Chapter 5: 55 Cancri e
We approach slowly; we know the location of Lynas Corp efforts but don’t go there directly. Just drift along in no particular hurry pausing at spectacular views. The mine site comes up on our right, we pause and slowly change course and proceed to observe the site. I was right the terrain is a hell of a mess. The surface has been bulldozed back and the land ripped open to expose its minerals. It’s a nasty looking scar. The mining machinery sits where it was left behind when the staff evacuated. We hover over the site at low level and have a good look.
“If I can start that Komatsu bulldozer without being attacked, I can start closing that wound up and push the overburden back over the site, smooth it out, clean it up, we can replant the grass and trees. With a little fertilizer and rain we can repair this mess.” I ponder out loud.
“If you are not attacked, is the key question,” says Poe.
Enough for today and we don’t care to get the planet excited so we slowly gain altitude and go back into low planet orbit.
Next morning after breakfast we return and set down by the mine site. Beast and I go outside to have a very close examination and to see if we are to be attacked. I don’t take any weapons but I do take a shovel. Of course I am suited and Beast and I have the Aegis force field available if things go to hell. Poe is monitoring everything and will watch my back while I make an effort to state our intentions.
“All set,” asks Poe?
“Ready as I can be,” I reply
“Can’t wait to get out,” xmits Beast.
Poe opens the ramp and Beast and I walk down slowly and step onto the planet surface for the first time. Its sunny, blue sky, the air is clean and fresh with a forest smell; there is a light breeze, just a lovely day to be out enjoying the outdoors. The ground is not as rocky as I envisioned, more like the loam of forest soil well mixed with plant and animal matter. Beast is off immediately wagging his tail and snuffing and smelling everything. Of course also performing a very thorough scan for any significant life forms and setting a perimeter that he can defend.
“Clear out a hundred yards in all directions Boss,” I hear Beast think.
“No weather disruptions, aircraft, Sats, drones, to the horizon,” states Poe.
“Ok, gonna start with the shovel demonstrations,” I reply.
Walking over to the deepest part of the rent in the soil the bulldozers last pass made, I begin to smoothly shovel the earth back into the trench.
The use of a shovel in this day and age is pretty much a lost art except for the very few individuals who are still practitioners of the ancient art of shoveling. At one time huge construction projects were built with little more than the strength of a man’s back and his use of a shovel. My time in the military acquainted me with the proper use of a shovel. For all the billions of dollars in technology the military has, it still demands its troops to understand the proper way to dig a foxhole or defensive personal trench around a military position. I shovel more than dig; it’s more a case of brushing the dirt back into the deepest trench cut by the dozer. The movement has a rhythm and tempo all its own. Once you have that tempo established and the muscles loosened up you can move in that tempo for an amazing long time. I work my way along the edge of the cut, shoveling the dirt from the edge into the cut. I get to the end of the cut and stop for a rest.
“How do the scans look guys,” I ask?
“All normal here,” says Poe.
“Calm and peaceful, not detecting any threats,” xmits Beast.
“Excellent,” I reply.
I reach for my shovel, get up and resume the rhythm of shoveling. An hour or so later I am back to where I started. Resting I gaze at my handiwork and think that we are sure lucky we invented bulldozers to handle the movement of overburden as it would take forever to handle it all by hand and people are way too slow, moody, and maintenance needy, requiring food, water, sleep and so on. We are done for today, as we want to see how the planet is going to react. Before Beast and I go back up the ramp into the ship we walk over to examine the Komatsu dozer. There doesn’t seem to be any damage other than serious scratches which are cosmetic and to be expected on such a device.
We re-enter the ship and Poe lifts us off slowly gaining in altitude as the ship rotates through three hundred and sixty degrees. All seems peaceful and well behaved. The first day has gone well. I’m going to have a shower, get some food and have a nap. My back is out of shape from that much shoveling.
I dream of D, not is just a sexual fashion, but in a person, mental, feeling, emotion fashion. I don’t see D as a highly sophisticated artificial intelligence system in a cloned real physical body. Why don’t I see her as an accumulation of parts? Why do I see her as a conscious sentient entity. Is she actually sentient or does she just emulate it well based on our time together. I adopted her when she got to a level of capability with Frosty. That was a basic tenant of the deal. Taught her, raised her, worked with, played with, and lived with, shared opinions, argued with and all the processes that adults live through as they raise their children from squalling brats to responsible reasonable adult humans. Maybe she is a sentient consciousness, maybe she isn’t. Would I recognize the difference? How can I test for something that I am completely shitty at and predisposed to specific answer? Christ I personify my fucking car for god’s sake. But then does any of that shit matter to a human? How many times is there divorce in couples in the world? Apparently neither party made the correct selection or processed the facts to a proper conclusion regarding the other party did they? Humans don’t know shit, and don’t want to know shit about such things. They just manifest what they want to see in the other party and as long as the other party doesn’t change to much they are gold. Who gives a flying fuck if D is not a sentient conciseness entity as defined by some scientific/philosophical five hundred page text book on the subject? I don’t fucking care, I love her just the way she is and I miss her desperately when we are apart and I love to spend time with her doing anything at all. For me the answer is consciousness doesn’t matter much, if at all. I think chasing it and worrying over it, attempting to use it as a measurement device when we can’t even use it on ourselves is nothing but a fool’s errand. Move on stupid you are missing the boat! I wake up with a start, come to my senses and realize I’ve been dreaming and thrashing about in bed, I have a headache, and I have a nagging sense I should not be here, I have made a mistake! Shit, I hate trying to start a day on such a note. A good chunk of the morning is going to be the rationalization of the conclusions of the dream state. Or the feelings of guilt, frustration, the undermining of self-confidence, all of which take so much energy out of me that I am exhausted by noon and still have the larger part of the day to go.
Chapter 6: Komatsu
We are back, Poe touches down and Beast and I head over to the Komatsu dozer. Well, I walk, Beast gallops around in all directions looking like the animal he is and enjoying himself immensely. He’s the perfect cover for a parameter scan. Once again the weather is fair with predominantly clear blue sky and just a light breeze.
“All clear boss,” he xmits, “Been some larger creatures around having a look see judging by the tracks and smells, but it’s clear now.”
“Thanks Beast,” I reply as I climb up on the Komatsu D155ax bulldozer and begin examination of the controls. It’s a very low time machine as there is still plastic on the seat and smells fresh inside. It’s got all the goodies including a ripper in the back.
Fortunately it is a dozer and not a fighter jet, so I can grasp by the symbols how the two joysticks work. I hit the ignition and the brute thunders to life. While the machine warms up and the gauges get into the operating temp zone I just work the controls to get my mind set as to what button and what motion of the sticks I need to control the dozer blade direction and all that stuff. Ok, let’s get to moving some dirt and get this back-filling done.
The dozer is ridiculously powerful; it takes no time and very little effort on m
y part to move the overburden dirt back to where it was plowed out. I bulldoze the over burden in, pack it down with the dozer, then change direction by ninety degrees and smooth the lumps and bumps by just back dragging the huge blade across the ground.
“I’m seeing movement on my radar out a few kilometers,” says Poe.
“Anything I should be concerned about,” I reply?
“A group of creatures about the size of mature Rhinoceros, moving steady in your direction, will appear from the North West.”
“Ok, thanks Poe.”
“You copy that Beast,” I ask?
“Yup, got it, thanks,”
The group of creatures arrives at the mine site a short time later. They are four legged, armored, rhinoceros style creatures, but no horns. Rather a more slender head and mouth with teeth looking more like plant eaters than meat eaters. But no question as to their size and weight as they are a minimum of a couple of ton each.
I am just finishing up smoothing out the back-fill. The site looks pretty good as it is level and all the dirt has been replaced and packed down.
The creatures watch from the parameter as I finish the smoothing operation. Beast sits a respectful distance away from them just watching the creatures. He uses no threatening posture, nor do the observing creatures. They snuff around feed occasionally on grasses on the parameter, wander out onto the packed and smoothed back-fill and look around like consummate inspectors.
I finish with the dozer and park it and shut the engine off. Beast walks over beside me and we walk around and inspect my handiwork keeping the creatures at a healthy distance. They watch, graze and snuff and show only mild interest.
“Enough for today, haven’t got attacked or trampled so we should leave it at that,” I comment.
“The creatures seem peaceful enough, I sense no aggression from them,” says Beast. “Nor can I detect any manner of communication from them other than simple herd mannerisms. They came over here to have a look, they are curious, and not threatening at this time.”
“Let’s back off and give them plenty of room as it’s their area and not ours,” as I walk up the ramp into the ship.
We take our time leaving, get a little altitude and watch the creatures wander out further into the smoothed out back-filled area. Everything seems peaceful and calm.
I am in the Virtual Reality construct on the ship, the site in the reclaimed mine site in the warm evening sun. The quality of the reality is perfect. D is standing alone and looking tousled, lonely, and forlorn.
“Matt?’
“Hi honey, how are you?”
“Not very good, I miss you so much,” D snuffs.
“Is everything ok, you’re not in trouble are you?”
“No, just lonely for you and Beast, I don’t feel right at all.”
“Well honey I miss you too very much,” I gather her up in a hug. “Loneliness can be a real bugger if you are not used to it.”
“I just feel sick and lost when you guys aren’t around. Like a part of my world is missing and I’m incomplete.”
“Yes, that’s how loneliness affects humans, some much harder than others it depends on your character make up.”
“Well I don’t like it,” pouts D. “And I want you back.”
“Trust me dearest when I say there is no place I would rather be than back on the Trade Station with you.”
“When will you get back?”
“I would estimate in about a week’s time we should have things pretty cleaned up here. The Pirates are not fools and this is not their first dance.”
D hugs me harder “That’s too far away!”
“Honey are you sure everything is ok?”
“Everything is fine, I just miss you and I’m lonely. Why is being a human such an unpleasant experience sometimes?”
“Ahh, yes, you are correct sometimes being a human is a really horrible experience. However, humans learn from birth to handle the emotional highs and lows and to not get too ecstatic about the highs or depressed and lonely about the lows. It’s a form of self-moderation that humans develop over their lifetimes that is taught by parents and which helps greatly in instances like this. As you have no lifetime developed cushion to help you, the feelings can be very overpowering.”
“You will come home sooner?”
“No D, that’s not what I’m saying.”
“I know, and I do appreciate the explanation.”
Beast comes into the VR Simulation and with a squeal of delight D releases me and hugs Beast. And of course Beast loves D to death and sings her a great loud long Wolf song of delight. In the frenzied hugging and wrestling between D and Beast his tail whacks me across the shins, christ it’s like being whacked with a hockey stick. I yelp and step back out of the way. But it sure warms my heart to see these two express their joy and love for one another.
Snippets of my dream return to me with startling clarity, I push them away, now is not the time for self-debating the merits of a Turing Test or the finer aspects of perceived or internalized degrees of consciousness. I love these entities, am loved in return, I trust them with my back and they have always exceeded my expectations in every way.
.
Chapter 7: Inspectors
Day three we are back after breakfast. I notice the creatures are feeding contentedly close to the mine site. Poe touches the ship down long enough for me to unload a small two man scout scooter. I have it equipped with grass seed in a tank, mixed grass seeds actually. The tank of seeds will broadcast out as I fly slowly over the back-filled area. Beast walks down the ramp and jumps off onto the ground and begins his parameter checks and snuff about.
I set the scooter for four feet of height to broadcast a nice radius of seeds and start flying slowly back and forth across the area.
“Local inspectors are coming for a look see Boss,” reports Beast.
“Excellent, just let me know of any adverse behavior,” I reply.
It’s peaceful and relaxing to simply fly back and forth across the mine site spreading grass seeds. It’s sunny and warm and the air smells of forest and is oxygen rich. The herd of creatures shows up and express some idle interest watching me spread the seeds. I give them a wide birth as do not care to provoke them. Presently after a few trips back and forth and an inspection of what is being spread the creatures lose interest and go back to grazing in the rich forest underbrush.
The spreading of the seeds complete I return to the Ship to store the scooter. Beast continues to site out in the middle of the area watching and sensing. It’s peaceful and serene.
“Interestingly we have a series of clouds coming up the valley from the South East,” says Poe. “Looks like we might get a rain shower.
“Well that’s very opportunistic isn’t it? The grass is going to love the rain, is that planet planning or what.” I ponder.
“I’d like to think that the planet is responding to our efforts to help heal the mining scar.” says Poe.
Beast smells the rain coming and with another careful look around he returns to the ramp and climbs back up into the ship.
“As quiet as our backyard,” he xmits.
“Let’s watch the rain for a while,” I muse.
We keep the loading ramp partially down so we can sit on it in the outside air and smell the rain. Listen to its sounds and be sheltered by the bow of the ship above us.
It’s a delightful rain, somewhere around a half inch I suppose. Enough to thoroughly soak the back-filled area and give the grass seeds a quick start. No wind just a steady gentle cool rain, so glorious in its execution, sounds and smells.
We leave back to low orbit.
The next day at the repaired mine site is sunny and hot, just a gorgeous day. Poe lowers the ship to a clearing by the fresh grass and Beast and I step down out of the ship. Amazingly the grass has started to grow already. There is green fuzz some quarter inch long covering the site. Hardly possible as grass seed doesn’t grow that quickly.
“I’m re
ading a new human shaped entity on the sensors along with the regular animal’s approaching.” says Poe.
The rhino like creatures spill out of the forest onto the field of grass and form a defensive arc. In the middle of the arc is a figure of human shape, clad in a dark robe with hood up, carrying a long wooden walking stick, like a quarter staff. He steps forward onto the fresh new grass, kneels down and examines it closely. Then he stands and moves toward us. Just walks casually towards Beast and I. We take the hint and move towards him, Beast wagging his tail as he walks. We meet in the middle of the field of grass.
The humanoid form reaches up and pulls its hood back. It is old with heavy lined face and white hair. I reach up and undo the latch on my combat helmet and lift it off. Beast sits down on the grass beside me.
The humanoid shape doesn’t move its lips but in my mind I hear.
“I am Volar, the keeper of this planet. You have our profound appreciation for the repairs you have made to this unsightly surface scar.”
“I am Matt, this is Beast. The Lynas Corp was wrong to tear up the surface without your permission.” I say.
“Yes they were, we punished them for their actions.”
“They were seeking a specific rare mineral.” I reply
“So I gather, and if they can work with us we both will benefit.”
“What do you require in exchange for the mineral,” I ask?
“There are areas of our planet that are not green and need to be for our creatures. Your machinery could make a great difference and help us.”
“I will advise Lynas Corp of this, they will come to discuss.” I reply.
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