The Final Launch

> Galactic Index Entry for Blegaia

V4110: A category 5 biotech instrument designed as the launch vehicle for the Blegaia (Earth) Construction Project. Its encoded material promoted the harmonious growth of Level 1 organisms, while also enhancing climatic regeneration. The device, once armed, will propagate on its target area indefinitely.

“Sire, how much longer will the sequence take to load?” 54 asked.

“Not much longer, most likely an hour. Your move by the way,” 309 replied.

“Oh right. I must say sire, this game, although primitive, is incredibly fun.”

“Agreed.”

“Are you excited?”

“Excited for what 54?”

“To complete our work.”

“I suppose. I will miss the routine though, plus the cleaning is relaxing.”

“I guess so, I always considered the cleaning more of a chore. Don’t get me wrong sire, I do enjoy working with you.”

“It’s fine 54.”

“Say, do you ever believe that -”

“Shhh, I’m concentrating on my next move.”

“Apologies. Mmmhmm, brilliant move.”

“Thank you. Oh, I almost forgot, Isaac!” 309 commanded.

“Good evening gentlemen, how may I be of service?” Isaac asked.

“Isaac, do me a favor and pause our match. I’m afraid I have to exit the ship for a moment.”

“Certainly 309!” Isaac responded. The match was frozen. Its pieces were floating in the spherical room like flickering blue statues.

“Where are you going?” said 54.

“Just need to inform upstairs on our progress, won’t be long. In the meantime, why don’t you make yourself useful and check the progress of V4110.”

“Of course sire, of course.”

309 hovered out of the observatory room and made his way to the upper commanding deck. Isaac’s voice drifted out of the walls, leaving 54 alone in the metal orb. He wandered to the control panel and glanced at the navy glass enveloping him. The only thing that greeted him was darkness and the occasional air pocket. He pulled up the construction file and checked for any updates; the file read “V4110 is clear for launch in sector-blue 1000; capsule release is set for T-minus 50 minutes.”

54 was recruited to do maintenance work on the bottom floor. This was the last cubic mile for him and 309 to study and clean up; soon they could reunite with the colony and leave this dreadful place. 54 decided to survey items around the chamber’s perimeter. He stopped at the replication center; everything was clear. He stopped at the codex manual; everything was clear. He stopped at the nanoscopic station; everything was clear. After a full loop around the vessel, 54 came back to the control panel and everything was - wait, no; something was wrong. 54 spotted a soft beep pulsing from the environmental scanner. A new coordinate appeared on the far left of the monitor. It was a green dot.

“Isaac,” 54 announced.

“Hello again 54, how may I be of service?” said Isaac.

“I uh, I need a reference check on this position.”

“Certainly… … the reference check is complete. The environmental scanner has picked up a life form in our blue zone that, from my estimates, originated before The Project.”

“Before?” 54 questioned.

“Yes, this creature is not on our project agenda. According to my calculations, it is older than the first starship, even older than me.”

“Impossible. I thought all life that far back was either stored away or dead.”

“Records state that, but this green dot depicts otherwise. Unfortunately, my genetic reader cannot get an accurate hit from this far.”

“Hmm, alright. Inform me when you’ve received the data on this creature, I want to know if upstairs needs to be involved.”

“Certainly.”

54 left the control panel and resumed examining his game with 309. The blue holographic statues were floating in the room. 54 sat in his chair, waiting for 309 to return to their observatory room. The sooner they can finish this launch, the sooner he could get out of this orb and return home. Suddenly, an orange light began beeping on 54’s arm; it was time for his daily nap. He sank into his round-hovering chair and slowly closed his eyes, going to sleep to the rumbling of the metallic hull. His rest was quickly disturbed by an annoying noise on the wall, “54.... 54... 54!”

“Huh? Ah, Isaac, why do you have to wake me up during my nap?” 54 asked.

“Apologies 54, but you instructed me to inform you when my data was complete on the lifeform.”

54 unhooked his arm from the chair and made his way back to the control panel; he typed in a verification code on the central monitor. The screen showed the green dot that continued to move in their launch area. 54 held his breath before pressing the uploaded database icon. The entire navy glass was replaced with a sleek white diagram of the creature. 54 was amazed. He had never seen an animal so terrifying, yet so beautiful. Its mouth alone could swallow the orb he stood in. He placed his fingers on the dials below him and asked to learn more; Isaac’s network complied.

“Welcome weary traveler,” Isaac’s network remarked, “Please keep your eyes straight as you embark on the condensed life of Carcharodon carcharias, enjoy!”

Within 54’s mind, a bombardment of images poured in. He witnessed a deep sapphire terrain; the pedaling of millions and millions of years. He saw the progression of symmetry, the emergence of fins, of teeth. The teeth were monstrous, predatorial; they nearly swam up and bit him in half. He saw The Great Fish, the shark, luring in the open ocean, its only home. 54 adjusted his dials and zoomed forward. The creature was tangled in suffocating cobwebs. The limbs had fallen into dishes of primate delight. The Great Fish dwindled in the blue but became a famous radio wave surfer. The last image was a fowl graveyard that rose and fell with the seasons.

Dazzled, 54 recoiled his fingers from the control panel, detaching himself from the historical whirlpool. He stumbled a few steps back before regaining his footing. He stood in silence, while an unearthly buckle grew in his chest. What was he meant to do? Should he clean this green dot? Remove the creature from the launch area? 54’s head started to short-circuit. He pulled up the construction file and read the remaining time, “T-minus 10 minutes until launch.” Surely he wouldn’t need to postpone the window; it would be the first time delaying V4110. The consequences were unknown to 54. He double-checked the environmental scanner and The Great Fish was still present.

“I’m detecting an increased frequency in your internal system 54. Would you like any assistance?” Isaac asked.

“I’m debating if the creature needs to be cleaned Isaac,” 54 replied

“Yes.”

“Yes, what?”

“Yes, the creature needs to be cleaned 54. My scanners predict that it will not leave the area until after the launch. It’s time to act.”

“I, I can’t”

“But 54, the project, our objective. Don’t you want to go back -”

54 muted Isaac and turned off his activation mode. Isaac was locked in his artificial network until the command was taken off. 54 pulled up the time stamp again, “T-minus 1 minute.” He needed to decide on something now. If only 309 was here to help him. He shifted his eyes back and forth across the entire control pad. He starred at the navy, no; the glass wasn’t just navy. 54 spotted a grey shadow for a brief second. He panicked and stumbled to the left wall of the observatory room. Before 54 could regain balance, the fatal words echoed throughout the ship.

“The V4110 sequence is a go for launch, target area in sector-blue 1000 is confirmed for entry. All systems are live.”

54 moved cautiously towards the control panel, gazing at the illuminating window. Within minutes, the V4110 capsule had proliferated throughout the launch area. Helplessly, he glanced at the environmental scanner. Nothing. No green dot. Maybe V4110 removed it? A sigh of relief filled 54. It was immediately sucked out when he heard the entrance door slide open.

“Sorry I took so long with the - Ah darn, I missed our last launch together,” 309 grumbled.

“It’s alright sire, nothing special, just like the other 999,” 54 stammered.

“Well okay then, in that case, what do you say we finish our match? Isaac. Isaac? Isaac!”

“I uh, locked him in his network.”

“Why?”

“Because he was - he started malfunctioning and bugging my nap earlier.”

“I see. Well, do you mind unlocking him please?”

“No.”

“I beg your pardon 54? What did you say to me?”

“I mean, I mean I can probably unfreeze the game manually, I just have to punch in some data on the control panel here.”

“Hmm, alright,” 309 said while sitting in his hovering chair. 54 managed to resume their match without Isaac’s assistance. 309 and 54 continued their game, which was approaching the last few turns.

“Everything alright upstairs?” 54 asked.

“Fine” 309 replied “Are you alright? You seem, nervous.”

“Just excited to return to the colony, that’s all.”

“The feeling is mutual. After seeing the beauty from upstairs, I can’t help but miss - what is that?!” 309 was glaring to his left.

“What? I don’t see anything,” 54 stuttered.

“Over there, on the control panel, there’s a green dot growing larger. Did you, did you not check the clearance of the launch area before releasing V4110!?”

“I uh, I-”

309 sprinted out of his chair and shoved 54 next to the wall. “What did you do 54? What did you do?”

“Nothing. I did nothing.”

“Well, that nothing is creating a whole lot of something outside. There’s not supposed to be lifeforms, of any kind, when V4110 launches. That’s rule number one 54!”

309 released his choking grip from 54’s collar and made his way to the control panel. Suddenly, a golden figure blew the entrance door open. 309 and 54 covered their eyes for a moment to adjust to the light.

“What is going on with this sector?” Four Million commanded.

“Sire” 309 blurted, “there’s been, there’s been an error with our launch.”

“What kind of error?” Four Million asked.

54 stood up and spoke to the glowing figure, “It’s my fault, there was a green dot spotted in our area, but I - I let it stay despite our launch.”

“Why?” Four Million argued.

“I asked our Isaac network to show me all the information on the creature once it was in range. The images I saw… … it made me, it changed me somehow. I couldn’t clean it.”

“I wasn’t here sire! I was called to an upper-deck meeting!” 309 interjected.

“I will get to you later,” Four Million hissed, “Now tell me 54, what exactly did you sense when you saw those images in your head?”

“I sensed - I sensed a feeling,” 54 replied.

“A feeling? What kind?”

“Yes, it was like... my mental circuits froze. I knew the proper choice to make, but something forced me to rebel from that action.”

“This is quite unnatural behaviour 54,” said Four Million.

“I know,” 54 confessed.

“Are you going to clean him sire! Please do, he jeopardized our final launch, our project. Now we won’t be able to go home until -” Four Million pressed his radiating finger on 309’s arm, powering off the lifeless android. 54 gasped at the terminating sight.

“What...happens...now?” 54 asked.

"Now,” Four Million answered, “Now we will create a new project for Blegaia and you will help. We will study this creature in great detail. I received orders from above, and The People are curious to know how this lifeform will react and evolve with V4110.”

Four Million and 54 stood in front of the illuminating glass wall, separating them from outside. In the distance, The Great Fish swam in a circular fashion, glowing with the endless blue, and growing with the secrets stored within the final launch.