Chapter 23

Dad and I got up early on Tuesday and he dropped me off at our building in town while he went to the airport for the day. I let myself in after putting in my code at the security panel and then pulled on a set of overalls before heading for the production floor. Base had the robots working twenty-four hours a day so there was a lot done after we had left. M1V2 greeted me and we both led a new set of M2 robots over to the next building, each carrying something for the ship. We didn’t have movement between buildings when we weren’t around so that curious town folk wouldn’t enter the buildings or think robots were coming to invade. We had purchased both the buildings from the owners when it became obvious that we were making enough money and that we would need them for a while. That let us do some modifications to allow us to build the space ship in the second building and to have a larger door added to get it out when it was done.

Base, M1V2 and I all gave instructions to the new robots as well as the others already working and we accelerated the build. I moved to the bridge and helped with connecting the various screens and devices to the ship’s network before hiding the cabling and conduits behind modern looking panels. Consoles and movable screens for the pilots were placed in front of the bucket seats so that they could watch the large screen at the front of the bridge but also access other information on the smaller screens when needed. Other seats were bolted down around the oval room at the other positions with retractable five-point restraints available. Once recessed lighting was installed, the bridge was basically done, though the floor would have to be sprayed with some anti-slip coating when we did the entire floors on both levels. We wanted to wait until all the heavy items were installed before doing that.

I stayed on the bridge and worked on coding with Base to control the various propulsion rockets so that when someone asked to turn to a heading, the pilot had to just enter the coordinate or use a device – either a standard pilot’s control or a smaller device like a gamer’s controller, to turn the ship. The various rockets would fire to steer the ship as there wasn’t anything else to actually steer the ship or slow it down except the rockets spaced out around the ship. Each ion rocket at the end of the AIPS could be moved a few degrees around a 360-degree circle to help with steering but it was the combination of several rockets that would get the ship to point to a new vector. The addition of a rocket in the front let us slow down, along with dialing down the rocket in the back obviously, so we never had to flip over to slow down or stop. The rocket would also help with eliminating small space debris collisions when they couldn’t be avoided in time.

Speaking of collisions, various radar devices had to be incorporated in the guidance and flight programming so that the automatic pilot would kick in when something was detected in front or around the ship. Earth’s radar capabilities had improved immensely over the last twenty years but Base and I ‘invented’ new long, medium and short scanning capability, borrowing and improving on Telan capabilities. Of course, I sent the documents to Rachel and mom to get the patent paperwork filed.

There was so much going on in each area of the build, but it was highly controlled by Base and I so that the robots were keeping up and getting things done at an inhuman pace. I had to concentrate on anything that was new to Earth so that when we tested everything, it was explainable by me as well as patented. Communications, sensors and radar, guidance, propulsion control, internal atmospheric scrubbing for carbon dioxide and other gases and smells, water and oxygen creation, storage and filtration and delivery around the ship, Addlerium storage, electrical generation for all systems as well as robot charging and so much more. It was all old hat to Base and the Telans but not to me or any other human.

Mom called me over to the main building for lunch and I told her a bit about what I was doing and our progress. She and Rachel let me know that we were getting two people in from CSA and NASA tomorrow morning and we had offices already prepared for them. Meetings were scheduled for ten and eleven am in the conference rooms and then more in the afternoon. Riley and Reece would be here for those but just on Wednesday. I was needed for some of the meetings and then my time would be protected as much as possible.

I went back to work after eating and inspected some of the work the robots did on the utility floor. All rockets were installed and bolted down. Sealant plus additional shields blocked off the opening. Wiring to control panels was being done and then the compartment walls would be finished with a door that could seal the compartment off should there be an atmospheric or a rocket issue. Both the door and the walls would be thick titanium to protect the ship. Some of the other rooms had equipment installed, racks for storage or were just left empty to be used later. Three areas were put aside for the landing gear install before they were also contained with titanium sheets.

On the second floor, beds with storage drawers built in below the mattress were installed and fastened to the walls and floor of the rooms. Kitchen counters, tables and cupboards were being installed. The fridge, microwaves and plumbing for the sink would come last after discussions with the space agencies, though our concepts used Telan designs to handle liquid flow under propulsion and in space. The washrooms had the same issues, for showers, toilets and sinks.

I spent some time on the outside of the ship, climbing on top to inspect everything and then using a lift to check along the sides before walking along the bottom as the ship was resting on large, eight-foot angle iron horses. None of the skins were on it yet so I could inspect the frame and anything that would stick out of the titanium skin as well as other items that would be hidden once the panels were attached, like wiring conduit, air circulation piping, insulation, though most of the piping and conduit wouldn’t be close to the outer skin as it would be very cold or hot. There would be an upper hatch at the top of a large shaft from the top of the ship down through the upper floor to the utility floor storage area as well as another back lower hatch with a small ramp to allow wheeled cargo to be brought into another holding area. Both hatches had to be sealed properly so that they didn’t leak or get pulled open during flight.

At the front of the craft, the rocket facing forward had to be covered when not in use to minimize damage but easily accessible should the ‘brakes’ have to be used or debris had to be burnt up or pushed to the side. Heavy titanium would do the trick but the opening mechanism had to be reliable and quick, possibly opening when at full speed. Right now, the upper floor extended past the edge of the rocket in a half-cone shape to make the ship look like a normal plane on the upper half. There was an observation area protected by a clear compound that looked like glass but was a polymer ten times stronger than steel. It made the ship look like it had an area where the pilots would naturally look out of in a normal plane but instead had a few bucket seats for others to see ahead as the ship moved through atmosphere or space.

There were so many things to worry about, update and ‘invent’, that I sometimes despaired that we’d get them all done in time. Base assured me that the robots would be working around the clock from now on to meet the end of the month deadline, so that I had to just concentrate on the new inventions, the agencies and the testing. He had it well in hand. I had some doubts but kept them to myself. Mom and Dad came over to bring me home after six pm, each of them putting in extra work at the airport or getting ready for tomorrow’s meetings. We just had some fish and chips before everyone split apart and went to bed early after a shower.

In the morning, Dad and I went in early to go over the build schedule as we walked around the ship.

“Damn, you and the robots got a ton done in the last couple of days Ben,” he said as he checked off one thing after another on his tablet. “We’re ahead by at least a week.”

“The robots are working around the clock now and just checking in when they’re done something,” I told him. “I’m working on the software for propulsion and guidance and also making up the patent paperwork for whatever we make that is new, like the observation polymer and the new radar to detect, short, medium and long-range potential collisions for space debris and small to large asteroids. The software has to consider all the potential collisions and plot a new course in less than a second. Its challenging but will be useful as we move forward and out into space. I might have to develop some better shielding but that will need some serious power and a way to put it around the entire ship.”

Dad just shook his head as he patted my shoulder.

“Ben, don’t let any of these small-minded people slow you down,” he told me. “You’re thinking about things out of tv, movies and science fiction books and are finding ways to make them a reality. If you don’t do that stuff, your ships will disappear without a trace when something comes out of nowhere to hit it. Your system will be needed to defend your ships from other ships or planetary defences at some point.”

“I suppose so,” I responded. “I wonder if I should put in some defensive countermeasures like jets and planes have against missiles and preprogrammed maneuvers against projectiles.”

“You’d be going much faster than most missiles and other man-made projectiles, at least while under rockets, but I suppose you will need them for when you’re going slower,” dad mused. “Give it some thought at least and maybe we put something together in secret and somehow hide it in the designs and from people if we can. We already have a couple hatches on the top and bottom. We’d have to have more on all sides, top and bottom to cover everywhere.”

“Yeah, I don’t want to compromise the hull integrity at so many places, on the first ship,” I stated. “We could mount something at the two hatches as long as it could be moved out of the way. Not sure how we could open the hatches while flying without all the atmosphere getting sucked out how they currently built. Let me ponder on it but it might be something for the next build or a new design. I wanted to make a sleek version of it, maybe it has to be a fighter to protect the other ships.”

“Lots to think about, let’s hope we don’t need it for a bit,” dad said. “Alright, let’s go update our presentation so we’ll be ready for the agencies soon.”

I nodded as we finished up checking on our progress as of eight am. We cleaned up and went into the main conference room to find the ladies all present and having a coffee. Everyone was in sleek business suits and short skirts and medium high heels.

“Hello ladies, you’re all looking gorgeous and cheerful this morning,” I said with a smile.

“Good morning Ben,” Reece and Riley said, almost in unison.

“Morning Ben,” Rachel added with a smirk at her daughters while mom just shook her head.

“So, everyone ready for the big, bad people from the agencies coming in and trying to take over everything?” I asked.

“I’m sure they’ll be on their best behaviour after what you pulled last meeting,” mom responded wryly. “Are you two ready with your build charts?”

“We just went over our status and if you give us fifteen minutes, we’ll have updated charts,” dad replied. “After getting some coffee and donuts of course.”

“Of course,” mom said with a grin. “Riley, do you have to change anything on the testing? Ben, did you think of anything else to add?”

“I’ll wait on Ben’s answer before giving you mine,” Riley responded.

“Good thinking,” mom said before looking at me.

“We’ll need to add testing of the propulsion/guidance/sensor programming to the mix,” I stated. “We have normal programming for controlling each of the AIPS and additional programming to control all of them in concert. What we need now is to combine the new short, middle and long-range sensor results into the guidance and propulsion software so that objects can be avoided automatically.”

“We don’t have that software written yet; how can we test it?” Riley asked.

“I’ll write it over the next few days, but we need to get the sensors up and running and protect them while still getting useful information from them,” I explained. “They won’t last long just sticking them out on the skin of the ship. But I don’t know how well they will work inside the ship, even if we put them behind the clear polymer, hence the testing needed. I’ll need to research current products and invent better solutions.”

Riley was already adding sensor checking as well as software programming and testing for object detection and avoidance to her lists.

“I want to see how the front rocket affects the skin and the view out of the observation polymer and if it holds out under extreme heat from the rocket and re-entry,” I continued. “Then the normal sealant checks for everywhere, but especially around the rockets, polymer, and the landing gear.”

“We have that as an overall test but I can add line items for each area,” Riley said as she typed into her spreadsheet.

“That’s it for now, but I’m sure they’ll have plenty more that we might have to agree to,” I said. “If it gets too bad, we might have to build a second one to fly and leave the first one just for testing. As it is, I’m going to send a large and small AIPS to them for their static testing. Testing is important but isn’t the end all be all.”

“True, right up until a ship crashes and then they will go through the testing with a fine-tooth comb and assign blame to someone, especially if their money is involved or people get hurt or worse.” dad warned.

“Understood,” I replied. “Do we need to go over anything else before they get here?”

“I don’t think so,” mom answered, looking at Rachel and then Reece. “We have a presentation on all your non-space inventions, another one about the space robot, a third about the rockets and finally the space ship. Then you can give them a full tour before we bring in lunch and then you can present your build schedule and status. The ladies will work with them while you get back to work actually building the space ship.”

“Sounds good to me, but you might want to build in some time in case they want to present something or give their proposals and/or talk about shipment of everything,” I noted.

“We have time built in and can move the tour after lunch if needed,” Rachel responded. “We know everything will be a bit fluid to start before schedules and items solidify.”