The Piranha Solution: A Hard Science Fiction Technothriller (Ace of Space Book 1)

by John Triptych

  He passed through the main glass doors and strode over to the receptionist kiosk. A strikingly beautiful girl in her mid-thirties noticed him and smiled. She wore a red and black blouse, and her sandy blond hair was perfectly coiffed. Stilicho gave her a big smile as he walked over. “Hello, Natalie, you look as gorgeous as ever. Your husband is one lucky man. If I were him, I would work two jobs, just so that you wouldn’t be wasting your hot looks sitting down here in this dreary, godforsaken place.”

  Natalie giggled. She pointed over to the auditorium down the main hall. “He’s still finishing up the conference. You can wait in his office if you want to.”

  “Nah, I think I’ll go see what kind of bullchip he’s spewing out right now,” Stilicho said as he winked at her and then walked towards the amphitheatre.

  After going through the double doors, Stilicho turned and sat down by the aisle, at the last row of padded seats in the auditorium. The chief executive officer of ACE Corp was sitting in the center of the stage, and there was a gargantuan sized smartglass monitor screen behind him. The front row was fully occupied by numerous media crews and reporters, their holovid cameras recording every second of the conference. Two foot-long drones with quad rotors hovered just below the ceiling, providing a live, overhead view of the proceedings. The rest of the moderately packed theater were watching the whole event using their smartglasses, cycling through different camera angles, at the same time they were sorting through online news articles with their other eye, before deciding on where to focus their attention. Not wanting to be left out, Stilicho pulled out his own pair from beneath his shirt pocket and put them on.

  Unlike everyone else, Errol Flux used a monocle for his smartglass, like a goggle over his left eye. Still only in his mid-forties, Errol was born to a Swedish father and a Canadian mother, spending most of his early childhood vagabonding across Europe. His family eventually immigrated to the United States and became naturalized citizens while Errol was still in college, graduating with honors in applied physics at Stanford University in California. While still doing graduate studies in applied science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Errol quit in order to join with a group of friends to start up one of the first quantum computing companies, which was later absorbed into his personal holding company, Flux Corporation. After becoming a millionaire overnight, Errol soon invested his entire fortune into another startup company that manufactured electric vehicles, eventually naming it Flux Motors, after himself. As his personal fortune grew, he eventually created his own space transport and colonization firm, calling it Advanced Conceptual Endeavors, or ACE for short. In a scant twenty years, ACE Corp became the leading firm in the entire industry. But Errol wasn’t finished. Now he was planning an even bigger goal: to find a new fuel source to power a new breed of ships- ones that could venture out even farther and explore the nearest stars in the galaxy.

  Errol adjusted his monocle slightly, making sure the adhesive around the rim would not come loose. “Like I said before in a previous conference, the advent of quantum computing was a major game changer for humanity. Before that, computers used binary encoding with just two digits: zeros and ones. But the almost limitless potential for quantum processors made everything else possible. Quantum computing is analog and we use quantum bits, or qubits, which are not limited to two states, unlike the old binary computers. Since qubits can exist in superposition, it allows them to work on millions of calculations all at once, which was impossible to do with binary processors. This has enabled today’s computers to be infinitely faster, and has opened up whole new branches of applied research in all things. The carbon composite materials that our automated factories produce are many times stronger than the old stuff. We can now build more efficient batteries for our electric vehicles, which enabled the widespread use of supersonic planes, and the replacement of internal combustion engines that once polluted our highways. And all this is just the tip of the iceberg.”

  Stilicho sat back. Every press conference with Errol always ended this way, for he would go from one subject to another. Everything seemed intertwined, and in a sense it was.

  “Which brings us back to the fusion reactor we are building in Texas,” Errol said after a brief pause to take a drink from the water bottle on the table beside him. “Our advanced computer modeling indicates that we are on the verge of a breakthrough in the magnetized fields to keep the plasma in play. Then our new, powerful electrical generators will fire the microwaves into it and raise its temperature past one hundred million degrees and keep a sustained reaction. This was made possible by more powerful magnets, efficient batteries and more robust building materiel, all of which was made possible due to quantum computing. I predict that this can happen any day now, and I will update you all once this has been confirmed. Now, are there any questions?”

  Here we go, Stilicho thought. The moment he asks for questions, the media starts veering off into different things. I wonder just how much damage control I need to do after this.

  A middle-aged man with a thick beard raised his hand. “Del Warner, America National News Network. Could you please comment on the rumors about your takeover of RUR Industries, namely that you were one of the last person to see Karl Rossum alive, before he went missing?”

  “Karl Rossum was a good friend,” Errol said. “We knew each other well since we started Flux Corporation together, and he agreed to sell his own company’s shares to me, which happened to be the majority. The RUR board of directors voted to approve the sale of the company to ACE Corp, so I don’t really see what you’re getting at here, Del.”

  Another reporter was about to ask a question, but Warner interrupted him. “But that doesn’t answer my question, sir. Do you have any comments about Mr. Rossum’s disappearance? Especially since there is visual evidence of you meeting with him just days before he was never seen again. Rossum was considered to be the genius who invented a highly advanced, self-aware artificial intelligence suite for his robots, correct?”

  Errol raised his hand to indicate it was his turn to speak. “First of all, that is a misnomer. The current AI suites that we have are not really a true AI. Quantum processing cores have made computer and robotic assistants more lifelike because they can process information faster, and quite a few of the latest ones even passed the Turing test, but let me be clear: AI central processing units nowadays can perform millions of calculations at once, which enables them to process a most likely reaction from a list of responses that have been programmed into them, and they simply react based on outside stimuli. Think of it as an animal with instincts. Instinct is simply a set of pre-programmed responses that an animal will make when it encounters something in its environment- it will run away, fight, eat or mate with its kind. Today’s robots do the same thing, but instead of just a dozen responses like what animals have, we have programmed millions of potential responses, and the AI will simply make a best guess based on environmental factors and calculate that along with the consequences of its actions. So it all comes down to what type, and the number of responses you place into the software and the predicted repercussions of its choice. A human being can think abstractly, but a robot can’t do that, not yet. As for the second query, I have spoken to the police and his family about it, and as you can see I have been cleared of any suspicion in his unfortunate disappearance. I will continue to cooperate with the authorities until he is found.”

  Stilicho gritted his teeth. So it seemed that the media were spinning conspiracy theories about his boss as being the one behind Karl Rossum’s disappearance now? Just so that ACE Corp could take over the company? Ridiculous.

  Warner was completely focused on that one issue, and he pressed on. “So you’re saying that Rossum’s agreement to sell the shares in his personal corporation over to you, and his subsequent disappearance right after that happened, is merely coincidence?”

  “The police seem to think so,” Errol said, “while the conspiracy theorists on the net say otherwise. I think I
would prefer to believe the authorities than a bunch of kooks. Next question.”

  A man in the second row raised his hand. “Gene Stuyvesant, Reuters. From the financial reports of the last stockholder’s meeting for ACE Corp, it says that the fusion project has cost the company hundreds of billions of dollars in research expenses alone, which is why overall profits are down and this could bankrupt the company. Why should we even develop a fusion reactor? Since you’ve stated that one of your corporate goals is to benefit mankind, why commit all that money into something that no one has yet been able to succeed in building? Shouldn’t you be more focused in helping other countries to develop more sustainable resource consumption here on Earth?”

  “Good question, at least we’re finally back on subject, for once,” Errol said. “The reason why ACE is committed to developing fusion power is precisely because of the very problems you have just put out. We need to develop a new source of fuel that is environmentally safe and efficient enough to lower costs to the point we don’t have to worry about it. As I’ve mentioned, once we get a sustained reaction in the test reactor, this will change everything. We can open up the rest of the Solar System for expansion and even nearby stars such as Alpha Centauri will finally be within reach.”

  Another man in the front row raised his hand. “Robert Tan, All Asia News. Could I ask, why would your company push for further expansion in the Solar System when the current colonies are barely surviving? On Mars for example, there are only two functioning colonies left, one is ACE Corp’s, and the other Chinese. The Russians and Mars First already abandoned their colonies, evacuating all their personnel back to Earth years ago. My point is even if you could develop fusion power, what guarantees could you make that will enable permanent colonies in the other planets?”

  “Fusion power will change the dynamic in so many different ways,” Errol said. “Even though we use nuclear fission reactors in the two existing colonies on Mars to augment our solar batteries, we still have to mine for radioactive minerals and process them before we can add them into the reactors- that takes a lot of energy on its own. The Chinese in Ba-Dian Colony have to expend a tremendous amount of energy just to extract water from hydrated minerals, and that is one of the reasons why their colony is expanding so slowly. With the advent of fusion, it will completely eliminate all our power needs, and allow the personnel we have on Mars to move on to the next phase, which is to terraform the planet to give it a breathable atmosphere and bring back the oceans that were once on its surface.”

  A woman with silvery gray hair raised her hand. “Eileen Babra, Reuters. Can you comment on recent reports on the net that claim there’s a problem in the new Mars colony region of Chryse Planitia that your company is building? Specifically the reports that state the internet coming from that area has gone haywire, and the viruses being uploaded from the link in that region is wrecking havoc on the net backbone here on Earth?”

  Errol raised his eyebrows. “Well, that’s news to me. My IT department hasn’t said anything about that at all. I guess we’ll look into it. It’s just probably a glitch, or some hacker here in Earth is bouncing malicious software from Earth to Mars and back again.”

  A younger reporter raised his hand. “Hector Camacho, Intervox. Can you comment about the rumor of delays on your Cloud City Colony project on Venus? There have been reports that state the lining material on the balloons that keep the colony afloat will not last against the corrosive atmosphere for very long. Any truth to that?”

  Errol smiled as he stood up from the chair. “None at all. Cloud City is proceeding as scheduled, and you will get a live update once we deploy the first of the blimp probes later this month. I’m sorry, but now I have to get going. Goodnight, everybody.”

  Chapter 4

  Stilicho entered the CEO’s office less than ten minutes later. The door to the bathroom was open and he could see Errol washing his face. Stilicho walked over to a chair that faced the desk and sat down on it. It was close to midnight and he was dead tired. He was expecting that Errol would just postpone their meeting until the morning, but it seemed that something was on his boss’s mind. Stilicho hated these kinds of meetings, for it usually meant that something was bugging his boss, and it indicated that Stilicho would have to solve the problem as quickly as possible, and at any cost.

  Errol walked out of the bathroom, a small hand towel draped over his shoulder. “Stil, how was San Diego?”

  “Everything went well,” Stilicho said. “Campos has been neutralized, and his copies of the reactor magnet design have been switched for a fake one. He’s already authorized the finance department to take the money back from his account. All’s well that ends well.”

  Errol sat down with a sigh on a high-backed chair behind his desk. “Good job. We’ve got another problem though.”

  Stilicho crossed his arms. “I figured as much. Campos was small fry, and I could have just emailed you the report. But you wanted to see me in person, why is that?”

  Errol’s answer was a single word. “Mars.”

  Stilicho gave him a quizzical look. “Okay, what about it?”

  “I’ll put it to you plain and simple,” Errol said. “We’ve lost contact with the entire construction team in the Chryse Planitia region.”

  Stilicho’s eyes narrowed. “The new colony site you were building?”

  Errol nodded slowly. “Yeah.”

  Stilicho was feeling sleepy. He was now starting to regret having those bourbon shots on the transcontinental flight. His mind wasn’t working at peak capacity and his response came a little late. “You mean … those rumors about viruses being sent from that area on Mars is … true?”

  “We did get malware from the outpost uplink at the building site, and my technicians shut down the node a few hours ago,” Errol said. “But I think the problem’s bigger than that.”

  Stilicho pursed his lips. “So it’s not just a prank from the outpost crew then?”

  “Simms is a pretty good team leader, no way would he allow any of his men to do that juvenile nonsense,” Errol said. “Before the virus stream happened, we'd already lost contact with the outpost for a whole week. We then sent in a search and rescue team as soon as the outpost failed to check in at the last scheduled update.”

  Stilicho was intrigued now. A sudden spurt of adrenaline put his mind back in focus. “So what did the rescue team find?”

  “That’s the problem,” Errol said. “The rescue team failed to check in as well.”

  Stilicho’s eyes opened wide. This never happened before. Everyone was always accounted for in Mars. “What?”

  “Yeah,” Errol said. “No response for over a week. Then came the virus stream, which uploaded onto the satellites, which then sent the packets to Earth’s internet. We’re still assessing if there was any lasting damage, but so far the relay network is still operating at near peak capacity. There was something strange about the virus too.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Normally when we deal with viruses, it’s usually a denial of service attack, which disrupts the network by overloading it with remote requests from software bots,” Errol said. “But this one seems to be a worm of some sort. It only made a few selective attacks before shutting itself down.”

  “What kind of attacks?”

  “It went after specific entries in the database of numerous public archives and private servers,” Errol said. “My IT team is working with system administrators from other corporations and the Library of Congress, for it seems a number of government records were tampered with. We haven’t narrowed down the exact entries that have been corrupted or altered, but we will, in time.”

  Stilicho smirked. “Well, IT isn’t exactly my specialty. I’m more into dirty tricks like blackmail and counter corporate espionage. I suppose you want me to lean on someone in the government or with another company to track down the hacker then?”

  Errol shook his head. “No, I need you to go to Mars.”

  Stilicho
was stunned. “What? Is this a joke?”

  Errol stared straight into his eyes to indicate he wasn’t fooling around. “I’m serious, Stil. This is big. I need eyes on the ground down there, and I trust you more than anyone.”

  Stilicho started to stammer. “I- that’s an insane idea! I’m … no Martian, I love the Earth!”

  “You’re the man for this job,” Errol said. “You’ve been off-planet before, right?”

  The shock nearly made Stilicho stand up, but his knees buckled. “I … no! The most I’ve ever done was to take a couple of suborbital tours, and that’s it. I’ll be totally out of my depth there. If it’s that important then shouldn’t you be the one going?”

  “I would go myself if I could,” Errol said. “But the fusion reactor project is at a critical stage, and the technical problems with Cloud City are also acute right now. I just can’t go, so I’m sending the next best thing- you.”

  Stilicho’s chin trembled. “Now wait just a minute here, I’m totally unqualified for this! I deal with people on Earth, not with robots on some other planet.”

  “We’ll get you up to speed,” Errol said. “Though it will be a crash course since the synodic transfer orbit is coming up.”

  Stilicho didn’t have a clue as to what he was talking about, so he quickly activated the smartglass he was wearing and cycled through the online encyclopedia. The synodic transfer orbit was a maneuver that spacecraft used to transfer from one circular orbit to another. The transfer period came only when Earth would be closest to Mars. It also said that these synodic periods only happened once every two years, when the needed orbits for both planets coincided. “So when is this transfer orbit going to happen?”