“How strange you are,” said the Aggie. “Well, I think that we have discussed these generalities enough. I say that we only discuss mission parameters for the rest of the return flight.”
“Fine with me,” said Bud-nineteen.
8
Illiad Jackson on Saturn's moon Titan had a new mystery to ponder. The Office of Immigration was receiving increasing requests for immigration from Em families on Mars. The strangeness was that many of the Em families had not long before emigrated to Mars from Earth.
In his back and forth discussions with his son, Donner Illiad on Mars, he had found that there were strange occurrences going on. Things had become much more efficient and organized. Donner had no explanation for it. But they were working around the clock to understand what was going on.
Illiad Jackson rose from his Annie and went to the Titan viewing screen he had hung on his apartment's wall. He watched a methane rain falling outside Huygens Settlement. The viewscreen provided a stationary image but Illiad knew that it was only because the camera wasn't mounted on the settlement itself.
The settlement was essentially built as a large loop of banked track, five-hundred feet in radius. This was enclosed by a dome that protected the settlement from the worst of Titan's weather but wasn't sealed. The loop provided the footing for the maglevs that floated the settlement cars around the loop. At almost two rotations per minute the 'train' of settlement cars could provide an artificial gravity of six-tenths of that of Earth.
Illiad thought of the ball of a roulette wheel spinning in its track. Now don't spin the wheel, just the ball he thought, and add balls to the track until they are continuous around the wheel. As long as they spin fast enough the balls stay in the track. As with the balls of the roulette wheel, the settlement cars went around and around continuously and fast enough to create a centrifugal force outward that felt just like gravity.
To complete the design, outside the original loop of track is another track. This outside track is close enough to the inner track that if a car on the outside track matches the 'speed' of a settlement car on the inside track then a docking can be made, a hatch may then be opened and transfers, done mostly by robots, can occur between the outside car and the settlement car. These hatches are outside the rails where there is no interference from rail supports. Once the transfer is complete the outside car can undock and slow to allow access to the surface of Titan. In this way it is rare that the settlement cars ever need to halt.
At six-tenths of Earth gravity Illiad had adapted very well to the Huygens Settlement. Enough gravity to maintain bone density, muscle tone and general health but not so much to weigh down a man advancing in years. While staring at the viewscreen all this passed through Illiad's mind in seconds. He realized, in a way, that his life was as strange as this new mystery he was contemplating.
But unlike the mechanics of the Huygens Settlement, he felt this new mystery needed to be solved before it affected the Titan community. Surprises were not welcome on such an uncompromising world.
So, here is what we know he thought. John confirmed with the help of his father Donner that Earth is reducing its need for He3 for Titan, maybe eventually to zero. Titan is receiving increasing calls for refuge from Ems on Mars. My son Donner also tells me that there is something strange occurring on Mars, networks are more efficient, accidental deaths are way down, costs of many goods are down because of the greater efficiency of many processes.
Then it occurred to him, of course he thought, that would explain it. Illiad started to unfold his Annie to send a message to his son on Mars.
9
Thomas Harper had worked for the tube line between Candor and Bradbury all his working life on Mars. Since first emigrating with no effective skill set to offer he had found employment with the public-private partnership that ran the tubes. He had started at the bottom wrangling cleaning robots that cleaned the pod cars and supervising robotic freight unloaders. He had worked his way up to tube monitor for a segment of the line.
Thomas started each day with his robotic inspection vehicles in the tube. His job was to babysit the robots. The general public was still more trusting if a human was in the loop and for any public or partially public entity it was good public relations. Thomas didn't mind if he was redundant, it was still important safety work and it wasn't tiring and the inspection time was short, only a couple of hours of off-peak system time. But the odd hours and the need for a pressure suit and oxygen were a nuisance.
At first Thomas had been confused that the tubes had been built underground on Mars as they were on Earth. With Mars' atmosphere not exceeding one percent that of Earth's atmosphere he wondered what was the purpose of all the tunneling? He found out that the tubes were built underground not to avoid the Mars atmosphere but for other reasons. One was that the underground location provided shielding from the incessant radiation above ground. And an underground location provided protection from the dust of Mars that was always likely to cause machinery problems.
Lastly was a reason that only an altered view of man's relation to the universe could engender. The Mars settlements had built the tubes underground so as not to spoil the beauty of the Mars landscape. Thomas had become aware that even if not for the practical advantages of an underground location the citizens of the Mars Republic would have chosen to place them underground for the last reason alone. He felt he had come home when he learned this.
The work 'day' had gone quickly. The robots were scurrying out of the tube. Thomas was on his way back to the egress hatch when he thought he saw a wisp of what looked like smoke ahead. Upon reaching the hatch he found a white residue around it. He tried the hatch, it wouldn't budge. He linked to the lock's interior cameras. His heart thumped.
He saw that the outer hatch had popped. It was open. The safety interlock wasn't going to allow Thomas to open the inner hatch with the outer hatch open. How could this have happened, wondered Thomas.
He would have to make for the next available egress hatch. There wasn't much time. The tube would be filling with pods again soon. Still, the automatic detection system should warn safety control of his predicament, thought Thomas. He really didn't have to hurry, but he did.
Then he noticed the darkness, the tube lighting which was usually muted, was completely out. The sensors that sensed tube occupation were probably out too. Still there wasn't anything to be worried about except fear of the dark. Thomas continued to the next hatch.
Then he heard it, a distant swooshing noise, like an ocean wave. It couldn't be, he thought, there is almost no atmosphere to carry sound. Regardless, he urged his robotic conveyance faster. The noise was now undeniable, then Thomas realized it was vibrations from the tube traveling through his suit and causing him to “hear” them as sound. He knew then that a pod was approaching him from behind and moving at speeds up to a thousand-kilometers-per-hour. The vibrations he heard as noise were the tremendous magnetic fields pulsing as they pushed the pod along and stressed the tube.
He was almost to the hatch when the tube filled with light. The powerful headlamps of the approaching pod. Thomas was nervous, why was the pod this close, it should have been stopped before departure.
Then he could feel it, the prickling sensation of large magnetic fields that provided the propulsion for the pods. Thomas was too scared to realize the significance of them being so close to him while the pod was still at some distance, he was at the hatch and trying desperately to cycle it. He wasn't sure if he could get himself and his robot out of the way before it was too late.
Then it was over. The pod had stopped yards away. It was a freight pod with no one onboard. Thomas couldn't believe it. Then he thought about the mag-fields he had felt. Braking, he thought, but how?
________
Jerome had to get this done. But how? His homework assignment was stupid. How was he suppose to show people on Mars what it was like to spend a day at an Earth beach? Teachers, he thought in disgust.
At first he had
figured he would write something but he wasn't too good at writing stories. Drawing something was out of the question, unless it was stick figures. He'd like to do a virtual reality (VR) program on his Annie but he had waited too late. The assignment was due tomorrow.
The more he thought about it he realized VR was his only strong suit. Even if he didn't finish it maybe he would get some credit for trying.
As he began putting the VR program together he became more and more discouraged. All the little components he would need to pull it off. There was just so much detail to assemble. Maybe it would help if he could find something on the net, some prepackaged components shared by other VR creators.
The Annie searched and found a few pieces that might be useful but it still left a lot to do. Then Jerome saw a link to a site called Auto-VR. Instead of finding a dazzling graphical interface as he had expected Jerome found a website that had only a simple text and voice interface. But it promised to build a VR from the information one entered.
This is crap, thought Jerome, but maybe.
He stated some information, need VR of Earth ocean and beach. Instead of providing a VR the site asked a question, white sand? Naturally, said Jerome. Blue ocean? Of course, he said. This went on for some time and Jerome was getting bored and irritated.
Then the site asked whether the beach should be peopled? Jerome, feeling disgusted with the whole process proceeded to answer.
“Of course idiot,” said Jerome aloud, “with the class of Ms. Trippe's at Bradbury Middle School!”
With that Jerome was just about to toss his Annie when the site said the download was ready. Jerome was surprised but downloaded the offered VR.
He put on the slim glasses, Jerome wasn't comfortable with eye augmentation, and started the VR. It was stunning. Even without the complete VR setup for total immersion it was too real. Jerome grinned from behind his glasses he knew he was getting an A.
________
Donner Illiad had read his dad's message. It made sense. An Aggie on the network could cause what he was seeing. In the month since he had noticed the first anomalies more and more evidence of something unusual happening on Mars was piling up. Accidental deaths, down. Crimes, down. Energy usage, down. No doubt, thought Donner.
Just then his Annie announced a call.
It was Bud-seven, the budded Em that had arranged the relocation of the Em Yorker family with Donner.
“Hello,” said Donner. “How are you Bud-seven?”
“Nominally well Donner,” said Bud-seven. “I have called to inform you that the family will be emigrating to Titan soon. We just wanted to thank you for all your efforts on our behalf.”
“You are welcome,” said Donner. “Good luck on your new home, my father is there. Bud-seven, there is one thing I would like to ask you.”
“Yes Donner?”
“I know that over the past month most of the Em families have started to prepare to leave Mars. I think I now know why. Could you affirm?”
“If I can,” said Bud-seven.
“It's the Aggie in our network, isn't it?” said Donner.
“I am not at liberty to confirm your hypothesis,” said Bud-seven. “But I do not deny it.”
“I see,” said Donner. “What if we find this Aggie and expel it from Mars, would the Ems stay then?”
“That will never happen,” said Bud-seven.
“Why not?” asked Donner confused.
“Humans will not allow it to happen,” said Bud-seven.
10
John Donner Jackson was assigned the duty of accommodating the Em families emigrating to Titan. At fifteen John knew as much about computers and networks as anyone. The culture of Titan still had very much an outpost feel. Everyone was required to 'pull their weight' no matter their age. John's younger brother, who was twelve, was still on Mars because unlike John he had no necessary skill to offer on Titan.
Computing resources on Titan were somewhat limited. Most of these resources had to be trans-shipped from Earth via Mars. Mars itself had only a small computer industry which still relied on Earth for some of the more advanced technology.
John was busy calculating the memory requirements to accommodate all the Em families applying for immigration. The required capacity was staggering. Almost half the Em families that had fled Earth were now fleeing Mars, nearly forty families.
At best the Titan colony could offer the Ems enough storage and processor power for the Em heads and a few buds. It was simply impossible at the present time for Titan to offer the Ems anything like the computing power and active storage that Earth or Mars could. Most of an Em family would have to be stored on non-volatile memory until enough resources could be found.
John was discussing the results of his research with his grandfather Illiad.
“Basically,” he said. “I find that we have only enough resources online at this time to accommodate the Em heads and a few buds.”
“If that is the best we can do,” said Illiad. “Then that will have to do.”
“I wish we had some of the DNA cubes from Earth,” said John Donner. “With one of those and read-write equipment we could store the entirety of the Em families.”
“Yes,” said Illiad. “It's too bad, but Earth has put an embargo on those memory cubes ever since they were developed, I don't even think there is one on Mars. And I'm doubtful the recent changes on Earth will result in a different policy.”
“Well,” said John Donner. “There is one other possibility.”
“Yes, I'm listening,” said his grandfather.
“The graveyard,” said John.
“What do you mean?” asked Illiad.
“The spacecraft retired on Titan from the Mars-Titan transport fleet and all the research craft used over the years,” said John. “The fleet is the largest in the solar system, reflecting the importance of Titan's He3 trade with Mars and Earth. And quite a few of them have been mothballed here over the past two-hundred and fifty years. And the research vehicles, while fewer in number, had quite a bit of solid state memory if I remember correctly.”
“But the changes in software, hardware, operating systems over the past two-hundred and fifty years must be staggering. Even if the hardware could be brought up, you would have to deal with the different driver interfaces. Most of the information you need is probably lost to time,” said Illiad.
“I know it would be difficult,” said John. “But we don't have to figure out all the different interfaces. All we have to do is get the hardware back on line and networked. I'm sure the Ems can do the rest.”
“You are probably right John. Who better than the Ems. You might say they have the inside track to such knowledge,” said Illiad with a smile.
“Yes, you might,” said John with emphasis. “Do you think the council could assign a couple of technicians to help me?”
“I will take it up immediately with the other council members. But I feel sure it will be approved. They have already passed a resolution welcoming the refugees and pledging our complete cooperation.”
11
Donner Illiad Jackson was sure of the Aggie's existence on Mars but was still surprised by the broadcast. The Aggie had somehow simultaneously transmitted over all forms of media. Everyone on Mars that was near an Annie or a ANI heard, read or saw the Aggie's broadcast. Even the Ems couldn't escape.
The Aggie had identified itself as a servant to the people of the Republic of Mars. It had modestly mentioned all the services it had performed for the people over the past month since it's arrival. It recited specific incidents where it had averted disasters or improved processes and production. All for the benefit of the people.
It had called this time a preview to the future of Mars, if the people so desired. The Aggie was humbly offering its services to the Republic and would pledge its allegiance to such if its services were accepted by the people. In return it asked only for the computational resources to allow it to do its job to the best of its ability. It asked the leadershi
p of Mars to hold a referendum on the matter at their earliest convenience. Until that time the Aggie would continue to supply its services to the Republic on an unofficial basis.
After the broadcast Donner had talked to his contacts in the government. They were in general agreement that the Aggie would not be allowed to dictate to the government the need for a referendum. In fact the government would like to know how the Aggie got on Mars. They intended to start an investigation immediately. Certainly, the government would make the decision as to whether or not the Aggie would be offered a contract.
Donner thought that was a mistake. The Republic's populace wasn't likely to blindly accept a decision which would so affect their private lives. He had no doubt a referendum would eventually be called.
________
Freedom From Want: A Future Chronology Short Story (Future Chronology Series Book 7) Page 3