There is another scientist named Guido P. Fetta and he has invented another reactionless drive which he had been calling the Q-Drive but he now calls it The Cannae Drive. The Cannae.com web site describes its operation and their test results. There is an excellent Popular Mechanics article which you should read if you are interested. Here is an excerpt:
Fetta contends that the Cannae Drive creates a bias in the quantum vacuum and pushes against it. Basically, physicists think that at very, very small scales, much smaller than atoms or even protons, space bubbles with quantum fluctuations. This bubbling is represented in the math as sort of imaginary particles that are spawned in pairs, and then very, very quickly the pairs come back together and destroy each other. Fetta contends that the Cannae Drive creates a bias where some of these particles never come back together, and then "pushes" against them. This is same principle postulated to be behind the EmDrive.
This sounds nearly identical to the Casimir Effect. So, since this blog is all about science fiction, I want to point out that the Cannae Drive also resembles my PPT star-drive which creates pockets of negative energy (Fetta's particles) but does not allow them to recombine with their positive counterparts and "pushes" space out of the way.
I urge you to read the article cited above and visit their web site for more detail but here is an image of Fetta's vision of a starship outfitted with his Cannae Drive, courtesy of The Cannae Corporation:
Image Copyright (C) 2016 by The Cannae Corporation
Entry 5-159: June 8, 2017
Welcome back, Bonnie
Several days ago, Virga had finished up her genetic analysis of Rome and Rei's DNA makeup. It was time to get on with their trip to the heartland of the main continent on Helome. Interestingly, Rei had given Virga the white pills which would end the Onsira crisis forever. But what of the Onsiras that had already been born on Deucado? Let's find out:
MINIMCOM soared east over the beautiful, snow-capped peaks of the central mountain range that ran the length the squarish continent. Like everything else on Helome, they were more spectacular than anything Earth had to offer. They were taller than the Rocky Mountains with small plateaus of the Crayola trees interspersed. There were crystal clear mountain lakes and rivers and to the far north, there were glaciers. Their craggy tops displayed every manner of color including deep purples, blues and gray slate. As they drew closer, Virga indicated a small, grassy field that lay within the tall fence-lined area that really did look like a ranch and that is where MINIMCOM set down.
After exiting MINIMCOM, they walked across the fresh field to the Vuduri version of a log cabin. It was constructed out of stained aerogel but still looked more rustic than futuristic. Two people came out of the house, a man and a woman. The woman waved to them and came trotting over. It was Bonnie Mullen but she was much thinner than she had been on Deucado and looked much older. She was dressed in a traditional white Vuduri jumpsuit but somehow it looked right on her. She hugged Rei and Rome briefly.
“It’s so good to see you both,” she said with a faint smile. There was a hint of sadness around her eyes that didn’t match.
“You’re not mad?” Rei asked. “I wasn’t very nice to you right there at the end.”
“Nah,” Bonnie said. “It was my own fault. You did the right thing.” She paused for a moment then said, “Where are my manners? This is Gemen,” she said, pointing at the Vuduri man. “He doesn’t talk much, as you can imagine.”
“Hello,” Gemen said and that was all.
“I am glad you are not upset that we sent you to this world,” Rome threw in.
“Oh, no,” Bonnie said. “It gave me a chance to get away from Edgar. That’s all I really wanted. Needed, really. I didn’t care where.” She turned and waved. “Let’s go into the house.” She led them up the two front steps and into the large, single room dwelling.
Rei looked around the house. “Where’s your baby?” he asked.
Bonnie’s expression turned very dark. She looked away and pressed her hand up to her eyes. She took a deep breath and turned back to them.
So where is Bonnie's baby? And what the heck is she doing way out there in the hinterlands, unsupervised? I supposed you could say that Gemen was her supervision but there is more to it than that. Let's find out tomorrow the exact nature of their situation.
Entry 5-160: June 9, 2017
Who took the babies?
Yesterday, Rome, Rei and Virga landed on the ranch that the Vuduri had set up for Bonnie Mullen in the middle of the main continent on Helome. But what was she doing there and why did her expression grow so dark when Rei mentioned her baby? It's pretty simple, really. I'll let Bonnie explain it to you:
“I had a lot of complications. The baby was stillborn. I was bleeding out so they had to give me a complete hysterectomy. My days as a brood mare were over. At least, that’s what I thought. ” She waved around the room. “It kind of left me with nothing to do. Feeling very empty inside.” She frowned. “Not a pun.” She pointed out the window. “They had no need for an Essessoni historian on this world so they let me come here, to help with the Onsira ranch.” As she was saying it, her breath caught.
“You take care of Onsiras?” Rome asked. “How?”
“What do you mean how?” Bonnie replied “They were babies. You feed them, you clothe them. You make sure they wash behind their ears.” Once again, her breath caught. This time, however, it took her longer to regain control. Finally, she continued. “They really were kind of sweet, in their own weird way. I know they appreciated our care.” She looked over Gemen who smiled slightly. “Loved us, in a way. I think, maybe, we loved them back. I always thought I didn’t want kids. It turns out I just didn’t want them with Edgar. Those little buggers were my life…”
“You keep talking about them in the past tense,” Rei said. “What’s going on?”
Bonnie looked at Virga who nodded. She stood up and stared out the window. “The little ones, especially, even though they were Vuduri or Onsira, or whatever. They still needed taking care of. They understood nurturing. I can’t really say that I understand the Overmind all that much but whatever it is, they had some sort of one going here. There was definitely a presence that guided them as a group. Almost like a herd. Sometimes, I think I was even able to communicate with it, whatever it was.” Bonnie pointed out of the window into the fields beyond.
“Then one day, a Vuduri woman came to visit. She said she was from Earth and she was here to make sure the Onsiras were being treated humanely. I took her on a tour of the ranch and she seemed to find it OK. She said everything was in order and then she left.”
Bonnie turned back to Rei and Rome, tears streaming down her cheeks. “The next morning, when we woke up, they were gone.”
“Who was gone?” Rome asked.
“All of them. All of my babies,” she said. “Not one trace.”
All the Onsira babies were gone? Why? Who would take them? It certainly wasn't Virga. There is something very odd going here and as you know, there ain't no such thing as a coincidence. So let's find out the who, what, where, when and why. Tomorrow.
Like Fox Mulder says on the X-files, I want to believe. I hope you do too.
Entry 5-161: June 10, 2017
Sussen Returns
Yesterday, Bonnie Mullen told Rome and Rei that she had been put out here in the sticks to care for and raise the children that were born with Onsira characteristics. Bonnie also had a companion named Gemen but his exact role wasn't clear. A stranger from Earthy stopped by to inspect the dwelling and the care the Onsira children were receiving. According to Bonnie, that went well enough. But then...
“Who was gone?” Rome asked.
“All of them. All of my babies,” she said. “Not one trace.”
Bonnie fell back into a chair and put her face in her hands. From the way her head was bobbing, it was obviously she was crying but no sounds were emitted. She took a deep breath and looked up. The look of grief was etched in her face. “
Gemen and I are still waiting, still hoping. Maybe they’ll come back some day but it’s been a year. I don’t think they’re coming back.”
“This woman,” Rome asked. “Did she have a name?”
“Yes,” Bonnie replied, eyes unfocused. “She said her name was Sussen.”
“Sussen!” Rome hissed. “Her eyes! Did she have one light eye and one dark eye?”
“Yes, as a matter of fact, she did,” Bonnie said. “How did you know?”
Rei spoke up. “She was the spy sent to Deucado to make sure they kept the Ibbrassati oppressed until the asteroid came and wiped out the planet. She was an agent for MASAL. She left just before we did to warn MASAL that the inmates were taking over the asylum.”
Rei turned to Rome. “I guess she made it back to Earth but then to come here? Why bother?”
“The Onsiras,” Rome said. “It means they are not giving up. They are marshaling their forces.”
“Still,” Rei said. “The Overmind of Earth and the regular Vuduri would never let them rise to power. They vowed to protect the mandasurte. There’s nothing to worry about.”
“I agree with Rei,” Virga said. “When the Overmind of Earth established the static PPT tunnel to Helome, it was not just a tunnel. It was a gate as well. Its purpose was to create a world with just pure-bred Vuduri. No mandasurte were to be allowed.”
“MASAL would have been proud of you,” Rei said sardonically.
“No,” Virga said. “We learned our lesson. Our genetics betrayed us. Even with your magic pills, we will never segregate or discriminate again. Essessoni and mandasurte are welcome here, even if we do not need them for genetic reasons anymore.”
Bonnie held up her wrist and waved her tracking bracelet at Virga. “Uh, welcome?”
“The bracelets will be removed some day,” Virga said. “But first we must make sure that there are no more Erklirte hiding among you.”
Bonnie turned to Rei. “Do you remember that day you sent me away? You asked me when I found out the principles behind Darwin, did I disagree with them?”
You will recall at the end of The Ark Lords that this was the litmus test question Rei posed to Bonnie to determine if she was to be exiled to Helome. She did not answer in a way that satisfied Rei so here she is, on Helome, on an empty ranch, missing her Onsira babies. Maybe after all this time, she gained some wisdom from her banishment.
Entry 5-162: June 11, 2017
A crack in the case
Yesterday, after Bonnie recovered from grieving the loss of the Onsira children or her "babies" as she referred to them, she decided she wanted to revisit the final question that Rei asked her at the end of The Ark Lords. Rei certainly did remember asking her the question. And he certainly remembered her answer which prompted him to send Bonnie away with all the rest of the Darwin people. But here she is, bringing it up again:
“I expected you to say no,” Rei said with an edge to his voice. “At least I was hoping you would. You couldn’t do it though. That’s why I sent you away and that’s why Virga has you on a leash.”
“I’ve thought about that ever since that day,” Bonnie said quietly. “And I can tell you now that I did not agree with killing everyone. What I wanted more than anything was a place to live, a place to raise children on a world without planet-sized storms, without overcrowding, without unending terrorism. First Deucado and now this world, Helome, is all of that and more. My heart is with the future so my allegiance to Darwin is over.”
“That’s great,” Rei said, standing up. “That’s just what I wanted to hear.” He pulled out the creased set of papers from his pocket. “The reason we’re here is because there are still two Darwin members running around on Deucado. They tried to kill us by blowing up our house.”
“Oh my god!” Bonnie said. “Was anybody hurt?”
Rei made the horse lips sound. “Yeah but we’re over it.” Rei handed the papers to Bonnie. “Captain Keller identified one of the two as Dan Steele. That’s a complete list of all the members of Darwin. Can you tell me who else is on that list but never got brought here to Helome?”
“I’ll do my best,” Bonnie said. She read down the list and stopped when she got to the bottom. “David Troutman,” she said. “He never made it to Helome so I guess that means he’s your other missing person. He’s a chemical engineer and munitions expert. If anybody could build a bomb, he could.” She flipped the papers over to the second page, just to be sure. She flipped the pages back and tapped the top sheet with her finger. “He’s definitely your man. And Steele, he’s just…” Bonnie shivered then took on a quizzical look. “You know, it’s kind of funny, now that I think about it.”
“What is?” Rei asked.
“When Sussen was here, she asked me how an Erklirte came to be in charge of the children. I told her how you and Rome got wind of Project Darwin and how you sent us into exile here.”
“Did she say anything else?” Rome asked her.
“No,” Bonnie replied. “She did ask me if there were any more Darwin people left on Deucado. At the time, I wasn’t sure. She dropped the subject after that.”
Rome looked at Rei who nodded.
So there you have it. We now know the names of the two would-be killers: Troutman and Steele. The next step would be to go back to Deucado and track them down. But where to start? Maybe Bonnie has an idea. Let's see about that, tomorrow.
Entry 5-163: June 12, 2017
Go to Greer
Yesterday, Bonnie Mullen came through for our heroes. She identified the second of the would-be assassins as David Troutman. Troutman had the skills to build a bomb and his partner, Dan Steele was, according to Captain Keller, a natural born killer. Put those two together and I think we can understand what happened. Also Sussen asked about them. Could this fact be related? Probably.
Anyway, Rome and Rei are getting ready to leave as they got what the came for, the names of their would-be killers. Maybe Bonnie can help Rome and Rei track them down:
“Thank you, Bonnie,” Rome said. She stood up. “You have been very helpful. I just have one more question.”
“What?” Bonnie inquired.
“Now that we know who we are looking for, can you give us any guidance as to where we should start looking?”
“That I couldn’t tell you,” Bonnie answered. She looked out the window as if the answer was blowing in the wind. Suddenly, she nodded. “But I bet Nick Greer could. Troutman used to hang around with him. He might be able to tell you something.”
“Where do we find Greer?” Rei asked.
Bonnie lowered her eyes to the ground. Rei looked over at Virga. She had a sad expression on her face.
“What?” Rei asked. “Where is he?”
“As I told you,” Virga said. “There were a few recalcitrants who remain uncooperative to this day. Greer is one of them.”
“So what did you do with them?”
“They built a prison,” Bonnie answered for her. “They pretend it isn’t but it is. Keller even supplied the Vuduri with the design. They had no idea how to build one. That’s how serious Maury was about reform. It’s ways away from here.”
“A prison, huh,” Rei said. “Can you take us there?” he directed at Virga.
“Yes,” Virga said. “I will take you but I do not think Greer will be very communicative.”
“Let me go with you,” Bonnie said, stepping forward. “He might talk to me.” She looked over at Virga. “Is that OK?”
Virga nodded.
Bonnie turned to Gemen who had remained silent up until this point. “Goodbye, honey,” Bonnie said to Gemen and she kissed him on the cheek. “I’ll see you later.”
Gemen sighed and lifted his hand to wave farewell.
A Vuduri prison? This should be interesting. But first I want to tell you about my niece, Rebecca Brachman, who may have discovered something truly fantastic: a vaccine for PTSD!
Entry 5-164: June 13, 2017
A PTSD Vaccine?
While this b
log doesn’t really have a purpose other to serve as a forum for me to discuss science fiction and scientific topics, I have occasionally mentioned family members when relevant, never gratuitously. It is in that spirit that I would like to present the groundbreaking and possibly revolutionary discovery made by my niece, Rebecca Brachman, along with her collaborator Christine Ann Denny regarding a drug called ketamine.
Rebecca has a Ph.D. from Columbia University and was named a TED fellow in January of 2017. She is currently involved in research into using ketamine to prevent the onset of PTSD or depression. Rebecca calls this approach a paravaccine meaning it is prophylactic, like a vaccine, but based upon new principles. To apply this approach to mental health issues is completely innovative. We all know that many types of nervous system disorders can be treated by drugs after the fact but this is the first attempt that I know of to prevent the onset in the first place.
Tales of the Vuduri_Year Five Page 25