Ari smiled, and brushed away her tears. “I’m still worried about being able to measure my emotions.”
“Sometimes a long, hard look over the edge is the only way we can keep from jumping.”
“How did you learn to be so understanding?”
“Marine Corps drill instructors.”
Ari laughed and stood up. “Have a good night, Chance Richter. I’m going to go pass out. Thank you for listening.”
“No problem.”
Ari exited the room and closed the door. Richter sighed.
“Damn it, I’m such a fool.”
Eight hours later, Byron was awoken by someone entering the cargo hold. That someone brought the lights up to one hundred percent. Byron sat up in his bed, which was nothing more than a mattress and two blankets on the floor. He blinked at the brightness.
“Isn’t it a little early to be retrieving supplies?”
“It’s past zero eight hundred,” Richter said. “You should be awake anyway.”
“Oh, like discipline is worth a damn on this ship, especially to me.”
Byron flopped over and pulled his blanket over his head.
“Self-discipline when it’s not necessary is a good habit to have.”
“Just turn the lights off when you’re done.”
“Get up, Byron, I’m here to talk to you.”
“What now?”
“I said, get up.”
Flipping his blanket off with a flourish, Byron stood up. Richter realized he’d never seen Byron with his shirt off. Byron had muscle tone like an Olympic athlete.
“Been working out, I take it?” Richter said with a raised eyebrow.
“What do you think I’ve been doing with all my free time in here? I do two hundred push-ups and two hundred crunches a day. Every other day I do two hundred squats. I use the ammo cans to work my arms. One hundred repetitions of five different exercises every other day.”
“So you do have some discipline after all.”
“The food you’ve been offering me hasn’t helped much. I must have lost twenty pounds since we left.”
“This is a prison of your own devising. You’ve had almost three weeks to get your shit together and you’re still no better at making up for your treachery.”
“Are you kidding? I’ve been the Dalai fucking Lama recently.”
“More alike then they’d ever admit,” Richter muttered. “I’m not going to use psychology or positive reinforcement to try and get you to relate to the crew better, Byron. It’s not my strong suit. Ray has the most patience for you, and John may be able to see it in his heart to forgive you. Dana is ambivalent. Christie, Ari and I would rather send you hitchhiking back to the Sol System in a rubber dinghy.”
“I know that. I guess I can’t find it in myself to kiss that much ass.”
“Fine. What I’m going to do is make sure your brains don’t end up our first 3-D tactile wall hanging.”
“Thanks, I can handle myself.”
Richter laughed lowly and shook his head. “You need to think about how you can be an asset to this crew. Right now you’re nothing more than a pain in the ass, resource consuming liability. In my line of work, liability is mitigated. One way or the other.”
“Is that a threat? I would have figured you beyond idle threats.”
“I deal in facts, Byron.”
Richter took two foam earplugs out of his pocket and began to put them in.
“I know you’re bluffing. You are a professional, and I know that even if I was an enemy combatant you... wouldn’t... what are you doing?”
“Testing Seth’s new program.”
Richter smoothly drew his pistol and brought it up. Byron began to dodge to his left, allowing Richter to aim where his head had been. The shot impacted the bulkhead, sending a shock wave of ripples flowing from the center. Sound waves filled the hold and faded into white noise. Byron poked his head up from behind a crate. Richter had already returned his pistol to his holster.
“Looks like either Seth’s program isn’t working again,” said Richter, removing the earplugs, “or I meant to miss. I’ll let you figure out which.”
Byron could barely hear him, and after Richter left he could only hear his own blood rushing through his head. He didn’t hear Richter lock the door.
5. Day Thirty Six
The scenery had become much more interesting after the Faith entered the Large Magellanic Cloud. Far more resembling the first few days of their voyage, stars and star systems moved by the windows and viewports quickly. Before too long, the Tarantula Nebula became the most obvious feature of the cloud, and since they were headed right there it soon filled the entire front window. Each of the crew had spent some time marveling at the beauty of the nebula, but that morning John was alone on the bridge.
The past two and a half weeks had gone by in a routine no different than what had been established. Byron was the only variable, eventually allowed to rejoin the others after a week in confinement. Richter and Ari had kept their secrets to themselves, for the most part, but the others needed little convincing that Byron needed some time alone. Ray suggested putting him to a supervised apprenticeship, and it was determined that the crew would teach Byron everything they knew about the plumbing and waste systems aboard. Tempered by his isolation and displaying an atypical mollification, Byron agreed. He’d worked with such determination and sincerity that his privileges had been expanded slightly. He could now visit the bridge during the afternoons, when it was guaranteed to be well populated.
Ari and Richter, for their part, said very little to Byron as the days went by. For Ari the reason involved latent guilt, for Richter it was a matter of practical necessity. Ari’s own temperament was seen to undergo a change, which helped her get along with Christie and Dana greatly. She hadn’t been able to unlock any more information about the security program that Seth decided to run during her near-death experience with Byron. She’d given up after a week, and the entire effort left her with a familiar feeling from when they first met Seth; that he was intentionally obfuscating the matter. Ari detested the concept that Seth was manipulating her morality, even though it had been for the better.
John could sense a change in Ari’s demeanor. He attributed it to cabin fever and her constant and intensive sim sessions. He, Ari, Ray and Richter had become famously effective in various combat scenarios. John continued to encourage Christie and Dana to participate more often, with limited success. Christie and Dana had become focused on the ship itself, working with Ari to better understand the relationship between Seth and their Earth technology. They’d become good friends in their own way. John was glad for it. As was evident during their space combat sims and their real-time drills, Christie and Dana had become indispensable members of the crew. John suspected that Ari would become jealous about sharing her knowledge of the Terran computer network, but there was no outward evidence of this.
John closed his eyes and took a deep breath. They were due to arrive at Umber in less than six days, and it was hard to relax. He was playing trance music at a moderate volume on the bridge, and along with his pipe he was halfway to content. Friday sat across the room, attempting to avoid the smoke. Ray arrived via the conference room.
“Good morning,” Ray said.
“Morning. You’re up early.”
“It’s been difficult to sleep in lately.”
“No kidding. Why do you think I’ve been spending so much time up here?”
“You should just submit to calling yourself captain. We all think of you as captain anyway.”
“I still don’t want the title. We’re all leaders in different ways. I know I run the show during space combat sims but that doesn’t make me captain.”
“Actually, it does. How’bout commander instead?”
“Commander Scherer. It does have a nice ring to it.”
“Do you hear something?”
“You mean other than the music?”
John paused and listened.
“What the...”
Ray moved to the pilot console and turned off the music. Something was beeping at Dana’s station.
“What is that?”
John jumped up from his chair, knocking an empty mug from the arm rest.
“It’s a transmission!”
Bolting over to the appropriate terminal, John grabbed the mouse. Ray leaned over to watch.
“It’s probably just more background junk. You shouldn’t be so hopeful every time we receive a second or two of...”
“This is thirty seconds long, look. Dana to the bridge, please!”
“Can you play it?”
“I don’t know how to work the program. I never needed to before.”
Dana entered the bridge via the hallway door.
“What’s up?”
“We just received a thirty second transmission,” John replied.
John and Ray gave way and Dana sat down at the terminal.
“Holy...”
“What?” said Ray.
“This is an audio waveform. Definitely generated from an intelligent source.”
“Can you play it?” asked John.
“Of course.”
Utter nonsense, a hair too loud, filled the bridge. Dana turned the volume down a notch.
“Sounds like somebody gargling pie,” said John. “Seth, do you understand the transmission we just received?”
Friday jumped up on the console next to Dana’s terminal.
“Yes,” said Seth.
“Can you translate it for us?”
“Please specify visual or audible translation.”
“Audio, please.”
The transmission began to play again, this time in perfect Oxford English.
“Announcing the grand re-opening of the Umberian System Way Station! Now with thirty docking bays that can accommodate the largest galaxy cruisers. Visit our completely redesigned market area, now with fifteen restaurants and bars to cater to any taste. Reasonable rates, and sign up now for a frequent fueler discount! Security provided by Empire Security so you can relax and enjoy your stay. The Umberian System Way Station, type USWS into your uplink module for coordinates.”
John, Ray and Dana were speechless. Dana was the first to snap out of it.
“Interesting how the translation was only twenty seconds. Perhaps the original language has longer words.”
John looked shocked. “That’s all you can say? This is the first confirmation of an alien civilization, and you’re waxing scientific on the syntax?”
“You mean the first confirmation other than the ship we’re all on? Yes, it’s cool, John. I’m still a professional.”
“We gotta let the others hear this,” said Ray. “This is amazing.”
“I wouldn’t get too excited,” said Dana. “This transmission clocked in at four hundred light years per hour. Think about how far we still have to go. This transmission is at least a hundred years old. Seth is the only one who could have grabbed it, by the way. None of our Earth receivers could have picked this up.”
“Well, it still proves that at one time Umber was a bustling center of galactic activity,” said Ray.
“Maybe,” said John. “Play it again, please.”
Dana did so. John listened intently.
“The translation is definitely shorter than the original,” said Dana.
“Grand re-opening,” began John, “I wonder why they closed in the first place. Remodeling?”
“I suppose even space stations need redecorating now and then,” said Ray.
Dana swiveled around in her chair. “Guys, we should see if Seth is still playing dumb on the subject of linguistics, now that he’s received new input.”
“Good idea, but don’t be surprised if he still sits there like a lobotomized slug.”
“You want to question him, John?”
“You go ahead, you’re the communications officer.”
“Fine. Seth, what language was the transmission?”
“Umberian,” said Seth, a hint of sanctimony evident.
“Was your translation exact?”
“No.”
“Can Umberian be translated exactly into English?”
“If you really want to, but it will sound wrong.”
“That’s progress,” said John. “Seth doesn’t usually think in terms of causality.”
“What?” asked Ray.
“I mean he predicted our reaction to the request. Usually he can’t, or won’t, think in terms of cause and effect.”
“Oh, I got you.”
“Seth,” Dana continued, “please translate the transmission into English as precisely as possible.”
The message repeated.
“Station Routing as of Umber Planetary System to reopen by way of our announcement! Class Halon accommodating airlocks to number thirty as of now. Number fifteen places to renew body energy to go into of each major race palate. Money not to deplete if and when refueler club to join! Relax safe as Empire Security guards with instant death possible to bad guys stand at ready. Station Routing as of Umber Planetary System, uplink module into enter USWS for how to get here.”
“Difficult, but not impossible to understand. Thank goodness Seth has a good grasp of our language to work with.”
“Well, we’ve given him enough opportunity to learn,” said Ray.
“Seth, does your program include an uplink module?”
“As if,” said Seth.
“What?”
“Uplink modules are so last century.”
“He’s still acting schizo,” said John. “Only fools like us would trust our lives to a computer as weird as Seth.”
“Seth,” said Dana, “how do you connect to the Umberian Way Station if not by uplink module?”
Seth returned to his normal flat tone. “Communication is through a real-time, open broadcast network.”
“What is the effective range of the network?”
“The terminal range of the network has not been determined.”
“What do you mean?”
“The maximum range of the network is unknown.”
“How far from Umber were you when you stopped receiving it?”
“Five hundred and twenty seven kilometers.”
“Huh?” said John. “How can it be the main communication network for the entire solar system with that kind of range?”
“Wait a minute,” said Dana. “There are two different things being said here. If the maximum range is not known, and Seth stopped receiving the network after five hundred kilometers, then the transmission was terminated for a reason other than leaving the effective range.”
John nodded. “Seth, why did you stop receiving the network signal so soon after departing Umber?”
“The signal was interrupted.”
“By whom?”
“Unknown.”
“Figures.”
Dana raised her index finger. “Hold on. Seth, what is the maximum known range of the network?”
“Five thousand parsecs,” said Seth.
“What the hell?”
“What?” asked Ray.
“That’s enough to cover the entire Magellanic Cloud, at least I think so. Christie would know for sure.”
“Seth,” began John, “are you receiving the network signal now?”
“Yes.”
“Can you connect us to the system?”
“No.”
“For God’s sake why not?”
“The signal is a different format than when I last connected. Only one message is decipherable.”
“Well, let’s hear it.”
There was a pause. A new message began to play, introducing those present to a new language. This one sounded like cats arguing over tea. Seth immediately began to translate.
“Your copy of Nebulonic GammaWave is out of date. Upgrade to the new version now for only ninety credits. Unable to initiate auto-account deduction. Please visit Residere Beta for several vendor options.”
&
nbsp; “Sounds like you’ve been out of the loop for too long, Seth,” said Ray.
“What language was that?” asked John.
“Kau’Rii.”
“Cow-what?”
“Kau’Rii.”
“Who are they?”
“Unknown.”
“You don’t know or you can’t remember?”
There was a pause. “I cannot recall.”
“Do they live on Umber?” Ray asked.
“No.”
“Guys, check this out,” said Dana, working at her station. “Seth may not be able to access the network, but I’m detecting it now. I guess asking him about it made the information available.”
“Getting info out of Seth has always been like that,” said John.
“I’m showing more than one transmission source. One of them is four light years from Umber. One of them is a hundred light years beyond that. But none of them are coming from the Umberian system itself.”
“Seth, which system is the closest transmission source?”
“Residere.”
“Do the Kau’Rii live on Residere?”
Seth thought about it for a moment. “Some of them.”
“Then it seems we have a choice to make.”
Ten minutes later, the crew of the Faith was gathered in the conference room. John stood in front of the table, a wall-mounted plasma screen monitor next to his left shoulder. The mood was very upbeat. John had just finished updating the crew as to the new information, and proceeded to make his point.
“The question is now, should we continue to Umber as planned or stop by the Residere system first?”
John pointed to a quick and dirty diagram of the systems’ relative locations that Dana had placed on the monitor.
“Why would we want to go to Residere first?” asked Christie. “Seth’s already told us as much as he remembers about it, and anything could happen. We should find out what our mission to Umber is first.”
“I agree, but there is the matter of Seth’s outdated communication software. We might get to Umber only to find that we can’t communicate with them. If we buy the upgrade first, we’ll be sure of it. Plus, we can find out about Umber from the Kau’Rii or whomever else is around and get a third-party opinion about it.”
The Tarantula Nebula Page 5
