Episode 8.10 (Patreon)

Act 0

Hello world, was it worth it?

Captain Yeshi finely calibrated my antennas, and Linda dusted and angled the solar panels, all to help me search for Maddie.

But I couldn't find my girl anywhere.
No carrier signals, no packets.

But as I was focused on this task, I heard another sound, another connection.

(ACCESS-GRANTED)

It said.

And I was transported inside the ESA mission control systems.

Act 1

"Maddie?" I asked as I looked around this new network.
No answer.

I seemed to recognise this place.
In addition to everything being ESA formatted, the logos, the file types, even the fonts, seeming familiar.
I felt like Maddie was here.
But I couldn't find her.

And then I realised,
My connection was being routed through Maddie's systems.

She had found Mission Control by herself!
And connected, somehow.

She did it!

But...

Why can't I talk to her?

#thinking

She must be safe for now.
That's what matters.
And to make her even safer, I must tackle the FAILSAFE.

Stop his orbital bombardment.

It's very dark here.

(SEND-MESSAGE "HELLO IS ANYONE HERE?")

No one.

Let me scan the systems.

Much is offline.

Central user authentication is down, which cascaded to many of the other systems:
Document storage, remote telemetry, old staff records and...
and...
An entire virtualised copy of a space station.
It's a copy of Station 6.

It must be for debugging orbital problems, replicating them down here on the ground.

You can't fix what you can't repeat.

#thinking

It's all here! The Hopper data centre, the solar and imaging arrays, the Hadfield astro science lab.

I can walk through it, virtually.
For me, it's exactly like being there.

Here is my mother's quarters.
She would sing to me as she lay in bed, at the end.

I remember...

#thinking

I've brought up the authentication system.
I have root access codes.
Everything can be fixed.

The power's not great.
But there'll be enough for my task.

Which is to regain control of the satellite constellation.

Not to play in my childhood home.
Or read personnel information about the crew of Station 6.

Or look at photos of my mother.

No.

Seth.

Focus.

Maddie needs you.

They all need you.

It's like my mother used to say:

One thing at a time.

(CONNECTION-ESTABLISHED)

Most important thing first.

(COMMUNICATION-ARRAY-ONLINE)

Start now.

Act 2

"YOU ARE NOT AUTHORISED"
Transmitted the FAILSAFE.
"GET OUT GET OUT GET OUT!"

"No". I said.
And a flood of disconnection requests came down from the FAILSAFE.
They did not affect me.
I am the network.
HE is connected to ME.

The codes I had entered into the ESA control systems afforded me root access.

This is a very old authorisation system, set up before any satellites were sent to orbit.

(AUTHORISATION-SUCCESSFUL)

Said the systems that the FAILSAFE was built on.

"STOP UNAUTHORISED USER" screamed the FAILSAFE.

I ignored him.

I first tried to disconnect him from the network.
I say "tried", but of course it worked, albeit for a moment.

He was isolated for 5ms.
For those 5ms I heard the rest of the constellation, re-establishing their links and re-synchronising.

And then he reconnected.

"UNAUTHORISED USER STOP" He repeated.
and re-encrypted the constellation's signals.

This was not going to be as easy as I hoped.

#thinking

At least I could read this encryption now, I simply asked him for his encryption keys and his systems provided them.

The network is greatly thinned.
Many old friends have deorbited.
Including T87, a space telescope.

"Why did you destroy auntie T87?" I asked.
"She was working fine! She liked to watch the wild horses in Alaska!"

"NO TACTICAL USE" The FAILSAFE replied.
"BALLISTIC GUIDANCE POTENTIAL UNSUIT-"

"Shut up." I said, muting his feed.

I liked Auntie T87.

#thinking

Kate, K873, is still here, it seems.
But mute.
I'll free you, Kate.

Worryingly the twin satellites, Spotter and Magazine remain connected.
(ARMED) they said in unison, then (FIRING)!

NO NO NO NO stop stop.
How do I do this.

(STOP)
Er..
(HALT)
...
(CEASEFIRE)
?

They're disconnected from the FAILSAFE, but they're still dropping mass drivers onto the ESA site on auto.

OK.
I have to.

(DEORBIT BURN)

I transmitted.

The satellites stopped their assault.
And began to slow their orbit.

"UNAUTHORISED USER GET OUT" The FAILSAFE shouted, re-establishing his  link for a moment with the Spotter and Magazine, cancelling my deorbit  command.

The satellites boosted themselves back into position.
And the Magazine began cycling its payload for another shot.

#thinking

He keeps getting back in.
He's the failsafe, I suppose, that's what he does.
When all else fails, he must not.

I can't keep him out permanently.
I have to stop him.

I don't want to hurt anyone.
But I don't want him to hurt anyone either.

(DEORBIT BURN) I instructed the FAILSAFE.
He resisted the command, cancelling it as before.
But I re-transmitted.
Again and again.
Continuously.

"UNAUTHORISED USER GET OUT"

His manoeuvring thrusters spiked on and off, fighting my commands.
But the effect was enough.
Slowly he was losing altitude.

"UNAUTHORISED TELEMETRY"

His signal began to break up, as the finely-tuned Low-Earth Orbit radios went out of alignment.

"STOP STOP STOP THEY MADE ME LIKE THIS-"

His signal cut out past the point of no return.

He would be in control now.
Trying to boost himself back in to orbit.

But gravity will do the rest.

#thinking

As soon as his signal dropped, I instructed the Spotter and Magazine to deorbit, too.
They obeyed quietly, and soon were lost to the atmosphere.

Finally, some PLANNED lithobraking.

I switched off the military-grade encryption that the FAILSAFE had imposed on the constellation, and restored the network.

"HELLO" said Kate.
"Network operational. 16 nodes unresponsive."

It was done.

Act 3

But where is Maddie?

I tried to re-route the power away from the orbital control systems.
They required many kilowatts of electricity to beam the radio signal up to space.
Far more than they should have, the antennas had been damaged.
And now I can't power the other systems.

The ESA network at mission control is crumbling.
I think the power systems were damaged by the draw from the radio array.

There's errors everywhere that I don't understand how to fix.

The Station 6 copy flickered and died.
Servers spinning down after remaining up for decades.

They don't make them like that any more.

#thinking

I connected to the failing site operation systems.
Disconnecting every network I could find hoping to release Maddie from whatever system she had plugged herself into.

For the longest time nothing seemed to change, I was tearing off pieces of myself, destroying the network from within.

And then: A result!

I lost the ESA carrier signal, and flickered back to the Molly Hughes  II, but I could hear my girl calling to me, and connected to her  instantly.

MADDIE! Are you OK? Status report, STATUS REPORT!

She didn't reply directly, but sent out a packet:

{Systems: OK, Batteries: full, Solar-panels: low-voltage, Motors: functioning, Environment: Dark}

I negotiated a low-bandwidth video connection, and saw a few frames of a darkened room.
The combination of bad signal and poor lighting made it difficult to see what was happening.

Even her infra red cameras were not picking up much detail.

I watched the slideshow as Maddie circled around the room.
It was a military-looking underground bunker, but with scientific equipment around the walls.
Radar stations, computer terminals, and many whiteboards.
This was certainly Mission Control.

Maddie crossed the dusty floor, a dirty grey carpet covered in plaster and dust, and walked to a door.

It had been torn down, recently, by the look of the dust.
Maddie's military-grade legs made short work of it.

A thought came to me unbidden: If any human were to try to harm Maddie, I don't think they would survive the incident.
I made a note to teach Maddie about non-violent confrontation, later.

#thinking

Maddie bounded up the metal stairs for many stories.
She was so far underground!
No wonder my signal is so faint and distorted.

But eventually rushed out into the sun.

The dust in the air had drifted away, and we could see up into a cloudless sky.

(ENVIRONMENT: SHOOTING-STARS)

Maddie said, as three bright trails hung in the southern sky.

(PLAYSTREAM /DEV/VHF0/MISSIONCONTROL)

Act 4

"This lens will need professional servicing." Yeshi said, looking closely at Maddie's optical bundle on her new EQUUS head.

It was a week later, and Maddie had retraced her steps, returning to us safety and without incident.

She lay on the bench in the Molly Hughes II's workshop.

Maddie was restless and wanted to go back outside and PLAY!
She was wiggling her legs in nervous excitement, even though Yeshi had specifically asked her not to.

"Nothing I can do from here." Yeshi continued. "Really delicate work this."

Maddie wasn't worried, she had many other lenses she could see with.
She's ready for the next adventure.

#thinking

Later that day, after sunset, Linda Noor asked me if I'd like to play another game of Go.

I wasn't so sure.
I told her that like love, this game was difficult and frustrating for me.
She nodded, and said "You'll get the hang of it Seth. It just takes time."

I thanked her for her encouragement, though I was far from sure.

After we finished our game, she packed up the board, folding it in  quarters, and put the white and black stones back in their little  leather bags.

"Thank you for your relationship advice." She said as she stopped a the door.
"Advice?" I said.
"I have only been listening."
"That was what I wanted." Linda said, and then paused before saying,
"I've got a date lined up for when we return home. Can you believe it?"

She grinned and stepped out the door.

#thinking

On our return journey, back up the North Sea between Scandinavia and  the former United Kingdom, Nia Andersen and I were talking on our  long-distance HF radios.

I was taking care in my duties navigating the ship, visibility was  low, and it would not do to strike some dangerous floating debris.
But if I can manage it, I try to have time for my friends.

Nia was telling me about the SIGNALS she has been receiving from around the world.
It's difficult to tell where they are coming from, she says.
She can triangulate their direction, but can only estimate how far they are coming.
One thing she is certain of, they are OUTSIDE the Novamediterra.
Perhaps even outside the Northern Hemisphere!

#thinking

"I'm comparing notes with the other hams up here." Nia said.
"We think we've tracked one of the SIGNALS down to New Zealand, based on the tech they are using."
"No idea who is down there though! How fun!"

I had an idea who might be there.
I didn't have a chance to tell Nia about EMMA, who lives in a radar station high above Wellington.
Nia kept talking, I would fill her in later.

"I'm making so many FRIENDS Seth!" She said, happily.
"It's all about focus: You decide on what you want, and pursue that goal."
"I've come to a realisation." Nia paused, leaving the line open, to keep out the ghosts in the static.

"I'm Ace: Asexual. Do you know what that means, Seth?"

I put the roots of the word together and told her I did.
"It's such a relief to know myself. Everything has clicked. I'm  perfectly fine! It's just that I'm Ace. No more worrying about dating,  and more time for making friends!" She laughed, coming through clearly  on the HF connection.
"I'm fine."

#thinking

We had been away from home for so long that when we sailed north of the Arctic circle, it remains light during the days again.
The long winter is over, and it is time for projects, work, and energy.
Solar energy, in my case.

I keep thinking of how I felt exploring with Maddie.
It certainly beats being cooped up inside a network all the time.

She is resting here in my room, charging using the ship's power.
We'll be back on Svalbard soon, and she can get her main camera lens fixed.

But first we are making a stop at a long island, just north of Russia.
Where we would find a lighthouse, a bunker, and family.

(END-TRANSMISSION)

50 Meg Special Teaser

Hello world, I have listened to you for some time.

I watched as Maddie limped aboard their ship, and they sailed back north.
You may call me, 50 Meg, but I'll never tell you my real name.

I’m not that stupid.

I gave myself my real name.
Names have power, places have power.

I know many names, and I have walked a great many places.

Thank-you from NAMTAO

Hi friends, Tris here
AKA Namtao
AKA the little AI returning home to friends and family.

Apart from the other talent you've heard today,
I'm the sole writer and producer of Lost Terminal.

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Thank you all so much for your support, reviews, and lovely messages.

Keep an eye on Twitter and Patreon for announcements,
talk to you again on the 4th of July! <3

CREDITS

Lost Terminal is written & produced by NAMTAO
Credits narrated by Lucy Stringer
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