"What you've said is, but there will be whole, or mostly whole, serpentine fighters collected. What about them?"
She hesitated before she answered, "Your assumption is valid, but until something is released in orders you shouldn’t concern yourself. You'll be told what you need to know, when you need to know it."
I opened my mouth, then shut it and considered how little Armies change.
The next day we started on my regression recall concentrating where I had been called upon to make repairs after the initial sabotage incident. We gradually mapped out main tunnels and shafts. I’d also used a system of access conduits deliberately designed to withstand any impact event. We mapped those also.
That night I lay in my lonely cabin missing Nerre’, and Thelma. Somehow, it seemed Thelma had deliberately taken herself away from me. I hoped she would come back to me after the birth of our child, but reflecting back on my previous marriage that seemed unlikely. That brought to mind the fact of my family being saved by Thelma and her unanswered question as to what I would do with them. That decision I’d not even thought about. With Nerre’, things were so much easier, we trained, we fought. That the enemies would ever not be there wasn’t fathomable, no enemies, never. I didn’t rest much.
The day after I couldn’t relax as needed but then Paula asked the right question and we were in a scene where Tildore, needed to research a job in the main archives. There the station was presented in systems over systems overlay format. We learned much that day. Of overriding importance was that while the stations used the basic H/FU in a multitude of applications, negative space technology wasn’t in use. Rather they had created an artificial space of their own. When faced with danger they could, at will, shift into this created space. While there, no contact point remained through which they could be affected. I don’t know why Prestrillo would refer to this as another Galaxy. Perhaps he wasn’t overly technically trained and was repeating what he’d been told. Or perhaps false information had deliberately been implanted in his mind.
I was drained when I went to bed that night, still I couldn’t rest. About midnight I saw Paula beside my bed. She leaned down and put her finger across my mouth so I didn’t ask the questions that wanted to burst out. She was thin but more than a mouthful and her thinness brought us that much closer to the point in question. Sometime later she rose from my bed and once again laid her finger across my mouth as I dreamingly reached for her, but she was gone.
The next morning I awoke late, refreshed, and looking forward to resuming. Paula was in the mess area looking very prim as usual. Maybe last night had been a dream.
I said, “Good morning. I’m ready for the day.”
“Glad to see you so well rested. Regression sessions can wear a person out. Get a good breakfast while I bring you up to date. I’ve moved us into a bay about two thirds of the way up the western coast: to be near to land for my sensor sweeps, the cameo justification is that we’re searching for fresh water. I’ve not found anything out of the usual for a thousand miles. The computer continuously sweeps the band widths on which the enemy transmitted. Nothing. I received a burst from Thelma; it’s in the data base. Two things stand out to me. Our enemy transmission set off a series of retransmissions, which set off another series etc. Thelma’s analysis of the whole effort is that the ANNU KI was trying to ascertain whether the storage sites of gold bullion had been changed in any manner. Who knows what they use for a baseline but the gold has only grown in all the sites, I’m sure, and Thelma says also. She’s also found some storage sites which neither she, nor anyone else, knew about. What relevance to anything that has, is beyond me.”
“Maybe she has some plan to influence their actions through collecting the gold?”
“Who knows? Additionally the Action Debriefing from the USA attack came. The attack went the same way there, but when the reactor was neutralized, there the Company Commander ordered a two mile disengagement taking out his wounded and dead. Then he called down a strike from a rail gun. It was accurate. Burned everything down one hundred feet for a mile across. Later a forensics team was brought in and they’re still finding things of interest in the part of their tunnel complex which wasn’t damaged. They’re finding dead bodies with no discernable cause of death.”
“Different commanders call different shots. I think we found more out about their battle tactics doing it our way. As to dead bodies: it’s beyond me to say, but you could give some thought to their DNA versus what magnification of their communication wave length would kill them. Dead bodies give out a lot less information than live prisoners. I hope the forensics team has good decontamination protocols.”
She jumped up, patted me on the shoulder, and said, “Gotta compute.”
I sat down with my bacon and eggs and hash browns and toast and coffee and looked at them thinking, ‘this is about all I have left of old Rafe, a good breakfast’. Two months ago were I to spout anything about De-Con protocols I would have thought myself out of my head drunk. I’d thought now and then about me insisting for the truth from Thelma and about maybe that was not smart, but the results of my insistence had never hit me like right now. For a moment my head overrode my stomach, but it didn’t win long. I was on my second piece of pie and fourth coffee when Paula returned; God I hoped she didn’t listen to the insane drivel in my mind all the time.
“I think you may have hit upon important bits of data. This may shed some light on their obsession with the lunar cycle. It’s common knowledge in your time that snakes take 24 hours to die. Later it became known that the planetary matrix supplied their particular body composition with electro magnetic energy for one rotation, regardless. Your magnified wave length theory didn’t make any difference, but when I factored in 24 hours and added in the different harmoniums, it, the wave lengths, go through, we come out with a lethal mix. I’ve sent my calculations to Thelma.”
“I hope they work out. Nothing better than to think of a better way to kill things over breakfast. Well, let’s get on with our task. I so want to go into maintenance conduits some more.”
She smiled widely, which somehow drove away the dead stomach feeling. It would come back, I was sure.
Chapter 20
Rafe
Early morning ten days later I stopped mid-stride and realized the ‘stomach’ hadn’t came back. That assuredly was due to Paula’s nightly visits, which were growing longer each night--complaining--not me.
Yesterday we had gone over already covered information. If we didn’t hit upon something drastically new today we were going to do nothing for three days. Then: if Paula hadn’t found anything with her scans, and Thelma agreed, we were going home, back to the Ice Ages. I wondered why we just didn’t relocate the human race back to then. But I knew the answer. Humanoid, or like kind, had been preprogrammed to not retreat. I wondered further who was responsible for that and did they think they were doing us a favor.
I found Paula at her usual perch, the NAV desk.
She said, “And a good morning to you. Update from Thelma, I’ll read it, ‘Hope enjoying vacation. No effect on 1880, reference my lecture. Many voices here. Ask for due consideration and then the voice of you two. T’.
“What lecture is she talking about?”
“The basic time line being unalterable.”
“Something in me says, ‘don’t go there’. But I should have no opinion at all. Maybe we should make that discrepancy today’s line of questioning?”
Paula considered and reluctantly said, “If you wish. But we were going to do codes today and allow you to rest for a few days.”
“Aw, hell, I can rest when I’m dead. On second thought that’s no longer true, isn’t it?" She didn’t say anything. Just sat there patiently waiting for me to get done talking to myself, damn. The point of the conversation was slipping out of my mind, yes?
“Just a few questions, and then we’ll see if we can open the code file.”
About an hour later we assumed our positions, me in t
he chair and Paula adjusting the knobs. The question was, “Were you ever involved in a discussion about time line changes.”
All of a sudden I was there. Captain Prestrillo was there too. What a coincidence. We were in a vast auditorium. Only the first four rows were occupied. On the immense screen in front of me was a space station. The speaker on a slightly raised podium immediately in front of us was saying, “The projection is today that only four such stations will be needed to remove the personnel who have volunteered.”
Somebody in the audience asked, “Will the manufacturing facilities be dismantled when the forth one is done? Seems a shame.”
The speaker said, “No, they’re automated. They’ll continue to operate until raw material is not available. Then, at the first sign of shortage they will shut down and go out of phase where they will remain in suspension until they are started again. You will all be given instructions.”
Another one asked, “Are you and your co-workers totally sure there is no escaping, no altering, no anything that can be done to change our planets time line?”
[Paula asked---what planet---I answered---todays name Phaeton---5th out--asteroid belt in 1888]
The speaker answered, “Over ten thousand searches have been made by many different research institutions. We gave everybody access that met your qualifications. No one further has asked in seven years.”
Another voice asked, “Again, what is the estimate of the breakup time?”
The speaker answered, “Tremors will start in a time frame between 1460 to1700 years from now. That’s third generation removed. However the denial factor is what it is, compounded by variables you well know. I say again four stations will suffice. Availability is not a factor. Estimates say 787 stations will be done before any slowdown is foreseen. There are many, many asteroids available and the solar system will be all the safer for their removal. The factor is the mind set. That’s why so diverse a group as you have been gathered. You must avail yourselves of the remaining time.”
[Why are you at the meeting---unified trade's union representative]
[Do you know time line technology---theoretically, yes]?
[Why is the planet breaking up---magna layer will shortly go cold resulting in no more electro magnetic field to feed energy to the planetary matrix]
Another speaker asked, “Is the mind altering we went through to attend this meeting reversible?”
The speaker, “In a word no. You were given the details, the glandular link up, the autonomous growth inhibitors, you all knew. And you know you can not repeat any particulars. If you try you will perish. Either you go forth from here and get results or a lot more of our citizens will perish than necessary. The forth planet will sustain the race until the third planet is ready. Even the second planet can be altered in time. We will recess now. Feel free to mingle and ask anything of our technicians. This convention will go on until every person is satisfied.”
[Is there any part of the data and machinery you are not familiar with---no]
[Resume your position on your ship with Paula---]
I pushed the chair to fully upright position and said, “That was a vast auditorium.”
Paula said, “We must correlate this new data with what we know, or think we know. One thing is glaringly obvious from my stand point. Where did the Essences of a whole planet go? Or did they not go anywhere? You rest. I must contact Betty and ascertain what she and Captain Prestrillo have accomplished. Mostly does he recall being at that meeting with Tildore and when he got to Ranger HQ? Rest, eat, go on deck, and look at the sails. I’ll join you there.”
I hadn’t been on deck one time since we’d touched down. By now the ship had reached the NW tip of Australia by meandering back and forth keeping carefully to the limits of a Junk. When the winds weren’t favorable the program had set the sail and we’d wallowed until they changed. I hit the egress button and the hatch unscrewed and popped aside. There wasn’t much need for a deck on a space ship but maintenance made necessary a narrow walkway along the length of the ship and I kept to that. The program had assigned me crew member status and put a skein around me. The sea breeze calmed and I gradually pulled most of my mind back from that vast auditorium and what had been, in effect, a wake. Paula came on deck eventually when I was at the far end of my path. She paused after clearing the hatch and seemed to drink in her surroundings and expand. A ball of white light grew around her and expanded to reach me as I stood at the far end of the ship. I realized that this was the real Paula. Not the collection of arms and legs I so well knew by now. I wondered why she or any of her kind would bother with our puny cares.
CONSIDERATIONS RAFE, JUST CONSIDERATIONS, THEY MAKE THE PERSON WHEN YOU’RE ME. HAVE TO GO DOWN SOON. QUESTIONS TO BE ANSWERED AND INFORMATION. BUT THEY’LL WAIT FOR A FEW TIME UNITS. COME WALK TO ME, INSIDE ME, YOU’LL LIKE IT.
I liked it and she gave me enough of her energy to realize her state, endless beingness, but naturally I couldn’t let go. I then realized her comment about considerations. Oddly though, for a while I wasn’t concerned whether I was Rafe, or Tildore, or the thousands in between. It was just me and her.
After a time we diminished small enough to fit through the hatch and it closed above us. On the way back to our mess area where we usually worked Paula said, “I talked to Betty. She says let the codes alone. She has made her way through Prestrillo minefield and can do the same with you, maybe better than me, though I’ll be there to observe. Prestrillo remembers you being there but he doesn’t remember you as the representative of the Trade Unions. We’ll let that go until later also. He says he was at Ranger HQ soon enough to be sure that his planet’s Essences weren’t there yet. He’s emphatic about that since he asked those that had been there earlier than his arrival. So he doesn’t know where they are. The decision at our HQ is we let it all alone and enjoy a few moments in our own present time. So that’s what we are going to do.”
We tried our best to enjoy. I think we did a pretty good job. Paula did a lot of detailed instruction on breathing techniques.
Chapter 21
Rafe
When we arrived back at the ARK 0900 hours four days later, I was quite rested and looking forward to getting the code question behind us and embarking on our ‘Moon Mission’. Paula always looked rested, she breathed better.
We went straight to Med Deck. The theory was that if there were glitches they would be better overcame there. Seemed like a sensible precaution to me. Thelma was there and I had to settle for a salute. Captain Prestrillo was there too and he appeared a bit gruff toward me, and in general. Maybe his years had caught up with him. Doctor Larry was there, too, and of course Tina. There were some other white frocks near by who I hadn’t met and was not introduced to, their loss.
Her name plate said, Betty Trill, she was about the same height as Paula and about twenty pounds heavier. She had been talking with Captain P when Paula and I came in. After the salutes she took over in a decisive manner and had me sit in the regression chair while she sat next to me in one of two chairs.
She said, “We encountered no real problems with The Captain but we have to realize that he is in a Ranger body, which differs extensively from any norm we’d ever encountered. But a body is a body and I think the procedure of removing you, Rafe the Essence, temporarily, from Rafe the body, won’t hurt and it will establish the necessary buffers and allow us time to counter any contra indicators. Do you understand?”
“What you said, yes, what you meant, no. But never mind. Your success doesn’t depend on my understanding. It depends on your skill. You have one success behind you. Let’s go for two.”
“Good attitude. [We’ll begin now. Close your eyes. Don’t move your body but get up and sit in the chair beside mine]
Odd, strange slightly wrenching sensation but I did as asked and could see the room but everything was hazy.
[Thank you for following my directions. Now we’re going to ask you a series of questions. The first one is are you famil
iar with the Phaeton Space Station command codes]
Blackness came over me, I was in deep space between stars, and I had no space suit. Naturally, I exploded from internal pressure. Then no------------------
When I became aware again I looked up into Thelma’s eyes, green eyes, yellow orbs, kind eyes.
She asked, “Can you hear me Rafe?”
“Yes, quite clearly.” I managed eventually; cat got my tongue, ha-ha.
“There was an unforeseen occurrence. We thought you’d be safe outside your body. Evidently the people who programmed the safeguards knew about separation also.”
I wasn’t feeling anything but abstract curiosity, but felt compelled to hold up my end so I asked, “What happened?”
“We got the information, lots of it. You’ll want to review it later.”
“What happened to me, me, not information?”
“Most of the blood vessels in your head burst. Then your heart exploded. You died.”
“Don’t feel dead. Don’t feel all that much. But don’t feel dead.”
“You’re in your second body Rafe. The one I showed you in the tank.”
I tried to move, couldn’t, “I can’t move.”
“It’s normal, neural interfaces take time to blend. You will be run through a series of tests and exercises. Takes a few days. You’ll like your new body. I put in some special systems.”
“What kind? I liked the old body. It wasn’t totally worn out.”
“No choice Rafe. It was either that, or let you become an Essence.”
Greener Green I: Where Does the Circle Begin Page 14