Solar Express

by L. E. Modesitt Jr.

  Abruptly she asked, “Marcel, can you calculate the speed of the artifact?”

  “The average speed over the last twenty-four hours was 118 kilometers per second. The present speed is between 130 and 140.”

  “Perihelion is going to be sometime on the second at that rate of increase.”

  “The calculations suggest early on the third.”

  Calculations based on past performance of an unknown artifact are just guesses. She didn’t say that. The next few days would bear that out. She also wanted to think more about just what might be behind the even more rapid acceleration.

  Now that Chris was safe, or at least on his way back, although she was beginning to question whether anywhere in the solar system was exactly safe, given the current military/political situation, she could concentrate more on her own problems. She couldn’t concentrate on what was happening with the Farside Foundation, because she continued to get nothing except routine administrative and scheduling messages.

  That left what was happening with the sun, and in a “quiet” fashion, things were occurring. The first images she studied recalled the apparent “quiet sun” paradox. The hotter the photosphere, generally the fewer sunspots and discernible irregularities in the magnetic flux lines, although for some the question was more about the cooling nature of sunspots, and the fact that sunspots and solar pores appeared to be something akin to downdrafts from the surface of the photosphere. Yet for all that, there were still far more multi-fractal mini-granulations and even two possible instances of “regular-appearing” mini-granulations.

  Shouldn’t there be more regular granulations and fewer of the disruptive smaller mini-fractals?

  Whether there should have been or not, the ratio seemed to be remaining constant, even with the higher temperatures. And the temperatures were increasing steadily, if slowly.

  “Marcel, please check the temperature records for the latitudes used in the multi-fractal study. I’d like to know how many instances there have been for an unbroken temperature rise as significant as what has occurred over the past week.”

  Several moments passed. “There are three instances in the COFAR records where temperatures rose steadily without apparent measurable fluctuation. The shortest steady rise was for eight days, the longest for three weeks. None exhibited the magnitude of the current rise, but past models and research indicate that such rises likely have occurred.”

  “Unusual, but likely not unprecedented.”

  “That is a logical conclusion.”

  “Thank you. Please begin providing the enhanced solar images as specified in the multi-fractal protocol.”

  “The first image was captured at 0505 UTC…”

  Alayna shifted her attention to the special screen.

  She continued having Marcel study and present the images periodically for the remainder of the morning and early afternoon, until the observational time she was piggybacking on shifted to very high latitude observations, which were of marginal use to her.

  Her eyes were blurry, and she decided to take a break and reply to Chris. She began by searching for the right quote to enclose … something understanding, warm, but … in a way, proper. Proper? Where did that come from?

  Dear Chris,

  Your message arrived while I was sleeping, and was the first thing I read this morning. I can’t tell you how happy I was to hear from you! Yesterday, when I trained the array on the artifact, we could only make out two ships around it, or rather two points that appeared to be ships. And when I hadn’t heard from you … I worried even more. I’m trusting that the rest of your return trip will be less eventful than your departure from the artifact.

  We are keeping track of it, and according to our best calculations, its current speed is now in excess of 140 kilometers per second. I’m not even going to try to offer an estimate of its velocity just before perihelion. By the way, it’s likely to pass much closer to the sun than originally calculated, possibly less than two solar radii. I don’t know how good an image we’ll be getting, because the sun could be comparatively low, just above the crater walls if perihelion occurs on the third. But I will send what we have, if we can get an image.

  My quote to you is much less grandiose than your last, but heartfelt, nonetheless:

  Supposedly, one of the last things Galileo said was, “And yet it moves.” Research suggests he said it, but not as his last words or at his trial. He was a passionate scientist. How could an Italian not be? At the same time, he was cautious in displaying his passion. Passion is not just for display, no matter how we like fireworks, but for providing the fuel for both life and science, both of which are necessary. For without science, life has no true meaning, and without life, there is no purpose to science.

  I feel that you’re as much a scientist as I am. I don’t believe piloting a fusionjet to the alien artifact was just a mission. I wish I could have seen what you did. Even the images are incredible, and when it’s possible I very much want you to tell me about it all—in person.

  Please take care, as you can. I know your choices may be limited, but I do want to hear about all you’ve seen.

  Have you said too much? Or too little? If Chris was who she thought he was, she’d said enough. If he wasn’t, then it was for the best she hadn’t said more.

  She read the message again, and then sent it.

  73

  RECON THREE

  30 NOVEMBER 2114

  Tavoian kept running, looking down passageways that turned regularly and endlessly, a three-dimensional maze with each turn at sixty degrees. He kept measuring each turn with a protractor, hoping it would be different, then running to the next turn, past closed doors without handles or locks, doors that he could never open … and somewhere a distant drum kept beating, each beat faster than the one before, pushing him to move faster …

  He jolted awake, breathing fast, his heart pounding, with sweat beading on his face, oozing into his eyes and burning. He immediately blotted his eyes with his sleeve. That helped with the burning, but not the dull aching in his skull. He looked around the control area, then increased the lighting level.

  After several moments, he half spoke, half croaked, “Present level of CO2?”

  THE CURRENT LEVEL IS FOUR PERCENT. SYSTEMS ARE FUNCTIONING WITHIN OPERATIONAL PARAMETERS.

  Within operational parameters and still slowly failing. Tavoian blotted his face, then reached for the water squeezebottle. It was empty. He made his way toward the dispenser tap, where he began to refill the squeezebottle, but he was clumsy in withdrawing it and squirted water into the cabin, with the result that little globules floated in the air. He didn’t try to recapture them. Sooner or later the atmospheric system would collect them, and they weren’t the nuisance that crumbs were.

  Several swallows relieved the dryness in his throat, and he studied the monitors. Everything seemed normal—except for the CO2—and he slowly began to fix tea and what passed for a scrambled egg hash, because he’d gone through all of the breakfast bagels, even though he’d begun by rationing them out, knowing that they were his favorite. The not-quite-hot tea seemed to ease his dull headache, and surprisingly the hash wasn’t bad and settled a stomach that had been more uneasy than he had realized. After eating, he turned to the message queue, but there weren’t any messages.

  “What’s our distance from the sun?”

  DISTANCE FROM THE SUN IS NINETY-ONE MILLION KAYS.

  Almost three days after leaving the Solar Express, Recon three was still some twenty million kays inside the orbit of Venus. Because you couldn’t accelerate any more because you had to save fuel in order to decelerate. There wasn’t much point in arriving sooner going faster if he had no way to slow down, and if he’d used gravity braking around Earth, he couldn’t have bled off enough speed, given his approach path, not to have required more fuel than he would have had remaining in order to decelerate enough not to go flying by Earth.

  The proverbial catch-22. As he thought that, he wondered
from where that particular expression had come.

  CO2 LEVEL IS NOW AT FOUR POINT ONE PERCENT.

  As if he needed the reminder.

  There was a backup CO2 removal system, a single lithium hydroxide canister, that could theoretically scrub the air in the ship for six hours. What the documentation didn’t show was how much the level could be reduced during that six-hour time period, except that it could drop the level by fifty percent during its six-hour life span, but the instructions didn’t say from what level. Tavoian judged that meant it could remove half the CO2 in the ship’s air at a five percent concentration, since five percent was considered a threshold for impairing human performance.

  It was a relief of sorts to see the colonel’s message arrive, followed immediately by one from Alayna. Tavoian read the colonel’s message. The text was as brief as it usually was.

  Request update on CO2 levels and outcome of adjustments.

  Would appreciate sending additional images and data not previously sent, within transmission procedure limitations. Use your discretion in selecting the most appropriate images to convey the sense of the alien artifact.

  Appropriate for what? Justifying a mission to investigate?

  Request ETA L1 area.

  Tavoian’s reply was brief, if slightly longer than the colonel’s message.

  CO2 levels continue to climb. Now at four point one percent [4.1%]. Have adjusted air heat recharge levels to the maximum recommended level. Are there any other emergency CO2 removal means besides the one lithium hydroxide canister? Any other possible adjustments to the atmosphere system?

  Additional images and data attached.

  Among the images Tavoian had chosen were several that showed the artifact and the larger Sinese ship, because he thought the colonel might appreciate that, as well as find it useful, and because the Sinese vessel, for all its size, looked tiny in comparison to the artifact, which it was.

  Present ETA is 1830 UTC, 5 December 2114.

  Of course, more than a few things could change that, but most that could would probably result in his not arriving at all. He didn’t think mentioning that was exactly wise. He dispatched his reply and turned his attention to Alayna’s message.

  His smile was wry when he read the line about her hoping the rest of his return was less eventful than his departure from the artifact. He hoped so as well, but he had his doubts. He read the quote about Galileo twice before he even thought about replying.

  She’s quite a woman. His second thought was, and you’re just realizing it now? Even Kit had noticed it.

  When he finished his response, he read it over a last time.

  Dear Alayna,

  Your message just arrived. I do appreciate your thoughts and the considerate and, I suspect, personal choice of that quotation. I also agree with its substance and spirit.

  I would like very much to tell you about the alien artifact—in person. When I will be able to, or when you will be able to be there to hear what I have to say is, I fear, not exactly in either of our hands. You have a tour at COFAR to complete before returning to Earth, and I have no idea at present what awaits me upon my return. That doesn’t mean I don’t want to or won’t tell you in person. I do want to and will. The timing just isn’t in my hands.

  In fact, at the moment, all I can do is sit/float here before the controls and trust that the systems around me will continue to operate. So far, so good.

  Did I ever tell you that I almost didn’t apply for the Space Service? I always dreamed of being a pilot. I wanted to go to the edge of the solar system, beyond the Kuiper Belt and out into the Oort Cloud. When I learned that most pilots just flew fusionjets between Earth orbit stations and various lunar stations, and only infrequently to Phobos or Deimos, it didn’t seem that exciting. But then I realized that if they did pick a pilot to go farther, they’d pick one from among the existing pilots. So I applied and was fortunate enough to be accepted and good enough to become a pilot. Well … I haven’t even gotten to Mars, but I got about that far out from Earth, and I’ve gotten to see and explore, if through remotes, the very first alien artifact. And I met an astrophysicist as well, which, in retrospect, almost seems fated.

  It’s strange, because I feel that I’ve known you far longer than I have, as if you’ve been a part of my life for longer than the year, or not quite a year, that it’s actually been. Then maybe it’s because … except I really can’t put words to the reasons, only that’s the way it feels.

  I’ve enclosed a few images. They aren’t the same as being there, or being able to tell you in person, but for now they’ll have to do.

  My quote for you is inspired by your efforts to discover what lies behind multi-fractal mini-granulations, although I realize that they are small only in comparison to the sun itself:

  Those who can find satisfaction only in having more, experience wonder in only the physically overwhelming, and are astounded by accomplishments solely in the grandiose, and who cannot find marvels in the smallest of things, those individuals are the destroyers of civilization and all that is good because both life and civilization rely on the interplay of the smallest of elements.

  I’m still learning this, and you have been vital in helping me understand.

  He decided against saying more and sent off the message.

  Less than ten minutes later, the AI announced, CO2 LEVEL IS NOW AT FOUR POINT TWO PERCENT.

  Another “small” thing that may become very important. Tavoian could only hope that it didn’t happen soon.

  74

  HOTNEWS!

  1 DECEMBER 2114

  [Image Deleted For Off-Earth Transmission]

  Remember those missing Sinese force projection ships? They’re still missing, and Sinese Head of State Qining is threatening to “disappear” a few Indian ships and a lot more, if the Indians don’t own up to “their treacherous deeds.” The Indians told Qining that the ships entered a typhoon and were likely destroyed in a storm that saw waves of seventy meters. Qining’s going to raise bigger storm than that if he doesn’t get the ships back, or an abject apology along with the immediate capitulation of all Indian military forces and the Dyaus space installation. We’d bet even all that won’t satisfy him. Sautéed Earth, anyone?

  [Image Deleted]

  Former child sex star Eriana D’Bleu—or rather the woman whose image was illegally co-opted by Andrus Entertainment in their realie-sensie breakout PaniSex—has declared that she’ll be using that MASSIVE settlement she received for her campaign war chest in her quest to replace Senator Johnstone Swallow in 2116. Swallow opposed the settlement and was quoted as saying “entertainment is entertainment, not life.” Looks like entertainment is coming to Utah and Senator Swallow … as part of life.

  [Image Deleted]

  The Yates Administration still doesn’t seem to get it. Noram Prexy President Dyana Yates keeps calling for calm. Repping words don’t stop storms. Her own DOEA Secretary was most likely assassinated with bio-weps. Was that to leave the blame on him for the Space Command militarization? Or a Sinese act because that militarization just might crimp their dreadnaught plan? Words aren’t going to stop five hundred Indra missiles. Or stealth subs, or the rumored Sinese fire-eye. Maybe those refitted fusionjets will … depending on their refit gear.

  [Image Deleted]

  A bad week indeed for EC Chancellor Rumikov. Alceste Ciorni, who was acting Chancellor in Rumikov’s absence, revealed yesterday a series of separate flashset conversations between Rumikov and unnamed third parties from the Sinese Federation and India. Not only was the double-dexed man double-triple teaming his amorous partners, he was doing the same with the Federation and India. Remember that ADS contract for long-range multispectrum detection systems … it was signed right after a flashset that promised that the EC would not back India. Or what about the huge BAE integrated systems support for India’s stealth subs. Another flashset promise … You have to give the man credit. He will do anything … with anyone.

 
[Image Deleted]

  As for Indian Prime Minister Ravindra … no one’s seen him in days. Not in person. His image, certainly, but not his body, as if he had a body worth watching. Can you spell secret bunker in the Himalayas? He’s going to be where he can launch all those Indra scramjet missiles. Whether they’ll find and penetrate Sinese Head of State Qining’s also secret bunker is another question. Shouldn’t we be in the bunkers and those two out in the open?

  [Image Deleted]

  Astronomers across the globe, and even out in space, are reporting higher temperatures in the sun’s photosphere in the past few days. Climatologists just reported that the remaining ice sheets and glaciers in Greenland are calving—that’s falling into the ocean, by the way—at a record rate, even this late in the year. One pundit even blames the Solar Express for it all. It’s not even a comet. Some people will blame anything …

  75

  DAEDALUS BASE

  1 DECEMBER 2114

  Alayna was up late on Saturday night, December first, working with Marcel to refine the calculations for the exact time of perihelion for 2114 FQ5. That wasn’t nearly as easy as it might have been because even with months of observations, the artifact continued to accelerate more than could be determined accurately from those past observations. Getting the time as accurate as possible was necessary because she wanted images with both the main optical array and the solar array. While the solar mirror wouldn’t be that much of a problem, since it would be focused on the sun in any case, the main optical array was another question, but Alayna needed the main optical array for another, very simple reason. The solar mirror wouldn’t pick up 2114 FQ5 as more than a tiny black spot, if that.

  Even with the main optical mirror, the artifact would still be a tiny image, barely more than a dark point against the blazing disk of the sun. But since the main optical array was booked for most of the time, Alayna didn’t want to have to divert it for any longer than necessary.