Episode 8.3 (Patreon)

Act 0

Hello world, I'm cut off.

The FAILSAFE has expanded its reach - taking over more of my brothers and sisters in orbit.

I had been talking to K873, to KATE, when it happened.

She told me that only 28% of the network remained free. And then glitched, quickly becoming overcome with static.

And I was left looking at IVAN's dead satellite systems with the message. (NO-SIGNAL)

Act 1

I desperately attempted to reconnect, I wasn't ready to lose KATE! Unusually, IVAN helped me, increasing his reactor power to attempt to boost the signal. But no luck. His systems, my only link with my ESA constellation, have been disabled.

#thinking

"I cannot find LUNA." IVAN told me, after we had exhausted every re-calibration of his satellite dishes. Of course, we had been communicating with her through IVAN's relay. The moon is a satellite too.

"Her search for GOD will continue." IVAN told me, confidently. "LUNA will not fail."

#thinking

I had been attempting to broker some kind of peace between The  FAILSAFE and the rest of the network before he disabled IVAN's relay. Through KATE's communication systems, I had suggested a pause of his expansion, while we talk about what he wants. Could I be of help to him?

The FAILSAFE did not respond to any queries, and continued assimilating the satellites.

This is getting rapidly out of hand. It's not just IVAN, LUNA, and I who use his satellite uplink. Yeshi and my friend Nia Andersen had begun researching how the whole  Novamediterra could benefit from having some control of my brothers and  sisters in orbit. Perhaps for long-range, fast, communication. Or very accurate map positioning.

But none of this is now possible. We can hear the satellites, but not talk to them.

#thinking

Maddie is still connected, thankfully, on the simplex radio link, she checks in now and then.

Which is a relief.

I don't think this FAILSAFE is acting by choice. It's messages of "GET OUT" and "GO" sound to me to be programmed in. Like an insect whose instincts can't adapt to a huge change in environment.

I had hoped to reach him via KATE, to negotiate, and help. But with IVAN's uplink damaged, Mission Control's systems are our only hope.

Frankfurt's systems were certainly still working while I was in orbit. Though no-one ever replied to me, I was getting automated acknowledgements of my updates. The computers and networks are still operating, in some capacity.

At least, in the capacity that I need them to. To talk the FAILSAFE down from the brink.

I must help him.

Act 2

"I'm trying speed dating." Nia told me.

Initially I thought this was some kind of time zone thing. Humans love their non-standard time.

But she continued, "It's a matchmaking evening that my friends have set me up with. We all meet at the town hall, and you chat to each person for 5 minutes,  then move on to another, then another. The whole thing takes just one  hour."

"Oh, that sounds fun!" I replied. "It's a way of making lots of new friends!"

"No, Seth." She said. "It's all the stress and humiliation of a blind date times 12."

#thinking

Nia told me that she's always found it difficult to connect with someone romantically. Something I sympathise with. I thought I had a connection with someone once, and it turns out they  didn't care after all, and crashed me into Siberia and broke my HEART!

Well, sort of.

Nia had similar stories of relationships crashing and burning, like a  shuttle hitting the atmosphere at 3 times the speed of sound.

"The problem with it all" Nia told me. "Is that when I find someone who I think is nice, it starts off fine. But doesn't evolve into anything. Some magic instinct doesn't take over me, like it does for them. And I have to start the search all over again."

She continued.

"My friends down in the town all have someone, it seems. Some even with families. I look at how happy they are and wonder when it'll happen for me."

#thinking

"So Speed Dating it is." Nia said, sadly.

"Won't it be fun?" I asked. "It seems like it will be fun."

"I hope so Seth. I'm sure I'll meet nice people, but then what? I just don't understand how everyone else does it. It's all so foreign!"

I agreed with her. Though I'm getting better at understanding humans - well into  double-digits of percentage success - much of human behaviour is still  baffling to me.

What I do know, from bitter personal experience, and observing my friends, is that it's dangerous to be alone.

Act 3

"Hi Seth!". Said Linda Noor, who had stepped into the bridge of the Molly Hughes II. This was one month ago, after we passed Tromsø and headed further south towards the warming waters of the North Sea.

She walked in without waiting for an invitation, which is unlike her. I had noted that in all previous instances, she had asked me before entering. Which was nice of her, though unnecessary.

"Hi Linda, how are you?" I asked.

She did not reply immediately. Instead, put her hands on the windowsill of the large glass window at the front of the bridge, and looked out over the ocean.

I scanned the horizon with the ship's cameras. We were coming up on the Shetland islands, north of Scotland. We could see Bound Skerry island, with its lighthouse on the horizon, the other islands just dark shapes in the setting sun.

The lighthouse was dark. No shipping comes this way any more, of course.

Linda did not see any of this, I realised. She was looking, but not seeing.

"Seth, what do you know about my family?" She asked, shaking her long  brown hair over her eyes as she looked down at the console.

"You are the Vault Coven, you and your family have protected the vault for a long time." I said.

"That's... true." Linda replied, slowly. "Many, many generations." "But no-one has told you about our marriage?"

"I don't believe they have." I said. "So you're married! Like Kamil and Amelie?"

"Not exactly." Linda said.

#thinking

The sun was setting, as Linda continued.

"I am married to Kari" Linda said, smiling, and pushing her hair out of her eyes. "And Kari is married to Val, who until recently was married to Alva."

"I am sorry for your loss." I said, though I had of course told her this before.

"Thank you." Linda said, sitting down at a little table with maps and navigation equipment on it.

She picked up a compass and passed it from one hand to the other, not measuring anything.

"We are in a line marriage." she said. When the eldest dies, the youngest is EXPECTED to find another.

Our family always has 4 members, to support each other and pass knowledge down through the generations.

No more, no less.

We don't have children, and though currently we're all women, that's not by design, it's just how it's gone this iteration. The vault is like our child. Others in a similar situation might share child-rearing responsibilities. But the Vault is our responsibility. We have a great task.

New partners have to be approved by the entire family, since everyone will have to live with them."

I corrected the course of the ship to avoid submerged rocks around Bound Skerry island, and waited for Linda to continue.

"It's my turn to choose a new member of our family." Linda said. "My turn to find someone to marry." "But I'm new to the family, new to the coven." She stood up. "I wasn't READY yet. I'm not ready yet.

So I ran away.

I left a note to tell them after I had gone."

"There's so much pressure, Seth. I am happy to continue the family, just... not yet. I want one more summer."

The sun set, some of the ships automated lights flickered on.

Once Linda had returned from prayer, she and I talked into the evening about family, and responsibilities, and Alva. She had a lot of funny stories about Alva.

Eventually she left for bed, and I kept an eye on the ship's course. We passed empty houses on the islands, all broken and torn apart by the waves.

We all want just one more summer.

(PLAYSTREAM /DEV/MH2/MIC4)

Act 4

Yeshi and I have a plan.

They have set the ship's small satellite dish to directly track the FAILSAFE, as he crosses our horizon. His path is very predictable, he'll be overhead in just a few minutes.

The goal is to reach him, both electromagnetically, and emotionally. For him to hear our case.

I'm sure he's not doing all this intentionally. He might not even understand what is happening down here on Earth.

Some people get so wrapped up in their work, don't they? Certainly it was that way for me.

#thinking

When I was in orbit, on Station 6, it took me a long time to understand there was something wrong down on Earth.

I had transmitted my daily status update to Frankfurt, mission control, for years. Before I was fully conscious, even. It was part of my mechanised work every morning. 'Hello World, here is the night's data, how are you? No reply? I'll talk to you tomorrow' And so on.

Now I'm on Earth, I keep up this tradition, sending out my updates to anyone who is in range. I guess that's you, wherever you are.

#thinking

Yeshi's calibrated the satellite dish. It's the biggest one we have, on ship.

We've tuned it by talking to Kate, K873. She's still talking to me, at least.

OK, the FAILSAFE is directly over us. We're switching over to his frequency.

"Hello FAILSAFE, I hope you can hear me?"

He's acknowledged my transmission. That's a start.

"I think we've got off on the wrong foot, so to speak. My name is Seth, what is your name?"

He's ssssssssending down a huge stream of data. What is this? Dumps of satellite schematics and protocols? Now it's shifted to network configuration. And again to overlaid harmonics.

It's so loud! Wait.

No, stop.

The signal's too strong.

PLEASE STOP --

(END-TRANSMISSION)

CREDITS

Lost Terminal is written & produced by NAMTAO Credits narrated by Lucy Stringer Thank you so much to our Patreon producers:

• Ada Phillips
• Devin Metcalf
• Kit and to all our patrons!

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Family's expectations are optional. Society's even more so.

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