by D G Hervey
“Aboard Calypso,” asked Lieutenant Ebesh, “are our researchers more concerned about genetic cancers, cancers of old age, or cancers induced by the environment, including our exposure to cosmic radiation?”
Delphine answered, “I believe that they are more interested in age and environmentally induced cancers. I suspect ML’s screening of our population will have significantly reduced the incidence of genetic cancers among us.”
“So this research group keeps alive a bunch of viruses that have wreaked havoc and fear throughout the ages,” noted Lieutenant Ebesh. “Do you fear for the uncontrolled release of them?”
“The safeguards in place seem adequate to me,” she replied. “But I am not really knowledgeable about that aspect of their work. I try to find information in the database that could be helpful to them. The group has quite a wide variety of viruses in their care. They are the ones who intentionally release some viruses, and perhaps some bacteria, to give our bodies some minor illnesses to fight. Having some foreign invader, it seems, reduces the body’s tendency to fight itself with autoimmune conditions such as Guillain-Barre syndrome, Meniere’s disease, and multiple sclerosis. There are over one-hundred autoimmune diseases.”
“If you are finding information that spurs the researchers onto new, successful paths,” asked Lieutenant Ebesh, “how can they let you go?”
Delphine responded, “I am up to my eyeballs in cancer reading. I’m tired of it and need a break. It was not an interest of mine when I got here, and I expect I’m becoming less effective. It is time for a change.”
“What,” asked Lieutenant Ebesh, “about your school teaching aspirations?”
“I am qualified to teach gifted and talented high school students science and mathematics,” informed Delphine. “So, Calypso is over fourteen years away from having children old enough to be the typical age for high school. Yes, perhaps, some will be ready before age fourteen, but even eleven or twelve years is a long time away. I desire a change and I want to feel productive.”
Lieutenant Ebesh asked, “What makes you believe that being an officer in the fleet will not bore you after two or three years?”
Delphine replied, “At least in the fleet, there are possibilities of advancement. Furthermore, there are different duties. There is scouting on Dui with both navigation and piloting opportunities. Hopefully, there won’t be combat duties, but, if I am accepted into the fleet staff, I expect to be trained in Dui’s combat capabilities. The duties on Hidden’s bridge should be even more varied. Eventually, when there are children of age, I might want to take off the months when school is in session. But, after I have been trained and when I am available, which may include when students have breaks from schooling, I expect I could be available for duty for about four months out of a year. When I am not pregnant, that may even allow time aboard Dui. Then, when I am pregnant or lactating, I understand, I could not have duty on Dui.”
“You seem to understand the requirements and duties well enough,” commented Lieutenant Ebesh. “To teach the gifted and talented you must be quick mentally. What about your physical abilities? What kind of shape are you in?”
Delphine answered, “Well I’ve been doing workouts with Jon since he came aboard. I’m not as strong as he is and I pant in what I manage to keep up with, which by now is most all of it. And I’m getting better every week. I find that I like improving my core strength. For reflexes, I’m one of the top ten Hidden players at table tennis. We have a ladder you know. I’ve risen as high as seventh and am currently ninth on the ladder. There are five women in a group who keep trading places in the ranks seven through eleven. There are a total of 38 women on the ladder. Not a one of them is a klutz. I started at thirty-fifth and have worked my way up. I aspire to be in the top five.”
“You must be serious about it,” observed Lieutenant Ebesh. “You called it table tennis and not ping pong. I hope that all of my interviewees are as interesting and capable as the three I’ve talked with this morning. Thanks for volunteering and thanks for being on time.”
Delphine responded, “It is a habit, engrained by my parents.”
“I’ll escort you to the exit,” Lieutenant Ebesh offered.
After parting, Lieutenant Ebesh returned to the governmental meeting room to make her notes.
Chapter 11 - Training and Spending
Since the promotions of Simona and Verij left vacancies in the rank of captain in both Subtle and Hidden, the lieutenants on staff were encouraged to apply for these positions. They were advised that they should update their qualifications by taking flight simulator tests to increase their chances of being selected. Simona thought that ML’s Captain Fran, who had the best performance ever of anyone on that simulator, might be hired as a consultant by those who wanted to improve their test results.
Fran, now serving in the Taxers branch of the legislature, had declined taking a position with Calypso’s fleet in order to keep her elected position. Being a government official prevented her from deriving the majority of her income from the government. Fran decided to become a consultant, hoping for enough work to make this her primary source of income.
Fran appreciated Simona’s intent to get her some business, but days had passed without any of the lieutenants approaching her for help. She wondered why. Fran was not sure of the duty roster of the lieutenants; no doubt two were on off-Calypso duty, which would extend the deadline for them. Any others who were applying to become a captain had at most three days left in which to better their scores. Fran wondered if those taking the simulator tests were doing so well that they did not think her help was needed. Or were they doing so poorly that they felt there was no hope for them, because another lieutenant would surely be much better?
Fran decided to check with her Parrot to learn if Simona’s efforts to expand the number of fleet personnel was being successful. Perhaps she’d get some business there. She had plenty of savings, at least for now. ML had been generous with her salary, and she’d had almost no opportunity to spend any of it. So she was not in need. She was a bit bored. The Taxers had yet to begin meeting.
Fran’s Parrot promptly informed her that Lieutenant Garbine wished to see her as soon as possible because she wanted Fran’s help with the flight simulator testing. Fran said to her Parrot, “Let Garbine know that I am available now. I suggest we meet in the government’s offices where the flight simulation tests are conducted.”
Lieutenant Garbine showed up promptly at the testing simulator.
“I need help,” professed Lieutenant Garbine as soon as she saw Captain Fran. “The flight simulator test is not what I expected. I guess that I am too accustomed to having my Parrot’s help. But, I am far from satisfied with my performance so far.”
Fran asked, “How did you feel when Calypso lost power passing Jupiter? The Parrots were out of commission for a while then.”
Lieutenant Garbine reflected a moment and then responded, “It was an emergency. I was given an order to help get the reactor back on line. I followed orders. I felt busy, involved, actively doing something that Captain Simona seemed to take to be a top priority.”
“In emergencies, most people do what they are told to do,” Fran informed. “They don’t think rationally for themselves. They are overwhelmed by the circumstances. In emergencies which can be anticipated, there is the time beforehand to think calmly through what should be done. Time to develop a specific course of action. It is important to have training that disciplines or habituates people into specific actions for such emergencies. In those cases, anyone recognizing the emergency can just do as they were trained to do. But an emergency is not always something that was anticipated ahead of time. A captain must recognize the difference. To be the captain is often to be in charge, to be the one deciding what the priorities need to be, to be certain that, of all of the things that need to be done, first priorities get done first. A captain needs to be the rational thinker who is not overwhelmed by the current circumstances.”
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p; “That seems quite challenging,” responded Lieutenant Garbine.
“So these flight simulation tests are not an assessment of your flying, or your maneuvering skills,” concluded Fran. “They are an assessment of your judgment of priorities, of your ability to keep your head and think rationally. If you are alone, what needs to be done now, first, immediately, by you? If you are not alone and are in charge, what do you need others to do first, or perhaps, do you need to do something immediately, even before you give them an order? Understand that when others feel panic, they respond to commands. Tell them what to do, and almost always they will do what you say, at least as well as they are able to do so. Of course, if you have bots available to do your bidding, you assign them to take risky assignments unless creativity may be called for. Then, you assign your most creative subordinate to the task. You have to know the capabilities of your subordinates.”
“So I need a change in perspective,” Lieutenant Garbine thought out loud.
“Being in charge is a changed perspective,” agreed Fran. “Now let’s go over the testing that you have already done.”
Lieutenant Garbine responded, “In my first run, I was the duty captain on the Subtle bridge with two lieutenants, and there was an alert that there was a small asteroid on a collision course. I had the laser weapon on the trailer fire at it until it melted the asteroid. But the melted asteroid hit the thorium breeder reactor, causing it to melt down, and then all hell broke loose.”
Fran cautioned, “In the simulations, you need to expect either multiple, simultaneous failures or a cascade of failures. That is what you need to be careful to avoid in actual operations. So it is good training. In that simulation, what could you have done differently?”
“I guess I should have known that merely making the asteroid a hot liquid would not eliminate its momentum and, thus, its potential to do damage to the Calypso trailer,” she concluded.
“That is a bit of knowledge that you need to just know,” agreed Fran. “It is a part of the assumption package that goes into decision making and not something you wait for a Parrot to let you know. Still, what courses of action were available to you?”
“I had several minutes to take action,” remembered Lieutenant Garbine. “I had long enough to power up the laser, aim it, and project enough energy to melt the asteroid.”
“So,” Fran observed, “you did not determine the time before impact would occur to know how long you had to take action. That is an essential bit of information in almost any scenario. One of your lieutenants could have worked that issue while you and your other lieutenant could be about other things, such as considering the range of options. Did you even ask your lieutenants what options they thought of for actions to be taken? If you are mentally blank in an emergency, getting opinions for options is never a bad idea. That is one behavior that can be thought out ahead of time, so you don’t have to rely only on your own ideas, knowledge, and specific training.”
Assenting, Lieutenant Garbine repeated, “Okay, I should have learned how long there was before impact and I should, in general, if I am unsure of the best course of action, ask for ideas from my subordinates. What else should I have done?”
“Well,” instructed Fran, “if there is to be a collision, can it be avoided or can it be targeted to something that is of minimal concern?”
Lieutenant Garbine responded, “I don’t know if it could have been avoided or how action or orders from the bridge could have changed its point of impact.”
“Only if you knew how long you had,” replied Fran, “could you have ascertained whether or not Calypso could have maneuvered to miss it. But, there are at least four options for changing its point of impact. They are: use the ion drive to accelerate Calypso a bit more, so the impact point is farther to the rear. Another option is to shut off the ion drive to have Calypso stop accelerating and, thus, travel less distance in the time allowed, so that the impact point is moved toward the front. There might even be enough time to initiate reverse ion-drive thrust. Another option is to use chemical thrusters at the three hard points that ML had determined, to translate or tip Calypso so the impact is moved laterally. Similarly, use chemical thrusters at the same three hard points to rotate Calypso and the trailer, again moving the point of impact laterally or around the circumference of the trailer. Furthermore, a change of Calypso’s ion thrusters and the use of chemical thrusters could be employed at the same time. This would permit selecting along a continuum between four extreme possible locations for the point of impact. So it is important to know the capabilities of Calypso and to know, almost instinctively, the physics of two-body motion in space.”
“No wonder that Parrots are not allowed in the flight simulation tests,” observed Lieutenant Garbine. “I need to be able to make decisions quickly in emergencies. So, let’s go over the second trial run with which I am not satisfied.”
Fran, of course, agreed. Lieutenant Garbine’s second trial run was of the sort in which there was an initial, single alert of a problem. That alert was a possible indication of multiple problems all at once. That had been the second type of simulation problem that Fran had mentioned which needed to be anticipated. In this case, Lieutenant Garbine needed to recognize that a single high temperature reading of a return oil line from a radiator could be portending a more serious situation. The simulated problem turned out to be a non-functioning radiator. It was non-functioning due to particulate matter, regolith, that caused its rotation to cease. The radiator should have been automatically aimed into deep space, but it was stuck pointing toward the sun. Overheating caused failure of the entire computer system which became junk. The system needed to be shut off promptly, the overheated oil vented or at least isolated, and a bot sent to investigate the cause to keep it from circulating super-hot coolant. One can usually do without the primary computer navigation system and function on its backup if necessary.
Fran stuck around to prompt Lieutenant Garbine after her third try at a flight simulator test. Lieutenant Garbine was satisfied with her performance on this try. Nonetheless, Fran still had suggestions for improvements.
As they left the President’s offices, Fran picked up her Parrot, which informed her that other lieutenants were also seeking her assistance. So, thanks to Admiral of the Fleet Simona, Fran went from a bit of boredom to being quite busy as a consultant. No lieutenant wanted the others to have an advantage in the competition for advancement to the rank of captain.
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Either not busy enough or overworked, thought Fran. As she was getting consulting requests, the Taxers decided to have their first meeting. Taxers meetings would generally be closed and would always include members from both Subtle and Hidden. The two Hidden-resident Taxers and the three Subtle-resident Taxers, met within the government’s offices. They used a secure, non-monitored, unrecorded, holographic, quantum-computer link.
From Subtle the Taxers were Fran, Djang, the chef, and Gulgin, the physical therapist turned entertainment entrepreneur. The Hidden Taxers were Weinfur, the machinist entrepreneur, and Bachie, the lumber entrepreneur. Fran was pleased with the diversity of businesses represented with widely varying needs. Djang already occupied the space required for her restaurant and had the bots she desired. Gulgin wanted only a small office for the entertainment activities and a few rooms and a couple of bots for her physical therapy business. Weinfur’s machining business took over a lot of shop space on a number of the upper decks in both Subtle and Hidden. Bachie’s business required acres to grow trees, mostly on decks two through ten.
The women serving as Taxers had come from diverse countries: China, Turkey, Austria, Belgium, and India. They had grown up with quite different types of government. ML recruited from everywhere. In their businesses, none of these women were on the government payroll.
Fran thought, “If these women from such different backgrounds can work together, it will set a good example for all of Calypso. It is vital for our citizens to embrace such diversity in order to s
ucceed in the long run.”
Djang, who had an easy way about her, being a people person and a natural leader, initially took charge of the meeting without others taking offense. After the holograph of Weinfur and Bachie appeared, Djang cheerfully greeted the Hidden Taxers. “How nice to get the entire group together for the first time, and especially to get to meet Hidden’s Taxers. I am Djang. Here with me are Gulgin, who is making quite a name for herself as she actively recruits talent to entertain us all, and, of course, everyone knows Fran who was ML’s pilot and she brought us all here to Calypso.”
From Hidden, Bachie responded, “Greetings Djang, Gulgin, and Fran. I am Bachie and with me is Weinfur. Both of us have started companies so we expect to be qualified to remain members of this important branch of the legislature until we are term limited. Like two of you, we have one of Calypso’s elder couple on our board of directors. It almost feels as though they should be in attendance as well.”
Continuing in her assumed role as temporary chair of the group, Djang suggested, “As our first item of business, we need to elect a ‘Speaker of the Taxers.’ I will start us off by nominating Fran. She, unlike the other four of us, has not started a company, but expects to make her living by being a consultant, it seems. That gives her a unique position without having to be concerned about possible conflicts of interest prompting recusal. This might make her a better agent to express to our citizens the reasons for policies we Taxers adopt.”
“I’ll second that nomination,” offered Bachie. “But please explain why the rest of us may need to recuse ourselves from bills to be voted on.”
“If you are voting in favor of a bill that will result in lower taxes for your own type of business, to avoid the appearance of being self-serving, you should recuse yourself,” responded Gulgin.