July 23rd, 2132 Memory Log 36,469 0600 Hours
Does anyone look at these anymore?
Dr. Sharon has been looking forward to this for the last seven months and now, as we stand outside, she can't stop smiling. Her space suit made her look heavier then she was. humans never did figure out a better suit; not that it was that hard the just needed to compress what they already used and change the outer layer to the... Well it doesn't really matter they never took my calculations seriously. The ship was supposed to be arrive 3 months ago but take off had been delayed until now do to system malfunctions. Once the Spero III lands and the newcomers get settled in a few days shell be loading up with the other scientist and heading home leaving me with new faces and new rules again. Sadness wraps itself around my core, or at least that's was I think it is. So many odd sensations lately. Dr. Sharron was one of the few Scientist who took my processes seriously. She liked to call them ideas because she felt they weren't found through mathematics equations and probability. The doctor knew it wasn't possible but believed it anyway. Many were still apprehensive of droids so I was often only permitted to gather samples, prepare food, and clean up after them. The word unfair comes to mind here. I would miss her though, that is what it's called when one craves the presence of another when they are away. That knowledge doesn't make sense either. She says she'll come back but I know better, she misses her daughter to much to come back. She talks a lot about her family on Earth and about Earth in general. Everything was about Earth.
I have been here nearly 100 years, staring down at a planet I have never stepped foot on. Helping Scientist study it but never really knowing it. Never felt the wind on my face or heard the pitter-patter of rain on my smooth metal skin.I have observed their cities grow and their countries bomb one another. Today though I simply watch the Spero III's thruster's fired against the speed bringing it down to the moon's surface at 17,800 mph. I watch as the parachutes release and the ship lands with a minuscule shudder through the ground. The vibration reached her knee joint. Much to hard of a landing with the new landing gear; i know this because the specs were sent yesterday. The vibrations should have stopped at my ankle joint. I'll have to check for damage before the ship leaves tomorrow. 30 minute count down to dislodging started.
"Nice landing wasn't it Lila? I didn't feel it in my hips this time." Dr. Sharon suggests. Her space suit blocking most of her face but I heard the apprehension loud and clear. She was nervous she take off would be delayed longer.
"Let's just hope they didn't damage the landing gear." I respond. I was intrigued to see what they had changed sense the last drop 5 years ago. Everything had changed so much last time, much more fuel efficient and safe. Oh, I do love an afternoon looking over new mechanics. Dislodging countdown: 27 minutes.
"Lila, what are you doing." Dr. Sharon asks, shocked. She was behind me now. Had I stepped forward?
"My apologies Ma'am. I don't know what came over me." Two steps back. I must have been distracted. Dislodging countdown: 21 minutes.
"Anyhow. I hope that you will carry on my work for me until another botanist can get up here. I have come very close to a model that will grow here." Could it possibly be surprise replacing my excitement? Could she really mean what she's saying? Her work was so involved and slow passed but she had made a lot of headway while being up here. Three seeds have sprouted in the mixed soil outside the ship. They died soon after but they had sprouted. What if I figured out the last piece? Would anyone trust it? Dislodging countdown: 15 minutes.
"I doubt they will allow my involvement, Dr. Sharon." I respond nodding my head at the ship.
"I don't know. I here things have changed down there. It sounds like Drones are finally getting treated like something other then unpaid mindless worker bees." It was a nice thought but I'm sure she must have miss understood, humanity would never get to that point. No amount of inventions would make that happen. They would always doubt us.
Avoiding an answer I look us. I couldn't really call it a sky. A sky is the upper atmosphere or expanse of space that constitutes an apparent great vault or arch over the earth. We weren't on earth and the moon didn't have an upper atmosphere. It had such a thin atmosphere that it took them until 20 years ago to discover. A dark heavy black abyss filled with the tinkling lights of millions of stars. It is all I have ever known and it is beautiful. I have heard the others talking about the sky on Earth. How it changes hour to hour or day to day from bright blue to the darkest clouds and only at night can they see the stars. Sometimes they even talked about how overwhelming the few here can be. I had seen some pictures and honestly I preferred this. I can't imagine how lonely that sky could make people feel. For me the stars felt like the only things I'm related too. Or at least sense I started having feelings again four months ago.
They are odd, these feelings, there are so many of them. I'm still not sure if I like them. Dislodging countdown: 4 minutes
I wonder if anyone down there wishes they didn't have to deal with feelings...
Dislodging countdown: 3 minutes
"Why does this always have to take so long?" Dr. Sharon asks with annoyance. I wonder what it's like to have a family, a child.
Dislodging countdown: 0 minutes 20 seconds
I hope there nice...
There is a soft pssshhh sound and the door lifts out. A man stands there waving his hands at us, his space suit shaking. I can see several more behind them. He smiles larger as the stairs descend and he comes strutting out, or as well as he could with the gravity being so strange.
"Where is everyone Dr. Sharon." he asks.
"Sleeping. It was a late night last night." she responds a bit snappily.
"Ah well we have a lot unload." he glance at me suspiciously, "We are going to need all hands on deck to get it down quickly." I couldn't stop myself from thinking that his comment made no sense; we aren't on a boat.
"They'll be up soon enough. Why don't we get started with introductions. You know who I am but I'm not entirely sure who you are. I'm guessing you are Dr. Maron Shrimes"
"Yes that is me and these are my colleagues; Dr. Mary Cons, Dr. James Bultar, Dr. Summer Revelton, and Dr. James Kirkman. Dr. Charles Simmons will be out soon he's checking some gear, he landed harder then he wanted and is concerned about what could have broken." he says gesturing behind him to the rest of the people descending the steps.
"It is a pleasure. You all know you I am I suppose." Dr. Sharon says waving to them all before turning to me. "This is the legendary Lila," Dr. Shrimes glared at me.
"Dr. Sharon I think my services are best applied with Dr. Simmons." I say eager to be away from him.
"Yes of course. Go on I'll show them around outside." Two minutes later I am in the ship, Dr. Simmons floating above me.
"Is their away way I can be of assistance?" I holler up to him. He jumps slightly and looks down. He is younger than I expected him to be. Softer features, nice eyes.
"Oh hi Lila. If you could come up here and tell me what you think." He knows my name? They never remember my name when they get up here, or at least they never acted like they did. Artificial Gravity Function: off. Jumping I join him in the control center at the top of the ship.
"So what do you think?" He says quietly. On the screen in front of him is a hologram of the ship. There are three blinking red sections.
"It looks like you damaged the landing gear and thrusters when you landed as well as drained the fuel. Luckily we have enough of that to get the ship back but this is new tech I probably don't have what is needed to fix it. Do you have the parts to fix it?" I ask.
"Only a few parts. I'm not sure what's damaged. We may have to what for back up. I don't know why they ever would have designed something so week to begin with." his voice is full of frustration.
"I'm sure we'll get it fixed." I say and push my way back down. Artificial Gravity Function: On. I drop the last few feet on walk down the steps. Excitement back in my core. A project in mechanics, me favorite kind.