that Charlie, a crew member, always carried with him, and second, turn on the lights in the area. The computer’s programming was designed to wake him up if an emergency occurred while everyone was asleep.

When the lights lit up, the woman was leaving and showed only her back to the surveillance cameras, so it was impossible to see her face.

The woman’s scream and the console alarm sound worsened the nightmares that, at that moment, were making Charlie’s sleep miserable.

Another night passed when he couldn't help but relive the painful memories of his past. He was overcome with guilt and regret for running away like a coward when he should have been present.

He heard a gentle knock on the door:

Charlie, are you okay?

It was sweet Carol, who was always looking for how to help everyone.

Don’t worry. It was only a nightmare, thank you.

Do you want to talk for a little bit? Charlie didn’t want to but finally opened his door. Carol came in and sat in a chair next to his bed.

Charlie, I’d like to do some psychotherapy sessions for you. Your nightmares are getting worse, and they will hurt you. Trust me. What you will tell me will be known only by me. If it helps you, do you want to have sex with me now? It will relax you, and I will try to transmit affection to you, which I know is what you need the most.

The suggestion took Charlie aback. He couldn't bring himself to take advantage of this kind-hearted woman. Everyone on the ship loved her and was saddened to see her face marred by what they assumed to be immense sorrow.

Thank you, Carol, but not now. You are a beautiful woman, but I can’t get my Maggie out of my head, who died because of me.

Okay, Charlie, I understand. I will leave you some pills to help you control the tension and sleep. Rest, Charlie. Goodnight.

Good night, Carol.

We were all here, fleeing from our past on Earth aboard this spaceship. The memories were too painful. We were looking for a new home where we could start again, far from a world that had lost its way, where the power of tyranny had taken over people’s lives, and distrust prevailed.

But also, Charlie, who was a very apprehensive man, sometimes wondered that the information on this exoplanet that the instruments of a few astronomers had obtained was not enough to know if the planet was habitable. But even this scenario was better than continuing to live on Earth.

Another sleepless night awaited Charlie in his room. Sleeping was difficult for Charlie. Three men and two women were not in the cryogenic chambers. He, John, Max, Susan, and Carol. He liked Susan. She was tall, thin, beautiful, and very playful. He had been attracted to her for a long time. But Susan looked at him only indifferently. Worse, almost with contempt.

Many times, she caught him looking at her and gave him a mocking smile as if to say:

You will never have me.

His surprise was enormous when one day she told him: Hey Charlie, how about you go to bed with me today?

Seriously, Susan, aren’t you kidding me?

Of course not, silly. At 11, when everyone is asleep, come to my room.

Fifteen minutes earlier, he was there. Susan stared at him as if she didn’t understand.

What do you want, Charlie?

Confused, Charlie stammered, I’m here to, to, you know what.

No, I don’t know, she said and laughed out loud.

Charlie stormed off, muttering, you bitch, the time will come when I’ll laugh at you more.

The anger that Susan, that fucker, had caused him two nights ago now less allowed him to sleep.

In the end, he got up, showered, and dressed. He went to the dining room, a somewhat ugly place, and drank two glasses of whiskey. He was already on his third but stopped because alcohol made him reckless. In addition, he was a moderate alcoholic, very close to dependency. He might go to Susan’s room and make her shit. It was like two in the morning, and he had five hours to do anything since his colleagues woke up at seven.

He stood up abruptly and began to wander the Silent Voyager. The corridors and rooms were almost dark, and the silence was oppressive, except for the distant hum of the engines.

In the silence of the night, Charlie could hear that something strange was happening because the sound of the nuclear reactor and the engines he was hearing now was not the normal one. It was undeniably erratic and unstable, something like a quivering. For greater security, Charlie went down to the deck where they were located and approached the rooms inside which they were. What he heard left him very uneasy. Something very bad was going on in there. These could be the most critical of all the failures that may happen on the Silent Voyager. In the event of a major nuclear reactor failure, the consequences would be catastrophic and irreversible. Any attempts to rectify the situation would be futile, rendering the outcome inevitable. Therefore, it is vital to ensure that all safety protocols and preventative measures are in place to avoid such a calamity.

He reached the central command room and sat before the countless displays and instruments. The place was imposing. Lights and signals were everywhere, all controlled by the Silent Voyager’s computer, Einstein, as they nicknamed it, the brain of this giant spaceship.

There was an enormous power here, capable of controlling everything that happened in the Silent Voyager, second by second, thousands of controllers, sensors, signals, and everything that happened on board. It even took care of the vital signs of the crew and warned them when something was wrong. Each carried a device that checked the body and transmitted this information to the central computer.

The first thing he did when he arrived there was to ask the computer why it had sent him an alarm that had woken him up. The following appeared on a screen: Possible human being wandering in the bedroom sector. At first, the lack of light made it impossible to distinguish its details. Later, when the lights came on, the person was already running and had his back to the surveillance camera. High probability of a female. Images are attached.

Charlie saw a woman’s back when the lights were turned on. The most worrying thing was that John’s bedroom door was open, and apparently, she was escaping from there. What could that woman have been doing in John's bedroom at this time of night?

Einstein, could you find something more about this woman?

Yes, Charlie. A loud noise was heard before turning on the lights, and it looked like an object had fallen to the ground. I am pretty sure that the object was a gun based on my observation of its infrared emission.

Einstein, show me the recording of that part.

Stop the recording where the supposed weapon appears and zoom in on it.

Charlie stared at the image for a while and was almost sure it was a gun. So apparently, the woman who had entered John’s room intended to shoot him. Why?

In addition, the woman shown on the surveillance camera was running, screaming, and tripping continuously, so it could be someone out of her mind.

There was no way to explain this presence on board. Maybe someone had come out of the cryogenic chambers without anyone knowing. He asked Einstein:

Einstein, can you check if all 70 chambers still have all their occupants?

I already did. Nothing has changed. They are all there, Charlie.

This woman wandering the ship at night must be investigated very soon as she may pose a threat. In addition, she is carrying a gun and can be a deranged murderer. He would ask John for a gun tomorrow for his peace of mind. He would recommend his mates keep their doors locked at night.

Right away, Charlie asked Einstein if there was a problem with the nuclear reactor or the engines. Just before receiving an answer, a signal appeared on a screen.

On a screen to his right, a red light began to flash. Charlie was so lost in his thoughts that paying attention to it took him a long time. But this light claimed his attention and aroused him with an acoustic alarm. Charlie immediately jumped to his feet with a start. On the run, he arrived in front of the screen with the alarm on it. When he saw the screen, he couldn’t believe what he saw. The signal was a warning of overheating of one of the engines, number two. The ship had five that worked in synchrony. A fault in one put the drive of the entire Silent Voyager at risk.

The more he looked at the signal, the less Charlie understood. A temperature rise was usually compensated for immediately by the central computer, either by increasing coolant flow or decreasing power. But that isn't happening now. An even more ominous warning appeared next to the sign. Warning, warning, cooler number 12 is not operating, possible risk of explosion in 20 minutes. The litany of the warning went on and on, increasing the alarm volume.

What’s up, Einstein? There was no answer.

Charlie repeated the question.

Einstein, what the fuck is going on.

A metallic voice not characteristic of Einstein told him, almost stuttering,

I don’t know, Charlie. I’m trying to solve the problem, but I can’t.

What are you saying, you piece of junk, that you can’t? And if you can’t, who can?

I don’t know, was Einstein’s answer.

Shit, Charlie thought, if Einstein breaks down now, we’re screwed.

What do you advise me to do, you piece of rubbish?

This insult did not affect Einstein. Since he was just a machine, was immune to that.

Charlie, if I were you, I’d go check out cooler 12.

You know, you leave me very worried because you don’t look like the one you used to be. Is there something wrong with you, Einstein?

I don’t understand what you mean, Charlie. Can you be more specific?

Something the matter, Einstein?

No, Charlie, everything is fine with me.

He ran out of the control room, stumbling several times from the lack of light. What the hell is going on here? Cooler 12 was four levels below him. He ran like a madman to reach there. When he got to the door that gave access to the cooler area, he clicked the access code, but nothing happened. It was stuck.

Shit, now what do I do? Charlie knew that an engine explosion here could set off a chain reaction and destroy the Silent Voyager. His mind was now racing like hell for a solution. On the portable screen that he always had with him, the metallic voice of the central computer could be heard repeatedly: Warning, warning, 11 minutes for engine two to explode and irreversible damage to the others. All people on board must abandon ship immediately, Warning, warning, ...

Shut up, you asshole, Charlie yelled at the console voice, but undeterred, it continued his monotonous litany.

At that moment, something strange happened. In the semi-darkness, Charlie felt a dark, menacing presence behind him. The hairs on his neck stood up, and panic gripped him. He didn’t dare look at what or who was behind him. He thought he heard something like a weeping, in which great sadness could be guessed. He wanted to run away but realized that that would be the end. He closed his eyes, and with a slit open, he saw a woman hand typing the access code. To his surprise, it gave way when he tried to open the door again. Before entering, he looked over his shoulder and thought he saw a shadow resembling a woman who disappeared in the corridor’s corner. He rushed in and frantically checked everything: valves, controllers, sensors of all kinds. Everything seemed fine, but engine two’s coolant return flow temperature was dangerously reaching 250 degrees.

With a flash of illumination, he checked the coolant flow controller valve to the engine. It can’t be, he exclaimed when he saw what he saw. The remote-controlled valve was closed at almost a quarter flow. Charlie couldn’t open it because it was remotely operated. But it was clear to him that since this pipe was so critical, the designers must have installed a bypass to drive the flow through a parallel branch if anything went wrong. This one had a manual valve that Charlie opened just as the central computer warned: Warning, Warning, three minutes to irreversible damage. All people on board must abandon ship immediately. With tremendous relief, Charlie anxiously watched the temperature gauge and saw that it began to drop: 220, 195, 170...

After this, Charlie sat on the floor to make sure everything was back to normal. He wrote in his notepad that he should change this remotely controlled valve and install a similar one in the bypass so that the central computer would activate it remotely if the main one failed.

They had left Earth four months ago, and this was the first serious emergency that Charlie had attended. In a few more weeks, the five crew members would have to enter the hibernation chambers or coffins since the trip ahead of them was very long, around 17 years, from the little they had told him, and it was better to spend it sleeping in the coffins. But Charlie knew immediately that that couldn’t be. What would have happened if this emergency had occurred while everyone was asleep? Now, they would all be dead, part of the interstellar dust. He had no choice but to start to check all the ship’s systems and see if they had redundancy, double, or triple in the most critical cases.

Tomorrow, I will speak with my colleagues to make a plan about it and see who has the technical capabilities to help him.

He blurted out the bad news while they were having breakfast the next day.

I have bad news, Charlie said, a little nervous.

Ahh, Charlie, as usual, has bad news, Susan commented wryly.

Damn bitch, Charlie thought.

And he waits until we’re having breakfast to release them. You like us to lose our appetite, don’t you, Charlie?

Why don’t you shut the fuck up, you who.... Charlie yelled at her.

Do you want me to finish the word you were going to throw at me? That was whore. Is it not true? You are quite contradictory when you give us lessons in morality and decency, and now you insult me ​​in this way, don’t you think, Charlie?

Charlie turned red as a tomato.

Please, Charlie, mind your manners, exclaimed John, our captain, and began to laugh out loud.

That was the boss. He makes a joke about everything. He said that life was too hard to complicate it further with nonsense. But Charlie believed that the reasons were different. The captain did not commit to anything; deep inside, he was just selfish.

But I haven’t said anything.

Please try to stay calm, and let’s have our breakfast in peace, said Carol, who hardly ever spoke.

Carol sometimes spent entire days when she didn’t open her mouth. She was a sad woman, but other than that, she was very kind and sweet.

Can I tell you what I was going to say to you? Charlie added with a bit of anger.

Not until you say you’re sorry for trying to call me a whore

The day of the fucking devil, I’m going to apologize. First, apologize to me for the little scene with you the other day at 11 at night.

Ahh, now we have the vengeful Charlie here, spreading doubt and discord over me. Poor little Charlie.

Why don’t you all go to hell, you motherfuckers? Max exploded angrily, yelling at them at the top of his lungs. And he stood up defiantly. Without waiting for an answer, he ran off.

Everyone was silent for a long time. The group was a little afraid of Max. He was almost two meters tall. His anger fits were tremendous, and he almost lost control in these moments. He would sometimes destroy what was before him without batting an eyelid. On more than one occasion, the captain pointed his gun at him, threatening to shoot him, and ordered him to stop. Max knew he would, and then he collapsed and looked like he had lost consciousness. After a while, he recovered and stood up as if nothing had happened, and afterward, he got lost for a long time on this massive ship. It has happened more than once. On those occasions at night, he did not sleep in his room and did not appear in the dining room. It was a mystery where he was staying during that time. When this happened, everyone slept with the bedroom door locked.

The group was convinced Max was a bit crazy, with manic-depressive and bipolar symptoms. He was sometimes very nice and, at other times, a lunatic. No one understood why the captain had admitted him to the group, maybe because he was gifted in computers, astrophysics, and other things.

After a long time, John asked.

What did you want to tell us, Charlie?

A little annoyed, Charlie looked at Susan, who was watching him, with a sarcastic smile and said:

We can’t enter the coffins yet.

What the hell are you talking about? John said.

What you’re listening to.

Why?

Charlie told them what had happened with cooler 12 and the puzzling reply from the computer. He added that the conditions were not yet given to leave the Silent Voyager absolutely in the hands of Einstein. Some improvements were urgently needed. He said he was lucky to have been right in the central command room when the engine two overheat alarm came up because it took rapid action to resolve the emergency. More than 20 minutes would have been fatal.

That is, the morons who designed this ship didn’t think about this. That’s what you’re telling me, Charlie?

John, you know how complex this spacecraft is and the fast-track construction schedule used.

Okay, then, what do you propose, Charlie?

Study all the critical systems of this spaceship and try to detect its possible weaknesses. We must generate double or even triple redundancies for all critical systems. Then make an urgent program of improvements. Also, make sure Einstein doesn’t get in trouble. I seem to have noticed in it a somewhat erratic performance in the last week. We cannot run the risk of a major failure, so I recommend doing a hard reset to it.

A hard reset. Have you gone crazy, Charlie? As long as the computer is offline, all systems on this ship will shut down. And what would happen if the computer does not work again after your famous hard reset?

It is a risk that we have to assume, which I consider very small. I estimate that the time that Einstein would be off will not exceed three minutes. For the hard reset, we must wait for Max to return, who is our computer expert.

And risk he makes shit of all us, John laughed.

"Okay, let’s hope Max comes back, if he comes back. Then, we will sit down to