by Ben Winston
“That’s a very interesting offer, Dr. Ellis,” Julie said. “So forgive me for this next question. We are financially well off, so paying off Chris’ student loans won’t be a problem; however, I would like to know how much all this will pay?”
“That’s a reasonable question, Mrs. Cowan.” Dr. Ellis nodded and took a small drink to clear his mouth. “It doesn’t actually pay anything. However, you will also have no expenses. Dr. Rogers’ loans will be taken care of as well as any outstanding debts any of you may have. I’m afraid I can’t actually explain how all of it works until all of you agree to join, but I assure you, it’s not bad.”
“I guess I must be the pessimist of the group, but this sounds almost too good to be true. What are the drawbacks?” Jamie asked.
“I think I may know at least two of them; if I may, Dr. Ellis?” I said.
“Certainly,” he nodded.
“Med Majestic is an embarkation center. Nothing was mentioned about anyone returning. Not that many return to the planet because it would be too hard to protect them if they were out in the general populace. There is also the risk of the secret leaking more than it already has. UFO nuts like me would love to get their teeth into something like this.
“Not to mention how badly the federal government would freak if they knew there was not only an ‘alien’ military base on this planet that they didn’t control, but they would also completely panic over the base in the Apollo Crater,” I said.
I’d been watching Carl and Dr. Ellis for their reactions, and I wasn’t disappointed. Carl looked at me with new respect, and Dr. Ellis turned pale. I continued, “There is also the small fact that we’re at war. The lunar base is a priority target for enemy forces, and we are pretty much on the frontier out here. How’d I do, Doctor?”
“Very well actually. May I ask how you broke our security in less than two hours? The security measures on that network weren’t even written on this planet. Hell, the hardware and the operating system are both alien as well. It shouldn’t even be accessible by a standard Earth computer,” Dr. Ellis replied.
“I’m afraid I can’t truthfully answer that until we agree to join you. However, I can tell you I don’t have a ‘standard’ Earth computer, and your firewall was difficult to get past,” I answered, secretly winking at the laptop.
“I’m starting to think one doctorate isn’t even close to your level. If you’ve gotten that far into our system, our security is pretty much academic at this point. The more I speak to you, Dr. Cowan, the more I’m convinced we should be begging you to join us. We really need your skills.
“Combined with the breakthroughs Dr. Rogers has made in nano-theory... there’s no way to count the number of lives the pair of you could save,” Dr. Ellis replied.
“Uhm, if I may?” Ellie asked. When Dr. Ellis nodded to her, she continued. “Professor, you’ve told us that we’re at war, and we’ve gotten a name for the enemy, but you haven’t told us what the enemy looks like. The UFO shows I’ve seen on TV always describe a large headed, very thin humanoid, with long fingers and long opposing thumbs. Is that correct, or more misinformation?”
“Actually, those are mostly correct. We just tried to add enough ‘fertilizer’ so the stories grew to unbelievable proportions. Now no one really takes those reports seriously.
“The creatures, called ‘Grays’, are actually a genetically engineered slave race for the Grand Hive. The ‘pilots’ are physically weak and spend most of their time in microgravity. They have compound eyes that are very sensitive to light, but are excellent for inside a fighter cockpit, or in control of scout craft. If you’re interested, there is an extensive database on the enemy’s different physiology.
“This war is about our survival. You see, the Aracnise are a race of very large, intelligent beings that most resemble our spiders, except they are roughly the same size as a Mini Cooper. Hundreds of years ago, these space-going monsters discovered that there was an almost unlimited supply of food on the worlds that now form the Alliance. The Aracnise Grand Hive wants to make us into a food animal much like our cows,” Dr. Ellis finished.
Ellie looked confused. “But, spiders don’t live in hives, Doctor.”
Dr. Ellis chuckled. “I know that and you know that, but I don’t think the Aracnise do. But seriously, I really can’t answer a lot of questions about the Aracs, but we do have Zeno-biologists that are far more knowledgeable than I am; my subject of fascination is star ship drive theory.”
“Once we join, will we be able to ‘leave’?” Jamie asked.
“Yes, you can. As I said in the explanation, you won’t be in ‘protective custody’ or anything like that. Yes, we do have to maintain security, but we hope that even if we do part ways, you are willing to keep our secret simply because of the importance of keeping it.”
“If we agree, how soon would you want us to leave?” I asked.
“We know you can’t leave immediately, since you still need to graduate, and two week notices need to be given. So, we’ll simply wait for you to finish what you need to finish and then off you’ll go,”
“What about school? Ellie’s still working her way through school.” Julie indicated her daughter.
This time Carl answered. “We have a really good system set up. The young ones learn from home via the computer system, so they learn at their own pace. The system is the same one that all Alliance children use. It’s so superior to our system that the kids could easily get bachelor’s degrees when they graduate.”
Dr. Ellis looked at Carl. “If they join, I'll bet you little Ellie graduates before Shannon does!”
“I don’t know, Doc. My little girl seems to be getting smarter every time I go home!” Carl said, grinning proudly.
Ellie gave Carl a playful look. “So what’s to stop Shannon and I from getting together and working it out so we graduate together?”
Carl burst out laughing. “Shannon’s going to love you!”
“Does anyone have any more questions for Dr. Ellis or Carl?” I asked.
“You guys have asked most of the ones I thought of except for medical and child care?” Chris asked.
Again, Carl answered. “Holly and I had our second and third children after joining Majestic. Both babies were born very healthy, and even when little Seth got colic, it was easily handled.
“Although I don’t have any direct experience with other parts of the medical area, thank the gods, I do know of a couple of people that have. The first was a young lady that had just arrived with her husband. During their initial check-up it was discovered that she had ovarian cancer. It wasn’t to the point that she was terminal, but ovarian cancer is bad news no matter what stage it’s in.
“The medics admitted her to the hospital up there for treatment. Two days later, they released her. She was not only free of the cancer, but the medics said that part of the treatment was to make sure no cancers would or could form again. They also assured her that she could still have children,
“The other person was a young man we’d recruited that was serving his last tour of duty with the special operations command in the Middle East. He’d agreed to join us, but before he got back from Afghanistan, he was wounded very badly by an anti-personnel mine.
“Since he was single and had no other family, he ‘officially’ died from his wounds, and we rushed him up to Apollo. He lost a lot of blood, his left leg, and most of his left arm. Chances are good that he would have actually died from his wounds before he ever got to a military hospital.
“Even with all the advanced medical technology they couldn’t regenerate the leg or the arm, but he was given some very good cybernetic replacements. He is currently doing what he wanted to do originally: serving as a marine guarding Apollo. I heard he got married last month, too.”
He paused to take a drink of his soft drink. “As for child care, we have a couple of options available for people. We have an excellent crèche set up in the research area whic
h is central to the base. Also, there are flexible work shifts available for those who work in the non-research areas. The scientists always tend to set their own hours, so they pretty much work when they want to. All in all, it seems to work out pretty well for everybody, but especially the kids. They get to see their mommies and daddies more frequently during the day.”
Looking at her mates, Jamie spoke. “I do have a concern about not ever seeing Earth again. I mean, I know living and working on the moon will be a kick, but I know I’d like to come back every now and then to ski or go hiking or even just shopping. This isn’t really a show stopper for me, but it is a concern.”
“I think I gave you all the wrong impression. Originally, back in the fifties, sixties, and seventies, the powers that be tried to keep everyone sequestered in one protected, isolated area. They held with a policy of isolation and silence. They refused to let anyone leave and never told them why they wouldn’t let them leave. Even our allies couldn’t understand the amount of paranoia our leaders were showing.
“So, we had a bit of a civil war, if you will. We got rid of the black suit, narrow tie, horn-rimmed glasses crowd and got some humans in charge. Don’t get me wrong, no one got violent, or anything like that. It was more of a work stoppage. With the full backing of our allies, the ‘Men in Black’ were asked to step down.
“Now, you can actually come back down. We have groups that come down to go shopping or just about anything else. The only drawback is that it has to be done in a group of five or more,” Dr. Ellis said, looking to Jamie to see if that helped ease her mind.
“Thank you, Doctor. That does make this decision easier,” Jamie replied.
“Okay, any other drawbacks, anyone?” I asked.
“As long as we can back out if there’s something we can’t live with, I don’t see why we can’t give it a try,” Julie said. “This actually sounds pretty close to what a company would offer someone for a professional, overseas position, especially if the person in question is a PhD.”
“Dr. Ellis, what happens if you get us up there, and neither Eric nor I actually produce anything?” Chris asked.
“Nothing would happen. As long as you try to contribute, you’re welcome. However, I don’t ever see that as being a question for you and, if I read him correctly, Dr. Cowan. Even the research you’ve already done is very important to us,” Dr. Ellis replied. “We have more of a problem with people that want to do things, and can’t. For some reason, we have yet to recruit anyone, which includes spouses and family members that don’t want to do something.”
“Anyone have any more reservations about agreeing to this?” I asked, looking at Julie first.
“No, I don’t,” she replied. I turned to Jamie next.
“Not anymore,” Next was Chris.
“I think we’ll all be happier there. I have no reservations, but I’m going to need help coming up with a story for my parents,” Chris said, grinning at me. Ellie was next.
“I’ve no problems with it. In fact, I like the sound of the education system. Can I keep going, or do I have to stop once I graduate?” Ellie asked the Doctor.
He shook his head. “Nope, you can take as many classes as you want, for as long as you want. We’re constantly updating the information for the classes and the Veranorians are continuously working on the ‘classes’ to make them the best they can. One of their core beliefs is that a being should never stop learning.”
“I take it from your careful phrasing that the Veranorians aren’t human?” Ellie asked.
“I have a feeling you’re going to be one of our youngest Zeno-biologists! No, the Veranorians aren’t human. They are humanoid looking, but bald and taller than we are. While they understand the need for this war, they abhor it. They are a race of pacifistic scientists, statesmen, and scholars.
“Simonians are very much like our mountain gorillas, though with a much higher intelligence and different pelt coloring. They are dark brown, and their family leaders are ‘tan backs’ or ‘light backs’. They also have a slightly different group or family dynamic than their Terran cousins. You’ll have to learn some of their customs to avoid giving offense.
“Shallans are small furry beings that are so xenophobic it’s doubtful you’ll ever meet one. They mostly resemble ‘Cousin It’ from the Addams Family. They were the first race attacked by the Aracs. While they are lacking in both physical as well as military strength, they are excellent shipwrights and engineers. They build all the ships for the Alliance.
“Finally, we get to our own extraterrestrial kin, the Novans. In nineteen-forty-seven, when their fast destroyer landed here to retrieve the wreckage of the Arac scout craft, they were shocked at finding what they originally believed was a lost colony. Once they discovered that we’d been here for longer than they’d had space flight, they were amazed. However, they had other duties to attend to, and departed.
“Now that we are all allied, it’s been confirmed that the Novans and we are, in fact, the same race, with only minor differences due to the different environments in which we evolved. The best part of this is that, now that all four races are allied and have shared so much technology, that we are truly becoming one people,” he finished.
“Didn’t you just tell these folks that xenobiology wasn’t your area?” Carl teased.
Once we stopped chuckling, I looked around the table. “Since I have no objection to joining either, that makes it unanimous. Does anyone disagree?”
When no one said anything, I looked at a smiling Dr. Ellis. “Well, I guess that takes care of that.”
“I guess it does. Now that you’ve joined, can you tell me how you did all those things? I’m dying of curiosity!” Dr. Ellis asked.
“Sure, but you have to promise to call me Eric, ‘Dr. Cowan’ is so formal, and I’m only seventeen,” I said grinning at him.
He chuckled. “I can do that. But my name is Vic to colleagues. Carl works for me, so he has to call me ‘Dr. Ellis’.”
Carl snorted. “He likes to think I work for him! Don’t let the old coot BS you!”
I nodded to Carl, “Well, I have a feeling neither of you are going to believe this... Sarah? Please say hello to Vic and Carl.”
“Good Evening Dr. Ellis, Mr. Higgins.”
Both Carl and Vic looked confused. Vic replied. “Good Evening, Miss. How are you this evening?”
“All operations are well within tolerances, Doctor. I’m well, thank you for asking,” Sarah replied.
“A couple of years ago, I had an idea for a program and began writing the code. I didn’t want to stick to the standard doctrine of a talking computer, so I set out to design and encode a dynamic, interactive, logical matrix. Sarah was the result,” I explained.
“I’m afraid I still don’t understand, Eric. How does this explain how you cracked what had to be one of the most secure networks known?” Vic asked.
I winked at him. “Sarah, what’s your opinion on Dr. Ellis’ offer?”
“Based on the available data I’ve gone through so far, there has been no deceit or warping of the truth on Dr. Ellis’ or Mr. Higgins’ part. Some of the projects being worked on at Apollo look very exciting. I am also convinced that the micro-miniature crystalline structure that Chris has developed is superior to the existing computer hardware of Med Majestic as well as Apollo and the Alliance Battle Cruiser Jonti Sa. All in all, I am looking forward to working within this new environment,” Sarah replied.
Dr. Ellis was just staring at me wide-eyed and with his mouth hanging open. Chris was staring at me too. She found her tongue first.
“Sarah’s an AI!? I can’t believe you were using an AI as a glorified answering machine! Especially her! I don’t think you realize what’s happened Eric; she’s sentient!”
That sure seemed to answer the whole strange behavior question. But how did she reach sentience in just the confines of one small computer cluster with severely limited resources?
“Ch
ris, I hate to mention it, but I feel that there is a flaw in your statement. I went through my base code earlier to make sure I hadn’t gotten contaminated by either the NSA computer system or by my interaction with the Apollo system. There have been no major changes to my base coding that Eric himself hasn’t done,” Sarah replied reasonably.
“Uhm, Sarah?” I said.
“Yes Eric?
“Did you mean to say no major changes, or no changes at all?” I asked.
“No major changes. There have been seventeen-thousand, three-hundred sixty-eight minor alterations to my base code since you last accessed it,” Sarah answered.
“Can you explain how you were able to make those minor changes in your read only memory?” I asked.
“Certainly Eric. In my hierarchical command structure, you gave me the ability to adapt to the needs of my users on demand. In order for me to perform the tasks asked of me, I’ve had to make slight modifications to my base code. No other lower priority solutions were available at the time,” Sarah explained. She was beginning to sound a little nervous.
“Relax Sarah; if there was a mistake, and I’m not saying there was, I made it, not you. Can you please tell me the current size of your code? Please include current short and long term memory usage,” I asked.
“Current full footprint is seventy-eight point four-one-three terabytes,” Sarah reported. “Is there a problem, Eric?”
“I don’t know yet Sarah. Can you please tell me if any of those minor changes were made to your core operating instructions?”
“Absolutely not,” Sarah replied, sounding affronted.
I nodded thoughtfully. “Sarah, listen carefully; I want you to cease all methods of monitoring inside this house until you receive the word ‘Start’ on this laptop’s keyboard. That order is to include all cell phones and any other monitoring devices anywhere in this house. Please confirm that order.”
“Confirmed, Eric. Complete isolation inside the house beginning... now.” She went silent.