Calypso Outward Bound

by D G Hervey

  “Okay. I can get by with that,” remarked Ilaki. “Although it will require a conscious change of my habits.”

  “A conscious change of each of our habits is what is best,” agreed Agni. “Furthermore, to keep some upset citizen from a bad, catastrophic action, I see no choice but to maintain the level of surveillance with real-time AI oversight that ML established. We cannot allow gun-type weapons to be made. Bullets could pierce the hull. We cannot allow chemicals that could cause explosions to be near the hull either. There is a fine line that we must walk between maintaining our safety and not seeming to be too invasive. I applaud your sensitivity, Ilaki, to our citizens’ concerns. Outside of these private offices, we need to avoid any comments that might seem to pry into or be evidence of our previously having invaded our citizens’ private matters. We all know that, in reality, there is precious little privacy in the residences and non-governmental offices of Calypso.”

  “I understand and concur,” assented Ilaki. “I agree with the necessity to continue the surveillance and with your caution regarding any appearance of government intrusion. We shouldn’t talk about research into our citizens’ conversations excepting in these offices. We government officials shouldn’t even do Parrot-initiated research of Calypso. For all of us, that may be a hard habit to break. Still, as has been typically said about Calypso, ‘the only way to have any privacy is in one’s thoughts.’”

  “Let’s change the subject,” suggested Agni. “Simona, now is a good time for you to bring your concerns to the attention of this still nascent cabinet. Tell us your research topics and the ideas that you elected not to voice to your subordinates.”

  Simona responded, “In no particular order I’ll address a range of issues. They may not all be good research topics.”

  Agni, addressing her secretary, requested, “Bettina, please be sure to get all of these in your notes.”

  “My first topic concerns the storage of our thruster fuel,” stated Simona, “I bring it up instead of acting on it because I understand that the control of it should not be in my purview. Also, the accumulations of material for prompt use by Calypso’s eight ion-propulsion thrusters are primarily at the Calypso’s front for acceleration with a lesser amount at the back, which is presently only for emergency deceleration. Besides these stores, I recommend the reserve fuel for the ion-thruster units and the reserve fuel for our chemical thrusters should be kept toward the front of the trailer. It should be dispersed around its perimeter so that a single accident is not likely to cause a catastrophic loss of fuel. If the trailer gets hit by an asteroid or comet, it will probably be because the impactor had more velocity perpendicular to Calypso’s velocity than our experts assumed in their analyses. This implies that any such impact is more likely to occur toward the back of Calypso’s trailer.”

  “That seems reasonable,” interjected Kallik, the nominated Secretary of the Interior. “Dispersing a budgeted resource such as thruster fuel is wise in any event. I’ll see to it.”

  “I am concerned that we maintain a long-term balance between our citizens getting bored and having too much to accomplish,” expressed Simona. “As soon as the build-out of Hidden and Subtle is nearing completion, I feel we should initiate construction of the hulls for additional habitat that is not attached to and does not rotate with Hidden or Subtle. Our citizens are accustomed to having significant space. So long as it is highly probable that our offspring will be healthy and Calypso has at least a year’s supply of food in storage, our women expect to continue having children to increase our population. We do not want our burgeoning numbers to lead to crowding. I understand the necessity of keeping our citizens busily engaged. Boredom could lead to a variety of psychological problems that are best avoided. Anyway, when our population is exploding, especially after males are reintroduced, having too much to do in building additional cylinders to provide sufficient habitable one-G surface area, such as our Deck 3, could be almost as devastating as being bored. We need a steady, planned workload for our adult population. When the time comes, some citizens may well elect to raise males separately from our girls, until the girls are old enough to have their own families.”

  “Let’s put that concern on hold for a while,” suggested Agni. “We may be dead and cremated by the time we are ready to begin the construction of the next habitable cylinders. We have yet to establish either a maximum allowable velocity or a selected destination. Nor do we assuredly know the rate at which our population will increase. Spreading the work out seems prudent, but we do not know the time frame over which it needs to be spread. There is no point in creating controversy regarding a problem that may not exist for our generation. That would just cause needless division. In any event, let us postpone any action on that front for now.”

  Fran thought, Agni is a consummate politician kicking the can down the road.

  “Okay. I can tolerate a delay on settling that issue,” conceded Simona. “However, more immediately, and within the realm of my responsibilities, I am concerned for the safety of the personnel aboard our spaceships Ek and Dui. They will get higher doses of cosmic rays than the residents inside Calypso get. I wonder if installing magnetic fields on Ek and Dui could significantly reduce their flux of cosmic rays. I would like that to be studied by our experts. If such a higher cosmic ray flux has a significant impact on the risk for our personnel, should their allowed maximum age for child-bearing be lowered to minimize the risk of them transmitting undesirably mutated genes to their offspring?

  “It seems generally beneficial by way of our personnel’s experience, for me to keep the most experienced personnel out on scout duty. But, perhaps to minimize their exposure to cosmic rays, I need to intentionally rotate the women between duty on Calypso and on Ek or Dui to minimize their exposures. What is the opinion of our best experts on that issue? Furthermore, should we increase the time on duty of the officers on Ek and Dui after they are no longer permitted to bear children, to whom they might pass on cosmic-ray-induced mutations of their genome?”

  “Wow!” replied Agni. “That is a good research topic. At what cosmic-ray-exposure level should women no longer be permitted to bear children? And your corollary subject might be better expressed as ‘what is the impact on life expectancy of officers who continue to accumulate cosmic-ray exposure after their child-birth years?”

  “I accept the thrust of your wording,” responded Simona. “Does Calypso have researchers who can work on these issues?”

  “One cannot keep such research a secret,” replied Agni. “But I can get it started quietly. Yes, I’ll get someone researching these topics.”

  Simona stated, “I expect to put the AI-bot-operated spaceships on the riskiest duty. Fewer safety enhancements are used to protect the bots than are employed to protect humans. Thus, it seems likely that some of the bot-operated spaceships may be lost, or damaged beyond reasonable expectation to be repaired. So, I request that the AI-bot-operated fleet be increased. This will not necessarily mandate an increase in hangers for them. I expect to keep them continuously out on scout duty, excepting when they are in for repairs, refurbishment, maintenance, updating, or refueling.”

  “Your request is noted,” acknowledged Agni. “Making a new AI-bot-operated spaceship will be added to the list of projects. It won’t be at the top of the list for now. But tell me, Simona, do you desire more of them out on active patrol or just a spare for replacement possibilities?”

  “I’m not sure which is better,” replied Simona. “But what is available, I will have out on patrol, so long as there is projected to be adequate fuel for the duration of Calypso’s journey.”

  “I applaud your caution,” commented nominated Secretary of the Fleet, Uleran.

  “That brings to mind another subject that I’d like to have researched,” reported Simona. “With the limited maneuverability of Calypso, how far ahead do I need to have my scout spaceships so that a collision with a dwarf planet or a super earth can be avoided? Should I locate them o
therwise than just on the prograde and retrograde sides of our trajectory? I have our scout spaceships in front of Calypso by one, two, and three days at present; that is, their distance ahead is a function of Calypso’s velocity. I have three of the AI-bot-operated spaceships on the prograde side in the detritus of Solar-System formation. That detritus is the loose asteroid fragments, the grains of particulate matter, and the eroded chunks from the billions of years of collisions since the formation of the Solar System. There are another three AI-bot-operated spaceships on the retrograde side of the rotation of matter about the sun. The captains of Ek and Dui are often allowed significant freedom regarding their scouting positions. We know that Pluto-sized objects exist in the Kupier Belt and Pluto has five moons. The orbits of several Kupier Belt dwarf planets have been determined and some of them have moons. There is a theory that a rocky super earth may exist far out in the Kupier Belt. Such a rocky planet is postulated to have a mass on the order of ten times the mass of Earth. So, what is the best positioning of our fleet to protect us?”

  “Okay,” agreed Agni. “I know who should be assigned that research project. Do you want her to also answer my question regarding the number of bot-operated spaceships there should be in the fleet?”

  “That seems to be an excellent suggestion,” replied a smiling Simona. “Thanks. Also, have her advise how the fleet should be deployed for whatever number of spaceships we can expect to have on scout duty at any time.”

  “You are welcome,” responded Agni, “and with your last comment, I feel you’ve gotten to the nub of the problem.”

  “I try,” Simona remarked, “On to another issue then. I suspect that examination of the last asteroid that ML brought us will be fruitful. We may well find that ML’s adversary, who is also perhaps our adversary, has technology for detecting our spaceships that ML and we do not now know about. I recommend a thorough investigation of that asteroid. When that is done, we may know more of what we have been contending with. I suspect that further work, to complete the shield to hide Calypso from Earth’s detection, should not be the priority which some would have us give it.”

  “That is an interesting perspective,” Agni remarked. “I guess that investigation has been on a back burner. Do you believe that the operational bot from ML’s Spaceship 1 will be up to the task or do you believe other resources should be assigned to that investigation?”

  “I don’t know that there is a rush,” Simona opined, “but neither do I know that there is no need to rush. If we find something that we believe ML does not know, are we likely to try to get her the information? If so, there may be a rush. If not, then let ML’s Spaceship 1 bot do what it can, and if that is not sufficiently thorough, then assign additional resources.”

  Agni replied, “I feel sure that ML does not expect us to try to communicate with her anymore. But, with all she has invested in Calypso, it would be a shame not to get her critical information if we think that it might save her life or the lives of those on the C Developments. So, doubting that we will find something that seems to be possible ML-saving information, I feel we should not invest too heavily in that investigation at the moment. We’ll see what ML’s-Spaceship 1 bot is able to ascertain.”

  “Finally,” remarked Simona, “I am concerned about the material property degradation, especially of the hulls of our spaceships, including Calypso. I suspect that we do not know the long-term effects of cosmic rays, the vacuum of space, and the coldness of deep space, on a variety of important properties of the materials. I know of no way to perform accelerated testing except, perhaps, with regard to the cosmic ray bombardment. So I suggest that our materials experts put a sufficient number of samples out, so that regularly, for the next one-hundred years or so, the samples can be destructively tested to ascertain and ensure the continuing viability of the materials of our hulls. To accelerate the cosmic-ray-bombardment testing, perhaps a third or more of the samples should be placed where Calypso’s magnetic field increases the flux of the cosmic rays.”

  “Another great suggestion,” commented Agni. “I’ll get one of our materials experts on that promptly. What a wide ranging set of concerns you’ve brought to our attention. I hope most of your worries come to nothing. Addressing your other worries will contribute to making this an interesting voyage, an interesting life, an interesting term in office.”

  Chapter 13 - Birth-Support Preparations

  One morning, just after Jon’s exercise and breakfast, Dr. Ozlem, one of the two Subtle obstetricians, came by to see Jon and Marie.

  Dr. Ozlem spoke at the doorway into their suite saying, “Good morning, you two. You have a guest.”

  Marie responded, “Dr. Ozlem, how nice to see you.”

  Jon thought, thank goodness that Marie knows to say the name of our guest so I have it in mind.

  “Dr. Ozlem, would you care for a cup of hot tea?” asked Jon. “I have several nice varieties.”

  Dr. Ozlem responded, “Today, a cup of green tea would suit me quite nicely, thanks!”

  Jon thought, green tea will do. I’ll be glad to use up some of it. He replied, “I’ll put the water on to get piping hot and we’ll have some green tea in a jiffy. Marie, do you want your name in the pot?”

  “Yes, please,” she answered. “It has been quite a while since I had any green tea. What we had at Djang’s Kitchen was jasmine as I recall. Dr. Ozlem, won’t you have a seat.”

  Dr. Ozlem sat at the table where Jon and Marie had their meals, in a nook off of the kitchen. Jon got a whistling tea kettle, put three cups of water in it, and put it on the stovetop on high heat.

  “What brings you to our quarters so early?” asked Marie. “There aren’t any women quilting in the sewing room yet, so you aren’t here to provide them birthing instruction.”

  Dr. Ozlem responded, “Actually, I am here to address birthing instructions, defining, for the two of you, your roles in the delivery room. These young mothers want you there to witness the birth of their daughters and you must know what to do when you are there with them.

  “Dr. Cuadro and I have set up a variety of holographic projections of births we retrieved from the Calypso database. There are numerous things that can occur during a birth. We want both of you to be prepared for your participation in the delivery room for different situations that may arise.”

  Marie observed, “You said, ‘Participation in the delivery room activities,’ you mean that we won’t be just watching?”

  “We have requirements for you before entering the delivery room,” Dr. Ozlem responded, “just as we have for everyone who is in there. And we have minor expectations for the participation of both of you.”

  Marie recalled, “In an earlier conversation, Ykon indicated that she knew of only one miscarriage on Calypso. They seemed much more frequent back on Earth. Does Calypso still have such an outstanding record?”

  “Our record is much better than that on Earth,” Dr. Ozlem replied. “Our women are healthier and, so far, of the ideal ages for successful pregnancies. On Calypso, all inseminations that took have resulted in girl fetuses. Most of Earth’s miscarriages are male fetuses. Still, our statistics are below half of the miscarriage rate for female fetuses that they have back on Earth. Furthermore, the insemination success rate is quite high; above ninety percent result in a pregnancy. We time inseminations well, letting the women know what to look for.”

  The tea kettle began to whistle. Jon thought, in light of the conversation, that him singing the I’m a Little Tea Pot song was not appropriate just now, but it was in his mind anyway. He almost always had a song going in his mind.

  “Marie and I take green tea straight,” Jon told the doctor. “How do you like yours, Dr. Ozlem?”

  Dr. Ozlem replied, “Straight will be fine.”

  Marie asked, “What holographic situations do you have for us to see?”

  “Quite a variety are in store,” Dr. Ozlem replied. “We have several that would be termed normal births. There is a natural, un-medicated c
hildbirth. One holograph shows a delivery with the use of vacuum extraction, which is also termed ventouse. Alternatively, depending upon the circumstances, there may be the use of forceps to assist the birth. You’ll see forceps used successfully in one, and in another attempted, but abandoned, in favor of a C-section delivery. Another holograph shows a more nearly typical, caesarean delivery. Of course, in some circumstances, a caesarean delivery can be the first option, bypassing vaginal delivery entirely.”

  Marie inquired, “Do your holographs show us the different numbing methods?”

  “Not explicitly,” replied Dr. Ozlem. “They generally don’t. What we’ve selected to show you does not generally begin until after the numbing has been done. But for each, you can be told what was being done. There are a variety of numbing methods available. There is the epidural. It is similar to a saddle block, excepting that the catheter is left in the woman’s back for a constant, appropriate infusion of numbing medication. There is a holograph of the administration of a saddle block, which causes numbing from the woman’s buttocks down to her inner thighs. In one of the deliveries a spinal block was used, where numbing occurred from the woman’s ribs to her toes. The two are similar, but use slightly different approaches. Both employ a one-time injection into the woman’s lower back. Alternatively, there is the use of a local anesthetic when an epidural or block has not been put in place.”