by S. H. Jucha
“I rather like the idea of having company for evening duty, when I’m alone on the bridge,” Jackie said.
“Now you’ve a new friend,” Kara said, taking her command chair. “Why don’t you get us some thé, and we’ll talk about next steps.”
Jackie walked into the galley, and Laestra handed her two large mugs of thé. “Thought you might be looking for these,” she said. Then those present broke into applause.
“Yes, we’re transiting to our old vector and then sailing at sublight,” Jackie said. “We’ll be giving our escort a week to find us. If they don’t, then we’ll be making for Pyre. But the applause should be for every one of us. This has been the worst shipboard trouble I’ve ever experienced, and our combined efforts saved us.” She hoisted the mugs in salute to the crew and exited the galley.
* * * * *
The pilots of Alain’s Trident traded out, as their shifts ended, but Hermione remained a fixture on the bridge. She could have managed the search herself, but her time with Ude and other humans had taught her much about the needs of biologicals. Despite their shortcomings, they wanted to help, to take part in the effort.
When the search along the original vector discovered nothing, the travelers were recovered. Their power banks were charged, while Hermione directed the warship pilot to transit to the starting point.
Then the travelers were launched again, and Hermione directed the search along a new trajectory. This process repeated, as Hermione intended to conduct a search along a cone, whose base swept three hundred and sixty degrees outward from the starting point.
Only eighty degrees of the cone had been searched when the Trident’s controller picked up the Transit Tripper’s emergency broadcast.
Alain sat up in bed.
Alain lay down and closed his eyes. The news was promising. After two days, the Tripper was still transmitting, which meant the ship hadn’t suffered a dangerous accident and detonated. Now, a rendezvous should be only a matter of time.
Hours later, Alain returned to the bridge, ordering his morning meal delivered there.
“Status, Hermione,” Alain requested, settling into his command chair. A mug of thé appeared at his right hand. He smiled at the crew member and sipped on it.
“We’re sailing on a tangent that should have intersected the freighter, Captain,” Hermione replied. “However, the emergency signal has disappeared.”
“Conjecture?” Alain requested.
“The freighter’s immediate emergency has passed,” Hermione replied. “The crew has been able to regain control of propulsion.”
“Then we must ask ourselves what they would do,” Alain mused.
Privately, Hermione asked Alain,
Alain considered the questions and came to the same answer as Ude and Hermione had. The Transit would make for the original vector, and the captain would hope to be found.
After gaining the original vector, Hermione made a series of short transits in an attempt to catch the freighter.
Alain kept watch from his bridge command chair.
The Trident transited again, and the controller signaled a link with the Tripper.
When the two ships sailed close, Hermione linked the controllers, and the Trident and the freighter disappeared into the dark.
Kara retired that evening, relinquishing the tour of duty on the bridge to Jackie.
After Kara exited the bridge, Jackie settled into her chair with a mug of thé. “Controller, access,” she said.
“Responding,” the controller answered.
“Do you have an alternate name?” Jackie inquired.
“My records indicate the single form of address,” the controller replied.
“Would you prefer an alternate name?” Jackie asked.
“Define prefer, in this instance,” the controller replied.
There it was in stark terms. For all of the controller’s capabilities, it wasn’t sentient.
“When I’m alone on the bridge, I will address you as Frank,” Jackie said.
“Understood, First Mate Jackie Olmand,” Frank replied.
“And, in the same circumstances, you’ll refer to me as Jackie. Understood, Frank?”
“Accepted, Jackie. How may I assist you?”
“I’d like some conversation, Frank.”
“Ready, Jackie. What information do you require?”
“I want to understand controller capabilities, Frank. What is the full extent of operations that a controller can accomplish while supporting the ship’s transport? How best can a human with an implant interface with a controller? Teach me, Frank,” Jackie requested.
During a significant portion of the long journey to Pyre, Jackie spent every evening under Frank’s tutelage. She kept her conversations with the controller quiet until one day she entered the bridge and found most of the crew chatting. She amiably greeted her crewmates. Then she said, “Controller, disregard my stricture against intimate address when in company.”
“Understood, Jackie,” Frank replied.
“Holo-vid display, Frank,” Jackie requested.
The freighter’s previous owner failed to have the credits to augment the bridge with a full scale holo-vid display. However, a controller’s installation allowed for a backup holo-vid display atop its interface panel.
“What do you wish to see, Jackie?”
“Wire model, Frank,” Jackie requested. “Representation of relative distances from the Ollassa system to present position and destination.”
The small holo-vid displayed the requested information.
“Approximate percent of the distance our journey has covered, Frank?” Jackie asked.
“Sixty-eight point three one percent, Jackie,” Frank replied.
“I’ve a new directive for you, Frank,” Jackie said.
“Ready, Jackie.”
“I assume that you recognize everyone on this ship, Frank.”
“I do, Jackie.”
“You’ll address each of them by their first names, except the captain, whom you’ll address as captain,” Jackie said.
“Confirmed, Jackie.”
“You’ll repeat the education that you’ve given me to each one of them,” Jackie directed. “Only the captain can countermand this directive or any directive given you by a crew member, Frank.”
“Your instructions are clear, Jackie. When is this instruction to begin?”
“Any time you determine that important or critical ship’s operations aren’t underway, Frank.”
“At times, crew members retire to quarters, eat in the galley, or conduct maintenance, Jackie,” the controller noted.
“My directive only applies to those who are in attendance on the bridge, Frank.”
“Understood, Jackie.”
The crew heard the laughter and handclapping of one crew member, Laestra. She stepped to Jackie, hugged her, and kissed both her cheeks.
“Let that be the last time that happens,” Jackie growled, wiping her cheeks.
“Maybe,” Laestra replied, winking, which brought a grin to Jackie’s face.
Jackie eyed the open-mouthed crew, which included Kara. Then she said, “Pardon me, Captain, while I exclude you from the following question. Okay, you dolts, are you ready to learn about controllers? If so, Frank is ready to teach you.”
10: New Gate
Pia and Jodlyne, with a SADE, Minimalist, in tow, appeared on the platform within the target dome. This dome occupied a system empty of sentients, including the Colony. Therefore, it was a relatively safe location for testing new Q-gate connections.
With little to do until the support Trident arrived, the two humans took lessons from Minimalist. As the trio gathered at the console, Pia asked, “Why the name Minimalist? That wasn’t your original name, was it?”
“Negative,” Minimalist replied. “It’s my view that too much is made of communications. A SADE’s thoughts are best kept within the kernel.”
“If that’s what you believe, Minimalist, why join an Omnian fleet?” Jodlyne asked. “Individuals in this fleet believe in a vibrant exchange of ideas.”
“I’m testing the validity of my view,” Minimalist replied.
“How?” Pia challenged. She had an idea, but she wanted to check her theory.
“Increased communications should demonstrate that the process has little value,” Minimalist replied.
“How did you get this job?” Jodlyne asked, indicating the dome overhead with a swirling finger.
“Miriam assigned me,” Minimalist replied.
“Well, Minimalist, we will want to assist you in proving your concept,” Pia said, with a glint in her eye. “To do this, we’ll need you to thoroughly engage us.”
“Yes,” Jodlyne added, understanding Pia’s plan. “You’ll need to share with us your thoughts, regardless of how trivial.”
“They would be too numerous to afford you time to respond,” Minimalist objected.
“Agreed,” Jodlyne responded. “Therefore, you’ll have to choose from among them.”
“On what criteria?” Minimalist inquired.
“I would think the important criteria would be to share those thoughts with us that we would find most interesting,” Pia interjected.
“How do I determine that?” Minimalist requested. “I’ve not interacted with either of you.”
“That’s your first challenge,” Jodlyne explained. “You have to get to know us to understand what subjects might intrigue us.”
“When shall we begin this test?” Minimalist asked.
Pia and Jodlyne stared quietly at the SADE.
The lack of an answer forced Minimalist to run an analysis to discover the reason. “The test has already begun,” he said, and Jodlyne and Pia nodded.
While waiting for the Trident to arrive, the women constantly engaged Minimalist in conversation. As an example, they refused to let the SADE just lecture them about the console and its panels. They frequently interrupted him and asked him for his thoughts. They asked what he thought the Messinants intended with regard to the developing sentient species.
Minimalist constantly reorganized hierarchy and rewrote algorithms to remain current with the women’s subject preferences. He’d decided that the period in the dome, while he was in constant contact with two humans, would suffice for his test. Within the first day, he decided he had the answer, which was that he was proven correct. However, having been assigned for the duration of the dome investigation and having made the decision to actively converse for the entire period, he persisted in the conversations.
The one thing that Minimalist perceived within the first few days was that humans failed to follow logical paths in their reasoning. Initially, he found that objectionable. As the days passed, he noted that the women made conjectures about future events that appeared to be based on intuition and that he hadn’t considered. This was also objectionable but for a different reason.
With a SADE’s acute vision, Minimalist detected the approach of the Trident. “It should arrive here in about four and a half hours,” he said.
“I think I’m going to take a break from paste and eat aboard the Trident. Care to join me, Jodlyne?” Pia inquired.
“Love to,” Jodlyne replied. “Minimalist, what do you think about eating?”
“It’s an unnecessary function,” the SADE replied. “Although, I’m capable of determining the compounds in any solution.”
“Do you enjoy some flavors more than the others that you’ve tested?” Pia asked.
This was another train of thought that Minimalist found disconcerting. He didn’t see the value, but he was determined to respond as best he could.
When the Trident arrived overhead, a traveler full of SADEs exited the warship. It took up station over an empty shuttle launch tube. The rear ramp dropped. A tripod and line were deployed, and SADEs slipped down it without the aid of harnesses.
The SADEs deployed the same comm relay system, as had been set up at the first dome. Repeaters were stationed at the bottom of the ramp, in the central ring, and near the shuttle tube. By connecting via the traveler and transferring the signal to the Trident, individuals in the two domes were able to communicate quickly and effectively.
When the comm links were established, Minimalist directed Pia and Jodlyne in the steps to open the console’s access to the lower levels. Then the SADEs set about installing the new gate. In this dome, it would be the third gate and positioned sixty degrees counterclockwise, according to Jess and Mickey’s use of the ancient term.
Three hours after the additional SADEs had arrived, the new gate was in place, and Minimalist relayed their success.
Indicating to Edmas that he should copy her movements, Kasie tried a series of panel tests, expecting Edmas to replicate them on his panel. Nothing worked. She had Jodlyne and Pia replicate her actions. They didn’t achieve anything. After several hours of being thwarted, Kasie called a halt to let the humans take a break.
“What are we missing?” Kasie asked Edmas and Luther, after using the facilities and consuming some paste. She recycled her plate and cup an
d settled at the table.
“The Messinants must have had a way to search for new gates,” Edmas suggested. “Think about how the race was operating.”
“What do you mean?” Kasie inquired.
“I can imagine teams of Messinants simultaneously working on planets and tinkering with species’ genomes,” Edmas explained. “In anticipation of their successes, many groups of engineers were deployed to construct the support systems for domes on satellites surrounding the target worlds.”
“So, domes came online at the same time, adding gates across alliance space,” Kasie mused. “You’re right. There had to be a selection process.”
“It would have conformed to a general plan orchestrated by the scientists,” Luther interjected. “Obviously, the Messinants wanted specific species interactions. They would have informed the engineers which gates to connect.”
“If you’re a lead engineer,” Edmas said, “then you’d have received a requirement to connect a dome-gate pair to another dome-gate pair.”
“Which you’d have had to perform by selecting an available dome from within your dome and then linking the new gate pair,” Kasie suggested.
“You’re not considering a key requirement,” Luther said. “These are quantum-coupled gates. How did the Messinants manage to distribute entangled photon particles between the gates they intended to couple?”
“Perhaps the problem is that we’re searching the console as a source for an integrated solution that might have required several unique steps for the Messinants, independent of the console,” Edmas proposed.
“That’s the consensus,” Luther added. “The SADEs note that the domes operate with blue light. These are higher frequency and energy photons that could be split to produce entangled pairs of lesser energy photons.”
“Are you saying that the entanglement, whatever that is, happens when the gates fire?” Kasie asked.
“No,” Luther replied gently, not wanting to dampen Kasie’s enthusiasm. “The domes use higher energy photons to provide energy for the gates, but the transmission between gates must be accomplished by entanglement to provide the instantaneous journey of individuals and material.”