“You know more about that class of zerpy than I do, you should be able to answer that. My guess would be no but it’s only a guess. They’re not my specialty,” Biccup said.
“I wondered if you saw any signals that might interpret as that,” Yelpam said. “From what I know about them that class of zerpy shouldn’t be capable of sending that signal.”
“Knowing what we all do about what’s happening on the planet though I’m concerned to learn that we’re not keeping this system on stand-by to get Nerber and the zerpy back up in a hurry on very short notice. Tell anyone you want to but I don’t trust the producers to protect Nerber at the cost of some dramatic and violent recorded stuff,” Icetop said. “I’m not as sure as I’d like to be that any of us on the crew are that important in their calculations.”
“I don’t talk-talk about it but I agree,” Biccup said.
Without asking permission but without being pushy, Icetop touched controls and put the transport system back on stand-by. Biccup nodded his approval.
Then Biccup noted a signal on a monitor and said, “Hold on, the continuous feed signal from Wilburps is back. Maybe someone’ll be assigned to contact Nerber and find out what happened.”
“Meanwhile we’ll review the analytical signals to see if we can see any problems in Wilburps or our sensors to explain what happened as simple mechanical glitches with no damage done,” Yelpam said.
Biccup went back to his routine work as the others left.
* * *
In the hall Icetop and Yelpam conferred in quiet tones.
“What do you think?” Yelpam asked.
“I’m only guessing but I suspect that Nerber has some high tech secrets in his pocket. Nothing I’ve seen makes me think he wants to harm the ship and so far nothing I can’t explain seems to indicate that’s happened so I’m willing to stand back and see how things work out. I’m not promoting anything, but I’m not in favor of trying to preempt things just because they’re not authorized either. How about you?”
“I agree with you on all the points.”
* * *
The three producers entered the control room to find Molten and Eroder staring at a monitor on the main console.
“What is it now?” Feedle asked letting her irritation show. “And why did you ask these two to come here and not signal me?”
“Because you’ve been sending such strong signals that you don’t want to be bothered that I’ve told everyone on the crew to cut you out of the game,” Eroder answered without taking his eyes off the monitor where Molten pointed at something.
“What’s to worry about on the screen?” Lacrat asked.
“Hey, wait a minute here, I’m not going to tolerate...”
“Shut up, Feedle,” Hasley snapped. “You’ve gone out of your way to send out those signals, so you don’t get to protest that everyone was supposed to ignore them. If you’re not a team member we can’t afford to include you in decisions.”
Icetop and Yelpam moved so they became evident at the side console as Feedle really prepared to let loose.
Eroder said calmly, “I’ve assigned Icetop and Yelpam to restrain and then remove you to confinement so you won’t distract us or do something more than your usually stupid nonsense in one of your adzercis fits of temper and put us all in danger.”
She looked at those two who stared back at her without any show of emotion. She looked to Hasley and his expression made it clear he would make no move to interfere with Eroder’s orders. Lacrat had found something fascinating on the floor to stare at so he wouldn’t have to meet her glance.
Eroder brought up a series of short views of routine recorded views of halls in the ship on the main view-screen. A distortion moved across the view in each case.
“Molten noticed these and brought them to our attention,” Eroder said. “We don’t know what they are. Each time we see one in a visual there’s only a blur. The other sensors detect interference at those spots but can’t resolve what they are.”
“A spy on board?” Lacrat asked.
“Right now we can’t rule that out. It would have to be a spy equipped to mess with our routine monitoring systems but that wouldn’t actually be too hard since they’re among the least up to date systems,” Eroder said.
“Why would a crew member hide like that?” Molten asked.
“Unless whoever it is means to sabotage us,” Lacrat said.
“Can’t rule that out but we’ve been checking and everyone seems to be accounted for elsewhere when these mystery movers showed up,” Eroder said.
“There’s only the one of them, right? Not a whole group,” Lacrat asked, scaring himself more and more.
“I can’t say for sure until we find out what’s going on but that seems unlikely. Several would be more likely to be noticed than a single thing that’s staying almost completely out of sight,” Eroder noted.
“I’m wondering if whatever this is could be responsible for the signals Wilburps can’t avoid but can’t make sense of. Maybe some of the other things going wrong onboard due to distortion or interference too,” Molten said.
“Or maybe it’s just cripsminz in the control systems from the mess of changes you guys put in there,” Feedle sneered.
“Can’t rule that out right now either,” Eroder agreed.
“We trust you guys to figure it out and deal with it,” Hasley said, then shepherded Lacrat and Feedle out the door.
* * *
In the hall Hasley asked in a whisper, “Any thought on what this last business is about?”
“A tech trick to do to us what we’re doing to Nerber,” Feedle said. “Get us all worked up for the fun of watching.”
“I can’t prove it’s not just that, but it seems like a lot of trouble to go to,” Lacrat said. “What we don’t understand keeps piling up. Maybe they were right earlier and we should be recording ourselves to have some more show material.”
Chapter 34
Svenly and Venrik spoke quietly at the edit room console. “She can be difficult but we don’t need that distraction so we’ll play nice with her without encouraging her too much. We can deal harshly with her when we’re safe,” Venrik said.
“When I heard that Hasley threatened her for disrupting things I knew it had gotten pretty dire,” Svenly said. “He’s usually her strongest defender but the bottom line’s always his guide. Her attitude threatens the payoff from the show so he’s ready to stand up to her.”
“That gets the rest of us some relief but doesn’t change the fact that we all know we’ll be tossed aside even faster if Hasley decides we’re blocking his access to a bigger profit,” Venrik noted.
“So we make nice with them all and do our jobs. If we happen to forget to mention an item now and then and that helps us but leaves them with a little less profit why of course that’s simply an awkward but understandable mistake.”
The door opened, Feedle entered and snapped, “Status report.”
“We sent on the latest batch of edited material from Wilburps,” Venrik replied.
“A.D.U. are now demanding, not requesting, more material soon. There's real concern that the frustrated masses might riot,” Svenly said.
“I'll send another report to emphasize that things aren't going as planned but we're adapting as best we can without giving them details like the fact that we only have one contestant,” Feedle said.
“You're amazing, Feedle. A master of the art who can tell it all without telling a lot of it.”
“It's a carefully honed skill, Venrik. In this case I'll use it in the service of shifting the A.D.U. bosses from their focus on the ‘anticipated fight to the finish between these contestants’ to a focus on ‘the alien inhabitants are going to get them’ idea. When I get those behind the scenes guys refocused they'll then figure out how to shift the audience expectations by hyping the new idea. Let me talk to the others.”
As if on cue but strictly by chance Hasley and Lacrat entered. “Here they are now. Plus we
have some spying on ourselves to arrange.”
* * *
A few minutes later Hasley, Feedle, and Lacrat sat in a circle in their office with a zerpy hovering nearby to record them as they acted as if they weren’t aware that was happening.
“So this is a private discussion that no one else will ever know about. We make the points we agreed on but don't include anything definite or that reveals much. Ready?” Hasley asked.
“I wonder if any of the secret meetings we pay to get recordings of are faked like this one,” Lacrat wondered aloud.
“You can never be too sure. That’s why I always insist on taking what we learn that way with caution,” Feedle cautioned.
“It’s always a danger. Misread true thoughts as distortions and we screw ourselves,” Hasley said. “Misread faked talk-talk for what others truthfully plan to do and we get left behind in the race for wealth and influence. It’s what we have to deal with. Everybody ready? Zerpy, record in two seconds.”
Each put on a serious expression and silently counted down.
“We probably must tell each contestant on the planet about the problems soon but they don't seem to be in imminent danger,” Lacrat said to the others with what he hoped was a convincing degree of concern on his face.
“The ship's remotely controlled upload system is designed to snatch them and the zerpies back on a moment's notice,” Feedle said sound like she wanted to be reassuring but not too much so.
A short time later when the recording was finished and the zerpy shut off Lacrat said, “I have a suggestion. Something to make the A.D.U. guys feel they’re being included in what we’re doing. It will also protect our backends if we miscalculate or if Nerber stays more of a hero that I expect based on how fast our audience go through those.”
“Talk-talk already,” Feedle said. “We’re listening but we can lose interest fast.” She found his hesitations annoying and his tendency to be nice to anyone other than herself a waste of time. When a suitable opportunity came along he had to go.
Lacrat looked his irritation at her and got back the look of total indifference to his thoughts or feelings that he expected. One of these days she would have to go.
Hasley watched the two, read the unspoken messages, and then wondered who he should work with once he dumped these two.
“We should ask Delmus and Ackack whether it’s okay for us to override his other programming to use Wilburps to prompt Nerber to make bolder moves,” Lacrat said.
“Dre! Which would make him more conspicuous and would get him noticed at the very time when all around him there are inhabitants trying to find something as the focus of their fear and desire to kill to feel better,” Feedle said with a note of disdain. “Oh, wait.. Yeah.”
Hasley said, “Whether we consult the A.D.U. guys about it or not, I see the value of your idea, Lacrat. For our purposes Nerber is at his best when he is in lethal danger and upset because he knows that. Therefore the more danger he’s in, the better the show material will be. Feedle saw that, she only tried to rattle you to make you state it better.”
Yeah, sure, Lacrat thought but he said nothing.
Feedle thought, Since when do I need you defending me from situations like this? If you’re playing nice to make me forget what you said earlier forget it. She said nothing.
“We’ll see if we need to try your idea,” Hasley said.
“The way things are going down there the inhabitants may find Nerber and tear him apart with his zerpy recording it no matter how hard he tries to hide,” Feedle said. “To please the governors we do need to be ready to get his body back once they’ve made a mess of him though.”
* * *
Later Hasley, Feedle, and Lacrat entered the program edit room where Venrik and Svenly were busy at the console.
“What’s the news from the Bang-Boom Shows home office?” Feedle demanded.
Svenly said, “The other company employees send greetings. They’re keeping the home spaces neat for us.”
“They say A.D.U. has put together several episodes from what Wilburps sent direct to them so the immediate demand for follow-up has eased for now,” Venrik added.
“That should let them relax a bit,” Lacrat observed.
“Then they decided in a private meeting ever so conveniently overheard that they plan to blame Bang-Boom Shows for the really poor translations of material from this planet since those are the current focus of bad mutterings.”
“Totally predictable. We’ll deal with that and a lot of things with A.D.U. later,” Feedle said.
“Anything interesting and new from Nerber?” Lacrat asked.
“Interesting? Maybe,” Svenly said. “He’s sure you’re deliberately messing with the communications with him but he’s accepted that he can’t change that.”
Venrik said, “In one bit he told Wilburps he was so angry with you that he considered putting on a big show of protest with threats and all but decided against that when he realized that would actually reinforce your mistreatment of him. If messing with him gives you what you want, why would you stop that? He understands that the audience will be more excited by him acting anxious and desperate so you’ll do almost anything to keep him acting that way, too bad about the effect on him.”
“He’s also told Wilburps he knows you’ll promise him anything to get him to do what you think will be the best show material but you won’t deliver on your promises or be any more honest with him if he makes a fuss,” Svenly said.
“True. If the episodes of him frazzled are well received there'll be even more demand for new material,” Hasley noted.
“That's what the A.D.U. guys are afraid of. The secret recordings have them torn between happiness at their immediate success and fear of the disaster they could soon have to deal with,” Venrik said.
“Which suits our purposes nicely,” Hasley agreed.
“Since we alone now receive all the signals from Wilburps we control what new stuff they have to work with,” Svenly noted.
“Those interesting technical problems again. Convenient when they work for you, mimzy-plishers when they make it hard or impossible for you,” Hasley said.
“You've been letting bits of it go through intact haven't you?” Feedle asked.
“After viewing it so we're not giving away any real good stuff,” Venrik said. “I'm sending on enough views of things we've never seen before and have no idea what they are to give them something to work with. We're keeping back most of the views of Nerber doing anything dramatic or interacting with any local types.”
“The A.D.U. techs are trying to figure out how to make best use of the what-is-that’s,” Svenly reported. “They can make ‘look at the far away creatures and objects shows’ but if they can't do more than guess what the things might be useful for or why they're dangerous no audience will sit through more than a few repeat viewings.”
“They could make a game show where contestants propose what a creature might do or an object be used for,” Feedle said.
“Yeah, let the audience select the ideas they like best and declare those the right ones. Prizes go to the most imaginative ideas. Nobody cares about what the things are really for on the planet called Earth,” Lacrat said.
“More proof of why we're producers. Good ideas simply well up out of us,” Feedle said.
“Should we worry about the demand for more show episodes causing riots?” Venrik asked.
“That's not our concern. We're only the brave patriots willingly risking our lives to supply lots of good material only to be thwarted by technical difficulties beyond our control. We're good guys,” Hasley said. He didn’t bother to try to hide his smirk and the sarcasm in his tone.
* * *
Later Hasley was alone in the producers’ office talking to Eroder on the view-screen. “The others are basking at the moment. I hope by Zebedee this isn't bad news, Eroder.”
“Zebedee let you down. My diagnostic checks find the engine problems are major and getting worse. So
on we'll need to set down long enough to shut everything down while the techs find and fix the damage. That or we need to get very lucky - and Zebedee just failed you on a minor matter so what are the chances of that? The techs might deduce the site of the damage working only with the remote sensor information and by luck it might be something they can fix without having to shut everything down for a while.”
“How long before we have to make the final decision on setting down to make the repairs?”
“That depends on how fast we use up our stored energy. Hiding behind their moon we can't recharge with the energy from their star for three bimpledops out of four. And basking lamps use a lot of energy.”
“That's a clear and urgent message. The ship and the whole crew will run down if we don't act soon.”
“That's how it is,” Eroder confirmed. “We're looking closely at the images we have of the planet's surface to identify spots where we could land and are likely to find the resources we need. We've concluded that we likely won't have what we need on their moon. But we're looking for safe spots to land on the planet. Places where we're least likely to be noted by the inhabitants who might come fast to investigate and stay to slay us while we’re vulnerable.”
“I feel better knowing you guys are on top of this. We'll be okay.”
“Don't let your guard down just yet. We have another potential problem on its way. Svenly says there's another of the inhabitants’ devices being sent up with the newly added mission of looking for what they’re calling ‘something odd and unexplained near the moon’. That would be this ship.”
“Aren't we already avoiding several of those things?”
“Yes, but those are all in lower orbits than we are and designed to observe the moon's surface, not to look all around. According to their chatter though this one can do that. It'll look above and to the side, not just below it so we can't just hover out of its sight above it. If theirs were like our zerpies and could record everything anywhere around them in good focus whether it's near or fairly far away those other devices would have spotted us in no time. It's nice feeling superior to the inhabitants with a real basis in technology.”
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