Starship Armstrong - Season 2

Part 31 - Ignorance Is Bliss (V)

"There isn't much you can do on your end," said the Captain "Until we know what's going on we won't know what the solution will be."

"I just hate feeling useless," said Galen, still on the main screen "It's quite frustrating. I was so looking forward to your arrival."

"Well don't lose heart," said the Captain "We'll make our way to your planet eventually."

"Lieutenant-Commander Mitzner is hailing us," said Marceaux.

"I have to go," said the Captain "End transmission. Put the Lieutenant-Commander on."

Galen disappeared from the screen and Mitzner replaced him. Dr. Kang was standing in the background looking just insufferable.

"It's weird, Captain," said Mitzner.

"What's weird?" Littlecrow asked.

"This whole place," said Mitzner "About a million people have directly wired their brains into a giant computer and our resident sociopath has a pretty good theory as to why they might want to do that. The people we've been in contact with are living in a virtual reality and don't even know it. Probably."

"Definitely," said Dr. Kang "I have my witless assistants patching a monitor into their system. It'll be like a window into their little dream."

"You go," said Mitzner, shooing Dr. Kang "Go build your window."

Dr. Kang left the area being captured on the screen to go oversee his assistants.

"I don't use the word weird lightly Captain," said Mitzner "This is the third weirdest thing I've ever seen."

"How much of this have you verified and how much of it is Dr. Kang's conjecture?" asked the Captain.

"I saw the people wired into the computers," said Mitzner "All three of the geek squad agree about the virtual reality environment and I actually trust Ensign Wagner."

"Hey!" yelled McAfree, from off screen "Screw you too!"

"I'm going to need you to come back to the Armstrong," said the Captain "Dr. Kang and his department can stay on the orbital facility and continue to study it."

"I don't think that's such a good idea," said Mitzner.

"I need you here for the moment," said the Captain "Dr. Kang?"

"Yes?" asked Dr. Kang sliding his head into frame from the side.

"I'm calling in one of the countless favors you owe me," said the Captain "I want you to promise me you aren't going to meddle with any of that equipment while Mitzner is gone. Don't alter anything. Resign yourself to non-intrusive study."

"All right, Captain," said Dr. Kang, suddenly more sincerely than he had previously seemed capable "I give you my word that I will leave all of this equipment as it is. Except it might have some new stuff plugged into it. I need to be able to plug hardware in I'm not promising I won't do that."

"I'm glad you're taking it seriously enough to include that caveat," said the Captain "I'm holding you to that."

"You can count on me, Captain," said Dr. Kang, and he really seemed to mean it unironically.

"This is the sickest joke I've ever heard," said Mitzner "Remember that I warned you, Captain."

"Noted," said Captain Littlecrow "Take the shuttle back over. If Dr. Kang pulls anything we can just leave him there."

"On my way," said Mitzner.

* * *

The three ranking officers sat in the Captain's office and, as usual, Gibson and Mitzner were disagreeing on the correct course of action.

"I say we let them all out," said Mitzner "These people deserve to be free. We have the means to set up a small colony, we could help clean up enough of their world for them to start over again."

"We have to ask ourselves if that's what those people would want," said Gibson "They are likely comfortable in their current existence. It would be extremely distressing for them to learn everything they've known has been an illusion."

"So they should continue to live a lie?" asked Mitzner.

"I'm saying we're not the ones to make that decision for them," said Gibson "These people did this to themselves for a reason."

"Dr. Kang says these are probably the children of the people who did this," said Mitzner "They never had a choice."

"Pulling them out is not giving them a choice," said Gibson "It's making one for them."

"But it's one they can't make for themselves," said the Captain "That's what's so difficult about it."

"Captain, I believe these people have the right of self-determination," said Gibson "As does Foundation law. We have no right to step in and remove them from a simulated reality that they themselves have constructed. It's unethical and illegal."

"These people are prisoners in their own minds," said Mitzner "You didn't see the people in those pods. We can't allow them to be subjected to that any longer. It's inhumane.

"Other cultures might seem disturbing to us," said Gibson "But it's their right to be that way."

"This isn't about culture it's about the right of people to know the truth about their own reality," said Mitzner.

"Before we can decide either way we're going to need to probe the Zethites for their attitudes towards all this," said the Captain "We'll have to try and determine as best we can what choice they would make for themselves without making them aware of the choice."

"Oh," said Mitzner "Is that all?"

"Captain," came Ensign Marceaux's voice "Dr. Kang is hailing you."

"Give me the audio in here," said the Captain.

"Good news, Captain," said Dr. Kang "I just need a quick trip over to the ship to grab supplies and I should be able to insert one of us into this virtual reality world. Without having to surgically wire any brains into any machines because I'm not a hack."

"Why would we even want to do that?" asked Mitzner.

"Why wouldn't we?" asked Dr. Kang "Have you ever seen something like this before? We're explorers, aren't we?"

"Captain I'm not going in that thing," said Mitzner "I'm not letting those two play around with my brain. I'm drawing a line in the sand."

"I'll go in," said the Captain.

"I must protest," said Gibson "It's too dangerous."

"Your protest is noted, Commander," said the Captain "But I'm doing this. I'll find a volunteer from among the crew to come with me and I'll go in the simulation myself. I want to get a feel for the world these people live in before I decide whether to pull them out of it."

"Dr. Kang-" started Mitzner.

"Yes yes you'll kill me in all manner of colorful ways if the Captain comes to harm under my care. Noted. End transmission."

"Captain he's going to try to hypnotize you with a machine or steal your brain or something even worse that we can't think of because we're not him," said Mitzner.

"He's not going to harm me," said the Captain "He's too pragmatic. At the moment he needs me."

"I wish I shared your confidence," said Gibson.