Departure

by Ken Barrett

  He was still wondering what a ‘tourist’ was when they passed through the tall glass doors. “Wow,” he whispered as he looked around the huge open space.

  “It looks like the council meeting is running late as usual,” Julee said. “So just relax, we’ll be called in a few minutes.” She watched as he stared at the ornate surroundings. “In olden times, this place was a museum of some kind. After Denver fell to the Tribes, the government set up here because there are a lot of big open rooms available for meetings.”

  The building lobby was a marvel, with expansive polished granite floors and wide curving stairways that swept up to a balcony that ran across the back of the room. Then there was the art; beautiful paintings hung on every wall depicting scenes filled with vibrantly colored images of people from a nearly forgotten past. He was captivated, those portraits and landscapes were the most beautiful things he had ever seen.

  Julee tugged at his arm. “You can look at that stuff later. We’ve been called in, so let’s go.”

  *****

  The seven members of the city council sat behind a long table on an elevated platform at the far end of the room. At the center of the table was Chancellor Margaret Williams. Dear Mother was a frail elderly woman with yellow hair and a wide-eyed face that seemed stretched. She did not look happy.

  Ron was already there, sitting at a lower table that was set away from the stage. A briefcase rested beside his feet and papers were strewn across the surface in front of him. He fidgeted nervously.

  “Go sit with Ron,” Julee whispered. “Don’t worry, you’ll do fine.” Then she left him and went to take her seat at the end of the council table.

  The room was silent other than the low murmur of conversation between council members and the shuffling of papers. The hushed environment felt tense and the pressure of uncertainty tightened his chest.

  “You are Liam Collins,” the Chancellor abruptly said.

  “Yes, I am.”

  “And you worked at that infernal university in Flatiron?”

  “Yes, I did.”

  “The same university that built the bomb that was used to try to kill me?”

  “I don’t know Ma’am. I wasn’t involved in any project like that.”

  “Young man, I think you’re lying.”

  He shrugged, there was nothing to lose, except his life of course. “Ma’am, I think your truth detector must be a little off.”

  The already hushed room became absolutely silent. “You’re a smart ass, aren’t you boy?” The old woman smiled and her already frightening face became a living horror.

  “People have said that about me Ma’am. The thing is that I’m a really terrible liar, so the easiest thing for me to do is just tell the truth.”

  “Liam ran the Flatiron University program that put our probe in the Trappist-1 system,” Julee offered quickly. “He designed the computer and wrote the navigation program himself.”

  “Is that true boy?” the Chancellor asked.

  “Yes it is Ma’am.”

  “Then why aren’t you doing that same work for us?”

  Liam swallowed. There it was, the opportunity to either win the war or die. “Ma’am I’m doing the best I can with inadequate computer hardware and programming code that looks like it was written by a three-year-old.”

  The room fell into an even heavier silence, then Ron loudly cleared his throat. “Liam has all the resources he needs, and I wrote that code myself.”

  He sighed, knowing that he had stepped off on the wrong foot, but also realizing that there was nothing he could do but move forward. “No, I don’t have what I need. When I was recruited, I told everyone that I needed a quantum computer, and instead all I have to work with is a glorified hand calculator. It’s grossly underpowered, and simply incapable of modeling a universe of twelve dimensions.” He shrugged apologetically. “Ron isn’t a programmer, he’s a materials scientist. He did well for his education and background, but still, the code is horrendous.”

  “Liam did ask for those things when he arrived,” Julee said. “I passed him off to Ron because he runs the Computer Science Group.”

  “It looks like somebody dropped the fuckin’ ball.” The old woman leaned back in her chair and glanced with open hostility at Ron. “All right Liam, explain to us why you need all this expensive hardware. I also want to understand why this is such a hard problem to solve; I mean, if we can look up at the sky and see the fuckin’ star, why is it so hard to get there?”

  He smiled, hoping to seem confident. “Well first of all, if you look at Trappist-1, all you’re seeing is the light it emitted 40 years ago. The star has moved since then, and so have we. Relative to the position of both stars, Trappist-1 is getting further away, and the course it’s taking isn’t linear because nothing in our universe moves in a straight line.”

  The old woman grunted loudly. “Cut the geek-speak mumbo-jumbo and just answer my fuckin’ question.”

  “Ok, let’s simplify things,” he replied. “If the universe were to freeze and stop moving, and we shot our fastest rocket at Trappist-1 it would take 150,000 years to get there. But everything in our galaxy is moving, so what you aim at now won’t be there all those years later. So, I have to calculate our movement along with Trappist-1’s movement, and that requires parallel, or concurrent processing.”

  “Our computers can already do concurrent processes,” Ron stated.

  Liam kept his eyes steadily on the old woman. “Actually, no they don’t. What we’re operating with are systems that use a time-slice.”

  “You both are really starting to piss me off,” the Chancellor said.

  “I’m sorry Ma’am,” Liam answered. “Let me use an example instead of geek-speak.”

  “That would be a relief.”

  “Yes Ma’am. Concurrent means that several things are being done at the same time.” Liam stood up and pulled his chair away from the table, then slowly continued moving it toward the back of the room. “What I’m doing is one process; I’m just moving my chair. If Ron were to move his chair toward the front of the room, that would be a separate process. We would each be moving our chairs concurrently.”

  “Of course I understand that; do you think I’m some kind of imbecile?”

  “Certainly not Ma’am. I’m just using a simple example to explain a really complex problem.”

  “Well, get on with it then.”

  “Yes Ma’am. So, Ron and I are moving our chairs independently. Now if we wanted to navigate from my chair to Ron’s chair, either both of us would have to stop moving so the calculation could be made, or we’d need a third process that would dynamically read our locations and plot the course in real time. That navigation would occur instantly with every movement Ron and I make. So that’s concurrent processing.

  “A time-slice process would just be me doing all the work,” he continued. “I’d move my chair, then run over to Ron’s chair and move it, then I’d have to stop and calculate the course between the two. This can be sped up with modern computer hardware, and it might seem instantaneous because it was happening so fast, but it wouldn’t actually be concurrent, it’s just smoke and mirrors instead.”

  “Why isn’t this time-slice thing good enough?” the Chancellor asked.

  “Several reasons Ma’am, but the overarching theme is that the navigation between stars is simply too complex,” he answered. “First, there’s the distance and the fact that neither star is moving in a straight line. Second, the movement of each star is erratic because they are affected by the gravity of other stars moving around them. And finally, I’m guessing that you want the travel time of your probe to be less than 150,000 years, is that right?”

  The Chancellor nodded.

  “The only way we can cross vast distances quickly is to use Slip-Drive technology to pass into N-Space, which actually doesn’t increase our speed, but reduces how far we travel instead. We shift the frequency of every atom of the probe, then slip through the interstitial, whic
h is a sort of in-between place between us and the N-Space universe, then travel just a little and slip back to our own universe again.”

  The old woman stirred uncomfortably in her seat. “Why does this N-Space universe change anything?”

  “That’s very complicated Ma’am,” he said. “You see, our universe exists within a multiverse that defies three-dimensional geometry.” How could he explain the twisted and contrary nature of the multiverse to this angry and powerful woman without ending up on the cross? “It’s very hard to imagine because we’re so tied to our perceptions, but try to picture our three-dimension universe flattened into a two-dimensional plane. It’s flat, like the tabletop in front of you, and once you have that in your mind, imagine it bent into a sphere. You can think of it sort of like the skin on a soap bubble.”

  “So, you’re adding another dimension,” Julee said from the far end of the table.

  “Yes, that’s right,” he replied with a smile.

  “But the universe is infinite,” Ron growled. “And a sphere would be finite.”

  Liam grinned at the traitor. “And that’s the contrary aspect of reality,” he answered. “That a thing can be finite and infinite at the same time. The success of the second Trappist-1 probe proves beyond all doubt that the multiverse exists.”

  He turned back toward the old woman and smiled with false confidence. “If you imagine the multiverse as a series of spheres nested within each other, sort of like layers in an onion, you can see that traveling across the outer skin would take longer than moving inward to another sphere, such as N-Space, where the distance is much less. We drop down, travel a short way, then pop back up again.

  “Moving in N-Space is dangerous though. Anything with a brain, including our computers, goes insane if left conscious during the transit. No one knows why that is, but I think it’s probably due to experiencing dimensions that our perceptions can’t handle.”

  Liam returned to stand next to his chair which still sat some distance from the table. “Ma’am, to return to your question about why N-Space matters.” He pursed his lips. “N-Space isn’t empty. It has galaxies, blackholes, and everything else we have in our own universe. All those things are moving and produce gravity, which affects our Sun, Trappist-1, and everything between the two. It’s incredibly difficult to deal with, because it requires trillions of calculations that must be done concurrently; and in a nutshell Ma’am, that’s why I asked for a better computer.”

  The Chancellor leaned back in her chair, then shook her head and chuckled. “Maybe everything you just said was complete bullshit, but it’s still the best pitch for new equipment I’ve ever heard.” She leaned forward to gaze toward the end of the table where Julee Garcia sat. “Get Liam what he needs and put him in charge of the Computer Science Group.”

  “Time is critical on this Liam,” Julee said. “We have three years at most before we need to launch.”

  Now it was time to bait the council into telling him more about what they were doing in Yuma. “Why the rush?” He shrugged. “It’s just a probe, so we can send it anytime.”

  Julee hesitated, and the Chancellor spoke up for her. “In case you’ve not noticed young man, the world is going to shit. The mountain savages are just a mild irritation that we could easily handle if our resources weren’t being diverted toward our greater project.” The old woman paused for a long moment while she surveyed the room. “Close the doors,” she ordered the few soldiers that stood guard by the entrance. “Liam, what you’re about to learn goes no further than this chamber, if you mention it to anyone, crucifixion would be an easy death by comparison. Do you understand?”

  He frowned; whatever the old woman had to say next would definitely be interesting. “Yes Ma’am, I understand.”

  Julee spoke instead of the Chancellor. “The NOAA solar observatory in Flatiron is predicting a massive solar storm, called a coronal mass ejection, which may be the cumulation of the quick warm-up we’ve experienced over the last few centuries. The coronal mass ejection will disrupt our planet’s magnetic field for a long period of time, and without that shield to keep us safe from our sun’s radiation, all life on Earth will end. It will be an extinction event.”

  The unexpected news struck him speechless; he had thought that the Socialists were only trying to get away from the Tribes. He considered the revelation and thought about how it would affect his plans; all his ideas had just been tossed out of the window, leaving him feeling out of balance and confused about what to do.

  Extinction; humanity and all the other creatures on the planet would die; billions of years of evolution simply erased from existence. The survival of mankind depended on his work, that was a lot of pressure. He took a moment to breathe deeply and regain control. “So, you’re not sending another probe,” he said.

  “No Liam,” the Chancellor replied. “We’re saving humanity, that’s our great purpose. We have five ships in orbit right now that are nearly complete. All they need are the computer systems and a way to navigate.”

  “That’ll be tough,” he said. “The quantum processors need to be grown, a new computer and interface built, and all the code rewritten. Also, if you’re gambling the fate of humanity on a new navigation system, it should be tested. You’ll need to send another probe to Trappist-1.”

  “You’ll have all the resources you need. You’re in charge of the Computer Sciences Group now,” Julee said.

  “But that’s my department!” Ron protested.

  “Not anymore,” the Chancellor stated.

  “He’s lying!” Ron shouted as he stood up. “I’ve been working on this project for over a year, you can’t just throw that away. What I’ve done will work, I just need more time.”

  “Your time has run out Ron,” the old woman said. “Quit acting like a spoiled little boy.”

  Ron quickly gathered his papers. “You can’t do this without me, you’ll see,” he said, and stormed out of the room.

  The Chancellor rolled her eyes. “Well that was unpleasant.”

  As Liam watched Ron leave, a new plan began to form in his mind. It would be extremely dangerous and require a sacrifice; he wondered if he was up to the task, but he didn’t see any other choice. “Maybe you should’ve let him stay,” he finally said. “I don’t want the job.”

  “What?” The frail looking woman suddenly stood up as her face stretched in anger. “You’ll do as you’re told. The fate of humanity depends on this project, and you shrug it off as if it’s no big deal? What the hell is wrong with you?”

  Liam slowly returned his chair to his table and sat down. “Have you ever considered that maybe mankind doesn’t deserve to survive?”

  All the council members were on their feet and staring at him. “You have no choice you spoiled little prick!” The old woman shook her finger. “You’ll do as I tell you.”

  Liam struggled to maintain a calm demeanor. “You’re not anyone’s Mother as far as I can tell, so there’s no reason why I should do what you say.” He paused to take a slow and calming breath. “Do you remember what you did to Flatiron City?” he asked. “Your people raped and murdered all my friends and family. You tortured us and killed thousands simply because we disagreed with you, then marched us for days and let our children and elderly die at the sides of the road. Why would I ever help you avoid extinction?

  “But even beyond that, look at what humanity has done to our planet,” he said. “Of all the creatures that exist, mankind has to be among the most despicable. Everything we touch we ruin. The solar flare could be a sign that the universe has decided that we’re a failed experiment and wants a do-over. And the storm won’t kill everything on earth, only the plants and animals that live on the land. Radiation won’t affect the deep oceans very much, so maybe in time life will crawl out of the sea again and Earth will get another chance.”

  “We’ll kill your friends,” Julee said.

  He smiled and shook his head sadly. “They’re just people I met on the long walk, and
I really don’t imagine that any of them will get an invitation to ride on your spaceships. If we’re all gonna die anyway, I think we should take you with us.”

  The Chancellor turned to a stocky man with brown hair speckled with gray that was sitting near the center of the council table. “Robert, deal with this!” The old woman slowly smiled. “Take him downstairs.”

  The man grinned viciously. “Gladly Mother.” The placard at the edge of the table in front of him read, Robert Bradley – Military Affairs.

  At the other end of the table a pale dark-haired woman wearing black stood up and smiled. “Take him down for Treatment gentlemen,” she said sweetly. “It’s time that this nice young man and I got to know each other.”

  The dark woman scared him far more than the stocky man did, but he tried to smile and not show his fear. “Really? What are you gonna do, put me on the cross? I’ll die smiling because I know that none of you will ever make it to the stars without my help.”

  Two soldiers abruptly appeared at his side to secure his hands and feet with chains. He looked back over his shoulder as they led him away. “It will take you 150,000 years to get to Trappist-1, I hope you enjoy the ride.”

  Chapter 14: Sacrifice

  Although terrified, he still managed to smile as a group of soldiers pushed him down the hall. He was in a narrow underground corridor with damp concrete walls that was dimly lit by old-fashioned lamps that hung from a low arched ceiling. His feet splashed through shallow puddles as he struggled not to trip over the chains that jangled around his ankles.

  He was shoved from behind by a small statured guard. His feet tangled and he bounced off the wall then painfully landed on his knees and outstretched hands. A boot slammed into his ribs an instant later, rolling him into an icy pool. He looked up at his tormentor and was surprised to see a girl in her late teens wearing a black uniform.

  “Get up asshole. You ain’t seen nothin’ yet; we’re just gettin’ started,” she said through gritted teeth.

  Liam rolled to get his back up against the wall. Then with a quick intake of breath to refill his lungs, he pushed with his legs and stood up. “Whew… that wasn’t fun.”