Beyond Kuiper: The Galactic Star Alliance

by Matthew Medney

  Before he could tease out any subtext on that statement, they reached the metal doorway to Lily’s office. It looked like it belonged in a spaceship.

  “Curious meeting you, Joanne. A curious encounter given the circumstance. I hope we’ll speak again.”

  She bowed and left. After three long breaths, he activated the entry. It split and disappeared into the walls. The room beyond was completely, ominously, dark.

  “Lily?” Bernard was surprised at his own soft tone, not so much the icy voice that answered.

  “Come in, Bernard.”

  The sound of it, not heard in six years, sent him plummeting back through a wealth of joy and sorrow, before he noticed how it had changed. It was sadder, perhaps, certainly more aloof tinged with long-smoldering anger.

  This would be touchy. Her expertise was unparalleled. He needed her on the Nomad. William wanted her there too. More than that, though, they both wanted her there for Darren, a great man and one of the few minds Bernard valued more than his own.

  Was it yesterday I passed him in the hall on my way back here? I waved farewell and said we’d do dinner next week to review the outputs from the Large Hadron Collider.

  Moments later, he was safely in his Newton 7GRX heading for the airfield, when, in an instant, everything was gone.

  Lily’s voice, coming from somewhere far in the darkness, yanked him back to the present. “You actually sent William to do your dirty work?”

  “You made your feelings about me abundantly clear, Lily. Publicly, I might add. I was… trying to respect your wishes.”

  “Really? And was thinking you could recruit me for your interplanetary voyage and avoid seeing me until launch day part of that show of respect?”

  “Lily, truly, I didn’t know where to begin. But I am here. You must realize this mission matters more than anything.”

  He still couldn’t see her and had no idea if she could see him, but he covered his heart all the same hoping it would convey his sincerity. The only light remaining, from the hall behind him, disappeared when the doors snapped shut engulfing him entirely in darkness.

  What the hell? His heart sped up, soon pounding in his chest.

  And then, there was light. Sourceless, it dissolved the void but failed to reveal anything; no walls, floor, or even the door he’d entered through. Before him, behind him—all around—there was white, bright, infinite nothingness. He couldn’t even tell if he was standing or floating.

  This looks like the construct from The Matrix. He rubbed the back of his neck looking for a plug, then realized if this was virtual reality, he wouldn’t be able to find one.

  Little else to do, he walked, and as he did, the air split creating a square-shaped entrance in front of him with a jungle visible beyond.

  Well, she’s certainly winning the “most interesting recruitment” award.

  He stepped in among the trees. Birds chirped; sunlight left dappled chiaroscuro patterns on his hands. Even the dirt felt real, all thanks to the nanofibers in the floor no doubt.

  The door behind him snapped closed and another opened. When he moved through the new entry, multiple rooms sprung out; accordion-like, each expanded deeper and deeper revealing a wealth of extreme climates. He traversed from the tropics to the arctic—to blistering Saharan dunes.

  Finally, a doorway opened to what seemed a normal room. Sensing this was the end, that the dreaded encounter was nigh, he almost hesitated before stepping through.

  The office was at last illuminated. Its walls were circular, not unlike William’s but windowless. In fact, there was nothing in the space except a raised dias supporting the two semi-circular desks Dr. Lily Parsons sat within. She wore a patterned, green top with matching floral skirt: her fiery, red hair pinned in an imposing Japanese style.

  “Actually respecting me would have meant allowing me to look into the eyes of the man responsible for my father’s death without having to ask.”

  The words and the angry fire in her eyes pained him. “Your father was my closest friend, you know that. I understand why you were hurt. I was too, believe me, but I had nothing to do with his death. It wasn’t human error, either. Part of this mission is to prove that. To find out what did cause the accident... what killed our family and friends. Think about it. What possible motive could I have for hurting the scientific community so profoundly?”

  “That’s easy.” Her eyebrows shot up like an Atlas rocket. “To pretend that first contact is upon us just so you can go adventuring in space.”

  He tried to remind himself this was Lily; this was part of his atonement. Even so, he couldn’t resist. “That’s absurd.”

  She dismissed the claim in a heartbeat. “Is it? You always want to be part of anything you consider important. The present situation only proves my point.”

  Far from calm, Bernard climbed the dais bringing himself to eye-level with Lily. “I tell you it’s nonsense. You talk about respect? William shared the complete evidence with you. As a scientist you should respect the facts. Your father would never have sunk to such warrantless conjecture.”

  She became shrill. “Don’t dare talk to me about what my father would and wouldn’t do. If you cared so much for him, why didn’t you reach out after CERN? His best friend? You weren’t even at his funeral! Why didn’t you come and talk to me, if only for his sake? WHY?”

  The memory of Bernard’s betrayal in her time of need was too much. He was speechless. William was right, his inability to comfort the family of his fallen friend was a dark stain. True, his absence at the funeral was for security reasons, but after that, he did stay away. The world already hating him, close friends were turning on him feeding his survivor guilt… the rift grew over time and he let it.

  The EMF sculptor on her desk reminded him of when he and Darren built the first one. It somehow gave him the courage to speak, not with his usual chess-master tone, but with a softer voice that cracked with emotion.

  “You’re right. My actions in the aftermath of that horrific day were dishonorable. As assuredly as I did not sabotage the antimatter containment, I did nothing to deserve living instead of Darren or any of my fallen friends. I should have been here for you. I should have been there for a lot of people, but I wasn’t. I lost everything and didn’t know how to continue, so I hid my sorrow and myself in my work. I don’t expect your forgiveness, Lily, but maybe, just maybe, this mission will shed some light for us all.”

  Through pitiless tears she gave him a piercing stare. “All I understand is that I lost my father that day. And yet, here you are, still alive fantasizing about how your next great discovery will erase your previous sins.”

  That was it. He had tried. “Were you just lying to William, then, when you said you’d join the Nomad to give yourself a chance to vent this bile?”

  Eyes drying, Lily transformed her expression into a fearsome smile. The sudden shift reminded him of a calculating Angelika.

  “Oh no, Bernard, I am going on this mission. I’m looking forward to it.”

  Uh oh. Where’s this going?

  Suddenly, she sounded dangerous. “I said yes because I want to be there when you fail. I want to make sure everyone knows the truth, to deny you any opportunity to twist the facts when you reach the edge of the system… and find nothing.”

  Angelika, we’ve found our dissenter. Congratulations.

  Lily’s eyes probed for chinks in his armor, but if she was going to announce herself as the enemy, he’d be sure she’d find none.

  Already returned to his chess master persona, he answered with no affect. “Well, the little show you gave when I arrived makes it clear you’ve made progress in photon manipulation. The crew will be grateful for your expertise. I was hoping we could start again but, nevertheless, welcome aboard. William will be your liaison going forward. If there is nothing else, I have pressing work.”

  As he tried to leave, Lily grunted. “There’s another reason I wanted you here.”

  That stopped him. Half expect
ing the room to become a desert, a dungeon, or a pit of lava, he turned back. Lily still sat at her desk judging his every twitch. Abruptly, she opened a drawer and pulled out an oceanic blue cube.

  “This is my father’s NanoCube. I can’t open it, naturally, no one can. But I think he added a failsafe for you.”

  Bemused as much as surprised, Bernard looked at the cube, to Lily, and back to the cube. “For me? What do you mean?”

  “After he died, I found this with a note. I didn’t understand it at first, but over the years I came to realize it was meant for you.”

  She handed him a small piece of paper with one line on it.

  “Forever a mote of dust. Forever and explorer. Forever a friend.”

  Bernard was flabbergasted. Only Darren and William had ever read the letter from Carl Sagan to his great-grandfather. Excited, he reached for the NanoCube thinking it would activate at his touch.

  But a creeping suspicion made him hesitate. “Even if I could, Lily, why would you let me open Darren’s cube?”

  “Because whatever’s inside must be important, and, regardless of my feelings, I am still a scientist.”

  “A scientist that waited six years…”

  “Research takes time Bernard.”

  Is this why Angelika insisted on choosing her?

  “Lily, Darren’s NanoCube was protected by a tridimensional rotating code. I certainly can’t… ah. No, wait. Of course I can. Hand me the note again.”

  Though confused, she obliged.

  His clever friend left the clues in plain sight—voice, print, touch, they were all there. Without wasting another moment, he gripped the cube in his right hand and said.

  “Forever a mote of dust. Forever and explorer. Forever a friend.”

  When he circled the dais, the NanoCube felt alive. When it unlocked, a miracle occurred.

  “Father!” Lily screamed.

  “Oh, my…”

  In the cosmology world, Darren Parsons was known as a showman. Even in death, he did not disappoint. Before their eyes, a collection of pixels was coalescing into an ever-more-perfect 3D replica of the man they knew and loved. Neither had ever seen this level of tactile resolution.

  Once the avatar was completely manifested, it… yawned.

  Looking directly at Bernard, it said, “Dear friend, if you’re seeing this, I am dead. I assume Lily is with you. My dear, I am so, so sorry I’m not there to guide you. Don’t ever forget, you’re far more brilliant than I ever could be. I am better looking, though. Joking, just joking… I’m sure you’re wondering why I’m here, better yet, how I’m here.”

  “Yup,” they both said, as if he could hear.

  Apparently, he could. “I used experimental neurodigital interface tech of which our scientific friends Medina Karimov & Ava Auburn had started toying with to link my brain to the cube. The process was… oh, let’s call it… messy. I am in fact, the preserved consciousness of Darren Parsons, more specifically, his memory cortex drive, an MCD5 as I like to call them, a living copy of a human mind. Think Jor-El at the Fortress of Solitude in those 20th century Superman movies. I continue to exist, within this hologram, in a stable digital form. Bernard, sorry for not sharing the tech with you. If memory serves -heh- I planned to once we finished Project Phoenix Fires.”

  Lily burst into tears. Though trembling, Bernard held himself together so he wouldn’t miss a word.

  “The bigger issue is what I was last working on when I made this self-backup—a way for neurons and synapses to communicate on the quantum level. In short, telepathy. Once I fully awaken, I can be more help to you, but it’ll take several days to decompartmentalize. In the meantime, you’ll have to rebuild the interface. I destroyed the prototype after I used it to upload. My designs were too close to completion to be in anyone’s hands but yours. You need to promise me, Bernard, promise on Lily, that it will stay safe, and you’ll work together to finish it.”

  Without hesitation, Bernard said, “I promise.”

  Digital Darren smiled.

  The fact that Darren kept this from him was almost as astonishing as the tech itself. Telepathy had been a science fiction dream from the beginning. It would not only prove incredibly useful to the Nomad, the long voyage would give them time to field test it properly.

  Seeing her father again, coupled with the revelation, apparently softened Lily. “Do you realize what this could mean for communication in space?”

  “I do, Lily.” Instead of embracing the possibilities, he frowned.

  “What are you afraid of now?”

  “I’m not sure, but the timing is too perfect.”

  “Ugh, shut it, Bernie. Timing my ass. If you’d come around sooner, we’d have had it years ago. And what in heaven’s sake is Project Phoenix Fires?”

  Avoiding the question, he replayed the message over and over delving deeper into the concepts and schematics of neural communication at a quantum level. Six hours later, he broke his silence.

  “It’s astounding.”

  “Do you think we can complete it?” Lily asked.

  He thought awhile before answering, “I think so… yes. We’d have to bring William, Angelika, and Isaac in on it. I don’t even understand a third of Darren’s math.”

  “Go, make it happen. I’ll start deciphering the blueprints.” Before he exited, she gave him a look. “Don’t think I’m letting you off the hook. You will tell me what you and my father were working on.” With an indignant snort, she muttered, “Project Phoenix Fires. Peh. The way the two of you name things…”

  Bernard left the office and nearly blacked out. The curveball was utterly unexpected and equally electrifying. Darren’s last act may have saved Bernard and Lily’s relationship. Perfect timing, indeed.

  Back at the hangar, William and Isaac were studying a life-size hologram of the Nomad when he rushed in and stopped them. “You won’t believe who I just talked to for hours.”

  “Um… Lily?”

  “Well, yes, but also… Darren…”

  “WHAT!?”

  Once Bernard recapped it all, they raced to Angelika’s to bring her up to speed, and then headed back to the nanolabs as quickly as possible.

  As they ran, Bernard looked at William. “I don’t know exactly what we’ll make of Darren’s work or even if the functionality will be solid enough for our journey. What I can tell you, old friend, is that the adventures of the Nomad have truly begun.”

  William provided a bemused laugh. “Oh, Bernie… the adventures of the Nomad truly began months ago.”

  William grinned and moved past him reaching the doorway to Angelika’s office first. The two of them moved to their respective seats: Bernard left, William right, as it always was. Angelika looked at them and ushered a movement employing an explanation.

  “Angie, Darren is back; he’ll be coming on the ship with us.” Bernard spoke in boyish joy.

  “That bastard, he actually did it. A functional M.C.D...”

  1 Seymour

  An AI robot programmed with predictive algorithms to understand and assist humans in building any unique structure, machine, or construct. This early stage AI began as a concept of RNA Industries, founded by Grayson Freedman of MIT, Candice Oliver of Harvard, and Aiden Alexander of CalTech. These founders of RNA & SETI Schools looked to create a bilateral, multi-functional assistant for labor intensive occupations. The project was later continued by Angelika On at Outer Limits starting in September of 2076.

  2 Halo Builder

  A bleeding-edge 3D printer that can build in hundreds of materials and levitate as they work. This includes fabricating high precision mechanisms with smooth finish and no build layers. When integrated with Seymours, they typically assemble hardware in a fifth of human time. In the early 2080’s, Seymours and Halo Builders were brought in front of the World Council as amenable options for rebuilding off world colonies.

  3 Surface Exploration Vehicle (SEV)

  A smaller, chemical powered spacecraft that attaches
to the forward section of the Nomad. It can shuttle a crew of 4, has enough fuel to visit the surface of one planet with Earth like gravity, or visit two planets or moons with Mars like gravity.

  4 The Alchemist

  An eternal machine composed of trillions of nanobots created to help humanity along their journey. It pulls from all known data to better serve a person and can manipulate portions of itself to build objects. Darren Parsons worked on it as a side project in 2074, though the origin of the original schematics was unknown. When he realized he was on the threshold of creating sentient AI, and thus a hypothetical “Overlord” or as he would say “Skynet type event,” he shelved everything and told only Angelika to burn the lab and its work. After telling Daren she would, she proceeded to store the work instead. In 2086, after Darren’s death, Angelika revived the project and provided schematics telling Lily Persons it was her father’s dream to bring the Alchemist to life.

  5 MCD

  Memory Cortex Drive, is a living, digital copy of a human mind. It exists within a HoloCube in stable form. It retains all of the personality, memory, and characteristics of the original person. This technology was created by Darren Parsons, who before his death, surgically implanted a series of neurodigital interfaces between his brain and the HoloCube in secret. This provided a hardlink for the software that could map and duplicate a human mind. The failsafe MCD was activated by Bernard Hubert. The construct gives a person the ability to contemplate and analyze problems, equations, strategies, realities, and their own thoughts at quantum computing levels.

  Seventeen

  Creators of Space

  All who live in the underbelly of the galaxy know the tale. Some use it to induce fear, some as a bedtime story. Every Creator, though, knows it to be true.

  Deep in the void between stars, through nebula alleyways consumed by blackness, a dead planet drifts. Now home to a legendary band of rebels, its broken mass silently orbiting a rogue black hole… moves invisibly through the cosmos. Unbound by the usual galactic flow, free from the galaxy’s rules, it is impossible to find.