Ghosts
It is natural for humans to attribute unusual phenomena to “ghosts” even when the preponderance of evidence suggests that a supernatural event simply is not possible. The commanding officer’s log on the “Corbeau Incident” was neither the first nor the last such report—either on Victoria or on Cistercia. Alternate historical analyses, such as those comprising Flint’s People’s History, argue that the incident did not occur as described, but was rather a case of group psychosis caused by insufficient psychological screening of crews ill-suited to the long, lonely cruise to TRAPPIST-2.
Reports of ghost sightings continued and typically involved Colony Foundation visionary Keegan Coran, family members who remained in the Sol System, and mythological figures such as Carmen Miranda and Elvis. Many, but not all, of these sightings were eventually attributed to sleep deprivation, practical jokes, and mental instability.
While the AI malfunctions on Victoria provided a convenient explanation for ghost sightings, the explanations were not accepted by all. This led to the rise of distrust toward synthetic intelligences, even among the crew. Years after the Corbeau Incident, Shift Captain Kimo Bane insisted that the AIs be disabled until the crew could “root out the ghosts in the machine.” Captain Bane was relieved of command and placed back in cryo for the duration of the voyage. Nevertheless, suspicion that something could be very wrong with the computers persisted.
—Encyclopedia Astra,
Gannon University,
Antonia, Cistercia, AA212