<<Citizen#0021-48374639

Entry#10951

We drift as an ornament among the stars. This single vessel. Monumental in its construction, silent in its passage. An unknown pen to write the future of our race. We pray only that it writes true. We serve the Chosen Ones.

And though they live simply, with no understanding of their import nor the nature of our co-existence, all our hope rests on them.>>

The next morning Siff catches the transport to school and joins her excited classmates as they travel to the Needle. There are several checkpoints and with each stop the atmosphere in the twenty-seven teenagers becomes more electric. The Chosen Ones are unknowing celebrities to the crew of Janus, especially among the young. They all have their favorites and excitedly watch highlights every night. Getting to be in the mechanism that creates and sustains their heroes is a dream come true. A few will be brought into the Needle program, but for most this will be their only venture into this environment for the rest of their lives.

When the final checkpoint is passed the class pulls up to a large glass door in front of a massive white wall with polished steel highlights. They file out and line up in front of the waiting technician who is their tour-guide for the trip. She is a tall, elegant woman with a natural smile. She hands their teacher a package of passes and begins her pre-tour introduction, “Hello, class! My name is Ceres. Please put on and wear your passes at all times. We don’t want the Needle security protocols seeing you as a threat. Through this door is a world unlike any you’ve seen before. I know many of you believe the scenes you see on your displays at home give you an idea of what to expect, but reality is always much more powerful. I will be explaining the inner workings of the Needle, and answering any questions you may have as we tour inside.

“Now, does everyone have their passes on? Good. Please follow me.”

She takes a step back then turns around as the door opens for her. The group is buzzing with excitement as they follow into a large foyer with several security guards stationed about, “Our human security is only one stage of our protection protocols for the Chosen Ones. Our AI systems branch through every section and are programmed to respond to any and every threat with appropriate force. There are a multitude of automated defense procedures kept behind our walls and ceiling panels. You can rest assured that our mission and our hope are extremely well protected.”

The group is led straight through to another set of doors and then to a grav-rail transport, “We use grav-rails in the Needle as our primary means of traveling. The length of track make this necessary or it would take too much time to travel its considerable length. You will notice you feel no acceleration or deceleration as we travel; this allows for incredible speed without any harm or discomfort to our passengers. This grav-rail has been reserved for us and shall take us through to each of our stops on todays’ tour. We shall be visiting some exciting sites and watching our very best scientists at work.” The doors shut and they begin to move, “As you all know, the Needle is the center-point of our mission, and stretches 782 kilometers to the centre of the Chosen Ones’ environment, commonly known as the Tube. We, of course, prefer to refer to it as the Habitat. Within this vast structure we observe, study, and keep safe the Chosen Ones, and with them, the hope of our species. There are many scientists at work here: only the best from every school on Janus are accepted. Their studies include environmental sciences, psychology, biology, anthropology, sociology, physics, chemistry, botany and everything in between. We work on individual projects with an eye on the whole, knowing that it is not just one of us, but the whole team that will make this mission a success. Both the Needle and the Tube run on a separate AI system from the rest of Janus. So, while we are still on the same ship, every part of Janus’ AI is here dedicated to the wellbeing and success of the Chosen Ones. There is zero hardware connection between the two AI systems, and therefore no influence from the population not working in the Needle.

“Our first stop is the environmental science section. Please follow me.”

The grav-rail comes to a halt and the class files off to a viewing platform where they walk above and between many different environments set up as small scale experiments for different flora. There are scientists below, some outside and some inside the experiments, “In this area we study not just the environments the Chosen Ones currently live in, but also the evolutionary possibilities of what the environments could become. And through them, the possibilities for the evolutionary advancements and adaptations of the Chosen Ones. Right now their new home-world of Vesta is being terraformed, and our goal is to prepare them for the environments they will encounter when they arrive. We must also be aware that once we are gone, the evolutionary process will no longer be under our control. And so these scientists are studying as many alternatives as they can in order to give the Chosen Ones the best possible chance at success.

“Are there any questions?”

A few hands shoot up and the technician picks one, “Yes, you.”

“Why are there poisonous and deadly plants and environments when we want the Chosen Ones to survive?”

“Good question. We not only have deadly flora, but fauna as well. There are two main reasons for this. The first is that, as much as we want the Chosen Ones to survive, we cannot create an environment that does not prepare them for the universe they will one day inhabit. We are all aware of the dangers of the worlds we have inhabited, and if we did not prepare the Chosen Ones for such encounters their chance of survival as a group would diminish significantly. The second reason we have these environments is to keep the Chosen Ones from discovering the reality of their situation. If they were to know that they are in fact on a spaceship traveling through the stars it could jeopardize the entire mission. So the environments become more deadly the closer they get to entry points to the ship, preventing them from exploring and discovering us. That’s right, there are points where we can interact with their environment, but we use them extremely sparingly. Our goal is to be as separated from them as possible. In fact, there is only one entry point large enough for humans to pass through. It is primarily used for transporting large fauna into the Habitat, but very rarely there is occasion for a member of the crew to use it. This entry point is known as the Gate. And no,” she smiles, knowing what they are all thinking, “We will not be going there today.

“Now, if you’ll follow me.”

The group walks behind her along the gangplanks and corridors looking into room after room of fantastic and strange environments. Rich flowers, tundra, desert, and forest. Every possible scenery is stared at in awe by the class. Siff joins their wonder, dreaming of what it could be like to explore such beautiful and alien places. The bright colors and warm sunlight, the deep darkness of storms upon rocks in blackest jungles. Her imagination is sparked and she cannot wait to get home and draw some environments of her own, to dream of living there and choosing her own destiny while climbing mountains and exploring caves.

Their next stop on the grav-rail is the Department of Fauna. There are several excited murmurs when the students see autopsies being done on large mammal-like creatures they have not seen before, “Like the Environmental Science Department, the Department of Fauna is interested in studying the effects and affects of evolution in animal life within the Chosen Ones’ environment, as well as the possibilities of chaotic evolution as fauna respond to the changing environments on Vesta.

“You will no doubt be aware there are multitudes of animal and insect life, but I assure you our interests continue right down to the micro-biotic and atomic levels. In order to give the Chosen Ones the best possible chance, we strive to leave nothing outside of our research.”

The class walks through an otherworldly zoo, Siff gazing in wonder at the animals that have been created through advancing their evolutionary traits. Some are recognizable as descendants from horses or wolves or other such mammals: creatures that still exist within the Chosen Ones’ environment. But most of these animals are so far adapted that Siff cannot pinpoint what may have been their ancestors. Monstrous to benign, carnivorous to herbivorous, to…slime?…What does it do exactly? Oh crap that’s gross. Siff makes a mental note to draw some of these animals for her dreamworld later on. Minus the slime.

Their next stop is the psychological sciences department. Here there are not so many exciting things to look at, but Siff finds the lecture fascinating. A resident scientist shares his area of study, “Here we are trying to create the very best of the human race. Our original selection process for who would be chosen involved an overwhelming amount of study of the biological and psychological nature of humanity. Our final decisions were formed by utilizing an early version of Janus’ AI program. Those algorithms compiled our data to give us the biological and psychological markers for best success of the mission.

“Our duty now to the Chosen Ones is to present them with choices and challenges that will help develop their holistic survival. Seeing their development is truly inspiring, and I can honestly say we have very high hopes for the future of humanity.”

Siff raises her hand, and the scientist nods her way, “Is the AI ever wrong?”

“Don’t think of it in terms of right and wrong. Think of it more along the lines of greatest possibility of success. The goal is for the human race to succeed, and this project is the greatest possibility of success by a very large margin.”

“Is it possible there are people born on the ship now that would have qualified to be a Chosen One if they had been born all that time ago?”

“Young lady, that is a very interesting question. The rarity of the specific genomes and psychological makeup, however, makes me think it is not possible. Remember we found just enough for three small communities from searching the millions that remained of us, and we are now only a few hundred-thousand. Our humanity has evolved to be fundamentally flawed and therefore destructive; the chances are beyond miniscule.”

“What would happen if someone snuck in and joined them?”

“We very rarely make contact with them, and when we do, we do so as gods. We have worked very hard to create their reality. If someone were to break that protocol it would be disastrous and create an irreconcilable flaw in the Chosen Ones. They would be contaminated and the mission would fail.”

“So there’s no hope for us to make ourselves good for the universe?” Siff couldn’t keep the words inside her head, but immediately regretted speaking her mind.

“We are always improving for the purposes of the mission. Everything we do is for the Chosen Ones, because they are our hope. Be careful with that line of thinking, it can lead you to dangerous places.”

Suddenly aware of everyone’s stares, Siff closes her mouth and looks down, trying to shrink away from sight. One part of her knows she really shouldn’t have said that, but another part knows she doesn’t believe what the scientist is saying. There has to be hope for her. Deep down she doesn’t feel evil, after all.

The group files back onto the grav-rail, Siff receives a few ‘accidental’ bumps from her classmates as the technician announces they will be arriving at the final stop shortly: the observation decks.

It is a few minutes of watching blurred lights outside the window; Siff listens in silence to her classmates’ increasing excitement about where they are heading next. The observation decks. They are going to get to see them. As the grav-rail slows and the doors open, their teacher has to give an assertive cough to keep the students from sprinting out of the carriage. Their guide smiles and steps off, the excitement is palpable and the students are led to an entranceway. A man is standing there, waiting for them. An awed hush comes over them as they realize who it is: Pluto, The Caretaker.

“Good day to you all, and welcome to the observation decks. This is the very heart of what we do here, and the only reason any of us exists. I could not exaggerate the importance or significance of what you are about to see. I want to thank you all for your diligence and your commitment to our mission; without you we would have no hope at all.

“We have prepared lunch for you as you must be famished, but first I am sure you are dying to see first-hand what we are all living for. So let me introduce you…to the Chosen Ones.”

Pluto gestures and the walls and floor fade away to reveal transparent panelling, and the wonder of the Chosen Ones’ environment. There are gasps and awe-filled stares at the beauty all around them, “The Needle sits inside a giant tube that rotates to give the Chosen Ones a twenty-four hour day cycle. Their gravity is created by eight grav-modules on the outside of their environment that rotate along its radius and length. The tube is 1,574 kilometers long, and 499 kilometers in interior circumference. This creates 785,426 square kilometers of valleys, mountains, deserts, rivers, lakes, and forests for the Chosen Ones to explore. Through the far end Vesta’s star, Olympus Nova, is clearly visible with its surrounding constellations.

“From the Needle we observe, protect, and guide this wondrous scientific achievement.”

Siff joins the other students in wonder as she looks beneath her feet and over her head at the beauty and scope of this incredible world. Pluto continues, “Perhaps this view can help you understand why we choose to appear as gods to them. We created their world, oversee their every movement. We provide life and death; we create everything they ever experience. We control their weather and their water systems, we watch over them day and night. What are we, if not gods?

“Now if you will follow Ceres, she has your lunch provided in the dining hall. I wish you, my fellow gods, a wonderful day. I expect I will see one or two of you here in the Needle in the coming years.” Pluto leaves them still staring in wonder and strolls through an open door before disappearing around the corner. The class follows speechless as Ceres leads them to a large adjoining room.

The dining hall has tables set with places for all of them and a buffet to the side. Transparent panelling in this room also affords them breathtaking views. They eat staring at the scenery, barely registering the food. Siff tries her hardest to find some Chosen Ones in the distance, but cannot be sure of finding much. It is then a classmate spies a village and everyone jumps up to try and get a better look. Overhead and slightly to the right Siff sees small stone buildings on the side of a mountain; specks move among them that could only be people. Following lines across the landscape she is able to track down an adjoining village a few kilometers away, and soon an entire mini-society has been observed by the excited class. Smiling, their guide walks over to a control panel and speaks with the scientist there. Suddenly their view is magnified and the mountain villages come into sharp focus. Siff can clearly see villagers walking about, socializing, trading, and riding along the paths.

“The Needle is surrounded by a hologramatic forcefield, all they can see is sky when they look up, and anything that might fall from the Needle is instantly vaporized on contact with the forcefield. We started with three communities of Chosen Ones, set in three very different portions of the Habitat. The Entellin live in the valleys and forests near the main ship, the Abinsinna live close to the star of Vesta, and here we observe the Korykn who inhabit these mountains and their surrounding plains. The three communities have grown and begun expanding, but as of yet they have not met each other. If we can bring up the other sites? Thank you.

“As you can see, each of these peoples have adapted excellently to their environments. Their new villages have grown to the point where they trade with one another, and there are even some explorers seeking out new lands among them. From what started as a small select group, they are becoming more advanced. The Abinsinna are developing well with boat-building and fishing techniques, harvesting from the sea and exploring distant shores. The Korykn are already masters of mining, trapping, and hunting. They have many artisans and masters of crafting jewelry, and are probably the most ornamented of the three peoples. And finally, the Entellin have developed farming to a very advanced stage. They have a multitude of grains, vegetables, and fruits. There are also those who hunt among them, bringing back hares, deer, and the occasional boar. I’m sure you’ve all seen Lucas, who even hunts some of the more dangerous creatures closer to the cliffs and mountains at the wall of Janus.”

The Chosen Ones are everyone’s most loved show, and everyone has their favorites. Siff, as much as she wants to be aloof from the shallowness of it all, is desperately attracted to life among the Entellin. Peaceful farming, simple garments of wool and linen dyed in bright colors, adventure among the forests, a warm and loving community, and even hunting among the wild places seems so romantic. And yes, she hates herself for it, but Lucas is her favorite. From the small village of Travos, closest to the End Forest, he is handsome and charismatic, a young leader of his people. He will often ride to the forest and hunt among the beasts, wearing skins and small trophies of the creatures he has slain. Always testing himself to become better at survival, yet completely at peace with who he is and with his fellow people. When the image zooms in on him there is a collective sigh from several in the class. Lucas is very popular.

Leaving the farmland on his horse, Siff can only assume he is going on another hunt. He looks upward—directly toward his onlookers—smiles, and kisses the knuckle of his index finger as a salute to the gods. The Needle is hidden from his sight but Siff feels as if he can see them all, and wonders what he would think of his gods if he really knew them. She watches him for a few minutes before pulling her eyes away, hoping no-one noticed how trapped she was by her emotion. But she has nothing to worry about, all eyes are on the screens.

It is in this moment Siff wonders if Janus’ AI might be right after all. If she joins politics she can have a say in changing how the ship and even the mission operates. But also perhaps, maybe, she can find a way to join the Chosen Ones and experience that freedom she so longs for. And there it is. Siff is stunned. All of a sudden, something to hope for. Hope that has been denied her for so long. Siff’s eyes glaze over with shock, and her heart beats faster than it has in a long time. This is what hope feels like? Wow. This feels good. I’m going to change Janus, I’m going to give freedom to our people, and I’m going to join the Chosen Ones. Somehow. I’m going to. Somehow.

The rest of the afternoon is spent in a haze of fantasy, their guide’s voice a droning backdrop to the adventures Siff is having in her imagination. Changing the lives of those on board, joining the Chosen Ones, being a celebrated leader and liberator of the hopeless. Redefining the mission. Living in the fields and exploring the forests. Being free to question, free to dream, free to love, free to hope for the future.

She barely notices returning on the grav-rail, or the walk home, or eating supper, or climbing into bed. One dream-state blurs into the next as Siff’s mind and senses are filled with wonder.