Human Starpilots

by F Stephan

  When they went back down, Emily whispered to Brian. “Have you asked Mathias about those guys?”

  “No.”

  “I will,” she answered.

  They were locked down all Fiveday, and Sonter raged inside the building. Brian tried to remain inconspicuous, while the chanting continued outside. Even Illoma threw dark looks at him. On Sixday morning, the demonstrators had left the plaza, and the new classes started again without allowing them any respite. This was a very hard week for all.

  29 Brian

  Brian’s day began early in the gymnasium with Mistress Polantor. She was in charge of their physical training. Then he went two hours to the simulators. When he had finally earned a satisfied nod from Master Reinkel, he was famished and stopped at the cafeteria. As soon as he sat in his chair, his bracelet chimed with a convocation from Master Heikert to meet him in the star chamber, section five.

  Brian arrived late, breathing hard. Researchers were busy in most sections. Brian had noticed the chamber never rested. The teacher waited for him, oddly reading a physical book, a very unusual sight in this world.

  “Have you taken the time to eat?”

  “Yes, sir. I wouldn’t have been able to come otherwise. The scenario we went through was really complex.”

  “How did it go?”

  “I didn’t succeed. Like most of us. But Master Reinkel seemed satisfied with my performance. This is really hard work.”

  “Everything of value is. And even with the first injection, you have limited capacities, even if they appear already extraordinary. You did well to take time to eat, and I would have been in a very bad mood if you had done otherwise. Every time you use your nanites, there is danger of overexhausting yourself. Is that clear?”

  “Yes. I do hear you.” Brian paused and then continued honestly, “but it is sometimes hard to stop.”

  “We’ve all felt this. All pilots do feel this, and I cannot ask you not to feel it. But you can find a way to control this hunger. Most of us do. At least most of us who live long enough. Let’s review the Flight Handbook on the star maps. Please sit and show the second entry point on Nelom. Apply and comment the recommendations.”

  The point was located very close to the asteroid field, a very unusual point. Brian did not have any time to puzzle over this as the teacher questioned him again and again. Brian answered quickly and to the point until Master Heikert talked about transfer vectors and hyperspace physics theory, which still baffled him.

  “Well, you still don’t like that part, do you? Yet it isn’t that complex. You will review your courses on this topic for our next session, and you will present it to me. Now, let’s talk about another matter. How are you progressing on your extra assignment?”

  “I haven’t progressed, sir. I have finalized the work you assigned to me, and then there was the command interface.”

  “Excuses, excuses, just excuses,” spat the teacher. “You’ve had now four months, and you have found nothing. I have reviewed your access time, and you were here one to two hours every other week. At the same time, you made no research in the DataDump. When you ask something, you should follow up on it and try to find answers any way you can.”

  Brian looked down. This was partly true and he was honest enough with himself to admit it. “I will focus on it again, sir. And do appropriate research on the matter”.

  “You will come back to me within the next month to explain how we find routes among the stars. This is now part of your official evaluation. Any other questions?” The teacher closed his book and stood to leave.

  “Sir, about the simulations? I was wondering why we don’t use advanced computer programs or artificial intelligence to help us do more and use less nanites?”

  “Brian, please remind me of Article Eighteen of the Federation Charter.” Heikert’s voice became very cold suddenly. Brian thought for a few minutes before answering slowly.

  “No human is authorized to develop computer programs to the stage of consciousness. Federation forces are authorized to intervene anywhere to stop such research and apprehend all guilty parties. Culprits will be judged under direct Federation jurisdiction and penalties.”

  “You are not yet qualified enough to understand why this was added. But you are absolutely forbidden to work on any artificial intelligence. And, for a pilot, if you are found attempting, you will be immediately deprived of the nanites in your body and sent back to your world. Is that clear?”

  Brian swallowed before answering the cold outburst. “Yes, I understand.” The teacher turned and left, muttering to himself.

  Wonderful! In thirty minutes, he had landed himself a new pile of work, a restriction on simulators when he was finally getting good at something, and new rebukes. Brian took his bag and ran toward his classroom. There was no point in adding new issues with the teachers and Mistress Lyupert already crossed with him.

  30 Mathias

  Mathias hadn’t really slept. Nightmares haunted him as the anniversary of the death of Li Bao’s parents and of others approached. Yet he had prepared himself meticulously. Don Mariano didn’t accept neglected appearance and grooming in his staff. After an hour, he left his small flat and went out to join the ambassador at their morning meal. They didn’t have an office and worked anywhere they could, borrowing space here and there.

  “Good morning, Mathias.” Don Mariano was reading the news on a projection in front of him while sipping a cup of ourim, the local equivalent of coffee. It had taken them a few months to get used to it, but now they would not breakfast without it. He motioned to the waiter behind them, who smiled and brought a cup and a myirt pie.

  “Good morning, Ambassador. How are you, today?”

  “Fine, thank you. You haven’t slept.” Mathias thought he had hidden it pretty well. Apparently not enough.

  “No, sir.”

  “We are nearing the anniversary.” (He knows, Mathias realized; He found out about the blog.) His heart sank. Mathias hadn’t ever told anyone about the riots. He had been in Berlin that day, crossing to the Tiergarten to join the protest when the crowd had gone mad, seeking out all connected to the Federation. He had tried to stop rioters. He had been knocked out and left for dead, to be found hours later by the security forces. The public camera had shown he had tried to intervene and he had had headlines on his efforts. This had helped him a lot when he had requested his transfer to Adheek. He had the nagging suspicion that the ambassador knew everything about his shame, which his quiet brown eyes pierced into Mathias’s soul effortlessly. He shivered and ate slowly.

  “I invite you to organize a remembrance ceremony. Maybe, if he accepts it, with the priest we met a few months ago. Something that eases life for Li Bao and for all of them. Who else lost family?”

  “Willfried lost his brother. And Leopold’s father spent a month at the hospital in an artificial coma before they brought him back.”

  The ambassador reflected for a moment. “Well, we all need to remember and move on. Both at the same time. I believe Rebirth could help.”

  “I will go and meet Bretum Touril.”

  “Thank you. Take the day to organize all that is needed. You can use the reserve funds for this. One other thing.” The ambassador slowly sipped his ourim. “Did you make progress on my request on Origin?”

  “Not enough, sir. I’ve prepared a first draft presentation, and the final should be ready within a week.”

  “Good. I want to see it before you share it with Emily and the team. Now, grab a meal and get some strength to carry out your tasks.”

  They finished eating in silence.

  Two days later, they all met at the Rebirth chapel. The priest had accepted gladly and organized the ceremony quietly and efficiently. All students from Earth, and a few others attended. The ceremony was conducted in the spirit of a Chinese death anniversary, and Li Bao was deeply moved. Mathias addressed a silent prayer to her ancestors, asking them to help her.

  After the ceremony, Mathias had arranged fo
r a bus to take them all on a drive to a mountain rise that overlooked the whole city. It was spring and a little windy, with red dust flying slowly around them, but they had a beautiful sight of the squat red buildings nestled in the valley around the striking blue rivers and of the three spires that pierced the sky. There was a large restaurant connected by cable car to the city, and they pushed large tables together to accommodate their party.

  After a while, the sadness faded away, and they chattered together normally. Mathias smiled. It was working. Then, he saw Brian on the side, hands on the railing. He moved to him.

  “What’s bothering you, Brian? Can I help?”

  Brian looked at him for a moment before answering.

  “Yes. Master Heikert has given me an assignment. I have to learn how the entry and exit points are currently found. He’s given me free access of the star chamber and of resources I need.”

  “You want me to check on the DataDump?” prompted the geek, always eager for a new search.

  “Yes, any hint would be welcome. I should have asked you earlier.”

  “Why didn’t you?”

  “I guess I wanted to do something on my own for once. Without Emily or you, I wouldn’t do anything.”

  Mathias smiled. “You came here because you succeeded on the exam and then in the training. Don’t bash yourself on the head because you need a leg up. You’ll return the favor one day or another. You will have the data by tomorrow morning. Let’s have a beer.” Mathias took Brian by the arm and brought him back to the table.

  31 Brian

  Once again, Brian was in section five of the star chamber. He had no choices left. Although he knew he should have asked earlier for permission to use the nanites, he had dreaded doing so. But the short message from Mathias left no doubt. “I found a reference in an old version of the Federation Manual, before the Flight Handbook was found. ‘Navigation should only be accessed through nanite-enhanced vision if you want to reveal the secret of the universe.’ I hope it helps.”

  Illoma cleared her throat, and he smiled at her. She would observe him while he tried. The students had learned, the hard way, to check on each other whenever they used nanites. He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and extended his senses into the console…

  The star chart is now sharper and more detailed. I can see each star and instantly derive a thousand items from each. Not only are my senses sharper but I can feel my brain processing the data much faster.

  My hands blur and connect me directly into the console. I have the thought speed of a god, and I am scared as hell. I go on.

  The answer to Master Heikert is so simple and obvious, I almost choke on it. The entry and exit points are written in plain sight in the star chart. When connected with the nanites, I can see all details and I can find with just a bit of concentration the small dots indicating the path. Without them, I was watching a representation, with them, connecting my brain to the machine directly, I live in the stars and move among them.

  I move and compare the data with the maps I have on the clumsy modern 3-D reader, confirming a list of points as I go. A few points are not working anymore, for whatever reason. There are probably new ones as well, but if they are not written in the map, we have no clues on where they are.

  Then, I increase my research and in a few seconds I am lost. The area covered by the star chamber is relatively small, compared to the galaxy but it remains so vast a human mind cannot bear for its immensity.

  The alarm rings, and I quietly disconnect from the interface.

  When Brian disengaged from the console, his hands came back to their normal shape. He looked at them for a long minute to be sure they were all right and waited for the aches to arrive. Illoma sat in front of him and quietly looked at his hands and face. She saw him flinch from the agony and pushed the energy bar toward him. This was the time to eat.

  “So, did you find your answer?”

  “Yes, it’s quite simple. The nanites open many accesses to the chart you don’t have in the classic interface. You’ll need to try.”

  “Not sure I want to use them here,” she said diffidently.

  “Compared to the simulator and the exhilaration you feel there, the disconnection here is much smoother. You should try”.

  “I don’t like the star chamber and astrogation the way you do. I wouldn’t have come here unless for you.”

  “Thanks. I do feel much better after wandering among the stars.”

  She kissed him mischievously. “You will pay for my effort, you know.”

  Ten minutes after, they left the star chamber with all data collected for the report he would have to write to Master Heikert. He now knew at least part of the answer. Even better, he would bring new inputs into their shared discussions on the Federation. Don Mariano would be astounded. He activated his bracelet to suggest a drink together with Mathias later this night at Detram and Myirt, then he slipped his arm around Illoma’s shoulders and moved back toward his room.

  Later, all residents from Earth gathered in their usual cantina.

  “Go ahead,” said Don Mariano. “What have you learned?”

  He smiled thinly. “I had this assignment from Master Heikert about the star chamber and how they find trade routes. I’ve lost months looking because I didn’t dare activate my nanites”.

  “And now?” Emily’s forte had never been her patience.

  “Everything they know is written in the star chart.”

  “And? I don’t see where it leads us”.

  “We always wondered why they didn’t come earlier, is that right?”

  “Yes,” agreed Leopold followed by the group.

  “Well, they didn’t know we existed. They map the route in the star chamber. Then they send scout ships to travel them and see where it leads. Sometimes, the next jump point has disappeared and the scout spends month backtracking. Sometimes, the planet they reach is dead. I have seen a few dark dots. And sometimes they find a planet like Earth. But, they lose years and years working like this”.

  Emily was the first to grasp it. “If the star chamber in Alkath has the same radius as the one in Adheek, they couldn’t see Earth from there”.

  “So, it wasn’t until they reached Adheek that they could map the route to our world or Pelor, Illiken and the other worlds. They don’t know where they go”, finished Wilfried with a sigh.

  “I think I preferred conspiracy to blindness”, said Li Bao.

  “Well done, Brian. We know a little more. The Federation is vastly more powerful than we are but they do have limits. One day or another, it will help us to know it”. Don Mariano sat thinking quietly. “Now, we will pass on the information, and you will go back to your studies. Until we can use this, we need pilots, and you have a lot of exams”. He said the last with a smile, toasting to them.

  32 Master Reinkel

  All teachers, at least those physically present on Adheek, gathered in the council chamber at dawn, during breakfast time. Usually, the students were less attentive to the whereabouts of their teachers during that hour; early meetings were thus less likely to cause disturbance to the small community. Holograms appeared of all teachers located in space station Zopol.

  “Thank you all for joining this meeting. We are to review the status with the first years. To all of you in Zopol, thank you for watching the session.” Reinkel looked at Dr. Nilse. The man was reclining in his chair, eyes half closed. “How are the first years faring?”

  “They are better, much better. We haven’t lost any to the injection, and we still have nineteen apprentices to move to the next phase.”

  “What of the one from Earth, Willfried?” checked Liupert. She was a plump middle-aged Adheeken lady dressed in fine clothes and jewels, which glittered in the morning light.

  “It was touch and go for a long time, and he won’t withstand the second injection. He should still be able to pilot within limits. But he is now as well as he can be. The Earth students have a very low level of control nanites in th
eir blood. I have now adjusted dosage, and we’ll have an updated program later on. Maybe a fifth injection. In case you wondered, we are also controlling, through the Federation Medical Center, the ambassador and his assistant, and they are also well.”

  “And Chilin, the one who dropped before the injection?” continued Liupert.

  Master Reinkel answered while Dr. Nilse checked his notes. “I have received a confirmation from Mistress Zaranha that he has been accepted into engineering school and has succeeded in his first exams. She tells me it is a true career, no doubt here.” Liupert relaxed a little.

  “Now, how is the whole promotion dealing with the nanites? What is your opinion?” asked Reinkel.

  Mistress Polantor rose ceremoniously. “Again, we take an extreme risk with the youngsters, and I put again a formal objection to the methods we use. I am appalled at our procedures and call for an inquiry.” And she sat again, letting her disagreement slip through her casual manners.

  “Mistress Polantor, I have noted your objection, and it will be transmitted to the Federation envoy after this session. I’m sure it will have a great impact.” The dislike in Master Reinkel was as violent as the scorn in Mistress Polantor’s voice. “Any other opinions, or can we talk about our pupils?”

  They all stared at each other until Heikert began speaking, slowly, choosing his words. “They are adjusting mostly well. We had a rough time getting them on the right path, but now situation has improved a lot.”

  A few nodded in assent. “Any risk of addiction or overuse?”

  “I am concerned with a few: Li Bao from Earth, Dendrom from Adheek, and Troum from Nelom. They yearn too much for the nanites.”

  Liupert interjected, “What about Sonter?” A few others nodded in worry.

  “No, he knows the price of addiction too much. He has other issues to manage, but not this one,” Reinkel intervened.