by Randal Sloan
It didn’t take long for the two of them to get started. They had decided to modify one of the existing simulators to use for the new ship. Zeke replaced the normal AI used in the simulators with one of his new AI’s. That way he was able to program it so that it would more accurately handle the simulated abilities of the new ship. He could get it pretty close, but even the AI struggled to accept what Julie told it the ship could do. But he kept tweaking the parameters, finally getting it set up like he wanted it.
As soon as Zeke proclaimed it functional, Julie had to test it. Zeke watched in awe as she flew the simulated ship, appearing to phase in and out to dodge missiles and rail gun attacks. She also moved in three dimensions; four if you counted the subspace element. Smiling as he watched, Zeke once again was amazed at what she could do, but he had a feeling that he couldn’t explain. Someday their future daughter would be able to match his fiancée in flight and maybe exceed even her. His smile just got bigger, thinking of that. She was going to be a handful, he already knew that.
#
Zeke walked Joe into the simulator viewing room designed to give observers a view of the AI simulated flight. Zeke had arranged for Joe to catch the shuttle up to Space Tech Space Station early that morning. Just to make it more interesting, Julie was making a run in the simulator to demonstrate for Joe the kind of flying the ship was capable of doing. By the time the two had gotten seated to watch, Julie was already going wide open in the simulator.
Smiling, Zeke told Joe, “My lovely wife-to-be is the best there is at flying this ship. Most of the regular pilots still think in basically 2D. Not even I can come close to matching her, although I can do pretty good. But I believe you could be good at flying her ship too. Back in school you were always better than me in the simulators. If you can pull it off, we want to hire you to come to work for Space Tech as our primary pilot for the second ship that will soon be coming off the assembly line.”
Joe’s eyes lit up as soon as he saw what Julie was doing. By the time he heard what Zeke was after, they practically sparkled. They watched while Julie made simulated attack runs on the Organization space station. Not only did she appear to phase out and dodge the missiles, she seemed to have an eerie sense of when something was coming her way. She almost seemed to be dodging before her sensors told her they were there. Then she used a 3D twisting spiral, semi-phasing out in the midst of the spiral so that even a simulated Organization pilot at near point-blank range couldn’t hit her.
“Has she ever even taken a hit?” Joe asked in awe.
Zeke could tell he was hooked already. “No. Not even when I programmed another ship just like hers jumping in almost on top of her. The AI that I programmed to run this is one of the new ones that uses my Chaotic Core design. It can’t even conceive of flying like her. She killed it in thirty seconds, I think.”
Joe turned to stare at Zeke. “Your Chaotic Core design? As in you’re the one that invented the Chaotic Core?” When Zeke nodded, he went on, “Oh my God!” He stared at his friend. “I knew you were working on the AI stuff here, but I didn’t realize you were the one that invented it. You’re a freaking genius.” His eyes widened. “And you’re going to be filthy rich too. Of course, once you marry Julie Randolph, the two of you will be the richest couple in the world!”
“You don’t really think I care about the money, do you? All I care about is Julie, my family, and friends. Friends like you that I haven’t been seeing enough of lately. Let’s get you in there so you can give it a try.”
“Oh, yeah. I’m giving it a go. Of course, you’re going to regret it when I start kicking your butt.”
Zeke laughed at that one. In the past, Joe would often kick his butt at this kind of stuff. Now he knew he could hold his own, his enhanced abilities allowing him to do things he never dreamed of before. But still, he wanted Joe to do well, and he just knew he was going to be able to do it.
About that time, Julie completed her run and flashed a message up on the console. Sensing Zeke’s amusement, she already knew that Joe was extremely anxious to get in there. Zeke led him into the simulated cockpit area while Julie was still unstrapping from the pilot’s seat, and Joe’s eyes were jumping around looking at everything like a kid in a toy store. Zeke strapped Joe in as Julie walked him through the controls. When she explained about the “Turbo button,” as they were calling Zeke’s tweak to the AI, Zeke thought Joe was going to come out of the seat.
They started Joe off slowly, but he kept demanding more and more. Soon he was in complete control of the simulated ship, demonstrating great skill. In his few minutes there, he was already better than any of the other Space Tech pilots that had tried it. Zeke knew he could probably still beat him but not by much. Joe had that special gift, the one that made him a natural pilot and more. Zeke could claim some natural talent, but both Joe and Julie had that something extra.
They immediately hired Joe to be their primary pilot, although Julie knew she was still going to be the one to fly her ship for a lot of things.
Julie left Zeke working with Joe. She had a few things to work on.
#
Julie was more than a little nervous as she prepared to meet the new Chinese envoy. Zeke and a small contingency of Space Tech security were there with her waiting for his arrival. “I hope the envoy is at least someone that we can work with,” she sent to Zeke.
Zeke easily picked up on her nervousness. “You can always send him home,” he answered. “I know you don’t want to exercise the right to refuse if you have any choice. Anyway, no use worrying about it until you meet him. I don’t think they’ll want to risk that embarrassment either, so I expect we’ll be able to work it out.”
Julie sighed. She hoped he was right. Either way, it looked like the wait was about to be over as the Space Tech shuttle that was based out of Beijing was in the process of docking to Space Tech Station. Julie had to wait as the shuttle followed the normal docking procedure. To simplify the approach, the shuttle landed on the station at one end of the central shaft since that area was not rotating. Since the modules rotated around that shaft to provide the semblance of gravity, it would have been zero g if the shuttle docked there. After “landing” on the station surface, the shuttle was moved by a giant elevator from that central position out to the outer rim. Although Julie loved the feeling that zero g gave her, the arriving guests would much appreciate the feeling of simulated gravity.
She watched as the doors opened and the security team took their places on either side of the shuttle door where the envoy and his companion would exit. Julie was completely surprised when the proposed envoy stepped out of the shuttle, along with the single companion Julie had been told to expect. Her preconceived expectations had been for the envoy to be an older man but instead she was a young Chinese woman who appeared to Julie to be in her early to mid twenties. She was very beautiful, and somehow she managed to walk with an elegance and grace that Julie rarely saw in first time visitors to the space station. When she reached Julie, she gave a deep bow, which Julie gracefully returned, her bow being just the tiniest amount smaller. Compared to the Tibetan monks, their bows were simple to her.
“I am Xiu Wu, and it is a pleasure to meet you. I respectfully submit myself as your envoy,” the young lady spoke in near perfect English. Her first name she pronounced as SHEE-yoo and from Julie’s remembrance of Mandarin Chinese, the name meant “Charming.” She appeared to live up to her name.
Xiu turned to the somewhat elderly Chinese man who accompanied her. “This is Wen Zhu, my personal assistant, my sometimes tutor, and my away-from-home Dad to make sure I behave while here.” She gave the man an affectionate smile. “If you can have someone show Wen to our quarters so he can get us unpacked, I would like to talk with you personally for a few minutes.”
Wen looked for a moment as if he was going to argue, but instead, after giving Xiu the tiniest flicker with his fingers, he quietly followed the security team away from the group. Julie saw the motion and knew what i
t meant. She suspected that his real job was to insure that Xiu kept in line with his definition of their mission. Xiu was letting him know immediately that, while she would certainly listen to his advice, she would not let him dictate her choices.
Julie liked the girl already. Smiling, she told her, “This way, please. We can talk in the small observation room next door, although I suspect you will be in for a lecture when you arrive at your rooms. And someday, you’ve got to teach me finger talk.”
“You don’t miss anything, just like I already knew about you,” Xiu told her.
As they neared their destination, Julie sent Zeke a mental message. “Zeke, I think I want to be alone with our new arrival. I believe she will open up more if it is just me.” Julie and Zeke showed no sign of the communication, since it was all between their nanites.
Zeke was quick to respond. “I can see that might be best. It does look like your worries were for nothing,” he sent back with a mental smile.
When they reached the door to the observation room, Zeke bowed to Xiu and told her, “I’ll leave you here with my lovely fiancée. I look forward to working with you.” He then quietly slipped away.
“How did you do that?” Xiu asked Julie as she seated herself in one of the available chairs. “I saw no sign of communication between the two of you, yet it appeared to me that he intended to remain with us until the moment we arrived here.”
“We’re very close,” Julie told her with a smile. “I sometimes like to come in here to look out at the stars and wonder what it would be like to be out there. We will be someday, I know.”
“Yes, I can see you doing that. I want you to know just how much I admire you and look forward to working with you. I have been studying you for a number of months now, and I feel like I have come to know you. It is your compassion and vulnerability that make your appeal so strong to everyone, but I have always sensed the underlying strength. That is another reason why everyone believes you when you say that you really don’t want to use those weapons. Just like when you forced those pilots out of their planes when you could have obviously blown them out of the sky at any instant.”
Julie nodded at that. “Those pilots are still human beings, and I didn’t want to take them away from their families if I could help it. If my little trick with the fields of my ship hadn’t worked, however, I would have shot them down without a second thought. What they did was very wrong, and I couldn’t let it stand without a complete and swift response. What everyone must understand is that I will defend myself and my own with every fiber of my being.”
“Exactly. If I had been in your place, I would have just shot them down without a second thought, as I suspect would ninety-nine percent of the people in the world.”
Xiu paused a minute. She needed to get the rest of it right. “I have worked very hard to prove myself as an expert on you. My father pulled a lot of strings to get me here. But I promise you, I will do my very, very best to be a help to you, and to not be another problem for you to deal with. If you will allow, I would like to be a friend to you.”
“Yes,” Julie told her, “I think we can become good friends. I expect you’re going to have a lot to see over the next few weeks. After that, I hope it becomes somewhat boring.”
“I don’t suspect it will ever be boring with you.”
Julie hoped she was wrong. She’d had just about enough of excitement. She grasped Xiu’s hands in her own. “Xiu, I believe we can work well together. In a little over an hour, I’ll plan to meet with you and your American counterpart to explain my planned course of action in the next few weeks. But for now I suspect you’d better go meet with your charge. You have a bit of explaining to do.”
“Yes, but he will come around. He knows that he has taught me to think on my feet and it was expedient that we try to get off on the right foot, as you Americans say. I will point that out and also that I will do what it takes to make sure my mission is a success. Of course, my definition of my mission is slightly different from his, but he will soon see that I am right. As you’ve already said many times, you won’t tolerate anything that threatens you, your family, or Space Tech. But there are many benefits to my country if we learn to work with you. Like getting some of those contracts for your power systems.”
“Good for you,” Julie told her. “You’re also willing to do what it takes to take care of your own. I believe we should be able to work something out regarding the power systems. After all, I want to sell them to you. There’s another saying, we Americans use. Sometimes you need the carrot, sometimes you need the stick. You can use the tentative agreement from me as the carrot after he has a little time to see that you were right with a little application of the stick against him.”
“Thank you for that. I do indeed take care of my own. My people and my country need you, and I’ll do my best to stand for them. But you’re right; I’d best be going before he has time to get more upset. As you can tell, we have a very complex relationship. He’s in many ways like a second father to me or a very favorite uncle.”
“Yes, I understand that. I feel the same way about my Uncle Ted. You can imagine his reaction a couple of days ago after he knew what we did to the Organization camp.” Julie gave that a second to sink in. She still remembered it distinctly; Uncle Ted had been quite angry at first. “We’ll meet again at the top of the hour in the media room, if that’s acceptable to you.”
“Thank you, that’s most acceptable. I look forward to it with much anticipation.” Giving Julie a little bow, Xiu turned, following her escort to her room. Yes, Julie believed this one would work out just fine.
#
Julie sent a quick VR to the American envoy that she would be meeting with him and the new Chinese envoy, giving him the place and time for the meeting. She had just finished when Zeke came in.
“I do believe we have almost an hour to kill, and I haven’t had any quality Julie time lately.”
“No! Then we should rectify that, shouldn’t we?” Julie told him. “Have I told you lately that I love you very much?” she asked as she took his hand and directed him to the seat beside her.
“Yes, but one can never hear that enough, can they? So my dear love, you have a new friend and admirer, and we have an opportunity to form a new relationship that will be good for all.”
“Yes. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that she is very beautiful,” Julie told Zeke as she flashed him a teasing look.
“I have eyes only for you, my love. In fact, I never even noticed. Now that you mention it, though, you’re right. It’s a shame I’m already engaged to the most beautiful girl in the world.”
“You’re such a charmer,” Julie told him. She laid her head on Zeke’s shoulder. “Oh, love, this has been a really hard week, hasn’t it?”
“Yes, but it’s about over, and we can only go forward, can we not?”
“You’re right. Soon it will be time to go get my father, and then you and I will be able to move forward again.” They remained there, talking quietly until time for the meeting. Julie finally felt at peace when she arose, grasping Zeke’s hand, and led the way off to the media room.
#
Xiu smiled to herself as she followed her escort to the suite they had been assigned. This assignment had already gotten off to an excellent start. Julie was going to be very easy to work with, and she really thought that they could become friends. She was glad Julie had given her the carrot. She knew she was going to need it.
Wen Zhu was waiting for her, ready to pounce when she entered, but Xiu was ahead of him, not giving him a chance to speak.
Xiu went straight to the stick, as Julie had described it. “You’re already behind, my dear friend. I told you I knew Julie Randolph, did I not? Your foolishness has already exposed you to her; she saw your finger talk. I tried to warn you, Julie is as sharp as they come. She could not read what you said, lucky for you, but she already knew what you would say.
“What was the other thing I told you? Julie expects hones
ty and openness, and she would not think to be deceitful. Just as at the stockholders meeting when she said she had something big coming. Bigger than anything else, she said, and everyone thought she was just talking double-talk. But what did we see just a little later? The new power systems that are going to revolutionize the world and that they can sell as many as they can make. The ones that will finally solve global warming.
“The new power systems that she had already wanted to sell to us, but we were too proud to ask. The new power systems that I just got a verbal agreement from her to sell to us, and before you say that’s not in writing, remember what I just told you. She’s honest, and she expects it and demands it from everyone else. Don’t you dare offend her by suggesting otherwise.”
“I keep trying to tell you. She is an agent of change, and she is someone who bends the world to her will. We want to be her friend; forbid it if we become her enemy. Just look at the Organization. No one else seemed able to touch them. Julie’s on the verge of wiping them out. I will leave you now to think about what I have told you. If you cannot change, then I’m sorry, my dear friend, but you need to get out of the way — for my sake, for your sake, and for the sake of all of China.”
Wen stood there, listening to his protégé and he realized several things. He had just listened to the longest speech he had ever heard from her. At first he had been angry, but before he could say anything, she had proven to him that she really was way ahead of him. She was dedicated to being the best she could be at her assignment, and she had just taken him to task.
The student had exceeded the master. She was right. He needed to get out of the way, because everything she had just told him was right on. Amazingly, she already had the power systems, something no one else had done. He suspected that soon, very soon, Wen Zhu was going to develop a case of space sickness so that Xiu would be able to dedicate herself to her task and not have to worry about an old fool who was too old to change his ways. When Xiu finished and bowed to him, he returned her bow. When she left for her private room, he let a big smile slip onto his face.
