Today’s prompt and DeviantArt link. And for those who may be wondering, yes I am using the Inktober prompts to build up and flesh out scenes for a larger story I have in my head.

When U.S. Space Command first began building space-based building platforms and the larger Constitution class spaceships, the advances in artificial intelligence (AI) led USSC scientists and engineers to entrust the building processes to robots and AI-piloted mechs. Not long into the process, both the scientists and engineers rediscovered one of the largest drawbacks of artificial builders, they lack the ability to improvise solutions to unique problems.

By the beginning of the Mercury class spaceship builds, human construction workers piloting exoskeletons were the norm for space-based construction. Because of the materials used to manufacture the exoskeletons, the workers adopted the term “Steel Monkey” to describe themselves, borrowing the title of a 20th century song about high rise construction workers.

The exo frames allowed the construction workers to be strapped into a structure that was one part scaffold, one part tool rig, and one part personal survival and mobility vehicle. Each exo frame shared more in common with a hiking backpack than a traditional construction site tool frame, except for the two pair of arms controlled by a pair of gun-handle-like joysticks with multiple triggers and buttons that allowed the steel monkey within to do their jobs. 

One pair of exo arms ended in a pair of hands that offered the ability to manipulate and handle materials beyond the ability and strength of a human.  The other pair of exo arms ended in a welding torch and a rivet gun, the two most commonly needed tools for those building things in orbit.

While the human construction workers retained such disadvantages as requiring breaks, sleep, and food, their ability to improvise solutions in response to rapidly changing situations added benefits that far outweighed the obstacles of returning construction work back to the “hands” of human workers.

Today’s prompt and DeviantArt link.

When the design of the aerospace fighter came into being, it was soon discovered that the worst thing that could happen to an aerospace fighter pilot or weapon system officer (wiso) is to have the fighter shot out from under them.

While one would normally think that the ship exploding or being shot through the crew ejection capsule would be among the worst, those deaths tend to occur instantaneously and are thought to be less painful.

On the other hand, space is cold. It’s freezing cold, as in -455 degrees below Fahrenheit cold. While the ejection capsule and space suit do provide some shelter, heat, and oxygen against the cold and the vacuum of space, those tend to provide only a short-term solution since they rely on a very limited supply of breathable air and battery power.

U.S. Space Command (USSC) scientists and engineers studied the dilemma of combat search and rescues (CSARs) in space to improve the survivability of fighter crews after having their fighter shot out from under them, but they could not find a solution that did not also increase the chances of the crew suffering a fatal fate. While locator beacons, light systems (including infrared and night vision), and bright light colors were all studied and attempted, they increased the chances of CSAR crews spotting the endangered crews, they also increased the chances of enemy aerospace fighters spotting them as well.

I combined today’s Inktober prompt”Bait” with the VA OT creative writing group topic “In Over My Head” and DeviantArt link.

I knew I was going to be in over my head when I volunteered to fly the bait plane for the combat search and rescue (CSAR) mission.

The csar package dropship would make the pickup of the aerospace fighter crew. Another dropship with both csar/spec ops packages would fly for close support. Two aerospace fighters were also needed for air support. The other one would keep watch, from up high, for any enemy air assets. I was flying the bait plane.

If there’s one job during a csar as bad as, if not worse than, being one of the downed crewmembers trying to be rescued, it’s being the pilot or weapon system officer (wiso) of the bait plane. You’re whole job is to make a nice, big, loud, tempting target for whoever might come along looking for the downed fighter and its crew and help the pickup crew do their job with as little interference as possible, under the circumstances.

As both fighters flew over the pickup zone, my wiso, Captain Cameron Piper, announced she had visuals on both crew members and a large group of bipedals heading towards them.

Granted we’ve been marooned here at Themis for over a year, but I’m still not used to the idea that groups of “people” approaching us might not be “people” as we’re used to meaning the word.

“Banana, you sure,” I ask using her callsign, a joke that dated back centuries to some unfortunate would-be actor turned would-be evangelist who based his career plan on the idea of a banana proving the existence of God and disproving Darwin.

“Roger that, Atlas,” she replied using the callsign I’d been given for sharing the last name of a 20th century philosophical grifter.

“I’ll circle back around and closer to the ground to give them a bigger target to focus on,” I told Banana as I shifted the Gemini aerospace fighter into a large circle pattern. The Gemini took its design from some sort of cross between the 20th century F-22/F-15 fighter jets with our modern 23rd century controls and systems for flight and weapons.

As we passed over the group approaching the crash site, we could see that it was a group of trolls, which made our need to provide bait coverage all the more important. I did a quickturn maneuver, almost on top of them, to get their attention, and then noticed they were throwing things in our direction.

“Um, Banana, are those guys throwing spears as us?” I ask partially out of disbelief at the choice of weapons, and with more than a little concern about the inatmosphere intakes of the Gemini catching one of those projectiles and adding to the number aerospace fighter crewmembers in need of csar.

“At least, they’re not throwing rocks,” came the reply from my wiso, before she added a long delayed “yet” that didn’t succeed in improving my expectation of our chances of the next overpass of the trolls.

Flying bait is always dangerous. Flying bait around airborne objects is even moreso. Flying bait around projectiles the size of a small car, makes one question the status of their mental health at the moment they volunteered to fly the current csar mission.

Yesterday’s prompt.

USSC’s Mercury class ships were the first to bear the names of astronauts. They were also the first to incorporate artificial intelligence (AI) to handle routine janitorial functions as well as more dangerous tasks such as collision avoidance.

The naming scheme for each ship and each AI became an inside joke. The AI wore the first name; the ship wore the last. Thus, the first Mercury class ship was the USSC Sheppard with an AI named Alan. Of the seven Mercury class ships, the Sheppard became the only name to carry forward into future USSC fleet programs, becoming the designation of the first USSC Sheppard class ship.

Despite a myriad of warnings from scifi authors and scientists, USSC scientists felt the concerns about AI onboard space ships were overblown. While they agreed that a HAL 9000 problem could exist in theory. They felt that the programming of Asimov’s Three Laws of Robotics nullified any theoretical concerns.

No one was more overjoyed to read of the Asimov Laws eliminating rogue AI problems than the members of the crew of the USSC Grissom, while researching troubleshooting suggestions. Their AI, Gus, first demonstrated that theoretical problems don’t always stay theoretical by announcing “Good morning, Dave” to a command flight crew onboard a ship where no one was named Dave and the time was universal midnight.

DeviantArt link.

Some of you are familiar with the Inktober drawing challenge. If not, here’s the the link to the rules. I decided to participate in the challenge, but also further challenge myself with both the art and a related fiction.

This year’s prompts:

My art (with DeviantArt link) and my related fiction for yesterday’s prompt, Ring:

When von Braun theorized the von Braun artificial gravity wheel, engineers couldn’t wait to attempt it, scientists remained skeptical. The biggest drawbacks were the lack of space-based construction platforms and the skepticism of there ever being a metal capable of serving as a building material for a large structure in space without bringing it plummeting through the atmosphere.

It the latter sliver of the 20th Century, the first promise of possible construction materials emerged. By the mid-21st Century, those metals were the foundation for the first space elevator, which opened the door to space-based factories. By the end of the 21st, the first factory was completed and began constructing the first large spaceship.

And of course that first spaceship featured the von Braun ring as central point around which the rest of the ship design was planned. Continuing a NASA tradition dating from the early days of television, U.S. Space Command adopted the tradition labelling it the USSC Enterprise and dubbing the class of vehicle as the Constitution.