by S. H. Jucha
“I’m still convinced the answers lie within the consoles,” Kasie said stubbornly.
“Kasie, instead of concentrating on trying to hook these two new gates together, let’s concentrate on finding the list of available domes,” Edmas encouraged. “The answer to the next step might occur there.”
“Luther, have the SADEs searched every meter of the lower decks?” Kasie asked.
“For what, in particular?” Luther asked.
“A subconsole or ancillary engineer control station?” Kasie replied. “There might exist something that Messinant engineers used for installation processes that they didn’t want even the smartest of us to access.”
Luther sent a request to the SADEs within both domes, and they dropped below. Previously, the SADEs had inventoried the structures, machinery, and tools that they’d found. There hadn’t been a search for a console that might be hidden. Now, they checked both lower decks with new eyes for something that might be concealed.
While the SADEs searched the lower decks, Kasie requested the human operators return to the consoles.
Luther shared that star too. It had the two solid hash marks of the original gate installation, but it had a third marker now, and that one was blinking.
A SADE had replicated the dome display for Jodlyne and Pia, and they craned their necks to view the brilliant dots that covered the hemisphere. The SADE indicated the two stars that were under discussion.
Minimalist had studied the lists that Luther’s group had inventoried below. While he supported the search, he reviewed the tool inventory. During his time at the console, the women’s constant engagement had required he explain every element of the console. Several aspects of the console were unexplainable, and Jodlyne and Pia had teased him about the limits of SADE knowledge.
Initially, Minimalist had decided the negative comments were completely unnecessary. It was obvious that knowledge would always be a pursuit, and no SADE professed to know it all. As the days passed, he came to understand that the women’s comments were developing an aspect of his kernel that had limited code support. Responding to their remarks had remedied that.
Minimalist halted his search and handed off his section to another SADE. Then he made for the tool storage room. Selecting a case that had previously been opened and inspected, he hauled it up two levels, laid it on the deck, and displayed its contents to the conference group.
Most of the conference group was appalled by Minimalist’s remarks. However, Jodlyne was stomping a boot, applauding, and whistling. Pia chose to hug the SADE. As their reward for recognizing Minimalist’s biting brand of humor, the women received the first smile from the SADE that they’d ever seen.
Mickey observed Miriam’s face. She wore an amused smile. He sent privately,
Minimalist withdrew a multi-levered tool. Its head appeared to be a laser pointer. The other end was an open tube, but many knew that was deceiving. Photons powered the dome, and they were delivered around the dome by tubes.
Grasping the tool, Minimalist approached the console and set the device’s open end into a hole above the primary panel. This orifice was the subject of what he’d considered a nagging question, which is why he’d made the connection between the tool’s image and that of the console so quickly.
The conference audience watched the tool’s other end light, and a coherent beam reached out and touched the dome’s display.
Immediately, Luther sent the nearest SADE to bring the same tool from below.
Kasie waited impatiently for the tool to arrive and be inserted into their console. When it arrived, it behaved the same as the pointer at the other dome.
Luther did as requested.
Minimalist repeated the action for the second console.
Kasie scanned the panels. There was no response.
Anticipating Kasie’s question, Minimalist sent,
Luther and Minimalist adjusted the lasers’ positions.
Heads near the console swung toward the primary panel, while the conference audience focused on Luther’s link, which examined the panel closely.
A window had popped up. It was the usual glyph entry window. There was one significant difference. Below the window, a glyph appeared. Two seconds later, a new glyph appeared in its place. Then a third glyph replaced the second.
Kasie stared at the glyph changes. Then she regarded Luther in perplexity.
On the lowest deck of Luther’s dome, a SADE walked past the dome’s power plant and paused. He detected a temperature greater than when he’d passed the structure only minutes ago. Walking around the sphere, the SADE’s sensors registered an entire ring of heat, and he thermally imaged the area. Then the images were shared with the conference audience.
Luther connected the disparate datapoints, and, in what humans would consider a leap of intuition, he sent urgently,
11: Evacuate
Hearing Luther’s call to evacuate, Mickey felt panic. His partner was in danger.
Jess tensed. He was ready to move, to fight, to help, but Lucia’s firm hand on his shoulder held him in place. The only thing he could do was watch, wait, and hope.
Luther sent a flurry of coordinating directions. From below his dome, the SADEs raced up the stairway. He snatched Kasie and ran for the ramp.
Edmas sprinted after Luther. When two SADEs caught up with him in the corridor, they grasped him under the arms, lifted him clear of the floor, and shot down the corridor.
In the second dome, M
inimalist tucked Pia and Jodlyne under each arm and pounded across the deck. He made the lower corridor before another SADE reached him. Then Minimalist offloaded Pia.
In each dome, the SADEs, some with humans and some without, raced for safety. There was the possibility Luther was mistaken in his analysis, but this wasn’t the time to stop and try to reach consensus.
Four humans had never moved so fast. To them, much of the trip to the airlock was a blur. A human’s vision was never meant to record details at the paces the SADEs traveled.
At the airlocks, the SADEs crowded into the spaces, supporting one another with feet and hands in gymnastic configurations to accommodate every individual. With single cycles of air, which felt interminable to the humans, the airlocks opened to the short corridor that led to the blast hatches.
The final hatches were triggered, revealing the shuttle launch tubes. A slender line dangled from each traveler.
SADEs without humans swam up the lines hand over hand.
The SADEs who’d carried humans set them down. Each SADE instructed their charge to climb on to their backs. By the time Edmas, Kasie, Jodlyne, and Pia were ready, the lines were clear. The unencumbered SADEs were waiting in the cargo travelers overhead.
Luther carried Kasie. His hand-over-hand motion took him swiftly up the line. Then the SADE with Edmas merely gripped the line, and the pair was hauled up by the actions of several SADEs.
It was the same for Minimalist, who climbed the slender line with Jodlyne on his back. A second SADE with Pia had only to hold on while SADEs pulled him to the ship.
Each system’s Trident had already absconded. Lucia sent them diving below the ecliptic at an angle. Each Trident pushed the limits of their engines to put the nearby planet between the ship and the moon, which supported the dome.
As the travelers shot to catch their warships, the SADEs took down the tripods, stowed them, and then closed the rear hatches.
Kasie glanced at Edmas.
In the other traveler, Pia glanced worriedly at Jodlyne.
Pia sent to Jodlyne.
While humans chatted and SADEs reviewed the details of what had transpired, the primary console within Luther’s dome ended its gradual exchange of glyphs.
Moments later, Luther’s traveler registered a brilliant flash of light. The energy wave came for the traveler, and the ship’s energy banks were drained to stay ahead of it. The traveler was far into the dark, when the remains of the wave caught it. There was a momentary shuddering of the traveler, and then the energy swept past.
The pilot, who was also a SADE, sent a short message to the Trident. Then she activated the emergency beacon. Immediately afterward, the traveler shut down. The power banks were drained, and the ship continued sailing into the dark.
As soon as the wave cleared the planet, the Trident’s captain ordered the traveler’s beacon tracked. The warship reversed course and accelerated to catch its wayward responsibility.
In the dark of the main cabin, Kasie turned on her suit lights.
a SADE commented.
Kasie realized that Edmas maintained a link to the SADEs, including the pilot. It occurred to her that she should have done the same.
The SADEs had already compared timelines on the movements of the laser pointers, the countdown popup, and the heat detection below.
Edmas added.
Kasie mused about what Luther and Edmas were saying. A thought occurred to her, and she sent excitedly,
Edmas sent. He grinned, even though it was too dark for Kasie to see.
After a lengthy period, the travelers’ occupants heard the sounds of their ship under rescue protocols. The beams that had tethered them were undetected, but vibrations of the landing gear extending were felt.
The bay’s crew chief had signaled a small backup power supply that drove the landing gear. Then crew coupled the bay’s power to an outlet exposed by the deployment of the bow strut.
When the pilot detected the flow of energy into the traveler’s power banks, she activated the ship’s systems and shut off the emergency beacon. As the cabin lights came on, the ramp dropped.
Kasie gently punched Edmas in the shoulder for dousing cold water on her growing elation.
Immediately, Luther connected through the warships to Minimalist to receive an update on the second traveler and the dome’s conditions.
As the passengers exited the ship, they heartily greeted the chief and
his crew. Being rescued was an overwhelming feeling for humans. What went undetected were the SADEs’ responses. Potentially eternal lives had nearly been truncated. Despite the SADEs’ determination to proceed with the investigations, their near-deaths had briefly paused their kernels’ processes.
Kasie had popped her faceplate, as did every other passenger. While crew supported the removal of environment suits, Kasie regarded Luther with a frown.
“What, Kasie?” Luther inquired.
“If we’re right about devices under the power plants to prevent deep investigations by ascending races, then shouldn’t the second dome have detonated?” Kasie replied. “Members of the same race initiated the actions at both consoles.”
Edmas’ mouth quirked, and he tipped his head in acknowledgment of a legitimate question.
“SADEs find the difference perplexing,” Luther allowed. “Further investigation might reveal the reason.”
“We’re going to need a new site,” Edmas pointed out. He shared an image with Kasie.
“What’s this?” Kasie asked. “There’s nothing there but stars.”
“That’s an image from this Trident,” Edmas explained. “It’s the view of our moon, or what was our moon.”
“The whole thing?” Kasie asked incredulously. “What about debris?”
Edmas regarded Luther, who said, “Little to speak of, Kasie. The matter that comprised the moon and the dome’s entire structure seems to have been annihilated.”
“What’s the shortest distance to the outpost, Luther?” Edmas asked.
“On our advice, the captain is sailing for the target dome,” Luther replied. “From there, gates can be employed for those who wish to journey to the outpost. Those continuing the investigation will remain on-site until a new pair of domes can be chosen.”
“One of the gates within the second dome now goes nowhere. Perhaps it would be easier to reorient that existing gate to a new gate rather than try to couple two new gates,” Kasie mused.
“An idea worthy of consideration,” Luther replied.