by D G Hervey
President Agnieszka looked at the Secretary of the Fleet to give her the first chance to respond.
Taking her cue, Uleran responded, “Well, back at Mars, Spaceship 1 appears to have been detected by its alteration of the gravitational fields and their influence on the motions of the small moons of Mars. Our look into that incidence indicates that the technology of ML’s adversary lacks the sensitivity to detect something in our vicinity, even of the size of Calypso, from the orbit of Earth or even of Mars. There are no small bodies with well-known orbital parameters near us. Our best guess regarding the attack on Calypso, as we neared Jupiter, is that either Spaceship 1 with its shield, or Calypso with our shield, was detected by the occultation of stars. That would be much easier to observe for something the size of Calypso, and if that was the case, we see nothing in our current technological bag of tricks that we can do about it. It is something that has been researched for decades and progress has been made on solving the problem. We could be investigating developing the technology to implement a fix, but that is not a priority among our current research projects.”
“We don’t even know who was behind the attacks,” interjected Ilaki, “or what the purpose may have been. We don’t know if the attacker is after us or ML or both. It is disturbing that an attack occurred as far out as Jupiter. I would hope that the attacks were intended to kill ML, and the adversary won’t be after us at all. But, that may just be wishful thinking on my part.”
“We can certainly put improving the efficacy of the shield down as a possible research and development project,” responded Agni. “Then we can see if any of our scientists, engineers, or inventors would like to take that on as a project. Or we can put it out for bids to see if it prompts the formation of any think-tank companies and see if private enterprise will rise to that challenge. Simona, I understand the reason for putting it out to us first. If we are to do anything about it, the sooner the better. Of course, by now our trajectory may be compromised. We have a big head of steam up already and, with us being well away from Jupiter, our continuous thrust will begin to increase our speed gradually all of the time. But, Simona, let us hear what else you have for us to consider.”
“I am concerned,” replied Simona, “about the reliability of our databases. When either of the human-piloted spaceships Ek or Dui is out on patrol, no continuous checking is being done then. Of course, we all know that we have five repositories of the database. There is one on Subtle, one on Hidden, one on Ek, one on Dui, and one on our trailer for the mining operation and thrust control of Calypso. With either Ek or Dui docked, we have four of the five repositories cross checking to correct any loss of information that occurs for any reason. Note that these four of these repositories are effectively in the same place; that is, with either Ek or Dui docked, we have four databases on Calypso. So for the safety of our only remote repository of the database, should we be using a magnetic field on Ek and Dui when they are on patrol? That would seem to add to the safety of the personnel and to the security of our precious database. Furthermore, should the protocol for fixing errors in the database take into account the possibility that the four that are typically on Calypso at any given time, have all gotten the same virus, mistake or mistakes?”
“Let’s see if I’ve gathered the thrust of your last comment,” stated Agni. “You think that any difference in a remote database should be examined to ascertain whether it was probably an artifact of a cosmic ray or not. If not, its difference should be scrutinized more carefully instead of just assuming that it is the one in error. You view that it is possible all close copies of the database could be polluted with the same contaminate. Is that right?”
Simona replied, “You’ve got it.”
“Okay then, we can have that evaluated,” encouraged Agni. “What else is bothering you?”
Simona said, “In general, I feel we are ignorant regarding the cosmic ray flux we will experience once we are beyond the heliopause, the space in which the sun may be protecting us. As a result, I am concerned for the safety of my personnel out on patrol. I would like for there to be an examination of possible enhancements of the spaceships and our staffing schedules that will positively impact their safety. I recognize that cosmic rays will not cause a dosimeter to run up the way that radioactivity does. So how do we ascertain the doses that our personnel are exposed to? I have ordered, for the moment at least, that no pregnant woman is to be aboard Ek or Dui, and I expect that we won’t want babies to be aboard either, so I have also ordered that lactating women will not staff the spaceships when on patrol. How much cosmic ray flux is safe for a woman who may become pregnant and should that allowable dosage be changed after child bearing is no longer an option for the woman on staff?”
“I believe,” responded Secretary Uleran, “that with the technology available when they were designed, ML will have the best safety incorporated into the designs of those spaceships. Now it has been something over nine months since ML specified the construction of Ek and her new Spaceship 1. So, perhaps we can find something useful in the database that has been developed in the interim. With Ek and Dui being so much smaller than Calypso, I wonder if the magnetic field they could generate could have as much of an effect on the charged particle motion. But, I’d guess that it is more a matter of the magnitude of the magnetic field, how far it reaches powerfully into space, that is important. I know that Ek and Dui have double hulls just the way that Calypso does, so I guess that super conducting coils between the hulls could maintain a good magnetic field. With superconducting coils, the required energy input to the field is a function of the work that it exerts on those charged particles. So, if the electricity required for emergency thrust mandated it, I guess the input to the magnetic field could be temporarily reduced or even stopped to divert power to the ion thrusters. Even if that meant shutting down the magnetic field by using up the power that remains in the field, the personnel would be no worse off during such a shutdown than they would have been if there had been no magnetic field. So it seems a matter of the investment in designing and installing such magnetic-field-generation equipment on Ek and Dui.”
“I wonder,” Agni commented, “why ML did not have that in the specs. Someone will be assigned to look into the possibilities. Simona, what else do you have for us to think about?”
“Well,” replied Simona, “I have two items that are related. I’m concerned to protect the source of our fuel for the ion-drive propulsion units, that is, the raw material on the trailer of Calypso. I’d hate to get to another solar system only to find out that in order to slow down enough to stay there, we had to start consuming our living space for fuel. For that reason, I’d like to see the material moved forward, as close to Subtle and Hidden as possible. On the other hand, it seems as though it will be most convenient, once we are finished building out the interior of Subtle and Hidden, if construction of additional living space, outside of our current cylinders, is done as close to Subtle and Hidden as possible. Clearly the two are in some conflict, but not totally mutually exclusive. Depending upon our maximum allowed velocity, we expect to eject twenty to twenty-five percent of the material on the trailer to generate thrust. There is room for everything that remains to snug up closer to Subtle and Hidden. I guess the reason that this came to my mind, is my concern about the component of the motion of asteroids and comets that is perpendicular to our velocity. I want to ensure that we don’t get our tail knocked off and have no recourse but to use material from habitable space as fuel, in order to slow us down.”
Agni responded, “Clearly the operations of the mining of our asteroidal material and the construction of additional habitable volumes are matters beyond your current purview. Nonetheless, I appreciate your insights into the possible risks and dangers. I’ll see to it that your concerns are included in the planning of the mining and the new habitat construction. Simona, what else concerns you.”
“I have arbitrarily sent our AI-bot-controlled spaceships what seems to me to be we
ll ahead,” answered Simona. “I’ve tied how far ahead they are to the velocity of Calypso. But, I don’t know that we are scouting the proper distance ahead. It seems to me that it depends on more than just Calypso’s velocity. How large a hazard might we encounter? I’m aware of theories about a super Earth that would be about ten times the mass of Earth. There are theories that such a planet could be covered in hydrogen ice, so it would, perhaps, be almost undetectable even by infrared radiation. If we spot something large like that ahead, knowing how quickly we can take whatever actions might be necessary to avoid collision would be more than beneficial. What would taking any mandated evasive actions do to our trajectory? We need to determine the best locations for our scout spaceships regardless of how many may be on duty at any given time.”
“Goodness!” exclaimed Uleran. “Simona, you do come up with doozies.”
“I wonder,” commented Agni, “what the size of a super Earth might be, how far out of the ecliptic plane it might be, and how far from the sun it could be. We need contingency planning for emergency propulsion to speed us up or slow us down so we can avoid the worst possible outcomes. I will ask our astronomers and propulsion engineers to make educated recommendations, Simona, regarding how far ahead our scout spaceships should be.”
“I’ve researched this a bit,” stated Simona. “The dwarf planet Makemake has an orbital inclination of 29°. So I’d guess that a super Earth, knocked out beyond Uranus by Jupiter, could be inclined that much as well.”
“What you’ve considered often surprises me; thank you for your diligence,” responded President Agnieszka.
Simona continued, “My next issue is that I think that we should be taking more risks with our AI-bot-controlled scout spaceships. This raises the possibility that one of them may get damaged or even lost. I think that we must plan for that eventuality. So, we need to decide how to deploy a full complement of AI-bot-controlled spaceships, and how to adjust that deployment if any one of them becomes unavailable?”
“We did well in selecting you as Admiral of the Fleet,” remarked Agni. “You obviously have enthusiasm and thoughtfulness regarding your position. I agree that the AI-bot-controlled spaceships should get the more hazardous regular duty. Perhaps in emergencies our personnel at the helm will make observations that wouldn’t come to the top of the heap quickly enough for a bot, or a gut reaction would be preferred to a rationally-based decision. So there may be times for the human-controlled spaceships to be in the more dangerous position. But as you indicate, in general risking a bot-controlled spaceship is preferable to risking our human staff.”
“Next is my final issue I’d like to bring up today,” remarked Simona. “There are ways in some instances to perform accelerated testing of material degradation. I am not sure that is the case with the structural material of Calypso, in our environment. However, during our long journey to another star system, the structural materials will probably degrade. So there needs to be a monitoring procedure and, depending upon the results of the monitoring, perhaps periodic intentional renewal of the properties of, if not replacement of, the structural materials of our home. This is true, not only of Calypso, but also of Ek, Dui, and the AI-bot-controlled spaceships.”
President Agni remarked, “Simona, considering what you have called to our attention, all by yourself, it seems to me that we should assemble our relevant scientists, engineers, miners, builders, and material specialists to see what else we should be addressing for our own safety, survival, and happiness. Thanks so much for your input. We will keep you abreast of our responses to your issues. Now, Uleran and Ilaki, do you have anything to add?”
Ilaki replied, “I appreciate Simona’s insights and her consideration for our young government by having this be a closed meeting.”
“Let us hope that Simona’s worst fears are not realized,” responded Uleran. “It is best to be prepared, to have our options considered, but don’t forget the benefits of on-the-spot ingenuity. Creativity in moments of need often solves unforeseen problems. I think of the pilots’ mantra, ‘flying is hours and hours of boredom, punctuated by moments of sheer panic.’ There is less panic when situations have been thought through ahead of time. And less panic may save lives.”
President Agni stated, “Then I guess that we are done for now. My thanks to all of you, we’ve had a productive meeting.”
Chapter 8 - Doctors’ Visit
In the morning, after Jon’s exercise and breakfast were completed, Doctor Ozlem went to Jon’s pod, knowing for sure where he was. She had agreed to meet Doctor Cuadro there.
At Deck 4, East 41, North 43, Doctor Ozlem found Doctor Cuadro awaiting her at the top of the escalator to the common room of Jon’s pod.
Dr. Cuadro asked, “Did you set this up ahead of time? If so, my Parrot does not seem to know about it.”
Dr. Ozlem replied, “No, I didn’t. But Jon likes to have a cup of hot tea with some nuts after his cereal breakfast. He says that some caffeine early in the day helps to boost his mental alertness. So, I expect that he’ll offer us some of his nicest tea, and we can have the talk with Jon that Ykon’s request of him, to be in the delivery room for the birth of her daughter, has caused us to desire. He won’t know a thing about my conversation with you since he doesn’t have a Parrot.”
“Oh!” responded Dr. Cuadro, “You have an ulterior motive do you. You’d like one of his special teas. Which one do you fancy?”
“I’ve been wanting to try some of his Exceptional Italian Almond Tea,” replied Dr. Ozlem. “That name seems intriguing. I know he has a limited supply, but each preparation is at least three cups of tea, so we’ll just be giving him an excuse to get to drink some of his favorite. We should be just in time, before he has selected today’s variety.”
Dr. Ozlem mounted the top step of the escalator, followed by Dr. Cuadro, and they descended.
From the pod’s common room Dr. Ozlem called out, “Jon, Marie you have a couple of unannounced visitors.”
Marie entered the common room, saw the two doctors and asked, “What a surprise. Good morning. It’s always nice to see you, but why are you here? Has Ykon gone into labor early? I guess not since you are both here.”
“No,” Dr. Ozlem replied. “Ykon isn’t in labor yet. But her request is what has brought us here. We will agree to have Jon in the delivery room, and you as well. But we’d like to be sure Jon can take the sight of blood without fainting, which is not uncommon for a man, and that anyone who is to be in the delivery room has a bit of training in what to do and what to expect.”
“Oh, in that case please come into our quarters,” Marie invited. “Jon has just finished his breakfast and I expect he is washing his cereal bowl and spoon.”
Entering their quarters Marie called out, “Jon! Doctors Ozlem and Cuadro are here to see you.”
Jon entered with a dish towel in his hands drying a large bronze spoon. He commented, “What a surprise to see you. Is there some problem with Ykon?”
“Well sort of,” Dr. Ozlem replied. “She has requested that you be at the birth of her daughter. Neither of us has an objection to that, and in fact we may well welcome your help. Anyway, we think that we need to be sure that you don’t faint at the sight of blood the way many men do. After all, we don’t need to be bringing an extra patient into the delivery room. In addition, we’d like for you to have a bit of training in what we’d ask you to do there.”
Jon finished drying his spoon. He remarked, “That will be interesting. To alleviate your concern, no, I have no problem with the sight of blood. Say, I’m about to make some hot tea. Would any of you care to join me?”
He looked at Marie to see if she would elect to have his tea in addition to the coffee she’d already had. She nodded.
Dr. Cuadro tattled, “Dr. Ozlem most certainly will. That is why she decided that we should come when we did, just in time for your morning tea.”
Jon, turning to Dr. Ozlem, beamed, “Wonderful. How nice to have someone who appreciates
a nice cup of hot tea. And what variety should I brew? Do you want me to list what I have to offer?”
“Dr. Ozlem seems most intent on getting to try your Exceptional Italian Almond Tea,” Dr. Cuadro interjected, “and since she brought it up, so am I.”
“What an outstanding choice,” agreed Jon. “It is a shame to have it warmed over the next day. It is certainly better piping hot and fresh. Now, for guests I like to offer some shortbread to go with the tea. Will you join me in that as well?”
Quickly Marie expressed, “I expect that we all will.”
The doctors were nodding their heads in agreement.
Jon went out to heat some water.
“Jon so likes company,” explained Marie. “It is nice that you’ve found a reason to visit us. It has been a while since either of you has been to a quilting session.”
Dr. Ozlem answered, “We felt that we had provided the instruction that the current bunch of quilting pregnant women needed. So there was no longer an adequate excuse for us to take time away from their quilting and gossiping. But now, there is an extra reason to get you both trained in delivery room activity. Dr. Cuadro will be inseminated before long. So it will be nice to have some others who are focused just on the delivery of babies. We can, of course, call on doctors of other disciplines to help, if there is a need. But they do have their own practices and expertise. With you two, there is minimal chance of professional pride getting in the way of the attending obstetrician’s preferences or judgement.”
“Marie,” asked Dr. Cuadro, “Do you know anything about the uses of umbilical cord blood?”
Marie replied, “I’ve heard a bit, but remember no details. Isn’t it saved somehow to alleviate possible difficulties with the baby’s health in the future?”