Chapter 6: Goodbye Cruel World

Precipitous I’m not, but when a decision needs making, and the obvious decision is clear, I don’t hesitate. First.

Our original destination is our destination again. It will require about the same length of flight time originally estimated. True, time has passed since our original departure, but we have also put many miles behind us as well. In addition, the system we are in orbiting in, is part of the Andromeda Galaxie. The notion we remained relatively near Earth was mistaken by a huge combination of errors.

Earth and the Milkyway continued on its course, and the spiral arm containg the star SOL we called our sun, has rotated many degrees around it’s galactic center in the time we’ve been here. Andromeda has likewise maintained course and speed, and we also have rotated a great angular distance around Andromeda’s center.

Result? We are closer to our destination than earth now. So why will it take so long to reach our destination? Because, the star we want to catch is no longer racing towards us, as it was when we were part of the Milkyway. Now we are traveling in the Andromeda galaxy, not between galaxies. Hope that makes sense.

Another way of saying it, is before we were two trains racing toward each other on the same track. Now we’re two trains on different tracks, racing towards the same destination. Our velocities are’n’t combined as a rate of closure, which they were before. Now only our own velocity towards the terminal counts.

If the destination star arrives at the terminal first, then we will have to chase it. If that occurs, only the portion of our velocity greater than the star’s velocity will be important for calculating how soon we catch up to it.

The second decision is, I’ll allow Awesome to be implanted with the fifth and last sentient AI chip. JoAnn is too important a repository of Mark’s pilot skills, to let go of. I need her for piloting Sea Hag. If Awesome doesn’t want the remaining sentient chip, she will be implanted with a non-sentient AI chip, and with SOME chip before she is allowed to venture out-of-body again. I have all her drugs under lock and key. She WILL obey me.

No? There’s the door. Don’t let the airlock door hit you in the ass on your way out to space when you leave in a hurry.

As a stowaway, she has zero rights. That’s ancient law. I can work her to death as the cost of her passage, legally delivering her worn out corpse at the destination. What’s the point? Don’t stowaway!

Why is the law so harsh? Food and water supplies are carefully calculated to be sufficient to the crew on board. Every possible ounce of cargo is carried. Excess stores reduce cargo capacity. A stowaway is literally robbing the crew of a portion of their rightful rations, endangering all. The calories required are carefully calculated too. Men sickened and died on half rations. A stowaway is despicable.