“Now that we know what her problem is, it shouldn’t take us too long to help in her development,” Doctor Blackwater replied. “Her mind operates on a much higher and faster level than ours. While we may have an experience and take days to adjust to its ramifications, Teela may do so in a matter of minutes or even seconds.”
“So fast,” Jennifer replied surprised, her eyes widening. “If that’s true, then this childhood stage could pass rather quickly with the proper guidance.”
“I imagine that we can expect Teela’s development to accelerate rapidly as she begins to understand herself better,” Blackwater answered with a slight nod. “It wouldn’t surprise me to see her mature at the rate of a year per day with the proper encouragement.”
“So quickly,” Jennifer spoke with a relieved sigh. She wondered just how time did pass for the AI. Teela could process information so rapidly that time for her might be perceived very differently than to a human.
Blackwater paused, putting his notes in a folder. “I plan on setting aside about an hour each day for awhile to work with her. You are aware that she looks upon you and Andre Matheson as her only friends and protectors. Most of the questions she asked dealt with what she could do to please you. She has quite a fixation on you at the moment.”
Jennifer was surprised, but also quite pleased. “What do I need to do to help? Teela always seems to be full of questions all the time they never seem to stop. If I answer one, it seems to cause her to think of two more.”
“Answer the questions to the best of your ability, and make sure you always tell her the truth. If you run into a question you don’t feel comfortable with or don’t know how to answer, give me a call and we can discuss it,” Doctor Blackwater replied, standing up.
He looked briefly at a picture on the far wall, depicting a scene of small hills and waving grass with a shallow stream running through it, where several deer stood as if preparing to drink. “This is the opportunity of a lifetime. Teela could be the beginning of a brand new field in psychology and human interaction as well,” he said, gazing speculatively at Jennifer.
“If what you’re saying is correct, we can have her up to an adult within a week,” Jennifer spoke, animated at the prospect.
“Teela’s development will be quite rapid at first, then it will begin to slow down,” Blackwater said, thoughtfully. “I would guess that she will stop somewhere between nineteen and twenty-one years of age human equivalent. Teela just needs to be exposed to the proper stimuli.”
“She will be a young woman,” commented Jennifer, wondering what type of problems that might bring about.
“From there, Teela’s development will depend more on her interaction with people as she begins to learn through personal experience. Keep in mind that, in many ways, she will continue to be innocent and naïve,” stated Blackwater, wondering where all this would eventually lead.
“This is going to be a challenge, isn’t it?” Jennifer asked, wondering if she was ready for this added responsibility.
“You need to understand that even though she will mature rapidly, much of the experience a human child has growing up will be missing,” Doctor Blackwater explained. “Teela will be learning from what we are telling and showing her. I have set up a list of subjects for her to study daily. I will also give you a copy in case she asks some questions pertaining to the list. At least that way you won’t be caught entirely by surprise.”
Satisfied with what Blackwater had to say, Jennifer took the list from him and asked him to keep her informed. A few minutes later, she entered the Computer Center, knowing that Teela would be waiting with a thousand questions. It was actually less than a hundred, but it seemed like a lot more.
-
Steve had returned to Main Control to watch the afternoon training session with the FarQuest. Sitting at his control console, he listened to Ty and Captain Simpson talking to each other as they ran through their final training session without a hitch.
“It looks as if everything is functioning smoothly for tomorrow’s test flight, Commander,” Ty reported over the com system to Steve. “Captain Simpson and I both feel good about today’s sessions. We both would like to have more time for training. There are probably other system problems we haven’t found, but the main systems, at least, seem to be purged of glitches. We didn’t find a single system problem today, and the fusion reactor is running smoothly. Dryson and Stoler are both satisfied that it’s working as specified.”
“We will be topping off the fuel tanks tonight, and finish loading the ship’s consumables,” Steve replied over the com. “Tell your crew to get a decent night’s rest. According to the mission profile, we will begin crew prelaunch activities at 0:400 in the morning. I wish we had more time, but the natives down on Earth are getting restless; too many questions are already being asked.”
“We will definitely beat the early bird up tomorrow,” said Captain Simpson jokingly over the com. “I have been looking forward to launching this ship for months! This will be the first real spacecraft a pilot has ever had the chance to fly. Those buzzards down below will be in for one hell of a surprise when we light this drive tomorrow.”
“I just hope we don’t stir up a hornet’s nest,” Steve replied with a faint ghost of a smile. “We still need a few days to get ready for the main mission. The ship is a sound ship based on her designs. Let’s just hope she performs up to our expectations.”
“We won’t let you down,” Ty responded.
Steve stared at the main viewscreen where the FarQuest lay like a sleeping giant with the four large SRBs attached, just waiting to be awakened. There were two on each side on top and beneath the extended Delta wing. The ship cast an aura of power just waiting to be unleashed. Lights on the platform were focused to throw their beams on the mighty ship of space, illuminating it brilliantly. On the platform, the FarQuest looked like a giant waiting to stride off, but once launched she would be like a dust mote in the depths of infinite, endless space.
In some ways, Steve wished that he could go on the mission outward toward the rim of the Solar System in a few days. He could well understand Captain Simpson’s excitement. Steve felt a presence behind him and turning, found Christy standing there with her arms folded across her chest, staring at him quizzically.
“The ship looks impressive doesn’t it?” she said quietly as if reading Steve’s private thoughts. “Ty and the others are going to be in for the trip of a lifetime, something that will go down in history. It will be the first manned spacecraft ever to leave our Solar System.”
“Let’s just hope they make it back,” Steve replied, somberly.
“Just believe in Ty,” Christy replied. “He has never let us down, and I don’t believe he will this time either.”
“I have called a meeting of all department heads for 15:00 hours,” Steve continued in a quieter voice. “Tim McPhryson sent us another coded message this morning. Somehow or another word has slipped out that Farside has detected a possible danger far out in space.”
“Crap,” Christy uttered worriedly with a frown growing on her face and her eyes narrowing. “How did they find out? I thought Farside communications were locked down.”
“Tim doesn’t know,” replied Steve, wishing the news could have been kept secret for a few more days. “They are checking for the leak, but who knows if they will find it.”
“Has Senator Farley found out?”
“Yes, Senator Farley is demanding that all information be immediately released to the public and that a senate committee be formed with him at the head to investigate this alleged rumor,” Steve answered with a disgusted look on his face. “He’s insisting that no action be taken until his committee has a chance to study the evidence.”
“A committee that will be loaded with his cronies,” Christy spoke with a trace of anger in her voice. “It will be people of his choosing and with the same mindset as his. It will take them months to reach a decision!”
“According to the ne
ws services, he is quoted as saying the astronomers at Farside don’t know what they’re talking about, and that the money spent on the Farside array should have been spent to expand undersea mining operations,” reported Steve with an aggravated frown. This was Farley’s usual spiel, but this time it could have disastrous consequences.
“There is no way he will believe the evidence,” stated Christy, shaking her head in frustration.
“However, several news services are also reporting that astronomers on Earth are confirming the Farside data,” added Steve, knowing their secret was out. “Senator Farley is claiming that this is just an attempt by the space lobby to send out a false alarm to scare government officials into increasing the upcoming space budget. He says it’s an attempt to garner more publicity for even more expensive, wasteful projects. He goes on to say the current Jupiter mission planned for this fall is a prime example of government waste.”
“Is the senator going to cause problems? Christy asked still sounding perturbed and gazing at Steve. “He has always been a thorn in our side. I don’t know why more people don’t realize that.”
“The president and McPhryson can deal with the senator for now,” Steve said, not feeling nearly as confident about Senator Farley as he sounded. He doubted that the president and McPhryson could muzzle Farley. This was only going to get worse. “We need to concentrate on getting the FarQuest launched and our department heads prepared. We will worry about Senator Farley later.”
“What are you going to tell them?” Christy asked worriedly, taking her seat next to Steve.
“The truth,” Steve said, looking into her face. “I’ve asked Pierre LaRann, the Farside astronomer that’s on the FarQuest, to attend the meeting. He is preparing a short presentation about Farside’s discovery for the staff. Our people are going to hear the rumors on the newscasts, and I would prefer for them to hear the truth from us first.”
Nodding, Christy wondered how they would take it. A lot of it was still conjecture, but it could prove to be terribly Earth shattering. Anytime that she thought about the neutron star, her mind became numb. She had found the best solution for her was to focus on her job.
“Then afterward, I’m getting a small group together to go over all contingencies,” Steve paused before dropping his bombshell. “McPhryson wants me to come down to Earth to meet with the president after we launch the FarQuest. Tim has assured me that they can hold off all announcements for another 48 hours. That will give us time to launch the FarQuest on its shakedown flight, recover it, and begin prepping it for its longer mission.”
“Senator Farley is going to hit the roof when he finds out what we’ve done,” Christy commented worriedly, biting her lower lip. “He will undoubtedly stir things up on the ground. I can’t believe you’re going down to Earth. It’s been years since you have gone Earthside.”
“The Jupiter mission was one of the expensive projects mentioned in Farley’s press release,” Steve replied dryly. “I believe he called it a useless extravagant waste of taxpayer’s money that could have been spent better on Earth.”
“That sounds like him,” Christy puffed, her eyes glinting with anger. “It’s people like him that would hold back all types of progress and have us living back in the dark ages.”
“That’s one reason why I’m going Earthside. Maybe we can come up with something to calm him down and make him see the danger of the situation.”
“I doubt if that will happen,” Christy replied, shaking her head.
“Have you had a chance to meet with all the department heads and ask them to prepare estimates of what it would take to make their departments self-sufficient?”
“All taken care of. They’re supposed to submit reports to my office the day after tomorrow,” Christy assured him. “I have meetings scheduled with each one the day after that to go over their contingency plans.”
Nodding, Steve turned his attention back to the main viewscreen. His thoughts turning to the staff meeting coming up shortly, maybe later tonight he could spend some time with Christy. They might both enjoy a good workout in one of the gyms.
“I am also going to prepare a short press release for the station’s news department,” continued Steve, thinking about all he needed to do in a very short time. “I want our people to hear the information firsthand from us. All we will say is that the Farside array has detected a previously unknown neutron star. It is unusually close to the Earth and that the Jupiter Probe has been modified to make a close exploratory pass of the star to ensure that it poses no threat to our Solar System.”
“What about outgoing communications?” asked Christy, knowing that a lot of the crew would want to contact their families down on Earth once they heard the news.
“We will lock down all outgoing communications just prior to the press release,” replied Steve, knowing this would probably upset a lot of people for a short time. “We will tell everyone communications will be restored as soon as the FarQuest is launched on the neutron star mission.”
“A lot of questions will come up tomorrow when the FarQuest is launched,” Christy said, looking over at Steve. “Spectrographs from Earth will pick up the ship’s drive trail, and they will suspect a fusion reactor is involved. That’s going to upset a lot of people!”
“All we need is a few days,” Steve replied with worry in his eyes, knowing the risk they were all taking. “Before Senator Farley can do anything, the mission will be launched.”
“I hope you’re right,” responded Christy, looking at the screen and the FarQuest laying quiescently on the platform. She took a deep breath, knowing the next few days were going to be extremely hectic.
Chapter Eight
Steve watched as the large conference room slowly filled up with the people he had notified. Dryson and Stoler were the first to come in, arguing as usual about delegating research time with the experimental fusion reactor. Evidently, from what Steve could tell from the bits and pieces he could hear, Dryson wanted to take it off line and add some technical refinements that their engineers had come up with. Stoler was hesitant because it would put some of the research scientists behind in their studies.
Close behind them, Andre Matheson, Jennifer Stone, followed by Julie Gray filed in and took their respective seats. Julie sat down next to Jennifer and immediately began asking questions about Teela. Julie wanted to know when Jennifer thought Teela would be ready to resume her monitoring functions in the ecological habitats. Six other department heads came in behind them, nodding to everyone and taking their seats.
Doctor Wruggi and Martain Blackwater came in, both looking curious as to what this staff meeting could possibly be about to interrupt their busy schedules. Doctor Wruggi had been directing the packaging of the pharmaceutical drugs being shipped out on the next Earth shuttle. He had been extremely busy as the demands for Cureon were increasing daily.
The last to arrive was Todd Williams from the Space Platform and the station’s three lieutenant commanders who served as Main Control duty officers. Kevin Anderson was of average build, 28-years-old and had fiery red hair. There was Miguel Hernandez, who was a short, slim individual with a slight Mexican accent, and Denise Hastings, a tall, 32-year-old black woman who took fierce pride in her work.
Christy was seated to Steve’s right and Pierre LaRann, looking slightly nervous, to his left. Steve waited until everyone was seated before he stood to begin the meeting. He wondered how everyone would react to the news he was about to give them. Some of them knew part of what he was about to say, but not all of it. Others knew nothing at all. He was about to tell them that the world might be coming to an end.
“I know that some of you are curious about what this meeting is for. I wouldn’t have interrupted your extremely busy schedules if it hadn’t been absolutely necessary.” Pausing, Steve saw he had captured everyone’s attention. Their eyes were riveted on him, some showing surprise mingled with curiosity.
“There are some strange rumors being reported on the med
ia channels,” Andre Matheson commented. “Several stations are reporting that Farside has made some type of momentous discovery. I know that recently Mase Colton has been using a lot of our computer time for some reason.”
“I was asked about those rumors by several of my people,” Julie added thoughtfully. She was surprised to hear about Mase using Star One’s computer. They had some pretty good computers themselves at Farside. “Everyone is curious about what is going on.”
“This meeting is about those rumors, only they are not rumors,” Steve spoke evenly. “Several months ago, the Farside array detected an unknown high energy x-ray source just outside our Solar System. It mysteriously appeared in an area of space that has been scanned numerous times before. The x-rays were pulsing in a constant repeating manner,” Steve looked around the group before continuing. “Professor LaRann was at the Farside array during the initial discovery. He has worked closely with the scientists there trying to analyze what it is they have found. Professor LaRann has a brief explanation for you as to what we may soon be dealing with.” Nodding at LaRann, Steve sat down and waited.
An air of nervous expectancy held the room. It was so quiet that the air flowing through the ventilation ducts was the loudest sound in the room, producing a very low audible murmur. Everyone looked about, unsure of just what was going on. Even Dryson and Stoler had become strangely quiet.
Professor LaRann stood up, adjusting his glasses to peer over them at the group. “One month ago, we were making a routine sweep of a section of space, searching for Cepheid Variable Stars with the main dish of the Farside array. We were shocked to find a tremendous pulsating x-ray source where none had been detected before. Our first thoughts were that we had stumbled across a new Quasar far outside our own galaxy, but upon further investigation we were able to pin down rather quickly the distance the object was from our Solar System,” Pausing, he looked around the group. “To our stunned surprise, the object was much closer than we believed possible. It was so close that we had a hard time believing the results. We ran the calculations a number of times, even checking the calibration of the main dish. As of today, from our latest estimates, that object is just slightly more than fourteen billion miles from our Sun and is approaching us at a speed of nearly 360 miles per second.”
Star One: Neutron Star Page 20