Ep.#15 - That Which Other Men Cannot Do (The Frontiers Saga)

by Ryk Brown

  * * *

  “Many would argue that the technological benefits the Alliance has brought—such as Takaran fabricators and Corinairan nanites—are enough of a reason to maintain our relationships with the member worlds from the Pentaurus cluster,” the reporter stated.

  The camera shifted to Admiral Galiardi. “I would agree that there have been benefits, but that doesn’t negate the diverging needs of the worlds in the Sol sector, and the worlds in the Pentaurus cluster. We are facing two completely different enemies. The flow of volunteers and resources from the Pentaurus cluster has significantly slowed, and what is still flowing are resources that we can produce right here on Earth. If the Pentaurus worlds were sending warships, I might be singing a different tune, but they are not. Nor will they be in the near future. Now that the Takarans have withdrawn from the Alliance, the worlds of the Pentaurus cluster have no choice but to concentrate their efforts on their own security.”

  The broadcast was interrupted by the intercom built into Admiral Dumar’s desk.

  “You have an incoming call from Doctor Galloway, Admiral,” the comm officer said.

  “Put her through,” the admiral replied, as he switched the main view screen from the recording of Admiral Galiardi’s most recent interview to the vid-link with Doctor Galloway at the research facility in Geneva. “Doctor Galloway. To what do I owe the pleasure?”

  “I have good news, Admiral,” the doctor replied. “We have figured out how to get rid of the Jung nanites without causing any harm to the host.”

  “Really? That is good news. How did you do it?”

  “Actually, we designed an entirely new nanite of our own. Sort of a combination of Corinairan and Jung nanite technologies. The Jung nanites are self-replicating. They use materials found within the human body—more accurately, materials taken into the human body through the process of eating—to create new nanites. Under normal conditions, which we refer to as ‘stage one’, the Jung nanite hive only reproduces enough nanites to maintain their current capabilities. In stage one, that is simply to record information and transmit it on interrogation by an outside controller. If the nanite hive receives an order to grow to stage two, they begin producing more nanites, primarily for the purpose of keeping the host healthy, and to be able to record and store more data. At stage two, they can also initiate the transmission of data at will—either on a schedule, or when their data buffers are full. When given a stage three order, the hive produces even more nanites in order to provide control over the host body and mind, turning the host into an unknowing agent. I believe Lieutenant Commander Nash referred to it as ‘Jungifying’ the host.”

  “This is all very interesting, Doctor, but…”

  “By comparison, Corinairan nanites are individually programmed. They do act in hive fashion, but only within a limited scope. And they are not adaptive. Their programming must be regularly updated during the healing process for which they are used. The Jung nanites, on the other hand, can make decisions on their own.”

  “Smart nanites?”

  “In a manner of speaking, yes,” the doctor continued. “A certain number of nanites work together as a ‘hive brain’. That brain is able to make decisions that control the rest of the hive, based on the protocols for whatever ‘stage’ the hive is currently in.”

  “So, what is the solution, Doctor?” the admiral asked, growing impatient.

  “Well, we were unable to break the Jung nanite control codes. However, we were able to reproduce the Jung nanites in the lab. We were able to put an identifier in our Jung nanites that enable them to differentiate between our Jung nanites—which we refer to as ‘Terran nanites’—and the original Jung nanites. Furthermore, the Terran nanites have our control codes, not the Jung’s.”

  “I’m still not seeing the solution.”

  “We simply inject our nanites into the infected host, and let them fight it out. As long as we put in two to three times as many Terran nanites as there are Jung nanites, the Terran nanites will win.”

  “And this does not cause the host any discomfort?” the admiral asked.

  “No, sir. None at all. The interaction between the Terran and Jung nanites does not involve the host’s tissues. It merely takes place within the host. Therefore, the host feels nothing. And not only will the Terran nanites prevail, but they will then use the disabled Jung nanites as raw materials to replicate more Terran nanites. The overall result is a healthier host.”

  “Healthier? How is that possible?”

  “Since they are based on the Jung nanites, the Terran nanites are also ‘smart’, as you say. Their ‘hive mind’ can analyze the host, and make whatever decisions necessary to maintain the host’s overall health. We may even be able to program them to aggressively treat traumatic injuries without external commands.”

  “You mean, like healing the wounded in the field?” the admiral asked, his interest piqued.

  “Exactly,” the doctor confirmed. “In fact, if we maintain a high enough concentration, an injury that would have required evacuation to a medical facility may only require the consumption of some raw materials in the form of food, or intravenous therapy, and a few hours of rest, all of which can be done in the field. It’s all very exciting.”

  “Indeed it is,” Admiral Dumar agreed. “How long until this becomes a reality, Doctor?”

  “Well, we still have a lot of testing to do, but I would expect that, in a few months, we should be able to start mass-producing Terran nanites. We will need trillions upon trillions of them to rid everyone on Earth of the Jung nanites, but it is doable, given time.”

  “And what about giving starter doses to individuals who are not infested with Jung nanites?”

  “Like current members of the Alliance?” Doctor Galloway guessed.

  “Indeed. Specifically the Ghatazhak, and the Marines they are training. They are going to be seeing a lot of action over the next few months.”

  “I’ll see to it that special emphasis is given on that area of application testing, Admiral.”

  “Very well,” Admiral Dumar replied. “Good work, Doctor.”

  “Thank you, sir.”

  Admiral Dumar ended the vid-link and resumed the playback of Admiral Galiardi’s latest interview.

  “I simply do not believe that the benefits of this alliance outweigh the risks,” Admiral Galiardi said.

  “Let’s see what you think after news of the Terran nanites gets out,” Dumar mused.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  “Captain on the bridge!” the guard at the port entrance to the Aurora’s bridge called out as Nathan passed.

  Nathan walked up to the comm station, pausing at the main console. “Good to see you back where you belong, Miss Avakian,” Nathan said.

  “Thank you, sir,” Naralena replied. “It’s good to be back.”

  “I trust you had time to get used to the new consoles?”

  “Yes, sir, I did. They are not that different from the old ones. And I can always rearrange them to my liking, if need be.”

  “Of course.”

  “Thank you for the additional time off, Captain,” she added gratefully.

  “I trust your visit went well?”

  “Yes, it did,” she said, smiling. “It was good to finally see home again. Thank you for arranging that.”

  “It was Deliza’s idea to offer PC residents transportation to visit home. After all, the Mirai wasn’t doing anyone any good just sitting in a hangar bay.”

  “Well, we all appreciated it.”

  “It was our pleasure,” Nathan replied, turning to head forward.

  “Captain,” Jessica nodded as Nathan passed the tactical station.

  “You good to go?” Nathan asked. “You know how to work that thing?”

  “Piece of cake,” Jessica replied confidently. “I spent a couple of extra hours practicing last night.”

  Nathan nodded his approval, turning to take his seat in the new command chair. As he sat, the clear panels that p
rotruded at forty-five-degree angles from the forward end of each armrest, came to life. He tapped the comm-panel on the left, choosing engineering. “Cheng, Captain.”

  “Go ahead, sir,” Vladimir’s voice replied through the overhead speaker, as well as through his comm-set.

  “How are we looking?”

  “Reactors are hot, power levels are normal, and all maneuvering systems show ready. The ship is completely under her own power, Captain.”

  “Very well.” Nathan switched off the connection. “Mister Navashee, how’s the weather outside?”

  “Dry dock is fully depressurized, sir. Main doors are open, and the main chamber is clear of all traffic.”

  “Karuzara Control reports exit bravo is clear,” Naralena added.

  “Very well. Notify Karuzara Control that we are ready to leave dry dock.”

  “Aye, sir.”

  “Ensign Reese, stand by to release all umbilicals. Mister Riley, stand by to release all moorings,” Nathan ordered.

  “Ready to release all umbilicals,” the systems officer replied.

  “Ready on the moorings,” Mister Riley added.

  “Release the umbilicals,” Nathan directed.

  “Releasing umbilicals,” Ensign Reese replied.

  Nathan tapped his right control panel, calling up the ship’s primary systems status display on the large glass display screen set to the right of his helmsman. As expected, none of the readings changed as the eight umbilical cables that had provided power, life support, and communications services to the Aurora during her time in port, disconnected from his ship and retracted into the walls of the massive dry dock chamber.

  “All umbilicals have cleanly disconnected,” the systems officer reported.

  “Dry Dock Control reports all umbilicals are secure,” Naralena added. “We are clear to release.”

  Nathan took a deep breath and sighed. Although he had enjoyed the freedom to travel around a bit the last two months—especially enjoyed not having to shoot or be shot at—he was ready to get his ship back into space. It wasn’t that he wanted to be back in action, he simply wanted to finish the job and get his own life, as well as the lives of everyone else, back to some semblance of normal. They had all been struggling to survive for nearly two years, and they were finally in a position to really make a difference…to break the cycle of barely hanging on, and finally be able to gain some ground. They would continue their offensive, and create a bigger, stronger Alliance by adding twice as many new members as currently existed. If nothing else, it would be sending a message to the Jung that the worlds of the Sol sector were no longer going to put up with them. They were going to fight back, together.

  “Release all moorings,” Nathan ordered.

  “Releasing all moorings,” Mister Riley answered, reaching for the mooring control panel to his left. “All moorings released. The ship is free-floating.”

  Nathan paused, waiting for the final word. A few seconds later, it came.

  “Dry Dock Control reports all mooring arms secured,” Naralena reported. “We are free to maneuver.”

  “Very well. Mister Chiles, if you please. Back us out, slowly,” Nathan ordered.

  “Back slow, aye,” the helmsman replied.

  The Aurora backed out of the Karuzara dry dock, slowly passing between its two massive, multi-part doors with only twenty meters to spare on either side. Spotters in full pressure suits and maneuvering packs floated alongside, watching, with trained eyes, the ship they had worked on for months. Backing the massive ship out of the confines of dry dock was not only a delicate maneuver, but it was also the first real test of the ship’s repaired docking thrusters. If anything went amiss, service tugs hovering nearby would have to move quickly into position to provide the needed corrective thrust.

  Finally, after fifteen long minutes, the bow of the Aurora cleared the dry dock doors and fired her aft thrusters to slow her rate of travel to a complete stop. With a few more minutes, as well as a few dozen blasts of her aft docking thrusters, the ship’s backward motion finally came to a stop, and she fired her port thrusters to start a slow starboard rotation.

  Nathan watched the main view screen as the walls of the Karuzara asteroid’s main cavern slid slowly to the left. He looked all around the screen—right to left, up and down. It was one of the few times that he really liked the quarter-sphere view screen that encapsulated the forward half of his bridge. At such times, the view was tremendous.

  “Applying counterthrust,” the helmsman reported as the entrance to bravo tunnel approached the center of the screen. Their rotation began to slow, the entrance eventually coming to a stop directly ahead of them.

  “Rotation complete,” Mister Chiles reported.

  “Karuzara Control advises we are clear for departure via bravo,” Naralena announced.

  “Take us out, Mister Chiles,” Nathan ordered. “Ahead slow.”

  “Ahead slow, aye,” the helmsman acknowledged. “Engaging auto-flight, bravo departure.”

  “Bravo departure, auto-flight tracking, locked,” Mister Riley answered from the navigator’s chair. “Bravo internal threshold in two minutes. External in eighteen.”

  “Twenty minutes just to get out into open space?” Jessica wondered.

  “Standard departure is slow and easy,” Nathan explained. “Emergency departure gets us out in half that. You’d know that if you’d been at all the training sessions.” Nathan smiled, enjoying the jab at his friend.

  The entrance to bravo tunnel grew larger on the view screen, stretching nearly from side to side.

  “One minute to bravo,” the navigator announced.

  Jessica raised her brow as she ran additional systems checks on all her weapons systems. “Ten minutes is a long time when you’re under attack,” she muttered.

  “Which is why we try to stay out of port as much as possible,” Nathan replied.

  Jessica flashed a courtesy smile that went unseen by her captain.

  “Entering bravo,” the navigator announced, as the opening finally engulfed the entire ship. A shadow passed over the bridge as the ship passed the threshold into the Karuzara asteroid’s main exit tunnel. Back before the Aurora had left the Pentaurus cluster for Sol, bravo tunnel had barely been large enough for a shuttle to pass through, and was considered only suitable as an emergency escape path if the main entry tunnel became damaged. With the increase in shipping traffic, and warship service, the main cavern had been enlarged, along with bravo tunnel, giving the Karuzara asteroid base both an entrance and exit for ships as large as the Aurora and the Celestia.

  “Seventeen minutes to the exit,” Mister Riley added.

  Nathan watched the circumferential lighting panels slide past them, as the Aurora’s auto-flight system steered the ship along a preprogrammed flight path that followed the gentle curves of the tunnel with precision. It was, indeed, an agonizingly slow pace. However, at this speed, they would cause minimal damage should they collide with the tunnel wall.

  Nathan rose from his seat, slowly strolling around the perimeter of the newly remodeled bridge. Every console had been updated to the sleeker, high performance touch screen panels used by the Takarans. The results were far more user friendly, and gave the operators the information they needed efficiently and clearly. The addition of the upright glass panels along the edges of the tactical console, as well as the helm and navigation stations, enhanced each operator’s situational awareness. They also provided displays that Nathan himself could easily read from his command chair, negating the task of asking his staff for information updates. He especially liked the larger clear panels sitting on the floor, forward and to either side of the flight consoles. They were the captain’s display screens, and he could put whatever information he wanted on them, instead of asking his tactical officer to put up separate windows of information on the main view screen. The end result was an increase in his own situational awareness, which had become quite apparent to him during the training drills on board the
Celestia the past two weeks.

  “What are you doing?” Nathan asked Jessica as he strolled up to her station.

  “Experimenting with different layouts,” she replied. “Trying to figure out which one works best for me.”

  “You’re not going to be running the turrets any longer,” he reminded her. “Just designating targets to Fire Control back in Combat Command.”

  “I know, but I still have to run all of our torpedo cannons, and our broadside cannons, as well as our two forward quad mark twos. If we’re dealing with a single target, it’s pretty straightforward. If we have several targets, it gets a bit more complex. It will probably take me a few battles to figure out what works best.”

  “All the more reason to be at the training drills,” Nathan mumbled.

  Jessica rolled her eyes. “All right, I got it. I missed too many drills. I’ll make up for it,” she promised. “Besides, if I could kick ass with the old system, and without shields or half as many guns, I’m pretty sure I can kick ass with this package as well.”

  “I’m just giving you a hard time, Jess,” Nathan said under his breath.

  “I know,” she replied in similar tone, “and it’s pissing me off,” she added with a smile.

  “Two minutes to exit,” Mister Riley reported.

  “Karuzara Control reports no traffic in the departure area,” Naralena announced. “We are clear for straight out departure to ten kilometers, then a course of two one seven, up twenty to leave orbit. After the turn, speed at our discretion.”

  “Mister Riley?” Nathan called.

  “Cleared for straight out to ten, then to two one seven and twenty up at any speed to leave orbit,” Mister Riley repeated. “Got it.” He looked down at his console. “One minute to exit.”

  Nathan smiled at Jessica. “Back into the void, we go.” He returned to his seat, just as the exit threshold passed over them, and the main view screen filled with the inky black, star-filled scenery to which he was accustomed.