A Pattern of Details

by James Matt Cox

  Morris let them digest this a moment.

  "Stochastic process is good, as far as it goes, but anything humans touch necessarily has a nonlinear and non-stochastic factor that cannot be discounted. These are the elements that give unpredictability and can cause problems. These elements cannot be eliminated so it is essential to establish a firm metric or at least a boundary-analytic on them."

  After a moment Polov spoke.

  "So why are we here, sir?"

  Morris gestured at the scene below.

  "Do you mean to say we're here to look at people," asked Eisley incredulously.

  "No," said Morris calmly, "We are going to spend our time studying patterns. I can see two gross patterns and half a dozen fine ones already but I've had practice. No, Ms. Eisley, we are going to study patterns in one of the most pattern-resistant yet predictable entities in existence: a large crowd of individual people. I'm holocasting them so we'll all have the same material to study. By lunch you will see demonstrated at least three solid patterns. By the time we're finished you'll see almost as many as I do. If you give me the time."

  ***

  At first Morris met some resistance but it vanished quickly. Before long all five students raptly studied the crowds below. After he pointed out one major pattern all of them saw it and soon began spotting others. Teek even spotted one of the fine patterns. As lunchtime approached the patterns changed subtly. Morris smiled inwardly. His stomach started grumbling and he had no doubt the others' had too.

  "Mister Polov," said Morris, "Would you mind getting us some lunch?"

  "Of course, sir," said Polov, "What would we like?"

  "No," said Morris, "Your instructions are to bring us back some lunch." He handed Polov a chit he scribed earlier. "In fact, I'm buying. I will tell you, however, there is a limit on this chit."

  "But..."

  Polov stopped when Morris raised a finger. With a dubious look he set to his task.

  "Seigneur Polov," said Morris, "is a careful and deliberate person. I hope he's also a good sport because he is our next pattern."

  Chuckles. Polov emerged and walked into the crowd.

  "Please note his purposeful stride. Hrm... Neo-Szech. Is that his favorite?"

  "No sir," said Eisley, "It's mine."

  After Polov left that restaurant with a sizable purchase he walked toward another.

  "Simple but filling," said Morris, "That's his."

  "Yes sir."

  When Polov reappeared he had a considerably larger package.

  "I hope some of us like that," said Morris, "because he has enough for three or four there."

  Two more stops and Polov had a considerable burden. After the first Morris sent Garrett to help him carry it all. They met outside the second and Polov transferred most of the packages. He and Garrett started back but Polov detoured to a drink vendor and emerged with a very large thermal bag. When they returned they received a small spate of applause.

  "Congratulations, Mister Polov, you did well."

  They portioned out the food and Polov, on learning of his participation, grinned.

  "Am I that predictable, Dr. Taylor?"

  "Only in that I knew I could count on you," said Morris.

  As they ate they watched the lunch-crowd patterns. Polov returned Morris' chit.

  "Out of curiosity, sir, how much was on the chit?"

  "What if I told you it was a thousand halcies?"

  Polov and Eisley both gasped.

  "It wasn't," said Morris, "but what if it had been? What if it was only twenty? Would you have made up the difference yourself or come back for more? Think about it and tell us later. For now, all of you write down what you think Greg would have done. Oh, to answer your question, Mr. Polov, I put three hundred on it. I didn't think we'd eat our way through that."

  Two hours later the crowds lulled and Morris saw signs of wandering attention. They packed up the equipment, gathered their debris and headed back to the hover. There was no leftover food, of course.

  Back in the classroom Morris made copies of the holospools for each student. The holocasters time-synced and indexed automatically so organizing the data took not long at all. He skipped to the most interesting part of the pattern flow, pointed out the gross patterns and started an analysis on them.

  "We're done for now," he said, "For next time continue the analysis I started and be prepared to discuss it. If you like you may look outside our index points but the analysis is only necessary for the time between them. That's where we'll concentrate our efforts."

  As the others left Morris motioned Garrett and Eisley to stay.

  "Well," he asked.

  Again they swapped glances.

  "We'll stay, sir," said Eisley, "I don't see how this can help but it's interesting, no blather."

  "Fair enough," said Morris.

  Delroy stood waiting when Morris walked out of the room.

  "Well," she asked, demeanor almost less icy.

  "It went very well," said Morris, "Thank you."

  "Good." She offered another almost-smile. "You're welcome." She walked away.

  ***

  Morris had a pleasant surprise waiting when he returned home. As soon as he walked in he saw Mallory Harper and Tran Kody sitting and chatting with Lace, Harkin and Jackson. Then it hit him. Those two...

  "Hi there."

  Morris turned and swept Lydia into a years-long, wonderful, warm embrace. He held her tight and let her warmth suffuse him. They only broke their kiss when they ran out of breath and Morris took that time to drink her in with his eyes.

  "I do believe it's official now," said Jackson with a grin Morris could hear.

  Morris felt the heat rising to his face. He didn't let go but he felt the sudden consequence of his reaction and current position.

  "I missed that," said Lydia, increasing the distance between them from one inch to two.

  When Morris looked at the others he saw only smiles.

  Lydia moved him toward chairs for the pair of them and he shook hands with Kody and Harper.

  "Umm..." he stammered.

  "Don't say it, Morris," smiled Lace, "You'd have to be a better actor than Seldon to hide it, no blather."

  Morris knew he had teasing aplenty in his immediate future but he minded not at all.

  They talked until time for dinner, which they had at Helene's finest restaurant. Kody, Harper and Lydia spoke of their adventures training their Halcyon counterparts on the fine art and science of the Cuttle class utility boat. After dessert the others found reasons and excuses to leave Morris and Lydia alone.

  ***

  Lydia and Kody both appeared at rehearsal the next day. Lydia captivated the students within thirty minutes and they adopted Kody, not much older than themselves, as their mascot. Afterward Morris and Lydia had lunch at Ryan Commons along with half the ones at rehearsal, which Morris minded not at all. Afterward Lydia insisted Morris attend his seminar. She and Kody would tour the campus and amuse themselves until Morris finished. Patricia Kelley volunteered to take them which also made Morris feel good.

  Morris' first foreshadowing of trouble came at his seminar. Sensitive now to flows and undercurrents he detected several schisms among those attending. One faction regarded Morris with a cool distance bordering on hostility. Another faction shared the sentiment but disapproved of its direction toward Morris. The third and smallest faction all but radiated a smug satisfaction that felt like vindication. He cut the session short and returned to Ballard Hall.

  All of the civilians sat in the common room. Though she didn't speak and sat apart from the others Delroy listened attentively and made notes on her datapad.

  "It's political," said Jackson when Morris recounted his experience.

  "But why," asked Lace indignantly, "We were making progress, burnit! This mission is a success by any metric the League or the Navy wants to apply! It's not costing anything but our salaries and the League's only paying half of that." She turned a sharp stare to
Delroy. "Crystal?"

  Delroy returned glare for glare.

  "It's not a secret," said Delroy, "The coincidence indicators were low from the beginning, you just didn't want to listen."

  "We're listening now," said Jackson coldly.

  The ice in Jackson's voice surprised Morris and made Delroy almost-flinch.

  "You have all the data I do," she said, now with equal ice, "I just know what to do with it."

  With that she rose and returned to her rooms.

  "So what now," asked Morris.

  "Carry on as assigned," said Jackson, "That's really all we can do. I hope you and Lydia didn't have plans, Morris. They were recalled about an hour ago."

  Morris bit down on his disappointment. They had made plans. The four of them discussed what little they knew for a while then drifted off to individual pursuits. Mostly, though, they brooded.

  ***

  Morris started his class the next day. By iron will he put his unease aside and concentrated on his presentation but his students felt something amiss. Not long into the class Rackwell knocked and entered.

  "Technician Taylor." Rackwell spoke hesitantly and uncomfortably. "I'm sorry to announce that you and the others have been recalled to the League embassy." He handed Morris the order.

  "What?! That's ridiculous! We still have work to do."

  Rackwell gave him a weary grin. "Spoken like a true professor. I am truly sorry but this is not my doing."

  Morris was speechless but his students began muttering belligerently.

  "Here, now," said Rackwell, "Has Doctor Taylor given you an assignment?"

  "Yes sir," said Polov.

  "Then I suggest you work on it. I don't mean to usurp your authority, Morris, but I firmly believe this will be resolved in short order and all of you will be back."

  Back at the building Morris had come to regard as home the others had already packed. Morris had little more than he'd brought, a risqué animated paperweight for Kelven, some carved crystals for Reichsson, who collected them. Gifts for Lydia he spent a lot of time selecting. Extra class notes and some University paraphernalia...

  Stop it! Morris chided himself and packed quickly and efficiently. He added his luggage to the pile in the common room.

  The door beeped. Without waiting for a response Kelley and a dozen others walked in.

  "We heard you're leaving," she said, distress obvious in her voice.

  "We are," said Lace gently.

  "But... Why?"

  "We've been recalled," said Lace, "We really don't have a choice."

  "That's not fair! We..." She looked at the others. "We planned on starting a League Student Society. With the five of you here..."

  "Start it," said Lace, "This is probably just a temporary snag. These things happen whenever negotiations are involved. You really shouldn't be surprised."

  "It's just... We tried to get something like this going before. This is the farthest it's ever gone and we don't want to lose it."

  "Hold that thought." Lace embraced Kelley warmly. "You'll make it happen."

  After a few minutes Kelley and the others left, not satisfied and certainly not happy. When they left Lace closed the door and turned, her face now reflecting the turmoil she felt.

  "That," she said, lighting a strong drugstick, "does not bode well. Just who around here might know what's going on and tell us?"

  That question remained unanswered until the League hover pulled up for them and their things.

  ***

  After a silent trip to the embassy a group of Navy ratings took their luggage, asking what they needed and what could be stored and shipped later. Not a good sign. Another escorted them to a lounge overlooking the embassy grounds. On the way there Morris saw Rackwell and Leona Collins but neither caught sight of him. He and the others sat in silence, some looking out the window, others not.

  The hiss of the door opening sounded unnaturally loud.

  "Good morning," said Blakeschiff, showing all the emotion of discussing the weather on Metropole, "You will be wondering why you were recalled. It has nothing to do with your classes or the project. I can assure you it is an unqualified success and will be continued. A matter has arisen that necessitates your withdrawal. Our ship is being serviced and we shall leave late this evening or early tomorrow. You will be given further details as they are required. This staging unit will be attached to the ship presently, you will board when it is. Until then do not leave these rooms."

  Ignoring the pair of questions Jackson and Lace asked Blakeschiff turned and left. Kody walked in not long afterward.

  "Out with it, lad," said Jackson, "What happened?"

  Kody shook his head. "I'm sorry, sir, I'm not at liberty to say. I will tell you, though, it is that important."

  ***

  Morris settled into his old cabin uneasily. After his stay at the University the ship seemed strange, small and cramped. Lydia was in engineering but the main bulkhead was locked and sealed. A message on his terminal from her gave some cold comfort. The situation disturbed her too and she didn't like it any more than the rest of them. But, she wrote, circumstances did warrant their recall. They all had a duty, Navy and civilian alike, and once Blakeschiff revealed his information they would all agree. After reading the text three times Morris wandered to the ship's lounge, then out into the staging unit where he found the others. By dinner Blakeschiff still hadn't appeared; a trio of seamen brought them food. It wasn't particularly good but at least it wasn't synthetic.

  By midmorning the next day Blakeschiff still hadn't appeared. Morris caught Lydia on the way to the admin complex.

  "You know I can't say anything," she said before he could ask, "As far as the Commander, well, it doesn't take a genius to figure out there's politics involved."

  Blakeschiff stayed gone until just after lunch. By the sour look on his face and his overall mien someone forced him into something disagreeable. Accompanying him were a visibly satisfied Rackwell along with Eisley, Garrett and Polov with the three of them looking apprehensive.

  "We will be undertaking a minor exploratory mission," said Blakeschiff, reluctantly, "At the petition of the University and the Halcyon government Doctor Rackwell and these three students will accompany us. The students are to continue their studies. Since we are very much behind schedule we will be leaving within half an hour."

  Kody scurried to make this happen. Morris, Jackson and Harkin moved to assist him. The students' luggage showed signs of hasty packing and they themselves felt every bit as nervous as Rackwell did triumphant. Polov ended up in the cabin across from Morris.

  "Excuse me sir," said Polov hesitantly, "Can you tell me what's happening?"

  Morris shook his head. "I don't know, Mr. Polov. You heard the commander's briefing, that's all the information we have as well. How did you three come to be here?"

  Polov sat on his bunk, collected his thoughts and considered his answer.

  "Yesterday afternoon Dr. Rackwell gathered all the students taking your classes. He said we might be able to continue our studies aboard ship with you and asked for volunteers. I'm sorry to say that most of them didn't want to go. Leaving Helene on a League ship with only Dr. Rack... They just didn't want to do that."

  "That's understandable," said Morris, "Go on."

  "The faculty was a disappointment, sir. Some of them must have known something because I've never seen such rivalry, back-stabbing and turfiness from them. It was bad, sir. Of the students that volunteered Ron, Tina and I were selected."

  "Thank you, Mr. Polov." Morris checked his chrono. "We'd best hurry to the lounge. I doubt the Commander will look favorably on any delays."

  Morris and Jackson helped Kody strap down the others. Eisley had never been offplanet; uncommon but not that unusual. Garrett confessed to taking several short trips but none linking for more than a week.

  Once again Morris found himself seated next to Delroy, who again kept her silence. As soon as Kody reported all personnel secure B
lakeschiff lofted them. He started at two gravities but soon increased to two and a half. When the extra acceleration kicked in Delroy gasped sharply and grabbed Morris' hand in a crushing grasp.

  "We're fine, Specialist," said Morris automatically. Then, though it felt like moving two and a half arms, he reached over and patted her hand. "We're still safer here than riding in a hover."

  Whether from Morris' attempt at humor or the gradual lessening and revectoring of the drives Delroy first loosened then released her grip. She also breathed more easily. When Kody gave the all-clear Morris unstrapped himself then reached over and unstrapped Delroy. She looked down, then back up at him. She started to say something then looked back down again. Morris felt the glimmerings of an idea.

  "You're welcome, Specialist," he said gently.

  Though she hid it he knew she almost-smiled in return.

  "Attention passengers and crew." Blakeschiff sounded irritated. "Remain in your launch positions. Prepare for microjump protocol."

  Eisley looked nervous at this. "Should we strap back in?"

  "No ma'am," said Kody, "but you should stay seated. Micros aren't bad but they can be a little disconcerting if you're not used to... them."

  Harper microjumped between Kody's last two words. Eisley jumped and yelped when the lights flickered.

  "That wasn't bad," said Jackson to Eisley, "now was it?"

  Eisley shook her head. "I guess I watched too many holovee shows. It really wasn't... Yow!"

  The ship microjumped again.

  "... bad," finished Eisley sheepishly.

  Polov chuckled and Eisley slapped his arm.

  "Close it, Greg," she said, "Just because this is a parking orbit for you doesn't mean it's..."

  The ship jumped again. This time Eisley only paused.

  "... doesn't mean the rest of us feel the same way. Why are we doing so many?"

  "We're clearing clutter, ma'am," said Kody, "Lieutenant Harper's going to need a really accurate fix before we link in. Gravity's a stone bastard when you're lining up a long jump, even from planets, moons and asteroids, so she's getting rid of all of it she can."

  The ship jumped again.

  "Flames," said Eisley, "How far does she have to go?"