14 – CONSEQUENCES

JUSTIN – JUNE 10TH 2050 – MOONBASE ALPHA

He liked to think of the place as Moonbase Alpha, although the name would only become official once the first true colonist arrived.

The huge excavators moved mountains of lunar regolith out of the way, creating a circular depression in the landscape. They had been assembled from pieces brought up from Earth, seemingly small when stacked neatly inside the cargo bays, but gargantuan monsters when in activity.

The plan was to dig down two meters into the ground, in the shape of a circle, and then place a polymer-glass dome above it. Its edges would fit snugly against the two-meter walls of grey rock and as soon as it was in place, the piled rock at the edges would be pushed against its surface, effectively sealing it.

Then it would be filled with breathable air.

For now, all there was on the surface was a circle made of colored powder on the ground and a few holes here and there. There were mounds of moved rock piling outside the circle already. Apart from where the excavators were operating, everything was eerily still, courtesy of the fact that there was no air.

He pulled up the holograms, and a simulation of the finished city sprung to life superimposed onto the barren landscape. He could almost touch it, close as he was. The digging operators, driving their giant machines, were seeing similar, if more technical, holograms. Once again Justin was reminded of the fact that Eve could just decide to do it all herself, piloting the machines remotely, rather than having people do it.

He could only guess at her reasons, although he might just ask her. Perhaps he’ll do that one day, but in truth he feared the answer a little. Maybe she was letting people work because otherwise they would see just how utterly useless they were. And work, fulfilling work, makes them happy.

Yeah, he was sure it was like that. Intellectual jobs perhaps would still be needed. Eve had expressed appreciation more than once, saying that human designs are much more elegant and ingenuous than hers. He might believe that. But he was also sure that she was letting those guys drive their excavators because they enjoyed it. He could see the grin on their faces from here.

Honestly, it would be the dream of any worker, to be able to do their job here. On the moon. With the view of the planet Earth hanging up above.

If she decided to do it herself it would be faster, safer and definitely more efficient. But she didn’t need to, did she? There was no rush, no need to exclude and alienate the people. In time, these jobs would eventually fall down to her, but for now it was not a priority.

There was already a steady decline in the amount of people doing grunt work.

One huge machine passed by him, the driver waving at him before dumping a huge chunk of loose rock onto one of the piles. He had a few minutes to waste before the next rocket arrived, so he stood there and watched the people work. It was hypnotic, and very relaxing.

Even if they were just people, under Eve’s supervision they all moved in unison like a well-oiled machine. All with a common goal, their tasks perfectly divided and interlocking. It was fascinating.

He saw the blinding red flame of a fusion engine approach the landing site. It had been moved a bit farther away, as the New Apollo site had been made into a memorial. It was right next to the crater, where now was a crown of shiny white buildings welcoming people underground.

The rocket touched down, making the ground tremble imperceptibly. He only noticed because Eve thought funny to show him a seismogram.

Walking clumsily, he arrived at the hatch. He still hadn’t gotten down how to walk in low-g, much to his disappointment. The hatch opened, and blue exo-suits greeted him. They were improved designs over the suit he was wearing right now, made to address the series of issues that came up during his stay here. There was one for each person currently on site.

He waved hello to the newcomers and let them lead him to the cargo bay.

ERIC – EN ROUTE TO EARTH

He was on one of the return rockets. They were mostly empty, with skeleton crew and nothing of value. Merely returning home after having made their shipments, to refuel and repair. They weren’t exactly empty, but million of tons of lunar rock was not exactly something he would call a dragon’s hoard.

It made them heavy, though, and very awkward to land in the full gravity, full atmosphere of Earth. He was glad he was just a passenger today, free from the burden of flying this metal cage.

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“How much left?” He asked impatiently.

“Just a few more minutes, Eric.” Replied Eve. He had been speaking to her nonstop ever since waking up. Or rather, she had been speaking to him. His opinion on the matter didn’t seem relevant to her, and after a while he just came to accept it. He almost enjoyed the constant buzz in his ear. It made up for the oppressive and echoing silence that he still felt all around. In his heart.

“I was wondering what the hell you’re doing with millions of tons of lunar gravel.” He said idly. He didn’t really care, but he found out that by staying silent he was prompting the AI to talk about difficult topics.

“Oh, many things. Mainly we are seeing if we can use it to grow plants.” She replied. There was a brief silence before she spoke again. “I can feel that you are distressed. Don’t worry, we’re almost home. I’ve prepared a nice ride to take you anywhere you want.” She said teasingly.

“What if I wanted to see the bastard…” He paused, feeling a knot in his throat.

“That won’t do you any good, Eric. May I help a bit?” She asked.

“Yeah, please.”

He felt a small tingle in his brain, then he relaxed. He felt his consciousness float among the stars, be one with the cosmos, at peace. Happy, for a moment. Then he softly landed on the ground, rolling hills everywhere around him. The rocket had landed without him even noticing.

“I still want to talk to him.” He said, his voice not carrying the same conviction he felt moments earlier.

“Of course. And you will, in time. But neither you nor him are ready right now.”

CHIYOKO – ACCELERATED LEARNING FACILITY 87, TOKYO

“Please, enter.” The voice behind the door said. “Oh, Chiyoko! Welcome.”

“Ah… it’s-” she was interrupted, however, when the woman hushed her.

“We don’t ask candidates for their surnames, here. It’s bullshit, if you ask me, in this age. A relic from the past… but it’s how Eve does things.” The woman said.

She was a westerner, not that it mattered nowadays. Japanese people have always been wary of outsiders, at least Chiyoko was, and that was the reason, she presumed, behind why that specific woman was here to welcome her.

Chiyoko was short and small, with remarked Japanese features and an angelic visage. Her hair was dark as night. Truly a model Japanese. So much so that she was even approached by agencies looking for young women to become idols. That wasn’t the future she had in mind.

And thus, aged 22, here she was. At school again.

“So, what brings you here? And don’t answer that Eve did, because that’s just the easy way out of a difficult answer. Tell me about your dreams, your aspirations… how would you want to change the world!” The woman, Samantha, asked. Eve was very kind to provide a name when asked for it, she even said the woman in question always forgot to introduce herself. She thought it was unneeded in this age. She was right, Chiyoko thought, since Eve compensated for it. As long as Eve did just that, Samantha had no need to introduce herself.

The question itself was rather odd. Indeed, Eve surely knew the answer already. Even without asking, it’s inevitable to know everything about a person after having observed her since her birth. Twenty-two years under the watchful eye of the AI. Machine or Eve, it was still the same entity to her eyes.

No, the reason behind the question was another. She was being tested. Eve had a job in mind for her, and wanted to see how she would do. How she would react and perform when put under stress. She was born in the new age, the age of the AI. And as Eve became more and more ingrained into people’s lives, the people themselves became more and more reliant on her. It was good, but also bad.

Some people weren’t able to handle things by themselves anymore. It wasn’t that they weren’t capable, it was that they had grown depended on the knowledge that there was someone watching over them. If this was true now, when Eve had barely just begun to speak to everyone, it was destined to become a major problem. One that no doubt the AI had plans to rectify.

She sighed inwardly. Even this specific way of thinking showed a strong bias towards the AI.

In any case, it was true. Chiyoko had issues speaking to people. What was once a normal condition in the most advanced of societies was becoming all the more dire. In a time when it wasn’t necessary to be good with people, because the right people were put in front of you by a superior entity, that particular ability was becoming extinct. And if that was what was needed of her, then she had reasons to be genuinely afraid.

Afraid, yes, but not defeated. She always fought to get what she wanted. Eve had handed her the offer on a silver platter, but now she had to so some of the heavy lifting herself.

“I…” It was terrifying. She sighed. There was no way Eve would give her a task she could not complete. And if she failed, she would never be able to soar to new heights. “I want to help Eve. I heard what she said in her speech, but I know it’s not something she can accomplish alone. She needs people, smart people, who will strive for a better future together with her.”

It was a horribly bad speech, she admitted. She hoped it would be enough.

DIMITRI – ACCELERATED LEARNING FACILITY 34, MOSCOW

“Come.” Came the low, growling voice from behind the door. “Candidate Dimitri, no surname needed.”

“Nice to meet-”

“It’s not. It’s a god-awful job, being here all the time, meeting all you…” The man looked down on Dimitri, judging gaze heavy and unbearable. It reminded him of his father. “Filthy manlets. You think you are entitled to anything, but you’re not. You’ve been given a gift, don’t waste it. Speak.”

Dimitri was sweating. This was exactly the tone of voice he always heard in his nightmares. He searched for the right words to say, something that would show how determined he was. That he was the right man for the job.

The truth was different. There was a weight coming with the job, one he was sure he would be able to bear. And yet, one single man managed to shatter his pride and confidence.

Perhaps he would not make a good secretary-general.

EVE

The interviews were not going so well. Even with a ten billion people sample to choose from, it was awfully difficult to find the right person for the job. Perhaps she was doing it all wrong. She was looking for someone to replace Louis, not to be the secretary-general. Maybe she had to approach the situation differently.

It was time to ask for advice.