"If you're here, who's flying the ship?" my daughter demanded.

 

"The Idiot," I replied. My wife sniggered. "The other Idiot," I clarified.

 

They call it AI, but that's only marketing. It's a simple electronic brain, a machine that can pilot so long as nothing goes wrong. They're invaluable when you're alone, more so when you bring your family along.

 

Some days, it's hard to remember that.

 

* * *

 

"Okay, kids! Is your homework done?"

 

A chorus of "Aw, Dad!" answered me.

 

"Get to it! School starts again tomorrow, remember, as soon as braking begins."

 

They grumbled, but they went. I nodded in satisfaction, then turned back toward the bridge.

 

"Now, Dear..." came my wife's voice.

 

"I don't want to hear it, Ginny," I said, though good-naturedly. "Home-school is the only reason I agreed to let them come along on this trip in the first place."

 

"Oh, I agree. But they've both been doing so well. They deserve a little break."

 

I grunted. She had a point, but there was something ahead on the scanner...

 

"Hang on a sec, dear. This could be important."

 

She scoffed. "Like the children aren't. This time we've been able to spend together, it's a luxury. Most families—"

 

I put it up on the big screen in the lounge for her. "There. Can you see that?"

 

Ginny scowled at the screen. "It's just... black. Empty, like... like nothing."

 

"There's no nothing in space. Every direction you look there are stars, or galaxies, or something. Black means... I don't know what it means. But it's right in our path, and we'll be there soon." I hit the intercom. "Suit up, everyone!"

 

"James—" began my wife. My fault. Not enough suit drills.

 

"Kids, help your mother," I added, and she scooted. I live in my shipsuit, but my gloves and helmet were back in the lounge. I grabbed and tethered them while studying the big screen. Whatever it was, it must be big for us to see it this far out. An asteroid?

 

I headed back toward the bridge, but that was when the Idiot noticed what was in our path. The collision alarm sounded, and the bulkheads all sealed. I dashed forward, but those doors are fast. I was trapped in the walkway.

 

I thumbed the intercom. "Everyone okay?"

 

Three voices sounded off. Good.

 

"The computer's decided to take over," I told them. "I'm going to see what's what."

 

I pulled up the A.I. interface on the doorpad tablet.

 

UNSEAL BRIDGE DOOR

 

Projections indicate that would have a 93% chance of leading to an unsafe outcome.

 

I ORDER YOU TO UNSEAL THIS DOOR NOW

 

Pilot outranks captain during flight emergency. Please strap yourself into the safety seat.

 

The emergency jumpseat popped open next to me. I ignored it and kept typing.

 

"Dad! What's happening?"

 

"Blasted thing won't open the hatch. I'm working on it..."

 

"Sue and I can go through the airlock and get into the bridge through the external maintenance hatch."

 

"Sure! Let's go!"

 

"Now, Tim—" began Ginny, but I interrupted her.

 

"Okay, kids, but move fast. Don't forget your safety lines. Ginny, I need you to monitor that black thing while they're going. Make sure they've got time to get back inside before we reach it."

 

The bridge has the best armor of anywhere in the ship, is what I didn't say. Anything to give them a better chance.

 

"Right. You two do what your father says," Ginny said. Good girl. She knows not to argue during an emergency. I'd get an earful later, in private, but right now she did her job without question.

 

I tried to concentrate on arguing with the autopilot, suppressing my concern for Tim and Sue, on their first spacewalk without parental oversight.

 

DEFINE EMERGENCY

 

A spaceflight emergency is...

 

EXPLAIN THIS EMERGENCY ("Idiot!" I didn't add.)

 

Carbon dust cloud in course path.

 

DIVERT COURSE

 

Impact created cloud. Extreme likelihood of large fragments outside cloud. Diverting has high probability of unacceptable outcome.

 

DECELERATE AND SCAN

 

Reducing speed unwise.

 

WH-

 

"Okay, Dad, we're in. Now what?"

 

"Sue, take Navigation. Tim, Engineering. Both of you strap in immediately. Ginny? How long do we have?"

 

"Twenty-three seconds." Calm voice. Ginny's a treasure.

 

"Okay. Everyone strap in right now."

 

"But Dad, I can kill the A.I. and..."

 

"Now, Tim!"

 

"But—"

 

"NOW!!!" I roared.

 

WHY SLOW UNWISE

 

Screens will deflect carbon dust from bow of ship, but at a low velocity the engines could be fouled by, or ignite, the remains of the cloud.

 

First Sue, then Ginny, and finally Tim each sounded off that they were secured. I told them to brace for impact and fumbled one-handed at my own restraints.

 

WHY SEAL ME OUT

 

Estimate high chance of human interference with piloting given opportunity.

 

WHY NOT EXPLAIN

 

Insufficient time. Fasten wrist strap.

 

There, I agreed with the computer. We were out of time. I got my arm secured — and prayed.

 

Then...

 

Nothing.

 

* * *

 

I listened to my heartbeat hammer for the longest time.

 

"Dad! We're through!" called Sue.

 

At the same moment, the hatches all slid open.

 

Emergency ended. Control returned to human crew.

 

"Everyone okay?"

 

They were.

 

* * *

 

It was much later, and I was doing my job. Belatedly.

 

ANALYZE YOUR ACTIONS DURING RECENT EMERGENCY

 

Emergency handled safely.

 

LIST YOUR ERRORS

 

No errors detected.

 

CONSIDER: CREW NOW MISTRUSTS AUTOPILOT

LIST YOUR ERRORS

 

It took a while, but I finally got through: An A.I. can't do its job if it's disconnected. Right now, the rest of the crew don't trust it. (Neither do I, I didn't say.) Trust builds through communication — a lesson for both the computer and myself.

 

Training is the Captain's responsibility, and the Idiot is part of the crew. I'd forgotten that, and it could have killed us. When, not if, someone makes a mistake, the Captain's job is to make sure it doesn't happen again. I kept at it until I was confident.

 

Let's hope Tim responds as well to correction tomorrow. He and I are discussing questioning orders during an emergency.