Chapter 26: Training Successes and Failures

Ashley had turned my hug into a leisurely cuddle on the couch. I was stroking her breast when Lenore emerged from the bedroom and looked at us.

“Oh good, but where’s Miki?” Lenore said.

“Miki was escorting one of Walter’s concubines back to his home,” Ashley said. “I woke up in time to hear some of the conversation. It seemed like Walter grew up since the pickup.”

“It would be hard to act more childish,” I said in response. “But if you are both awake you can prepare meals for everyone. I need to start training.”

“How?” Lenore asked.

“There are sleep trainers. I guess it’s an offshoot of the medical pod technology. We get in the sleep trainer and sometime later we emerge with new knowledge that it pumped directly into our brains,” I said.

“Directly?” Lenore asked.

“Yes, which I’m not entirely sure I agree with,” I said.

“Why not?” Ashley asked. “It sounds like a very quick and efficient way to learn a new skill.”

“Sure,” I replied. “But it doesn’t really teach the skill. It just implants the knowledge and a memory of performing it. Your muscles won’t build up any real memory and if your duty requires working with others, the others might not act like the people you end up working with. I do want my crew to use the sleep trainers, but only to get familiar with their duties. I’ve already asked about training stations. I figure we need four.”

“Four?” Lenore asked.

I nodded. “The bridge, a missile station, a rail gun station and an engineering station. That would be all the different places to work on a Patrician.”

“Wow, these ships sound simple to operate,” Lenore replied.

“That might be fair to say,” I said carefully. “But I’ll find out once I start working with my crew. For now, I want to go and take a couple hours of sleep training.”

“Why not get your crew together,” Ashley asked.

“I want everyone to have time to take their orientation sleeptraining. Hopefully when they have finished that, the AI will have had time to set up the first training room,” I said.

“You have not requested that such a room be created,” the AI informed me.

“Can you create the rooms I just mentioned?” I asked.

“The rooms will be created. There is one empty pod being carried. It can be converted to provide the training rooms you need,” the AI said.

“When will the bridge be ready?’ I asked.

“The room can be ready in six hours,” the AI said.

“Can you pass a message to my crew that they are to meet at the room in eight hours? And do provide directions,” I said.

“None of your crew will have completed their training. The shortest full training program is thirty hours,” the AI informed me.

“True, but they can complete their orientation training correct?” I said.

“Yes, the initial familiarization is two hours,” the AI said.

“Then make the announcement,” I said. “And I will go and take the orientation training you have set up. After that will I have time to view the orientation for the helmsman position?” I asked.

“That would take a total of five hours,” the AI said. “Do you wish to spend that long using the sleep trainer?”

“Are there any reasons I would not want to?” I asked.

“Many people find that they remember more of the training if they take a break after two hours,” the AI said.

“I’ll do my best remember more,” I said. “And I remember better when I actually perform the actions. So I expect I’ll do a lot better in the simulation rooms.”

“You better start,” Ashley said. “Maybe you’ll be able to take a break after the first session. I’ll make sure everyone is ready to spend time with you in two hours.”

“Keep it short,” I said. “AI where is the sleep trainer?”

“Take the gravity elevator and then head down the hallway and turn right. There is a new door there,” the AI said.

Ashley stood up. She pulled me to my feet and then pushed me towards the hallway leading to the gravity elevator. “Go get trained,” she said playfully.

I walked in the direction of the hallway as Ashley’s giggled behind me. The gravity elevator lit up as I approached.

Once I stepped onto the purple circle of light of the gravity elevator I felt my body rise up to the second level of my home. The trip was a bit of a shock to rise in the air, but I kept my nerve and stepped back onto the deck once I rose through the opening in the second floor.

I was surprised to see Erica standing in the hallway as I stepped off the gravity field. “Mark?” she asked.

“I’ve been told that there is a sleep trainer up here,” I said.

“A sleep trainer?” Erica asked.

“AI, can you describe this for Erica?” I asked.

“The sleep training units use the same base technology as the Confederacy healing units. It was discovered that it was possible to use the technology to instantly provide a large amount of information, including the memory of performing certain actions using some of the same nanobots used to help repair injury to the human nervous system,” the AI said.

“Wow,” Erica said. “Is it safe?”

“It should be,” I replied. “And I should hurry to it. I have nearly five hours of sleep training to do.”

“Yuck!” Erica said playfully. “Are you going to make me take classes from it?”

“No. In fact go downstairs for breakfast and then tell Ashley that she has to work on algebra with you,” I replied.

“Aww,” Erica said playfully. “I hope you hate the training.”

“We’ll have to see,” I said. “For now, get going. I want privacy.”

I walked past Erica. As soon as I passed her she ran towards the gravity elevator. I wanted to turn and shout for her to be careful, but ignored the impulse as I found the door the AI had mentioned. It slid open silently as I approached.

I paused at the doorway. What little I could see was a small dimly lit chamber dominated by the large coffin-like metal contraption I could see against the far wall. The lid opened with a hiss and slide away into the wall as I watched.

“If you would enter the sleep trainer, we can begin,” the AI said.

“I just lie down in it?” I asked as I stepped up to the tube. It looked so much like a metal coffin that my hands felt clammy as I approached.

“Yes, the system will link in once you are laying down. The captain’s orientation is already loaded,” the AI said.

Carefully putting my hands on the side of the frightening looking device I hefted my body up. The inside was cushioned and had a raised pad for my head. As I stretched my legs out and lay back several wires extended out from the walls of the unit.

“Do not worry about the wires,” the AI unit said. “The ones attaching to your arms and legs will be monitoring your vital signs.”

I put my head down on the raised cushion. Immediately two cold pads of some kind made contact with my forehead. The lid of the device started to slide closed.

“It is recommended that you close your eyes and try to relax,” the AI said. “The training session will begin in a moment.”

I closed my eyes and tried not to think about the fact that I was about to be sealed in this tube built from alien technology.

As soon as my eyes were closed it felt as if I opened them again. For a moment my vision was blurry, but an instant later I was looking at what appeared to be the bridge of a Patrician class ship.

“Greetings Captain,” a voice said in my ear. “It is assumed that you have already watched the orientation given to all new crew for the Patrician class. This will be a more in depth look at the duties you will have as a captain.”

“The view seemed to slowly walk around a single chair set at the back of the bridge. The chair had buttons on both arms. The buttons were on the top and also ran down the sides.

“This is the captain’s chair,” the AI informed me needlessly. It did not appear to notice that it was telling me something obvious and continued. “The buttons you see on the right armrest control communication to the various posts on the ship. The ones on the left will control your personal display.”

“Please sit in the chair,” the AI said.

Knowing that this was virtual I paused to wonder how that would work, but when I thought about taking a step toward the chair the spinning vision stopped and I could feel my legs move. I walked over to the chair and sat down.

The visions started to come faster. I could almost hear the AI speaking as I felt my fingers touch each control button and call up the various displays and communications options. However, by now I was more a passenger than the motivating force of my body’s actions as the training program walked me through the functions of the chair and the features of the displays I could call up.

The visual representation of the training seemed to speed up more and more as the lesson progressed. I felt a mild headache begin as it felt like my mind was being bombarded by raw information. The pain slowly increased, but just before I screamed out there was a last flash and darkness descended on my brain.