A plan
17 Feb 2021Aerice
A plan of action is not a fixed and stable thing; the best of them have changed, evolved from their simply beginnings, and may yet evolve further. One must choose the right moment to convert this evolved version into action, lest it continue onward into useless complexity and consigned to oblivion, never to be performed.In my case, it is a relatively simple matter. There is more than one path to achieve my short term aims, but the best and most profitable route is not necessarily the shortest. Certainly, the shortest route is rarely the most enjoyable.
I suppose that I have a personal weakness for mapping. It may not reward as well as other options, but it does have its compensations, and I like detail… and I can always change things about if I grow weary of it.
And if I am lucky…. but first, lots of preparation!
Yes of course it helps if one has a ship already equipped for the purpose, and some are more suited to the role than others. Many have multiples of the same model ship but equipped quite differently, because these ships can be placed in very different locations, whereas constantly retrofitting a single ship is a chore – or so I find.
And if it is a question of credits… ah, but is there ever enough for all my needs? The monstrous sum demanded by a particular engineer to even talk to me? Appalling, especially when his services can be obtained elsewhere. Yet those others have their own demands, from relics to cigars, combat bonds to befriending questionable organisations. The price one must pay to improve one’s ship! I would do without…. except that others will not, therefore hold the advantage….
Nor does it stop with engineers. I only wish it did. Progress, of course, demands otherwise.
I recently received a transmission from some derelict husk in the deep of the black, and left the AIs to decode and translate, a task for which I had imagined them eminently suited, yet their success has been only partial. There seems little doubt that the information is ancient, and the bulk of the transmission in some forgotten Earth tongue, but encapsulated in non-human language.
The theory that most of the AIs subscribe to is as follows – some long dead alien race once visited Earth in a clandestine fashion for geological and sociological mapping, but their craft suffered some catastrophe, of which the aforementioned husk is all that remains.
However, this does not help at all with translation, since many terms seem to be in some unfathomable dialect which may only have held meaning for the long-forgotten beings of the time, whatever their species may have been. Minus suspects that the terms ‘Shoulder Petite Tender’ and ‘Shank Cross Cut’ refer to some types of armament, possibly used in conjunction with a ‘Skillet’ which is believed to be an old Earth weapon. Furthermore, there are references to packets of ‘Silk Cut’ containing some sort of medication, but the exact nature of a ‘Mushroom Double Swiss’ will most likely be lost in the shrouds of the past. Space we may traverse as we will, but time we may only travel in one direction.
Naturally the AIs are quite useful in many tasks, but why must the argue amongst themselves, particularly over this translation problem? If I mute them, they sulk afterwards and I suspect they deliberately misunderstand me for a time, thankfully without serious consequences. Perhaps their purchase was unwise – I have become so accustomed to their usefulness that I would not now care to do without them and yes, I can do without them if I must, but overall it is easier for me to adapt to them and attempt to tolerate their more annoying tendencies for their considerable and unquestioned utility. Do they dream electric dreams?
Perhaps a trip to Sol is mandated if only to settle this bickering once and for all, but the mere thought of returning to the near centre of the bubble fills me with despair, and in any case it may fail to settle any of the questions that plague us. For the moment it is not necessary for any other reason so I am minded to postpone that particular pleasure.
In short, credits are not the problem at the moment, I certainly have enough rebuys for my needs, however haphazard my combat skills may be. There are trading and mining opportunities that would suit me well enough, but when certain profitable mapping opportunities fall into my lap I am loathe to do anything other than indulge them.
Again, one cannot afford to remain in the place. There is the inevitable fuel, restock and repair costs which must be paid, and those credits need to come from somewhere. Even (ugh) missions will help with such, but I long for a ship that does not require fuel, restocking or maintenance. Such a ship does not yet exist, but if it did then I can easily imagine the queue would stretch halfway across the galaxy. True, the costs for fuel, restocks, repairs and maintenance are almost trivial, which would surely preclude the enormous cost of a ship that could so without them. And yet… it is almost an intrinsic component of the human condition to desire that which one cannot have.
And so I refit and rebalance for mapping, and be prepared for whichever unidentified signal sources that interest me, since they are far more appropriate to investigate while mapping that any other mode of activity. There are many who would disagree with this point, but surely one is entitled to a little personal preference? And while additional equipment is not strictly necessary, it does allow one to delegate the tedious repartition of retrieval to a drone, especially when the alternative is an empty equipment slot in order to save on weight. A refit is not just a question of efficiency.
Oh, apparently there is one other purchase I must make. No, I refuse to have a pink paint job, whatever she says. The other AIs are now insisting that I buy… another AI. I know that if I do there will be the usual reshuffling of the pecking order… and to think that once the only voices on my ship were that of COVAS and myself.
Something else lost in the midst of time. Did I mention useless complexity? Such are plans of action.