Chapter 11

The AI came out of standby to a puzzle.

Humans, according to its databanks, need organic fuel of various types, liquid water, and a partial pressure of 16.8 kPa gas mix containing 20% oxygen in order to remain functional. Lack of any one of them would make the human cease functioning in a short period of time. Concepts it did not understand, but it's databanks were never wrong. All items it did not have and could not produce. So how could it rescue a human?

It rechecked it's programming. Nothing about how to make human requirements from what it had available. Nothing in the instructions it had received. Instructions from humans on Earth. They could not have forgotten - so there was no need. 

It ceased worrying.

Radio contact with the rendevous vessel at 12 million kilometers. Commands sent. The vessel twitched and rolled, lining up it's laser port. Slow and clumsy. Obviously non intelligent computer control, just as some of the AI subsystems were.

Time passed. The AI analysed the orbits. A slight course alteration would increase the message laser contact from 15000 to 22000 milliseconds. Course altered.

400000 kilometers. The message laser lashes out and connects. A datastream from the ship. Program of some kind - dormant. Huge.

Parity error.

Request retransmission. Empty data banks filling up, many corrupt addresses to avoid. Dump old data and overwrite the spaces. Still more room needed.

Dump automatic station keeping programs - write data into space freed. Dump astro navigation subroutines. Dump shipping data. Enough space.

Transmission complete. 1300 milliseconds of contact left. Time for one question to the automatics.

"Query - What is the program recieved?"

"Query Reply - a human mind."

Contact lost.

The AI checked it's orbit. 13 years to next rendevous. Message to earth.

"Data transfer successful. Entering standby mode."

It slept.