»Do I get an answer to my questions now? What did you inject us with?«
As the soldiers retreated, another person entered the hall.
»Admiral Hayes!« Arkroid said, unsurprised. »I should’ve known you’d meet us here. Was the reception committee your idea?«
Hayes stood beside the scientist and slightly bowed his head.
»Yes, afraid so; standard operating procedure. May I introduce you to Banduk Oodergoo, representative of the original Australian inhabitants and also the leading authority in nanotechnology at Uluru-Station.«
Banduk grinned across his entire face and flashed a row of pearl white teeth.
»I’m happy to meet you, Toiber Arkroid.«
»Uluru?« Arkroid asked, still somewhat uncomfortable, rubbing his aching shoulder.
Banduk raised his arms in an all-encompassing gesture.
»The name of this station. Uluru is a word from my mother tongue and means: Place of Shadow. Strictly speaking, it is the name of the great monolith, you white people call Ayer’s Rock. Long before the English discovered this continent, my people called the holy rock Uluru.«
»What did you inject me with?« Arkroid asked again, unusually softly. Those who knew Arkroid well would know that he was reaching his limit. Hayes quickly motioned to Banduk and the scientist displayed his charming smile again.
»I administered a column of nanobots, tiny assistants, which you will soon value very much.«
Arkroid shook his head as if he hadn’t understood and Hayes made another attempt to explain.
»They’re tiny, microscopically small robots – independent units, following specific programming, and now circulating in your bloodstream.«
Arkroid scowled.
»You should have asked me!«
»Sorry,« Hayes replied soberly. »The nanobots are administered to anybody entering this station. They won’t harm you, Arkroid. They’re monitoring critical metabolic functions, measuring your pulse, blood pressure, adrenaline and hormone levels and more. The data is transmitted within 500 milliseconds to the central neuronal computer where it’s permanently stored. In case the Soulwalker takes over your body, we’ll know about it right away, and the nanobots will take countermeasures. We know how the Human body reacts to a takeover. Pilvi Leukonen’s body sensors supplied us with that information.«
»What kind of countermeasures?« Modrov questioned, insecure.
»In case you’re taken over mentally by the Globuster Lord, the nanobots will release a particular nerve poison to immediately place your body in a comatose condition. This way, it’ll be impossible for the Soulwalker to access any secrets you have. It’s a precautionary measure. The Soulwalker can’t be permitted to learn the position of this station under any circumstances.«
Hayes offered a friendly smile.
»There will be no exceptions to this rule. Understand and accept that. Arkroid, you have already encountered a Soulwalker and are to be considered a high risk. It’s possible that the creature remembers and comes back for you. If it makes you feel better, Banduk and I also harbor these tiny ‘assistants’ in our bodies.«
Arkroid got dressed again.
»Okay, never mind, Admiral. Now I’d really like to know why you wanted me here and what’s going on in this installation. This is the first time I’ve heard of this place.«
Dangerous critters
Banduk Oodergoo was an attentive guide and apparently considered the underground station to be his personal refuge. The underground station spread out over several kilometers at every level. Modrov was sent back to his base after being sworn to absolute secrecy and Arkroid wished the pilot good luck on his return trip. It would have not made much sense to keep the pilot at Uluru Station. All Hawks and experienced pilots were needed for the Solar Union defense and Hayes could not afford to have a pilot twiddling his thumbs at Uluru.
Banduk took a small vehicle to move through the subterranean tunnels and halls.
»The first ten levels are about sixty years old. Originally it was a scientific station to research the increased ultraviolet radiation and the consequences on the Australian continent. Later it was rebuilt as a secret research center and was expanded, level by level, deeper below the earth. Right now, we’re at the lowest or twentieth level, with the highest security classification. Here, at a depth of two-hundred-eighty meters, only selected personnel work. The entire installation is completely independent, has, thanks to fusion cells, an almost unlimited energy supply and can be hermetically sealed from the outer world if it becomes necessary. Uluru is proofed against earthquakes and other catastrophes. We employ a unique circulation technology, allowing water and air to be recycled completely. Only a handful of people know of our existence.«
Arkroid began to understand. Australia was almost unpopulated and served as a gigantic, natural, restricted zone. The researchers could work here, completely undisturbed. Whether the ‘Rock’ was also proof against the Soulwalker needed to be seen.
The small vehicle passed numerous high-security tracts, which could only be entered through a system of vacuum locks and decontamination rooms.
»This is the biological and medical section where we research and develop vaccines against the still existing diseases, the genetic improvement of useful plants and the design of biological nanobots.«
»Biological nanobots? Like the ones you administered to me a short time ago?«
The scientist smiled and shook his head.
»No, no. Here we are concerned with the nanotechnology of tomorrow. The nanomachines inside your body are giants in comparison to what we’re working on!«
»Is that your specialty?« Arkroid inquired.
»Nanotech has been a field of study for decades, and there are numerous applications. Six years ago, I was involved in the design and implementation of nanobots for use on spaceships and space stations to repair hull defects.«
»Interesting; I’ve heard of nanobots but know little about them. What do they do and how do they work?«
Banduk welcomed Arkroid’s fascination and volunteered more information.
»Nanobots are integrated into the hull structures of our newest ships, residing in tiny chambers and waiting for their mission. When an injury to the outer hull occurs, for instance by an impact of a micrometeorite, the nanobots are automatically activated and begin repairing the hole.«
»Can you give me more detail?«
Banduk responded with a broad smile. It was apparent that he enjoyed talking about his ‘assistants’ with someone who could understand him.
»The process is very complex but quickly summarized. The nanobots detect the resulting vacuum which initiates an internal program embedded in the nanobot’s structure, inside a chain of molecules, similar to the DNA in our genetic codes; however, this program controls and directs entirely different events. The nanobots analyze the damage and then perform their respective specialized tasks. Some types are completely mechanical in nature, others have a biological structure, which furthermore are supplemented by a hybrid model. There’re nanobots that complement each other. Some types function as tiny chemical factories, producing particle size drops of adhesive, and other nanobots deliver the corresponding patch material so that the hole can be closed up again. Then there are simple worker-nanobots and others you could call logistic experts. Their assignment is to ensure the supply of chemical raw materials.«
Arkroid nodded appreciatively.
»All these complex functions in something the size of a speck of dust?«
»A speck of dust,« Banduk replied with pride, »would be many times larger than our newest prototypes. Three years ago, we made a breakthrough and developed nanobots that reproduce themselves. We call these new types ‘Replibots’.«
»This is astonishing,« Arkroid admitted. He took a look at the meter thick, armored glass barriers of the research sections.
»Why are these unusually strict security measures required? Do you work with deadly viruses or other disease
carriers?«
Banduk’s voice changed and sounded almost like a warning.
»Think about it. As I said before, they seek a constant supply of raw materials. If some of the newest generation escaped from the laboratory before they were adapted and programmed, or because of a system failure, and began to reproduce out of control, then they would continue until all possible resources were entirely consumed or converted.«
»Do you mean that these runaway nanobots could, in the worst case, single-mindedly perform their work and keep reproducing until this station was completely destroyed?«
Banduk silently looked at Arkroid for a second, and then answered almost in a whisper, »Not only the station, the planet – and we would have no means to stop them.«
Mindboggling results
When Donald Day was urgently called to the control central, he thought the Globusters’ attack was about to begin. The call wasn’t from space surveillance, though, but from the SETI scientists. As the commander entered the control central, he was met by an excited team of experts.
»We’ve done it! We’ve isolated images from the received data!« Jörgmundson exclaimed with a shaking voice.
»As you know, all previous attempts at making any sense of it have failed. Since Quaoar’s destruction, we have received unbelievable quantities of data but there was just so much that we didn’t know what to do with it.«
Day looked at the holographic display and watched the endless stream of data, continually arriving from the IRS and the Ryan.
»The universe is full of life, more than we ever suspected,« the scientist whispered in awed tones.
Day couldn’t help being amused. He looked at the researchers and commented, »We’ve known that since the Shwakan’s arrival, even if our first encounter with the Globusters wasn’t enough. Our picture of the universe was wrong, and we had to revise it. Your job was to find evidence of life out there. Now you’ve found more than you can shake a stick at. Get used to it, boys. Now, what’s got your panties in a knot this time?«
Jörgmundson quickly cleared his throat.
»We owe this breakthrough to Lai Pi. He approached the problem with entirely new ways of analyzing the data.«
Day quickly glanced at the Asian, who was sitting at his terminal, surrounded by numerous scientists.
»Lai Pi suggested thinking outside the box.«
»Oh? Outside the box, eh? How so?« the commander asked sarcastically, directing his gaze at Lai Pi.
»By separating the signals according to biological patterns. We’re used to viewing pictures or photographs in single frames. Early digital video transmissions were composed of individual pixels, with differing color and brightness data. They were transmitted, received and displayed in either half or full duplex modes. The Human brain then assembled this information into a complete picture or film. That doesn’t mean that all lifeforms in the universe do it the same way. Lai Pi ran the data through various filters, which sorted the results according to variable frame rates and frame sizes, repetition rates and presentation formats.«
»Presentation formats?« Day’s face was a single question mark.
»The question Lai Pi asked us sounded something like this: How would extraterrestrials perceive and present visual information? What type of eyes, or senses, do they observe their displays and monitors with? Do they even use displays? What alternatives are imaginable?«
Day had been floundering for a moment with talk of pixels and presentation formats, but now he thought he understood.
»A Globuster who utilizes the infrared spectrum doesn’t see his reality the same way a Human does. We use an entirely different spectrum. Other intelligences might perceive their world differently still. We never did learn what kind of senses Scorge used. So beings who sense their reality differently would naturally use an entirely dissimilar standard of presentation?«
Jörgmundson smiled.
»Exactly, commander. We’re going to have to adapt our method of thinking. An intelligent being with compound eyes would probably use a display system on which we wouldn’t see anything. The biological aspects of each lifeform will determine the type of data transmission. There might be creatures that think very slowly and can only handle one picture per minute. The brains of other intelligences may be able to process a hundred times as many images as the Human brain. Maybe other civilizations prefer three-dimensional or holographic forms of presentation.«
Day saw that the scientist was rattling on, and interrupted.
»Enough … enough! I get you. There’re almost unlimited possibilities. I can see why we haven’t been able to decode the received signals, let alone understand them.«
»Until now,« Jörgmundson answered with a hoarse voice. »Lai Pi programmed a filter and modified the process to cover an expanded spectrum. The only signals he considered were those that were at least similar to Human perception. His ‘Human-Filter’ finally isolated a stream of signals that we could represent visually. The result is mind-boggling.«
Day froze.
»Can you demodulate the signal? Is it an image transmission or a video sequence?«
Jörgmundson’s excited flush vanished, his face fell.
»We think it’s a type of documentation, but we’re actually not quite sure.«
Day thought he had heard wrong.
»How long is the sequence?«
Jörgmundson quickly looked at the floor.
»Uh … the neuronal computer has so far processed an hour of excellent film material and converted it to our format. Until now, we haven’t been able to extract any audio signal, though.«
The commander inhaled deeply.
»Prepare the conference room and invite the staff.«
Day was irritated that he couldn’t detect the meaning in the researcher’s look. What had made Jörgmundson so fearful?
New developments
As the alarm sounded throughout Uluru, Banduk immediately ended the guided tour and took his vehicle on the shortest route to the control room. Arkroid estimated the room to be at least a hundred meters in diameter. The domed room was divided into several control sections. A ten-meter high holo display towered at the center and showed the Stinger and every detail of its surrounding terrain. Small black points moved around the structure, disappeared into the Stinger’s interior and reappeared shortly after. Holographic markers labeled the objects as they appeared and registered them with a short numeric descriptor. Arkroid noticed a circle of various outsized status indicators along the ceiling of the command room, linked to control posts throughout the entire solar system. A hundred people worked here, sat before consoles and command stations and performed various functions. It slowly dawned on him that Uluru was much more than a simple research installation. The Merinian guessed that this was the Solar Union’s Headquarters of resistance against the Soulwalker.
In the middle of the excited crowd, buzzing in all directions, Arkroid finally discovered Admiral Hayes, who noticed him at the same time and signaled him to come over. Red-faced, Hayes stood before a compound display that simultaneously linked him to people at four different locations. Arkroid immediately saw that one display was linked with the Blue Moon and another to the local commander in charge of the confinement ring in Antarctica.
Arkroid didn’t know the other people. Secretaries of the Union Government, or regional leaders? As Hayes turned away from his video conference to greet Arkroid, the Merinian took advantage of the opportunity.
»What was that alarm? Are there new developments?«
»Bet your ass,« Hayes answered and dabbed at the sweat on his forehead. »Our Moon outpost has picked up rapid trigital radio signals coming from the Stinger on the Globuster frequency.«
Arkroid’s face hardened.
»We knew that was coming, sooner or later. He’s making contact with his soldiers in the Kuiper Belt!«
»There’s more,« Hayes continued excitedly. »We’ve detected a phenomenon that we can’t explain, a couple of minutes ago
. Above the Stinger, but still inside our atmosphere, there’s a … a hole in the sky. The science people theorize it’s some kind of dimensional tear. There’s a stream of energized particles flowing to the Stinger’s tip from this deep black gap. We think that the Soulwalker is charging his Collector, but we don’t know where he’s getting the energy from. A spiral cloud has formed, rotating around the tear, and it’s already reached tornado strength.«
Arkroid’s hands began to shake.
»Shit! We can’t let that happen. If we let the Globuster Lord become too powerful, we’ll never be able to beat him. If he’s able to expand his influence, Humanity will be doomed.«
Hayes’ eyes flickered.
»I’ve issued a system-wide warning, all stations and bases are on full alert. I’m afraid we have to count on a Globuster attack. It’ll take at least five hours for our message to reach Triton Base.«
»I know Don and Maya quite well. Both of them will have prepared for an attack already.« Arkroid tried to calm the Admiral. »If they can mount a delaying action they may buy us some time. Our job is to put an end to this spook on Earth before it’s too late!«
»We’re about to do that, Arkroid!« Hayes confirmed. »We’ve already worked out a strategy and I’ve just given orders to start the offense.«
Hayes cut off any further questions with a chop of his hand.
»Let me explain the plan first. You’re gonna love it! Not a single Human life at risk.«
Nothing left to lose
The picture looked absurd and strange. A woman stood on an icy glacier in the middle of a snow storm, obviously unimpressed by the deadly cold and stiff wind with fine ice crystals whirling through the air, obstructing vision. Three men, equipped with heavy beam weapons, had taken position around her and observed the surroundings. The woman, a striking beauty whose posture revealed dignity and fighting spirit, held a small communicator to her lips as she studied the landscape with her intense golden eyes.
NEBULAR Collection 1 - The Triton Base: Episodes 1 - 5 Page 31
