Catie wiped her mouth with her napkin and pushed her plate away, “I’m ready to go.”
They took a taxi to the marina. Marc asked the driver to wait as he and Catie got out. He handed her the overnight bag she’d packed. “Remember, you’re part of the crew, so you have to do what Uncle Blake says and be polite to the guests.”
“Aye, Aye,” Catie said with a mock salute.
“I’ll see you when you get back.”
Catie gave her father a hug, and he gave her a kiss on top of her head. “Be good.”
“Finish your paper, Daddy. That way we can do more stuff together.”
“I’m working on it, Sweetie.”
“Why can’t you have your computer write it for you?”
“Computers aren’t that smart,” Marc replied.
“Well, they should be. Bye, Daddy.”
Marc watched her walk down the pier. She was wearing white capri pants with a light white cotton pullover with horizontal stripes and deck shoes. Marc thought she looked cute as could be. “My little sailor.”
Chapter 4
Moving Along
Marc sat down at his computer. He still had to organize all the data from the four trials into his presentation. He had a little over a week to get everything done. He had representatives from the Navy, and several major defense contractors lined up to hear the results of his research. He had hoped to strike a lucrative licensing deal with one of the contractors, but now that he wanted to sell it, getting the Navy excited would be important.
“Captain,” ADI said.
“Yes, ADI.”
“I have a message for you that I was instructed to hold until the fourth day after discovery. This is the fourth day.”
“Okay, play it, please.”
“I have been instructed not to read or listen to the message.”
“Huh, then how do you give it to me?”
“I can put it on your comm and you can access it through the menu on the visor.”
“I’m not too good with the comm and the visor yet,” Marc said.
“I could also email it to you, but that would make it vulnerable to someone else getting it. Or I could place it on your computer.”
“Why don’t you do that?”
“I would need access. If you will accept a new Bluetooth keyboard and mouse, I can make the necessary changes. Just open your settings to keyboard and set up a Bluetooth keyboard.”
“Okay.” Marc did as instructed and watched as the display flashed through multiple screens.
“There is a shared folder on your drive called ADI data,” ADI said. “It contains the message. If you turn off your comm, you can play the message without my having any awareness of its contents.”
“Thank you, ADI.”
Marc turned the comm off and opened the file, message_1.mp4.
The screen showed a woman sitting at a console on what looked like the bridge of a ship. She looked human except she had ridges on her nose, kind of like a Bajorin from Star Trek.
“Captain, I am the medical officer for the Sakira, the space vessel you have found. For your convenience, you can refer to me as Metra; it is a close approximation of my name in your language. I’m sorry I don’t know your name, but you are now the captain of this ship. I’ve recorded several messages for you. Please listen to them carefully. It is essential that the DI, or as you may think of it, the computer, doesn’t hear or read any of these messages. As you should know, I’ve instructed the DI to introduce itself as ADI, which stands for Autonomous Digital Intelligence. ADI and all DIs are very literal, that is the intention of the designers. You have to be very explicit in asking for information or analysis from it. Now please prepare what you need to so you have privacy from it. It will not listen in if you instruct it not to. When you are ready, ask it for the second message, and the second message only.”
Marc closed the message and turned the comm back on.
“ADI, please retrieve and place the second communication on my computer.”
“Done!”
Marc turned off the comm again and played the second file.
“Captain, I wish to apologize for the ordeal you have been through. We had to ensure that the Sakira would not fall into the hands of someone who would abuse her power and resources. I assumed you would speak English given the location of the ship; however, ADI will have translated these messages to the language you spoke when you took command of the ship. The translation would have been done via a compartmentalized program so that ADI would not have access to the contents.
“It will take you time to appreciate the information you are receiving, and I have placed time constraints on when you can access each of the messages. They are not too long, but I feel it is important that you have time to understand and internalize each message before you move on. Hopefully, that way you will avoid making decisions you will come to regret. The most important thing to understand is that you must not wake the crew. Doing so will trigger very dire consequences for yourself and possibly your world. I have caused a medical emergency and placed everyone in stasis. I did this after the captain was murdered. I will explain more about this later.
“ADI can be very helpful to you. It is more than a simple ship’s computer and has the ability to process and refine information far beyond what your current technology is capable of. ADI also has immense stores of knowledge about science and technology that you should be able to make use of. Now I suggest you take some time to internalize this and ask for the next message after five of your days, rotations of your planet.”
“Hmm, interesting,” Marc whispered. He turned the comm back on.
“ADI, can you retrieve the third message?”
“Captain, my protocol restricts access to that message until five days from now.”
“Okay,” Marc said. “I guess I’d better get all this data organized,” he muttered to himself. Then he remembered his daughter saying that he should have the computer do all the work.
“ADI, can you access my drive?”
“Yes, I have given myself read/write privileges to all files except the directory ADI_data. I only have write-privileges to that directory and cannot access or change those privileges without explicit instructions from you.”
“Good, then access the paper ‘Sonar: A Theoretical Analysis’ under the directory Hyperion.”
“Done.”
“Analyze that document and then format the data in the folder ‘Trials one-dash-four’ into a new document following the same format and structure. Also, include the notes and observations you’ll find in that folder.”
“ADI?” Marc asked after ten seconds with no response.
“Done, Captain.”
“Of course.” Marc looked for the file. “ADI, where is the file?”
“It is in my databanks.”
“Please transfer it to the Hyperion folder for me.”
“Done,” ADI said two seconds later.
“Thank you, ADI,” Marc said. “Literal indeed,” he muttered. “ADI, in the future, please acknowledge my instructions when you start to execute them.”
“Yes, Captain.”
Marc reviewed the file, adding comments and moving a few things around. After three hours, he took a break and went into the kitchen to make a coffee. He filled a measuring cup with water, poured half of it in his coffee mug and set them both in the microwave. He set the timer to four minutes, then he sat down to wait for it to boil.
“ADI, please look at the three patent applications in the Hyperion directory. Using the one that is already complete as a template, please fill the other two out.”
“Processing.”
“ADI, how many things can you work on at the same time?”
“There is no specific limit. This task is taking zero-point-zero-two percent of my processing power. Moving data or accessing the internet or other communication is more limited. I only have fifty-gigabyte bandwidth to the internet, and the comm bandwidth is limited to one hundre
d megabits-per-second. However, I can run up to ten thousand comms at one time.”
“Okay, so while you’re working on the patents, can you compare the technology I have used in the Hyperion sonar with the technologies the Paraxeans use for underwater sensing?”
“Captain, I have completed the patents. I am now comparing technologies.”
“Thank you.”
“The technology you are using is nearly identical to the technology used by the Paraxeans. Your design matches the end of their previous branch of the technology.”
“What happened after that?”
“They developed a new type of detector that was able to provide finer-resolution scans. Your design should provide ten-centimeter resolution at a four hundred-meter depth in water similar to what is above the Sakira. The latest sensor design from the Paraxeans can provide resolution down to one-centimeter in the same conditions.”
“Whoa,” Marc exclaimed. He shook his head as he thought about what that would mean. “ADI, with our current technology, could we manufacture the new sensor design?”
“No, you could only manufacture the previous generation of the sensor.”
“Okay, what is the resolution of that sensor?”
“It would provide two-point-five-centimeter resolution.”
“Do you detect anyone working on such a technology or sensor?”
“It is similar to the design of the new microwave receiver being developed by DragonWave Inc.”
“How different is that design compared to the underwater sensor?”
“The math is more complex,” ADI said. “The actual sensor is the same order of complexity, but designed for a different media.”
“So, it’s not totally beyond reason that I could come up with this design,” Marc thought. “What would I need to do to Hyperion to make it work with the new sensor?” Marc asked.
“The software would need to be adapted, Captain.”
“Can you make the adaptations to my software, matching the coding style?”
“Yes, Captain.”
“Can you create the new design for the sensor with documentation similar to the documentation of the Hyperion sensor?”
“Yes, Captain.”
“Can the sensor be manufactured using an existing supplier?”
“Yes, Captain. I have researched several of the suppliers you have recently used. Several have the ability to make the sensor.”
“Thanks, I wish there was a way to have it made without sharing the design,” Marc mused. “ADI, can the design be segmented so that I can assemble it later?”
“No, it is monolithic design. Captain, I failed to mention that I could also manufacture the item.”
“That would simplify things. How would you accomplish that?”
“There are robotic manufacturing facilities aboard the Sakira.”
“How long would it take?”
“Four hours, Captain.”
“How could we get the device without having to dive for it?”
“Captain, I could have a flotation device attached to it and eject it from an airlock. Then you could pick it up in your boat, or the relay drone could pick it up.”
“How close would that need to be?”
“It is only an issue of discovery since you want to keep it hidden, Captain.”
“Okay, I’ll have Blake come close tomorrow, and you can have the drone on the Mea Huli pick up the design. Please start the manufacturing of the device.”
“Yes, Captain.”
“And please create the documentation and modify the software.”
“Yes, Captain.”
“And put them in the Hyperion folder under a new folder called Super Hyperion.”
“Yes, Captain.”
“Now put me in contact with Blake.”
“What’s up, Bro?” Blake asked after his comm beeped and ADI told him Marc wanted to talk.
“Not too much. I think I’ve found a way to make us some more quick money. I need you to swing close to our last dive spot if you can.”
“Sure, I can suggest snorkeling off Lehua, very exclusive and private. These folks will eat it up. How close do I need to get?”
“Just pass on the same side of the island. ADI will have the relay drone on the Mea Huli pick up my package. It should be pretty small.”
“Gotcha. Hey, how are you doing with your homework? Catie is pretty excited about doing some scuba diving, and she expects you to be there.”
“I took her suggestion and had ADI do the work. So, I’m almost done. But we’ll need to make another two-day survey before next Thursday.”
“Does she know about ADI?” Blake asked. He was shocked that Marc would talk to Catie about the spaceship.
“No, she just suggested I have a computer do all the work. She felt that by now they should be smart enough.” Marc laughed at the thought of Catie knowing about ADI.
“How’s the cruise going?” Marc asked.
“Fine, same old same old,” Blake said. “They’re a bit self-entitled, but we’re charging them enough.”
“How’s Catie doing?”
“She’s doing fine. She keeps telling me about her friend Jackie,” Blake said. “Sounds like a nice woman.”
“She seemed nice,” Marc said. “Be careful, Catie might want a finder’s fee if you and Jackie wind up hooking up.”
“She wouldn’t,” Blake said.
“Sure she would,” Marc laughed. “She takes after her great grandfather when it comes to capitalism.”
“I’ll be careful,” Blake said. “And doing another survey shouldn’t be a problem; we can probably combine that with a little diving practice. I’ll go sell our little side trip to Lehua to the customers. Talk to you later.”
“Later.”
◆ ◆ ◆
Marc was waiting at the pier while the Mea Huli finished docking. Catie had already called him twice to make sure he would be waiting. The docking process was slow; you didn’t just drive a thirty-five-meter yacht into the marina and park it. He could see the cleaning crew had arrived and was waiting to get on board to clean up after the cruise. He decided he had time to get another coffee before they would be ready for the guests to disembark.
Drinking his coffee, he watched as the two couples, each with two teenagers, walked down the pier toward their waiting cars. Their luggage would be delivered to their hotels later that day.
“Hey, Daddy,” Cattie almost shouted. She had snuck up behind him, carefully timing her approach.
“Hey, Sweetie,” he replied with mild surprise. “You have to be careful sneaking up on people, I might have spilled my coffee and burned myself.”
“Oh, you never jump when I surprise you.”
She was right, no matter what happened, Marc never twitched. Probably from all the practice dealing with Blake while they were growing up.
“Well, you should still be careful. How was crewing?”
“It was fun, but they sure are full of themselves,” she said, indicating the group now getting into the limousines. “I wanted to drown the little boy.”
“You mean the fourteen-year-old blond kid?”
“Yeah, he’s such a baby.”
“I’m glad you were able to show restraint,” Marc said. “Your mother would be disappointed if you wound up having to stay here and go to jail.”
“Oh, I wouldn’t have drowned him, just dunked his head in the water.”
“I’m sure he deserved it. Just make sure that if you do such a thing, it looks like an accident,” Marc teased. “We really can’t afford to spend a bunch of money on a lawyer.”
“I will.”
“Here comes your uncle.”
“Hey Bro,” Blake said as he walked up beside them.
“Hey yourself, how was the cruise?”
“It was fine. You get used to dealing with rich people after a while. The one kid kept trying to impress Catie. I thought she was going to spill hot coffee on him.”
“Now that wo
uld have been a better solution,” Marc said to Catie. “We could have totally sold that as just an accident. She said she wanted to drown him.”
“She had her chance when they were snorkeling, but I guess she decided to give him a pass,” Blake said.
“So, no problems?” Marc asked.
“No, they were reasonably polite and tipped the crew well.”
“What tip?” Catie demanded, hands on her hips.
“Oh, you mean you didn’t get a tip?”
“No, I didn’t. And I was a member of the crew.”
“Well, they gave me something for the young lady. But I’m trying to figure out who they meant.”
“I was the only young female in the crew. I can’t believe you would cheat a kid,” Catie huffed with mock indignation.
“So now you’re a kid. You can see why I am confused,” Blake said as he pulled an envelope out of his jacket pocket and handed it to her. “There it is, don’t spend it all in one place.”
Catie opened the envelope and counted out five $100 bills. “Wow!”
“They were a pain, but they were generous,” Blake said.
“What about my pay?” Catie asked.
“Pay? I thought you were crewing to gain experience,” Blake laughed. “Now, you want to be paid as well?”
“Uncle Blake!”
“I don’t have the cash, so I’ll let your dad take care of paying you.”
“Another five hundred sound okay?” Marc asked.
“Sure.”
“I think we’ll let you draw that on account. You don’t need to be walking around with that much money. Maybe we’ll open a bank account and get you a debit card.”
“That sounds okay,” Catie replied unenthusiastically.
“Blake, I’m planning on taking my daughter out to dinner, or maybe she’ll be taking me out.”
“Nuh-uh,” Catie said quickly.
“I should know better,” Marc said. “Would you like to join us?”
“I will if you want, but Datu is going to stay on the ship tonight for security, so I was planning on meeting a few old buddies and practicing my curls,” Blake said as he made a curling motion with his arm, miming bringing a drink to his mouth.
“That’s fine with me,” Marc said. “That package I had delivered--if you could just secure it in your cabin.”
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